Banyon quickly turned his head. Loni was standing on her toes while hugging the tall blond Eric. It was more than a friendly hug.
Pramilla yelled to her husband, “Down boy. I’ve already fed you this morning.” Loni and Eric quickly disengaged. They both smiled sheepishly. They then headed over to the group while Banyon was hugging Pramilla.
“You’re so clever Colt. We thought we had you fooled.” Previne said cheerfully. She then hugged Banyon furiously.
“It’s great to see you guys,” he announced. “Come and sit down. I’ll get you all up to speed.” They all trooped over to the couches. The three Patel sisters sat together on one couch, and crossed their legs in unison. Banyon tried real hard to not stare.
***
The meeting lasted about thirty minutes. Banyon explained his plan to end the crisis. He explained what had to be done today and passed a piece of paper over to Previne. It contained five names.
“Looks like we will be very busy,” Previne said and poked her sister playfully.
“I’ll guide you to each of the men. You need to make them forget about the Orion weapons,” Banyon said.
Previne was capable of “Freud-a-sizing”. Previne had found the formula in an old book. The scientific method was perfected by Sigmund Freud himself. It made people forget what she told them to forget. They had used the method successfully before. The only problem was she needed the undivided attention of the mark to cast it. But Previne was very resourceful. Banyon had no doubt she would succeed.
“Well, we are going shopping first,” Previne argued. “We need some different clothes to get their attention.”
“The hotel boutique opens in less than thirty minutes,” Loni replied. Banyon wondered what they could possible wear that was more seductive than their current outfits.
“Let’s meet up here in the suite at eight o’clock tonight,” Banyon said. “We can have a group dinner.”
“Sounds good,” Pramilla agreed.
“The people from Dewey & Beatem will be here too. We’ll make final preparations for Friday morning then,” Banyon added.
“I want to look at the loot we collected so far before we go,” Previne announced.
“You can do that,” Banyon replied. “Did you bring the trinket?”
Eric suddenly had the Influence talisman in his hand. He passed it to Banyon. “You wanted this?” he asked.
“I’ll get what we have found so far,” Loni quickly said cheerfully. She sprinted to the safe in the bedroom. She extracted the box with all the things they had collected, but she stopped by a mirror before she returned.
While she was gone Banyon talked to Pramilla. “I also need you to make a few diplomatic calls to make all this work.” Pramilla was a high ranking diplomat with the Indian government.
“Who to and what am I telling them?” she asked as she accepted the piece of paper from Banyon. There were two names on the list. She stared at the list with a stunned expression. “This won’t be easy.”
“I know,” Banyon ask sympathetically. “But you can do it, right?” He then told her what to say to each man.
She pulled her cell phone from her rear pocket of her shorts and walked away in a huff while dialing. She immediately began talking in rapid English to someone in India. She was not asking, she was ordering.
“What’s taking Loni so long?” Previne said with irritation in her voice as she fidgeted on the couch.
“I’m here,” Loni proclaimed. She flowed through the bedroom door carrying the ordinance box ceremoniously. The Patel woman all gasped. Loni was also wearing the Pharaoh headdress and the other trinkets.
“My God,” Maya proclaimed. “You look absolutely stunning.”
“Wow,” Previne exclaimed and jumped off of the couch. She followed Loni to the table in the main room of the suite.
“It fits perfectly,” Loni gushed. She had finally upstaged the Patel sisters. She turned the box over dumping the contents on the table. Everyone rushed to examine the plunder.
Previne, the archeologist grabbed Loni by the shoulders. She all but mauled her while fingering the many ornaments on her body.
“That tickles,” she responded, but stood perfectly still.
“This is priceless,” Previne yelled excitedly. “It looks like the long lost royal regalia of the Pharaoh Khufu’s wife.” She began to jump up and down.
“We are going to give it back to Egypt,” Banyon told her as he watched Previne bounce around the room.
“The finder’s fee alone could be several million dollars,” Previne exclaimed. “But I’d really like to have this,” Previne pleaded.
“It doesn’t fit you Previne, your head is too big. It only fits me,” Loni remarked with satisfaction. “And besides it is a world treasure and must be given back to the people of Egypt.” It was the same argument Banyon had used on his partner yesterday.
“Oh poop,” Previne said sadly.
“Guys,” Eric suddenly called out. “Look at all these precious stones.” Everybody turned to the table top. Eric had separated the stones by type; several piles now glistened in the morning light.
Maya pushed him aside. She was the expert on precious stones. After a few minutes she announced her findings. “There is at least twenty million dollars here.”
“Good thing,” Loni said. “We’ve had a lot of expenses. We are going to keep them, right Colt?”
“They would be impossible to trace them back to the original owners. So, yes we will keep them.” he replied with a smile.
“Whoopee!” The three women exclaimed.
“And here are the two talismans,” Banyon added as he dropped the talisman Eric had given him into the pile.
“I must examine them,” Previne quickly announced and grabbed the Time talisman.
Before she could take a close look at it, there was a knock at the door.
