Code Name: Crescent: A Matt Preston Novel

by Paul Shadinger

  Brad reached out and took Burt’s hand. “It’s okay. Just take it easy. I won’t leave you till you’re finished. Just take a deep breath.”

  Brad watched as Burt slowly calmed. Burt inhaled slowly and then started talking again. “The whole deal turned out to be a setup. We never did learn if it was done by our side or their side. The captain and the two gay dudes took off with the gold and I took off with the supplies. The damn bird was so heavy I barely got off the ground but I did get it back to the base. Somehow the captain had squared the deal with somebody because I was never asked any questions about taking the stuff or bringing it back.

  “The gay dudes got the gold out of country. The captain met them on Nevis Island in the Caribbean. I had a buddy there who deposited the gold for us. I got the name of the bank where the gold is deposited. The captain knows the box number and the two gay dudes have the key. As I understand it’s a special key… weird shaped and you have to have it to get into the vault as well as open the box.” Burt closed his eyes and for a moment he appeared as if he had gone to sleep. Suddenly he started talking again.

  “We all went our own ways. The two gay dudes disappeared off the face of the Earth. Then a few years ago a couple of federal agents came to me and asked a bunch of questions. I told them I didn’t know a thing. After about an hour they left, but then a few days later I heard from the captain, except now he’s a colonel. I have no idea how he found me, but he said he thinks he knows where the key is and wanted to meet me. About that time, I found out I have the cancer and things have gone from bad to worse. I’ve been too sick to travel.”

  “You never contacted the colonel?”

  “Naw… been too sick.”

  “Why are you telling me this story? What do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to go see the colonel and be me.”

  Brad couldn’t help himself, the words just jumped from his mouth. “What? You want me to do what?”

  “Lower your voice. And you heard me, I want you to go see the colonel and tell him you’re me.”

  Brad leaned forward and hissed, “How the fuck do you expect me to pull that off?”

  “The colonel hasn’t seen me since Nam and because we’re twins, we still look enough alike he would never question it. I can tell you any details you might need to know. All this guy wants to know is the name of the bank. He has the box number and he says he has the key. Go with him and you can divide up the gold and you take my share. Share it with Sis.”

  Brad sat back in his chair, deep in thought. By the time he stirred, Burt was asleep. Brad watched as his brother lay in his bed fighting for every breath. It seemed strange now… strange that he had been so jealous of his brother and now his brother was dying. He had returned the war hero, but look what it had cost him. Brad’s mind moved on to the story he had just heard. Was it true? Or was it just Burt’s mind playing tricks, a drug-induced dream? He had heard stories about Burt’s ability to fly a helicopter. He had read the report about Burt returning with his chopper overfilled with wounded and the aircraft was so shot up that when it landed it had literally fallen apart.

  Brad stood and quietly left the room and then stopped by the nurse’s station. “Is there a place I can get a cup of coffee?” The duty nurse told him where the cafeteria was and Brad left in search. When he returned to Burt’s room with his cup of coffee, he found his brother awake.

  A peaceful look had settled over his brother’s face. “I’m glad you didn’t leave. There are still things I need to share with you. There’s so much I need to tell you.” Brad sat down again and Burt started to tell him as much as he could remember about the mission. Finally, he finished his tale and looked at his brother. “So, will you do it?”

  “You mean pretend I’m you?”

  “Yes. You can do it. I know you can do it.”

  “The bank is on Nevis Island?”

  “Yes. It’s called the Fifth Third Bank of Nevis.”

  “The what?” Brad’s voice had risen in volume.

  “Shut up, you heard me. The Fifth Third Bank of Nevis.”

  Now Brad was positive his brother was having dreams brought on by all of the medications he was taking. To humor his brother, he nodded his head and told him, “I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise.” Brad thought for a moment, “Burt, by the way, what’s the captain’s name?”

  Burt’s voice was weak now. “He’s a colonel now and his name is McNaulty. Colonel Jacob McNaulty. He wrote me a letter. It’s at home under the pad on my desk. Call him and tell him you’re me. After you meet him, come and tell me what happens. I’ll help you pull this off. Trust me. You can do this.” Again his brother fell back on the bed and fell asleep. Brad stood and quietly left the room.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Brad stood at his brother’s desk. He looked over the mess and thought to himself about the differences between the two of them. Brad’s desk was clean with everything in place. Burt’s desk was covered with layers of papers. Brad carefully lifted the blotter and just under the left corner he saw an envelope. The letter was short and to the point, just giving his brother a phone number to call and instructing him to call him at once.

  Brad picked up the phone and dialed the number. After the third ring a voice answered. “Hello.”

  “This is Burt. Burt James.

  “You took your sweet time calling,” the voice on the other end of the phone snapped.

  Brad was taken aback by the abrupt tone of voice. “Well excuse me! I was busy with other things.”

  Some of the anger seemed to have left the voice, but it was obvious the man was still pissed. “Okay. At least you called.” There was a moment of silence and then the voice continued, a bit more excited, “I may have found out where the key is located. The good news is it looks like it will just be divided between us.” Brad was concerned to say too much since he didn’t know what he needed to share with the man on the phone. The voice continued, “How soon can you get out to Seattle?”

