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

by Gerald J Kubicki

  He described in detail each slap on her buttocks and the quiver of her flesh. He also described his rise in lust as she struggled. Wesley felt each blow as if it was his body that was accepting each strike. Himmler wrote he had beaten her for a whole day. He sprayed her with a hose whenever she passed out. Then he started her torture.

  Himmler graphically described his methods of torture as well. It made Wesley sick to his stomach. Himmler used his metal butchering table, where he tied Anna spread eagle and went about his demented work. In the end, Anna gave up all she knew about the Black Diamond. Himmler took notes, which he later transferred to his diary. Anna was missing all her gold teeth, several fingernails, and she bled from every orifice. Several times she begged him to kill her. She cried that at least the torture would stop. However, Himmler delighted in practicing his torture skills on a defenseless woman.

  The death of Anna was unremarkable. Himmler simply used the same method that he used to kill a pig. He slammed a hammer into her forehead. She died on the butchering table without even a whimper of protest. Himmler then wrote he buried her in a shallow grave behind the barn. He buried her just deep enough to hide the smell of death.

  Wesley vowed that he would someday return to Germany and find her grave and give her a proper funeral. She had sacrificed everything to protect the Black Diamond from falling into the wrong hands. She had failed, and it had cost her life. The least he could do was to return her dignity.

  ***

  Wesley soon finished the diary. He was numb from the experience. He proceeded to update his record of the diamond in his own diary. He wrote that Anna was his only true love and he would forever feel guilty that he had not been able to protect her. He included a section which described the diamond’s desire to protect precious metals. He added it would have to be kept away from those metals.

  There was one question that nagged at him. Where in the world was Himmler, and what powers had he actually gained from the Black Diamond? He hoped that one day he would have a chance to kill him.

  He then began to prepare for his meeting with the new president of the United States.

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  Three men sat on couches in the president’s office: President Harry S. Truman, head of the OSS “Wild Bill” Donovan, and Professor Adam Wesley. A small crate sat on the coffee table. They were in a deep discussion and it was not going well.

  “You’re telling me that what’s in this box has a power that is not of this earth?” Harry S. Truman asked in his tinny Midwest voice. He pointed a slender finger at the crate and shook his head in disbelief.

  “Yes, sir, Mr. President,” replied Wesley as he brought out the list of capabilities the Black Diamond possessed.

  After viewing the list, Truman ranted, “Rubbish, I don’t believe it.” He dismissed the notion with a wave of the hand.

  “Sir, FDR was convinced and charged Wesley here to find it and deliver it to him. You are the president now. It is your responsibility,” Donavan pointed out.

  “FDR had a lot of secrets he never passed on to me. How do I know this isn’t one of his devious plots to embarrass me?”

  “Sir, Wesley has tracked this object for nearly a half a century. He has documented its effects and has even witnessed its massive power many times. Franklin was considering using it to develop super soldiers. He wanted to end the war quickly.”

  Truman was silent for about a minute. He rubbed his chin in thought. The war with Japan was still in full swing and a lot of American boys were dying. “Let me guess, Mr. Donovan,” the president began. “You want possession of this abomination; you would then develop clandestine plans and empower some of your thugs to implement those plans to end the war, especially in the Pacific by using super soldiers. Am I getting this right?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way.”

  “Enough. All this tomfoolery needs to end. You know I don’t approve of the OSS, and I don’t like you, Mr. Donovan. I plan to disband the OSS after the war is ended. And it will end without your magic. We must stay the course; the end is near. The Nazi regime will fall any day now, and I have a little magic of my own for the Japs.”

  Truman was correct on everything he had said. FDR had kept him in the dark on several major fronts. In fact, Truman didn’t even know about the nuclear bomb program until he became president. Germany was about to fall, and the Allies were bashing the Japanese. The idea of super soldiers was repugnant to him.

  “Now, here is what I want. You take this thing, whatever it is, and deposit in the Smithsonian. You’ll find there are several artifacts kept there that are not ordinary and this will be another one. I want it under lock and key until we have time to figure out what it is and what to do with. Not for war, but for the betterment of humanity. Do I make myself clear?” Truman tapped the table with his finger tip to make his point.

  Both men responded at the same time, “Yes, Mr. President.”

  ***

  Wild Bill and Wesley left the office with the box in hand and met up with Jones in reception. They proceeded directly to a staff car, and Donavon ordered the driver to the Smithsonian. While traveling, they talked.

  “This is what you actually wanted, Professor,” Donovan remarked. He was a little irritated that the OOS was being prevented from exploring the uses of the diamond, but he was glad that no one had control of it.

  “That’s true. But I’m still haunted by this guy Himmler. If he’s invincible like I suspect, he could create a huge problem for us,” replied a concerned Wesley. “Himmler had the diamond for a number of years. He might have learned more capabilities. He’s going to be very difficult to find and maybe impossible to stop.” Wesley shook his head in disgust.

