“Uh...yes, I suppose.” Mayor Brown moved away from the door.
Nikki walked into a spacious office lined with hardwood floors and green walls. A fancy desk stood at the back wall, sitting on an expensive Persian rug. Antique furnishings sat here and there, mixed in with paintings that cost more than a small-town mayor accumulated in his bank account on paydays. “May I sit down?”
“Sit.” Mayor Brown rushed to his desk and sat down before Nikki could reach her seat.
Nikki sat down in a brown leather chair and pretended to relax. Deep down, she was very tense. “Mayor Brown, let me cut to the chase. Lionel Perkins stated that Agent Ringston intends to kill you. How? He didn't say. All he said was that Agent Ringston was becoming suspicious of you and felt that you were becoming a threat to his plan to steal all that gold.”
“You...know about the gold, do you?” Mayor Brown snatched up a cigar from a crystal ashtray and dared to look Nikki in the eyes. The woman sitting in front of him had information that could kill him...or maybe save his life? He wasn't certain what Nikki wanted or what she was up to. “What do you want?”
“I want Agent Ringston in prison, along with Warden Wayberry. I don't care if you're helping the Twenty-Four Thieves steal the real gold. The life of my son was threatened, and I want the criminals who threatened my son behind bars for life. Will you help me? If you agree, then I will help you by telling you everything Lionel Perkins told me.”
Mayor Brown listened to the rain falling outside his office window. Ringston was on his case, and it seemed the man was becoming more and more hostile toward him. “What do you want me to do?” he asked in a pathetic voice. “Ringston is a powerful man, and so is Wayberry. I was forced into their scheme, and that's the truth of it. I became Mayor of Fall Cliff because I care about my community and—”
“Stop with the lies,” Nikki sighed. “Mayor Brown, let's play it straight. I know all about you. Lionel Perkins spilled the beans, okay? All I want you to do is have your sheriff arrest Agent Ringston and Warden Wayberry near the Darkridge Cave.”
“Darkridge Cave?” Mayor Brown squished his eyebrows together. “I don't understand.”
“Ringston is bringing the gold to the cave tomorrow night. If you can catch him there with the gold, then you can arrest him,” Nikki waited for a response. She needed more information and hoped her statements would force Mayor Brown to reveal what she needed.
“Ms. Bates...Ringston is hauling the gold by railway. His band of thieves will be guarding the shipment. Some of those no-goods are walking around my town dressed like FBI Agents. Ringston is also working with another man, a very dangerous man. Oh, it's all so confusing to me. This whole prison break was just so stupid, but someone has to take the fall for stealing all the gold, right?”
“Of course,” Nikki said. “Ringston broke out the Twenty-Four Thieves to delay the gold shipment to your town because he and CIA Agent Trally have their own men in place to snatch the gold. The thief will be blamed for the escaped thieves. But the thieves, along with the help of Warden Wayberry, have their own plan to steal the gold, and you're on their side.”
Mayor Brown sighed miserably. “Switch out the real gold with fake gold...Agent Trally's men are in on the scheme, too. Everyone is double-crossing everyone. I guess that's the way of things.”
“How are Trally's men helping the thieves?” Nikki frowned.
“Are you kidding me?” Mayor Brown nearly laughed. “Do you think those men are stupid, Ms. Bates? They know Agent Trally will have them all killed after the gold is in a safe location. There's eight of them, all specially trained in weapons, forgery, foreign language, explosives, the whole works. These guys are trained killers, too. Right now, the gold is sitting in a shipyard in Boston on a train under heavy guard...we're talking about trillions of dollars’ worth of gold here, but I'm sure you know that.”
“Yes,” Nikki agreed. “Mayor Brown, are some of the thieves already in place?”
“Agent Trally's men have already infiltrated the security detail guarding the gold. Once the train leaves the shipyard, it's going to be riding solo. No helicopters or tanks or marching bands.”
“I understand. The train will need to draw as little attention to its cargo as possible.”
“Yep,” Mayor Brown agreed. “Because the truth is, not even the Federal Reserve knows where the real gold is going to be delivered to. The Federal Reserve is under the notion the real gold is going back to Fort Knox.”
