The Revenge of John W: Desert Intrigue, Daring Prison Escape: Thrilling Action (Unlimited exclusive, Joe Corso Book 1)

by Joe Corso

  “Okay, boys, you can take the sacks off now. We’ve arrived.”

  McCormack ripped his hood off and looked around but didn’t see the mine. “Where’s the mine? I don’t see any mine,” McCormack asked anxiously.

  Persistent clapped his hands. “You didn’t think I could find it, did you? But, I found it. I found the Lost Four Peaks Tonto Apache Gold Mine.”

  The men looked around.

  McCormack looked too, but they didn’t see anything. “Are you pulling my leg? Because I sure as hell don’t see any mine.”

  Persistent looked at McCormack and shook his head. “You hear, but you don’t listen. You look, but you don’t see. We’re standing in front of the mine, Mr. McCormack, and you’re so close to it that you can touch it . . . and you still don’t see it.”

  McCormack looked around again and he still couldn’t see the mine. “Where the hell is it? I don’t see a damn thing.”

  “Like I said, you look, but you don’t see.” Persistent said laughing as he performed a little dance like Walter Huston did in the movie, ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre’, then shaking his head while still laughing, he turned and walked over to a growth of vegetation that hung heavily off the mountain, covering the opening like a curtain. He moved it aside, revealing the small opening to the cave. McCormack gaped at the opening, slack-jawed. “I’ll be damned,” he said.

  “Take your lanterns with you and pray to whatever god you believe in that there’s gold in this mine.” Persistent led them slowly through the entrance to the cave with a warning to be carful of the loose rocks littering the entrance. Once inside the cave, it opened up into a cavern. The flickering light from the lanterns reflected off of the Spanish helmets and breastplates. The men noticed the Spanish weaponry, lances, and swords that lined the walls. The light from the lanterns illuminated the skeletons, especially the skulls that grimly smiled up at them.

  Persistent pointed to the skulls. “The Tonto Apache’s put them there to scare off intruders.”

  McCormack was pleased and he put his arm around Persistent’s shoulders in an uncharacteristic show of affection. “I’m impressed, Persistent. Lee was right. You do know the desert and you didn’t even need the map. You found the mine from memory. Well, we have proof that the Spaniards were mining gold here, so this has to be the Lost Four Peaks Gold Mine.”

  Kleinst shined his light against the rear wall and didn’t get a reflection. He realized there was another chamber in the back and he motioned for them to follow him into the dark extension of the chamber they were in. “Let’s see what’s in there.”

  They followed him into the room. As the lanterns lit up the room, the gold glittered off of the walls and the ceiling. Kleinst’s keen eyes spotted loose nuggets on the floor. He bent down, picked up a few, took them outside, and tested the gold with a kit he removed from his jacket pocket. Rutgar shook his head after completing the test.

  McCormack, who had followed him out, thought it signaled something bad and he asked nervously, “What did you find, Rutgar?”

  Rutgar paused a moment then he looked at McCormack. “This is pure gold. It’s some of the finest I’ve ever seen. If this is a sample of what’s in this mine, then there’s a fortune in gold here.”

  “You’re sure about this, Rutgar?”

  Kleinst looked at his boss and said, “Technology doesn’t lie, Jack. I can only tell you what the tests tell me, and they’re screaming that we’re looking at pure gold. Maybe the richest I’ve ever tested.”

  “That’s all I need to know,” McCormack said. “Come on. Let’s head home. I want to meet this Christo character and buy his mine from him.” What the pair didn’t know was John W had Persistent scour every area of the mine to make sure it was completely played out. Dutch Henry had taken every ounce of gold out of that old mine. It was dry. There was nothing left to mine. McCormack and Kleinst had taken the bait and had bitten down hard on it.

