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  Shane looked at me and winked mischievously before he addressed John. "Janice say's you've been seeing Kira every time the two of you get free time together. Is there anything to that?"

  John's dark brown face grinned widely. "Yeah. We talk when there's time. She's quite a woman. I mean, what's not to like. In addition to having a great personality and intelligence, she's tall, slender and beautiful. And she's tough. Unfortunately for me, I don't get the feeling she has any attraction for me beyond a casual friendship. But I sense she's still in serious need of someone to relax and talk with, so maybe I can help her."

  CHAPTER THREE

  That evening, I was in the gym working out on the Nautilus exercise machines we had transported from a health club in Waterloo. I was working an abdominal machine when Kira started on a stair climber next to me. We each hit the machines hard, worked up a sweat, and finished at nearly the same time. To cool down, we walked around the equipment repair area at a fast pace then slowed before stopping. "I hear Paige has adjusted to the new environment. Shana says her exam grades are excellent, and she's a pleasure to have in class. She also commented it's apparent you encourage Paige to do well on her homework, and you help her when she needs it."

  She smiled. "I actually don't do that much. Shana is a good teacher and Paige has thrived since we arrived here, despite the loss of her dad and granddad."

  "We're all pleased that you chose to join us. If there's ever anything I can—"

  Connie rushed between us and interrupted. "There you are, Tom. I've been looking all over for you."

  She made a huge point of clinging to me tightly and kissing me as if we'd been apart for weeks. "Kira and I were discussing Paige's progress in class since they arrived."

  Connie tugged at my arm. "I made a special chocolate desert and can't wait for you to sample it. Come on. We'll have a piece while it's still hot." I said good-bye to Kira and noticed Connie's hard expression as we walked hand-in-hand to our room. She was quiet and withdrawn the rest of the evening and didn't bother to hide being upset at seeing me close to Kira.

  Our relationship deteriorated more over the next week. One afternoon I met with Kira about her training schedule. Connie saw us and rushed to my side and waited impatiently until we finished.

  A few days later Kira and I spoke about plans for a scheduled trip to Minneapolis before Thanksgiving. I assured Connie there was nothing between me and Kira, but she often railed and ranted about the nonexistent relationship she perceived. The last fight was so loud and intense, I told her to move back to her own room. I'd had enough fighting, and we were finished. She didn't take my dismissal gracefully, and I had to reinforce my decision to breakup several more times in the next few days.

  ~*~*~*~

  One afternoon a week later, the guard in the northwest tower sounded the alarm over the internal speakers. "Kira is running toward the woods by herself. Does anybody know why?"

  As everyone responded, Connie saw me at door 9 and innocently asked, "What's going on, Tom?"

  I shrugged the question off, said, "Grab your guns and follow me." Connie grabbed an M4 carbine and two magazines off the rack as we passed. It was her weapon of choice. We joined a group of armed responders heading for the woods. We approached the walking trail Kira used through the dense trees toward the lake. I hoped we were gaining on her when we heard the dreaded muted moans and cries of a number of zombies in the distance. Seconds later there was a single shot. I heard two more shots fired as we entered the woods. They sounded like .40 caliber. I glanced at Connie as a slight grin slid to a look of concern. Then came a series of at least twelve more shots. Ed was at the front of the single-file line. He yelled, "That's an AK for sure. Move it, guys! It's a short distance, so let's run flat out."

  I was the fourth in the group to exit the woods. Kira was near the lake facing a group of seven more zombies. More corpse lay around her. She downed three zombies in fast order then two more. Kira dropped the AK and pulled the .40 caliber semi-auto and fired at the heads of the two remaining monsters from six feet away. They exploded like overripe watermelons, and the fetid, rotting bodies tumbled toward her from their momentum. She deftly sidestepped away from them. Without pausing, Kira scooped the AK up, spun around to reconnoiter the area and saw the cavalry arriving. A breeze picked up as we neared the tree shrouded lake, and the fetid undead odor enveloped us.

