The Days of Noah: Book One: Conspiracy

by Mark Goodwin

  “Well, he’s willing to fight this thing for you. Pro bono, too. I think he probably expects to get some serious exposure from the case, but it won’t cost you anything. He’s a Christian, so his heart really is in it. His name is Leo Cobb.”

  Noah’s face lit up. “That’s fantastic!”

  Isaiah nodded his head. “But remember, Leo is also a shrewd business man. I would expect that he’ll be pushing for maximum exposure.”

  “I really appreciate any help I can get. Our savings would get depleted pretty quickly if I had to hire a lawyer to fight this. I’ll be happy to help him get exposure or add value in any way I can. I won’t mind at all; in fact, I want people to know about my case. I had no idea what America had become until yesterday morning.

  “Cassie has been talking about the loss of freedom and the police state for years now, but I have to admit, I only half listened. I never said it, but I thought she was overreacting. I guess I owe her an apology.”

  Isaiah smiled. “You know Cassie isn’t the I-told-you-so type. She wants everyone to be aware so they can defend against the threats to our way of life.”

  They soon arrived at the school parking lot. Noah opened the door. “Thanks again for the ride. I don’t know if we’ll be at the study Thursday night or not. Can you give me Leo’s number?”

  Isaiah said, “I’m going to follow you back to your house. We’ll call Leo together from there.”

  “Oh, okay.” Noah didn’t quite know what to make of that, but Isaiah had just picked him up from jail. He couldn’t very well turn him down.

  Noah started his truck and headed home with Isaiah close behind.

  Cassie came out to greet him with a big hug when he pulled up to the house. “Noah, I’m so glad you’re home.”

  He held her tight. “Me, too. Where is Lacy?”

  Isaiah parked behind Noah, got out of his truck, and walked up to Noah and Cassie.

  Cassie started to tear up again. “Child Services came by this morning with the police. They took Lacy.”

  “What? Why?” Noah shouted.

  Cassie held Noah’s arm tightly. “They said it was because you were charged with a felony against children.”

  Noah pulled away and headed into the house. He ran straight for the gun cabinet and saw that it was open and missing the weapons. He immediately headed toward the shed to dig up the pistol Cassie kept buried in the back. It had already been dug up. Cassie came around the side of the house with Isaiah close behind her.

  Noah shouted in anger, “Where are the guns, Cassie?”

  She stood a few feet back because he was so loud. “The police took my Kahr, the shotgun and the .22.”

  “Where’s the Glock?” Noah demanded.

  Cassie walked a little closer to him. “Noah, this is not the way to fight this battle. You’ll get yourself killed.”

  “I’ll take some of these criminals with me, too!”

  Cassie tenderly took his hand. “What about Lacy? She’ll be left behind as a prisoner of the state.”

  Noah pulled his hand away. “You’ll still be here. I can’t let these crooks take my little girl and get away with it. I’m going to kill someone. Give me the pistol, Cassie!”

  Cassie took both of Noah’s hands and held them tighter. “I can’t do this without you. Please, Noah.”

  Isaiah put his arm around Noah. “We’re going to do this together. We’re going to do this right. No one is getting away with anything.”

  Noah pulled away from Isaiah. “You knew about this and didn’t tell me?”

  Isaiah said, “For one thing, it wasn’t my place to tell you; it was Cassie’s. The other reason is that you had to drive your truck home. Look at you. You’re shaking like a leaf with anger. You couldn’t have driven home like this. What good would it have done for you to have known fifteen minutes ago?

  “I called Sharon Beck on the way to pick you up. She is a certified foster parent. She’s already working to get custody of Lacy. The crisis center where they first take the kids is filled to capacity, so she may have her by tonight. The best thing you can do is relax and trust God for a little while.

  “I understand that you’re angry. I’m mad, too. I can only imagine the rage inside of you right now. I’d be the same way if it was my child, but you have to let it go for now and trust God.”

  Noah clenched his jaw but said nothing.

  Cassie said, “They shot Buster, also.”