  Persistent checked the sacks to make sure their faces were completely covered and that the horses were tethered the same as before. Persistent looked at the men seated on their horses to make sure they were ready to leave, then he picked up the reins of the horse behind his and led the men back down the mountain through the hidden narrow cleft. When they were past the hidden break, Persistent kept the horses walking until the opening in the mountain was a good distance behind him. He looked back and smiled because the pass was invisible to the naked eye. “Okay, boys, you can remove the sacks now.” Then, with Persistent leading the way, the little troupe began the long slow trek back to their vehicles.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Persistent drove the big rental truck he used in which to transport the animals and equipment. He’d return it to the rental company when they returned to Phoenix. On the ride back, you could feel the excitement radiating from within the car. It was like sitting in the middle of a lightening storm. McCormack was as giddy as a new bride. He was sure he hit the mother lode with this mine and it wasn’t even his yet, although he acted like it was.

  “Well, what do you think now, Rutgar? Do you still have any doubts?”

  Rutgars’ initial doubts about this deal had all but subsided, however, somewhere deep inside him, a little voice was telling him to be wary. “No. I don’t have any doubts, especially after seeing the high yield of the gold I tested.”

  “And what about the Spanish armor and weapons we found? That showed that the Spaniards must have taken a ton of gold out of the mine too.”

  Rutgar nodded. “Yeah, that too. What are you thinking of doing next, Jack?”

  “Good question.” He turned to Lee. “I want you to call your John Christo right now and set up a meeting for tomorrow.”

  Lee nodded. “I was going to make the call tomorrow, but I could do it now if that’s what you want.”

  “That’s what I want. Call him now and let’s get the show on the road. I want to take control of the mine as soon as possible. Wait till I announce that I found the Lost Four Peaks Gold Mine. That should drive our stock way the hell up. Man, I can’t wait to see the expressions on my competitors’ faces when they read about how Jack McCormack did it again.”

  Before he made the phone call, Lee asked McCormack a question. “Mr. McCormack, what do you think that mine will be worth?”

  McCormack thought about it for a minute, then said, “Lee, that mine could be worth more than all of my other mines combined if we could take out all the gold that I think is in there. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, I was wondering what my ten percent would be worth after you make the announcement.”

  McCormack didn’t know where this was going and he certainly didn’t want to give Lee the impression he would make many millions with his ten percent. But now that he opened his big mouth and smartened up the kid, how could he deny it? Well, he’d just have to bluff the kid and see where he was going with this. “Why do you ask, Lee?”

  “I was just wondering if you would consider buying my ten percent for, say, ten million dollars.”

  McCormack let out a sigh of relief. All the kid wanted was ten million dollars. Normally he would have given him nothing. He would have just taken it from him, since he didn’t have the money to fight him in court. But, he still had to meet with John Christo and negotiate a price for the mine. He couldn’t afford to be seen cheating Lee because Christo not only would back out of the deal, but he had the wealth to fight him to a stand still. He didn’t want to leave money lying on the table, so instead of cheating Lee, he decided to negotiate a better deal for himself. “That’s a lot of money, Lee. Especially when we don’t know how much gold we’ll be taking out of that mine. Besides, I couldn’t give you any money until I take control of the mine.”

  Lee pretended to understand McCormack’s line of reasoning. “That’s all right, Mr. McCormack. I’ll just wait until the mine starts producing and I’ll probably make twenty times the ten million. I guess it’s better if I wait until the mine starts producing.”

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nbsp; McCormack didn’t like the sound of that either. He certainly didn’t want to pay Lee twenty times the ten million he asked for. Greed was getting the better of him now, just as John W had figured it would.

  “You know, Mr. McCormack. When you make the deal with Mr. Christo, I’d like an agreement drawn up containing the terms you said I would receive. The agreement will eliminate any misunderstandings that may occur between us in the future. Don’t you agree?”

  McCormack didn’t want to do that. The last thing he wanted was an agreement with this kid. “Tell you what, Lee. I’m going to cut a check for five million dollars. The moment Mr. Christo gives me the map and relinquishes any rights to the mine, I will hand you the check. How does that sound? Is it a deal?”

  “It sounds okay, Mr. McCormack, but I asked for ten million, not five. So I think it’s better if I wait until the mine starts producing.”

