The Denali Deception

by Ernest Dempsey

  Rounds sparked off the walls and floor. One struck the back right tire of the ATV. He didn't see one of his bullets tear through the driver's left shoulder. He did, however, see the man fall out of the saddle and roll to the ground as the ATV smashed into the wall.

  The driver stood up and started running toward the door that began slowly creaking open.

  Sean took aim at the driver's back and squared his sights. He squeezed the trigger, but the weapon clicked.

  "Shoot him!" Sean yelled to Tommy and Yuri as they clambered out of the side shaft and into the main tunnel.

  They raised their weapons and opened fire, but the wounded man had already slipped out the door.

  "Hold on," Sean said. "He's out."

  He tossed his gun aside and took off at a dead sprint.

  His legs burned after the climb through the secret corridor. Now he was running uphill. The cool air burned in his chest, but he kept going.

  Up ahead, the door to the mine hung wide open. Snow blew into the tunnel from the pale gray beyond.

  Sean burst through the door, and his face smashed into something. He fell over sideways, his jaw throbbing with a sudden sharp pain. He rolled around in the powder for a second before he felt something dig into his ribs.

  He swung both arms forward and wrapped around a leg. He looked up and saw Kent Foster standing over him with a bloody shoulder and a pistol in one hand.

  "Goodbye, Sean."

  Sean didn't let the words fully escape the man's mouth. He reached up and grabbed the barrel Foster fired. The muzzle popped loudly, ringing both men's ears, but the round dove harmlessly into the snow.

  Sean wrenched the weapon away and smashed the secretary across the side of the face with his forearm. Then Sean tossed the weapon aside, far out of Foster's reach.

  "It's over, Mr. Secretary. You've lost."

  "Lost?" Foster huffed. "I don't lose, you imbecile. You do!"

  Foster pulled a long hunting knife out of his coat and lunged forward.

  His attack was reckless, but dangerous nonetheless. Sean sidestepped the charging madman like a matador in an arena.

  Foster slid to a stop and spun around. He rushed at Sean again, shrieking a war cry as he charged.

  Sean faked one way and then dipped to the other. Foster took the fake and swung his knife that direction. Sean grabbed the secretary's good arm and then swung his left foot at Foster's heels.

  The kick flipped Foster's feet out from under him, and he hung in the air for a second. Sean yanked down, helping gravity to slam him to the ground.

  Foster's head hit the snow hard, jarring him for a moment and loosening his grip on the knife. Sean pried it from his fingers and pressed the sharp edge to Foster's neck.

  Foster breathed heavily. He swallowed hard, raising the blade slightly as Sean kept it firmly against his skin.

  "Go ahead, Sean. Do it."

  "I could," Sean said. "Not my style."

  "Then do it. This is your last chance. I won't go to prison. It won't matter if the president himself tries to make it happen. I'll go free. We are everywhere."

  "What was that you just said?" A new voice startled Foster from just over the ridge. "Something about how the president himself couldn't make it happen?"

  John Dawkins crested the snowy hillside along with Adriana and Emily. Secret Service men and special ops surrounded him, clad in white winter gear. They swarmed the area and started pouring into the mine.

  "Tommy and Yuri are down there," Sean said as he tossed the knife into the snow.

  "My men know to look for them," Dawkins said.

  He pulled up his goggles as he neared Sean and the wounded Foster.

  "With all due respect, sir, maybe you should hang back until we get this cleared up. There are armed men down there."

  "With all due respect, Sean, I've been in combat. And even though my men told me not to do this, I'm here. Deal with it." He winked as he said the last line.

  "Yes, sir." Sean bowed his head and stepped aside.

  Dawkins stood over Foster, looking down at him with disdain. Emily and Adriana gathered around, Adriana wrapping her arms around Sean and squeezing him tight.

  "Secretary of State Kent Foster, you're under arrest," Dawkins said in a thunderous voice.

  A sinister, sickly laugh escaped Foster's mouth. The volume of his voice continued to rise, and he put his hands up, waiting for someone to put cuffs on them.

  "Go ahead. Arrest me."

  Chapter 39

  Juneau, Alaska

  President Dawkins stood on the other end of the room in front of a mirror. He straightened his blue tie and pressed out his suit jacket to make sure there were no wrinkles. He must have done the same thing a thousand times and never found a problem. Old habits and all that.

  Sean sat in the corner, staring at his phone.

  Adriana had taken off the previous day. She said her father found a lead on a piece of artwork she'd been trying to find for some time.

  Sean and Tommy had stayed with the president. Emily, too, had lingered behind to spend some time with the commander in chief.

  "Mr. President?" His press secretary poked his head in the door of the green room. "It's time, sir."

  "Okay," Dawkins said.

  Sean scrolled to a newsfeed that caught his eye. He read the headline and studied the image that accompanied it.

  Former Secretary of State Kent Foster Dead.

  Sean read a little farther. The article said Foster committed suicide while in protective custody.

  "That's gruesome," Sean said.

  "What is?" Tommy asked.

  Sean showed his friend the screen. "Foster committed suicide in protective custody." Sean thought for a moment in silence. "I guess he was right about never going to prison."

