A Dubious Curse (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 8) Read online

  “I understand,” Pramilla said reluctantly, pouting like a little girl. “Well, at least ask Wolf about the alien while we are waiting,” Pramilla suggested with a coy smile on her pretty lips. Lisa perked up in the back.

  “Yeah, ask him?”

  “Wolf, what can you tell us about the alien?” Banyon asked. “Is she a real alien?”

  “Well you haven’t given me much time,” Wolf complained. “I’m working several searches for you already.”

  “What have you got so far?” Banyon asked impatiently.

  “It appears she came out of a mine shaft near the town of Ely, Nevada. That was three days ago. That’s about a hundred miles away from Rachel. She has been traveling southeast since then.”

  “Did she have a staff with her?” Lisa was concerned about a weapon.

  “She only had some food and water in a canvas bag with her when she left the mine. She has avoided people since then. She had entered Rachel only because she had run out of food. It appears she was hungry and thirsty. Can I get back to work now?”

  “We’d better tell Loni and Previne,” Pramilla said.

  Banyon relayed the information to the women in the jeep, using Pramilla’s phone. Before they could comment, his cell phone rang. It was Bart.

  “I’ve got to run, it’s Bart on the other phone,” Banyon stated, handing the phone to Pramilla.

  “Got your message,” Bart said.

  “Good, can you get to the location quickly? Don’t mention any names,” Banyon quickly added.

  “Why so much secrecy?” the lawyer asked.

  “We are being monitored,” Banyon replied. “I’ll explain it all when I see you. Is everything prepared?”

  “Locked up tight-as-a-drum with provisions to last a week. It took a little work, but everything is ready,” Bart told him. Banyon had made Bart responsible for the hideaway during his call the night before. He was pretty sure they would need a hideaway, and he didn’t want Harold to be able to track the setup. Bart had done things like this before and had instantly provided the solution although it had been expensive.

  “Okay, see you in about an hour,” Banyon told him and hung up the phone.

  arry Bass was sitting in a car just two blocks from Banyon’s house. He had ten heavily armed men and two additional cars with him. On his father’s instructions, he had collected the men and set up an ambush to collect the book when the Indian chick finally returned. He was once again, listening to his father rant. He had made the mistake of asking if anything was new.

  “Those goddamn bastards are up to something,” Harold roared into his ear. “I don’t think they intend to return to the house. They are going someplace else and they haven’t given me a place yet,” Harold roared. “This guy Banyon is just talking about some bullshit plan called ‘Plan G-string’.”

  “‘Plan G-String’, huh? Why would you name a plan ‘G-string’?” Barry casually asked. The other two men in the car perked up.

  “What about a G-string?” the man sitting next to him quickly asked. “Do you see one nearby?” He began rotating his head.

  “Oh, nothing,” Barry responded to him as he tried to listen to Harold.

  “That bitch, Lisa, and that bastard, Banyon, are just sitting by the side of a road in the desert. He’s mostly talking on the cell phone to his friends. I’ve changed screens to find his friends’ location, but they are all traveling to somewhere, and I don’t think it is where you are,” Harold screamed in Barry’s ear.

  “Should we move?” Barry turned up the radio and whispered.

  “Can’t send you anywhere until I know where they are going,” a frustrated Harold replied.

  “Why don’t you check on the progress of the book?” Barry suggested.

  “I’ll be back in about five minutes,” Harold replied. Barry had requested him to check where the book was, so the old man would not be watching Barry or Lisa for the moment. Barry didn’t like that the old man could see them.

  He was glad Harold could not read his thoughts. He had already decided that no matter what, he was not going to let Lisa get hurt. He cared too much for her. Harold didn’t need to know that. He’d decided to get the damn book and turn it over to one of the other members of the Effort. Then he and Lisa would disappear. He was sure he could convince her.

  He picked up his phone to make a clandestine call and dialed her number.

  revine spotted the turnoff for Lake Mead and told Loni they would be there in ten minutes. Loni was still in the backseat, trying to feed the alien some food and water. She kept her gun trained on the creature, but found it very awkward to pour water into her open, begging mouth, because she was handcuffed.

