The Revenge of John W: Desert Intrigue, Daring Prison Escape: Thrilling Action (Unlimited exclusive, Joe Corso Book 1)

by Joe Corso

  “You said the man offered you 500 million for the mine?”

  “That’s right. I could show you the deposit he gave me if you’d like.”

  McCormack was sweating now. He didn’t want to lose the mine to a competitor and he didn’t want to risk his company’s money and his own fortune in a crap shoot. “Would you mind showing me the deposit the man gave you? I’d like to see it.”

  “No, not at all.” John opened his desk drawer and removed an envelope. He opened it and took out a check. “Here it is. Take a look for yourself.” He handed the check to McCormack. McCormack studied it for a moment then handed it to Kleinst, and both he and the Governor examined the check carefully, looking for any sign of deception, but they didn’t see any. A Mr. Samuel Reed, President of the Last Chance Mining Company, made out the check. That should be easy enough to check out. He made a mental note to do it the moment they returned to the office. But John had already prepared for this figuring, they would do just that. The previous month he told Persistent to find a vacant office and have a sign painter paint a sign with the name of the company on the window, then get the phone company to put a line in and hire a temp to sit there and answer the phone in case it ever rang.

  Kleinst handed the check back to Christo. “Would you be offended it we were to call him?”

  “Not at all,” Christo said. “In fact, you can call his office now if you would like.” Christo seemed relaxed and assured. He had the look of a man who had everything and didn’t care one way or the other if they made the call or they didn’t and the manner in which he comported himself spoke volumes. His visitors knew he had another buyer and it looked to them as if he couldn’t care less if McCormack bought the mine or if he didn’t. It was all so very confusing to them. They were looking for a sign that something other than the truth was taking place, but there was no sign of anything amiss. It was almost as if he were playing with them, like a cat would a mouse. “If you want to call Mr. Reed’s office, you can do it now. I’ll leave the room and leave you gentlemen to your privacy. While you’re using the phone, it will give me a chance to get some coffee.” Christo left the room and walked through the first office door he came to and sat at the desk. He pressed a button attached to the phone and heard both ends of the conversation, unbeknownst to the men on the phone.

  McCormack called the Last Chance Mining Company and a young lady answered the phone, “Last Chance Mining Company. How can I help you?”

  McCormack asked to speak to Mr. Reed and she informed him that Mr. Reed was out of the office, looking at a property.

  “He’ll be in later this afternoon. Leave a number and Mr. Reed will call you back.”

  “No, that’s not necessary. I’ll call him later. Thank you.”

  John waited for a little while, then he poured himself a cup of coffee and walked back to his office,

  “Well, gentlemen, I assume that you’ve called the number. Have you come to a decision?”

  McCormack answered, “Yes, I called that number, but Mr. Reed wasn’t in. Maybe I’ll call him later.”

  John shook his head. “Why would you call him later? By the time later comes, he’ll already be the owner of the mine, because once you leave this office, I’m taking your offer off the table. I’ll have no reason to meet with or speak to you again. You have your business to run, and I have mine and they are miles apart, so as far as I’m concerned, we’ll part as friends.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  “Could you excuse us for a moment, Mr. Christo? I’d like to discuss this with my associates.”

  John got up from behind the desk. “Not at all. I’ll leave you gentlemen to discuss this among yourselves.” He left the room and walked to the same office he visited before and sat behind the desk. This time he pushed a different button on the phone’s console and the conversation they were having came flooding into the room as clear as if he were with them. He listened to them discussing amounts that they thought he might accept for the mine. He heard offers of 100 million and 300 million, but Governor Wilson said, “Give him the 500 million and match the offer the other guy offered him.”

  McCormack whistled. “Man, that’s a ton of money to give someone for one mine.”

  Wilson was getting tired of this bantering back and forth. “For Christ’s sake, man, make a decision. Either give him the goddamned 500 million and buy the mine or let’s go home.”

