EVIL IN THE BEGINNING
THE GOD TOOLS: BOOK 2
Gary Williams and
Vicky Knerly
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2014 by Gary Williams and Vicky Knerly
Previously published by Suspense Magazine
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by AmazonEncore, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and AmazonEncore are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
eISBN: 9781477870501
This title was previously published by Suspense Magazine; this version has been reproduced from Suspense Magazine archive files.
WORKS BY GARY WILLIAMS & VICKY KNERLY
(Listed in chronological order of release)
Death in the Beginning—The God Tools: Book 1
Three Keys to Murder
Before the Proof – A Samuel Tolen short story
Indisputable Proof
Manipulation
Evil in the Beginning—The God Tools: Book 2
Coming in late 2014: End in the Beginning—The God Tools: Book 3
Please visit our web site at
www.williamsknerly.com and join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WilliamsKnerly
DEDICATION
We dedicate this novel to everyone who has ever read a book and become immersed in it.
It’s because of you that we do what we do.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank the following people for their editorial assistance: Les Williams, Janice Brown, Susan Parker, Sonya Ashton, Michelle Marchant, Lollie Townsend, Deborah Wall McGraw, Mark Sorger, Mille Sorger, Jill Johns, Barbara Wood, and Judy Bryski Coady.
As always, thanks to our publicist, Diane Buckner with Blue Tick Communication, LLC. You’ve continued to find new and creative ways to get the word out about our work.
Also, a special thanks to our publisher, Suspense Publishing, led by John and Shannon Raab. We couldn’t be more pleased with our decision over two years ago to work with this fantastic company.
We would like to recognize Dr. Keith Ashley at the University of North Florida for his assistance with information regarding the search for the 1565 settlement of Fort Caroline along the bank of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville.
Thanks to Lollie Townsend (U.S.) and Michelle Marchant (U.K.) for administering a fan page on Facebook. You can join Lollie, Michelle, and other readers who support our work at https://www.facebook.com/wiliamsandknerly.
Lastly, we would like to thank the readers who support our work. 2013 was a banner year for us, and we couldn’t have done it without you. We are forever grateful for your support.
PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF GARY WILLIAMS & VICKY KNERLY
“INDISPUTABLE PROOF”
“It is obvious the amount of research and detail that went into the writing of this story. The writing is creative, thought-provoking and seemingly effortless. I highly recommend this book to all readers. It’s a story that will keep you totally immersed and take you places that will astound you.”
—Marilou George, The Kindle Book Review
“It is indisputable proof that Williams and Knerly are a winning team. The thrills and excitement in “Indisputable Proof” will have you reading its pages faster than a Falcon Hypersonic. We demand more from this dynamic duo—and soon.”
—Rosa St. Claire, Miami Examiner: Best Fiction Books of 2012
“Dan Brown better look over his shoulder—Williams and Knerly are here for his crown. “Indisputable Proof” is an edge-of-the-seat thriller with great storytelling backed by brilliant research.”
—Greig Beck, bestselling author of “This Green Hell” and “Dark Rising”
“An absolute page turner, “Indisputable Proof” takes a middle road between Dan Brown’s breathless cliffhangers and Matthew Reilly’s over the top action adventures to offer a gripping conspiracy thriller.”
—The Rarefied Blogspot
“DEATH IN THE BEGINNING” THE GOD TOOLS: BOOK 1
“This novel is an excellent read. Mixing scientific fact with religious history and the supernatural, it moves readers relentlessly through a suspenseful tapestry of action. Its images are vivid, the characters lively, and their control of the story line makes for a real page-turner. I’m anxious to see their next book.”
—Lloyd H. Muller, author of “Family Tales and Letters” and “Old Ghosts”
“Science, spirituality and the supernatural collide in this break-out debut thriller, with an action-packed storyline so tightly woven, you won’t be able to catch your breath until the very end. It’s a delicious, twisting journey unlike any I have read.”
—CK Webb, co-author of “Cruelty to Innocents” and “Collecting Innocents”
“THREE KEYS TO MURDER”
“ “Three Keys to Murder” is a riveting roller coaster ride, complete with non-stop action, intriguing characters, and an amazing plot line. Up until now, I’ve always thought that “The Da Vinci Code” had the perfect flow for a murder mystery novel, sending the lead character on a quest to connect history with artifacts, but in retrospect, I think “Three Keys to Murder” might just top “The Da Vinci Code.” Thus, if you’re a lover of “The Da Vinci Code,” then Williams’ and Knerly’s novel is a must read! Five stars.”
