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

by Gerald J Kubicki

  “‘I’m not done with you — there are still two parts of you that I haven’t explored,’ she said.

  “‘I told you we have to talk,’ I said. ‘Sally, there is real trouble out there. The Nazis never give up, you know. There are three watching for you, a local Nazi leader looking for me, and who knows how many are still hidden? Almost everyone I know has already been killed. They haven’t gotten me yet only because I have the box hidden. They will kill you when you have finished your mission, and deliver the box or a letter to the man in New York.’

  “‘The mission is over for me. I accomplished my goal. I don’t give a shit about your box. Don’t worry. I can take care of myself. I just need to make a little money on the docks, and I’ll be out of your hair.’

  “‘Look, I’ve been thinking, I am tired of all this shit. Germany is going to lose the war. We just have to be alive when this is over, and the whole Nazi thing will be gone. No one knows who we are. We can just blend in and live a real life. We only have to make it to the end of the war.’

  “‘Walter, don’t include me in any of your plans. I’m too restless, too angry, and too full of revenge. I want to kill people. Someday I will be killed too. It doesn’t matter when. Until then, I want to live life to the fullest.’

  “‘I have a plan,’ I said. ‘I have some money. We could go abroad and hide until this is over. I have enough money to last a very long time. We could be safe and comfortable and live life just as you want.’

  “‘Walter, I told you, I’d never let a man try to take care of me again. Too many men have brutalized me and left me for dead. The thought of killing them is all that has kept me going. I will not take a handout.’

  “‘Okay, I’ll pay you a hundred dollars a week to be my bodyguard. You can earn your own money and still hide with me.’

  “‘Do you pay me for sex too?’

  “‘If you want.’ I truly did not know how to answer that question.

  “‘I’ll charge you five dollars per trick. I don’t want you to go broke. Is that Okay?’

  “‘Do I have to pay cash every time or can I get a little credit?’

  “‘I’ll extend credit up to fifty dollars a week,’ she said laughing.

  “‘But one more thing,’ I said. ‘We need to eliminate the guys in New York and the local Nazi leader. We need to leave no trace, or they’ll find us, do you agree?’”

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  It was time now for Pierce to recount his contact with the Poison One. “‘Hello,’ a deep voice boomed into the phone. The voice had just a whiff of an accent, enough to tell me I had found my man.

  “‘I’m looking for the Poison One.’

  “‘And who are you?’ came the reply.

  “‘I’m the deliveryman,’ I said. I could hear a restaurant or deli in the background. The sounds were European.

  “‘Fine, I’ll give you an address …’

  “‘No, I don’t trust you. Here’s how we will meet and transfer the box.’

  “I told him to meet us at the western tip of Dune Road. It was unpaved, and he would have to walk to the end. We could see anyone coming. Sally was hidden in the high dunes and flat on her belly, looking through a pair of recently purchased binoculars. I was offshore in a stolen fifteen-foot boat.

  “We set our plan in motion the day before, when we went to dig up the box. We took it to the bank. I resigned my position, much to the chagrin of the manager since there weren’t many men available to work in a bank at that time. I told him I wanted to rent the largest space in the vault for my box. It was three feet wide by three feet high. I paid him three years rent in advance. I withdrew twenty thousand dollars from Switzerland and was off.

  “First we went on a little shopping spree to gather our tools for the assassination and then paid Frank Hock a visit, giving him half the money. He was overwhelmed. He vowed devotion for life. I simply asked him to keep an eye open, and to run an ad in the New York Times on Wednesdays if he needed me for anything. I didn’t want to tell him where we were going.

  “The first part of our plan seemed to be working as we both spied a man making his way toward us over the dunes. I had told Sally that once she knew I had spotted the man, she was to slide over to watch the ocean side. I was sure Mr. Poison One would not be alone and would try to eliminate me.

  “I pulled the boat to within twenty feet of shore and hailed the man.

  “‘Over here, my friend.’

  “‘Why are you in a boat?’

