A Dubious Artifact (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 6)

by Gerald J Kubicki

  “I don’t understand?” Banyon said with true confusion.

  “Like me, China has experts whose job it is to go through old documents,” Tom explained. “Specifically they were searching through World War II documents from the late enemy of the state, Chiang Kai-shek. You’ve heard of him?”

  “I’m a historian,” Banyon calmly replied.

  “Anyway, the Chinese claim that a deal was made with America to send us a very rare artifact in exchange for supplies. The artifact was delivered, but Chiang Kai-shek never received any supplies. China says that we reneged on the deal and want the artifact back. It is just that simple.”

  “What does that have to do with my family?” Banyon stalled him. He wanted to find out how much Homeland Security knew.

  “Come now,” Tom said with a sly smile on his face. “You do recognize my name, don’t you?”

  “Your father knew my father,” Banyon admitted. “They were in the same regiment, ‘Merrill’s Marauders’ during world War II.”

  “Yes, and they both were sent on a secret mission by Merrill to collect the artifact. It was shaped to look like an ashtray.”

  “An ashtray?” Banyon returned with fake surprise.

  “Do you have it, Mr. Banyon?”

  “Why would you believe this?”

  “I have found the orders from Washington to Merrill. Also, my father, on his death bed, had told me that he and Steve Banyon, your father, were sent on a secret mission. But they were never able to pass on the artifact because Merrill was already gone. My father further told me that when last he saw the artifact, it was in your fathers hands. That is why I was chosen to interview you.”

  “My father died in nineteen ninety-one,” Banyon gave as an answer. “That was a long time ago.”

  “But his will stated that you received all his war memorabilia. It was shipped to you on September twenty-third in 1991.”

  “You have done your homework,” Banyon admitted.

  “Where do you keep it?”

  “I have no idea where the ashtray is today,” Banyon lied. “Just because it was in my father’s will doesn’t mean that I still have it. And why is it so important to the Chinese — all of a sudden?”

  “I’m not at liberty to discuss that,” Tom said.

  “Look, I do have my dad’s medals and several other things. You are welcome to come to my house and look at them, but no ashtrays are there. I gave up smoking many years ago. If I had it, I might have thrown it away. I have moved many times since 1991, and things get lost you know.” Banyon offered a plausible answer.

  “Well, where do you think it is?”

  “Maybe one of my ex-wives has it,” he threw in to confuse the watchers. That should be a few interesting interviews, he thought. His ex-wives would be very indigent and would threaten to sue everyone involved.

  “That’s your answer?” Tom said with a look of frustration. Banyon wondered if it was fake or real.

  “I’m sorry, that’s all the light that I can shed on the subject. My father never told me anything about an artifact. Can we go now?” Banyon urged. “I have no answers to things that happen over sixty years ago.”

  “Okay, we are through. But we may come to your home very soon with a warrant,” Tom said sternly. It told Banyon that they were already there.

  “I have always cooperated with Homeland Security. I will continue to do so in the future,” Banyon said through gritted teeth.

  “Yes, I have seen your records,” Tom retorted. “You know that you’re on the ‘watch list’, don’t you?”

  “Am I in trouble here?” Banyon sensed that this was not over.

  “The Chinese will get copies of this interview,” Tom replied with a sigh. “They may not believe you, like I do.”

  “So, they may come searching too?” Banyon asked.

  “It would not be an approved legal search,” Tom gave as an answer.

  Banyon was well aware that the Chinese could be brutal and final when they wanted something. Their search could include violence. “How much time do we have before you pass on this information on to the Chinese?”

  “I am not at liberty to say,” Tom replied with raised eyebrows.

  “Thanks for the warning,” Banyon said with frustration.

  Good day Mr. Banyon. Nice to meet you Miss….”

  “I’m just Loni,” she said.

  Chapter Nine

  “Why?” Loni started to say as they exited the building, but Banyon cut her off. He spoke without moving his lips.

  “They probably have cameras watching us right now. Probably even have lip readers on standby. Don’t say anything incriminating until we are on the road.”

  “What a nice day for a walk,” Loni continued.

  “The fall is the best time of the year in Chicago,” Banyon agreed.

  “Want to go to the Zoo,” she suddenly exclaimed.

  “I’ve already seen too many monkeys today,” he said with innuendo.

  “But we didn’t get to see the head monkey, wouldn’t that be fun?” she replied, also in innuendo.

  “I think the lead animal is a different breed,” he replied.

  They quickly reached their car. “Loni you drive,” he said as he tossed her his keys. “I have some calls to make and we can no longer drive and talk on the cellphone.” Chicago had recently put a band on driving and talking on a cellphone.

  “But, they might…, she stopped in mid-sentence when she noticed that Banyon had his finger too his lips.

  “I think we should have some friends over the house this afternoon. What do you think, Loni?”

  “We can sit out on the deck,” she responded as she slid smoothly into the leather drivers’ seat of the Jaguar. She hiked up her skirt for better maneuverability. She noticed Banyon staring at her fine legs. “You know that staring at my legs makes me wild,” she said with a sexy smile on her pretty face.

