“Bend over and pick up the bag and the snuffbox,” he demanded. The gun stayed against her head, his crotch against her rear end. “Get used to it,” he promised her. He then grabbed her hair and pulled her upright. She yelped like a dog on a leash.
Colt saw the explosion and saw Duggan take Loni. The FBI were disoriented, but pressed towards Bond and Duggan. He heard many voices as they screamed into his ear. Suddenly he heard a very loud warble.
“What is it Wolf?”
“There are many more of them on the way. They mean you harm.”
Banyon yelled, “Kriss, block the entrance! It’s a trap! There are more men coming! I’ll handle Duggan!” The FBI men immediately took up defensive positions.
Colt sprinted from his place by the car. He could hear truck engines in the distance. He stopped a few steps in front of Duggan. He had no plan. He just wanted the man to let Loni go.
Two pickup trucks roared into the parking lot. There were four men in each truck. They all had guns, some of them automatic machine guns. The men started firing at the FBI to force them to ground. Clearly, the plan was to scoop up Duggan and escape before the FBI could reorganize. But Colt had bought the agents some time. The snipers went to work. The first two shots were to the engine blocks. The trucks would not be leaving the lot. Second shots eliminated the two drivers. Then the shooting really started.
Meanwhile, Duggan looked at Colt as if he were crazy.
“Is this little stick good enough for you to die over?” Duggan asked. He was backing away towards the railroad tracks. Colt knew he had to try to stop him or Loni would die, too.
“Just drop the girl,” Colt demanded. “Fight me like a man. Or are you afraid that I’ll kick your ass like Hal Jones did?”
Loni said nothing and Colt was afraid that Duggan was crushing her. He had to do something right now. Colt knew from high school football that you had to hit big guys low and make them lose their balance. He bull-charged the big man with his head down. Duggan pointed the gun at Colt and fired. Nothing happened. Before he could take another shot, Colt hit him and the big man went over. He smashed into the tarmac on his back, and lost his grip on Loni. Before he could recover, Loni flipped over, landed on her feet, and kicked him squarely in the balls. Duggan dropped the gun and grabbed his crotch. Loni slapped on a pair of cuffs. She then leaned over his good eye and showed him the bullet clip.
“Too bad you didn’t have this in the gun. I took it out before you could take my gun,” she taunted. She then hit him across the face with the clip.
Colt had managed to get to his feet. He knew he was hurt, but the adrenaline in his veins allowed him to stagger up to Duggan. “I told you to drop her,” he said and kicked him viciously in the ribs. He grabbed Duggan by the throat and started to strangle him. Duggan was unconscious. Two FBI agents stood and watched Loni pull Colt off the ex-marine.
“Colt, stop it. I wasn’t in real danger,” she said. “I took the gun clip before he could get the gun. I also had this.” She showed him a knife. She kissed him and held him tight. “But, I love you for fighting for me.”
“We aren’t done yet,” he said through gritted teeth. He turned to where Billy Bond stood shaking like a leaf. “Get your tape recorder out,” he told her. Then he limped towards Bond.
The FBI was mopping up the few remaining gunmen. Bond had two guards and looked like a lost puppy. Bond saw Banyon coming and realized he was over the edge. Banyon was not going to be reasoned with. The FBI agents also noticed and suddenly decided to help the others round up the remaining men. Bond was on his own with Banyon. Colt gave Bond a look of determination and finality. He then balled his fist. Billy peed in his pants, a lot.
“Okay, Bond, talk,” he ordered. “There is no one watching and I can beat the shit out of you and no one will notice. I want you to tell me that you had Duggan break into my house and rifle through my computer. I want you to tell me that you sent Duggan to kill Jones and wound up hurting me. I also want you to tell me what illegal activities rewarded you with a million cash. Do you want to cross-examine him, Loni?” She made like she was about to kick him and assumed a ninja pose.
“I’ll talk,” he said. And he did.