  McCormack was between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to give Lee ten million dollars, but more than that, he hated to see his ten percent giving him hundreds of millions more. He was in a tough position, but he knew he had to choose between the best of two evils. He smiled at Lee and said, “Ten million dollars it is, Lee. I’ll give you the check for ten million dollars the moment the deal with Christo is signed, sealed and the mine is delivered to me. You understand that you’ll have to sign a release for your percentage of the mine when I give you the check.”

  “Sure, that’s only fair, Mr. McCormack.”

  On the drive to Phoenix, Lee called John Christo with his cell phone and put it on speaker. When Christo picked up the phone, Lee told him he was on speaker and asked him if he would available for a meeting tomorrow morning with Jack McCormack. Christo said his calendar wouldn’t allow it, but he would be available the following morning. McCormack was disappointed, just as Christo figured he’d be. He was playing mind games with McCormack, setting the hook deeper. The appointment was confirmed for 10 a.m., the day after tomorrow.

  Angelo picked up the men at LaGuardia Airport in the new black shiny stretch limo the company had just acquired. The plan was for Angelo and Lee not to recognize one another; they were strangers as far as anyone was concerned. Angelo held up a sign, chest high with “McCormack” written on it. Lee walked over to him, looked at the sign, and said, “McCormack, that’s our party.”

  Lee, McCormack, Kleinst, and Governor Wilson, who insisted on attending this meeting, stepped into the sleek black limo. Wilson reminded them that he had a vested interest in this mine. If he hadn’t locked up Dutch Henry, they wouldn’t be riding to Manhattan in a limo. The trip should have taken 20 minutes, but due to the heavy cross-town traffic, it took almost an hour. Eventually, Angelo pulled to the curb in front of a building on Sixth Avenue that had, to the right of the door, a large elegant plaque with “CHRISTO” in large bold brass letters. They took the elevator to the top floor and when the elevator doors opened, a pretty, young secretary got up from behind her desk and welcomed them to Christo Enterprises. Then, she escorted them down the long hallway to Mr. Christo’s office. All the new people and activity surprised Lee.

  The young lady knocked once, then she opened the door and escorted the three men into a waiting room. She then approached another secretary who was seated behind a modern smoked glass and chrome horseshoe-shaped desk. “Monica, these gentlemen have a ten o’clock appointment with Mr. Christo.”

  “Thank you, Claudia. I’ll take them into Mr. Christo’s office as soon as he’s off the phone.” Claudia left the room. Monica, a pleasant smile on her face, asked the men to have a seat. “Mr. Christo will be with you in a moment. He’s on the phone, but he should be off momentarily. Would you gentlemen care for a cup of coffee or tea?” The men politely declined her offer, except for Lee, who asked for a cup of black coffee. He said he needed the caffeine jolt to wake him up. Monica smiled politely and glided away to fetch his coffee. Just as she handed the cup to Lee, her intercom buzzed. After answering it, she motioned for the men to follow her.

  Christo was dressed in an elegant dark blue pinstriped suit. He wore his beard short, but long enough to disguise who he really was. No one standing before him knew he was the poor frightened soul who was left in a prison to rot for the rest of his life. The man standing before them was cultured and refined, and everything about him reeked of wealth. He didn’t flaunt it, but class just oozed from him. Governor Wilson, who was never at a loss for words, couldn’t find anything to say. McCormack, always so sure of himself, felt intimidated in this man’s presence. Only Kleinst wasn’t affected by Christo or his wealth. That uncertain feeling was still with him, and he noticed it intensified dramatically now that he was in John Christo’s presence.

  “What can I do for you gentlemen?” Christo asked, smiling.

  McCormack spoke for the group. “Lee, here, informed me that he delivered a map to you. A bequest, as I understand it from an old miner who was in prison.”

  “Yes, Lee was a guard in that prison and was kind enough to do the dying man a favor, whom I might add, was my uncle. He honored my uncle’s last request and brought me this envelope.” He opened the desk drawer and took out the envelope. “This envelope contains a map to a lost gold mine. Lee tells me that you have experience in mining gold.”

