The Cotton Malone Series 7-Book Bundle
Page 128
In the end, Alexander himself said it best.
Toil and risk are the price of glory, but it is a lovely thing to live with courage and die leaving an everlasting fame.
Personal and Confidential
Magellan Billet Dossier
For Internal Use Only
Not for Public Dissemination
Born: Harold Earl Malone, Thomasville, Georgia. Acquired the nickname “Cotton,” origin undisclosed.
Physical Traits: 6’0”. 195 lbs. Burnished blond hair. Green eyes.
Parents: Forrest and Peggy Jean Malone. Father, served United States Navy, final rank, Commander, lost at sea aboard USS Blazek. Mother still alive, living in Georgia.
Psychological Note: Though Malone loved and respected his father, he remained angry for years after his father’s death. Their time together had been limited to three years, from the time Malone was seven until he was ten, and those memories are vague and scattered. He related that there is never a day he doesn’t think about his father. He never questioned him either. He also remarked that, though he never knew the man well, he has unwittingly emulated his father many times. Forrest Malone was the last captain of NR-1A (a highly classified submersible), a career military man, and an Annapolis graduate. The NR-1A’s existence and disappearance remains classified. Malone mentioned twice the fact that there had been no cemetery for him to visit. No remains. Nothing but a classified stamp on a file. Throughout his adult life he wondered what actually happened to his father. Eventually, he conducted an independent investigation, all of which is detailed in a file titled The Charlemagne Pursuit. Malone remains angry with the Navy over its handling of his father’s disappearance.
His mother, a native Georgian, worshipped her husband. Malone related that he’s never seen his mother cry, which probably explains his own reluctance to show emotion. Being atypical, Malone and his mother did not relocate as his father’s duty stations changed. Instead, she maintained a steady home environment in Georgia. At the memorial service for his father (held after the loss of the Blazek), when the Navy honor guard presented her a folded flag, she refused it. She never remarried, and still refers to herself as Mrs. Forrest Malone.
Religious Affiliation: Malone was born and raised Catholic, though he no longer actively practices the faith.
Special Traits: At the age of 12 Malone realized he had an eidetic memory—the ability to remember objects, images, words, and numbers with extraordinary accuracy. He also, early on, developed a love of books and reading. This translated, as an adult, into book collecting and eventually to him opening (after his early retirement) his own rare bookshop. He is prone to extreme self-motivation and obsessive dedication. He exudes physical confidence and an extraordinary command of his surroundings. He is tough, gutsy, decisive. He accepts any situation thrown at him, and exhibits exceptional courage under fire. He often uses humor to mock reality, dodge an issue, twist an argument, or escape involvement.
Psychological Note: Team sports never interested Malone, but he loved to swim. He recalls how he and his father spent time swimming together. Horses were another interest; he taught himself to ride as a teenager. He learned early in life to never hurry anything, as that simply bred mistakes. He believes deeply that skepticism is fundamental to survival, but loyalty is essential.
Education: Malone graduated second in his class from Thomasville High School. He was accepted to the Naval Academy where he graduated in the top third of his class. He acquired an unusual ability for foreign languages and is now fluent in at least a dozen, including Arabic.
Psychological Note: Has a dislike of enclosed spaces, so he shied away from the submarine service, opting instead for Navy flight school. He earned the required marks for fighter pilot training but declined, opting for the Judge Advocate General’s corps. His father’s contemporaries, many of whom had risen to high naval rank, thought that the better course. Out of respect for his father he followed their advice and was accepted at Georgetown University Law School. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree while stationed with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps at the Pentagon. He still holds an aircraft pilot’s license and an underwater diving certification.
Personal Relationships: Married Pam Gauldin shortly after joining Judge Advocate General’s Corps. They divorced after nearly twenty years of marriage. One child—a boy named Gary—was born seven years into the relationship. Following the divorce, Malone learned that Gary was the product of an affair his wife had during the marriage. This was in retaliation for affairs Malone himself engaged in early in their relationship. His were discovered at the time of their occurrence, hers remained concealed until much later. This conflict played a key role in a recent encounter between the two (see file: The Alexandria Link). Gary, though not genetically linked, is a lot like Malone. Athletic, smart, and fond of travel, he spends the summer months with Malone in Denmark. Currently, Malone is involved with Cassiopeia Vitt, a woman of Spanish/Moorish descent, who resides in France (see files: The Venetian Betrayal and The Emperor’s Tomb).
Psychological Note: Malone openly states that he’s not good at dealing with women, and seems drawn to those with deep contradictions. He acknowledges the mistakes made in his marriage and makes no excuses for them.