  McCormack hung his head, knowing he had to do something. Did he really want to invest all of his corporate money in this venture?

  Wilson asked him, “Just how much money is your company worth? And how much of it can you invest?”

  McCormack let out his breath and said, “I have 250 million in cash reserves I can use. I’ll have to borrow another 150 million to match the offer he received from the Last Chance people but if that’s what I have to do, then I’ll do it.”

  Christo heard enough. He walked out to the area where the coffee was kept and just as he finished pouring another cup for himself, McCormack found him.

  “Finished with your talk, Jack?”

  “Yeah, I’ve made a decision. Let’s step back in your office.”

  The men settled themselves in their seats, waiting for the discussion to begin. This time it had a direction and they were anxious to have it come to a conclusion.

  “Mr. Christo.”

  “Call me ‘John.’”

  “John, I’ve decided to match the offer Mr. Reed gave you.”

  “That’s not good enough Mr. McCormack - Jack. You see, I already have a bid for 500 million so if you want the mine you’ll have to outbid the other bidder.”

  McCormack looked crushed. He didn’t want to admit that 500 million was stretching it, but he was stuck. He’d have to come up with a little more in his bid. He looked at his friend, the Governor. “You said you wanted to be my partner. How much cash can you come up with?”

  “Me, personally? I can’t come up with hardly anything - but the state can. It will be a historical investment project that the state will finance. It will match the short fall you need to complete this deal.”

  Lee added. “And don’t forget about my check, Mr. McCormack.”

  McCormack reached into his coat pocket to reassure himself that the check was still there. “To be honest, I forgot about that, Lee. But I have it with me and you’ll have it once we come to an agreement.”

  “Okay, I’ll make the offer 501 million.”

  Christo smiled. “Make it 510 million and we have a deal.”

  McCormack knew Wilson would have to come up with the rest of the money or he’d have no deal, “Holland, can the state underwrite 120 million dollars?”

  “Why 120 million? I thought you needed 100 million.”

  “I promised Lee 10 percent of the mine, but he agreed instead to take a 10 million dollar buyout. I can only come up with 400 million. I need another 120 million, which includes Lee’s ten million and the extra ten I had to add to the bid to complete the deal. That totals 520 million dollars needed to pay Christo. That’s why I’m short 120 million.”

  Governor Wilson thought a moment and said he would come up with the money. “My lawyers will make sure I do it legally,” he said. “But, yes, the state can and will underwrite a 120 million dollar grant for the lost Four Peaks Gold Mine.”

  John W’s plan was working to perfection. But he didn’t want to blow it so he made a suggestion. “Look, Jack. How about if we do this? I can see that the Governor has to have some time to work out the financing for this project. So why don’t you pay Lee the money you promised him and then give me a good faith deposit like the other fellow did. If you give me a firm date to pay me the rest of the money, we’ll close the deal right now. Meanwhile, the mine is yours and I won’t entertain any other offers but I’ll hold the map until I’m paid in full. Does that sound fair to you?”

  “Yes, and I appreciate it.” John’s offer was something McCormack would never give to any of the people he screwed in the past and
he accepted it gladly.

  “How much are you giving me now?”

  “I’ll give you a check for 50 million dollars.”

  John interrupted him as he was about to write a check. “Not good enough, Jack. I heard you say you had 250 million available to you that you can get right away and that’s what I want.”

  “But - But I still have to give Lee the 10 million dollar check I’m holding for him and I’m still short another 100 million.”

  “Alright. That’s a point well taken. Give him the check for 10 million and give me a good faith check for 240 million. Then, when you get your bank loan for the 150 million and the funding from the state, you’ll pay me the balance owed me. That’s the deal I want to see happen before you leave.”

  Jack looked at his friend, the Governor. “You’re sure that you can get the 120 million to close this deal?”