  That was the opening for which McCormack was waiting. “As a matter of fact, Mr. Christo, I am president of McCormack Industries and we specialize in mining precious metals such as gold, silver, copper, or any other valuable mineral that’s in demand. We are a profitable company worth many millions. You can check us out for yourself.”

  “I’ll do that.” He pressed the intercom and told Monica to bring him a report on McCormack Industries as soon as possible. “It concerns my guests. Their time is valuable and I don’t want to keep them any longer than I have to.

  While Monica was preparing the report, McCormack asked, “Is this your building, Mr. Christo?”

  “Yes, with the state of the economy in the shape it is, I was fortunate to have bought it at the right price.”

  “I see,” McCormack said. “If I’m not being too personal, can I ask you who holds your mortgage?”

  “I don’t have a mortgage. The price was right so I paid cash for it.”

  McCormack did a quick mental calculation and determined that this building must have cost Christo close to a billion dollars.

  Monica came in with the report. Christo took his time to read the report page by page. “Yes, I see that you have extensive mining properties, Mr. McCormack, and I can see where this mine would be a perfect fit for your company, that is, if there’s any gold in it. Are you looking for a partner, Mr. McCormack?”

  McCormack’s eyes widened. “Are you saying you’d be interested in partnering with me, Mr. Christo?”

  “No, not at all. I thought there might be a possibility of Lee representing me, that was all.” Christo had no intention of Lee acting in his stead. He just wanted to see McCormack’s reaction. He wanted to break McCormack, not partner with him.

  “No,” McCormack said. “I’m afraid I’m not looking for a partner, but I am interested in buying the map from you.

  John W had checked on McCormack’s net worth, both business and personal. He wanted to take it all and destroy him completely, the way McCormack had destroyed all the others from whom he had bilked and stolen. “Well, I have no interest in the mine. Whatever profit I’d make from the mine, I’d double here in six months without raising a sweat. But if you’re interested in the mine, then I’m sure we could work out some sort of arrangement. What’s your offer? I know you’re interested in it or you wouldn’t have flown here to see me. So how much is the lost Four Peaks Tonto Apache Gold Mine worth to you gentlemen?”

  “I’m the only one interested in buying the mine, Christo.”

  “It’s Mr. Christo, if you please.”

  “Sorry. Mr. Christo.”

  “That’s better. So you’re the only one in this group interested in buying my mine, eh?”

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p; “I’m interested in it too,” Governor Wilson added.

  Christo looked amused. “The two of you want it? Do each of you want it, or do you intend to be partners? Which is it?”

  McCormack looked at Wilson and knew he’d have to have him as his partner or he’d find a way to prevent him from getting the mine. “Hell, Wilson, why didn’t you tell me you wanted in.”

  “I always wanted in and you know that.”

  “Let’s not air our dirty laundry right now, Governor. We’ll discuss this later when we’re alone but for now let’s just say that if I get this mine, we’ll be partners.”

  “Good. That’s what I wanted to hear.”

  McCormack turned back to Christo. “We were talking about the mine.”

  “No, we were talking about how much you were willing to pay for the mine. Now, give me your figure.”

  “Well, I’d have to have a look at the mine in order to place a value on it, then I could give you a better idea of how much I’d offer you for it.”

  “That’s not going to happen. Gentlemen, I believe there’s nothing more to say. Thank you for coming. I have someone else interested in the mine and he’s willing to pay me cash for it, so let’s not waste each others time. Monica, will you show these gentlemen out?”

  McCormack couldn’t believe the man. He didn’t care about money. He’d just as soon walk away from it than show him the damn mine. “Okay. Hold on a minute; let’s not be hasty. What did the other guy offer you for the mine?”

  “500 million dollars. Of course, that’s after I have someone, possibly Lee, visit the mine and take out a few gold samples for his man to analyze. He gave me a good faith deposit of 50 million to bind the deal in case you weren’t interested or couldn’t come up with the money. I’m no fool, gentlemen. I knew the reason you came to see me was to buy the mine. Why else would the Governor of Arizona, and the president of an international mining company visit me? To play chess? No. It’s for the mine. So make up your minds. Do you want it or not? I have another buyer waiting and I have business to attend to.”