A Dubious Artifact (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 6)

by Gerald J Kubicki

  Next Zao Ping went to the home of a money laundering contact supplied by his leader in China. The man was truly frightened by the evil looking Zao Ping, but gave him new clothes, fed him, and supplied him with the financial resources that Zao Ping required without asking any questions. He had experience helping Chinese spies before. It was around four o’clock in the morning when Zao Ping closed his eyes for a short nap. He told the man to awaken him at six forty-five.

  His last thoughts before he fell asleep were that he was determined to complete his mission, he would not fail.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  David Heller was also determined to not fail. He and Bob Bloom spent most of the night putting Albert Spitz’s plans in motion. Heller was on the phone with Homeland Security people and Bloom was reaching out to several white supremacist groups in Chicago and Milwaukee. They were running on short time.

  “I don’t need additional proof,” Heller screamed into his phone. “And we don’t have time to collect more proof. The Chinese are planning something big and I already know that Zho How is going to supply them with guns and manpower.”

  “How do you know this?” the bureaucrat at the end of the phone asked.

  “I’ve captured one of their spies and he has spilled the beans. That’s how,” Heller said as he struggled to hold his temper.

  “Why haven’t you followed protocol and brought him in then?” Heller felt like the man was reading from a manual.

  “I just found this out when we captured him at the house of Henry Fogel. I’m sure you have already heard of the gun battle there,” Heller said sarcastically.

  “What were you doing there?”

  Heller’s face was now beet red and his blood pressure was off the charts. How dare this lowly clerk question me? “I’m done with you. I’m an assistant director. I don’t have to answer to you,” Heller blustered into the phone. “Connect me to Robert Boyd.”

  “But he is not in,” the man replied as he looked up the duty roster.

  “I know that,” screamed Heller. “Patch me through to his cellphone, you idiot.”

  “No need to be offensive,” the man whined as he dialed the phone for Boyd. Robert Boyd was a top field agent out of the Chicago office of Homeland Security. He was also a member of the Effort.

  A sleepy voice answered the phone. “Hello.”

  “Boyd, this is Heller. I’ve got a very important job for you and it will also lead to a commendation, but you have to act fast.”

  “How fast?” the agent asked.

  “We need to hit the target early, say seven-thirty this morning. You’ll need probably ten men.”

  “That’s only going to give us about five hours to collect the men and plan the takedown,” Boyd said with great concern as he looked at his digital clock.

  “This is big, very big Robert,” Heller promised.

  “Is this for Homeland Security or for the Effort?”

  “Both”

  “Give me five minutes to get dressed. I’ll call you back.” Boyd replied.

  ***

  While Heller paced the floor waiting for Boyd to call him back, he could hear Bob Bloom on speaker phone. He was having somewhat better success. He was currently talking to a biker-gang leader in Milwaukee.

  “You need to be here at the warehouse by eight o’clock in the morning,” Bloom repeated for the second time.

  “Why so early?” the biker asked. Heller and Bloom could hear music and the drone of people talking in the background and knew the biker was in a bar.

  “It’s a three and half hour drive up to the place where we are going. We need to be there before high noon.”

  “Can we ride our bikes up to the shoot?” the man drawled. “We got seven men and we will be packing.”

  “We might be able to supply you with some automatic machine guns. You get to keep them when the shooting is done too,” Bloom offered as incentive.

  “That’s right white of you brother. What are we hunting?”

  “We need to eliminate someone who has committed treason against the cause. There will be several others with her.”

  “Any chance that some of them are Black or Asian?” the biker asked. “We’ve been a little short of our quota this year.”

  “I’m sure that you’ll hit quota,” Bloom patiently replied.

  “Okay, we’re in,” the biker slurred.

  “So, we will put you down for seven shooters, right?”

  “That’s all of our members. Can’t bring no more,” the biker said defensively.

  Trying to wrap up the phone call, Bloom said, “See you in a couple of hours then.”

  “Just one more thing,” the biker said.

  “What’s that?”

  “We’ve been partying pretty hard tonight. Would it be okay if we’re a little drunk?” the biker asked sheepishly.

  “As long as you can still shoot,” Bloom agreed.

  Bloom made another call and picked up three more men.

  ***

  When Bloom finally finished his calls, he got up and walked over to where Heller was nervously pacing.

  “How’d you do so far?” Heller asked.

  “Well, we have twenty-seven men committed. Probably twenty-three or so will show. They all are bringing their own guns too. Everybody will be here by eight o’clock.”

  “That should be enough. Get some sleep, it’s nearly three o’clock. We go in five hours,” Heller said.

  “Still have more calls to make.”

  “Do you have transportation arranged?” Heller suddenly asked.

  “Got that covered. But I’m a little worried about that too,” he admitted.

  “Why?”

  “Some of the bikers want to ride their own choppers up to the shootout. I had to agree to get them to come.

  “So?”

  “This is going to be a big convoy as it is and with about ten choppers riding in the middle of the group we might get noticed by the cops. If that happens and they decide to pull us over, we could be in a world of hurt. Some of these guys may even decide to shoot it out. If we don’t get there in time, well…”

  “You’re right,” Heller calculated. “That also gives me a great idea and a new plan.”