  “‘Let’s just say I feel safer here,’ I said. ‘Now be a good boy and wade out to the boat to get your prize.’

  “‘I may kill you for this.’

  “‘That has occurred to me.’

  “He took off his shoes and socks, and while doing so revealed a gun in his waistband. Not too clever, I thought, typical Nazi. He then entered the water with his hand on the gun. He reached the boat when the water was waist-high.

  “‘Let me see the box,’ he ordered.

  “‘I’m sorry to tell you that it was destroyed in the hurricane.’

  “‘Too much is riding on this, you know. Stop fooling around and give it to me, or I’ll add another notch on my gun.’

  “‘How many men did you bring with you?’

  “‘I have two, and they have their guns trained on you, my friend. One sign from me and you’re dead. Do you understand?’

  “‘Do it,’ I said. Sally had already given me the all-clear signal.

  “He raised both hands and yelled, ‘Now.’ Nothing happened. A flicker of fear passed through his eyes, and he reached for the gun. Too late! I had the Luger in his face.

  “‘Drop the gun in the water,’ I said. ‘I guess your men got lost. Give me your wallet.’ His name was Robert Hunt. He lived in Mastic.

  “‘I need to make sure you are the Poison One.’

  “‘How dare you question me?’ There was the arrogance I expected.

  “‘Remember, I have the gun. I need to be satisfied that you are the Poison One before I do anything.’

  “‘Okay, what do you want to know?’

  “‘Who sends you instructions?’

  “‘Why, they come from Himmler, just like yours.’

  “‘Okay, you are correct. How do you get information?’

  “‘There are three men in New York that have a radio. They deliver messages directly to me. My organization follows my orders.’ He said this with the force of a fanatic.

  “‘This is also correct, but could be guessed.’ I was now getting ready for my big move.

  “‘Where do they live?’ As I said this, I pulled up a suitcase in the boat — I knew his greed would take over.

  “‘They live in an apartment in Astoria — it is part of Queens, 34th Street and Astoria Boulevard, under the name of Heller. Now give me the suitcase.’

  “‘Just one more question,’ I said, toying with him. ‘How many people are in your organization? I need the exact number of members, not just those who are active.’

  “‘My records are complete, and in my desk, I assure you. There are thirty-three, all German men. Now give me the box.’

  “‘Ja, Herr Hunt. But let me tell you something. Everyone who has come into contact with this box has died. Do you want to take that risk?’

  “‘For the glory of the Third Reich, for the glory of all Nazis, I and I alone will lead the Aryan race to its rightful place. We will snuff out the Jews, cleanse the population, and control the world, Heil Hitler.’

  “‘Okay, if you say so.’ We had drifted out from shore, just as I had planned. He was up to his chest in the sea now. I grabbed the suitcase, which had two hundred pounds of bricks in it, and moved it to the railing. As he reached for the handle, I looped a handcuff over his wrist, and attached it to the suitcase.

  “‘Herr Hunt, the case is very valuable. Here’s the key. Oops, I dropped it into the water. Oh, by the way, it’s also very heavy.’ With that I pushed the case over the rail, and Hunt and the ca
se disappeared below the surface. I knew I had just killed a man, but he had it coming. Over the last three years, the Long Island Nazi group had been responsible for four terrorist attacks on different utilities and had killed more than ten innocent people on Long Island alone. I had learned all of this at the library. My first face-to-face kill was a pleasure. This man was not a good German fighting a war — he was an ugly brute, who was in it for the fun and excitement and most of all, the glory. He loved to kill. The only question for me was which side was I on: American, German, or Nazi? Had I become one of them?

  ***

  “Stop,” shouted Rogers. “You killed someone? Walter this is bad very bad. I can’t let you record a confession.”

  “He needed to die,” Pierce spat back. “Besides it doesn’t matter now. There is no evidence and I won’t be around to arrest.”

  “Walter, this whole story is very troublesome. I’m not sure I can be a party to it.”

