The Secret of the Stones

by Ernest Dempsey

  The man nodded and quickly exited the room.

  “I hope, Thomas, that you are correct.” He raised the gun back up until the cold, black barrel was pressed firmly against Tommy’s temple. “Because if you are trying anything funny, you know what I will do.”

  25

  Cartersville

  “Mormons?” Sean blurted out. “What do they have to do with this?”

  Joe’s head turned from side to side as Allyson continued Sean’s line of thinking, “Yeah. Are you talking about the Latter-day Saints…those Mormons?”

  “The very same.”

  “All right,” Sean jumped back in. “Enlighten us.”

  Again, their host took on the look of an avid storyteller. “You see, right about the same time the Indians were moving west, the newly formed and heavily criticized Mormon Church was facing an exile of its own. Their founding leader, Joseph Smith, along with his brother, had been murdered by an armed lynch mob.

  “Brigham Young and other church leaders, seeing that the denomination was faced with a great deal of prejudice due to their unconventional beliefs, decided that moving west to a place where they could govern themselves would be in the best interest of all their members. So that is exactly what they did.”

  “And by west, you mean Utah?” Allyson knew a little about the history of the Mormon Church. One of her best friends was a Latter-day Saint.

  “Eventually, yes. Of course, Utah now has more active members than anywhere else in the world. That is where their headquarters is located, as well as their great temple.” Gaining momentum, Joe went on, “However, early on in their migration, they had intermittent periods in the Midwest, settling briefly in Missouri and Oklahoma.”

  Sean had to interrupt. “Wait a minute…Oklahoma?” He paused for a second, putting the pieces together. “Are you saying that the Mormons helped the Indians move their gold out west?”

  “That is exactly what I am saying. And all you have to do is look at the history of the two groups of people to understand that it is not only plausible…it’s dang well probable!”

  “Really? You honestly think that the Mormons took the risk of helping the Natives move all that gold?” Sean couldn’t buy into this new idea. “What would keep them from turning it in to the authorities or just keeping it for themselves?”

  “Look at the facts, my friend. First and foremost, the Indians didn’t take all of it at once or to one location. The only thing we do know for certain is that no one has found it since the Cherokee were removed from the area. Fact number two: If the gold was here, and we are assuming it was, there was no way those Indians could have removed it without some kind of assistance. And who better than a group of Christians who themselves had nothing to lose?

  “Mormons could come and go as they pleased for the most part, ministering to the Cherokee, helping them with their ailments, or trying to comfort them. The soldiers escorting the Natives would not even think that the innocent church members would be trying to aid the Natives in sneaking their gold out of the South. It was the perfect cover.”

  “So,” Allyson cut in, “how did the Cherokee people know they could trust the Mormons? I mean, who’s to say that these Christians that were helping them wouldn’t just take the gold and run?”

  “Excellent question, Allyson.” He raised his finger in acknowledgement. “First of all, John Ross, the leader of the Cherokee nation, knew several Mormons as personal friends. He had even briefly studied the religion while in Washington, D.C., after hearing some congressmen talking about the Mormon group being dangerous to the true Christian morals of the country. So, Ross knew a little about their belief system.”

  Joe twisted open a bottle of water he’d brought from the kitchen and lifted it to his mouth to take a swig. After screwing the cap back on, he resumed. “Now, one of the most interesting ideas the Mormon Church has presented to the world is that the Native Americans were, and still are, the lost tribe of Israel.”

  Sean and Allyson looked at each other and then back at McElroy. It was Sean that spoke up. “Lost tribe of Israel?”

  “Yep. They believed that the Cherokee were part of missing tribe of Israelites, lost Jews, if you will. Apparently, the tribe had left the kingdom at some point and had traveled west. John Ross knew about this belief. He also knew the troubles that this group of radical Christians was having. So, in a last-ditch effort to save the ancient tribal fortune, he contacted some of the leaders of the Mormon Church and made them a deal.”

  “What kind of deal?” Allyson poked.

  Nodding, Sean agreed, “Yeah, the Cherokee hardly seemed in a position to make a deal with anyone, Christian or otherwise.”

  “True, but don’t underestimate religious values of the zealous. The Mormons held the Indians in the highest regard. They were treated almost like living saints.” He stood and walked over to the fireplace and stoked the flame with the black metal poker a few more times before saying, “And let’s not forget, the Cherokee had something that every church in the world seems to crave: money.”

  “So, you are saying the Mormons helped siphon off millions in gold right under the noses of the federal government?” Sean was still skeptical.

  “Absolutely. But there is something you need to remember about the relationship between the Mormon Church and the Native Americans.”

  “Which is?”

  “They both needed each other. The Indians were treated like animals, and the Mormons were outcasts. Without the Mormons, the Cherokee would not have survived the journey west, nor would they have been able to salvage their treasure. Likewise, the Mormons would have faced annihilation at the hands of other tribes as they moved farther west had they not possessed something that would ensure their safe passage.”

  “What do you mean by that last sentence?” Allyson was intrigued. “What did the Mormons have that would keep them safe from other tribes?”