  Noah groaned and bit his fist. He could not handle one more thing. He felt like Job, abandoned by God, given over to Satan to sift like wheat. Noah thought about how Job had fallen down to worship God in the midst of his trials. The best Noah could do was not to shake his fist at God for allowing this to happen.

  Cassie prayed, “God, please take this rage from my husband’s heart. Help us to trust you, Father. We don’t know what to do. Thank you for Isaiah and the help that you are giving us through him. Give us peace and wisdom.”

  Noah sat down on the ground near the hole where Cassie had dug up the pistol. He began to bawl. He cried hard and loud. He wailed with a deep, soul-filled sorrow and violent anger as he had never before cried in his life.

  Isaiah and Cassie knelt beside him and tried to comfort him.

  Noah’s crying eventually died down into soft sobs. Cassie held him tight. Isaiah went into the house and brought everyone a glass of ice water.

  Cassie walked Noah out to Buster’s grave. “He liked this spot.”

  Noah just nodded.

  After a few minutes, they walked back to the house. Isaiah was in the living room talking quietly on the phone. Noah walked past him to Lacy’s room and sat on her bed. He took her favorite bear and held it to his nose. He could smell Lacy on the stuffed animal. Cassie sat next to him and adjusted the other toy animals on the bed.

  Isaiah walked in a few minutes later. “Sharon pulled some strings at the crisis center. She is getting custody of Lacy tonight or first thing in the morning. She also got an update on Lacy. She’s safe, and she’ll be okay.”

  Isaiah’s phone rang. “Hello? Just a second. Noah, it’s Leonard Cobb.”

  “Who?” Noah said.

  “Leo Cobb, the lawyer. Do you feel like talking to him right now?”

  Noah nodded.

  Isaiah sat the phone on the dresser next to Lacy’s bed. “Leo, you’re on speaker. I’m here with Mr. and Mrs. Parker.”

  Cobb’s voice came over the speaker. “Noah, I’m so sorry for your trouble. I filed a motion to dismiss. It is a shot in the dark, but we have to try. I’m going to be super honest with you. The way the law reads, you’re guilty. The prosecutor will drag every kid from every class you’ve taught this year until they find one that says you mentioned creationism. Our best hope is to create a national media frenzy so that no one on the face of God’s green earth could not know about it. Once we do that, we’ll shame the jury into finding you not guilty.”

  Noah leaned forward toward the phone. “How will they do that if I’m guilty?”

  “It’s called jury nullification. This is still the Bible Belt, and I’ll make sure this trial stays right here in Sevier County,” Cobb said.

  Isaiah said, “Leo, DCS took custody of their daughter. Any chance you can help with that?”

  “What happened?” Cobb said.

  Cassie gave him an abbreviated account of the raid and abduction, as well as the killing of Buster.

  Cobb said, “Did you get pictures?”

  Cassie said, “Yes, and I made a video. I already posted it on YouTube.”

  Cobb said, “Good job, post it on every social media site you can think of, and start emailing the link to everyone you know. Ask them to send it to everyone they know. Send me a copy first, though.”

  Isaiah said, “Cassie works for the Mountain Press. She used to work for Channel Ten.”

  Cobb said, “Can you talk to the editor, maybe get him to let you write a piece on what happened? Do you still have contacts at Channel 10? The more public out
rage we can stir up, the better.”

  Cassie said, “I’ll do everything I can.”

  Leo Cobb said, “I know you will. And so will I. We’re going to win this thing.”

  Everyone said their good-byes. Noah took a long, hot shower and plopped down on the couch.

  Cassie did the same. They talked until late and prayed for Lacy.

  Isaiah called Cassie’s phone at 11:30 that night. “Sharon just got home with Lacy. She’s making her some macaroni and cheese and putting her to bed.”

  Cassie said, “Thank you for everything, Isaiah.”

  With that, Noah was able to go to sleep.

  CHAPTER 12

  Education should aim at destroying free will, so that, after pupils have left school, they shall be incapable, throughout the rest of their lives, of thinking or acting otherwise than as their schoolmasters would have wished.

