The Days of Noah: Book One: Conspiracy

by Mark Goodwin

  While only a small percentage of the total funds were allocated to cryptocurrencies, regular purchases were going to Darkcoin; however, it was a larger percentage of the entire market cap of Darkcoin than the others combined. It was like someone was steadily trying to acquire a significant percentage of all Darkcoins without pushing the price up by purchasing too much at once.

  “I wish I could get into that NSA database and find out where all of this money is going,” Everett whispered to himself.

  He closed down his computer, grabbed his coffee, and headed back to his car. He stopped by Starbucks for a second coffee to keep his observable routine intact. Everett dropped his tablet back at the storage locker and headed to work.

  Once there, he cleared security, went to his desk, and started sifting through the piles of transaction data in his computer task box. Everett worked relentlessly to finish scanning the files well before lunch. This would allow him to use the CIA system to do a little more digging. While he did not have access to the Utah data center, he could research financial records of companies who accepted cryptocurrency payments.

  “Done!” Everett finished the morning’s files just before eleven o’clock. “I’ve got over an hour to dig around. I’ll start by looking for firearms and ammunition distributors who take cryptocurrencies.”

  Nothing of interest came up, so he shifted his search to chemical and fertilizer companies that could be selling components for explosives. Still, he found nothing out of the ordinary.

  “This could be something,” Everett muttered. He found several gold and silver dealers who accepted bitcoin for physical delivery of gold and silver coins. What was more, they shipped to post office boxes.

  “This is a wide-open method for people to anonymously convert cash into tangible assets. Sure, the NSA could eventually track them down, but for now, no one seems to be watching. A person could purchase Bitcoin with cash then anonymously buy precious metals.”

  Everett kept digging. My only problem is that the unauthorized credit-card purchases included almost every cryptocurrency except bitcoin.

  Everett found a few dealers selling coins and bullion for Ripple and Litecoin, but a much smaller percentage than bitcoin. I’m on to something, but I need access to the NSA system.

  As Everett headed to lunch, he pondered his findings. He floated through the cafeteria line on autopilot. He spotted Ken across the room and headed his way.

  “You look like you have something on your mind,” Ken said. “You had the hundred-yard stare when you walked into the cafeteria. I waved, but you didn’t even see me. Is it a chick?”

  Everett blinked. “A chick?”

  “Yeah. Are you havin’ girl trouble, bro?” Ken asked.

  “No, it’s work.”

  “Don’t get too deep, man. Punch in, do what you’re told, punch out. Nothing more, nothing less.”

  “What are you eating?” Everett was often impressed with Ken’s lunch.

  “Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich,” Ken answered.

  Everett opened his eyes wide. “Lisa made that for your lunch?”

  “It’s leftovers from dinner last night,” Ken said. “Like I said, you need a woman who can cook.”

  Everett couldn’t quit staring at Ken’s lunch. “Yeah, maybe I do.”

  Ken didn’t hesitate. “Lisa has a friend, Courtney. We should all go out this weekend.”

  “Is that why I need a girl? Because Lisa has been hounding you to find a date for her friend?” Everett shot back.

  “Bro! I’m shocked you would even think that. What do you say?”

  “What is she like? If she’s a bimbo, I’ll kill you.”

  Ken looked offended. “She works in cyber-security.”

  Everett perked up. “What company?”

  “H and M,” Ken replied.

  “Sounds like an intelligence community cutout or government contractor.”

  Ken laughed. “I’d put the odds at roughly ninety percent for anyone with that type of job who works within twenty-five miles of Langley, Virginia.”

  “Not this weekend. Maybe next.” Everett had some homework this weekend.

  “Great! We’ll make it for next Saturday night at eight. I’ll let you know where.” Ken gathered his things to return to work.

  Everett shook his head. “And in Ken’s world, ‘maybe’ means next Saturday at eight.”

  Ken winked. With a broad smile and a nod, he walked away.

