by Earl Nelson
The Richard Jackson Saga
Book 12: Escape From Siberia
By Ed Nelson
Other books by Ed Nelson
The Richard Jackson Saga
Book 1 The Beginning
Book 2 Schooldays.
Book 3 Hollywood!
Book 4 In the Movies
Book 5 Star to Deckhand
Book 6 Surfing Dude
Book 7 Third Time is a Charm
Book 8: Oxford University
Book 9: Cold War
Book 10: Taking Care of Business
Book 11: Interesting Times
Stand Alone Stories
Ever and Always
Dedication
This is dedicated to my wife Carol for her support and help as my first reader and editor.
Thanks to my Editors, Ernest Bywater, Lonelydad57, Old Rotorhead, Lon and Antti.
Also, the Bellefontaine High School Class of 1962, just because.
Quotation
“That’s the way it happened, give or take a lie or two.”
James Garner as Wyatt Earp describing the gunfight at the OK Corral in the movie Sunset.
Copyright © 2021
E. E. Nelson
All rights reserved.
Eastern Shore Publishing
2331 Del Webb Blvd. W.
Sun City Center, FL 33573
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage retrieval systems without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
ISBN 978-1953395-23-8
Contents
The Richard Jackson Saga
Other books by Ed Nelson
Dedication
Quotation
Copyright © 2021
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 1
I held Nina in my arms. I didn’t want to let her go. I don’t know how we will work this all out but work it out we will. I still don’t know how she could have gone with that Prince behind my back, and I would probably never understand.
It didn’t matter. Nina was back where she belonged. I had been a lifeguard and pulled some desperate people out of the water. They hadn’t clung to me like she was.
It took me a moment to realize that she was sobbing her heart out. We were standing in a room full of people, some family, some I had never seen before.
I saw Mum; I mouthed to her, get us a room. I had to give Mum credit; she didn’t take the cheap shot she could have. She just steered us to an open doorway. It was to somebody's office, but it wasn’t occupied, so she gently led us in, and left, closing the door behind us.
We stood in that office for the longest time wrapped in a hug.
She finally pulled away from me and looked up into my eyes.
“Rick, how can you ever forgive me?”
“I don’t know that I have to forgive you, all I know is that I need you in my life.”
She hugged me again and started sobbing.
I held her gently, she had lost weight and it felt like I could break her if I hugged her too tightly.
After a while, there was a knock on the door. It was Mum.
“Rick, we need you out here to talk to people and it looks like Nina needs to wash her face. I will take care of her.”
I went back out to face a crowd of well-wishers, at least that is what I thought they were. My emotions were so jangled that I had no idea what was said to me or how I answered.
My answers must not have been too bad because no one fled crying or challenged me to a duel.
There was the inevitable press conference, where I was asked intelligent questions such as, “How does it feel to be a Duke?”
“It’s too soon to tell.”
“What are your plans now?”
“Go to Disneyland? No just kidding. I have to figure out what this new title means, and I have work to do with the North and South Vietnamese governments and two golf tournaments to get ready for.”
I wasn’t about to tell them, “and sort out my relationship with Nina.”
The Empress and Queen both avoided the press. I had to learn their tricks. I was summoned, never asked, always summoned, like, “Here Rover, good boy, good doggy.”
Elizabeth started with, “Thanks for being a good sport about this. We knew if we asked in advance you would try to weasel out of this. We do need help here in the long run and when we get closer to the transition.”
Empress Ping continues, “In the shorter term, you can help Hong Kong become the window on the world for China. As our ports expand, they will help our economy, but we need to get trade moving now so the people are happy with the new government.”
“I can see that, but could you make it something like, oh I don’t know what, anything but this high-sounding title.”
“The high-sounding title will get people to listen to you that otherwise would have shrugged you off. The title shows the regard that you are held by the Empress and me. It is not the title; it is the connections.”
“That makes more sense to me. Do I have some sort of Duke Uniform I have to wear?”
“You won’t have to wear your robes until you give your maiden speech in the House of Lords, you can’t do that until you are twenty-one.”
“Do I have to do it then?”
“Some never give a speech, so they are never seated.”
“That sounds good to me.”