Professional Career: He spent six years with Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Excelled as a litigator, receiving eight commendations for meritorious service, all of which were refused. Was promoted twice, achieving the rank of commander before retiring from active naval service. Left Judge Advocate General’s Corps after being transferred to the Justice Department as one of the original twelve lawyer/agents for The Magellan Billet. Director Stephanie Nell personally selected Malone. Worked 12 years as a Magellan Billet agent and was awarded nine commendations, all of which were refused. Suffered three serious injuries while on assignment; a fourth serious injury came in Mexico City during the assassination of a public prosecutor. Malone brought down three of the assailants and received another commendation, which was also refused (see file: The Paris Vendetta folder). After that incident, he retired from the Navy and quit the Justice Department, citing ever-increasing risks and a desire for a change in his life. He refused an exit interview. He sold his residence in Georgia and moved to Copenhagen, Denmark.
Post-Career Activities: Malone purchased an old bookshop from Danish billionaire, Henrik Thorvaldsen, the acquisition made possible by the net proceeds from the sale of his Georgia residence. The business is located in Hojbro Plads. Malone lives on the fourth floor, above the shop, in a small apartment. His Danish residence is on a temporary work visa as a shopkeeper (which Thorvaldsen arranged) and he is a member of the Danish Antiquarian Booksellers Society. Though no longer an active agent, he continues to keep a knapsack beneath his bed that contains his Magellan Billet-issued Beretta automatic (which he was allowed to retain), his passport, a thousand Euros, spare identification, and a change of clothes. He has twice encountered the local police over possession of a firearm (which is not allowed in Denmark).
Director Nelle involved Malone with a personal incident soon after he retired (see file: The Templar Legacy) which demonstrates his continued loyalty toward her. Beyond that incident he has been involved with other investigations, some at the request of Director Nelle (see files: The Templar Legacy, The Paris Vendetta, and The Emperor’s Tomb) and others more personal (see files: The Alexandria Link, The Venetian Betrayal, and The Charlemagne Pursuit.). There is no reason to assume that this pattern will not continue.
For Karen Elizabeth,
A journey complete
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, Pam Ahearn—and beware, an agent with a new BlackBerry is a dangerous thing. Next, as always, the wonderful folks at Random House: Gina Centrello, my publisher (which I say with great pride); Libby McGuire, for being there with unwavering support; Mark Tavani, who again offered superb editorial insights; Cindy Murray, who takes great joy in sending me away; Kim Hovey, who somehow makes people want me; Rachel Kind, who sp
reads the books across the globe; Beck Stvan, a cover artist supreme; Carole Lowenstein; and finally all those in Promotions and Sales—absolutely nothing could be achieved without their superior efforts.
A few extra mentions: Vicki Satlow, our Italian literary agent who made the trip to Italy productive; Michele Benzoni and his wife, Leslie, who made us feel welcome in Venice; Cristina Cortese, who showed us St. Mark’s basilica and provided invaluable insights; all the folks at Nord publishing in Italy, what a terrific team; and Damaris Corrigan, a brilliant lady who, one evening over dinner, spurred my imagination. My sincere thanks to you all.
For my brother Bob and his wife, Kim; daughter, Lyndsey; and son, Grant; a long overdue special mention. Though it’s not said enough, all of you are quite special to me.
Finally, this book is dedicated to my wife of the past few months. She’s watched this story grow from a rough idea to words on a page. Along the way she offered guidance, criticism, and encouragement.
The Charlemagne Pursuit is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, Any resemblance to actual is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2008 by Steve Berry
Endpaper map copyright © 2008 by David Lindroth
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Grateful acknowledgment is made to Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, for permission to reprint art Art 1, Art 2, Art 3, and Art 4.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Berry, Steve.
The Charlemagne pursuit : a novel / Steve Berry.
p. cm.
