“Barricade the door. Shoot them,” the old man ordered.
“That would be impossible, sir,” the servant replied. “I am opening the door and walking out. I quit.”
The now drooling nonagenarian croaked, “I must escape,” he pleaded with Professor Crane with his eyes as he attempted to rise from the chair.
“Not going to happen,” the professor said shaking his head. He pushed the old man back down in his chair. He could hear a commotion outside in the castle hallway and knew the police would shortly be inside the room. The once proud general stared back at him with nearly vacant eyes. They were filled with loathing.
Professor Crane was now considering his future. He impulsively reached out and snatched the talisman off of the man’s neck. He dropped it into his pocket just as the police kicked in the door to the library.
End of book one
The
Society of Orion
The Recovery #2
A Colton Banyon Adventure/Mystery
By
Gerald J. Kubicki & Kristopher Kubicki
Part One
More Surprises
Chapter One
Back in the flashy BMW, Colton Banyon was settling in for the three hour sprint to the desert. He was about to question Wolf to collect more information when he looked over at his partner. She was hunched over the steering wheel and looked worried. A deep furrow had formed on her forehead. He knew that something was wrong.
“What’s bothering you Loni?”
“Colt, I can multiply,” she responded sarcastically.
“Okay,” he answered her cryptic response.
“I know Wolf could never research the south desert site by the time we get there. We will have to navigate the bomb field without help. I don’t think we should take that much risk. There has to be a better way to beat Wilk to the talisman.”
“You’re right, Loni. Do you have a better way?” He asked his tactical expert.
“I think we should play the same game Wilk is playing with us,” she responded immediately.
“And what game would that be?”
“Deception,” she hissed. “We need to fool him into going somewhere else. Then we can go into the desert safely from the North and get the talisman.”
“And I believe you have someplace specifically in mind, don’t you?” Banyon suddenly understood.
“I do,” she replied with a smile. “Let’s send them on a wild goose chase to the Weiliczka Salt Mine.”
“Never heard of it,” Banyon admitted.
“It is near where they are headed. It’s located within the Krakow city limits. I learned about it in a magazine on the flight over from America. It’s a major tourist attraction. It attracts more than a million people a year now.”
“But can they get into it?” Banyon said as he began to form a plan for his conversation with Wilk. He had his cell phone number.
“It’s not a working mine any longer. It’s only a tourist attraction. The owners have carved out many statues, and even chapels from the salt. It is huge and has many passages where something could be hidden.”
“Sounds promising,” Banyon offered.
“And two more things,” Loni gushed. “It was used by the Germans during World War II as a facility for many war-related industries. There could easily be a lot of plunder hidden in the many caves.”
“That sounds very promising,” Banyon agreed. “What is the last thing?”
“According to my watch, it closes in less than two hours. Tell them they have more than two hours to get there. Then tell them that the mines won’t be open tomorrow. Tell them they need to go there right now.”
“That’s brilliant, Loni,” Banyon complimented her.
“I’m not just a pretty face you know,” she said and battered her eyes at him.
He reached across to stroke her face, “I know.”
Chapter Two
Wilk answered his phone on the first ring. “Albin Wilk,” he said into the phone. He was expecting to hear from one of his many mercenary team leaders he employed, but was surprised when he found Colton Banyon on the phone.
“How is your dinner going?” Banyon started. Wilk suddenly remembered that he told Banyon they were not going to the desert at night. He told them they were going to have a leisurely dinner in the city.
“I’m enjoying a fine wine as we speak,” he replied as the professor, who was driving, gave him a strange look. Wilk put the call on speaker.
“Well, I hate to interrupt your fine dinner,” Banyon said smoothly. “But something has come up. You guys are in the perfect position to handle it.”
“What might that be?” Wilk said chasing the bait.
“I’ve just found out that the Courage talisman is very near where you are right now. You are in Krakow aren’t you?”
“Of course,” Wilk lied. “Where is the talisman? We can pick it up in the morning.”
“Well, that is kind of a problem,” Banyon said slowly. “If you don’t get it tonight, you won’t be able to retrieve it for several days. Well past your deadline.”
“Explain that,” Wilk demanded.
“It’s alright,” Banyon said in a soothing voice. “Loni and I can reroute, maybe we can get there before the place closes. If not we’ll just break in. This one will be easy to find, no digging involved.”
“What place?” Wilk asked anxiously.
“I just found out that the talisman is hidden in a cave just off the third chapel in the Wieliczka Salt Mine, but the place closes in two hours. It won’t be open for three days due to some renovations.”
Wilk was suddenly faced with a dilemma. They were closing in on the north entrance to the desert, but he believed they could make it to Krakow in time to collect the talisman. As usual with Wilk, greed made the decision for him. He decided to reroute to Krakow collect the talisman, and then return to the desert. They still would be back in Warsaw by the morning. Orlich would just have to do a little more driving.