“You will change your mind by then.”
“We’ll see.”
After that, I spent the rest of the afternoon with the Governor of Hong Kong and his staff. They gave me an overview of the problems facing Hong Kong. I assured them that I would have little involvement if any with Hong Kong other than investing in areas that could help the colony.
From their faces, you could tell that they were skeptical, but I meant it, I wanted nothing to do with running a country, a colony, or even a township.
My takeaway from tha
t meeting was that the sooner they could handle the cargo containers the better and that they could use help in bringing up their manufacturing to modern standards.
My company was upgrading the port, so that was just a matter of time. As far as modernization was concerned, I wanted to check on a project in Pittsburgh, and if it was going as well as I had heard then a source of help might be available.
Dinner was a formal event with the Queen and Empress. I wore my Coldstream uniform as I didn’t want to go to the bother of all the nonsense in formal dress.
Nina was my table partner. You could tell she still was uncertain of our relationship and was noticeably quiet. A dinner like this was never the place for a personal conversation. Anything said would make the tabloids within a day.
The expected comments and questions were directed at me from up and down the table. Some of them were bold, like the guy asking for a business meeting as his company would be a good investment for me. The one that took the cake was the woman who tried to set me up with her daughter, with Nina sitting beside me!
Some aide to the Governor asked the woman an innocent question.
“Oh, has she had those buck teeth fixed.”
I managed not to spew the glass of wine I had been sipping. It did shut the woman up.
Early the next morning my family and I had a private meeting with Queen Elizabeth. She assured us that the Dukedom was to be seen mostly as a reward but that any good I could do for Hong Kong would be appreciated.
My being made a Duke was an English title, not a Hong Kong one. They didn’t do that in the commonwealth or colonies.
I made a private decision to purchase land and companies in Hong Kong so that I would have a real part of it.
My interests would be vested in upgrading their manufacturing and bringing in new business. The governing would be left to the politicians. I didn’t have the stomach for it.
Empress Ping had departed for Beijing after dinner the previous night. Her hold on power was still tenuous.
We boarded my 707 for the long flight back to LA.
Nina and I spent many an hour in my office talking. There was much to say. Most of it I can’t remember. One conversation did stick in my mind.
“Why that scumbag of a Prince?”
“Rick, I think I fell into the trap that is built for all American girls. We have read stories all our lives about a nobody-American girl meeting a handsome Prince and them falling for each other and living happily ever after.”
“We have been conditioned is the best I can put it. He is good-looking and certainly a good actor. I didn’t realize how badly I was being used until you showed up and smashed your car.”
“My world came crashing down at that point. I don’t know what was going on in my head. I was so bedazzled by the Prince that you went out of my mind. If I thought about it at all it was that my romance with the Prince would soon be over and you and I would be back to normal.”
“How could I be so naïve? How can you ever trust me again?”
“Nina, you are right, you breached that trust, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t rebuild it. It will take time; maybe years, but we can rebuild it.”
I could see her eyes light up with hope. I also felt hope but was scared to death of what would happen if she failed again. It would crush both of us.
I would like to say those thoughts went through my mind immediately. It took days for me to think everything through. Also, a couple of serious conversations with my parents.
We did have a few light-hearted moments on the flight. Mum and Mary had been shopping. They came to dinner on the flight dressed as traditional Chinese coolies, funny straw hats, and all.
I had become proficient with chopsticks, the rest of the family, not so much. It was funny to see Eddie wrestle with them trying to eat rice. He did it, one grain at a time. You got to give him credit; he is very stubborn or was very hungry.
Chapter 2
It was the first of July when we landed at LAX. Traffic was terrible getting home. We talked seriously about flying in and out of Ontario airport in the future. That way we could even fly a Cessna to the Forest Service station.
We had talked about using that as our escape route if there was ever a problem at Jackson House, but we had let it slip by the wayside. We needed to revisit it even if only for convenience.
Not that it would have worked this trip, there were too many of us for my small aircraft. Even taking a limo from Ontario would be better than this Los Angeles mess.
Nina was riding with us; we would drop her off at her house on the way home. I got out with her when we reached her home.
“Nina, the past is the past. Would you like to do lunch tomorrow?”
