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

by Gerald J Kubicki

  He took a huge swing at her head, and missed as she ducked away. She jabbed at him with both fists connecting just below his armpit. He howled in pain. Rage now consumed Michael Dean. He attempted to hit her with a game ending upper cut, but she was suddenly by his side, chopping him in the left breast area, breaking one of his ribs. He kicked out with his foot, leaving his rear exposed. Loni Chen was much faster. She turned and slammed the tip of her toe up his ass, hitting the bottom of his tailbone. Dean was totally paralyzed. He slumped to the ground. Loni was on him in a flash, and had his hands cuffed behind his back before he could move a muscle.

  “I’d rather play with dolls than do anything with you, you scum,” she taunted as she stood up. She then turned to Kroll, who was sitting on the ground. She pushed him down on his back and somehow rolled him over before he could protest. She started to frisk him.

  Banyon was stupefied with her fighting abilities. “Loni I…”

  He was cut off when she produced a phone from somewhere and said. “Carl, get down here,” into the open device as she was patting down Kroll.

  “Can’t you see that I’m hurt?” wailed Kroll.

  “It’s only a flesh wound,” answered Chen. She produced a white handkerchief and bound the wound while Kroll was still lying on his stomach. Suddenly he became tense.

  “Look!” Kroll exclaimed. His flashlight lay in the dust on the floor. The light shining on the wall clearly showed where a door had been opened and had moved the dust around. “The tablet is behind the door.”

  The three Patel sisters ran to the wall and used their fingernails to search for a latch. Previne yelled out that she had found something, and all lights turned to the spot. There was a small hole in the wall and a metal button. She pressed the button, and a click was heard, followed by something popping open. A panel appeared. They rushed to pull it open all the way. Pramilla ducked down and went in first. She saw nothing but a ladder leading up into the house.

  “There is nothing in here but a ladder that leads up,” she said disappointedly.

  “I’ll bet it leads to the box,” said Davies. “Walter is always dramatic.”

  Kroll remained flat on his stomach with Loni Chen above him as she worked on binding the wound. Kroll turned to see into the opening, and his hand touched something — Dean’s gun. He grabbed it and spun around quickly, throwing Chen. Before she could recover, he was on his feet, pointing the gun at the stunned policewoman.

  “If I had more time, I would frisk you too, little one,” he said.

  Dean pleaded, “Joe, get me out of here.”

  “Not this time Dean,” he said harshly. “I’m tired of cleaning up after you. The cops will take good care of you.” He picked up his flashlight, and waved everyone away from the door. He could hear someone running in the house above him. It would be only a matter of time until they located the basement door. He had to move now.

  He entered the opening and saw Pramilla halfway up the ladder. “Just keep going, sweetie, and, yes, I am looking up your dress,” he said in a creepy voice. He grabbed the handle on the inside of the door and slammed it shut. There was an inside latch that he put in place. He then turned back to Pramilla. “Keep climbing. I’m right behind your behind,” and gave out an evil laugh.

  ***

  Heinz reached the basement door and leaped down the steps. He found the little group huddled around the wall, trying to open the door.

  Loni was almost desperate. “Kroll took Pramilla in there and locked the door. We can’t get in. It would take explosives to get in there.”

  “I’m just happy that you are safe,” a relieved Heinz said.

  The backup agents arrived, and were pounding down the stairs to enter the now-crowded basement.

  Heinz turned to Banyon. “We’ve got to save Pramilla. Colt, you lived here. Where does the ladder lead?”

  “I never knew there was a ladder in there.” said Banyon with alarm. “No one in my family ever found this hidden room either. Believe me. I would remember if we had discovered it. It could lead to anywhere in the house.”

  “Okay, everyone spread out in pairs,” Heinz ordered into his radio. “Joe Kroll is loose somewhere in the house. He is in a hidden compartment with a ladder. He could be anywhere. Set up stations on each floor. If you hear a sound, yell out. He has a female hostage with him, and should be considered very dangerous. I’ll check the basement.”

