A Dubious Artifact (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 6)

by Gerald J Kubicki

  Heller waited one minute before he began to implement his plan. “We need to replace our loss,” he said mournfully.

  All eyes turned to him. “Can’t it wait a little longer,” Barbara Behl pleaded. She was sure that something bad was going to happen to her now that her protector was only a piece of dead meat.

  “The business of the Effort must take precedent over everything personal,” Heller recalled from their bylaws. “We must all make sacrifices for the cause, no exceptions.” The three other members of the inner circle looked at each other and then reluctantly nodded their heads in agreement.

  “Good, then let’s adjourn to the study next door and take care of business,” he held out his hand to show the way.

  As they entered the room they were surprised to see the Effort’s top lawyer seated around the conference table with stacks of paper in front of him. Heller’s plan was already in full swing.

  Heller nodded and the lawyer began to speak. “The first order of business has nothing to do with the cause,” he remarked. “It will be the reading of Henry Fogel’s last will and testament, as duly signed by Henry on the fifth of August. It has been legally filed when he was of sound mind and body,” the lawyer announced.

  “No, this is too fast,” Dr. Behl said as she shook her head.

  “He wanted it this way,” Heller informed her. There was no way to check, but Heller knew that.

  The lawyer began salivating. He stood to make several million dollars for his work on the will. It would only take him about ten minutes. He began to read the words with gusto.

  “For the cause,” the lawyer began. “Henry has donated one hundred million dollars in cash from his Cayman Island holdings. The elected head of the inner circle will have complete control of the money.” All the old men raised their eyebrows. They thought they each would get a piece of the money. But they knew there was plenty more money to come.

  “There is a caveat here,” but we’ll get to that later,” the lawyer added.

  “What’s a caveat?” Dr. Behl said.

  “It’s a stipulation that must be followed, or the money goes to a charity,” the lawyer noted.

  “A charity,” she exclaimed with horror as her hand went to her throat.

  Pushing ahead, the lawyer continued. “Secondly, he leaves David Heller, his surrogate son,” the lawyer paused for emphasis and looked up over his reading glasses. All the people at the table knew that Fogel favored Heller, but were surprised he called him his surrogate son. “He leaves David this house and all the furnishings. In addition, he bequeathed the sum of one million dollars per year for life, administrated by my office,” the lawyer grinned. He could see the administrative fees rolling upward before his eyes. “There’s also a caveat here as well.”

  “I’m surprised,” Heller lied. He knew full well what was in the will.

  The lawyer then droned on about gifts to the bodyguard, several house staff members and several others. It took seven minutes just to mention them all. Dr. Behl sat in stunned disbelief. She had not received anything.

  “Finally,” the lawyer continued and stopped for a drink of water. “Henry left the remainder of his estate to his granddaughter Barbara Behl.”

  “How much are we talking about?” she quickly asked as excitement entered her brain.

  “The remainder of his estate is estimated at one point one billion dollars,” the lawyer looked at her and smiled.

  Barbara gasped and nearly fainted. “I’m rich,” she exclaimed.

  “Congratulations at becoming the worlds’ newest billionaire,” the lawyer said.

  The old men showed no reaction, but all three were seething inside. They had expected more from their long time comrade.

  “What about the caveats?” one old man suddenly inquired.

  “Yes, of course,” the lawyer replied. “The caveats for both the cause and David Heller are both the same.”

  “Get on with it man,” the angry old man blustered as he raised his cane.

  “Both parties will receive their gifts only if Barbara Behl is awarded a seat in the inner circle of the Effort.”

  All three old men were suddenly agitated. “Not going to happen,” one announced with disgust.

  Another stomped his cane on the floor, “This is outrageous.” David Heller didn’t say anything.

  “My grandfather did take care of me,” Dr. Behl gushed. “He did,” she repeated as she clasped her hands together in joy.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Banyon, Maya, Agent Gamble, and Loni along with Tom Cruickskank were all standing behind a four foot high cinder block wall at the back of the Fogel estate. They had met up and proceeded to a parking lot in the woodlands area and then worked their way to the wall. Gamble and Banyon held field glasses and were studying the back of the large house. It was fifty yards away. Tom was studying Maya and especially the black clad Loni. It was clear he was taken by her sexy outfit.

  “Do you guys often work in the field?” he asked Maya. She was standing close to the OIG agent.

  “Whenever we have to,” Maya said with a shrug. “Don’t worry. We have been on several missions with this group. We are experienced.”

  “I like the action,” Loni added. “I’m former FBI, you know.” Loni had added a black cloth bag on a strap across her body to carry the artifact. She also put on special black gloves that had little suction cups on the fingers to give her a better grip. She continued to bend and flex much to the delight of the OIG agent. She didn’t notice him, she was all business and zoned out his stare.

  “It’s almost time Loni,” Banyon noted. She jumped over to his side and stared at the back of the house, ready for any last minute instructions.

  “I’m ready,” she replied while shaking her arms and legs to stay loose.