  “I do have a question, though,” the head of the OOS suddenly said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Can you tell me what the actual power of the diamond is? I mean, what does it do to people? You’ve told me about results of encounters but not about the changes.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean, Bill. The diamond draws energy. I’m not a physicist, but we have many things on Earth that radiate energy. The Black Diamond does the opposite. It pulls in energy. If someone is holding it, the energy is passed through it to the person. The super strength is probably caused by the additional energy passed on to the cells in the body. But somehow it also affects the brain. You know, we only use a small portion of our brain in a lifetime. The energy seems to stimulate the rest of the brain. The results are different for everyone who has come in contact with it. I don’t know if this is just a natural phenomenon or if the Black Diamond is some kind of alien life-form.”

  “It should be studied, don’t you think?” Donavon coyly asked.

  “We can’t go against the president. You can’t take the diamond,” Wesley swung around in his seat and stared at Donavon with a look of disbelief.

  “Wouldn’t think of it, my friend, but I would really like our boys to see what it could do.”

  “Well, capture Herr Himmler and he can be your guinea pig. I’m just worried we won’t find him.”

  “Don’t worry, Professor. Mr. Jones is heading back to Europe. He’ll find Himmler and he’ll deal with him accordingly. That is what we do. I promise we’ll let you know when we capture or kill him. For you Adam, the fight is over. Retire or go write a book or paint. Do something you can enjoy.”

  “Actually, I have another plan in mind.”

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Wesley returned to his cottage in Virginia. He was now an elderly country gentleman. His main activity was writing his memoirs. His life was finally settled. One day he heard a knock come unexpectedly at his front door. Wesley opened it to find Jones with a huge grin. He had not seen Jones for several months.

  “Good afternoon, Professor,” Jones said.

  “I see you bring news,” Wesley casually said.

  “That I do,” responded the now Sergeant Jones.

  “Then please come in. Can I get you s
ome lemonade?” Wesley waved him into the living room and showed him a place to sit.

  Jones went and sat on the flowery couch that had not been updated since the cottage was built. He had not said another word, but Wesley knew as he entered the room carrying a tray the news was very good.

  “I see you’re back from Europe,” he offered.

  “Got home yesterday and took a flight to Charlottesville. I came to see you personally, as a matter of fact.”

  “And you’ve been promoted,” Wesley noted.

  “That is true,” Jones stalled, toying with the professor.

  “Now, let’s see, I heard the war has ended in the Pacific, as well as in Europe. There were some big bangs to a couple of Japanese cities. The world is once again at peace. So what news do you bring?”

  “We got Himmler,” grinned Jones.

  “When?”

  “Actually, he was captured on May twenty-second. We found him near the Merckers mine. My guess is he was headed there in hopes of taking the diamond. But we were waiting and ambushed him.”

  “Was there a struggle?”

  “Surprisingly, no. He was in the uniform of a foot soldier, a sergeant-major and of course denied he was Himmler.”

  “So he didn’t fight with any weapons? No one shot him? That is very curious.” Wesley scratched his nearly bald head. “What happened, Mr. Jones?”

  “I was there and was ready to pepper him with bullets, but he just raised his arms as soon as he saw the twenty of us. You know, he seemed small and fragile, afraid of his own shadow. His eyes darted everywhere. It was as if he was expecting someone to clobber him at any moment.”

  “I would like to question him,” Wesley said.

  “I’m afraid that it is impossible, professor,” replied Jones.

  “Why is that?”

  “He’s dead.”

  “How?”

  “It appears he had a cyanide pill hidden in his clothing. While in his cell, he took the pill when no one was looking. No one was able to interrogate him. I’m sorry. I knew you wanted to question him about the Black Diamond.”

  Wesley said nothing for several seconds, then said, “And what of the Black Diamond? Is it still in the Smithsonian?”

  “Yes, it’s safely locked up. It and other anomalies and files cannot be opened without a presidential order. It will probably be locked up for at least fifty years before anyone knows about it.”

  “That’s what worries me.”

  “You should send a copy of your diary to be kept with it,” Jones gave as an idea.

  “I’m also going to will a copy to the president for safekeeping,” Wesley reasoned. “The Himmler diary I will keep to myself.”

  “I thought you might,” Jones agreed.

  Jones promised to keep Wesley informed about any changes in status concerning the diamond. Wesley believed he would. Jones stayed for several hours, and when he finally left, Wesley got out his Black Diamond book and made his final entries. His last entry included a promise to go to Germany as soon as possible and give Anna a proper burial. And he did.

  ***

  The wheels of government continued to grind on. Truman was once again true to his word. In 1946 he disbanded the OSS and fired Donovan, but he kept several departments open, which later became what we now know as the CIA. The CIA was eventually put in charge of security of documents and items like those hidden vaults in the Smithsonian. By 1981, the CIA was completely in charge of America’s desire to be secretive.

  That was when William O. Casey became the director of the CIA. He cleaned house and ordered many old OSS files and items in storage purged. At that time, it was discovered the OSS was broader and larger than anyone had thought. Files for 24,000 agents of the OSS were found. The agents included people like Julia Childs and many other well-known celebrities. Many had helped Wild Bill Donovan, and ultimately FDR, in several devious plots to win the war. These files were sent to a place called “Area 51” in Nevada. The crates of unopened items were sent there as well.