“Colt, we would be happy to collect the Courage talisman for you,” Wilk said in a buttery voice. “You and Loni continue on your present course. Where are you headed by the way?”
“We are headed to Hamburg to collect the Time weapon,” Banyon replied knowing that Wilk would realize they were not near the desert or Krakow.
“Colt, hold on a second would you,” Wilk suddenly pleaded. He put the phone call on mute when the professor signaled to him.
The professor immediately asked. “Are we headed to the salt mines? I know my way around the place. I also know how to get there quickly.”
“Yes, we are,” Wilk replied. The professor turned around, and sped off to the city of Krakow
“You know, we might not make it there before they close,” Orlich warned, but Wilk was busy counting money in his head. He then took the phone off of mute.
“Can you give me the details?” He didn’t hear the sound of two hands high fiving each other on the other end of the phone.
***
Wilk had barely ended his phone call from Banyon when his phone rang again. He recognized the caller. The man was one of his mercenary leaders. They were the ones after the Time weapon. Ah, he though. It must be more good news.
“What the hell is going on Wilk?” The man screamed into the phone.
“What are you talking about?” Wilk said in an indignant manner.
“You sent me all the way out here to this castle, and told me that all I had to do was take a trinket from a ninety year old asshole. But when I got here, I found the place crawling with cops. No one is getting in there.”
“There are police at the castle?” Wilk said in disbelief.
“It’s locked up tighter than a drum. These guys aren’t ordinary cops, they’re GSG 9 troops. That means a terrorist is involved.
“Terrorist!” Wilk repeated in disbelief.
“Yeah, you heard me right,” the mercenary replied. “My five boys and I are about fifty meters from the entrance. The
cops are GSG 9 alright.”
“Why are they there?” Wilk wondered out loud.
“You owe me Wilk. I spent a lot of money to set up this burglary. Even if I don’t get the trinket, you’re going to pay me or I will come after you. It won’t be pleasant. Do you hear me?”
Wilk thought quickly. Whenever he was in a tight situation, he was more than willing to sell out his own grandmother to save his skin, even if it affected his long term goals. He decided to give up Banyon and Loni. He also decided to take an offensive position.
“I’ve got two people headed to the castle right now, a man and a cute Asian woman. He will know where the talisman is located. They should be there in about three hours. Do what you have to do to get the talisman. I want it back in Warsaw by noon tomorrow. Then you’ll get your money,” Wilk lied. He had no intention of ever paying the man.
“You’d better be right, Wilk. I know where you live,” the man threatened and hung up the phone.
Chapter Three
Detective Conrad Dobbler rushed into the library followed by the entire GSG 9 team. He pointed his gun at the professor who immediately raised his hands in surrender. Dobbler glanced to his right and recognized old man Goss reclining on the wingback chair. He appeared to be taking a nap.
“I’m the one that sent the email,” Professor Crane quickly said. “My name is Professor Albert Crane. This man has kidnapped me.” He pointed to the unmoving man dressed in a Nazi uniform.
Dobbler quickly turned. He pointed his gun at the old man. Ten rifles did the same. “You’re under arrest for allegedly kidnapping this man,” he quickly announced. “Do I have to read you your rights?” But there was no response from the chair.
“I think he is having a heart attack,” the professor noted nervously. Dobbler went to the chair and checked for a pulse.
“He’s not having a heart attack,” Dobbler said.
“He is dead.”
***
While they waited for a forensics team and the coroner, Detective Dobbler sat down with the professor. He began to collect information and to gently interrogate him. It seemed a little too convenient that the kidnapper was dead. Meanwhile, he ordered his men to spread out in the castle. He told them to search for anything suspicious. Reports immediately began to pour in on his hand held radio.
“I’ve found a room that looks like it belongs in a Nazi museum,” one man reported. “It has uniforms, old guns, posters, flags, and maps of the world with Nazi symbols showing occupied territories.”
“Found a bunker,” was the next report. “Looks like someone could hold up here for years.”
Another GSG 9 member reported. “I’ve found some kind of machine shop. You’re not going to believe this, but there is a twenty foot across oval disk in here. It looks like a flying saucer.”
“Something strange was going on here,” a fourth man reported. “The servants are all telling me they are all new. They have been at the castle less than three weeks. They rarely saw the old man. He was usually in the machine shop or at his desk in the library. They were all forbidden to enter the machine shop, and only allowed in the library to deliver food and tidy up. They are saying everything the old man did was a top secret.
Detective Dobbler thought for a second. He had noted all the papers on the old desk. What is all this about? He wondered. He got up and went around to the desk. He began to open drawers. They were filled with paper pads containing complex mathematical calculations that he could not comprehend. He decided to let the experts figure it all out.
“Make sure the forensics people take all the stuff in the drawers,” Dobbler ordered one of the men.
As he closed the last drawer he realized the papers on the desk were covered in writing that was in some ancient language. He decided to find out what the professor knew about that. Once he took the professor’s statement it would be hard to keep him in custody and they might not ever get to the bottom of this mystery.