  “You’re my lawyer, you have no choice,” Pierce replied strongly. Now shut and listen, there is much more to tell.”

  ***

  Pierce returned to his story. “I started up the boat and ran into the shore. Sally was there and climbed into the craft.

  “‘Did you remember to take your knives?’

  “‘I got both of them.’

  “‘Are you all right?’

  “‘Oh, nothing that a little trip to a warmer climate won’t heal,’ Sally said happily. ‘Did you get the information?’

  “I flashed the wallet. ‘I’ve got the address of our friends in Queens, and the location of the list of Nazi members in the Long Island chapter. Let’s go hunting.’ We drove the boat back to the dock, and jumped into the car.

  “Hunt’s house in Mastic was nondescript. There didn’t appear to be anyone home. We put on the rubber gloves that we had bought, and went around to the back. The backdoor was unlocked. We went in and found no wife or children. I wasn’t surprised.

  “The list of the members was in a ledger in his desk. Along with it we found fake passports and several blueprints of the electric company and other utilities. I guessed he was an engineer. The number I had called was a restaurant where he and his members hung out. I made sure the number was in plain view on the desk for the authorities as well as the ledger. Astoria was next on our list.

  ***

  “The city offered us an advantage in that there were other cars and people on the streets. The Astoria section of Queens was mostly German, but we would pass. We watched the address of the spies for over three hours. They eventually came out, intent on their daily library visit.

  “As soon as they were out of sight, Hand and I gathered our stuff and headed into the building. Sally picked the lock, and we were soon in their apartment. ‘The three nothings,’ I called them. Their names would mean nothing to anyone, but their apartment was a warehouse of information. We found maps, documents, and finally a radio. They had quite an operation, all neat and tidy. We put down the bag of materials we had collected at Hunt’s house and made sure that we had our gloves on. I wrote the phone number of the restaurant on a matchbook cover on the table. I wanted to make sure of the connection between them and Hunt. Mission accomplished, we then sat down to wait.

  “About four in the afternoon, one of the ‘nothings’ returned. As he entered the door, Sally grabbed him and cut his throat, ear to ear. She was expert at this, smiling as she did it. The other two ‘nothings’ were a half-hour behind. We had moved the first ‘nothing’ to the middle of the room, and they saw him immediately. It was too late to run, as I had them covered with the Luger. They were little men, real tough when they had you outnumbered, but proved to be cowards when at a disadvantage.

  “‘Take out your guns and knives, or she will cut you both, just like your friend.’ We had ski hats on and had cut holes for our eyes and mouths. We looked like the devil himself to them, and they did as asked.

  “I ordered them to drop to their knees.

  “Sally tied both of them up in minutes. We secured them to the radiator. Our job was almost done. I wrote out instructions, including where to find Hunt and his friends. Then it was time to go.

  ***

  “We called Paul Williams’s old number from New Jersey. ‘Hello, this is Helms, what can I do for you?’

  “‘Listen carefully. The Nazi espionage ring in New York has been broken. Go to 34th Street and Astoria Boulevard in Queens. Enter the Heller apartment. There you will find two spies who are alive and tied up, one dead, and everything you will need to completely close down the ring. You must hurry, as the men are resourceful.’

  “‘Who is this?’ he asked.

  “‘An American.’”

  ***

  Pierce was now ready to relate what happened after they broke up the Nazi ring. “The cottage that we rented in the Bahamas was right on the water. The salty smell of the ocean reminded me of home. The constant drive of the waves was very soothing. After two weeks, I was starting to calm down and enjoy the beach.

  “We sold the car in Philadelphia and boarded a train for Miami. In Miami we secured a boat which took us to the Caribbean. We settled on Paradise Island in a small two-bedroom cottage. The trip had been well planned, and our steps were covered. No one knew where we were. This was truly paradise. Sally could not handle the sun very well, being a true redhead, but managed to be out on the beach much of the day — naked, of course. She had gained a little weight, and her figure had really filled out. Her hair was flaming red now, and freckles were popping out everywhere. She attracted attention from all the men. I was jealous.