  Bertrand Russell, The Impact of Science on Society

  Thursday was Everett Carroll’s first day back to a normal work schedule since the flash crash. He’d been running full steam ahead the past three days, so he slept an extra half hour. Everett wanted to make a quick appearance at the gym before work but didn’t have time for his usual full workout. He jumped on the treadmill and watched CNBC while he ran. The reporter covered the early-morning market data.

  “Gold and silver were hit hard overnight. Both metals have given up nearly all of the gains they made earlier this week when market fear caused prices to spike. Goldman Sachs has dropped their price forecast to $1,500 for gold. This statement alone could send gold spiraling into a free fall.

  “In other news, the BRICS Bank has been unable to bring their mainframe computer back online. This level of financial disruption is proving to be very hard for the less developed members to absorb. Brazil’s Bovespa is down twenty-five percent, and India’s Mumbai Sensex is down thirty-seven percent since Monday.

  “The Johannesburg Stock Exchange saw losses approach fifty percent Tuesday afternoon. Regulators closed the trading floor early Tuesday, and it has not yet reopened. Several cities in South Africa have seen rioting over the past two days after shopkeepers closed their doors. Like the JSE, the South African rand is in free fall, and store owners fear they won’t be able to restock their shelves using the collapsing currency.

  “Russia and China, on the other hand, seem well poised to withstand the fallout. Each of those markets have fallen less than five percent since the failure of the system responsible for trade settlement among BRICS member nations.

  “BRICS president Changlie Chau said in an interview yesterday that cyberespionage was the catalyst for the failure of the bank’s system. He went on to say those responsible will have blood on their hands. More than sixty deaths have been accredited to the riots in South Africa. Brazil has enacted martial law and curfews to prevent similar disorder in São Paulo and Rio.

  “If the BRICS nations are able to reorganize and roll out a common currency, they will have to do some serious recalculations to account for the currency collapse in the South African rand and massive devaluations in the Indian rupee and the Brazilian real.”

  Everett shook his head. “I’m really helping to make the world a better place, aren’t I?”

  He finished his workout, showered, changed, and stopped by Starbucks. Everett could have hit the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-through instead of Starbucks. That would have allowed him time for a full workout, but everyone has their priorities.

  Once at work, Everett passed by John Jones’s office. “Not here yet. He’s been here early every day since Monday’s flash crash.”

  Everett sat at his desk and logged in. He opened his inbox and read the memo. “Agent John Jones will be out for the day. Please report all concerns and forward all potential threats to Agent Tom Doe.” Doe. That sounds like another company-issued name, he thought.

  Everett’s day passed without incident. Northrop Grumman took over the watchman protocols for the Bank of America system he was assigned to monitor, and Everett went home. He checked the prices of gold and silver on his phone while he walked toward the parking lot.

  Ken caught up with him right after they cleared security. “What’cha looking at?”

  “Nothing.”

  Ken peeked at Everett’s screen. “You buying gold?”

  “I don’t know. I’m really just watching the price action. It’s been all over the place in that past few days.”

  Ken smirked. “Pretty much exactly like the rest of the markets.”

  Everett stuck the phone in his pocket. “Yeah, you’ve got a point.”

  “I see your buddy didn’t come in today,” Ken said.

  “What buddy?”

  “Jones.”

  Everett became defensive. “He’s not my buddy. Why would you say that?”

  “Chillax! It was a joke.”

  “Sorry, I’m just a little edgy.”

  Ken slapped Everett on the shoulder. “We all are. This week has disrupted everyone’s schedule.”

  Everett bade his friend farewell and got in his car. He stopped by the coin shop in Ashburn on the way home.

  A peculiar old man with shaggy eyebrows and bushy gray hair stood behind the display case. “Can I help you?”

  Everett peered through the case. “I don’t know what I’m looking for. I was just thinking I’d like to buy some gold and silver. You know, just in case.”

  “Ah, bullion. Those are all numismatic coins. You’ll pay a higher premium for those. Many of them are rare. Some are quite old. This case over to the right has modern bullion coins and bars.”