  Joe persisted, “Look at the history of all the white settlers that went west. There are literally hundreds of stories of Indian attacks on the wagon trains. Everyone knows about them. But there is not a single recorded incident of any tribe ever attacking a Mormon settler or a group of Mormons. Why do you think that is?”

  Allyson and Sean looked at each other again, wondering what the answer was.

  Joe answered the question for them, “Remember the local stories I told you about the gold bars? There was a symbol on each yellow brick, right?”

  They both nodded.

  “John Ross told the Mormon leaders that if they would use that symbol in their wagon trains and show it to any Indian they came across, their people would be granted safe passage.”

  “So, there was a universal symbol that every Native tribe in the country knew and acknowledged?” Sean still wasn’t convinced.

  “Look through the history books, buddy. I can’t make this stuff up. There was not a single recorded Indian attack on Mormon settlers, ever. Seems a little odd, doesn’t it?”

  “So the gold that the Mormons were smuggling kept them safe from being attacked by all tribes?” Sean still didn’t see how it was possible.

  “It wasn’t the gold that was so important. What every tribe respected was the symbol on the gold.”

  “And what exactly was this symbol?”

  Joe smiled as he replied, “It was the same one that is on that medallion.”

  26

  Atlanta

  The phone on the other end rang another time before the voicemail came on the receiver. Morris had attempted to call Sean Wyatt’s cell phone three other times without success. Sean was either ignoring the call, or he was in a place where wireless service was poor. He doubted it was the latter.

  Tired and frustrated, Trent had left the scene of the double homicide hoping that he could at least talk to Wyatt. The voicemail beeped after a short message. “Hey, Mr. Wyatt. Trent Morris here from Atlanta PD. Please give me a call back as soon as you get this. I have a few more questions I want to ask you. I appreciate your he
lp. Thanks.”

  He flipped his phone closed and tossed it into the empty passenger seat. The Charger veered from the middle lane of the interstate over to the far right lane as his exit approached on the right up ahead. Fatigue was starting to get to him, and his eyes seemed to get heavier by the second. Fortunately, other cars were sparse at this time of night. He maneuvered up the exit ramp leading toward home.

  As he turned at the stoplight, a thought occurred to him. Reaching over, he picked up the phone again and pressed some numbers. A few seconds later, someone answered on the other line, “Homicide.”

  Recognizing the voice on the other line, he said, “Lynch, it’s Trent Morris. I need you to do me a favor. You busy?” He imagined the young detective sitting alone at his desk, the rest of the police department having long since disappeared for the night. They always kept someone on hand, though, for emergencies.

  “Nah, Trent. You know the routine. Pretty much just sitting here playing solitaire. What’s up?”

  “Hate to interrupt you,” he replied with a laugh, knowing he’d done the same thing ten years ago. “There’s something I want you to take a look at.”

  “Hit me.”

  “Look up any known associates that Sean Wyatt might have, other than Thomas Schultz. I’m trying to figure out where this guy may have gone today.”

  “You want me to just look up people he knows within a certain radius?” The young cop was efficient. Morris liked that.

  “Yeah. And see if you can get any outgoing flight information from Hartsfield International.” He added, “I know that the IAA has their own private jet, but it could be that they decided to take a commercial plane. It’s unlikely, but check it out anyway.”

  The other end of the line was quiet for a second as Lynch was busy jotting down all the information that Morris wanted. “All right, sir. Anything else?”

  “I think that about covers it.” Then he had another thought, “Oh, Lynch, go ahead, and check to see if his cars have LoJack. We might get lucky and be able to trace exactly where he is.”

  “Okay. Anything else? Fries? Milkshake?”

  Trent released a forced laugh. “No. I’m good.”

  “Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you so interested in Sean Wyatt’s whereabouts? Do you think he might be connected to the Schultz kidnapping?”

  Deciding that it would be okay for the younger cop to know a little, he simply answered, “Possibly. Just get me that info as soon as possible. You have my cell number?”

  “Yes, sir. Got it right here.”

  “Good. Call me when you get something.”

  “Okay.”

  “Oh, and Lynch…” Morris added.

  “Yeah?”

  “Don’t mention this to anyone. I’m not sure what is going on, but I don’t want too many people to know where we’re snooping.”

  “Ten four.”

  Morris hung up the phone as he pulled the car into his driveway. A few moments later, he was stumbling through the door like a drunk on a binge. He laid his keys down once again on the counter in the kitchen. “What a day,” he sighed, making his way into the bedroom without even turning on any lights. He let the softness of the mattress take him in as his body collapsed onto the bed.

  27

  Cartersville

  Allyson looked skeptical, squinting her eyes slightly.

  “There’s something else you need to realize about the Mormons’ relationship to the Indians,” Joe went on. “Remember, I mentioned they believed that Native Americans were actually the lost tribe of Israel.”

  “What do you mean by lost tribe?” She was apparently unfamiliar.

  Sean turned to her to explain. “The Church of Latter-day Saints believes that American Indians were actually a lost tribe of Israel from Biblical times. Although there are only a few vague scriptural references to such a group, the founding fathers of the church believed this firmly.”