  “Seattle? A couple of days I guess. Why?”

  “Because that’s where the key is. Shit, James, you don’t seem to be very excited about finally getting to the gold.”

  “Well, it’s been so long I kind of figured it was a dead issue.”

  “You want to give me your share then?”

  Brad hesitated. “Not really. Is this the number you want me to call you on when I get to Seattle?”

  “Yeah. Make your arrangements, call me and let me know your plans and I’ll meet you there.”

  “Okay.” Brad heard a click and the line was dead.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  As Brad entered the room, he was surprised to see a couple of new machines sitting next to the bed. A nurse bustled in and Brad asked her what was going on. She frowned at him and motioned with her head for him to step away from the bed. When they were a few feet away, the nurse whispered to him, “His signs aren’t good. We don’t expect him to live much longer.”

  Brad thanked the young woman and then pulled a chair next to his brother’s bed. Taking his brother’s hand, Brad started speaking, “Burt. Burt can you hear me? It’s Brad, your brother.”

  Slowly the other man’s eyes lifted, and when he saw Brad there he smiled. “Brad... you’re here… Well, I need for you to call somebody. There’s an envelope on my desk…”

  Concerned, Brad interrupted, “Burt, you told me all this. I just talked to your colonel. I’m supposed to meet him in Seattle in a couple of days. He said he has the key. Does that mean anything to you?”

  There was a new light in the dying man’s eyes. He squeezed his brother’s hand and whispered, “He has the key? Really?”

  “That’s what he says. What is the key to?”

  “It will unlock the deposit box. McNaulty knows the number of the bo
x. The box is located on Nevis Island. It is at the Fifth Third bank… remember that.”

  “I know Burt, you told me that already. What else can you tell me?”

  “I never talked much. I was too scared to talk.” Burt started to laugh and then his laugh tuned into a coughing fit. A bell sounded and the nurse came rushing back into the room. She took a quick assessment and darted out. When she returned she had a hypo in her hand and she slipped the needle into Burt’s IV. Almost at once the coughing stopped and Burt’s eyes started to droop. He motioned for his brother to come closer. As Brad leaned over the bed, Burt whispered, “The colonel doesn’t know anything about being a pilot… just don’t say anything about flying. Keep quiet… say nothing. You’ll be fine… you’ll be fine… you’ll…” Burt was asleep.

  Brad asked the nurse how long his brother would sleep and the nurse told him she didn’t know. They had increased his pain medication and the combination was unpredictable. Brad thanked her and went out to his car. It had stopped snowing, but the day was still cold. He started the car and turned the heat on full blast. As he waited for the car to warm, he pondered his brother’s story. He wondered if Burt had ever shared the story with their sister. The way the man had acted on the phone tended to make Brad feel there was some truth to Burt’s rambling.

  Brad drove back to his sister’s place and they sat in the kitchen. She asked about Burt’s condition and Brad slowly shook his head. She commented that it would be the best thing for him to go ahead and pass away; she knew how bad the pain was and felt it was time for him to let go. She smiled at Brad and ended, “He just seemed to be waiting for you to show up. He kept telling me he had to tell you something really important.”

  “That brings up a question I wanted to ask you. Did Burt ever mention anything about gold from Nam? Anything at all that gave you an idea he might know where there was a treasure left over from his duty in Nam?”

  “That is so weird you’re asking that. A few years ago there was some story on TV about somebody finding a treasure, and Burt said he knew of a treasure a lot bigger than that.

  “I asked him what he meant and he just smiled at me. I asked him a couple more times and when he finally told me it was like he was scared to death. He looked so frightened and he motioned for me to lean close to him. He whispered ‘It was called Crescent.’ I said the word back to him and he shushed me. Told me not to say it aloud and he finished by telling me it was the biggest treasure he ever saw. Whenever I asked him about it he wouldn’t tell me anything, told me it was safer I didn’t know anything about it.” His sister shook her head as if to clear away the thoughts. She smiled at her brother and asked, “Why do you ask? What do you know about this?”

  “Not much. Not much…” Brad wondered just how much he should share with his sister, but then decided until he knew more, it was best if he kept it to himself. Brad was rising to go back to the hospital when the phone rang. His sister picked it up. Brad watched the emotions play across her face and as she listened to the words coming through the phone, he could see on her face what had happened. Burt had passed away… cancer had claimed another victim.

  The funeral service was quick and Brad caught a flight to Seattle the day afterward. The colonel was waiting at the agreed-upon motel. When the colonel opened the door to the room he smiled and held out his hand. “Great to see you again.”

  “Same here. I really thought Crescent was all over.”

  Brad was shocked at how quickly the colonel reached out and pulled him into the room. After the taller man shut the door he stepped close to Brad. “Will you shut up! How stupid have you gotten? You know better than to go blabbing about that. Shit, James, you’re scaring me.”

  “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.” As the colonel turned and walked farther into the room, Brad wondered what he had gotten himself into. He was flying blind to begin with and the way the colonel had just freaked out had really made him wish he had stayed at home.