  “What new plan?”

  “Let’s split the guys up into three groups and leave five minutes apart. We’ll send one of us with each group to make sure they get there. You take the first group, I’ll take the second group and I’ll tell Spitz he has to take the third group.”

  “Why him? He is very old.”

  “Well, if he was to die during the shootout, then I become the most senior member of the inner circle, and therefore the leader.”

  “I get it now,” Bloom said with a smile. “Then I’ll become a member of the inner circle too, right?” Bloom was extracting his pay for helping.

  “Most certainly,” Heller quickly replied.

  “It’s a good plan,” Bloom uttered.

  “Do you think something like that could happen?” Heller asked.

  “I think I can arrange it.”

  “I thought that you could.”

  “I’ll do it right away, when we get to the shootout place.”

  “After all, how much trouble could a couple of people in a cabin in the woods cause us,” Heller said expansively as he opened his arms.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Colton Banyon opened his eyes at exactly six-thirty in the morning. He knew he needed more sleep, but his bladder was full and he had to get up now. It is a curse to be older, he thought. He had to go to the bathroom. Loni had her head in the crook of his arm and he gently extracted himself from her and rolled out of the metal bunk bed. He then went in search of a bathroom. He found one right outside of the bedroom door and was surprised to find his travel bag with his toilettes setting on the sink along with several others. He didn’t remember putting them there last night. But it had been very late. He decided that he might as well take a shower and get dressed for the day. He
had brought two set of clothes, but he had just changed a few hours ago, when they had stopped at Banyon’s house. He decided to not wake everyone by rummaging through his suitcase and would redress in the same clothes. As he showered, he thought about where he was and how he had gotten there.

  The stop at his home in Barrington was very short. Banyon grabbed his travel kit, threw a few things into a suitcase and changed his clothes before leaving. Loni had done the same thing. Meanwhile, Previne, Pramilla, and Eric raided the refrigerator and packed fruit and water along with several sandwiches for the road. They put them in a cooler and sat in the kitchen waiting for the always late Loni.

  When Loni rushed into the kitchen, she shouted, “Put the food back.” Everyone was taken by surprise.

  “Why, we will need to eat something,” Previne reasoned. “We have been traveling for most of a day.”

  “Greg promised to stop and get hamburgers for the trip. I want hamburgers for our road trip,” she seriously replied.

  “I’d rather have a double cheeseburger, anyway,” Eric quickly said.

  They piled into the rental car, Loni, Banyon, Previne, and Pramilla in one car. Eric. Agent Gamble’s car now had Maya, Tom, Agent Gamble, and Dr. Behl, still cuffed and gagged. They immediately went to a local hamburger stand and bought their food to go.

  It took them a full three hours to get to the safe house. They traveled up I-90 into Wisconsin and headed west from Janesville along several country roads. The safe house was at the very edge of the Albany Wildlife area. Agent Gamble turned off a dark desolate road and on to a gravel driveway that led into very dark woods. Several ‘keep out’ signs were posted at the entrance. The gravel driveway was straight and ended in a small meadow. In the center of the meadow, on a grassy knoll, Banyon saw a good sized log cabin. It was shaped like a Swiss chalet, but two dormers had been added to the upper floor of the house. It now looked like a big box with an inverted ‘V’ in the front. The house was completely surrounded by a large deck. It took three stairs to climb onto the deck. There were several acres of open land around the dwelling, then thick forest. Banyon could see a lake through the trees twinkling in the moonlight.

  As they exited the cars, Agent Gamble spoke. “We confiscated this cabin from a drug dealer a couple of years ago. We made a couple of changes to it, but it is still somewhat comfortable inside.”

  Banyon studied the building. It was made from logs that had been stripped of bark and varnished in a high gloss light brown. He figured that much of the interior would also look the same and he was right.

  Looking up at the log cabin, Loni wondered out loud. “But where will we all sleep? I don’t think there are enough rooms?”

  “Well, there are actually three bedrooms upstairs and a holding cell for Dr. Behl. Two of the bedrooms are reserved for the property watchers, there are four of them.”

  “So where will we sleep?” Loni pressed him.

  “We get to sleep on bunk beds, all in the same room. There are four bunk beds in the largest bedroom.”

  Shock registered on everyone’s face.

  Loni was the first to speak. “I want to be on top,” she cheerfully said.

  “No,” Banyon answered flatly. “We’ll take a bottom bunk.”

  The stunned group tramped up the stairs and onto the deck. “We have sensors all around the deck,” Agent Gamble offered. “If anyone steps on it, we will know it.”

  “Clever,” Eric said.

  “The open area around the house is also full of sensors and it gives us plenty of room to see an intruder and shot at them if we have to,” Agent Gamble told everyone as they stood on the deck.

  “Good security,” Eric, who had experience with safe houses replied.

  “That’s not all,” Agent Gamble proudly said. “We have three concrete sniper pads located in the trees in the woods. They have overlapping views and can sweep the forest as well. It would be very hard for anyone to sneak up on us.”

  “But what if there was an overwhelming force?” the very interested Eric asked.

