A Dubious Terrain (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 4)

by Gerald J Kubicki

  “But, how does she do it?”

  “I believe it has something to do with a ring.”

  “What ring?”

  “She has a green jade ring that she wears for good luck. It was given to her by her father many years ago. She can conjure whatever you ask for when she wears the ring. I suspect it is a charm from the old country of China. I’m afraid that I can’t tell you much more.”

  “But you do know someone who can help me understand, right?”

  “Of course, talk to the Patel girls. They know these things.”

  “I was going to call them anyway,” Banyon said. There was no reply as he hadn’t asked a question.

  Remembering the need to ask a question, Banyon spoke. “Can the Patel girls help me out of this mess with Agent Gamble?”

  “They’re quite knowledgeable about curses and spells. They are also familiar with old world charms. They will help you, I am sure.”

  “Do you speak to them, Banyon blurted out?

  “This I can’t tell you Colt.”

  “Why?”

  “There are many things going on in the world today. You are involved in some of them, but there are things that you are not involved in. I can’t be more specific.”

  “Well at least tell me this, Do the Patel sisters know about the artifacts?”

  “No. Their goals are different than yours.”

  “What are their goals?”

  “Again, this I can’t tell you.”

  “Okay, but can I trust them with some of these problems?”

  “Colt, they look at you as family. They would do anything for you. All you have to do is ask.”

  “But all they ever want to do is have sex. I have Loni now. It is not an option with them. Will they ever stop attempting to seduce me?

  “I can’t answer that as well. You know that. They have their own curse to deal with.” Banyon was becoming very concerned that Wolf told him what Wolf wanted him to hear and not always the question asked. Why is that?

  “How can I keep them from seducing me?”

  “Why, don’t you marry one of them?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Colton Banyon headed for the bedroom. He wanted to find the jade ring and look at it before he called the Patel sisters. He didn’t know if Loni was wearing the ring now, but it was worth a search to find out. He entered his large bedroom and went to the closet that Loni now used. The closet was a mess. Loni was not the best house keeper and clothes were everywhere. He spied the chest of draws where she kept her jewelry and opened the top draw. Inside he saw a small box. When he opened the box he found another mess. Her jewelry filled the box to the top. He emptied the box on top of the dresser and sifted through the many rings and necklaces and finally found a green jade ring. It was tiny and clearly old. There appeared to be many markings on the outside of the ring. Fortunately he had brought his cellphone and was able to take several pictures of the ring. He quickly sent them to Previne Patel. As he was refilling the box he heard a soft voice.

  “What are you doing?” Loni asked.

  Banyon knew that he could not hide the guilt from her so he lied. “I was just thinking that you might need some new jewelry. Las Vegas is a good place to buy some for you, but I needed to find out what you already had.”

  “You could have just asked, you know,” she replied as she dropped the four shopping bags on the floor of the closet. “It would have been fun to show you what I have already.”

  “Well then please do then,” he replied. “But you have to do it nude.”

  He knew she would immediately agree as she loved to prance around nude in front of him. “But I have to work out yet and then shower,” she negotiated as she stripped of her golf cloths and threw them in the wash basket.

  As he watched her undress, Banyon felt a stirring. “Maybe the workout can wait.”

  “What kind of jewelry did you have in mind for me,” she suddenly asked as her deep brown eyes turned to him.

  “Why, jade of course,” a now in control Banyon replied. “I could only find one piece of jade jewelry in the box.”

  “Oh,” responded Loni. “That would be my charm ring. It is very old. My father gave it to me many years ago as I was leaving Hawaii to come to the mainland. It came from my mother. After she died, he told me that she wanted me to have it.”

  “So, it is a good luck charm?”

  “Yes, daddy said that I should wear it whenever I am doing something important. He said it would protect me and make me valuable to the man I am with. I think that he believed it to be a charm to find a man. But I now have you,” she purred.

  “Yes, you do,” he replied. “Now come over here so that I can welcome you home properly.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Colton Banyon watched from the front window of his office as Loni fired up her little red Porsche and sped off to the gym. He was still excited from their quick visit in her closet. She had happily pranced over to him nude and practically climbed up his bigger body, wrapping her strong legs around his hips. She kissed him deeply and ground her body against him. He was ready to go to the bedroom and attempted to walk in that direction when she had jumped to the floor.

  “I need to workout first,” she reasoned.

  “This would be a good workout,” he lecherously replied.

  “Different muscles,” she countered.

  Banyon chose not to seduce her, although he was sure that he could. After all he did need to speak to Previne. He knew that it was mid-morning in India and he was sure that he could find her. So he simply told Loni to hurry and not to wear herself out. He knew Loni would be gone about an hour and it would give him the time he needed.