  “It has occurred to me. It does the same for me,” he answered as he continued to stare causing her to squirm in the seat.

  “What do you want to do about that?” she asked seductively.

  “Right now I want you to get home fast,” he responded.

  Loni put the car in gear, turned on the signal, and took off like a shot. She was an excellent driver even if she was Chinese, the worst drivers on the planet.

  “Call Greg,” she offered “He is always up for a party.”

  “Okay, after I voice-text my family about what they can expect from these clowns.” Banyon opened his phone and dictated his message. He then called up his family group of phone numbers and pressed enter.

  “Are you going to text your ex-wives?”

  “Nope, let’s let them have some fun,” he said with a broad smile.

  His next call was to Special Agent in Charge Gregory Gamble of the FBI. He was on the special secret conspiracy team investigating the Effort, but the Effort didn’t know it. Agent Gamble and Banyon had worked together many times before. He was a trusted member of Banyon’s team and Banyon was a trusted member of his team. Agent Gamble reported to the Director of the FBI and ultimately to the President, who actually headed up the conspiracy team. The team was small with several cutouts so that no one person besides the President knew everything. He had empowered the FBI special conspiracy team after the President received some scary information. He, like Banyon, and many other Americans were on the Homeland Security ‘watch list’ as possible subversives.

  “Colt, good to hear from you,” Agent Gamble answered with his southern drawl. “How is that little spitfire Loni?”

  “She is sitting right next to me,” Banyon replied “Greg, I’ve got a small problem and need your help,” Banyon didn’t want to say too much on the phone.

  “What’s your problem, little buddy?”

  “Remember the guys that we met in the desert last year, well they are dropping in for a visit at my house very soon. Can you come over and bring some wine?” Agent Gamble caught the phrase ‘bring some wine’. It
was a secret code phrase they had developed. It meant that we need help, specifically from Homeland Security. Agent Gamble knew better than anyone that Homeland Security was infested with the Effort and was probably the cause. It was all Banyon had to say to the big agent.

  He replied calmly. “Well, I guess, I could collect Maya and mosey on out to your house to pay a social call in about an hour. That sound alright to you?”

  “Bring as many people as you want,” Banyon added and hung up the phone.

  “Who else are you going to call,” Loni looked at him and batted her eyes.

  “Loni, pull over into this mall, will you,” he suddenly said.

  “Need to buy some things for the party?” she asked.

  He did not reply until after they left the car. He then told her something that made the hairs on her arms standup. “As I was getting into the car I noticed a pin camera set in the roof of the car. They were watching us all the time.”

  “I’m glad that you saw it, I missed it, I’m sorry.”

  “You were driving, I learned how to notice from you, sweetie. It was a sloppy insertion.”

  “So, where are we going?” Loni asked.

  “We are going to get three new phones and a jamming device for the car. I’m sure

  Agent Gamble is bringing better devices for the house.”

  “We’d better check the deck as well,” Loni said.

  Chapter Ten

  “God Damn it all to hell, they are planning a friggin party,” the woman yelled out, making several people jump with a start. She was monitoring the conversation between Loni and Banyon while she was watching the live feed from the car. “We spent all this time and money on surveillance and they are planning a friggin party,” she roared at everyone in the small dark surveillance room. She threw up her meaty arms in surrender. She did receive a bit of perverse pleasure as she had stared at Loni’s legs from the overhead pin camera. She had seen them before.

  “Maybe, they don’t know anything,” the man at the monitor in front of her said.

  “I’ve dealt with these two before. They are very cool under pressure. I bet they know that we are monitoring them. They know something, I feel it in my bones,” she insisted as she clinched her meaty fists.

  The woman, now known as Doctor Barbara Behl, was a special assistant to the Director of Homeland Security. She had more than one alias and changed them often, but this one was her real name. She was tasked with the job of finding and collecting any item that was of interest to Homeland Security and ultimately the Effort. Her resources were unlimited and she took complete advantage of that. Despite warnings from the accounting department that she was a spendthrift she did what she wanted. She was tough, pushy, and turned off most people she worked with at Homeland Security.

  She was a poster image of why there were discrimination policies in America. She was grossly overweight, manly, gay, and used those to her advantage. With spiked orange hair, many body piercings, a deep voice, and dressed like a man, she presented an image of a left-wing liberal professor. She was anything but that. She was an ultra-conservative right-wing fanatic and key member of the Effort. The persona was all an act to intimidate and bully the all too gentrified American population. Her looks and approach often befuddled people, she had true gender confusion. Few people ever questioned her methods as they felt sorry for her. That was exactly what she wanted.

  She was smart, well-educated, highly manipulative, and often unreasonable. She knew the Effort would support her completely. Her grandfather had been one of the founder members. However, to some members of the Effort, she as a loose cannon and they would be happy if she just disappeared.

  “What do you want us to do?” One of the three men that were monitoring Banyon and Loni asked her, as he leaned back in his chair.

