Colton Banyon Mysteries 1-3: Colton Banyon Mysteries (Colton Banyon Mystery Book 20)

by Gerald J Kubicki

  Walter Pierce had planned everything carefully. He even knew what was actually written on the tablet. Himmler had put a translation in the box, done by someone the Abwehr had supplied. But the true translation was given to Pierce by the man himself, Admiral Wilhelm Canaris. He was the head of the military counter intelligence organization in Germany. His people also verified that the tablet was original and authentic. All Pierce had to do was put the tablet in the right hands in America, but he was unable to make that happen in 1942. The voices told him to save it for a better time, the rise of white supremacy would happen again. He didn’t hear from them for over sixty years, and now they were back. This has been a dubious mission from the start, he thought.

  He knew the translation was correct because over a two year period, he had fed Professor Davies, the archeologist he befriended, a few characters from the artifact at a time. Pierce found out that the Canaris version was dead on. There’d been so many concerns; now there were none. The verification of the translation of the tablet, and the original copy were in his wall safe. He had the tablet safely hidden as well.

  Later tonight, he would implement another step of his plan. He would give Stella a ticket for a cruise. He wanted her away from the dawning trouble. All was going splendidly, he thought.

  ***

  Pierce believed now was the right time to implement his plan. In fact, he was told to start it by the voices.

  They came to him four years ago as he was reading an article about some sniper killings in Europe. The voices were in his head and spoke in the familiar riddles. “Follow the path.” He had read that the killings were blamed on the neo-Nazi movement. Pierce was horrified to learn the Nazis still had a following in Europe, and decided to research the subject. For months, he had a driver take him to the library in Westhampton. He spent several hours at a time catching up on the movement. What he found was very disturbing.

  While the neo-Nazi, fascist movement was small, the white supremacy movement was much larger. It included the KKK and many splinter military movements like, skinheads, bikers, and many more. They had different names, but they all had one thing in common — the belief that whites were superior, and should rule the world. The word Aryan appeared in almost all of their literature. There were literally hundreds of these groups in the United States alone, not to mention Europe. There were pockets of strength in Africa, Asia, and even Australia. Their members numbered in the millions, if you believed the literature. The movement was not only large, but was growing.

  The use of immigrant workers and a high level of illegal aliens pouring over the boarders was forcing many people in some developed countries out of middle-paying jobs and into lower-paying jobs, particularly in Europe and America. The result was a growing hatred for all people not indigenous. Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians were becoming targets for the supremacy groups. It was going to continue to get worse. Pierce could see that.

  Chapter Forty

  A party of sorts was also going on in Aurora. The four FBI agents were hard at work, identifying people entering the church front, and monitoring sound equipment. Agent Krist, a twenty-year veteran of crime fighting, was in charge of the Aurora stakeout. He was utilizing his computer to access a program which compared faces with the FBI database. “Something big is going down here,” he noted to the other agent in the truck which was parked in the lot behind the church. They had arrived at 7:30 p.m. and had set up several listening devices which were aimed at the storefront. The equipment allowed them to hear every word said inside the building. Video cameras were also set up to record any movement, and finally high-powered cameras with long lenses to record everything were shuttering away. Two additional agents sat in a car in the front of the church to shoot the pictures. They could hear everything through their earphones.

  “There’s a ‘who’s who’ of supremacy punks here. Are we taping now?” Krist asked the other agent.

  “Yes, I’m getting everything on tape. Those creeps are mostly talking about how successful they are and how many times they got laid this week, typical punk stuff so far. Wait! I think the meeting is coming to order now — Joe Kroll is addressing the troops.”

  ***

  Inside the church, Michael Dean watched Joe Kroll as he casually strolled onto the stage and then stood tall on the front podium. From the back of the room, Dean scanned the crowd of over one hundred people who showed up for the meeting. It was by invitation only.

  Joe Kroll now began to speak. “My friends and associates, I’ve gathered you here tonight to celebrate. ‘Celebrate what?’ you ask. Celebrate the awakening of the Aryan nation.” He paused to let that sink in.

  “That’s correct, the Aryan nation. I and I alone know things that will change everything for our cause. By the middle of next week, I’ll be leading you into the first year of Aryanna. Aryanna will be our own nation. It will be seeded with over five thousand acres of land, and we’ll expand from there. Before you leave today, you will have to sign a confidentiality agreement and a document that swears your allegiance to me, your new leader.”

  ***

  Michael Dean gritted his teeth to control his rage. Dean hated that Kroll was on the podium. He had done all the work, and Kroll took the credit. The plan outlined by the old man was Dean’s plan. He should be the leader — Pierce had told him that he was the “savior.” Dean smirked to himself as he considered the additional plan that he had put into motion to achieve his goal of taking over the cause. He had implemented his plan ten minutes before the meeting. He’d set up Joe Kroll. He recalled the conversation with satisfaction.

  “Joe, I just got off the phone with Walter Pierce. There’s been a slight change of plans.”

  “Son of a bitch, did you screw up again?” Kroll was beside himself in anger.