“I see,” Nikki said with a slight moan.
“There are dummy trains leaving from Los Angeles, Seattle, Savannah, Baltimore and Bangor,” Mayor Brown continued. “Oh, it's all so stupid. America steals gold from Libya, then that gold is stolen from America by bankers, then the bankers have their gold stolen by rogue agents, and those rogue agents have their gold stolen by thieves... All the while everyone is pretending to be jolly good friends while stabbing each other in the back. Why, do you know, Ms. Bates, the world bankers are so furious that their gold went missing that they’re willing to start a global war?”
“Kinda like saying whoever stole the gold won't get a chance to spend it, huh?” Nikki asked.
“In a sense,” Mayor Brown sighed. “I really didn't want to become involved. But what could I do? The government chose to build those silly bunkers in my town because of the location. Beneath Fall Cliff are endless caves, Ms. Bates. The main cave is an opening into all the rest. Why, a man could go down into those caves and never come back out.”
Nikki tossed some bread into the water. “So, the bunker beneath the concrete plant must lead into the caves?”
Mayor Brown nodded. “And those caves, if you know your way around, lead straight into Canada. If a person was smart enough, he could take that gold into the caves and go straight to Canada with it. Ringston and Trally aren't that smart, though, are they? No. They insist bringing the gold straight to the fake bunker sitting right here beneath this courthouse. But they had to delay the train, of course.”
“Why the delay if Trally's men have infiltrated the security detail?” Nikki asked.
“Trally and Ringston wanted America focused on the prison break,” Mayor Brown explained. “They have a dummy train with false gold on it. That's the train those two goons are sending the convicts after. Trally's men are going to meet up with them, switch out the gold, and send the fake gold down the tracks while the real gold is smuggled out through the caves.”
Nikki sat amazed at the reality of how much the caves played into stealing the gold. “Where does Warden Wayberry play into this?”
“Wayberry despises Ringston. He's the one who maneuvered his little puppet thieves into place. He's the one who talked Trally's men into joining his team. However, Wayberry was against the prison break. You see, he was the one who broached the idea of using the arrested thieves to Ringston. It was only later that Ringston designed the idea of the prison break. He wanted Wayberry to betray the thieves. Ringston kept insisting the thieves were the perfect escape door.”
“I'm starting to understand everyone's angle,” Nikki told Mayor Brown. “Agent Ringston needed a few scapegoats who would also cause a distraction for him long enough to slip the gold into Fall Cliff. Warden Wayberry decided to play his own game and join up with the thieves and kill Ringston. But when that plan failed, I was summoned to distract Ringston long enough to allow the fake gold to be swapped out with the real gold, which means...”
“Which means,” a harsh voice said as a man stepped into the office and slammed the door shut, “the game is coming to an end, Ms. Bates.”
13
Nikki swung her head around. She wasn't shocked to see Warden Wayberry aiming a gun at her. “Brown, you and your stupid mouth. I don't pay you to blab to nosy reporters.”
Nikki watched Mayor Brown nervously stand up and hold his hands out into the air. “Lionel talked with her. She knows all about the gold.”
“I know,” Nikki told Warden Wayberry, “that you're not who you
say you are, either. The license plate on your car gave you away. You're not the real Warden Wayberry. That man is dead. You work for the bankers.”
“Smart lady,” Warden Wayberry told Nikki.
“There's no way anyone can smuggle trillions of dollars’ worth of gold into Canada, or anywhere else for that matter. And the Caves Mayor Brown mentioned are man-made caves. The only natural cave is the one without a bottom.”
“What is she talking about?” Mayor Brown squished up his eyebrows.
Warden Wayberry rolled his eyes. “Shut up and sit down.”
“Fort Knox...Agent Ringston never paid attention to the license plate on the sedan, did he? But the thieves, they knew.”
“The faithful ones, yes,” Warden Wayberry agreed. “There are a few traitors in my ranks, but they will be taken care of, isn't that right, Perkins?”
Lionel Perkins stepped into Mayor Brown's office with a large bandage over his hand. In his other hand, he was holding a gun pointed at Tori's head. “Lovely to see you again, Ms. Bates,” he grinned.