  Everett walked over to the other case. “Do you take credit cards?”

  “There’s a five percent surcharge on top of the price for Visa and MasterCard. We don’t take Amex.”

  Everett pointed at the tube of one-ounce Silver American Eagles. “How much are these?”

  “Twenty-five hundred for the tube. If you only want a few, they’re one hundred thirty each.”

  Everett opened his wallet and looked at the five one-hundred-dollar bills. He pulled out three of them. “I’ll take two of the one-ounce Silver American Eagles.”

  The man took Everett’s money and presented him with the two coins in protective plastic sleeves along with his change.

  Everett placed the coins in his pocket and the change in his wallet. “Thanks, I’ll probably be back.”

  “See you soon,” the old man said.

  Everett went home to shower and change before going out to get something to eat. He rarely cooked. Most evenings he would grab some takeout, but he would also go out to eat by himself on occasions. He didn’t mind being alone in a restaurant. He certainly preferred it to poor company.

  As he was walking out the door, he heard a phone ringing. It wasn’t his phone. “Where is that coming from?” He isolated the noise to the area around the couch. He looked in the cushions but found nothing. He knelt down and peered beneath the couch. “There it is.” He pulled the phone out from under the sofa.

  Everett looked at the inexpensive prepaid phone. “This looks like a burner. No way. This guy has been in my house? He certainly isn’t retired.”

  Everett opened the message icon on the burner phone. A string of numbers appeared. “Looks like latitude and longitude. I’m not looking this up on my computer.”

  Everett proceeded out the door. Rather than going to the restaurant, he stopped by the storage shed to retrieve his tablet. He took it to the car, drove around the corner to a hotel where he could get Wi-Fi access from the parking lot, and typed in the latitude and longitude. Next, he mapped out the route. It was near the Virginia–West Virginia border. “Better get something to go. Looks like this is going to be a long night.”

  Everett kept his tablet with him as he sped off. He stopped by the upscale grocery in Ashburn and picked up some fried chicken, macaroni, mashed potatoes, and biscuits to take with him. It wasn’t his first choice, but it was already cooked, and it was better than the fast-food options
in Ashburn. For a normal driver, it would have been about an hour-and-a-half drive. Everett figured he could push it and be there in an hour. He ate one of the drumsticks as he drove, being careful not to get crumbs or grease on his seats. The engine in his BMW 550i was made for speed. It felt good to get on the road and open it up.

  He exited the highway at Woodstock and drove out to a small country road called Wolf Gap Road. The road snaked around the foothills of the Appalachians then up into the mountains. Everett finally reached the coordinates and found a humble cabin.

  He turned off the car and brought the food to the door.

  Jones opened the door. “You found me.”

  Everett was taken aback by his appearance but tried not to show it. “I brought fried chicken. I hope you’re hungry.”

  “That was very kind. I’m actually very hungry.” Jones stopped to put the oxygen mask on his face and took a deep breath.

  As Everett followed Jones into the cabin, he suddenly appreciated the ability to breathe a deep breath of air.

  Jones rolled the oxygen tank over to a chair in the kitchen and sat down. “I couldn’t breathe this morning when I was getting ready for work. I went to the hospital, and they gave me a shot of prednisolone. They also chained me to this contraption. I can’t blame anyone but myself. It scared the heck out of me, though. I’ve always been ready to take a bullet, but you don’t want to experience what it feels like to suffocate because you can’t breathe.”

  Everett took the chicken to the small dining table. “Wow, that was all of a sudden, huh?”

  Jones picked up a cup and spit tobacco in it. “Yeah, all of a sudden. There are some plates in that cupboard. The good news is that I quit smoking.”

  Everett took the plates and sat them on the table. “And started chewing?”

  Jones snickered. “I won’t be around long enough to get mouth or throat cancer. I don’t want to spend my last days going through nicotine withdrawal.”

  Everett got himself a glass of water and sat down to eat.

  Jones picked up a piece of the chicken then paused. “Do you mind if we pray?”