  He went to his desk and sat down. He noticed his hands were sweaty and he felt nervous. The Patel clan did that to him all the time. They were great companions. That was true. They were also beautiful, smart, and almost too sexy to resist. That was the basis problem. Whenever any of the three sisters was around him they attempted to seduce him. The more that he resisted the more aggressive they became. He had eventually learned they were under a spell that had been started by their Grandfather Abu. He had the ability to cast spells. He wanted to protect his granddaughters and had placed a spell on them. The spell made them overly attractive to men that were good candidates for marriage. The spell would end when one of them finally captured a man and married him. Banyon had a lot of experience with the Patel sisters.

  He had first met them when he had lived in a condo in the small village of Streamwood, about ten miles from where he now lived in Barrington, Illinois. It had been several years ago. They actually lived next door to him for more than a year. It had all been arranged by Walter Pierce AKA Wolf, before he died. That was before he knew Loni. The sisters were sent to protect Banyon and lead him to his first mystery. Along the way it had been a terrific adventure. Since then, they had helped Banyon solve other mysteries and were a hidden asset for him. However, he now had to be careful as Loni was extremely jealous of the women and they constantly tried to seduce him. Loni did accept their help in solving mysteries, but vowed that they would never be friends.

  Banyon considered what he wanted to say and then hit the speed dial on his phone for Previne. She answered after two rings and he put her on speakerphone. Her voice came through as a clear as if she was in the room.

  “Colt I knew you would call,” she cooed into the phone.

  “You must have gotten the picture that I sent?” he calmly replied. He braced himself against the sexual onslaught he was sure was coming.

  “Yes, I got the picture of a ring. Is this a marriage proposal? Then I accept.” she breathed into the phone. She sounded aroused. Previne like her sisters all spoke with an upper-class British accent, learned in their native India homeland.

  Suddenly Banyon wondered if Wolf really was talking to the Patel sisters. He had just been talking to Wolf about their urgent need to be married to end the curse.

  “I’m afraid not Previne. T
his call is about Loni, you remember her, the woman that I live with. You know, the woman I’m committed to. You know the woman I love and will keep me from responding to your advances?” He sarcastically replied.

  “What a pity,” she replied in a continued sexy cultured voice. “A girl can always hope,” she added.

  “I am still your friend at least, right?” he replied.

  “Of course.” Previne gave a throaty laugh. “It is good to hear from you. Pramilla will be so jealous you called me and not her.”

  “Please tell her not to be jealous,” Banyon diplomatically replied. “I may need help from both of you.”

  Suddenly interested, she replied, “Oh, I can’t wait to see you again. Sister will be so pleased. When are we getting together for a planning session,” she gushed. “Will I need a disguise? Can I at least kiss you?”

  “Previne stop, please,” Banyon ordered.

  “I’m just playing with you, dear Colt. At least let me have that.”

  “I know you are and I do enjoy you all very much, but I have two big problems to solve and also a possible dangerous mystery to unravel.”

  Now serous, Previne asked, “So what is this all about?” Previne Patel was actually an accredited professor of archeology and the curator of the largest museum in New Delhi, India. She was very bright. She had inherited the position from her grandfather.

  “Well let’s just say that it is complicated. Let’s take this one step at a time, okay.”

  “Okay,” but the excitement of talking to Banyon caused her to breathe heavily. Banyon noticed it immediately.

  “The picture I sent you is of a jade ring that Loni owns. It was given to her by her father. I suspected Loni was a witch, but now I think everything has something to do with the ring. What can you tell me about it?”

  Previne now spoke like the professor she was. “I have already looked at the ring. The markings are consistent with other ancient Chinese charm rings I have seen. We have several here at the museum in Delhi. Do you suspect that it has powers?”

  “Yes,” a concerned Banyon answered.

  “Well, this ring could be over a thousand years old. It would be very valuable, priceless to be exact. I don’t know anything about how the powers were granted to these rings, but usually they were meant to help people. What powers do you suspect it has?”

  “Well, her father told her it had been in the family for many generations. He also told her it was a good luck charm and would protect her and be a value to her man.”

  “Yes, yes, that would make sense. But, what specifically does it do?”

  “Loni has had this uncanny ability to produce anything I need, when I need it and as soon as I ask for it. It isn’t big things like guns or cars or anything like that. They are little things like a recorder, or a pen, or even eye drops. It seems she can do this only for me. I believe the ring has that kind of power.”

  “Does she know she is doing it?” Previne asked.

  “No, whenever I have asked her about how she produced the item, she simply says she suddenly remembered she had it in her pocket. I believe her.”

  “Well, Colt, I will tell you all that you have told me is very consistent with the rings I have studied. Can you remember anytime when it might have protected her?”

  “No, I can’t, but she is quite capable of protecting herself and me. She is an expert in most fighting arenas. How can I tell?”

  “That is much harder to determine, but be happily, this is a good thing. Are you going to tell her the ring is magic?”

  “I’m not sure,” replied a confused Banyon. He paused for some time and then asked. “If someone else wore the ring, would they have the same abilities?”

  “Well, yes, I’m sure it would. The charm is tied to the ring not the wearer.” replied Previne. “But, it would only work for the person the wearer loves.”

  “So, you are sure the ring has powers, right?”