  While the Black Diamond was now secured in the strongest and most secure facility in the world, the story doesn’t quite end there.

  Epilogue

  “What Black Diamond” Banyon heard. He opened his eyes and saw Loni staring at him just like she had been when he had closed them.

  “How long have I been asleep?” he asked as he stretched his arms over his head. She gave him a surprised look.

  “You only closed your eyes a few seconds ago,” she answered with a tilt of her head.

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “No, Colt. I heard you say ‘what Black Diamond,’ and when I looked up you had your eyes on me and then closed them for about five seconds. All I did was repeat what you said. So tell me what Black Diamond.”

  “Loni, this is incredible. I watched a complete book. It was like a movie. I could see everything and Wolf narrated just like he said he would. It only took a few seconds. It was all about a Black Diamond that has supernatural powers. Some are very good, and some are very bad. The Black Diamond has been on Earth for a very long time and has influenced history.”

  “Oh,” Loni said as she put her hand to her mouth. She realized she had made a mistake. “When I heard you say Black Diamond, I thought you were talking to me. I was going to tell you that any old diamond would do. It doesn’t have to have a color, just as long as it’s big. I would wear it right here.” She brought up her delicate hand and spread her fingers. She pointed to the ring finger on her right hand.

  Banyon struggled to come up with the best answer. He did truly love Loni, but he had loved a woman before, and it had ended in a bitter divorce. He simply was not ready to commit to a long-term relationship—maybe someday, but not in the near future.

  “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” he quoted from a movie.

  “So, where’s mine?” she immediately retorted.

  “Tell you what, after I explain everything, you judge if you want a diamond right now, or maybe you’ll want to wait. Diamonds can cause a lot of trouble.” He was trying to deflect her question without getting her upset.

  “But I don’t want to wait, Colton.” He knew he was in trouble now. Whenever she called him Colton, she was determined to get her way.

  “Listen to what I have to tell you,” Banyon reasoned. “Then I’ll go with you and buy a gun. Sound good to you?”

  “I do love guns, too,” she thought out loud as her hand went to her chin. “Hmm, I can still get a diamond later. Okay, but I want a long gun this time. And it has to be an automatic rifle,” Loni knew she had enough leverage to make the demand. He didn’t know why she would want a rifle, but it was better than a diamond.

  “Deal.”

  “So tell me about this Black Diamond?”

  Banyon spent over half an hour explaining what he knew. Fascination registered on Loni’s near-oval face. She was wrapped up in the story. He explained the good and the evil the diamond could bring to the world. He said it all depended on the person holding it. When he was finished, he waited for a response.

  “That was a dubious dream,” she commented. Something must have happened to the Black Diamond, otherwise why would Wolf tell you the story?

  “My guess is that the Nazi’s are after it. We can’t let the new Nazis get it. They’ll surely use it for evil,” Banyon commented.

  “So where do we start, partner?”

  “Wolf said there are links to your laptop to get us started. Can you check?”

  “Let me plug into your printer first, then I can download the information.” When she went to print, the printer didn’t work.

  “It needs a printer cord,” Banyon observed.

  “Ask me for one,” she ordered.

  “Do you have a printer cord, Loni?”

  She suddenly produced a printer cord and plugged it in.

  While she was printing out the documents, Banyon leaned back in his chair, put his feet up on the desk. He decided to think about their recent conver
sation about a diamond for her. She was like a bulldog when she wanted something, but she had backed down on her demand for a diamond a little too easily. He wondered what was going through her devious little mind.

  ***

  Banyon had lost track of time. The revelations about the Black Diamond scared him. This would certainly be a dangerous caper. He wondered if he and Loni should even attempt to recover it. He was also sure they would need help. And that meant the Patel sisters would need to be involved. This could create more problems than he wanted to deal with. He had never even considered turning down a mystery before, especially when Nazis were involved. The only reason Wolf was able to talk to him was because Wolf hunted old Nazis and needed an actual person to catch them. He wondered if Wolf would continue to talk to him if he turned down this mystery. His reverie was broken by the sound of Loni’s sweet voice.

  “Colt, are you there?”

  “Yeah, I was just thinking,” he evasively replied.

  “I’m ready to go if you are,” she charmingly noted.

  Banyon dropped his feet from the desk, stood up, and replied, “I’ll be ready as soon as you come over here and give me a kiss.”

  A huge smile adorned her face. She let out a small, but effective squeal of delight and, Loni being Loni, leapt up on the desk and launched herself at Banyon. She landed on him and quickly wrapped her toned legs around his hips while grabbing his neck. She was so agile and lightweight he didn’t even stagger when she hit him. Banyon was six feet tall and still muscular; she weighed less than a hundred pounds. She grabbed his head in her hands and planted a wet opened mouth kiss on his lips. He instinctive grabbed her tiny ass. She ground against him as soon as he did it. My God, he thought, she’s ready to go again. He was in near-panic. He was too old and needed time to recover from their love making from this morning.