  “I’m taking the cuffs off,” she yelled to Previne.

  “Are you sure?” Previne replied nervously. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “She still is almost naked, and there will be men there. She has not given any signs of being hostile. I want her to eat something,” Loni responded.

  “If she kills us, you’re responsible,” Previne shot back.

  Loni moved the alien forward and unzipped the cuffs. The alien nodded in appreciation. She reached for the food Loni had brought out from her bag and selected an orange. She ate hungrily. Loni tossed her a white tee-shirt she had pulled out of Previne’s bag. The creature quickly pulled it over her head and reached for a banana.

  “She seems more like us than an alien,” Loni reported from the backseat.

  “It could be a ploy,” Previne warned.

  The alien rubbed her stomach and once again, nodded. It looked to Loni like she was thanking her for the food. She smiled at Loni and pointed to Loni’s cellphone.

  “I think she wants my cellphone,” Loni yelled to Previne.

  “Don’t give it to her,” Previne ordered. “She might be able to draw power from it or direct some death ray at us.”

  Loni was curious and, of course, impulsive. She handed the alien her phone.

  The alien quickly zipped through the menu and accessed the Internet. She found a picture and showed it to Loni. The alien rubbed her stomach and grinned at Loni.

  “It’s a picture of a hamburger,” Loni yelled to Previne.

  anyon and the two women were passing the time in the air-conditioned jeep by having Lisa explain, or rather, lecture, about the Vrilya and what a Gy was, when her phone rang.

  “It’s Barry Bass,” she said with astonishment. Banyon could see a flush of excitement in the rearview mirror. “Should I answer it?”

  “That’s up to you,” Banyon replied after a few seconds. “He can’t do us any harm over the phone. I’m sure he already knows where we are. Put him on speakerphone. Maybe he will give us some information.”

  “Barry, what the hell is going on?” Lisa demanded as soon as she answered the phone. Banyon noticed her tone was more like a woman who had found lipstick on her husbands’ collar than someone who was scared.

  “It’s not me,” Barry replied. “It’s them.”

  “Who’s ‘them’?”

  “The Effort,” he answered. “They want the book of Vril, so they can make Vril. It’s all about Vril.

  “But the Effort was your father’s gang. You always hated the violence they brought wherever they went.”

  “I just don’t want you hurt. It’s that simple.” He struggled to say more, but he just couldn’t bring himself.

  “I don’t want me hurt either,” she said sweetly. “But you cannot have the book,” Lisa roared.

  “But, Lisa, we have the means to take it. You can’t hide from us anymore,” Barry warned her.

  “Barry, how could you? You have always been special to me and now, you pull this stunt? Have you lost your mind?”

  “I have no choice, but I’m not going to let anyone harm you. You mean too much to me.”

  “If I meant anything to you, you would stop chasing me. I know your father has put you up to this. When will you leave his coattails?”

  “Soon, I hop
e,” he sadly responded. Lisa slammed the button to end the call and started crying.

  Previne looked at Banyon out of the corner of her eye. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think that conversation sounded like a lovers’ spat,” she whispered.

  revine and Loni were the first group to arrive at the secret spot. Previne maneuvered the jeep into the big, sand-packed parking lot and pulled up near the water’s edge. She turned the jeep off.

  A big sign at the end of the dock read ‘Echo Bay’. Below it was a digital banner. It said the air temperature was 90 degrees, and the water temperature was 76 degrees. The sky was light blue and clear, and the water was deep blue and calm.

  “Loni, it is beautiful,” Previne exclaimed, taking in the view of the lake. There were high, brown mountains surrounding the cove with no vegetation in sight. She could see a few boats outside the cove on the lake, but not too many.

  “Kind of reminds me of when we were on the Black Sea recently,” Loni quipped, with a little chuckle.