  “See off of the patio to the left,” Banyon pointed. “There is a trellis you can climb and get onto the upstairs balcony.”

  “I see it,” she said.

  “The office is right behind the balcony door.”

  “Piece of cake.”

  “But it might be locked. Do you have your lock picks?”

  “Taped to my sleeve.”

  She only carried one more piece of equipment. Agent Gamble gave her a small item that she wore like a watch. It was a sensitive jamming device and would deactivate all the ground sensors within ten yards of her. Electronically, she would be invisible on this mission. Other than that, she carried no weapons. She wanted to be completely stealthy.

  “Now, remember, get in and get out as fast as possible,” Banyon looked her straight in the eye.

  “I’ll be back before you can blink,” she said.

  He then kissed her on her head.

  Suddenly, Agent Gamble reached for his cellphone. He had put it on vibrate when they had entered the woodlands.

  “What?” they all heard him say. After a few seconds, he said, “Get into their rooms and see what you can find out about them.” He abruptly hung up the phone and turned and looked at Loni.

  “You’d better go now. The Chinese have left the hotel. My agent following them thinks they are headed here.”

  Banyon quickly turned and said. “Wait, I have got to go to the bathroom,” and ambled off into the bushes.

  Loni looked at him as he departed. “Bathroom. Now. Really?” She was frustrated with Banyon and stood with her hands on her hips.

  Maya quickly said, “Maybe he is checking with a higher calling,” meaning that Banyon wanted to talk to Wolf, but didn’t want Tom to know. Maya slid her eyes towards Tom who continued to stare at Loni.

  “Oh,” she said forming an oval with her mouth.

  ***

  As soon as Banyon was hidden from view, he spoke out loud. “Wolf can you give me an update?” He knew that Wolf could not tell him the future, but could tell him what was happening right now.

  “I have three things to report,” Wolf formally replied. “First is that Fogel is dead. He died about thirty minutes ago. I am
so pleased. We have already accomplished my mission, but there now are more missions to undertake.”

  Ignoring the last part of Wolf’s statement, Banyon asked. “What about the Chinese, are they headed here?”

  “That is my second bit of information. There are seven of them and they are armed. They will be here in less than twenty-five minutes. You should leave before they get here, they have violent histories.”

  “What is the third thing?”

  “Because Fogel just died, there are other members of the inner circle of the Effort in the house along with bodyguards.”

  “How many men?”

  “Fourteen armed men.”

  “My god,” Banyon muttered. “There is going to be a major shoot out when the Chinese get here. Will they fight?”

  “The Chinese will stop at nothing,” Wolf noted.

  “Is the artifact still on the desk in the office?”

  “It is still there. But there is an additional development.”

  “What?” Banyon asked as his forehead furrowed.

  “Barby Behl has just become the newest billionaire in the world.”

  ***

  “We’ve got twenty-five minutes before the Chinese storm the building,” Banyon reported as he skidded to a stop at the wall.

  “That’s not much time, if the artifact has been moved,” Maya noted.

  “It hasn’t, but Loni go now,” Banyon ordered.

  Loni backed up a few feet and started running. She hit the wall on the fly and seemed to slither over like a salamander. Within seconds she was sprinting towards the back of the house. Everyone crowded to the wall to watch.

  “How do you know the Chinese will be here in twenty-five minute?” Tom asked Banyon.

  “I’ve driven the route,” he replied casually.

  “So, it is just a guess then?” Tom said.

  Banyon ignored him. “Greg, we could be in for some trouble too. There are several other Effort people in the house,” Banyon informed Agent Gamble.

  “How do you know that?” a very suspicious Tom asked.

  “Fogel died a little while ago. There were several people by his side. They are still in the house. Get your camera ready, Tom; you may have hit a goldmine.”

  Tom turned towards Banyon. “And how preciously do you know that?” Everyone nervously looked at Banyon.

  “The announcement was on my phone,” Banyon waved the powerful cellphone at the OIG agent.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Meanwhile, back inside the house the Effort’s secret meeting continued. After the lawyer had finished reading the will, he passed out several documents to be signed by everyone in the room. He then told them to take a five minute break while he notarized the documents and put them in order. Barbara sat starry-eyed in the realization of her success. She was lost in a fantasy. She dreamed of yachts, weight watching spas, and movies. She wanted to see a lot of movies and could afford to do so now. The old men said nothing, but continued to stare at her with hatred. Heller noticed and immediately got up from his place and went over to the old men. Using whispered phrases he got them to smile.

  ***

  “Alright, let’s get to the second order of business. It is the election of a new member of the inner circle.” The lawyer then opened the floor for discussion.

  “I nominate Barbara Behl,” David Heller said with a broad smile.

  “I second it,” one of the old men said.

  “Let’s have a vote of hands?” the lawyer asked. Everyone raised their hands. It was done in just a few seconds.

  “Do you accept the position?” the lawyer asked her.

  Barbara could not believe her good fortune. The one thing she had fought for her whole life was suddenly hers. She was now part of the inner circle, the governing body, the highest honor; she was now in a leadership role of the Effort.