“I would love to.”
“Okay, meet me at the Forestry Service station. I have to practice putting on the Troon greens.”
She gave me a funny look. But didn’t question it.
The family retired early; these trans-pacific flights were exhausting. There was also the jet lag factor. We hadn’t been there long enough to get turned around, but still; it was enough to cause problems.
At breakfast, the next morning I knew I was in trouble when Mary came in wearing a “Save the People,” T-shirt.
“Good morning Ricky, how much are you paying me for infringing on my trademark?”
“Nothing, I’m not the one who made or who is selling them. Go back to China and find those people, sue the heck out of them.”
“Pooh, you are no fun at all.”
“Sorry squirt, did you want me to throw myself at the mercy of the court.”
“Oh, would you!”
“Your honor, I have most foully infringed upon the trademark held by my little sister. I will pay the penalty.”
Mary tried to put on a deep-sounding voice.
“You shall buy her ice cream every day for a month.”
“I won’t be here for the entire month I have to go to England and Scotland.”
“Then you shall buy her ice cream every day that you are with her.”
There were triumph and glee in her voice. Then another voice was heard.
“And she will ask for Mum’s permission every day that you are here. If Mum says, “No,” then it will still count as a day off Rick’s sentence.”
Dad has a very deep voice when he wants it.
Mary stomped her foot.
“Well, I tried.”
“Not a bad effort. A tear or two when you first came in might have helped.”
She got a thoughtful look, “I think you are right. I will work on that.”
This is Mary at eight, I can’t imagine her teen years. If I’m lucky I will be married and out of the house.
The movie was turning out to be a big disappointment for me. I thought I would have a better part. I was shown riding around a lot and passing messages, but I had few scenes with any meat in them. The Charles and Molly story was a side issue in the movie.
The one good thing was that I hadn’t ended up in a water trough, yet.
I rode George over to the Forestry Service station and worked on my putting. The greens at Troon were going to be murderous. I was most concerned about how the smaller ball would act on the different grass used. Two variables were two too many.
I express that to Sam, he told me to man up.
I went back and forth all morning, putting and driving. At noon I looked up to see a beautiful young lady standing there.
I did the natural thing and kissed her.
My Nina was back. I hoped and prayed it was to stay.
We had lunch together at the little FS canteen. It was only a hamburger and fries, but it was heaven. It might have been the company.
I had gotten to know some of the rangers that worked there all the time. They stopped by and wanted to know what they should call me now? Duke of Hong Kong seemed too formal.
I agreed and told them to call me, “Rick.”
/> That set our world back in its orbit. I was asked what it all meant. I told them it was a political maneuver and that I was a pawn in the game being played by the Queen and Empress. It probably was the truth.
Nina had driven over, and I had ridden George, so we parted company until this evening. We were going to the Hamburger Hamlet for dinner.
I was running late when I got back to the house and cleaned up to head out to the studio. I was careful not to speed. I didn’t need the publicity right now.
On the set, I had my big scene with Molly. I asked her to be my wife and she consented. After she said, “Yes!” I was to jump up and shout hurray. I did jump up.
The blankety-blank people had put a water trough behind me to fall into.
It was bad enough when I was surprised. Try drying off and changing clothes five times. The rest of the cast was enjoying this too much.
Even the real ‘Duke,’ made a point of being there to laugh at me.
I did the best acting of my career. I kept smiling and pretended it didn’t bother me, while I was thinking about using fire arrows on their houses.
Later I picked up Nina and we had dinner at the Hamburger Hamlet. It was a quiet event as we both felt like we were starting over to get to know each other.
We were open in our feelings, me wondering about trust, and she is wondering about the world I was moving in.
To me, it didn’t seem like anything special. It had crept up on me and I got used to it a bit at a time. She was seeing it all at once, and I could see where it would look scary.
I told her to remember that everyone that I was dealing with was a person just like us. Maybe they had titles and power, but in the end, they were people.
She asked me how would I help the people of Hong Kong?
“There are two things the Governor and his staff told me that I could do. Modernize the harbor, which is already in process. Then any help I could give in bringing their manufacturing techniques in line with the rest of the world would be good.”