  "You think that's true?"

  "No," Sean said, "but the public will believe it. Who knows? It might be true. He was being kept at a military base. Easy enough for a double agent to sneak him a razor blade or a special pill and give him the option to go out on his own terms."

  Dawkins caught the last bits of what Sean and Tommy were saying. "You talking about the Foster suicide?"

  "Yes. Bizarre turn of events."

  "It's a shame." Dawkins's eyes lowered to the floor as he drifted away in thought for a second. "You think you know someone, and then you find out they're trying to undermine everything you're doing. And then they try to kill you on top of that. I guess that's a lesson to us all. Keep your eyes open."

  "Indeed," Tommy said. He didn't mention the fact that the president had completely ignored the conspiracy theory.

  "Well, I'd better get out there. Lots of questions to answer."

  "We've included all the notes you need for almost every conceivable question you could get in regards to the history of the pyramid. Information is still coming in, but we wanted to get you what we have in case anyone brought it up."

  Sean and Tommy stood, beaming with pride.

  The president eyed both of them as he would his own sons. "I can't thank you both enough for this. For everything."

  The two friends blushed.

  "Well, you did get us our money back in the banks," Sean said.

  "Yeah, and I think we're okay to fly on normal airlines again," Tommy added.

  "Not that you would with your private jet and all."

  "Oh, because you hate using it so much? What about that trip to Thailand you took last year?"

  "That was for an assignment."

  "Gentlemen," the president interrupted the spat. "I'll see you after the press conference. Try not to kill each other while I'm on the air."

  The president turned and walked out of the room.

  "Yes, sir," the two said at the same time.

  They eased back into a couple of seats and looked over to the corner of the room where a flatscreen television displayed a podium with the presidential seal. A moment later, Dawkins appeared from behind the curtain and stepped in front of the podium.
>
  "Hello and thank you for taking the time to attend this historic announcement." He paused and allowed more cameras to flash before beginning again.

  "As many of you already know, some of my friends at the International Archaeological Agency have made an incredible discovery, one that will change the future of humanity.

  "A few days ago, they uncovered an ancient Egyptian pyramid under the mountains of Denali."

  Some of the reporters in the room gasped at hearing the information for the first time.

  The president reached over to his right where an easel was covered by a dark blue drape. He pulled the cover back and revealed an image of the underground pyramid.

  "This pyramid is believed to date back to around 3200 BC. Information is still coming in on that as we speak. One thing we do know, however, is that this ancient structure is capable of producing massive amounts of energy. We have scientists and engineers on site at this moment trying to understand how this generator works and how we can make it better."

  Sean turned to his friend as the president continued talking in the background. "Yuri get out okay last night?"

  "I think so," Tommy said. "It was no easy task trying to get him and $160 million in gold bullion past the reporters."

  "How'd you do it?"

  Tommy shrugged. "Stuffed it in some old maintenance vans and drove right by them."

  "Huh."

  "Yeah. We figured they wouldn't think much of a maintenance vehicle going by. He should be home soon, if not already. It's not that far to Russia from here."

  Sean stared at the screen. The president was talking about the clean energy implications of the new discovery.

  "I suppose Yuri's president will be happy," Tommy said, staring at the television the same as his friend.

  "Oh sure. He'll probably get a medal or some piroshkis."

  "Piroshkis?"

  "It's a small pie dish." Sean stared at his friend in surprise. "You've been to Russia."

  "I didn't realize you were such a connoisseur."

  Sean sighed. "Anyway, it was awfully cool of Dawkins to let him take it. I'm sure there were some members of Congress who wouldn't have approved that move."

  Sean smirked. "That's probably why he didn't tell them."

  "Good point."

  "What are you doing this weekend?" Sean asked.

  "Flying back to Atlanta. Going to spend some time with June before she heads back to work. You?"

  "May head down to Seattle, catch some music and fresh salmon while I'm there."

  "Oh. That sounds really good. You think June will wait an extra day?"

  Sean chuckled, and his friend laughed, too.

  "No, I think she'll dump you before you get back."

  They shared another laugh, and then the room fell silent—except for the sound of the president talking about an economic boost of historic proportions.

  "What do you think about what Foster said?" Tommy said after a moment of reflection.

  "What part?"

  "The part about having people everywhere. Dawkins just mentioned the different levels this thing could impact. Made me think about all the various positions that must be occupied by Foster's people."

  Sean drew in a slow breath. "Yeah, it can drive you crazy if you think about it too much. The president told me he's going to use an infiltrator to start weeding out some institutions and agencies, but he'll need several if he wants to have an impact."

  "Infiltrator?"

  "Yep. Someone who gets behind the lines, gets embedded with the threat, and then neutralizes it."

  "Who's he got in mind for that job?" Tommy asked.

  "I don't know," Sean said. "But it won't be me. I guess we'll learn more about that eventually. For now, think about the fact that we just discovered a pyramid underneath the base of Denali. So, I say we celebrate our success."

  Tommy's face scrunched in a frown. "Actually, we didn't really discover it. That thing was found 150 years ago."