  Wilson smiled at him like the cat who was about to eat the mouse. “That depends, now, on what percentage you’re gonna give me.”

  “Come on, Holland. Don’t pull this shit with me now. Tell you what. I’ll give you Lee’s 10 percent. How’s that sound?”

  “It doesn’t sound good at all. Make it 25 percent and we’ll have a deal.” The Governor just kept smiling. He knew he had Jack boxed into a corner.

  “All right, you money-grubbing bastard, I don’t like it but you have a deal. When you give me the check, I’ll give 25 percent share in the mine.”

  There wasn’t a word said after Jack and the Governor spoke. Finally, John W stood and put out his hand. “I’m waiting, Jack. I’d like you to give Lee the check you promised him and then write me a check for $240 million dollars. When I get the check, I’ll sign this letter of intent for the mine. It will protect the good will deposit you’re giving me.” There was nothing further for Jack to say. The slick bastard John Christo had thought of everything. McCormack reached into his jacket, pulled out the envelope with Lee’s check, and handed it to him. He was sweating profusely as he wrote Christo a check for 240 million.

  John told him, “Before I accept this check, I’d like you to tell me when I can expect the rest of my money. I didn’t become a rich man by letting people take advantage of my good nature. When will I get my money, Jack?”

  McCormack looked at him and knew he was not a man to trifle with. “I’ll have it for you within ten days.”

  “In ten days, I’ll expect all of the money owed to me, even the Governor’s grant, for which I hold you responsible.” John turned to Governor Wilson. “When will you give Jack the grant money?” The two men weren’t used to being spoken to or questioned like this by anyone, the way this man was doing.

  Governor Holland Wilson wanted to kill John Christo. “Don’t worry, Mr. Christo,” he said caustically. “You’ll have your money within ten days.”

  “Good! Then there’s nothing more to say. It was a pleasure doing business with you gentlemen. I wish you all the luck in the world in your new endeavor, Jack. Would you like my driver to take you to your hotel?”

  McCormack nodded. “Yes. And if your driver could wait a few minutes while we get our luggage, we’d appreciate a lift to the airport.

  John W pushed a button and Angelo came in. “Take these men to their hotel. Wait for them while they get their luggage, and then take them to LaGuardia. They have a plane to catch.”

  Lee remained seated as the men left the room. Lee didn’t like being in their company any more than John W did. When they left, Lee handed John W the envelope with the 10 million check in it. “It worked exactly as you said it would. You told me greed would get them and it did. I would have taken the 5 million when he offered it to me if you hadn’t told me not to. You told me he’d give a counter offer and he did. I memorized what I would say to him and I was shocked when he agreed to the 10 million dollars. You should have seen his face when I said I’d keep the 10 percent because it might be worth a lot more than the money I’ll be getting from him.”

  Christo put the 10 million dollar check into his inside jacket pocket and settled back in his chair. “Now it’s time we took care of Fancy Tom Jenkins.” John W picked up the report Lee gave him earlier. “After reading this report,I’m shocked at the number of people he’s scammed.This guy has to pay for the crimes he’s committed over the years and because of that, he’s about to get the shock of his life. He’s gonna find himself in jail.”

  The following morning John W and Lee were involved in a strategy meeting. John reached into his desk and pulled out a large bundle wrapped in brown paper and placed it on his desk. He was silent for a moment, and then he looked at Lee and pointed to the door. “Lee, ask Angelo to come in here. I’d like him to be a part of this discussion.” Angelo came into the office and took a seat. “You wanted to speak to me, boss?”

  John W nodded and said, “Have a seat. I’m going to tell you something that no one in he world knows but me. And I’m telling you this for a reason.” He looked over at Lee, who was sitting on the sofa on the other side of the room. “Lee, come over here and take a seat, you might as well hear this too.