***
An hour later, Colt sat in the back of an ambulance. A paramedic was putting a wrap around his ribs. His left shoulder hurt like hell, too. The young woman had the dull eyes of someone who had worked with the dead before. Six bodies lay on the tarmac. She told Banyon that he would be very sore tomorrow and he should see his own doctor, but he would live. She gave him a weak smile.
Duggan was awake now and cuffed to a gurney outside the truck. He was screaming his head off about police brutality and violations of his civil rights. Colt had had enough of him. As he got up to leave the truck, he took some tape from the paramedic. He stepped over to the gurney and told the guard to look the other way.
“I’m going to put this tape on your mouth. We’ve had enough noise pollution for one evening. If you resist, I’ll put it over your nose, too.” Colt was very angry and Duggan could see that with his good eye. He said nothing.
Another paramedic was attending to Billy Bond. His nose had been broken when he started to bullshit Colt during his confession. He told the paramedic it happened when he had fallen from the explosion. He smelled of urine.
Loni and Agent Kriss were in an animated discussion. Colt limped over to them.
“My gun was never technically fired. I’m not letting you take it,” she yelled.
“We have to check all the guns. Period,” Kriss said.
“Loni, let it go,” Colt said.
“I suppose you have to keep the snuffbox, too,” she said.
“It doesn’t belong to you anyway,” Kriss replied.
Colt wrapped an arm around Loni. She was shaking with rage. “Can we go now?” he asked the agent.
“I suppose that will be alright,” Agent Kriss said. “You guys were a big help. This was almost a disaster. How did you know there were more men coming?”
Colt could not tell him the real reason, so he improvised. “When Duggan blew up the car, it occurred to me that he didn’t have an exit strategy. No way out. He was ex-military and would have known he needed an escape plan. It was logical to have someone pick him up. He didn’t know the FBI was waiting for him. You were the one who recognized the ploy. It’s in my statement. You are a hero; I just yelled.” Colt put on his most sincere smile.
“Uh, thanks,” Agent Kriss answered. “You two can go.”
Chapter 101
They both slept until late afternoon. Loni stuck to him like Scotch tape during the night. Neither of them wanted to talk about the carnage, their own violent behavior, or the white supremacist group that they had helped bring down.
Banyon finally struggled to get out of bed. His knee hurt, his chest hurt, and his shoulder hurt, but the pain was manageable. Loni came around to his side of the bed to help him get up. She was naked and Colt could see huge bruises across her chest. It made him angry enough to push back any pain he felt. He walked into the bathroom and proceeded to cut away the tape from his chest. He wanted a good, hot shower and some food.
He set the showerhead to massage and stood there under the hot water for a long time. His mind was blank. Loni eventually opened the shower door and slipped in. She soaped his back and washed him like a mother washed a baby. She didn’t have a shower cap on and her hair was plastered to her skin. She looked small and very vulnerable. When she was finished, he did the same for her. They didn’t speak, but their tenderness with each other spoke volumes. He embraced her and they stood together under the showerhead. Time stood still.
After they ate, they retired to the den and turned on the TV. They watched a news program that recounted the events of the last night. The talking head was in the parking lot of the Schaumburg train station. She was recapping the battle.
“Sources at the FBI have confirmed that six men were killed. Four more were taken into custody. The FBI d
id not suffer any casualties. The open gun battle started around one o’clock in the morning, and lasted for about fifteen minutes. Local residents we interviewed said it was like the Fourth of July at Flyer Stadium. For those of you who don’t know, the stadium shoots off fireworks in honor of Independence Day.
“None of the names of the victims have been released, but eyewitnesses said some of the men had white supremacist tattoos. In a live statement at the scene, Agent Kriss of the FBI said that all of the activities were covered by Homeland Security regulations, and he could not comment. But he did note that two truckloads of men interrupted an ongoing FBI investigation.