  Sean groaned. "Fine. We brought it to the public after more than a century of being hidden. Not to mention the fact that we shed new light on the Lincoln assassination."

  Tommy thought for a second. "You're right. We should celebrate. Let's—" Whatever he was about to say was interrupted by his phone ringing. He looked at the caller ID. It read The Kids.

  He hit the green button and put it to his ear while Sean looked on with a curious look.

  "Hello? Oh hey, Alex. Yeah, it's okay. I'm free. What's going on?"

  Tommy listened intensely for a minute before saying anything else. "Wow. Okay. You're sure about this?" He waited for confirmation. "Yeah, absolutely we'll tackle that. Tell them I'm on my way."

  He ended the call and slid the phone back into his pocket. He stood up from his seat and put his hands out with palms up.

  "The celebration will have to wait, my friend. Duty calls."

  "Another big project?" Sean asked with an eyebrow raised.

  "Always."

  Thank You

  Writing a book is a heck of a thing.

  It takes an incredible amount of time, research, energy, and mental focus. That last one is extremely difficult for me.

  When I say thank you for reading my work, I truly mean it and I cannot express how much I appreciate you choosing to spend your time with my words.

  Perhaps you're a loyal reader who has read every single book in the series. Maybe this is your first one. Either way, at some point you took a chance on purchasing a story from a guy you'd probably never heard of. I can't thank you enough for that.

  I've always been a storyteller, no matter the career in which I worked. To be able to write books for a living is an honor and a privilege. I owe that to good people like you.

  Again, thank you for trusting me with your time. It is the most valuable resource a person has. And you chose to spend some with me.

  Sincerely,

  Ernest

  Other Books by Ernest Dempsey

  The Secret of the Stones

  The Cleric's Vault

  The Last Chamber

  The Grecian Manifesto

  The Norse Directive

  Game of Shadows

  The Jerusalem Creed

  The Samurai Cipher

  The Cairo Vendetta

  The Uluru Code

  The Excalibur Key

  War of Thieves Box Set

  (An Adriana Villa Adventure)

  Sci-Fi/Fantasy

  The Dream Rider

  The Dream Rider 2: Retribution

  From the Author

  Author's Notes

  One of the things that makes history so interesting is the stuff that we don't know. I'm talking about those connections—real, possible, or imagined—between the people and events that drive the story of who we are—the how and why that the history books often leave out.

  It's probably my favorite part of writing stories like these.

  Through the eyes of Sean, Tommy, Adriana, Emily, and now June, you and I can explore behind the curtain of "official history" as we entertain what might have been (or what is but still isn't known).

  Although this tale is my own invention, I always try to connect the dots to the historical record in a way that makes things plausible for you. There are certainly a few moments that may stretch the possibilities, but I wanted to make this tale as realistic as possible.

  Speaking of which: I love it when other authors talk about the fact versus fiction of their books, so I've included some notes here (hopefully for your enjoyment) that shed light on which aspects were true—and which I played around with.

  Seward's Assassination Attempt

  In case you didn't realize it, the attempt on William Seward's life was very real. The event happened the same night Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater. Sadly, his wife was so distraught about the incident that she took ill and died not long after.

  Seward House

  The Seward mansion is a historical landmark in the beautiful city of Auburn, New York
. Many people don't realize how pretty the New York countryside is, and I always recommend people give it a visit. The rolling hills and mountains make for a picturesque setting in every season of the year. The towns, too, are perfectly situated in the natural surroundings and make for a lovely stay.

  The home is now a museum, and visitors are welcome to come by and check out the property to see it as it was in the 1800s. The home is in amazing condition and is certainly worth visiting to take a journey back in time. As far as I know, most of the furnishings are originals and have been kept in good condition. It's an incredible thing to stand in a place where such a remarkable and tragic historical event took place. Kind of sobering.

  The Surratt Boarding House

  The Surratt Boarding House was the real meeting place for John Wilkes Booth and his associates. While the conversation at the beginning of the story was fabricated, the people involved were all real, as were their roles in history.

  For her actions in harboring and assisting the conspirators, Mary Surratt became the first woman to be executed in United States history. Her son, John Jr., however, was released. After his work as a spy in the Confederate Secret Service, John remained in Baltimore where he lived out the rest of his life. He lived until he was 72, working as a United States postmaster, school teacher, lecturer, and farmer.

  This place still stands today and really is the home of the Wok and Roll Chinese restaurant. While I have not eaten there, I almost always recommend General Tso's tofu (or chicken) if you're in the mood for something sweet and spicy. Of course, there's nothing spicier than a little conspiracy.

  The building has gone through many renovations since the time of Lincoln. If anything was hidden there, it would have been removed long ago.

  The Surratt Farmhouse

  This place, also known as Surratt's Tavern, is still a historical landmark in Clinton, Maryland, and is an interesting place to visit if you're passing through the area, though maybe not worth going out of your way to investigate.

  Many of the rooms and furnishings are as I described in the story. The only device I used with this particular scene was the oddly colored grout between the stone tiles. That was a figment of my imagination.