  Colt turned to Previne, “Why are you smiling?” he asked.

  “Pramilla can take care of herself. Kroll doesn’t know what he’s in for. We have nothing to fear.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Banyon asked in confusion.

  “Wait, you’ll see,” she replied and fluttered her eyes seductively.

  Banyon stepped away from her.

  Chapter Ninety

  Meanwhile, the local police and several television stations had intercepted Agent Gamble’s urgent call for backup. The race was on. Three news helicopters and several mobile vans sped to the scene in the woods, hoping to film some action for the late news. Two arrived at the scene just as Gamble dispatched three carloads of agents to provide backup for Heinz and Chen at the old house. The vans never stopped. They rushed off after the agents, who made it easy to follow them by adhering to FBI procedure, and had their strobe lights and sirens going as they pulled out to head for the old house.

  The scheduled CCN news van pulled up to the house. The anchorwoman was busy fixing her hair in a mirror. Linda Choi rarely passed a mirror without looking into it. Not that she was vain; she just wanted to always look her best in public. Suddenly she heard a news flash on one of the many monitors in the van. The news flash showed the Chicago Special Agent in Charge of the FBI leading a raid on a white supremacy church in Chicago. The agent was announcing that he had broken a major crime ring headquartered in the Altar of Creator church in Aurora, and so far over thirty alleged criminals were in custody. They also had collected enough evidence to arrest a horde of more perpetrators.

  Linda was just opening the door to set up for the planned interview when another news flash blinked onto the screen. It showed FBI Agent Greg Gamble being interviewed at the dig site. He reported that a Black gang overran his men while on a stakeout. The FBI was performing surveillance on a group of white supremacists when the Blacks came in shooting. There was a major shootout. Agent Gamble reported an undetermined number of gang members were involved. In total, nine people were killed. No FBI injuries reported. When asked why the FBI was taken by surprise, Gamble gave a terse reply that his eye-in-the-sky, the helicopter, had not been authorized.

  Linda Choi recognized that the shootout had happened just up the road from her present location.

  Chapter Ninety-One

  Davies was perplexed. He knew Pierce always had a plan for everything. “So, where is the box and tablet, and where did Pierce go?” He now was feeling nervous that perhaps the Aryan tablet was a hoax invented to capture some white supremacists.

  Colton Banyon had been very quiet. He bit his lip and then announced, “I think I know where the box is, and where Pierce went.”

  “Where?” Several people screamed at once and stared at him.

  “I think it is somewhere behind this wall.” He pointed to a place on the wall near him. He then stepped over to the wall, searched around, and then pushed a button. As the latch released, a doorway silently opened up. Banyon pointed his light into the darkness to reveal a tunnel.

  “You think Pierce went down there?” Davies exclaimed in disbelief.

  “This tunnel leads to the pump house out back. I’ve been inside it before, when I was much younger. It was once used to supply the house with coal.”

  “And you think the Aryan tablet is down there too?” Davies asked.

  Colt hesitated for a minute. “Yes, I do. I’m going in. I think he wants it this way. I think that this has been the plan from the beginning.”

  “I’m going with you Colt,” Loni Chen said. “I’m small, and it mi
ght get tight in there.” Banyon was thankful his new friend was going into the dark tunnel with him, but didn’t say anything. He just nodded his head.

  They entered shining their flashlights into the dusty tunnel. It was made of brick in a semicircular fashion. After about thirty feet, the tunnel turned to the left. The two friends inched their way to the corner.

  “Loni, thanks for saving my life. Michael Dean would have shot me, you know,” Colt said seriously.

  “You asked for my help. I could not deny you; you are my friend. You taught me that remember?”

  They reached the corner and followed it around to a longer section of the tunnel. Suddenly Colt stopped. About twenty feet down the tunnel, Colt saw a smoky apparition. Its claw like hand beckoned for them to follow. Colt was surprisingly calm.