“As you know, the FBI can invoke the ‘Patriot Act,’ which basically takes all rights away from any individual they deem a threat to the security of the United States. Agent Kriss indicated that act was in force.
“It would seem ironic that white supremacists would be detained under the very law they sought to put into place. If you recall your history, the Nazis passed laws in the nineteen thirties that allowed the SS to detain anyone they wanted to without specific charges. Many people just disappeared.
“According to an independent source, the FBI investigation may have something to do with an original, signed copy of Mein Kampf. The book was discovered in the hands of some Japanese soldiers and is currently in route to the Museum of History in Chicago. It is slated to go on exhibition sometime next year. Back to you, Jim.”
Loni and Colt were stunned by the news. Someone had talked to the media, but who? Colt did something that he hadn’t done before. He spoke to Wolf with Loni present.
“Wolf, can you tell me who leaked information to the media?”
“There are still men who don’t want you to gain access to the book,” he replied.
“What men?”
“Powerful men.”
“Who are they?” There was no reply.
He quickly explained what he learned to Loni. They rushed to his office and booted up the computer. Detective Kim promised to e-mail them if anything happened. Colt looked over her shoulder as she scrolled through several e-mails and found a message from Detective Kim, sent last night, after they had left for the FBI sting. Colt fumbled in the drawer for glasses, but Loni said she would translate the cryptic script.
“He says Dr. Thorne showed up yesterday morning and took the book. He says diplomats from the Japanese government and the American government were with her. She had all the proper paperwork. They not only confiscated the book, but also took all the documents and lab tests, as well. No trace of the book is left. The lab personnel and the detectives on the case were told to never mention anything about the book again.”
She paused and looked up at Banyon. “His cousin works in the lab and told him they uncovered something. The book contained ten more pages then all other copies of the book that they could find. When they investigated further, they found the ten extra pages were duplicates of existing pages. When they ran tests on the pages, a code was revealed. They were in the process of cracking the code when Dr. Thorne showed up.”
Loni and Banyon looked at each other with eyebrows raised. “He then added a post script,” Loni said, turning back to the screen. “It says he had also been monitoring the surveillance reports on Soh Handa. A red-headed woman with spiked hair and husky build had lunch with Soh Handa three days ago.”
“So Dr. Thorne was the one feeding information to the Yakuza all along,” Colt exclaimed. “But I still don’t understand why.”
“Maybe she knew about the hidden code and wanted to make sure no one else could place a claim on the book,” Loni speculated. “Or that anyone could even acknowledge there was something strange about the book.”
“But we sent her the waiver,” Colt said.
“It doesn’t appear the she used it. Diplomats don’t use waivers. They just take what they want and claim it under some security act or something.”
“I wonder if the book is even actually heading for the museum,” Colt mused. “We’d better check on that.”
Chapter 102
The front doorbell rang. Colt looked at Loni and said, “Who could that be?” He went to the door and opened it. Agent Gamble, Agent Kriss, and another agent were standing on his steps.
“Mind if we chat with you, old buddy?” Agent Gamble asked amiably.
“Come on in,” Colt replied. Colt led them to the den where he and Loni positioned themselves on the couch. Agent Gamble sat in a chair and the two other agents stood behind him.
“What’s going on, Greg?” Colt asked Agent Gamble.
“This is official business, I’m afraid.”
“Official business?” Loni repeated.
“That’s right.” He suddenly lost his smile. “All I’m about to tell you is covered under the Patriot Act. You can never repeat a word of it. If you do, you will be arrested and put in confinement without trial. Is that clear?”
“Perfectly,” replied Banyon, who was now pissed off.
“Good. We are going to confiscate your computer. We also want the locations of the secret Nazi money accounts,” Gamble said.
“So you have the codes and passwords,” Loni blurted out. “That means you already have the book, too. It’s not headed for the museum.”
“I can’t tell you that,” Gamble said.