  “No, Joe,” Dean replied calmly. “Pierce said he only has one hundred million to donate to the cause. He didn’t want to be misunderstood by the delegates. You know how they might react if the numbers didn’t add up.”

  “What the hell happened to the rest of the money?”

  “He didn’t say.”

  ***

  Kroll carefully observed the crowd as he let his opening comments sink in. Next he was going to tell them about the money. That would get their attention.

  The old man had originally told Dean that one hundred and thirty million dollars of his estate would go to the cause, but had now said that thirty million was to stay with the old man. No matter, thought Kroll. It is more than enough to get us started.

  As he scanned the crowd Kroll thought, there were some nonbelievers out there. Dean might have to remove them. He hoped Teddy was taking notes on the skeptics as he had been instructed. He wanted to weed out any nonbelievers.

  “We’re already strong,” Kroll then sang out. “There are already twelve branches to our Church. But we are not stopping there. The new country of Aryanna will be based on our religion, and run by the Altar of the Creator church. In addition to the land that I’ve mentioned, we’ll have one hundred million dollars in assets. That is my commitment to you, my gift of loyalty, and my sacrifice to the cause. Can any of you challenge that gift?” Kroll paused as several men applauded. “I’ve studied the American legal system. We can declare our land to be independent of the United States as soon as we’re ready. This will be a new beginning, a whole new life for all of you. You’ll have money, status, and everything you want. Especially, you’ll be free to believe in the cause as I know each of you truly want to believe in it. We believe in the Aryan cause. Accept this gift. Stand with me.” The applause was deafening, and everyone was on their feet.

  But Joe Kroll was just warming up.

  “When everything is revealed, millions of people will come forward. Our depressed brothers will see the evidence, and I guarantee the Aryan cause will multiply. The Aryan cause will become the cause of all great white people. They’ll come in droves, bringing their skills, knowledge, and desire to Aryanna.”

  Joe Kroll knew he co
uld not divulge the actual place that was to be Aryanna, nor could he reveal that he did not really have the tablet yet. No one knew the details about the plan to reveal it except Dean, and Dean was too paranoid to share the information. But Kroll had a plan for getting all the information and getting rid of Dean. It would happen when the church got its hands on the Pierce estate. However, he knew he had to tell the congregation something about the colossal discovery in order to win them over. He needed to follow the outline of the old man’s plan as passed on by Dean. He’d been on the podium for a half-hour already, ranting and raving about all his plans and good fortune. Maybe he might have to stretch the truth a little now, but after the tablet was properly documented, and in his hands, he would be forgiven.

  “Now let me tell you why the good white people of America will rise against their oppressors and the inferior scum who are taking over our rightful world. It all started in the 1930s. A group of German scientists were helping a country to modernize when they found something, something that will forever change the world.

  “They found an original stone tablet with the history of the Aryan race written on it. It’s true. It’s all written on the tablet, and I have the tablet. The German scientists found the historical tablet in some ruins of a fortified town in northern India. I’m going to tell you some of what is written on the tablet.”

  Dean suddenly sat up in his seat. I haven’t told him anything about what is on the tablet. He is making all this up.

  Kroll continued. “You see, my friends, the Aryan race began a thousand years before the birth of Christ. The Aryans were the first people to build a fort. They settled in the northern part of the Indian peninsula, and had to fight to protect their people. They often sent out emissaries to settle other lands, and they had a network which ventured all the way into present-day Europe, even Germany. They were very clever, and were the true people to invent gunpowder, which they gave to the hated Chinese to appease them. They invented printing. They called it Sanskrit. They recorded their history on a single tablet. It is this tablet the Germans found.

  “The good people of the Aryan race prospered for many centuries, and had vast holdings of land and slaves. They had large farms, and many animals that they sold to the ‘others’ to support their nation. Their women were beautiful and good child bearers. The men were tall, handsome, and blond.

  “Their laws were righteous — marriage only within the nation. They were the masters of their time. They were the perfect society.

  “But there was much to fear from the ‘others.’ There were many savages at that time. The ‘others’ were stupid and lazy, but they wanted everything that the Aryans had. This caused the downfall of the nation — they were sabotaged. The main settlement was wiped out by a plague that black Indians brought from the south. Many of the outposts survived, but had to go underground. I am a direct descendant of the original Aryan race, just as many of you are.

  “Yes, my friends, this is the true history of the Aryan race. The tablet tells of the great achievements and successes they had outlined the benefits of protecting the race, just as we will do. This is our bible, our message from God, and our new constitution. It will give all Aryan peoples the strength to come forward and unite under Aryanna,” Joe Kroll screamed.

  Everyone was on their feet again. Some stamped their feet; the church rocked.

  A buzz filled the air throughout the church. Kroll had one more task before he opened the floor for questions. He hoped he had the strength to do it.

  “Thank you, thank you everyone. Please settle down. There is much work to do. Our good fortune will not go unnoticed by our enemies. We must prepare to defend the people we love and ourselves. Gary Baum has a plan, along with the charter for each one of your chapters. From this moment on, you and all your members are all under the protection of the Altar of the Creator church. Each of you will meet with Gary, and provide him with a list of all your members and the resources you can bring to Aryanna. We need to inventory our assets so we can develop a battle plan to eliminate our enemies, one at a time.

