The Minnesota Candidate (26 page)

Tom had heard of them and he nodded his
head.

“Well, the world is obsessed with the idea of
using microchips in people. You can look it up. I guess it’s all on
the internet. Shari’s father, Fred, was one of the first to invent
a microchip that could be implanted under the skin. Irene and Norma
assisted him in the project. Oh, this was many years ago. According
to Norma, Fred began experimenting with several different chips.
Irene and Norma discovered a way to link them together by using the
central nervous system. I never really understood all of it, but
Norma did her best to explain what they were up to. Well, the CIA
became involved and they called it one of those Black Ops projects.
Norma was told not to breathe a word of it to anyone, but she did…
and I’m sure that’s what killed her. You can see now why I had to
be careful, can’t you?”

Tom swallowed a mouthful of coffee, confused,
but fascinated at the same time. “Sure,” he said, twirling his
index fingers in little wheels.

“The microchips interacted with each other. Fred
Munthon began churning out human robots and the CIA couldn’t have
been happier about it. You see, this was the ultimate weapon of
control. Well, according to Norma, Fred and Irene were both good
people and their idea was to use the chips for the good of mankind.
Their plan was to design chips that worked in conjunction with our
internal organs, to help our bodies identify and fight things like
heart disease and cancer. In the beginning, they worked on smaller
things like smoking cessation and alcoholics. By using a
combination of microchips, they were able to make people stop these
terrible vices, cold turkey. From there, they worked on patients
with mental disorders. Norma told me that they once cured a roomful
of paranoid schizophrenics in a single afternoon. The chip
cocktails blocked out the voices inside their heads and as far as
she knew, those voices never came back.”

“That’s incredible.”

“Oh, it really was. I had a cousin who had that,
the poor thing.”

“But the CIA wasn’t interested in treating
people for what ailed them. According to Norma, they thought the
world was already terribly overpopulated. All they were interested
in was gaining control over the human mind.”

“By using these microchips?”

“That’s precisely what I mean. Well, you can
just imagine how Fred and Irene felt about this. Norma told me that
they were just sick about it. Fred continued his work, but he also
had a secret project. He began working on a chip killer, a ray gun,
is what Norma called it, which he supposedly finished. That was
when they began to sabotage their project. Sadly, by then it was
too late. Norma had her stroke and Fred and Irene died in that
plane crash, just three days later.”

“That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Oh, it gets a lot crazier, Tommy. I need you to
find that ray gun. Actually, the world is depending upon you to
find that ray gun.”

Tom laughed and waved his hand at the old woman.
“You almost had me,” he said. “That was a great story. I can’t wait
to tell it to Shari.”

Suddenly, Mrs. Kindersley reached across the
table and she took Tom’s arm by the wrist. She gave it an
impressive squeeze. “Everything I told you was the absolute truth.
This is no joke, kid. Don’t you see what’s happening in the world?
Haven’t you wondered why everyone is converting to Islam? The CIA
is behind it, Tommy. You have to get inside Fred’s laboratory and
find that ray gun. I’m not kidding, you’re our only hope.”

“Give me a break. I don’t even know where his
laboratory is.”

The old schoolteacher gave his wrist another
squeeze. “The laboratory is down under his house. Surely, you must
have seen it.”

“But I’ve never been inside that house. Shari
keeps it locked up.”

She let go of Tom’s wrist and slapped her
forehead with a wrinkled hand. “I’m such an idiot, of course she
hasn’t. She’s been chipped, too!”

“Shari hasn’t been chipped. I think I’d know if
she had been. I am her husband.”

Mrs. Kindersley laughed. “You wouldn’t know it
and neither would she. Do you know how they do it? They’re using
the flu shots. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if both of us have been
injected with a few of them. The last chip, the really important
one that ties them all together, only goes to the special ones.
They don’t even know they’re getting it. People like you and I,
we’ll never see that chip.”

“Okay, let me get this straight. You want me to
break into Shari’s parent’s house and find this ray gun thing. Then
I’m supposed to shoot my wife with it?”

“Oh, that’s only the beginning. You’re going to
have to shoot anyone who has been infected. Don’t you see, Tommy?
This is your destiny.”