—Shana Benedict of A Book Vacation Reviews: Favorite Books Read in 2012
“MANIPULATION”
“Even veteran suspense readers will be kept guessing in Williams and Knerly’s gritty new thriller. With more turns than a mountain switchback, “Manipulation” plunges the reader into the blackest depths of the human soul, showing exactly how far some people are willing to go for sex, love and money.”
—Lisa Clark O’Neill, author of “Deception”
“ “Manipulation” is a twisting, turning story exposing the most primal aspects of human behavior. It’s a classic tale of greed and lust, told with a fresh perspective that drives the story at a frenetic pace. You won’t see the ending coming. Williams and Knerly have done it again!”
—Allison Leotta, author of “Speak of the Devil”
“Williams and Knerly have crafted a complex thriller that captures the essence of greed and manipulative conniving, in a story that has more twists and turns than a great Brian DePalma film. Realistic characters, a blistering pace, and the odd bark-out-loud funny will force you to keep turning pages. Bonus points for an engaging and interesting detective that deftly sidesteps the clichés.”
—Kane Gilmour, bestselling author of “Ragnarok” and “The Crypt of Dracula”
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
&nb
sp; CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73
CHAPTER 74
EPILOGUE
AUTHOR’S NOTES
PREVIEW: End in the Beginning
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
PROLOGUE
One of the most famous yet most enigmatic stories of ancient Egypt is the rise to power and death of Queen Hatshepsut. One of few female Egyptian rulers, Hatshepsut ascended to the crown in the 15th century BCE when her husband, Tuthmose II, died after ruling for only a handful of years. Even though Tuthmose II had sired a son, Tuthmose III, through a commoner, the boy was too young to assume the throne. Thus, Hatshepsut was allowed to reign as Queen Dowager.
At the time, a female Pharaoh was unprecedented, but Hatshepsut did not let that stand in her way. She knew she had to establish herself before Tuthmose III came of age and wrestled the crown from her, so she dressed in the typical attire of male Pharaohs and is credited with arranging quests to the land of Punt, in modern-day Somalia, to trade for many items such as ivory and spices. To bolster her legitimacy, she erected an exquisite temple in the Valley of the Kings at Deir-el-Bahri.
Once Tuthmose III came of age, Queen Hatshepsut’s sovereignty grew tenuous. Tuthmose III not only resented his stepmother but also her consort and rumored lover, Senenmut. Queen Hatshepsut commanded a strong enough following that she was able to hold onto power for over 15 years until her death. The exact cause of Queen Hatshepsut’s death remains a mystery, although most scholars believe Tuthmose III had a hand in her demise in order to claim his rightful place as Pharaoh. Not long after burial, Hatshepsut’s mummy was stolen and never recovered.
In 1903, nearly 20 years before famed British archaeologist Howard Carter would discover King Tutankhamun’s tomb, Carter made another discovery of a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb, catalogued as KV60, held the decaying mummies of two women lying side by side. One, in a lidless sarcophagus, had the inscription of Hatshepsut’s wet nurse; the other was anonymous. Because the tomb did not contain royalty, it was virtually ignored.
In 1908, KV60 was subsequently reopened by Edward R. Ayrton and Theodore Davis. It is speculated that they moved the lidless sarcophagus with Hatshepsut’s wet nurse to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, although there is no record of its removal. Nevertheless, it was registered at the museum in 1916. The second, denuded mummy was left on the tomb floor, and the enclosure was resealed.
In 1989, KV60 was reopened by Egyptologist Donald Ryan. Ryan immediately noticed the pose and quality of mummification of the second mummy that had been left in the tomb. It was in a royal female pose with the left arm bent across the chest and the left hand clenched, and the right arm straight alongside the body. This led Ryan to postulate that it was a royal mummy, and quite possibly Queen Hatshepsut. Still, there was no conclusive evidence.