  “I wish I had the ring. Then I could do wonderful things for you, my love. It would be so much fun, don’t you think?”

  “Don’t get any ideas Previne. And you can’t tell anyone about the ring, agreed?”

  “As you wish Colt,” a dejected Previne replied.

  “Now let’s move on to my other problem, okay?”

  A less interested Previne answered, “Alright.”

  “I know that your grandfather Abu taught you many spells and curses. Did he ever teach you a spell that would make someone forget?”

  With renewed interest, Previne replied, “Of course. I can make anyone forget anything from their past. What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, Agent Gamble has discovered I can talk to Wolf. He has included us in a major conspiracy to uncover a group of white supremacists that are now part of our government. He believes they are about to attempt to grab more control of the government and he and several others are trying to stop them. My concern is that other people will learn of our gift. That could lead to big problems for Loni and me, especially if the supremacists find out.”

  “Yes, I agree,” she replied. “I could see that as a big problem for all of us Patel’s as well as you two. Are you sure he is the only one that knows about you two? You know he has been to India and asked us many questions. We thought it had to do with our last mystery. But I now realized he was snooping.”

  “I’m pretty sure. He is our only contact for this case and swears he has not given our names to anyone. I think he wants to take all the glory for this caper. I don’t think he would let anyone in on his secret. I do worry though that once we finish this mystery, he will have another mystery for us to solve. Loni and I could become virtual slaves to the government.”

  “And soon they will discover your friends too.”

  “Yes, I’m afraid this will also happen.”

  “Well, what else can you tell me about this conspiracy?”

  “I will tell you, but you must keep this a secret.”

  “I will tell my sisters,” she negotiated. “We may need their help.”

  “Of course, I trust them too.”

  “So tell me already,” an impatient Previne asked.

  “For many years the U.S. government has been hiding artifacts that can’t be explained. Many of these artifacts seem to have supernatural powers. They have been kept in secret facilities around the country.”

  “Like area 51,” Previne interrupted.

  “Yes, that is correct. Well the supremacists have had access to these facilities and have recently commandeered three of the artifacts. Gamble wants us to find them so they can be returned to storage. Some may have awesome powers.”

  “What do they do?” Previne inquired.

  Well, that is part of the problem. We only know about one of the items. The history for the other two items has been wiped clean. We don’t have a clue of what they are capable of, but my instincts tell me they can all be adapted for military use. Anyone with control of these items would have the capabilities of developing a super army.”

  “So you are telling me you don’t know anything about the other items?” a surprised Previne asked.

  “Wolf is working on finding the items. But it could take time and my gut tells me we don’t have much time to find them before they will be used.”

  “What about the artifact that you know about?”

  “It is a Black Diamond that has the power to make people super strong and aggressive. It is very dangerous too. If you hold it too long, well you literally blow up. But if handled right, it prevents anyone from defeating whoever has held the Black Diamond. It seems to absorb energy and can channel it into people.”

  “You could have hundreds of soldiers with super powers,” Previne reasoned. “They would be unstoppable. How can you stop the power of the Black Diamond?”

  “Well there is always the blood of a goat,” replied Banyon.

  After a few minutes of silence, Previne said. “Yes, I have read about such a diamond. It is very ancient history. But the diamond disa
ppeared centuries ago,” replied Previne.

  “It has been hidden most of the time, but it has a colorful resume going back to BC,” replied Banyon. “I actually have a copy of the history. That is how we know the Black Diamond is one of the artifacts.”

  “You have the history of the Black Diamond”, Previne shouted into the phone.

  “That is correct,” he replied. “All the way back to Alexander the Great.”

  “I must read it,” she demanded.

  “I will let you read it if you help Loni and me. Deal?”

  “You had me at ‘hello’,” she answered.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Previne sat at her desk in India, thinking about the phone call from Colton Banyon. He gave her the perfect opportunity to see him again, but she knew she had to be very careful. The Chinese chick, Loni, had her tentacles deep into his flesh. While she wanted Banyon, she could not win him by upsetting Loni. But, she was a very devious person. She already had a plan to keep him close, but would need the sisters help.

  She picked up her phone and called her twin sister Pramilla, they would also conference in Maya.

  “Hello,” Pramilla said from her office at the diplomatic center in the capital. Pramilla was a career diplomat and often used her office to help find artifacts. That was the main goal of the Patel women, find artifacts that belonged to the Indian government.

  “I just got a phone call from my lover,” Previne quickly said.

  “Damn, he didn’t call me,” Pramilla lamented. “I met him first you know.”

  “Stop whining, you are going to see him soon,” Previne teased.

  “How soon? She exclaimed. “My juices are already beginning to flow,” Pramilla teased her back.

  “We need to conference in Maya,” Previne said as she ignored her sister’s comment. Maya lived in the United States and was on the faculty of Stony Brook University on Long Island. She was also a professor of archeology.

  “I’ll do it right now,” Pramilla said as she started pressing buttons on her phone.