Behind The Curve-The Farm | Book 3 | The Farm Craven Boyd (the reading list book .txt) 📖

“Look at this necklace,” Luis said, pulling it out. “It’s silver and looks very old.”

“Heirlooms. A family's heirlooms and savings?” Anna asked the room at large.

“Do you think it has anything to do with the bones?” Dante asked.

Leah shivered, and started rubbing her arms as goosebumps broke out. “You had to go there, didn’t you?”

“Hey guys,” Steven said. “Since we’re all here, are we going to send more pallets to the basement tonight, or let them pile up so the boys won’t get too suspicious?”

“How about we move half,” Luis said. “We can always tell them that we’re taking them to one of the barns or the equipment barn for storage.”

“I like that idea,” Goldie said. “But I have to get supper going and get Harry squared away.”

“But we’re not done opening the buried treasure,” Harry whined.

“We’ll go in right after you open the rest of those then,” Goldie said.

Harry dug into the loot excitedly. He didn’t see the group giving each other uneasy looks.

Twenty-One

Rob woke up. He’d gone to sleep underneath his ghillie blanket. His body was cold and stiff from sleeping on the bare ground, but he would live. He had started scoping the barracks out again when a bell started ringing. He almost thought it was an air raid drill, or fire alarm, but he saw everybody leave the buildings and start towards the building that most looked like the warehouse. Right away he saw that the buildings were either populated by males or females. The entire bottom row from his position seemed to be where the ladies were housed.

“That’s good to know, where are the guards… oh got it,” he mumbled to himself. The guards were also in the bottom row, but it was the last building on Rob’s right side. He started making notes with the stub of a pencil and a pocket-sized notebook. He started making himself a map and labeling the barracks. Then he found the range for the front door of all the buildings, putting that info on the crude map he was drawing.

If he could get a glimpse of his wife, he’d know for sure that she was there, and where she was sleeping. That way he could come up with a plan. The clock was ticking. He wondered how everyone at the farm was doing.

“The house seems to be fine,” Curt told Andrea as they woke up the next morning, in their old beds.

“It just needs to be dusted and aired out,” Andrea told him. “Are you going with me to the hospital today?”

“Yes,” Curt told her, “buddy system. The last couple of times we left that place, it was pretty eventful.”

“More so for me than you,” Andrea said with a smile. “We have to leave the guns in the truck.”

“I know, but nobody would begrudge an old, pudgy, out of shape realtor guy having a pocketknife, would they?”

“No,” Andrea said with a laugh, “and I like your idea. We can go in, do the whole dog and pony show, and then you can do what you want to do.”

“I don’t want to close my office,” Curt said, “but this stupid Wuhan Flu and the lockdowns just ruined the economy. What’s the point of saving up and our savings are essentially worthless?”

“Don’t get yourself worked up. This is my doctor's voice if you haven’t noticed.”

“Doctor’s voice? We’re going to play doctor? Now?” He was smiling.

“Maybe later. It depends. Or we could play something else.”

“You mean the outfit you ‘forgot’” Curt said, using his fingers to air quote, “here, and it hasn’t been at the farm?”

“I can’t wear a leather catsuit while I’m still in casts, you goof.”

“Oh, yeah…” he said, then looked her over, “but if you get that last one off today…”

“Bingo,” Andrea purred.

They quickly showered and were on the road. Trash lined the highway on both sides. The grass in the median was also pretty unkempt. When they’d gotten to the house the night before, they hadn’t seen it in the dark. Other than that, the drive was mostly uneventful. There were crowds of people on both sides of the streets, all corners.

“The gas prices,” Andrea said pointing.

“I know,” Curt said. “I’m glad we have a spare tank on this baby and more in the back.”

“I know, but nobody is driving. The roads are mostly empty,” Andrea noted.

“Is this another protest you think?” Curt asked.

“I don’t know, but if you see a big crowd wearing black block with masks, go another way.” Andrea shivered at the memory.

“Everyone out there is wearing masks,” he told her. “It’ll be ok. If the worst happens, we can get out of here. Our suburban and millennial deterrent devices and cameras and…”

“I know…”

They pulled into the drive leading to the hospital. Leah handed over her hospital ID at the newly installed guard shack and they directed her to where she was supposed to park. They thought that was weird, but waited for the newly installed gate to open. They drove into the physician’s parking lot. Ten foot tall chain link was topped with barbed and razor wire. They found the numbered spot they were supposed to be in, and put the tag the guard had given them on the dashboard.

“Hand me my cane,” Andrea told Curt, putting on an n95 mask.

“But you don’t use it anymore, or only if—”

“It’s more window dressing than anything else. I’d love to get my last cast off, but I don’t want to go back to work, not really.”

“Can’t you quit?” Curt asked.

“I’m not sure at this point, it wouldn’t make much sense. That would just put a bigger target on my back than there already is. I’d rather be on the injured reserve list and spend the rest of the time at the farm before I fade away, than worrying if we’re bringing more trouble down on us in case there’s some sort of executive order requiring all medical pros back to work.”

“Um, they sort