  “Keep staring at the monitors, that’s what you get paid for, isn’t it? I’ll tell you when to stop,” she growled.

  The long-time federal agent was not intimidated. “Don’t you have something better to do? You are just making it harder for us to do our jobs.” All four members of her team were highly trained field agents and also Effort members.

  Realizing that she had lost her grip on the tough agents, she pointed her finger at the man and said, “Your right, I have important work to do. Get the sniveling idiot Cruickskank down here. I want to interrogate him.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Once back in the car, Banyon turned on the jamming device that he had bought at the surveillance store. He then opened up his new phone. Their two other phones were discarded in a trash can in the mall. He immediately saw four messages from his family. He frowned when he read them.

  “What’s wrong?” Loni asked.

  “All my sisters and brother told Homeland Security that I had the ashtray. That is not good. Also, my brother, for all his wisdom, gave them a picture of me with the ashtray. It was in the background on one of my shelves in the office of my last house. Homeland Security now knows, for sure that I have it.”

  “But I thought you hadn’t seen it in years?” Loni questioned him.

  “I forgot,” he responded. “I did take all the medals out for the picture and the ashtray too. It was a couple of years ago.”

  “Why?” Loni questioned him.

  “My brother accused me of not knowing anything about medals as I wasn’t in the military, like him. I wanted to show him that I kept them at hand.”

  “Are you always so competitive with your brother?” Loni didn’t understand. She had no other siblings.

  “Only when he makes me,” Banyon replied off hand.

  “Well, this time he has gotten you in some serious trouble.” Loni said with scorn.

  “I was in trouble already, sweetie. He probably thinks Homeland Security is protecting him.”

  “But what are we going to do?” Loni talked in her little girl voice. She usually used when she wanted something.

  “I’m working on that,” he responded as he sat deep in thought.

  “What if they found it when they searched the house?” Loni asked.

  “I don’t think they were prepared for a detailed search. I’m pretty sure they left the house without it. Otherwise, they would have detained us. Besides I hid it.”

  “But what if they did find it?”

  “Well, then you and I had better go on the lamb. The Effort never leaves loose ends lying around. They have killed for less before.” He then reminded her of several of their previous capers where attempts were made on people’s lives — even their own.

  “Why don’t we disappear anyway with the ashtray? We could always make some gold when we needed money, and we could drink the elixir and be together for a hundred years or more,” Loni reasoned.

  Banyon actually saw her logic in the statement and it would keep the artifact out of the Effort hands as well. But what if they were caught or someone they trusted talked, or what if Homeland Security never stopped looking for them. Traveling by any mass transportation, like a plane, buying big items and even going to an ATM would be too scary for them. Facial recognition software was being implemented everywhere, and he didn’t want plastic surgery on Loni’s pretty face

  “Only as a last resort,” he replied.

  “You do have an idea don’t you,” she said as smiled at him. “I knew that you would.”

  “We need to face these people head on. We need to make them think they won and at the same time take them down.”

  “But who is they? We don’t know who is after us, exactly.”

  “Well it is about time we found out, don’t you think?” Banyon said with confidence.

  “I’m all ears,” she joked, knowing she would not know until he told her.

  Suddenly Banyon called out inside the car. “Wolf, are you there?”

  “Yes,” the spirit replied. Loni said nothing and kept driving like Banyon wasn’t there. She could not hear what Wolf said.

  “Did you find out who is after us?”

  “She go
es by a different name now.”

  “Can you tell me more?” Banyon asked as he couldn’t believe that Wolf would be coy with him at a time like this. But then again, Wolf had done it before — just for fun he said.

  “I’ll give you a hint. Orange spiked hair.”

  “Orange spiked hair,” Banyon repeated out loud.

  “Doctor Carol Throne,” Loni blurted out as she slammed the heel of her hand on the steering wheel.

  Banyon turned to her in the car seat. He immediately thought she could actually hear Wolf, but realized he had said the words.

  “It’s Dr. Thorne from the book caper,” Loni told him before he put it together himself. She then add, “Yuk,” and turned up her nose.

  “The demonstrative Dr. Thorne had chased and abused Loni and Maya Patel, who worked the case with them, like a dog in heat, during that adventure. She had represented herself as a curator from a museum in Chicago and had hired Loni through the LCH Detective Agency, LLC to find and collect a book. She had violated many personal rights. Rights that she would have screamed bloody murder over if they happened to her. She had also won and beat out Banyon for the book.

  “What name does she go under now?”

  “She has discarded the Thorne identity. She thought that it was too nice. She now goes by her real name, Dr. Barbara Behl.”

  “She goes by Dr. Barbara Behl now. It is her real name,” he told Loni.

  “Different name, same asshole,” Loni quipped.

  “Is she doing this on her own, or is there backing higher up in the organization?” Banyon inquired.

  “She was warned to not initiate a case without approval, but she never listens. She has backing, if needed, but is running this on her own. She is trying to accomplish something big because she wants to get back into the graces of the senior members of the Effort.”