  “Except there were no men, and we were less dressed,” Previne replied with a smile as she remembered the adventure. The three Patel sisters and Loni had rented and sailed a boat to the location of a sunken treasure and had collected the bounty. On a dare, they had done it in the nude.

  “Do you know which one is ours?” Loni asked, pointing to the many boats docked at the marina.

  “I don’t know,” Previne replied. “I guess we will just have to sit here and wait for the others to get here to find out.”

  Always impatient, Loni opened the door of the jeep. “I’ve got some things to do then,” she told Previne.

  “Where are you going?” Previne questioned with concern.

  “I don’t know about you,” Loni replied, “but the only clothes I have are what I am wearing, and I’m not going out on the lake on such a beautiful day without a bathing suit. You may have your luggage, but I have a credit card.” She pointed to a small building about halfway up the dock. It said ‘Rental Office and General Store’.

  “I’ll stay with the alien while you’re gone,” Previne said, drawing her pistol and stepping out of the jeep.

  “By the way, I’m tired of calling her an alien,” Loni proclaimed, with a flap of her hands. “She should have a name.”

  “Do you have one in mind?”

  “Let’s call her ‘Skye’, because she is blue.” Loni turned on her heel and ran to the building before Previne could comment.

  Loni returned ten minutes later with several bags and a paper plate with four White Castle hamburgers steaming on it. She opened the side door of the jeep and handed the plate to a startled Skye, who immediately devoured them. She told Previne the store had sold them frozen and had had a microwave to heat them.

  “What’s in the bags?” Previne slyly asked.

  “Bathing suits,” answered Loni matter-of-factly. She pulled out a black bikini for Previne and handed it to her.

  “For me?” Previne gushed as though it were a diamond ring.

  “It’s a good color for you, Previne. I also got a yellow one for Pramilla,” Loni noted as she brought it out of the bag.

  “I want the yellow one,” Previne demanded, grabbing it from her.

  “Alright, we’ll give the black one to Pramilla. I also bought this one for Skye.” When Loni handed the gold-colored bikini to Skye, her eyes lit up. She immediately grabbed it and held it to her chest.

  “I think she likes it,” Previne commented.

  Loni also produced a black one-piece suit for Maya and a light blue bikini for Lisa. “It matches her eyes, and is not as cute as mine.”

  “What color is yours?” Previne asked on cue. Loni dramatically brought out a pure white string bikini and flashed it to both women. Previne clapped.

  “Bravo, my friend,” she saluted. “But where are we going to change?”

  “We’ll do it in the jeep.”

  “The jeep?” Previne pointed to the vehicle.

  “Come on, Previne, it’s not like you haven’t done things like this before.”

  “Me first,” Previne agreed. She opened up the backseat door and began stripping off her jeans and shirt, throwing them into her suitcase. Skye watched Previne undress and threw off her tee-shirt and loincloth. The clothes landed someplace in the back of the jeep. She had on her gold suit in seconds. Soon, it was Loni’s turn, and she emerged from the backseat with a hairbrush in her hand. She handed it to Skye. Skye immediately began brushing her afro-sized bush of hair. With her hair flattened and combed and in a bikini, Skye looked totally different.

  “Skye, isn’t an alien,” Loni remarked to Previne as she studied the girl. “I’m certain she is Chinese.”

  arry Bass was about to fall asleep. The inactivity and the heat inside the car were taking their toll on him. They had been parked near Banyon’s house for over three hours and everyone was getting lethargic.

  He yawned and stretched as he got out of the car to straighten his once-injured leg. Since the rest of his men were in the cars, he decided to check in with his father.

  “Anything new, Father?” he asked.

  “Goddamn it! Why haven’t you checked in with me more often, you idiot?” the old man roared.

  “What’s happened?”

  “The bitch is on the move. You need to go after her now, moron.”

  “Where is she headed?” Barry asked as he jumped back in the car and started it. The cars behind him fired up, too.

  “They are currently heading across the Valley of Fire. They have been traveling for five minutes.”

  “What’s out there?” Barry asked, racking his brain to remember.