“Nikki,” Tori whimpered.
“It's okay,” Nikki assured Tori, “remain calm.”
“What did you tell Ringston?” Warden Wayberry shouted.
“Not a word is coming from me until that coward puts away his gun,” Nikki nodded towards Lionel as she cautiously stood up. “I mean it.”
Warden Wayberry nodded at Lionel. Lionel growled and then shoved Tori toward Nikki. “Now talk,” he ordered.
“Why?” Nikki asked, pulling Tori into her arms. “Your gold is on its way here by now, right? I'm sure you have a second train waiting somewhere? You won. I sent Agent Ringston off on a wild goose chase.”
“Where is Ringston?” Warden Wayberry squinted his eyes. “He's not answering his phone. What did you tell him?”
Nikki realized Warden Wayberry was in a state of panic. Everyone's carefully orchestrated betrayal was coming unglued. A war for the gold was about to begin. “I sent him to get the gold,” Nikki confessed. “I told him to bring the gold to the caves. I also told him Lionel was a big fan of Malloy Trally, who was planning to kill you,” Nikki finished, hoping to play Warden Wayberry and Perkins against one another.
“You what?” Warden Wayberry yelled.
Lionel Perkins backed up toward the office door. “Hey, mate, that's not good. I'm out of here.”
“Why are you leaving, Mr. Perkins? Unless, you aren't the real Lionel Perkins, that is? No, I think you're an undercover CIA Agent. Yes, that's what I think. I think the CIA wants the gold because it will give them complete power over the Federal Reserve and World Banks.”
Warden Wayberry looked at Lionel with deadly eyes. “What is this woman talking about?”
“Lionel Perkins was sent to kill Ringston by Malloy Trally,” Nikki explained. “All the while feeding Trally vital information about plans to steal the real gold and switch it with the fake gold. But, some of the thieves didn't care for the plan, did they? And they remained loyal to Ringston, who knew all about the plan from the start. Now Ringston is going to get his gold.”
Warden Wayberry swung around and aimed his gun at Perkins. “You betrayed me, Perkins?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Hey, mate, this woman is lying. I've never worked for the CIA before in my life,” Lionel protested. “I've been straight with you from day one. I've been your number one man. I'm the one who sent my co-workers to infiltrate the blasted security detail.”
“Yeah, and how did you do that so easily?” Warden Wayberry suddenly wondered. “It seems kinda fishy that you were able to call on some outside friends who just happened to be willing to risk their lives.”
Nikki rubbed her chin, “And it seemed strange to me how a man in your position let yourself be seen, too. Unless, you were planning on faking your own death and wanted people to believe you were still in Maple Hills. The teenager hiding in the rental cabin wasn't there by chance, either. He was placed there. And I bet he looks a lot like you, Mr. Perkins. Some poor kid who was played into believing you were going to help him, when in fact you were going to kill him and make his body appear as yours.”
“Please,” Mayor Brown begged. “Everyone calm down. We can talk this through, logically, calmly, and rationally.”
“No, we can't,” Agent Ringston said.
Nikki watched Agent Ringston step through into the office and knock Perkins unconscious with a Glock 17. He then pointed his gun at Warden Wayberry. “Drop it or die.”
Warden Wayberry dropped his gun. “Don't be rash,” he warned Ringston. “All the banks want is the gold. Give us the gold and we'll go away.”
“The gold is already in the caves, you moron,” Agent Ringston snapped at Warden Wayberry. “The gold arrived last night. It was me who ordered Ms. Bates here. It was me who needed to distract you. The thieves have been on my side all along, working for me, not the banks. Trally, get in here!”
A tall, thin man in his early seventies stepped into the office wearing a dark gray suit and sporting a stylish walking cane. The man's thick gray hair and thin mustache made him appear very distinguished and deadly. “We knew the banks were going to send someone,” Malloy Trally said in a calm tone that sounded a little British, “but we were not certain who. Until now, thanks to Ms. Bates and her skill to see the obvious.”
“The banks will have the gold,” Warden Wayberry growled, unafraid and standing his ground.