  “Yes, I most certainly do.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The night was dark, eerie and silent. A layer of fog rolled across the woodlands and Fogel’s back yard. The only sound that could be heard was the constant thumping of Loni’s running and her short gasps of air. She weaved around trees and bushes in the yard with her hair trailing, and her strong legs pumping. She blasted a tunnel like hole in the mist, pulling some of it behind her. As advertised, the sensors turned off as she zipped past. When she reached the patio, she slipped into a small recess that was completely dark. She stood there trying to catch her breath.

  Banyon had moved down the wall and away from the group. He wanted to be able to talk to both Loni and Wolf without the OIG agent hearing. There was no need for him to know Banyon had an eye in the sky.

  “Loni are you okay?” he asked as she disappeared in the darkness.

  “I’m fine, just a little winded,” he heard her breathlessly reply.

  “You are an amazing runner,” he said and meant it.

  “Thanks Colt. I’m heading up the trestle now.” He saw her emerge from her hiding place and begin to scale up the wall like a monkey.

  “Wolf, any updates?” he whispered.

  “Barbara Behl is now a member of the inner circle of the effort,” was the immediate reply.

  “I’m a little concerned. Where is all this happening?”

  “Main floor, second window, from the end, of the right wing,” Wolf directed him. Banyon moved his glasses and could see shadows moving about inside the room behind sheer white curtains.

  “What is going on? Are they having a meeting?”

  “The business of the Third Reich must go on,” he sarcastically answered. “Now that Fogel is dead, the vultures are swooping in.”

  “How about the balcony door, is it unlocked?”

  “It is always unlocked,” Wolf replied. Banyon passed the good news to Loni.

  “Wolf is there any activity in the office room where Loni is going?”

  Wolf dutifully replied. “None at the moment.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Before we can formally install you as a member of the inner circle, there are several documents you must sign,” the lawyer slid the first one over to Barbara Behl.

  “What documents?” she asked.

  “Well, the first is your resignation from Homeland Security,” the lawyer said without hesitation.

  “But…but?” she looked at Heller who was also a member of the inner circle and also a member of Homeland Security.

  The lawyer cut her off. “It is required,” he pressed her. “Besides, do you really want to work anymore? Think of all the things you now are free to do.”

  Barbara stared at the lawyer for a moment, she then shrugged her shoulders. “You’re right. I’ll have more fun now.” She picked up her pen and signed the document without reading it. The lawyer quickly snatched it before she could change her mind.

  This prompted Heller to get up and leave the room. In the hallway, he talked to his bodyguard. Heller whispered, “Go get the cylinder, I need it right now.”

  One of the other bodyguards quickly said, “I’ll go with you.” The two bodyguards left immediately and headed for the office.

  It was just as Loni entered from the balcony.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Banyon watched through his field glasses. He saw Loni reach the upper level and climb over the short wooden railing surrounded the balcony. She tiptoed over to the double French doors and peered inside. She then grabbed the handle and slowly opened the door. Suddenly, she was inside the house and closed the door.

  She slipped through the drapes and was inside. She stood without moving, taking in the whole large office. There was only one accent light on in the big room. It was on the far wall, but managed to cast shadows everywhere. Light did spill in from a hallway off to the right, but added nothing to help in her search area. She didn’t immediately see the cylinder and began a professional visual search, section by section. It took her five minutes to locate the right desk. There were several around the office. There sitting in the middle of the d
esk, just as Wolf described, was the artifact.

  “Found it,” she whispered into her earpiece. “It is just across the room. I should have it in a few seconds.”

  “Loni hide,” Banyon screamed into her earpiece. She immediately stepped back behind the heavy drapes that went across the French doors.

  “Why?” she whispered.

  “There are two men heading your way, they are coming for the cylinder,” Banyon frantically replied.

  Loni looked at the desk only a few feet away and considered grabbing the artifact and making a run for it. It was her impulsive nature, but noticed the shadows of the men coming down the hallway. She decided to hide instead. She stepped to the side against the door jamb behind the drapes and became a dark statue instead.

  She was warned because Banyon had been asking Wolf for an update every few seconds. This time, Wolf quickly said that two men were heading her way and they intended to take the artifact.

  “Two men have entered the room and are taking the artifact,” Banyon nearly yelled to the rest of the team behind the wall. His tension was so high, he didn’t even think about the noise.

  “Is Loni in danger?” Agent Gamble asked.

  “They haven’t seen her yet,” Banyon replied.

  “Then we sit tight,” Agent Gamble said through gritted teeth.

  ***

  The men casually entered the room and didn’t even look around the shadowy space. They proceeded to the desk and one hefted the artifact, tossing it playfully in the air. Loni could hear what he said, as she peered through a slit in the drapes.

  “Why does Heller want this now?” the other bodyguard asked.

  “He is putting on a show for Dr. Behl,” Heller’s bodyguard answered with a sly grin on his face.

  “None too soon for me. I have never liked that bitch,” the other bodyguard said. “Hey, do you mind if I take a few pictures of the artifact?”