  Kira focused on me in the newly arrived group. She appeared confused, or maybe nervous, but in deep thought while she changed magazines on both weapons. She was surrounded by the crew, yet her features were grim when I stormed up to her.

  I tried to stay calm but failed. I was upset. She had an ass chewing coming. Christ, that was the same way I'd lost Emma only months before. It was so much alike that it was eerie.

  "What the hell were you thinking leaving the compound and going to the lake alone? You know better than to do that. You could have been killed, plus you've endangered all of us who came to rescue you. Why?"

  Kira didn't speak until I stopped shouting. She stood there calmly waiting while she let my questions roll off. I wondered why she was so calm, but then I noticed the fire in her eyes. She was pissed.

  Kira moved closer and stood toe-to-toe with me. She stared back as hard as I was glaring at her. "I request a meeting of the full membership immediately at the compound. Everyone in this group is bound to silence until the meeting commences. No talking by anyone, and we remain as a group, no one wanders off." She looked around to scan the crowd. "There are nine of us here, and I request we remain separated from the others in the compound until and during the meeting."

  I didn't know what the hell was happening and was thoroughly confused by Kira's actions. Where was she going with this? It was apparent she thought she knew something the rest of us weren't aware of.

  Kira spoke again, "I also request Connie be escorted to the compound by two people, each one holding one of her hands securely."

  Connie screamed, "Bitch! What are you doing? Tom, don't listen to her, this is silly."

  Kira's stance and demands impressed me, so I agreed without knowing any details. "Kira's request is granted. John and Martin will confine Connie's hands while we return to the compound." Connie's struggles were for naught, and her curses slid away and dried up, even though none of us could yet grasp what was happening. What was Kira up to? What was going on between her and Connie? I knew Connie detested Kira, but I couldn't imagine how that impacted Kira's going to the lake.

  As we led the way back to the compound, Kira walked close to me and spoke softly. I leaned in and listened intently. I hadn't guessed where this dilemma was headed and was shocked at her disclosure. I didn't like the implications of Kira's revelations, but I was obliged to hear her out. When we arrived at our base, I took Shane aside, and we spoke before Shane nodded thoughtfully and then left the group.

  Our entire population was summoned to the dining hall. People rearranged tables and chairs until they formed a rough half circle. Kira instructed Martin and John to search Connie and wear gloves to handle everything they found. I nodded my approval, knowing now where we were headed. I dreaded her suspicions and hoped for all of the member's sake Kira was wrong. We were supposed to be a tight group and this event would blow that ideal all to hell.

  As the search was being conducted against Connie's objections, Kira spoke to the assemblage, "This morning I was relieved at eight from the midnight shift guard duty at the southeast tower. After five hours of sleep, I shot targets and then did a strenuous one hour workout. I was hot and sweaty, so I took a shower. Afterward I dressed and put my gear back on. Connie rushed to me when I was near door nine. She appeared highly agitated and concerned about Tom. She said he'd been acting strange, and he'd told her he was going to walk to the lake to check something. She said she tried to stop him, but he left with only his sidearm and said he'd be fine, and he'd be right back. She pointed and said he'd left his rifle in the rack near the exit door. I know his M14 and recognized it sitti
ng there."

  Connie screamed, "Liar, that didn't happen. Tom, stop her."

  John was searching Connie and frowned as he stopped momentarily and stared at her. He laid seven .45 caliber rounds on the table and then removed five more from Connie's pocket as she struggled. Martin scooped them into a plastic bag and took possession of the evidence. John said to the crowd, "Kira's Glock 41 magazine holds thirteen .45 caliber rounds. Connie has twelve .45 caliber rounds in her pocket. She shoots a .40 caliber G23."

