“We may call you again for another case in the future,” the general added.
“You are a very unique bunch of people,” the captain responded. “I’d be honored to serve with you.”
“Goodbye then.”
“You’re leaving?” the surprised captain uttered.
“We have one more stop before this case is closed,” the old man replied.
Chapter Seventy-One
The large wooden cabin-like home sat atop a small hill. It was surrounded by several substantial trees that shaded the dwelling. The prairie where the hideout was located was an open expansive meadow that sprawled over the horizon. It was a quiet and peaceful day in Canada.
Kaley and Malcolm came in through the front door. The general and Lisa breached the house from the back. They all had guns drawn even though they knew she was alone and was lying on a couch in the great room.
As they approached her, her eyes opened, but she didn’t react. She was sick and dying from the repeated exposure to Aluminum-26. The isotope had taken an accumulative effect on her body and there was no cure.
“I hoped you would be Lothar,” she managed to croak out. “But I knew you were all very special people that would not be fooled or stopped.”
“Where’s the Switch?” General Stone demanded as he kept his gun on her.
“Over there,” she pointed to a box by the fireplace. “Don’t open the small box or you will become infected like me.”
“Is there anything we can do for you?” Lisa asked.
“Just one thing,” Dr. Darby muttered back.
“What’s that?” Malcolm inquired.
“Stay with me until I die. It won’t be long now,” she added. “I don’t want to die alone.”
***
After a few minutes, Dr. Darby tried to explain her actions.
“I thought that I was helping America,” she said in a weak voice. “I believed that I was a patriot.”
“You were duped,” Kaley said in an unsympathetic tone.
“I now realized that the man I met and fell in love with was evil, but I didn’t know that until I read the papers on that desk over there.” She pointed to a spacious wooden desk in the corner. “Lothar was supposed to already be here. I’m sure he would have hidden them from me.”
“How did you meet?” Lisa, the most compassionate member of the MAD team asked.
I was attending a symposium in Chicago about the effects of man on the weather,” she replied. “I was one of the speakers and mentioned my credentials. After the meeting this handsome man approached me, and soon I was in love.”
“Classic ‘honey trap’”, Kaley spouted.
“I’ve had very little experience with men and fell for him. He convinced me he was part of a secret society that was attempting to change America from within. When he told me that he had a Switch, I was thrilled. The government had prevented me from doing many experiments and he said that the Effort wouldn’t, as long as I kept it a secret.”
“And you fell for that bullshit,” an angry Kaley cried out.
“The climate is very important to me. I thought I could find answers and correct the weather before it was too late.”
***
She died the next day.
The MAD team notified the authorities and left that day after searching the house.
But instead of heading straight back to Atlanta with the fourteen Switches and meteorites, the general sent the jet back to Chicago.
“Why are we going there?” Kaley asked impatiently.
“The Switches are too dangerous to be left in the government’s hands,” General Stone responded. “If we keep them, someone will demand that we give them up.”
“I agreed,” Malcolm said.
“So why are we jetting to Chicago then?” Kaley persisted.
“I know a gentleman there who specializes in dangerous artifacts,” the general explained. “I’ve worked with him many times before. He’ll hide the devices from everyone.”
“I know who he is,” Lisa blurted out and then laughed as she covered her mouth.
“How well do you know him?” Kaley said sarcastically with her hands on her hips. She was immediately jealous of Lisa’s familiarity with the man.
“I’ve also worked with him before,” Lisa explained. “He helped me to become a famous archeologist.”
“God damn it,” Kaley huffed. “What is his name?”
“His name is Colton Banyon,” the old man replied.
Epilogue
Three weeks later, Kaley West was climbing a hill in the lonely desert. Near the top was the gaping opening to a cave. The rest of the MAD team was fanned out behind her along with two TACP men who came along for protection. One of them was Sergeant Pepper.
As she reached the entrance, a strong breeze from inside the deep cave filled her long blond hair and wafted it out almost straight behind her. While the breeze was cool and refreshing and it was a change from the oppressively hot Iraqi desert, it brought with it smells of death, decay, and very old times in this part of the ancient world.
She stopped at the entrance and waited for the others to catch up. She was pretty excited. They were about to enter Dr. Raja’s old hangout. His diary had documented many extremely valuable artifacts and she and the team were going to get them. Dollar signs filled her thoughts. When she looked at Malcolm and the general she was sure they thought the same way she did.
Her concern was the lovely Lisa. She wasn’t herself and hadn’t been since they had closed the books on the Oracle Philon case. She blamed herself for finding the short book, The Oracle Philon, and offering it to the public. It caused a string of incidents and millions of people had died.
The change had come over her while they headed back to Chicago. When the team met with Colton Banyon she wasn’t her usual flirty self. Her only comment about the meeting where they turned over the Switches to Banyon was not very positive.
“Colton, every time I meet you I seem to forget something very important,” she had said during the meeting.
In the last couple of weeks, the MAD team had also searched Hans Keidel’s mansion for treasure. They were disappointed when they only found a few valuable artifacts. Lisa had sat on a sofa in the library and brooded.
She didn’t want to take part in any celebrating as well. Even the provocative Kaley could not warm her up and she was staying at Kaley’s house and slept in the same bed.