“Crap,” Banyon yelled out as he glanced at his watch. “My eight o’clock meeting is here early. Everybody, scoop up the loot. Go hide in the bedroom,” Banyon ordered.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Albin Wilk and Professor Orlich were across town in a small hotel room. They were keeping a low profile just as Banyon had suggested. Wilk feared for his life. He knew at least two mercenaries were after him. Banyon had also scared him. He had said he had other people helping him. What if they find out my secrets, he wondered.
He sat on the bed and stared at the wall. His plan was not in good shape. He currently could only count on getting his hands on the two talismans from Siberia. Banyon had control of all the rest. He needed a break.
Professor Orlich sat in the one chair in the room, studying an old book. He was startled when Wilk spoke to him.
“What are you reading?”
“Oh, just some old stuff I want to understand better,” he replied evasively. He closed the book. He looked embarrassed.
Wilk’s phone rang just as he was about to dig further into the professors answer. The call was from another mercenary.
“The people you wanted me to find have checked into the hotel,” the man said without any greeting.
“How many are there?”
“There are three women and a man. None look like they could put up much of a fight,” the man chuckled. “They look more like models than mercenaries.”
“That’s good news,” Wilk replied.
“The three women are all dressed the same. You can’t tell them apart. It will be fun to wrestle with them,” the mercenary said in an evil tone.
“Where are they now?”
“They are in another suite on the same floor of the hotel. I’m watching the door from down the hallway. What do you want me to do?”
“Wait until they return to their room. They will have the talisman they brought with them,” Wilk explained.
“It might be messy,” the man warned. “I’ll bring two men with me. They will love to get their hands on those women.”
“I don’t care what you do to them. Just
make sure you get the talisman,” Wilk ordered.
His plan was suddenly back on tract.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When Banyon opened the door he found a humble looking man with a greying crew cut standing there. He was a little over six feet tall and broad of shoulder. He was dressed in clean coveralls with a plaid work shirt. He held a hat nervously in his hands. A small frail woman dressed in a house dress stood next to him.
“I am Olaf Belinski,” the man said proudly as he inflated his chest. “This is wife Sophie.” He pointed to the smaller woman.
“Please come in. My name is Colton Banyon. And thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“When I heard name Banyon, I come right away,” the man replied sincerely.
“Come on in,” Banyon said. He waved them inside the suite.
“I speak good English, no?”
“Where did you learn to speak English?” Banyon asked as he led them to the couch in the main room.
“I live in America six years,” Olaf announced. “Work in construction on Long Island in New York.”
“Actually, I’m from Long Island,” Banyon told him.
“Was good place, but economy bad. We come back to Poland.”
“And you now work construction for the Arcades?”
“Is only job I could get. Economy bad here too.”
Done with the chitchat, Banyon asked his first question. “I understand you were the one who found my ancestor’s journal, correct?”
Olaf nodded. “It was in wall.”
“And you turned it over to a reporter, right?”
“Yes. He paid me some money,” Olaf replied with embarrassment. “We needed the money.”
“And what did you do with the second book you found?” Banyon inquired springing the trap.
“What second book?” The man’s eyes went large, but he didn’t deny there was a second book.
“The book you sold to Professor Orlich at the Arcades, that book?”
“How you find this out?” Olaf asked suspiciously.
“That’s not important right now,” Banyon said forcefully. He dismissed Olaf’s question with a wave of his hand. Wolf had told him about the second book and other information, that very morning, just before the Patels had arrived.
“So you know about book?” Olaf asked.
“Why did you sell it to him?”
Olaf thought for a second before he replied. “He pay us big money, over fifty thousand for book. He told me to not tell anyone about it. It was our secret. I tell no one.”
“Do you know what was in the book?”
“Just more chants,” Olaf confessed with shame. “Professor Orlich said chants were switch, to turn weapons off. I meant no harm to Banyon family.”
“I understand,” Banyon said softly “But I need your help to straighten this mess out, Olaf. Several people have died because of the journal. It could have a harmful impact on the whole world. Many lives are at stake. My family’s reputation could be ruined forever as well. Will you help us?”
Olaf turned to his wife. He spoke in Polish. She nodded her head.
“We help you,” he said solemnly. “What we do?” Banyon could see that Olaf was a proud man, his word was good.
“Thank you,” Banyon replied with relief. He forged ahead. “This afternoon, someone will deliver to you another book. I want you to contact the same reporter from last time, okay. Ask him to publish the notes in the new book. They must be published by tomorrow morning’s edition of the newspaper.”
“You have book back from Orlich?” Olaf asked in disbelief.
“No, at least not yet,” Banyon said. “This book will make the journal look like a fairytale.”
“What mean fairytale?”
“It will make the journal look like just some stories, and not to be taken seriously. It has to be done,” Banyon emphasized.
“But I lose job when Arcades finds out about new book. They not trust Olaf anymore.” Olaf protested. “We are poor. We need money from job.”
“This is very important to my family,” Banyon persisted. “I will pay you money for your help.”