  Joe nodded in agreement. “Joseph Smith, the man who created the Mormon doctrine, claimed that while he was out in the woods one day, an angel came to him and told him to dig a hole. The angel said that he would find something amazing if Smith would do as he was told.

  “Smith said that he eventually found two golden plates with strange inscriptions on them. On these plates, were supposedly the lost scriptures about Christ’s ministry to the Americas.”

  “So what happened to these golden plates?” She asked.

  “No one knows,” Joe replied. “In fact, Smith claimed that only he was allowed to see them. Many people were suspicious of such a claim. Smith had been a known charlatan. But some did believe him and supported his new ideas. This was essentially how the Church of Latter-day Saints came about.”

  The picture was becoming a little clearer. Still, neither Sean nor Allyson was certain.

  Joe could tell they weren’t sure, so he nailed home his main point. “You see, whether the Mormon beliefs are correct or not doesn’t matter to us. What matters is that they basically revered the Native Americans, almost as if they were gods among men. Some Mormons even believed that the Indians were actually angels.”

  Sean put it all together to make sure he understood. “Ah. So if the people of the church helped the Indians or angels, as was believed, they would be rewarded by God.”

  “Correct.” Joe smiled as he saw the realization on both of their faces.

  “Now, the final piece of the puzzle is also the first piece,” he went on. “You see, it all comes back to the four Golden Chambers. Thousands have fought and died, searched and sacrificed, all to find the lost rooms of Akhanan. I would say that you two are probably closer than anyone has been in two thousand years. But before you can take the final step, you have to learn why it is that the chambers exist.”

  “I thought you said they were ceremonial, used by the ancient Indians of the land,” Sean stated.

  “Nope,” the grin never left the scruffy face. “I only said that was what everyone else believes. The real reason they are here goes much deeper.”

  He turned all the way around, facing his computer. “How do you think the Native Americans got to this continent?”

  The guests waited, unsure if the question was rhetorical or not. Sean decided to answer. “The mainstream historical theory as to how the Native Americans arrived is that they came across an ice bridge up in the Bering Sea.” He felt no reason to ask any more questions since there was a creeping feeling answers were coming soon anyway.

  “Correct,” Joe said, a mischievous look on his face.

  Sean continued, “But Tommy never believed that. In fact, when he discussed it with me several years ago, I had to agree that story did not make a whole lot of sense.”

  “And why is that?”

  Allyson leaned in closer to listen.

  “Well, it would take extremely low temperatures, even for an ice age, to cause that amount of sea water to freeze over to the point where those two particular land masses could be connected.”

  “Good point.” Joe took a sip from his fresh cup of coffee. “And it hardly seems that anyone would have been living up in Siberia at that point, much less have been able to survive the temperatures in that area during an ice age. And then, of course, the crossing of an ice bridge in itself would have posed many dangers. It is much more probable the Natives that settled in this part of the world would have arrived by a different means than some fanciful frozen ice overpass.”

  At this point, Allyson had to speak up, “What exactly are you saying? If the Indians didn’t arrive that way, then how did they do it?”

  “Sean, you want to take this one, or should I?” The man’s voice had somehow become even livelier with the current discussion.

  “By all means, you’re the expert.” Wyatt motioned with this hand, telling his friend to go ahead.

  “First of all, we need to ask ourselves, why would a group of people from such a far-off land come here to begin with?” He waited for a second before continuing. “Throughout hi
story, there have been many reasons people left their home countries. However, persecution is one of the primary reasons. Heck, the United States is here because colonists from Europe wanted religious freedom. So, they loaded up their boats and sailed west.”

  “Are you saying the Indians came here to escape religious tyranny?” Allyson interrupted.

  “Not at all,” Joe stated quickly before moving on to his next point. “The other main reason that people have left their Native lands throughout history was to establish larger kingdoms. Empire expansion was a necessity. Manifest Destiny has essentially been the motto for every major nation since the dawn of time.”

  “So, were the Native Americans settlers from an empire across the sea?” she continued the questioning.

  “You got it. And it’s going to blow your mind which empire they came from.” Joe looked at Sean and then back at Allyson. “The crazy thing is, our biggest clue has been sitting right here in our back yard for nearly four thousand years.”

  Turning back to the computer, he pulled up a website that apparently had information about the history of the ancient Native Americans. After entering a few words, a new page came up under the heading of Fort Mountain. “Now, this place is fascinating. Sean, I know you have heard of it.”

  Wyatt nodded in agreement.

  Joe pointed to a picture on the screen of a rock fortification, “This stone wall stretches for about 795 feet on the top of a mountain near the town of Chatsworth, Georgia. It isn’t a wall in the sense you might think because there was no mortar used; the rocks were just piled on top of each other.”

  “Why is it there?” Allyson inquired.

  “That’s the funny thing about it. It’s like our very own Stonehenge. For decades, no one has been able to understand its purpose. It isn’t a defensive wall because it’s linear.” Pointing at the computer screen, he showed the two of them an overhead diagram of the wall stretching like a crooked snake across the top of the mountain. “No one would build a wall like that if they wanted to defend themselves. With no cliffs or precipices on the sides, the enemy could just walk around behind it.”