She was definitely in a state of depression and no one knew how to bring her back. The general thought a trip into the desert might do the trick because she was an accredited archeologist and there was nothing she loved more than ancient artifacts.
***
“Lisa,” he said as he started the discussion. “You are not responsible for what happened. You didn’t write the Oracle Philon book. You didn’t invent the Switch and you never fired one. How could you blame yourself for what happened.”
“I should have known that someone would corrupt my findings into something dangerous,” Lisa had cried back.
“Lisa, there were many other archeologists at the dig site besides you. None of them thought that either. Your findings are now known by the leaders of the world and they will change things for the better, eventually,” the general explained.
“I can’t help thinking about all the people who died,” she shot back with tears in her eyes.
“We’re going to take a vacation. Your favorite kind,” the old man replied.
***
When the other members of the team caught up with her, Kaley spoke.
“I see electric lights spread out on the ceiling, but they are all out. There must be a generator around here somewhere. It’s probably out of gas. Maybe there is more fuel around.”
The team spread out and looked for the machine. Malcolm found it near the other side of the entrance where there was a place for the exhaust to be vented. He also found a gas can that was half full. Within minutes, the lights came on.
“Look,” Kaley shouted. “This appears to be Dr. Raja’s laboratory. There are metal tables, jars with things in them, and many notes written on paper. I wonder if any of this is worth keeping?”
“I’ve found several bodies,” Malcolm added. “Now we know where the smell is coming from. They look like that they have been here for about a month. They have all been shot.”
“Forget about that for now,” Simon Stone implored them. “We are not on the job. We are seeking treasure.”
“You’re right,” Kaley exclaimed excitedly. She grabbed the nearly catatonic Lisa and dragged her deeper into the cave.
Soon they came upon a pile of artifacts. Malcolm began digging through it and setting each item aside for Lisa to look at.
“Oh My God,” Lisa suddenly screamed out. “Do you know what that item is? It is one of the most valuable statues ever stolen from a museum in Bagdad. Are there more?”
The rest of the team stopped and looked at her. Her cheeks were rosy, a smile was on her face and she grabbed Kaley and hugged her.
“Lisa is back,” Simon Stone uttered with satisfaction.
Special Author’s Note
I started writing as a hobby and it has turned into a passion over the last several years. I hope that you enjoyed this current novel. Colton Banyon Mysteries has turned into a long-term series with much more to tell and many mysteries to solve with and without Colton Banyon.
I greatly appreciate the feedback and comments that I have gathered about my plots and characters. Anyone who has followed my writings has noticed changes in the characters based upon your feedback along this journey. I have also added new people to my list of unusual individuals. I encourage you to continue to provide your input. There are two ways to do that. The first is to send your comments to me at my website, www.geraldjkubickibooks.com. I always respond to any email. The second and the most important way is to post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble. To an independent writer like me, the comments are like gold.
Author’s Notes
This book is a completely work of fiction. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is pure coincidence. None of the characters are real, but are a figment of my imagination. It has not been my intention to depict any race, culture, or group in a bad light. The book is a simple story. Some of the characters in this book are named after friends of mine. They have agreed to let me use their names in the story.
I have peppered the book with facts and insights into the “Radical Islamic” terrorism issue. I’m not taking a side, but rather am presenting information to help you decide for yourselves. It is indeed a hot topic.
The information about the ancient scholar Philon is everything I could gather. Most of his writings have been lost to antiquity. Many archeologists are now crediting him with a number of inventions that others improved.
Magnetic Vortices do exist. They were identified by Ivan Sanderson in an article written in 1972. You may disagree with his findings, but something like the Bermuda Triangle has too many mysterious events to ignore.
Finally, we get to the subject of ESP, telepathy, talking to the dead, clairvoyance and precognition. Many scientists are scrambling to understand the mind better. Some believe that only ten percent of your brain is used in a person’s life time. What secrets are held in the other ninety percent?
Acknowledgements
As usual, there are other people who have helped me in writing this book. They are my Beta readers, my cover designer, my proofreaders and others who help me.
Specifically I would like to thank my Beta readers on this project. They are: Professor Joe Gersch, Karen Gersch, Paul Kedrowitz, and David Calliham.
My designer Clarissa Yeo came up with a creative design for the cover.
As always, I’d also like to thank Kathy Mayeda for her work on this book.
About the Author
Gerald J Kubicki currently has 12 dubious books in print along with the 8 chapter Society of Orion Series. The books follow the continued adventures of Colton Banyon and his team of unique characters. This is his first venture into a single standalone book.
Gerald started writing fiction novels after a long career as a successful businessman. He has traveled the world and is an avid history buff. His writings contain large amounts of actual historical events and real places woven into the plots.
He currently resides in Las Vegas.
You can find out more about this author by visiting his website.
www.geraldjkubickibooks.com
Kristopher Kubicki has joined his father in writing the Colton Banyon Mystery series.
Kristopher has been writing articles for major magazines and trade publications since entering college. He currently is an executive at a company that does research on the internet, but has collaborated with his father on several books.
He currently resides in Chicago.
You can find out more about this author by visiting him on his father’s website:
www.geraldjkubickibooks.com
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