  Kira ignored Connie's last outburst. "I had my Glock on my utility belt and grabbed my AK from the rack. I told Connie to get help before I ran out the door to follow Tom to the lake." She paused and surveyed the entire group as they listened greedily. "Did Connie approach anyone to follow me and Tom?" The observers looked at each other as everyone shook their heads. "It seemed unbelievable that Tom would go to the lake alone or without his rifle. He's not that careless and he's certainly not stupid. When door nine closed behind me, I pulled my Glock."

  Kira stopped to turn to Connie and stared pointedly. "It felt light in my hand so I ejected the magazine. It was empty. There had been a single bullet in it when I jacked the first round into the chamber. I checked the weight of my AK and changed its magazine. The magazine I removed was empty also instead of having the twenty-nine rounds it should have still contained." Kira turned to address Connie. "There's a huge difference in the feel of a full magazine versus an empty one. You'd know that if you took your training seriously and didn't find excuses to skip it."

  Connie yelled, "Why are you looking at me, bitch. I didn't do anything to you, and you're making this up."

  Kira pulled supple leather gloves on and reached in her ammo pockets to produce two magazines, one for her Glock and the other for her AK. "I shot half a magazine through both firearms earlier this morning, cleaned and oiled both weapons and reloaded both magazines before I exercised. Martin, will you please check these for fingerprints and see if any besides mine are on them?"

  A low murmur rose from the meeting members. They had figured out where Kira's accusations were headed.

  I turned toward Shane as he entered the room and approached me with a container in his hand and a frown on his face. "There were twenty nine 7.62 x 39 bullets for the AKs in Connie's underwear drawer. She shoots the M4 carbine with the 5.56 bullets." Shane extended the shells to Martin and gave Connie a harsh look. With both sizes of bullets and two magazines in his possession Martin left to run fingerprint test and compare any prints to the prints in the personal data records on our internal computer network.

  I shook my head in disgust. "What the hell have you done, Connie? You're in a lot of trouble. Did you remove bullets from Kira's firearms?"

  "No, that bitch is trying to frame me for something I didn't do. You've got to believe me."

  "If your fingerprints are on Kira's magazines and bullets there'll not be a good explanation for that. Now I'll ask again. Did you remove bullets from Kira's firearms?"

  Connie glared at Kira, then turned to me defiantly. "Yes. That bitch stole you from me. I wanted her dead." In a flash, Connie yanked John's sidearm from his thigh holster and swung it toward Kira. Kira dove and rolled and came up with her semiautomatic in her hand. John grabbed Connie's arm and forced it straight up as the gun discharged. He wrestled possession of his Glock from Connie as other people constrained her and put plastic restraints on her wrist. Several observers at the tables lowered their own weapons and holstered them.

  Kira stepped next to me, and in a voice loud enough for all to hear, she said, "Ask her if this is how she arranged your wife's death."

  I felt my face redden and my fist clenched as the impact of what Kira suggested hit me. She was right. The circumstances were exactly the same, and only the outcomes were different. I stepped close to Connie feeling more rage than at any other time in my life. "Did you do that?"

  Connie's face hardened but she remained silent. As I twisted to turn away she smirked. "That bitch didn't deserve you either. I've loved you since I came here, and you're mine. I don't give a damn what the rest of them think. You and I belong together."

  My fists clenched so hard the fingernails dug into my palms and my right arm drew back to throw a punch. I wanted to knock her head clean off. Kira lunged between us before I could strike and pushed me away. Over Kira's shoulder I saw Connie lurch forward toward Kira's back. Connie's leg raised, and her foot drove Kira forward into me."

  John and Shane grabbed Connie roughly and dragged her ten feet away.

  I caught Kira and kept her from falling. Instinctively she stepped back, spun around on her left foot, and assumed a fighting stance. She was shaking with anger. Connie was under control, so Kira relaxed and faced me.

  "Tom, I ask that you remove yourself from the judicial team as leader of the investigation of this incident. You're too involved in it to sit in judgment. As the aggrieved party in a capital crime it is my right, by the group's rules, to take part in the decision on punishment, with the consent and agreement of the judicial team."