“But there was an additional note in Chinese in the book. It was a tea recipe which belonged to Sofia Kerns. She was the rightful owner of the book and was killed by the Yakuza,” Loni said. “We suspect they were working for Dr. Thorne.”
“I can’t comment on that,” Gamble said.
“We have a waiver signed by her, with witnesses. It willed the book to us,” Colt said.
“I’ll need that item, as well,” Gamble said.
“But you don’t understand,” Loni cried out. “That recipe could cure alcoholism. It must be allowed to be tested.”
“Under the Patriot Act, all information about the book will be classified for thirty years. If it works, it will work then, as well.”
The couple was stunned by the reply.
“So, at least tell us what this is all about,” Colt demanded.
“I’ve told you all that I can.” Gamble hung his head as he spoke.
“In other words, someone up the food chain wants this buried,” Colt said.
“I didn’t say that, and if you say it to anyone, you will be arrested,” he said as he pointed a beefy finger at Banyon.
“But Greg, people have died over this. Loni and I have spent a fortune to uncover the secrets of the book, and now you tell us that we can’t even talk about it,” Colt said.
“That’s it in a nutshell, buddy.” He then turned to Agent Kriss. “Get the computer, and the waiver.” Kriss and the other man left the room.
“Who is behind this?” Colt asked as soon as the other men had left.
“My orders come from Homeland Security. That’s all I know. If I say anything else, I would be subject to the Patriot Act, as well.”
“This really sucks,” Loni said. “Here we were about to find hidden Nazi money, a cure for alcoholism, and retrieve an artifact for a museum, and all we’ve got now is a threat of going to jail.”
“Your government will be eternally grateful to you,” Gamble said. He then reached into his pocket and produced a check for one hundred thousand dollars. He handed it to Loni and said, “Finder’s fee.”
Epilogue
Colt sat at his deck and worked on his new computer. It was Sunday, three days after their visit from the FBI. The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was in the eighties. He was busy inputting financial data and contacts. When the FBI confiscated his old computer, they did not give him the chance to save anything. They also took the backup disks and even tried to take his passwords. He protested that he would not be able to access most of his data. They settled for a copy and it made Colt nervous. His first project was to change all the passwords on his many accounts. This was tedious, mind-numbing grunt work, but
he was happy to be busy. Loni was at the Hoffman Estates office for LCH doing the same thing. The FBI had seized her computer, too.
Colt was feeling much better physically. His wounds and bruises had healed. Loni’s bruises also had faded. She could once again wear low-cut tops. He and Loni had decided to get away right after the FBI’s visit and they’d flown to Las Vegas and stayed at Colt’s favorite hotel on the strip. They went to dinner, danced, sat at the bar and drank, and gambled. They went to downtown to play craps in the older casinos, where it was cheaper and had a feel of older times. It also gave them a chance to gain perspective on their recent adventure.
They had earned $155,000, minus expenses. They had discovered each other, learned how to manipulate a ghost/spirit, traveled to China, discovered a recipe to cure alcoholism, stopped a white supremacist group from getting its hands on a war chest, witnessed the death of one more Nazi, and helped to bring down a Yakuza plot.
Their one failure had been in securing the book for the museum. Dr. Thorne had disappeared. The museum directors told Loni that no one by her name was on their staff and they were not planning an exhibit on German history. The FBI told them nothing. Loni and Colt finally realized that there were people in the government powerful enough to bury the book and its contents.
As Colt opened his desk drawer to put away his new passwords, he found the list he’d made in Jacksonville of their accomplishments and the mysteries they still needed to investigate. Somehow, the FBI had missed the hand-scribbled page. Or maybe the agents decided it had no value. He held the list in his hand and reread it. He then started to cross off things that were complete. The codes from the book were gone; he crossed it off. “Stop the white supremacist group” was crossed off next. Then he crossed off the question of who was helping the Yakuza, and the need to find out more about Dr. Thorne. He tore the paper when he crossed off the goal of retrieving the recipe from the book. But one question remained: What is the real secret of the book?
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