  Everett stopped by Jones’s office on the way back to his cube. As usual, he wasn’t there. “This guy has it good. He’s never in the office.” Everett tried to locate the surveillance camera that Jones used to monitor his office. It was nowhere to be seen.

  Everett went back to his desk, where he would have a full task box of new transactions to sift through to protect America from the new breed of domestic terrorist. According to the watch list, their numbers would soon include nearly half of the country.

  Just past three o’clock, Everett’s office phone buzzed. He grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Everett, it’s Mr. Jones. I’m back in the office. You can come on in here.”

  “Right away, sir.” Everett hung up and walked through the maze of cubicles.

  “You can close the door if you like,” Jones said when Everett arrived.

  Everett smelled the stench of cigarettes as he closed the door and sat down. Judging from the smell, he must spend the whole day smoking in the parking lot, Everett thought.

  “I guess you’ve got more news for me,” John Jones stated.

  Everett couldn’t tell if he really wanted to know or if Jones was annoyed at having to listen to him. “Yes, sir. It would appear that cryptocurrencies are being used to purchase large amounts of gold and silver, which is one thing I am tasked with observing. Without access to the Utah data center, I can’t tell if any of the transactions from my task files are involved. To completely do my job, I would need to get into the NSA system.”

  Jones drummed his fingers on the desk. He looked up at the ceiling then back down at Everett, clearly contemplating his response.

  Finally, Agent Jones said, “Everett, that’s good work, but you know how tight the Company is about access to secure files since the Snowden leaks. We’re all under the microscope. I’ll pass the information along, and I’ll let you know if anything comes of it.”

  “Thank you.” Everett was disappointed. He let himself out of the office and headed back to his cube.

  It’s one thing to lock you in a cubicle all day doing monotonous work, but it’s quite another to deny people the tools they need to do their work. Ken’s right. Clock in, clock out, and go home. It’s a good paycheck, nothing more, nothing less.

  Everett finished the day and went home. The next day, like a hamster on a wheel, he repeated the cycle. The difference was he didn’t bother to stop by the storage shed. What was the point? On the way to lunch, Everett contemplated telling Ken that he would be available this weekend. Better not. I probably wouldn’t be very good company.

  Heading for his car at the end of the day, he stopped short. “Oh great, some clown has a to-go menu on the windshield of my sixty-thousand-dollar BMW.”

  Everett hated restaurants that canvassed parking lots, littering his car with unwanted ads. It was a common occurrence in his apartment complex. Menus would be placed on his windshield, and then it would rain and make a terrible mess for him to clean.

  Then the thought struck him. If a restaurant is delivering out here, that means I don’t have to eat cafeteria food. Hmm. Maybe this one time a to-go menu on the windshield is not so bad.

  Everett snatched the menu with more enthusiasm than he’d had all day. “La Casita? This is in Sterling. There’s no way they deliver out here.”

  Everett looked at the other cars in the lot. No one else had a menu on their windshields. He looked back down at the menu. He flipped it over. “Happy Hour, Monday thru Friday, 5:00 to 7:00.”

  The 7:00 was highlighted with a yel
low highlighter. It was hard to notice, as if the highlighter pen used had seen better days.

  “This has to be Ken’s work. Okay, I’ll play along.” Everett headed home to freshen up. His apartment was in Ashburn, so he had to pass by there to get to Sterling anyway.

  CHAPTER 5

  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

  Ephesians 6:12

  As usual, Noah’s loving daughter met him at the door when he returned home from his teaching job.

  “Lynette Ray is going to be at Mom’s Bible study tonight, and we’re going too,” Lacy announced.

  “Is that so?” Noah picked her up and hugged her tight.

  “Hi, honey,” Cassie greeted.

  Noah smiled. “We’re all invited to Bible study tonight?”

  “You’re always invited. It’s just if David and Becky don’t bring Lynette, no one’s there for Lacy to play with. Dinner will be ready in five.” Cassie returned to the kitchen.

  “What do I smell?” Noah asked.

  “Spaghetti,” she replied.

  “I smell something else.”

  “Lemon bars.”