  “Finally, all Aryan people must have a tattoo of a swastika on the back or neck. Women are expected to have a tattoo on the breast or in the crotch region. This will enable us to identify friend from foe.”

  With that, Kroll slipped off his tie and ripped off his shirt. He turned around to expose his fully tattooed back. A swastika and the word Aryan filled his entire upper body.

  The applause, once again, was thunderous.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Joe Kroll was sweating and felt completely spent. Yet he also felt the sweet thrill of success. He had inspired his audience for over an hour. He had laid out his plans, and asked for commitments. He now opened the floor for questions.

  “Do any of you have questions?” Kroll inquired from the podium.

  “When can we see the tablet? I want to touch it,” was the first question from an enthusiastic follower.

  “Don’t worry,” Kroll replied using his hands. “I have it in my possession. We will announce the finding of the tablet, the translation, and the location of Aryanna on national TV on Monday night. So watch your sets.” He grinned.

  “Where has it been all these years, and why is it in your possession now?” Another man asked skeptically.

  Kroll made a mental note to get rid of the man who asked the question. “The tablet has been hidden and protected by one of us. The time to reveal it is now.”

  “What will we do after we sign up new members in our local chapter?” was the question posed by another man.

  “First, we will consolidate our holdings. Then we’ll build a huge church on Aryanna. The church will be the center of our government until we can declare our independence. It’s all in the plans.”

  The questions continued until well after 3:00 a.m.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Detective Heinz and Agent Chen now left Banyon and went to talk to Seith Paul. They needed to find out what the lawyer knew about the conspiracy.

  He was seated on a chair in the interview room and he was fuming. “I have my rights. You can’t hold me. I need a lawyer. No one’s read me my Miranda rights. There’s going to be some lawsuits filed over this,” he threatened in a loud voice.

  Detective Heinz let him rant for a while, and sat back with his arms folded. Agent Chen stood leaning against the door. Finally Heinz had enough. “So far you’re only a material witness for some crimes. Are you demanding that we book you for those crimes?”

  “You either book me or let me go,” an angry Paul shot back. “This is a gross violation of my civil rights.”

  “You can have it your way,” Heinz explained. “But before we book you, I should tell you we have the entire Woods gang in custody. They don’t like you much. We’ve also produced evidence which points to you as part of a major conspiracy, Mr. Paul. From our initial analysis, I think you’re looking at very long jail time.”

  Paul quieted down. He shifted uneasily in his chair. “I want a DA in here,” he suddenly demanded.

  “Why would you want a DA, Mr. Paul?” Agent Chen asked as she moved to the table and slid a paper and pen over to him.

  “I want to make a deal. I’ll need protection. I want the witness protection program and a new car and I want to be moved to Florida. I want food too,” he demanded.

  “Write down everything that you want to say — don’t leave out anything, as we have a lot of evidence already to compare it to. I’ll call the DA, and get you a piece of pizza,” Heinz offered.

  Paul pleaded. “Can’t I have ribs?”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Agent Gamble was watching through the one way mirror in the room next to the interview room. When Heinz came in, he said, “This whole thing is busting wide open,” he said happily. “I bet we can get Paul to roll over on both the Woods woman and Dean.”

  “Yeah, you’re right, but I can’t help thinking Ula Woods is more of a victim here than a mobster,” Heinz said to the FBI agent
“She was blackmailed in the beginning. I’ve seen her type before. They are too scared to do anything but what they are told.”

  “We need to look at her case more closely,” Gamble admitted. “There may be something we can do for her.”

  Heinz turned towards the window and pointed. “This guy Paul, though, is as sleazy as they come, and would sell out his own mother to save his skin. I would not trust him to do the right thing. I’ll bet he blames Dean and the Woods woman for everything then he’ll say he couldn’t say anything because he’s their lawyer and was constrained by lawyer-client privilege. Everything else will be just a coincidence. He could walk.”

  Gamble glanced through the one-way mirror and said, “Look at him — he’s regaining his confidence. He just pushed his card over to Agent Chen. I can just imagine what he’s telling her. Let’s listen in.” With that, he pushed a button on the wall.

  Paul was speaking to Agent Chen. “I can help you,” Paul said compassionately.

  “Really,” Agent Chen replied in an eager tone.

  “That’s right. I think you have a strong civil rights case. Can’t you see they’re treating you like a second-class citizen? I know because I’m a minority like you. Look, they leave you in here to watch me while they make all the decisions. You won’t even get credit for the collar of the gang. Doesn’t that bother you? I can help you though. Just tell me what evidence they have on me. I’ll make sure you get a big settlement when I get out of here.”

  Gamble was starting to get nervous.

  “Just wait,” Heinz said. “I’ve learned to trust Loni. And besides, would you have Paul as your lawyer?”

  When Paul looked down to write on the paper, Chen put up one finger for the men behind the mirror to see. Then she pounced.

  Suddenly she produced her small tape recorder and showed it to him. “See this,” she said as she turned it off.