“Why do you think that Goss kidnapped you?” Dobbler asked.
“Originally, it wasn’t a kidnapping,” Professor Crane explained.
“I don’t understand?”
“He actually hired me to translate some ancient Greek language chants. They are the ones on the desk. But soon after I got here, it became clear he wasn’t going to pay me or let me ever leave the castle alive,” the nervous man replied. “Now I’m out of pocket for all my expenses and the time I spent on this stupid project,” he said with disgust.
The coroner suddenly pronounced Ludwig Goss dead by natural causes. This was good news for Professor Crane.
“Well, you know, now that Goss is dead, he can’t pay you,” the detective told the professor. “But you could always sue the estate in civil court. It looks like he has some assets,” he added as he looked around the room.
“That’s good news, I could really use the money,” Albert Crane replied honestly.
“What was he working on?”
“I’m not sure,” the professor partially lied.
“So, what was he having you translate?” The detective gently inquired.
The professor was not a bad person, but didn’t respond truthfully once again. He wanted more time to study his new possession and try the chant out for himself. He was a quick thinker, and decided to tell another lie. “He claimed a chant would make the saucer in the machine shop fly, but needed a translation.”
“And where is the completed translation?”
“It’s over on the desk top,” the professor replied before he had time to think up a better lie.
“My forensics people are going to be all over these notes you made and also the old man’s calculations, Dobbler quickly stated.
“Do you think that the chant will work?”
“I don’t honestly know,” Professor Crane acknowledged.
“Which one of those papers on the desk has the correct translation?” the detective coyly asked. The professor suddenly realized the policeman had laid a clever trap. He knew any accredited professor of ancient languages would be able to translate the chant just as he had. It would be useless to lie. He needed to supply the correct answer or eventually the police would be back at his door looking for an explanation.
“It’s this one,” the professor said as he grabbed two of the slips of paper. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, there is one way to find out if it is the real one,” the detective said affably.
“How?”
“Come with me,” he ordered a little too strongly and stood up.
***
Soon, they were standing in the machine shop in the back of the castle looking at the large brushed-steel oval space ship. The professor was in awe. I wonder what the old man’s real plan was, he thought.
“According to what you have said, and what we have uncovered so far, the trail leads to this machine.” Detective Dobbler stated. “Why don’t you recite the chant? We’ll see what happens.”
Professor Crane was in near panic. He knew he had the talisman hidden in his jacket pocket. If the chant worked, he might be suddenly whisked away. He was not prepared for that to happen. He was deep in thought when he realized the detective was staring at him strangely.
“Is there some reason why you won’t invoke the chant professor?”
“No, of course not,” the professor replied dismissively.
“Then get to it,” the detective ordered cheerfully.
Professor Crane knew he had no choice. He unfolded the paper and began the chant. He then waved his arms like the instructions indicated. He braced for something dreadful to occur while he closed his eyes.
“Why are you cowering, professor,” he heard the detective say.
“I...I... didn’t know what would happen,” he stuttered.
“Well, as you can see, nothing happened,” the detective pointed out with a wave of his arm.
But something did happen, the professor thought. He slipped his hand down and padded his pocket to make sure. He had no
ticed a green glow from the area as soon as he had waved his arms. The talisman had become activated. It was now gone.
Chapter Four
Loni was once again singing as she pushed the BMW to its limits. She had reset her GPS in her phone and was now heading for the North area of the desert. She was happy when Banyon told her she had come up with a good plan. It only delayed their primary mission by a few hours. She enjoyed being fussed over. He exclaimed they were finally getting on track because of her.
Loni was further pleased because she was going to be able to recover some lost treasure. She knew some of it probably needed to be returned to the rightful owner and the rest would be used to pay their expenses. They were already around a million dollars. But it was the thrill of hunting treasure which really excited her.
Suddenly, she stopped singing.
“You know Wilk is going to be pissed when he goes to the mine and finds it closed. I’m sure he will double-back to the desert. When he finds the other talisman is gone as well. He’ll be on to us then,” she informed Banyon.
“You’re right, we need to keep him away from us as we collect all the talismans,” Banyon agreed. “We won’t be able to use deception any longer. We have to use something else. I wonder what tactic we should use.” Banyon said as he racked his brain for a solution.
“The book on secrecy says that the next step is fear. We need to scare him away from us,” Loni replied.
“But we can’t let him know it is us who is scaring him,”
Banyon continued with the thought. “We still don’t know exactly what he is up to and who he has helping him. I need more answers from Wolf,” he decided.
***
“Wolf, are you there?”
“I’m here. We have a lot to cover, Colt.”
His first question was, “Is Wilk heading to the salt mine?” Banyon knew Wolf had been able to free up a window to watch him.
“He’ll get there long after it closes.” The spirit replied happily.
The Polish Discovery: The Society of Orion 1-3 (Colton Banyon Mystery Book 17) Page 14