  “Oh, I want one of those now!” Noah loved lemon bars.

  “They’re for Bible study; you’ll have to wait.” Cassie rushed to finish cooking.

  Over dinner, the conversation covered the routines of work and homeschooling.

  “I started a new article for the paper today,” Cassie said.

  Noah cut Lacy’s pasta into bite-sized pieces. “What’s it about?”

  Cassie topped off her pasta with a healthy portion of Parmesan cheese. “Crime spillover from Knoxville into Sevierville during tourist season. Last year, there was a string of hotel-room burglaries between October and November. I’m interviewing the head of security of the new Hickory Creek Lodge.”

  “Wow,” Noah replied. “I hear that place is swanky.”

  “Well, we’ve been invited to come out Saturday night and have dinner on the house. I guess they want to make sure the article presents the lodge in the best light possible,” Cassie said.

  “That will be great. They’re not afraid we’ll take up table space on a weekend?”

  “The restaurant gets quite a few locals for dinner on the weekends, but it won’t be super busy until the leaves start to turn. When we see Becky tonight, I’ll ask if she can watch Lacy for us Saturday,” Cassie said.

  The Parkers quickly finished dinner and headed out the door. Cassie’s Hyundai Santa Fe was newer and got much better mileage than Noah’s F-150, so they drove the Hyundai. With gasoline quickly approaching nine dollars per gallon, Noah drove the Santa Fe to work on days when Cassie didn’t anticipate having to go anywhere.

  “Look, Daddy! That car has a rainbow sticker. My Sunday school teacher said that God gave us a rainbow to promise He would never flood the earth again. Can we get a rainbow sticker on our car?”

  Cassie and Noah exchanged looks. Cassie asked, “Do you want to take that one?”

  Noah took a deep breath. “That’s right; God sent the rainbow to promise He would never destroy the earth again by water. Do you know why He sent the flood?”

  “Because the earth was full of mean people,” Lacy answered.

  “That pretty much sums it up. But just because God won’t destroy the earth again by water, that doesn’t mean He won’t destroy it at all. Second Peter says that God will destroy this earth with fire and make a new earth for us. But we won’t be here when He destroys it. We’ll be in heaven with Him.”

  “Because there are more mean people?” Lacy asked.

  Noah chuckled. “Yes, the Bible says when God destroys the earth next time, it will be just like it was when He destroyed it last time, full of mean people.”

  “Why were the people mean?” Lacy asked.

  “I’m not sure why. The Bible says the earth was full of corruption and violence,” Noah said.

  “What’s corruption?” Lacy inquired.

  Noah paused to consider his answer. “Well, corruption is being disobedient. The people in those days didn’t want to do things God’s way. They wanted to do things their own way. It would be like if Mom asked you to pick up your toys or brush your teeth. If you decided not to obey her because you didn’t feel like it, that would be corrupt behavior. Does that make sense?”

  “But I would never do that! Mom would get the wooden spoon if I did.”

  Noah laughed. “That’s right. You would never do that because you respect Mom. The people in those days didn’t respect God.”

  “Do people respect God now?”

  Noah thought for a moment. “Some do. Most don’t.”

  “So is God going to destroy the earth and make a new one soon?” Lacy asked.

  “That’s a good question. In Matthew twenty-four, Jesus said even He didn’t know when the end would be. He said only the Father knew,” Noah replied.

  “I thought Jesus knew everything,” Lacy said.

  “He might know now,” Noah said. “But at that time, God had not shared that specific piece of knowledge with Him.”

  “So can we get a rainbow sticker?” Lacy asked.

  Cassie reached over and patted Noah on the leg. “You gave it your best shot. It was good; it worked on me. I completely forgot about the rainbow sticker.”

  She turned to face Lacy in the backseat. “Honey, we already have a fish sticker on the car. We’ll look like a bunch of hippies if we start putting stickers all over the car. How about if we get some rainbow stickers for your bike?”

  “Okay.” Lacy went back to watching the passing scenes through the car window.