  “Where are you taking us?” Colt inquired in a shaky voice.

  “Who are you talking to?” asked Loni as she appeared to shiver. “We are the only ones here.”

  “Don’t you see the ghost? It’s right in front of you.”

  She moved a little closer to him and grabbed his hand. “No,” she nervously replied.

  “Is this why I am here?” Banyon spoke to the ghost. “Is this my part of the plan? Are you using me because I knew about this tunnel? Is that it?”

  “Colt, you’re scaring me,” Loni croaked. Banyon suddenly realized that Loni could not see nor hear the ghost. She was definitely spooked, and now nestled into his armpit.

  “Yessssss …” the wind-whistled sound came back. The ghost continued to beckon them forward. Colt saw him clearly even though he was transparent and looked like something produced by cigar smoke.

  “I wonder why you can’t see him?” Colt turned and asked his friend.

  “Because she is a non-believer.” It was a feminine reply. It was Previne. She was right behind them. “People who see ghosts are predisposed to believing in them. I see him too.” Previne had followed them down the tunnel. She joined their little group.

  “Is that opinion or fact Previne?” asked Colt as they followed the gliding spirit.

  “I’ve studied spirits all my life. I’m actually an archeologist for a major museum in New Delhi, and have dealt with other world spirits before. It’s personal knowledge. I’ve seen many like him. Loni, don’t worry. He’s not here to harm us. He’s here as part of a curse.”

  “Previne, what are you talking about? What curse?” Banyon was confused. “And why am I a part of this curse?”

  “My grandfather, Abu Patel, put a curse on the tablet many years ago in India when the Nazis stole the artifact from him. The tablet must return to him before he dies, or these ghost spirits will never be free. They have guided, or you could say haunted, all that have been in possession of the tablet, to protect it for all these years. We must release them.”

  “How can this ghost here in America be part of your curse? And it still doesn’t explain why I’m involved.”

  “Colt, Wolfgang Becker didn’t hang himself in your closet in 1936; he just simply disappeared. It was all a rumor. Did you ever check? I did.”

  “Well, no, there seemed to be no reason to do that. The ghost was there in the house when my parents moved here in 1946.”

  Previne nodded. “I will explain. To be part of this curse, Becker had to be in close proximity to the tablet when he died. This means he didn’t die until the tablet was nearby. It didn‘t arrive in America until 1942. His death would have been premature, an accident or something unnatural. His corpse would not have been given a proper burial. And finally, he had to be an honorable man.”

  “You make it sound like a formula,” said Loni.

  “It is,” replied Previne evenly. “It is how Grandfather set up the curse. That is why there are many voices. They all died under the same circumstances.”

  “Okay, but how does Walter Pierce fit into all this?” asked Colt.

  The reply came from the ghost. “Myyy sonnnn …”

  Previne continued. “Walter has heard voices since he became the guardian of the tablet. After many visits to the house, he realized that one of the voices was actually his father. He wants you to find the tablet. We will take it to Grandfather, and he can then release the curse. All the ghost spirits will then be free, wherever they are, including Walter’s father. That is why you are here.”

  “But why me?” Banyon asked one more time.

  “Walter could not present the tablet himself — too many questions about his past. You were the logical choice, and knew about the tunnel. You are going to be a hero.”

  ***

  They continued to talk as the ghost flowed several feet ahead of them. The apparition summoned them with its smoke-like arms as if to hurry them toward a climax. They had completed the walk almost all the way to the pump house when the ghost suddenly stopped, then turned toward the wall and pointed with a near-solid bonelike finger. Banyon moved forward. Examining the surface with his flashlight, he found the same type of lever that was on the wall in the basement in the furnace room.

  The wall opened inwardly, and they all entered a room which was the size of a standard living room. Banyon could see additional rooms off to the right. It was fully furnished in turn-of-the-century furniture. The left corner of the room was completely caved in, as if a bomb had broken through the ceiling. There was a huge pile of rubble, and pieces of metal scattered around the room. The box was set near the debris.