“Will they?” Agent Trally chuckled. “Why, we set such a web that no one really knows who has the gold and where the real gold truly is...except the people standing in this very room. All the thieves, except for my inside man, who is currently lying unconscious on the floor, have been eliminated, their bodies thrown into a very deep cave, it seems.”
Agent Ringston focused on Mayor Brown. “You did well.”
Mayor Brown sat down in his seat and wiped sweat from his forehead. “I was wondering where you were.”
“Waiting for Ms. Bates to hear our planned phone call and for you to feed her false information to bait the mole,” Agent Ringston explained. “You see, Ms. Bates, Trally and I knew Perkins had betrayed us, but we weren't certain with whom. Someone sent Perkins to kill me. I couldn't let on that I knew. I had to play their game. When I realized you live in Maple Falls and were in Fall Cliff the same day the prison escape took place, I made out that you were a thorn in my side.”
“You used me as bait,” Nikki said.
“Yes,” Agent Ringston replied and focused his gun on Nikki. “You played your part well, Ms. Bates. You must understand, when so much gold is at stake, extreme precautions must be taken. We must eliminate every loose end. Thanks to you, we found out who our missing banker is.”
“You can kill me, but you know the banks will keep sending more men,” Warden Wayberry promised Ringston. “The banks designed the war against Libya. The banks funded the terrorist cells that convinced the American people Libya had to be dealt with. The banks created the vault to store the gold. Do you really think you're going to walk away from the victor?”
“The banks are heading west with a train full of fake gold,” Ringston laughed at Warden Wayberry. “My band of thieves were very skilled in their work. And the ones I left behind, pretending to be agents, they were useful in standing guard while the real gold was delivered to the caves. As we speak, it is sitting underground.”
“So, you knew I was lying?” Nikki asked Ringston.
“You lie very well,” Agent Ringston congratulated Nikki. “But you tried to bluff the wrong man. And you,” Ringston said to Warden Wayberry, “were foolish in forcing Ms. Bates to distract me.”
“We were desperate,” Warden Wayberry confessed. “The gold had to be switched out and fast.”
“We know,” Trally said in a cold voice. “But our men were on top of the game every step of the way. We fed everyone false information to cause confusion and delay. That's how the game works. All the while, we had the real gold delivered to the caves while the state of
Vermont was in a mode of absolute panic.”
Nikki squeezed Tori's hand. She had been played like a fiddle, yet she was alive. At least now the case made sense to her. “Betrayal is the name of the game, is that it?” she asked Trally.
“Yes,” Trally answered Nikki. “Leak false information, make your allies begin to question one another, set false traps, cause conflict among the ranks, and all the while, you work in the shadows, achieving your goal.”
“And,” Agent Ringston said, not knowing he was making a grave mistake, “no one except the people standing in this room knows where the gold is hidden. All that is left to do is tie up a few more loose ends, and we'll be through.”
“Yes, we will,” Trally said and fired his gun. Agent Ringston dropped to the floor before he knew what hit him. “His mistake was in actually trusting me,” Trally said in a disappointed voice. “Such a shame. He had potential. Now, who will be next?”
Warden Wayberry, with no fear for his life, ran for his gun. Trally dropped him with a single bullet. Tori screamed and threw her hands over her mouth. “Please,” Mayor Brown begged, “I did everything that was asked of me.”
“So you did,” Trally said and aimed his gun at Mayor Brown. “You've been Mayor too long. It's time I placed my own man in this town. Goodbye, Mayor Brown and—”
“I would put down your gun,” Nikki interrupted Trally.
“And why is that?”
“Me,” Eric said, stepping into the office holding a baseball bat in his hands. Before Trally could react, Eric smacked the gun out of his hand, breaking the man's wrist. Trally screamed out in pain. Eric ignored the scream and threw the front of the bat into Trally's stomach. Trally dropped to his knees. Eric raised the bat in the air and hit him in the shoulder blades. “It's over, Trally, you lose,” he said and threw down the bat.
“You...will suffer for...this,” Trally promised Eric. Oblivious to Lionel, he tried to crawl to his gun. He didn't see Lionel raise his gun and fire. Trally dropped forward and lay still.
Maple Hills Mystery Box Set Page 15