It was the discovery of a molar in a box that would prove to be the smoking gun that solved the mystery. Found in 1881 in a cache of royal mummies, the box intrigued archaeologists because it bore the royal seal of Hatshepsut. A CT scan of the box revealed it contained a tooth, and, indeed, embalmers usually set aside body parts and preserved them in such containers. The tooth matched within a fraction of a millimeter the space of the missing molar in the mouth of the 3,000-year-old mummy called KV60A. In 2007, subsequent DNA testing showed that the tooth in the box matched the mummy left in KV60.
In what many consider the most important Egyptian find since King Tutankhamun, Queen Hatshepsut’s mummy, first discovered in 1903, was verified.
The missing queen had been found.1, 2
* * *
1 Scientific Blogging News Staff. (2007). Mummy of Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut Found. Scientific Blogging. Retrieved from http://www.science20.com/news_articles/mummy_egyptian_queen_hatshepsut_found-2396
2 Pilkington, E., & Tran, M. (2007). Tooth Solves Hatshepsut Mummy Mystery. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jun/27/egypt.science
CHAPTER 1
February 8. 9:47 a.m.
The rocky dirt road ahead seemed to lead to nowhere. Lifeless fields stretched into the distance on either side, waiting for the springtime seeding of corn. Thick snow clouds accumulated on the horizon, blanketing the flat landscape as the rented sedan trundled forward. Samuel Tolen had not seen another vehicle for nearly 20 minutes, and he was starting to get the impression he was slowly driving off the edge of the Earth.
The miles crept by, forever sandwiched between cold and empty corn fields, giving Tolen time to consider Monty Jackson’s claim. The fifth-generation Nebraska farmer had contacted Director Sheila Shaw at the Smithsonian Institute two days before. Tolen had been on assignment in Portugal providing security against antiquities theft at the archaeological dig of a medieval stockpile of weapons. Dr. Shaw had been hesitant to call Tolen back to the States, but Jackson’s claim held enough historical intrigue to persuade her. When Dr. Shaw showed Tolen Jackson’s hardcopy photograph of the tablet, his first reaction was that it was a hoax. The writing, from what they could make out in the grainy image, told a fascinating story that was in direct conflict with carefully catalogued history. In particular, it referenced a cross-oceanic expedition in antiquity. Tolen already knew from his experiences that such a crossing was possible and had, in fact, occurred long before Christopher Columbus or the Vikings. Yet the text on the oversized tablet pointed to a more startling revelation, and to a much older civilization.
The overwhelming odds were that the tablet would prove to be a modern-day fabrication, but if there was a shred of possibility that it was real, that the story depicted on it was true, it was worth the effort to investigate firsthand, which is what Tolen was on his way to do.
Eventually a structure arose in the distance, a multi-story, white, clapboard farmhouse, weathered and aged. It sat some distance o
ff the dirt road on an elevated plot of land. Tolen stopped by a sign at the entrance to a wood-fenced dirt driveway, confirmed the address for Monty and Elsie Jackson, and turned onto the rutted path.
He parked near a brown, beat-up Ford truck consisting of equal parts rust and paint. A porch with pockmarked latticework stretched across the front of the house. Tolen made his way toward the steps at the far end. It was dead quiet, and the still air smelled of chilled dirt. As he approached the wooden steps, he saw that the front door was ajar. The temperature was hovering in the mid-30s; far too cold to leave the door open. Something was wrong.
Tolen reached under his coat and pulled out his Springfield .45. He held it before him watching for any sign of movement inside. One by one, he scaled the cold, creaky steps, attempting to minimize the noise. Once on the porch, Tolen could see into the front room and down a hallway.
“Mr. and Mrs. Jackson? It’s Samuel Tolen with the Smithsonian Institute.”
When he received no response, Tolen turned to survey the expansive yard. A barn rose to the side, detached from the main house. He studied it for a moment looking for any signs of movement.
Tolen had spoken with Monty Jackson an hour ago to confirm the appointment. The man seemed enthused at the opportunity to show Tolen the tablet, obviously hoping for a sizable financial gain by selling it to the Smithsonian. Tolen almost expected the man to be waiting for him in the front yard.
Tolen eased the door open but remained on the porch. “Mr. Jackson? Mrs. Jackson?” He elevated his voice. When he again heard no response, Tolen depressed the doorbell. A loud chime sounded. He pushed it several more times in succession then waited for it to quiet. “Mr and Mrs. Jackson?”
Evil in the Beginning (The God Tools Book 2) Page 1