1. Malone, Cotton (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Booksellers and bookselling—Fiction. 3. Antiquarian booksellers—Fiction. 4. Fathers—Death—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3602.E764C47 2008
813’.6—dc22 2008028357
www.ballantinebooks.com
eISBN: 978-0-345-50963-5
v3.0_r3
THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT
CONTENTS
Master - Table of Contents
The Charlemagne Pursuit
Title Page
Copyright
Epigraph
Prologue
PART ONE
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
PART TWO
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
PART THREE
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Chapter Forty-six
Chapter Forty-seven
Chapter Forty-eight
Chapter Forty-nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-one
Chapter Fifty-two
Chapter Fifty-three
Chapter Fifty-four
Chapter Fifty-five
Chapter Fifty-six
Chapter Fifty-seven
Chapter Fifty-eight
PART FOUR
Chapter Fifty-nine
Chapter Sixty
Chapter Sixty-one
Chapter Sixty-two
Chapter Sixty-three
Chapter Sixty-four
Chapter Sixty-five
Chapter Sixty-six
Chapter Sixty-seven
Chapter Sixty-eight
Chapter Sixty-nine
Chapter Seventy
Chapter Seventy-one
Chapter Seventy-two
Chapter Seventy-three
PART FIVE
Chapter Seventy-four
Chapter Seventy-five
Chapter Seventy-six
Chapter Seventy-seven
Chapter Seventy-eight
Chapter Seventy-nine
Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty-one
Chapter Eighty-two
Chapter Eighty-three
Chapter Eighty-four
Chapter Eighty-five
Chapter Eighty-six
Chapter Eighty-seven
Chapter Eighty-eight
Chapter Eighty-nine
Chapter Ninety
Chapter Ninety-one
Chapter Ninety-two
Chapter Ninety-three
Chapter Ninety-four
Writer’s Note
Cotton Malone Dossier
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Study the past, if you would divine the future.
—CONFUCIUS
The Ancient Masters were subtle, mysterious, profound, responsive. The depth of their knowledge is unfathomable.
Because it is unfathomable, all we can do is describe their appearance. Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.
Alert, like men aware of danger.
Courteous, like visiting guests. Yielding, like ice about to melt.
Simple, like uncarved blocks of wood.
—LAO-TZU (604 BCE)
He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind.
—PROVERBS 11:29
THE CHARLEMAGNE PURSUIT
PROLOGUE
NOVEMBER 1971
The alarm sounded and Forrest Malone came alert.
“Depth?” he called out.
“Six hundred feet.”
“What’s beneath us?”
“Another two thousand feet of cold water.”
His gaze raked the active dials, gauges, and thermometers. In the tiny conn the helmsman sat to his right, the planesman squeezed in on the left. Both men kept their hands locked on control sticks. Power flickered on and off.
“Slow to two knots.”
The submarine lurched in the water.
The alarm stopped. The conn went dark.
“Captain, report from reactor room. Circuit breaker has blown on one of the control rods.”
He knew what had happened. The safety mechanisms built into the temperamental thing had automatically dropped the other rods—the reactor had scrammed, shut itself down. Only one possible course of action. “Switch to batteries.”
Dim emergency lights came on. His engineering officer, Flanders, a neat and deliberate professional on whom he’d come to depend, stepped into the conn. Malone said, “Talk to me, Tom.”
“I don’t know how bad it is or how long it’s going to take to fix, but we need to lighten the electrical load.”
They’d lost power before, several times in fact, and he knew batteries could provide temporary power for as long as two days provided they wer
e careful. His crew had trained rigorously for just this kind of situation, but once a reactor scrammed the manual said it had to be restarted within an hour. If more time passed, then the boat had to be taken to the nearest port.
And that was fifteen hundred miles away.
“Shut down everything we don’t need,” he said.
“Captain, it’s going to be hard holding her steady,” the helmsman noted.
He understood Archimedes’ law. An object that weighed the same as an equal volume of water would neither sink nor float. Instead it would remain level at neutral buoyancy. Every sub functioned by that basic rule, kept underwater with engines that drove it forward. Without power, there’d be no engines, no diving planes, no momentum. All problems that could easily be alleviated by surfacing, but above them wasn’t open ocean. They were pinned beneath a ceiling of ice.
“Captain, engine room reports a minor leak in the hydraulic plant.”
“Minor leak?” he asked. “Now?”
“It was noticed earlier, but with the power down they request permission to shut a valve to stop the leak so a hose can be replaced.”
Logical. “Do it. And I hope that’s the end of the bad news.” He turned toward the sonar tech. “Anything in front of us?”
Submariners all took their cues from others who’d sailed before them, and those who’d first fought frozen seas passed down two lessons. Never hit anything frozen if you don’t have to and, if that’s not possible, place the bow to the ice, push gently, and pray.
“Clean ahead,” sonar reported.
“Starting to drift,” the helmsman said.
“Compensate. But go easy on the power.”
The sub’s nose suddenly pitched down.
“What the hell?” he muttered.
“Stern planes have gone to full dive,” yelled the planesman, who rose to his feet and pulled back on the control stick. “I can’t get them to respond.”
“Blount,” Malone hollered. “Help him.”