  “Well, the basement is actually a concrete bunker and if things get too hairy, there is a secret door that leads to a tunnel. The tunnel empties out right by the boathouse on the lake.” Agent Gamble pointed off into the distance. “From there we can jump into a boat and quickly cross the lake and get away.”

  “Well planned,” Eric commented.

  “We also have a full weapons cabinet in the bunker. We could probably hold off and army. The house is made of logs and any attacker would need a heavy gun to blast through it. We also have four highly trained agents here, at all times.”

  “Okay, I believe that we will be safe. Can we go to bed now?” Loni said as she rubbed her eyes.

  “Right this way,” Agent Gamble gestured as the front door opened and one of the resident agents let them in.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Banyon exited the bathroom shortly after seven o’clock in the morning. As he stepped onto the open landing he could smell the pleasurable aroma of fresh brewed coffee. He could also hear subdued voices from somewhere downstairs. He decided to check on Loni before heading down. When he silently pushed open the bedroom door, he was shocked.

  He remembered that Eric and Pramilla had taken the bunk above Loni and Banyon. Maya and Agent Gamble grabbed the lower bunk across the room. Previne was by herself, and had claimed the bunk above them. Tom slipped into the lower bunk of the fourth bed. But now as he surveyed the room, all the men were gone. Only the women were in the room.

  Morning light filtered into the big area. The sun had risen just enough for him to see clearly inside the room. He could see all of the women displayed before him. He was three steps away from Loni when he suddenly felt like a voyeur and he stopped. His mind filled with flashbacks about each of the sleeping women. Banyon was no stranger to any of them and his mind filled with remembrances of their intimate relationships as he looked at each woman. My God, he thought. I don’t know if I’m scared or excited.

  Without moving he gazed at each woman. Maya lay on her back with her legs apart and with one beautiful leg dangling over the side of the bed. The blanket didn’t cover her white panties. Banyon immediately felt a stirring in his loins. He turned to Loni who was turned towards the wall with her entire backside exposed at him. She wore only a red thong and nothing else. His mouth went dry. He tore his eyes from her and looked at the bunk above and saw that Pramilla was not wearing a top. The blanket only reached her midsection exposing well-formed breasts rising and falling to her rhythmic breathing. His palms were now sweaty.

  Finally, he turned towards the twin sister Previne. She was only a few feet away on top of the nearest bunk. She was on her side facing him and was completely nude with no blanket covering her body. He just stared at her. He noticed that her long slender perfect body had no hair anywhere except on her head. He couldn’t tear himself from looking at her naked beauty. When his lust filled gaze reached her face, he was stunned to see her eyes open and devouring him. While he stood transfixed, she extended her arms, spread her legs and silently beckoned him closer. She also gave an unmistakable thrust of her pelvis.

  “Come to me,” she mouthed.

  Chapter Fifty

  As always, Zho How opened her store front at seven in the morning. It was located in the middle of Chinatown. She was an attractive woman of about sixty years old. She was barely five feet tall and her weight was less than one hundred pounds. Today, she was dressed in a bright shiny-red traditional Chinese jacket with a design swirled in sequins on it. It was of a dragon. Her pants were black. She worn flat shoes and her dyed black hair was done up in a bun with two chopsticks to hold it in place. She was a very gentle, exotic, woman who spoke very sweetly. But her almond eyes burned brightly and hinted at the intelligence hidden in her soft package. Her major skill was in negotiating deals. Everything in her store had a price clearly marketed. The local Chinese all haggled with her, the tourists paid full price.

  Her store
displayed a mixture of herbs and movies for rent. Most everyone in the Chinatown area frequented the store. She knew most by name. She was also the local weapons dealer.

  She was standing behind her old wooden counter when she heard the bell over her front door rattle. She slowly looked up and spied a determined-looking, rough, man limping up to the counter where she stood. He carried a leather bag that seemed heavy. She was suddenly pleased that there was no one else in the store. She could see that the thug headed her way was going to be trouble.

  “Good morning,” she sweetly said in Cantonese. She then bowed in the Chinese style for greeting.

  “I want your boss out here right now,” the man ordered.

  “I am Zho How the owner,” she proudly stated as she spread her arms indicating the whole store. “You will deal with me.”

  Shocked that a woman was the owner, he recovered and quickly replied in the same language, “Do you know who I am?”

  “Of course,” she nodded. “You are Zao Ping and you have come to trade.” She had received a phone call late at night informing her of his impending visit. She was well prepared for his appearance.

  “I need guns and men for a mission and I need them now,” Zao Ping blustered like an official from the old country. He slammed his fist down on the counter for emphasis. His attempt at intimidation was meant to scare her and keep the prices low, but Madame Zho How had seen his type before.

  She swiftly pressed a button below the counter without him knowing. The curtains behind her fluttered as three burly young Chinese men suddenly stood behind her with their arms folded. They stared at Zao Ping with malevolence. Zao Ping could see the tattoos of the Tong scripted on their strong bodies. He knew that nothing illegal happened in Chinatown without the Tong’s knowledge.

  “Our business needs to be conducted in private,” he said through gritted teeth.