  Noah looked at Cassie in amazement. “Really? It was that easy?”

  They soon arrived at Isaiah Brown’s large, two-story home. He bought and meticulously restored the old 1860 Victorian house after retiring from his position as a physics professor at the University of Tennessee. The large formal parlor made the perfect meeting place for the growing Bible study group.

  Isaiah met the Parkers at the door. As was his curious fashion, he greeted Lacy and Cassie with a kiss on the hand. He gave Noah a firm, two-handed grip. “Noah, it is so good to see you. We miss you when you’re not here.”

  “I’m glad to be here. Thanks for hosting the get-together.” Despite not going to Thursday-night studies, Noah was well acquainted with the regular attendees from Faith Church, where they all attended Sunday service.

  “And, Lacy, what a treat to see you, my dear.” Isaiah held out his hand, with a coin in his palm, to the little girl.

  Lacy took the coin. “Is it a quarter?”

  “No,” Isaiah said. “It’s a Morgan Silver Dollar. It’s very old.”

  “As old as you?” Lacy inspected the shiny object.

  “Lacy!” Cassie exclaimed.

  Isaiah laughed. “It’s quite all right. I am old. There’s nothing wrong with being old. It sure beats the alternative.”

  Noah laughed along. He thought that Isaiah must get that a lot from kids. Isaiah’s white hair and full white beard made him look like a lean version of Santa Claus.

  As they entered the house, the Parkers greeted the rest of the guests, who had arrived earlier. David and Becky Ray were there. “Where’s Lynette?” Lacy asked.

  “In the kitchen, waiting for you.” David Ray pointed at the kitchen door. Lacy scurried off to find her playmate. David Ray had served as a combat-medic in Afghanistan and now worked for Sevierville EMS. His wife, Becky, homeschooled their eight-year-old daughter, Lynette.

  Henry Whitaker, a single, middle-aged man who worked for Sevier County Code Enforcement, was new to the group but knew most everyone through church. Henry always brought a tasty snack tray. On this particular evening, it included an assortment of crisp vegetables, dips, crackers, and cheese.

  Sharon Beck was another regular attendee. She was a mature woman and t
ook very good care of herself. Few folks ever guessed her true age. She owned the Country Kettle, an upscale restaurant in Sevierville that served home-style food. It was popular with the locals in the off-season and regularly had lines out the door during the fall tourist season.

  Sharon had struggled to raise two kids by herself on a waitress’s salary. She scrimped and saved until she managed to scrape together enough money to open her restaurant ten years ago. With its success, Sharon was able to enjoy life and treat her four grandkids the way she had always wanted to provide for her own children.

  Benny Loomis, a longtime attendee of the weekly study, worked as the janitor and maintenance man at Faith Church. Noah knew little about him, because Benny didn’t talk much. Noah often saw Benny with Isaiah. Noah figured he opened up to Isaiah when it was just the two of them.

  Everyone had just gathered around to open the meeting in prayer, when Jim and Sandy Taylor arrived.

  “Sorry. We were running a little late,” Sandy said. “Jim had a closing that ran longer than expected.”

  The Taylors owned a modest real-estate brokerage in the Sevierville area. Like many brokers, they also invested in real estate. Jim and Sandy were nearly wiped out in the first housing bubble, but they rebounded quickly and were well hedged when the second bubble popped.

  Isaiah opened the meeting with prayer, and everyone helped themselves to the snacks in the kitchen.

  Noah made a planned attack on the lemon bars. He had already scoped out the two largest bars. He stacked them in a napkin so not to look like a pig.

  “Straight to dessert?” David Ray asked.

  “Yeah, we had a big dinner before we came,” Noah answered.

  “Are you still running every day?” David made a small plate of celery sticks, cheese, crackers, and sausage balls.

  Noah laughed. “I have to if I want to eat lemon bars.”

  Everyone took their plates into the parlor and sat on the furniture, which was arranged in a large circle.

  Isaiah began. “Enjoy your snacks. I’ll start and you can find your place in the Bible when you’ve finished eating.