“How much?” A suddenly interested Olaf inquired as he leaned forward.
“I am prepared to pay you five hundred thousand American dollars for you to do this for me. And it must be our secret.”
Olaf seemed stunned. “That is more money Olaf has made in lifetime,” he declared. He turned to his wife and explained.
His wife began nodding her head with a broad grin on her face. She said the one word Banyon wanted to hear. She said, “tak”. It meant yes in Polish. She got off the couch and gave the now standing Banyon a huge hug.
“We do,” she said in English.
Banyon and Olaf shook hands to close the deal. “We help the Banyon family,” he stated.
“I’ll have the money, and the book, delivered to your house by three o’clock this afternoon,” Banyon promised. “Call the reporter now. Tell him you have another journal to publish. He’ll be able to make the deadline for tomorrow’s paper.”
“Okay,” Olaf said as they reached the door. “Thank you very much Mr. Colton Banyon,” Olaf said sincerely as they went out the door.
“No, thank you.” Banyon replied and meant it.
Chapter Thirty
As soon as Banyon returned to the couch after closing the door, Loni came running out of the bedroom. “Why did you promise them so much money,” she said with irritation. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“I…I…didn’t,” Banyon stammered. He was not prepared to be questioned for his motives.
“I thought we agreed to pay them only one hundred thousand dollars.” Loni said in an unreasonable tone.
“They seemed like good people,” he replied with a shrug. “We should help good people who are in need.”
That satisfied Loni as she just shrugged. But, Maya was the next person out of the bedroom door. She was also hot under the collar.
“Why did we have to hide in the bedroom?” She screamed at Banyon. “We have other things to do you know. Why is it always about you?”
“I didn’t want the Belinskis to see you. It was for your protection,” he protested.
“And what was that about? I heard you mention something about a second book being found,” Previne demanded impatiently with her arms crossed.
“I…I…” Banyon stammered again as he looked up at a bunch of angry women. They all stood with arms crossed or hands on their hips, a sure sign that he was in trouble. I’m in trouble now, he thought.
“You didn’t tell us about a second book.” She said accusing him of holding back information. The women believed he had held back information many times before. He now understood their agitated state.
“I just found about the second book a little while ago myself. Wolf told me,” Banyon said defensively. “I needed to verify the contents before I told you. It seems there is an even more sinister plot going on than the one Wilk cooked up. This case has become very complicated,” he admitted.
“Explain that!” Previne demanded in an angry voice as she tapped her foot.
“It seems Olaf Belinski actually found two books in the wall in the Banyon Arcades,” Banyon started. “He brought both of them to Professor Orlich at the Arcades because he knew Orlich was a professor of history. Orlich kept the books for two weeks before returning just the journal to Olaf. It was actually the professor’s idea to have it published in the newspaper. The professor then paid Olaf some money to keep him quiet about the second book.”
“Why?” Loni asked.
“I’ll get to that, be patient,” Banyon chided her and used his hands to calm the women down.
“Okay, but hurry,” she responded in a sulking tone. “I want answers.”
“Anyway, he already knew Josephine Wilk was the head of the society, because he is actually a member. Being a professor of history, he had joined several years earlier. When he tried to contact her about the b
ook, he found out Albin Wilk, her nephew, had put her in a hospital and had control of her wealth. He controlled the society’s secrets. That’s also when he discovered that all of the talismans were missing.”
“So, before the journal was published, they cooked up a plan to retrieve the weapons, right?” Eric said.
“Not quite,” Banyon replied. “Even before he had ever met Wilk, Orlich ran ads on the internet, attempting to recover some of the weapons. He got hits on a couple of them. Wilk found out about the postings and started to visit the professor. He wanted to find out how he could make money with what he had learned from his aunt. He pretended to be the head of the Society of Orion. The professor was duped.”
“So they didn’t know each other until after the journal was published,” Loni said in understanding.
“No, they didn’t know each other and Wilk still doesn’t know about the second journal,” Banyon added.
“Continue,” Previne ordered. “This is getting confusing.”
“When Wilk explained he had control of the Insight talisman and knew about my powers, they began to form a plan. But it took months to agree on how to proceed. Wilk wanted to use me to find the weapons and then hire mercenaries to take the weapons by force. Orlich wanted to use me and the internet to collect them in a non-violent way. They compromised and decided to use both ways.”
“So their methods are different,” Maya noted.
“Yes,” Banyon replied. “The professor wants to study the talismans and experiment with them. Wilk just wants the money.”
“That’s why Orlich sent his nephew to be our backup. He didn’t want us to be hurt,” Loni suddenly exclaimed.
“Yes, and we need to give him his gun back,” Banyon said to Loni.
“I’ll give it to Previne before she leaves this morning,” she promised as she quickly nodded her head, allowing hair to cascade everywhere.
“But what about the other more sinister plan you mentioned, what’s that about?” Maya asked with concern.
The Polish Discovery: The Society of Orion 1-3 (Colton Banyon Mystery Book 17) Page 22