  “What’s the first move?” Brad asked.

  “We’re going to go and talk to the last person who spoke to the man who had the key. I believe he has the key,. or he knows where the key is hidden.”

  “When?”

  “Now is as good a time as any.”

  CHAPTER 1

  THE VISIT

  Almost a year’s passed since my last adventure. In the intervening time the media totally forgot that the end of the world was just about upon us, and all computers were going to die a horrific death and in the process remove mankind with them. New Year’s Eve of 2000 passed as quietly as any New Year passes, over the past year things had gotten no better with the world, but at least crashing computers were not going to be our downfall.

  Once again I’m dealing with a wet and cold November and it really shouldn’t be a surprise because in Seattle, we get a lot of wet, cold Novembers. Also, for some reason, my adventures seem to start in November. I guess it really isn’t too unusual since fall is my favorite time of the year.

  It was a Tuesday night, and those of us gathered around the dining room table to play poker at Tom’s house thought it was the best place any of us could be. The howling wind and driving rain outside seemed determined to strip away any remaining autumn leaves still unlucky enough to be left on the flailing branches, while reminding us how lucky we were to be inside all warm and toasty.

  It had been a few months since I’d played in one of our games and I was happy to be with my friends again. At one of last year’s games, I’d won a houseboat and for a while that had turned into a nightmare. By the time everything finally sifted out, I was in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the thigh, my girlfriend had also been shot, I’d lost my beloved dog BJ, my houseboat had almost lost its moorage and I’d been forced to deal with some of the demons left over from my time in the service. But by the time the problems were over, everything had more or less worked out.

  As I settled back in my chair watching Scott shuffle the cards, my mind drifted back to a very strange meeting I’d had a short time ago. After my last adventure, I thought my nefarious past from Nam was over until recently when I received a warning from the military. A warning that really puzzled me, and I was still wondering what the visit was all about.

  I’d returned late one evening from seeing Walter, an old Army buddy who lives on the other side of Puget Sound, when I received two visitors. My phone rang and when I answered, I was informed that there were two guests in the lobby who wished to speak to me. Curious, I sent the elevator down to fetch them. When the elevator returned and the door opened, I was presented with a study in complete contrasts as two men stepped out. Reflecting back, I should have known there was something wrong with the two of them since my dog Beanie paid absolutely no attention to either of them. This was not a normal reaction for her to two new callers.

  The first man off the elevator stood ramrod straight, trim and fit while the other looked like the “before” ad for Weight Watchers. The tall, slim man was dressed in a United States Army officer’s uniform while the other wore an ill-fitting black suit. The uniform had insignia on his shoulders informing me he was a full bird colonel. The colonel was as tall as I am and his short military haircut looked like stubble and was completely gray. Looking at him, my first thought was he seemed to be rather old to still be in uniform, but with the way things are in today’s world, perhaps he still had something to offer. As he stood there, he seemed almost at attention with his service cap tucked under his left arm. The uniform was well tailored and from the many decorations, I knew he’d seen a lot of combat action over his career. When I left the Army, I too had several of the same colored ribbons on my chest. But that was a part of my life I would just as soon put away.

  The ill-fitting suit was worn by a pasty white man who looked like he spent a lot of time behind a desk. His skin was translucent and he obviously didn’t spend much time in the sun. The man resembled a pear. His chinless oval h
ead was perched on a fat neck, and his shoulders were narrow and sloped down to a thick waist and even heavier hips. The pasty man was a good deal shorter than the colonel, and his suit coat looked a few sizes too large while his pants were straining at the seams. The way he wore the suit, I could tell he wasn’t used to wearing it, and I didn’t think he was military either.

  Suit guy was balding and trying hard to cover it up with a very poor comb-over. His few greasy gray strands of hair were clumped together and they did little to cover his bald white head. I fail to understand why balding men do the comb-over thing. My hair seems to be moving up my forehead, and even though I may not be pleased about it, I try my best to ignore it. I think trying to cover it up just makes it stand out more. Do the comb-overs really think others can’t tell they’re balding and are just growing the sides out to comb up and try to cover the shiny spot? I will curb my tongue; moving on…

  The pair offered no pleasantries to start the conversation. The colonel snapped at me as if he was interrogating me, “Are you Matthew Preston?” I noticed the suit just stood there and let the colonel do the talking.

  The tone of voice and the way the colonel addressed me put me off. I didn’t feel much like talking to this person. “Yeah,” I retorted. I paused and then continued, “Excuse me, but who are you and what’s this all about?” I noticed the name shield on his jacket read “McNaulty.”

  The colonel ignored my question and came right to what I assumed was the purpose of his visit. “We know about your military past and we have some questions. Do you know Heyward Hollis or Dennis Price?”

  Those were two names I had hoped I’d never hear again. Hollis had shot and killed Price behind my apartment, and later he had shot me before I ended up shooting and killing him. Like I said, I didn’t need some stranger coming into my life and waking memories I would just as well leave undisturbed. “Know them?” I replied, “Not really. I knew who they were; we were all in the same outfit back in Nam but our times there didn’t overlap very much. They’re both dead.”