  “There isn’t much, but I think they are headed for the cove at Echo Bay on Lake Mead. Get there fast.”

  Calculating quickly, Barry figured it would take him forty minutes to get to the isolated marina. “Are they taking a boat?”

  “How the hell do I know?” Harold screamed. “If they do, rent a speedboat and catch them. Then kill them all. Kill them all, you hear me?”

  he three women were standing by the right side of the jeep, admiring each other’s bathing suits when Previne noticed a dust trail heading for the parking lot. She pointed in the trail’s direction. Loni immediately pushed Skye to the other side of the vehicle, and Previne brought guns from inside the jeep. Loni had two.

  They positioned themselves over the hood and forced Skye to crouch down. They waited for the big, black SUV to come to a halt in a cloud of dust next to their vehicle. As the dust was swept away by a gentle breeze, a man who looked like a college professor exited the driver’s seat. He saw the two women and smiled.

  “One of you must be Loni,” he called out in a cultured voice.

  “Keep your hands where I can see them. Who are you?” Loni demanded.

  “I’m Bart from the law firm of Dewey & Beatem. We are here to be your bodyguards,” he said with his arms wide.

  “Who else is in the SUV?” Loni demanded, keeping her guns trained on the man. “Tell them to come out.”

  “Everybody out,” Bart said over his shoulder. Five more people poured out of the SUV and stood in a group behind the man.

  “Can you prove who you are?” Loni had never met anyone from Dewey & Beatem. She just knew some names.

  “Call Colt. He’ll verify who I am,” the man said.

  Previne immediately dialed Colton Banyon. “When will you be here?” she asked without preamble. “Okay,” she said a few seconds later. She looked over the hood and counted the people who had exited the SUV. “Yes, we’ve got six people who just showed up, and they knew Loni’s name.”

  “What kind of car does Colt drive?” Loni yelled out to the new arrivals.

  “He drives a green Jaguar XJ8,” the man immediately replied. “I’ve driven it. I’m thinking of getting one for myself.”

  Previne ended the call and said, “He should be coming down the road any second.” She pointed to another cloud of dust.

  “While we are waiti
ng, let’s start the introductions,” Bart suggested smoothly, using a hand gesture to move his people forward.

  “I think I would rather wait,” Loni spat back. “Don’t move.” Just as she said it, Skye stood up from behind the hood.

  Previne heard a collective gasp from the travelers. “She’s blue…” a young woman exclaimed, but Previne cut her off.

  “We found her by the side of the road,” she explained. “She’s coming with us.”

  “Is she an alien?” the woman squeaked.

  “Actually, I think she is Chinese,” Loni replied. “I think her dialect is an old one from western China. I can’t quite make it out.”

  “Well, then,” Bart cheerfully said, “let me introduce you to Kim. We don’t use last names at the firm,” he explained. “He is a lawyer and our Chinese language expert.” A small Asian man came to the front. He was only about five-foot-six and had a wiry build. His thick, black hair was cut into a flattop. He seemed to have a perpetual smile. He bowed slightly to the women.

  “He’s a bodyguard, too?” Previne asked.

  “We all have more than one talent at the firm,” Bart explained. “Kim deals with various Chinese clients every single day.”

  “May I try to communicate with her?” Kim politely asked.

  “I can’t see how it could hurt,” Previne agreed. Loni just nodded her head ‘yes’. Her guns remained pointed towards the people from Dewey & Beatem.

  Kim said a few staccato words to Skye. Her eyes grew immediately wider in recognition of the words. She nodded and replied back to Kim.

  “She is not Chinese,” Kim translated. “She is Mongolian. She speaks a dialect of Oirat, an old Mongolian language predating the age of Genghis Kahn. Not many people speak it anymore.”

  “What’s the difference? Mongolia is part of China, isn’t it?” Previne countered.

  “No, it definitely is not. Mongolia is a separate country. In fact, they have a parliamentary government. They’re not even communists. Mongolians have closer ties to Russia than China. Russian is the second language for most people,” Kim evenly replied.