  “I spent my time reading and lazing on the beach. It occurred to me that I wanted to finish getting my college degree. Finally I enrolled in Nassau University. I was surprised to find other men like myself there. Most were draft dodgers, but some were veterans from England.

  “We spent our free time drinking exotic drinks and smoking Cuban cigars. Life was good. I didn’t even hear from the voices now.

  “I read the Times every day and was pleased to read about how the FBI had cracked a major Nazi ring on Long Island. A total of forty men were arrested. Several plans were uncovered. Irreparable damage had been done to the Nazi organization in the United States. The FBI announced that it was all part of a continuing investigation. No mention of an anonymous tip or of several dead men. It didn’t bother me; I knew who planned and did the work. The murder of Hunt didn’t really bother me, either. I only thought about it once in a while. I knew that it was cruel, but I couldn’t feel the least bit of sympathy for him. I felt I deserved a medal for my efforts, but no one knew who I was to award it.

  “The New York Times arrives in the Bahamas three days after the initial printing in America. It was a fine spring Saturday on the beach, or was it Sunday? The days just rolled on without much change. Anyway, the first message from Frank said, ‘Wolf, call home.’

  “‘Frank, how are you?’

  “‘Wolf, it’s good to hear from you. I did as instructed. There’s bad news from Germany.’

  “‘What?’ It was all I could muster.

  “‘The admiral has been arrested and sent to a concentration camp, as were Oster and the Priest. Greta has gone missing, and your mother has been declared insane. I’m so sorry — is there anything I can do for you?’

  “‘Were there any new instructions from Germany?’

  “‘I think they believe you were taken in the big roundup of the Nazi organization in the fall. Did you hear about that?’

  “‘I read about it in the paper. Thanks, Frank, we will talk again.’

  ***

  “There were worries again in my life. The last few months had been easy and fun. Now reality was once again setting in. The Abwehr connection was gone. My mentor and friends were in prison, and I worried about Greta. I hoped she wasn’t in some camp like Sally had been. What about my mother? What were they doing to her? They took her business, and her house, and now declared her insane. If she had stayed in Ameri
ca, none of this would have happened. Sally noticed the change in me. She tried to cheer me up with sex. Sex cannot replace fear in one’s heart.

  “In June 1944, I read of the Allied invasion of Europe. The detailed account went on for pages, and it appeared the Allies were going to win the war. I wondered how much of the news was real. Was it all propaganda? I had learned about propaganda in Germany, and recognized it as a powerful tool. My friends at Nassau College were all excited and upbeat. Some talked of going home and getting into the war; I stayed quiet. I had done my part, even if no one knew it. I kept reading the Times to follow the advance of the Allies.

  “I was consumed by the war. I spent all my time listening to the radio, reading papers, and talking to people about the progress. Someplace along the way, I forgot that I was in paradise, and my employee became restless. She was high-maintenance, and I wasn’t even paying her ten dollars a week for her favors. Nor did I notice that she had become plump. One day when I returned from school, she was gone. A short note lay on the table.

  ***

  “Dear Walter,

  “We always knew that it couldn’t last. I didn’t love you like you needed. My life has been over for some time, but I enjoyed the vacation with you. I’m going back to Europe. I’m going to fight the Nazi terror. My family and my honor require me to do it. We did good things over here. I will do good things over there. You were a good partner, and I will always have a little piece of you with me. I must now go alone.

  “Love,

  “Sally

  ***

  “I can’t say I was devastated. I always felt she would go; I just didn’t know when. But now that I didn’t have anyone to look after me, I spun out of control. There was only one month of school left. I was drunk on Graduation Day and missed the ceremony. Rum was my passion. I put it in everything, including my coffee. I went to the local Bahamian bars, and got into fights over the local women, and eventually discovered I could forget my troubles for weeks at a time. I hit bottom. Everyone continued to leave me. Was it a curse?