“Excuse me, but Shari won’t even let me inside
that house. How am I supposed to get in there and find something
that is probably hidden like a needle in a haystack? Have you ever
seen the outside of that place? It’s the size of a castle.”

“And don’t forget, the house is full of
booby-traps. You’re going to have to be very careful.”

“Oh, that’s just great. Would you like me to do
anything else? Maybe I could end world hunger while I’m at it.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice? Oh, but you won’t have
time to tackle something like that, not yet, anyway. Tommy, I have
some of Norma’s journals and I’m going to give them to you. She and
Fred were very close. I’m pretty sure they all knew the end was
near. Norma drew several maps of the inside of the laboratory. You
can see where she marked the booby-traps.”

Tom ran his hands through his thinning hair and
felt as if he had just been spun in an industrial dryer. Mrs.
Kindersley politely excused herself from the table. Tom watched as
she shuffled out of her green kitchen. He wondered about her,
knowing that she firmly believed in what she had told him, but at
her advanced age, wasn’t it possibly that her mind had slipped a
gear? Tom knew he had to consider this possibility.

Then again, if what she was saying was true, the
world was depending upon him. Tom could already feel the weight of
that world on his back.

She came back into the kitchen and placed a
stack of leather-bound journals in front of Tom. “You can look at
these when you get home. You had better not let Shari see them,
they might set her off.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t you see? They’re controlling her. Don’t
you find it bizarre that your own wife won’t allow you into that
great big house? That isn’t normal behavior, Tommy. They programmed
her to keep everyone out of there. That’s another thing about the
CIA, they like to do things on the cheap. That gives them more
money to run guns and drugs. Oh, don’t get me started on those
dirty rats. They killed my sister.”

“You know what?” asked Tom. “I think I believe
you.”

“Well, believe this, Tommy. If they find out
that you’re poking around in there, they’ll kill you, too. Just be
careful.”

The screeching of tires alerted them to Shari’s
arrival. Mrs. Kindersley held up her hand and she walked over to
her cupboard. She opened up one of the lower doors and she removed
an empty brown paper sack. “For the notebooks,” she whispered. She
then handed the bag to Tom and he slid the journals inside,
crumpling up the top of the bag to make it look like he was
carrying a big bag lunch.

Shari was already pounding at the door. Tom
stood up and he hugged the old woman. “I’ll do my best,” he
whispered.

“I know you will, Tommy. You have to find that
ray gun, you just have to.”

Tom met Shari at the door and she nearly fell
into his arms. She was dressed entirely in black. Sobbing, he led
her to the passenger side of the BMW and he helped her into the
car. He then popped the trunk and put the bag inside it. She had
parked in front of the smoldering remains of the new house and Tom
took a final look at it as he climbed behind the wheel. “I hope
that place was insured,” he said.

“I do too,” mumbled Shari.

Tom’s head rocked back at the revelation. “What
do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know. Oh Tom, it’s so awful. I remember
Chona saying something about the contractor’s insurance running out
on Friday. I was supposed to get insurance on it yesterday, but
with everything going on, I forgot. Go ahead and shoot me.”

Tom grimaced at her choice of words, but he did
his best to remain calm. We’ll just call Chona and give her the
news. I’m sure her policy will cover it.”

“But Chona isn’t talking to me.”

“I’ll talk to Sam, we’ll get it all worked out.
Don’t worry about it, we still have each other.”

Shari wiped her eyes and gave Tom a brave smile.
He started up the little sports car and he pulled away from the
curb. “Holy cats,” he said, “this thing has really got guts.”

“Be careful,” said Shari. “You’ll be speeding
before you know it. So, tell me something, what’s going on with
that outfit you’re wearing? Were you about to go golfing? You have
company, Lumpy and Steve spent the night. They ought to get a kick
out of those clothes.”

“Oh… yeah, umm… these were Henry’s clothes. Mine
kind of got ruined in the fire.”

“Oh my God, you were inside when the fire
started?”

“Yeah, I was sleeping and the next thing I knew
I was out on the lawn. It was crazy.”