  “I need men I can trust. So, can I trust you guys? That’s the big question, isn’t it? Can I trust you two, especially when I don’t trust anyone else except Persistent and Bill Hayes. You two, I’m just beginning to trust. Do you know how I learn to trust someone?” They both shook their heads. “A friend is someone who’s been tested and who’s passed the test. Trust is based on the same test. Lee, you passed your test. Angelo here has yet to pass his, but his test is coming, but that’s just part of what I want to tell you. This is a little hard for me to say, so bear with me for a moment.” John sipped some water from a cup on his desk and looked at Lee. “If either of you tell anyone what I’m about to confide in you, I will destroy you so thoroughly, your mother will think she never gave birth to you.” That warning caused looks between the two men. John looked at Lee, and then at Angelo. Angelo usually didn’t take this kind of shit from anyone, but he was curious where Christo was going with this. “Do you understand what will happen to you if you betray my confidence and leak what I’m about to tell you to anyone?” They both said “yes” at the same time. “Okay, here goes. Lee, do you remember the prisoner who asked you to find out about his mother?”

  “Yes I remember him well. I didn’t think it was right what they did to him even if he was a prisoner.”

  “Good, Lee. Remember what you just said, because I’m going to get back to that in a moment. That boy was innocent of the crime he was charged with. His father passed away, leaving the mother and son with an 80-acre ranch to take care of without a dime in their pockets. Mr. Hayes sold them the property at a fair price. But when the Hardins couldn’t keep up with the mortgage payments, he was forced to take it from them. Hayes was a good man and he felt terrible having to evict the mother and son from their land. He met the Hardins one day, saying he had something to tell them. To make a long story short he traded their equity in exchange for 40 acres of worthless desert property, which included a played out mine that wasn’t worth anything. The miner’s shack they lived in came with the property. The shack had no electricity and no plumbing, but it had an outhouse in good condition, and the mother and son were grateful they had a roof over their heads. It wasn’t much of a home, but the Hardins loved it and they were grateful to Mr. Hayes.

  “McCormack found out from the mining engineer who was working a mine on the other side of the mountain that there was a high quality vein of gold hidden in the played out mine on the Hardins’ property. Kleinst and Jenkins were ordered by McCormack to get rid of the boy who was working for Hayes. The boy helped open three branch offices and he was about to open an office in Flagstaff when Jenkins came into the picture. Jenkins conned the old man by telling him he didn’t want a salary; instead, he said he’d work on commission. The boy warned Hayes to be careful that he had a bad feeling about Jenkins, but the old man hired him in spite of the boy’s warning. McCormack, Kleinst, and Jenkins had to get rid of the Hard
in boy, so they planted drugs in his mine, his car, and his home. They then tipped off the police that he was dealing drugs to kids and they arrested him. He was convicted on planted evidence and sent to prison. He wound up at the Gila Bend prison, which they reopened just for him and an old prospector by the name of Dutch Henry. Do you remember that old man, Lee?”

  “Yeah, I sure do. He seemed like a harmless old man to me. I don’t know what he did to get put in that piss hole of a prison.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you what he did. He found a gold mine. The Lost Tonto Apache Four Peaks Gold Mine, the very same one that I’m selling to McCormack. He found the mine and that’s what Holland Wilson wanted from him. Wilson owned the hardware store that Dutch Henry bought his supplies from, and old Dutch always paid in gold nuggets. Wilson wanted to know where Dutch Henry found the gold. He became obsessed with finding the source of the old man’s gold. Wilson became the popular owner of a large chain of hardware stores and because of his popularity and McCormack’s money it wasn’t long before he became Governor of the great state of Arizona. That’s when he learned he could control people’s lives. He imprisoned that old man because he wanted his gold mine. But the old man was smart. He knew he was going to be put in that awful prison, so he researched it thoroughly. He eventually tracked down the granddaughter of a prisoner, an ex-engineer who left a diary of his day-to-day building of the prison. The old man discovered in the diary that the builder, a convict by the name of Willard Smith built a back door exit into the design.”