  I sank onto a chair and nodded. "Alright. I concede that leadership duty in this case. When Martin finishes, he'll report to Shane. Shane, will you, Marilyn, Ed, and Kira please adjourn to discuss the evidence after Martin runs the test. The four of you will also decree punishment if Connie is found guilty."

  I looked up and saw Connie staring at me as if in shock. "Tom, I love you above all else. I only handed Cory and Emma over to the zombies because it's you I love. I thought you'd learn to love me that much, too. Stop this so we can finally be together."

  I shook my head in disgust as I stared at the floor wondering what kind of monster I'd gotten involved with. It was incomprehensible that Connie had orchestrated the deaths of her fiancé and the woman I loved because she was jealous of the relationship Emma and I cherished. She wanted to slip into Emma's role and have me love her as I had Emma. What I fool I'd been to get involved with her when I didn't truly love her. An image of Emma as she died flashed into my mind. Suddenly I understood her evident confusion when she saw me approaching from the compound. That was the same confused look Kira had given me at the lake. Connie had lied to Emma as she had to Kira. She'd told both of them I'd gone to the lake alone and under armed. Both of them had put their lives on the line in an attempt to save me.

  Connie sat apart from the rest of us. A guard sat to either side and slightly behind her, and another guard sat directly in front of her and faced her. All three guards kept their attention focused on Connie. She had already confessed to the crimes and had attempted to shoot Kira. They knew they were dealing with a conniving, deranged murderer.

  Forty-five minutes passed before Martin returned. He moved quickly and was unusually somber. He, Shane, Marilyn, Ed, and Kira stepped aside and spoke for several minutes in hushed tones. Since Connie had already confessed, the evidence was merely a formality necessary to protect a mentally disturbed person who might make a false confession. The group spoke a short time before Martin left them and joined the waiting audience.

  Three minutes later, Shane stood in front of the group and raised his arms for silence. The murmuring voices quieted. "Martin found partial fingerprints belonging to Kira and Connie on the bullets found in Connie's pockets and in her room. Connie's prints are also on the magazines Kira changed out from her firearms shortly before she engaged a group of the undead this afternoon. There is no logical reason for Connie's prints to be on those magazines other than the crime she is charged with. We dealt with the physical evidence against Connie, and we didn't take her verbal confessions of murder into account until the evidence was judged separately."

  He turned to Connie. "Connie Diuguid, please rise for the reading of the Judicial Group's verdict on the charge of the attempted murder of Kira Schafer."

  Connie sat sullenly and refused to stand. She struggled violently and cursed the guards as they propelled her upward by her upper arms until she stood facing Shane. "The judicial team and Kira Schafer have
discussed the evidence, and we have agreed unanimously on a verdict of guilty of attempted murder. Your punishment for the attempt to murder Kira Schafer is death. Since you have also confessed to arranging the deaths of Cory Petersen and Emma Jacobs, your punishment is to be harsh and fitting of your crimes. Connie Diuguid, you will be held in detention until zombies are known to be in this area. Then you will be secured to a tree at the edge of the woods and used as bait to draw the zombies in close enough for them to kill you. We will then exterminate the zombies and you. Following your death, your corpse will be buried with the zombies and not with the deceased members of our group who served and died with honor." Shane addressed the group, "We are adjourned. Thank you."

  I took a deep breath, glad to have passed the leadership role over to Shane. Kira was right, I was too involved to have stayed objective enough to be fair and impartial. The punishment doled out was harsh, but the crime was dastardly and deserved harsh justice.

  Kira stood talking to Marilyn as I waited for them to part. I caught her eye before she left. "I apologize for ripping you earlier at the lake. I didn't realize you thought you were on a mission to rescue me. Thanks for risking your life to save mine," I extended my right hand and she smiled as she grasped it in friendship and nodded once.

  Paige stood beside Kira. She said, "Mom, I'm hungry. Can we go now?"

  ~*~*~*~