“The house must have exploded. Do you know how
lucky you are to be alive?”

“Trust me,” said Tom, honestly, “I do.”

Tom set the cruise control and did his best to
keep his mind on his driving. The task proved to be impossible.
While Shari relived her nightmarish morning, he nodded his head
like a good husband, pretending to hear every word she said. Still,
even her frenzied state, Shari caught onto his act. “So, what could
I do?” she asked. “I shot your mom and dropped her into the
lake.”

Tom nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“I had to chop Marie into pieces. She was too
big to haul into the boat. You understand, right?”

Again, Tom nodded. “You’re doggone right I do.
Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

“You’re not listening to me.”

“Huh… what? Of course I’m listening to you.”

“No Tom, you’re not. What are we going to do?
We’re broke and we can’t live on plastic, forever.”

“I’ll get a job.”

“Give me a break, you majored in communications.
Do you think you’re just going to run out and get a job? Are you
kidding me?”

“I’ll find something, you’ll see. We’re going to
be fine, honey.”

“I’ve given this a lot of thought. I’m going to
sell the lake place.”

“Really, do you think there’s a market for
houses that size?”

Shari narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t talking about
my parent’s house. I meant the house we’re living in. We can find
an apartment in town.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Well, do you have any better ideas? I’d sure
love to hear them.”

“I don’t want to argue with you. Let’s wait and
decide next weekend. Who knows what the market will do? Your stocks
could rebound. Those things do happen.”

“Will you quit dreaming, we’re ruined. I wish my
dad was still alive, he’d know what to do.”

Tom saw his chance and he took it. “You never
talk about your parents, what were they like?”

“I don’t want to talk about them. I never should
have brought him up.”

“You never want to talk about them. I’m your
husband, honey. Why can’t you open up to me? I don’t even know what
your parents did for a living.”

“My dad was in computers and my mom was a
doctor. There, are you happy? Can we talk about something
else?”

“No, I want to talk about them. What else can
you tell me about your folks?”

“Look, the memories are just too painful. How
many times do I have to explain that to you? I won’t talk about
them and that’s final!”

Tom thought it was better not to push his luck.
He thought about what Mrs. Kindersley had said about Shari being
programmed. Nothing Shari had said had given Tom any reason to
doubt the old woman. When it came to her parents, Shari was a grand
master at deflecting the conversation. Now, after everything that
had happened, Shari was actually angry with him for bringing them
up. He looked at the back of her head as she stared out the
passenger window and wondered what she was thinking.

The rest of the ride home was made in silence.
Tom drove up to the gate and he waved his card in front of the
sensor. Slowly, the gate opened. He motored through the gate and
around the S curves that led through the little woods. He slid the
window down and stuck his left arm out, tilting his head back,
hoping that Lumpy and Steve would see him behind the wheel of
Shari’s sports car.

Tom stared up at the front door of the big house
and he stepped on the brake pedal. “What the heck is going on over
there?”

“Didn’t you hear anything I told you?”

“I guess I missed the part about the chain on
the door.”

“Your mom and Marie broke into the house,
yesterday. It’s a long story. I think I’ll let her tell you about
it.”

“Broke into your parent’s house? Are you kidding
me?”

“They didn’t get very far. The house caught
them.”

Tom continued driving and he pulled down to
where Lumpy and Steve were lying in the grass. They were both fully
dressed, but their clothes looked to be soaking wet. They were both
lying on their backs and they never lifted their heads as the red
BMW 760 sauntered by. This irritated Tom as he parked in the
garage. He got out of the car and walked back to them. “Hey guys,”
he said, “what’s goin’ on?”

“You’re lookin’ at it,” said Lumpy.

“We’re just chillin’,” said Steve.

“Have you guys even gone to bed?”

Lumpy gave him a glassy-eyed stare and then he
closed his eyes. Steve simply ignored the question. He stared up at
the passing clouds with what appeared to be great interest. Tom
shook his head and returned to the garage. Shari was already in the
house, so Tom took the opportunity to take the bag from out of the
trunk. He then hid it behind some paint cans on a tall shelf.