  “Oh, my God,” cried Loni. There was a skeleton of a hand near the box. “Look, the arm extends back into the pile of dirt. Whoever this was, he was buried alive.”

  Colt inspected the bones. “It looks like this happened a long time ago. It must be Becker.” Colt was suddenly struck with information. It was a voice in his head. “I lived here for six years. I had no place to go. I died in 1942. Walter was just a few feet above me, and so was the tablet.” Colt turned to ask the ghost a question, but it was gone.

  “Where is the ghost now?” Loni asked.

  ‘The ghost has left,” Previne noted. “He’s completed his task to bring Colt to the box with the tablet in it. He has further work to do tonight.”

  “I think we should get the box and get the hell out of here. This place gives me the creeps,” said Loni.

  Colt grabbed the heavy box and headed back the way they came. Loni spoke into her mike. “We have the box and more.”

  ***

  Banyon, Previne, and Agent Loni Chen came out of the tunnel to find that Davies, Maya, Heinz, and several FBI agents were standing there waiting for them.

  “Let’s open the box. Everyone, quickly shine your lights here,” said Davies. He undid the straps, and opened the box. Inside they found the Aryan tablet, just as Pierce had described, and two envelopes. Davies took out the tablet, and was studying it under the flashlight. Meanwhile, Colt grabbed the two envelopes. He opened one.

  “It’s in German,” he said, frustrated.

  “Give it to me,” said Maya. “I can read German. I studied it at Stony Brook.”

  After a minute, she gasped. “It is a recap of the tablet, signed by Himmler,” she said. “It says that the history of the Aryan race is spectacular. The Aryans invented many things, including gunpowder, printing, and military defense. It says the Aryan race was a perfect race. The men were strong, and the women beautiful, with the children so smart that some of their best military leaders were under twenty years of age. These people were the first to build a fort to protect themselves against invaders that desired the secrets of their civilization. They sent out many emissaries to foreign lands to help them grow, and develop trade with the Aryan nation. The final part says they are under siege in their fort because the world was in famine and barbarians wanted the Aryan stock of food. It ends there.”

  “Read the other one,” said Previne.

  “Canaris signed this one. It says the history was indeed spectacular. It says the Aryans were extremely warlike, and every male child was required to serve in the military from the age of ten.
They sent many raids into other lands to steal new technology so they could continue to build their armies. They built a fort to use as a place to mass their armament. By law, they were not allowed to marry outside the race. Consequently, there was much inbreeding — fathers marrying the daughters, brothers who married sisters. As a result, there were many leaders who were not competent. The children who ran the military were taught to be vicious, and responsible only to the government. In the end, they became so demented they began to fight among themselves. Everyone wanted to become the ‘supreme leader.’ Assassinations became a common occurrence. The race died away, as no one could deal with the constant treachery. A few people left and went to a faraway land. The writer was one of the people who stayed.

  “Canaris added that the tablet was found in a place which was probably a bar or brothel. He wanted the tablet to be presented to the media in America so the final truth about the Aryan race would be revealed, and Hitler would be eliminated. It’s dated August 4, 1942.”

  “Wow!” Banyon exclaimed. “If this gets out, it will destroy all myths about Aryans. They will be laughed at, and no one will want to admit they are one of the chosen ones. Professor, is that what the tablet really says?”

  “Yes,” the breathless reply came from Davies. “It says one more thing — they were darker-skinned.”

  Banyon was stunned. “Oh, my God,” he said. “Do you mean Black?”

  “Well, it could mean anything — Chinese, Indian, Arabian, or maybe even Black. But Blacks were not known to live outside of Africa at that time. One thing is sure — they weren’t German.”

  “What does all this mean?” asked Loni Chen.

  “It means that the Aryan movement as we know it will no longer exist,” said Banyon. “It has all been a great hoax.”

  “And with so many people with an Aryan tattoo on their bodies,” Loni commented dryly. “Good thing that I have a butterfly.”