“I’m not sure, but he’s not using that circuit board he pulled from the box.”
“Except the one part he unsoldered.”
“But why is it still sitting on the table?”
Summer shrugged. “Maybe he changed his mind.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. What if he’s just stalling until he can figure something else out?”
“Like what? Escape?”
“I don’t know, but my gut is telling me something is off here. Plus, the way your dog reacted tells me there’s more going on here than we know.”
“Maybe Sergeant Barkley got that same gut feeling you did.”
“If he did, then I’m liking that dog more and more.”
“I told you you would. Just had to give him a chance.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant tactically. As in adding to our ranks, like any member of the team should do. Otherwise, if they can’t provide some value, they’re just a drain on resources.”
Summer nodded, peering back at Lipton, then bringing her eyes to Krista. “Where did Wicks go?”
“To get Horton. I want to see if he’ll provide a new perspective on all this.”
“Another gut thing?” Summer asked.
“Yep. I’ve learned over the years to trust my instincts.”
“Sort of like the dog.”
“Exactly.”
“So, other than wasting our time, how does Lipton’s stalling matter?”
“If he’s up to something, we really need to know what it is. Especially if he does get that transmitter working.”
“He has to, or we’re all screwed.”
“I get that, but he’s not to be trusted. Once we break radio silence, there’s no turning back. We don’t know who might be out there, listening.”
“You mean like Fletcher?”
“Or worse.”
Summer tilted her head with her eyes pinched. “You still don’t trust Fletcher, do you?”
“Not really. He was Frost’s second-in–command, after all, and involved in everything.”
“Yet he did help us at the Trading Post.”
“But why? He could have just let us die like everyone else. Then he would’ve had the city all to himself.”
“Maybe he’s not like Frost?”
“Which would be a good thing, unless it’s not.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means things can always get worse. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“I appreciate what you’re saying, Krista, but maybe there’s just a little too much paranoia creeping in.”
“Maybe. But I think it’s prudent to be sure, if there’s a source available.”
“Which is why you sent for Horton.”
“Exactly. Can’t hurt to ask.”
“Besides,” Summer added after a pause. “He does seem willing to help us.”
“And I don’t think he cares for Lipton too much.”
Summer nodded. “Yeah, who does?”
“Then it’s settled?”
“Sure, do what you need to do. Just don’t get in the way in case Lipton can actually fix the radio. Either way, we need that done,” Summer said, leaving their huddle and returning to Lipton.
Krista moved to the door, keeping an eye on Lipton with the pistol in hand.
Wicks walked back in a few minutes later, leading Horton with a hand on the man’s shoulder and the muzzle of his rifle pointed at his back. “Prisoner delivered as ordered, ma’am.”
“So I’m still a prisoner?” Horton asked Krista, his hands unrestrained.
“For now.”
“I thought I proved myself.”
“Partially. But trust takes time to earn.”
“I’ve already told you everything I know. Even risked my own life to help you out there. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“It’s a good start.”
“But you want more.”
Krista waved the man closer and pointed at Lipton, whose head was buried in the repair of the microphone. “What can you tell me about all that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Can he fix it or not?”
“How am I supposed to know?”
“You’ve worked with him for years, right?”
“Not directly. He always kept to himself in his lab. Nobody really knew what he did in there.”
“Does he always deliver, or does he find excuses more times than not?”
“With Frost, there were no failures. It wasn’t an option.”
“So he did deliver?”
“As far as I know, yes. But I don’t—” Horton said, stopping in mid-sentence.
“What is it?” Krista asked.
“That radio. It looks familiar,” Horton said, walking three paces to the left and angling himself at a distance.
Krista followed, taking a position next to him.
Horton leaned into her ear and whispered, “You see the scratch mark running diagonally across the back of the casing, and the three dents in the corner?”
“Yeah, what about them?”
“I made those dents when I dropped the unit on the way to Heston’s place.”
“The Trading Post?”
“Yep.”
“As in you traded it away?”
“Couple of weeks ago, if I remember it right.”
“Shit. If I remember right, that’s where we got it from. Cost us a bushel of tomatoes from our food stores.”
Horton continued, turning away from Lipton’s vantage point. “It used to be sitting in the corner of his lab.”
“Wait a minute, his lab?”
Horton didn’t hesitate, turning away even more. “It was his radio. I saw it a couple of times when I’d bring him food.”
“I knew it,” Krista snapped, swinging her eyes around and letting them burrow a hole into Lipton. “Was it operational?”
“I don’t remember seeing any lights or anything. It was just sitting in the corner, like a bunch of other stuff he had piled up there. But then again, I really don’t know. He may have gotten it working and never told anyone. Like I said, he was alone a lot.”
“Do you think he used it to contact someone outside?”
“Possibly. Nobody ever knew what he was really doing in that lab, except maybe Frost. Lipton would chase everyone out.”
Krista ran the facts through her mind, matching them with the memories of recent events with Horton. “Maybe that’s why you ran into him out there. He was on his way to someplace else.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Horton said. “Though he did say specifically that he was looking for me.”
“Did you believe him?”
“At the time, yes. But in reality, who knows?”
“Well, if that radio was working and he contacted someone else out there, why couldn’t our guy get it working?”
“I’m sure my dropping it didn’t help.”
“Or Lipton sabotaged the thing before it was taken to the Trading Post.”
“Makes sense,” Horton said. “Probably worth the same in trade whether it was working or not. Heston’s crew rarely checked to see if anything worked. They let the traders work all that out.”
“Plus, if he did contact someone out there, he wouldn’t want to share that discovery with anyone else. What better way to protect that secret than to disable the only method to contact them?”
“Come to think of it, I think Fletcher did mention that Lipton was the one who said to trade it in. Something about needing more steel for the refinery repairs. I never thought twice about it.”
Krista sucked in a lip as a wave of pressure built in her chest. “That’s how he knew what was wrong with it without ever looking at it. He sabotaged it. Damn it, I should have known.”
“He’s a sneaky bastard, that’s for sure.”
“Thanks for your help,” Krista said to Horton, before waving Wicks over. “Escort him back to the cell. Make sure he gets an extra ration for his trouble.”
“Right away, boss,” Wicks said, grabbing Horton by the arm and taking him away.