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

  “Father, how on Earth am I going to find something in the future? I barely can find my way around Las Vegas.” Barry now realized that his father’s plan had a lot of holes.

  “I’ll guide you from above, of course,” the old man replied, pointing at the ceiling from his hospital bed. “While you’re building the machine, I’ll look into the future and pick the right the dates. It will all be determined before you go. You will just have to press a couple of buttons.”

  Starting to feel a little more comfortable with his father’s plan, Barry asked, “What’s the next step after we heal you, Father?”

  “Ah,” his father replied. “We— you and me— will go back into the past and make some modest changes, my son. We will change history for the better. It will be glorious.” The old man spoke with fanatical excitement. This was new ground for Barry; he didn’t know the complete plan.

  “What will we change?”

  “Think about it, Barry,” Harold said as he pointed to his brain. “What if General Rommel knew when and where the Allies were invading France? He would have been able to stop them on the beaches, wouldn’t he? What if Hitler knew Moscow, only a few miles away in 1941, was unprepared to defend itself? Operation Barbarossa would have been a success, and Russia would have been knocked out of the war.”

  “I see your point,” Barry replied.

  “The point is that all of Europe would be speaking German today. The German Empire would be larger and more powerful than any other country. The Third Reich would be in the middle of a glorious path.”

  “And Hitler will still be in power,” Barry added with admiration for his father’s plan in his tone.

  “No,” Harold vehemently replied as he struggled for breath. “No, I would be in power. We will use the Vril to make those changes, as well.”

  anyon moved his chair to the front of the desk as he examined the hairband. Lisa sat down across from him with her arms off the desk. She hadn’t gotten dressed, and her hair nearly covered her completely— only her face was visible.

  “I’ll need the hairband back before I can put my clothes back on,” she told him with a slight bit of irritation.

  Banyon noted that the band was made of some kind of metal. Probably tarnished copper, he thought. The diameter was two inches, and it was about an inch-and-a-half wide. It was thick and strong. He could clearly see many decorations on it, and there was an inscription on the inside, but could not read it.

  “I don’t have my glasses,” he lamented.

  “Let me look at it?” Lisa reached across the desk. Her arm emerged from a mountain of hair. He let her take it and sat back.

  “It’s probably in some ancient language,” he said. “I’m not an expert on ancient languages, are you?”

  “No, not really,” she replied after some time. “But the designs are all Vrilrelated. I can read them. They basically say that the band belongs to the head of the Vril Society. But I already knew that,” she said, studying the band.

  “What about the inscription?” Banyon asked.

  “That is in German, I think” Lisa quickly replied. “I can’t read German, but I now believe this is the key. Great-grandma was good at puzzles. I believe she gave me this one to solve.”

  Quickly thinking of Maya Patel, Banyon offered, “I know someone who we can trust, and she can read German.”

  “But I can’t let this out of my sight,” Lisa responded with a worried look on her face. “You need to understand that.”

  “Don’t worry, she is part of my team,” he said. “I trust her with my life.”

  “I don’t want anybody else to know about me or the Vril Society. We must remain a secret organization,” Lisa pleaded.

  Banyon thought for a second. “Tell you what, let me take a picture of the inscription, and I can send it to her now. She is here, in Las Vegas, at my home. I’ll call her, and she can translate it immediately.” He reached for the band.

  Lisa pulled back, and the band disappeared inside her long hair. “I still don’t know that I can trust you, Colton Banyon,” she said.

  “Lisa, time is running out. We have to protect you. Right now, you are very vulnerable. Let me help,” Banyon pleaded sincerely.

  Suddenly, Lisa’s mouth shaped into a big oval. Her hands went to her head, and her eyes widened in shock. She quickly tossed the band to Banyon, who caught it easily. He whipped out his phone.

  “Thank you,” he calmly said.

  “How did you do that?” Lisa screamed.

  “I have done nothing,” Banyon honestly replied. But he was pretty sure Wolf had done something. “What did you hear?”

  “A voice told me to trust you if I wanted to live,” she said as a shutter went through her body. Banyon could see that she was scared. He took a picture of the inscription and sent it to Maya’s cell phone.

  “I’ll give her a minute to read it before I call. In the meantime, you’d better get dressed,” he told her. “We’ll need to leave very soon.” He handed the band back to her.

  “Help me get dressed then?” the shaken woman asked. Banyon immediately sprung to his feet.

  As soon as Lisa was dressed and her wig was put back in place, Banyon’s cell phone rang.

  “Colton Banyon,” he said into the device.

  “Colt, it’s Maya,” she purred into his ear in her precise British accent.

  “I was just going to call you,” he said.

  “I got the photo. What is it?”

  Ignoring her request, he asked, “Can you read it?” At the same time, he put Maya on speakerphone, so that Lisa could hear.

  “Of course,” she replied. “It says, ‘Hold a séance with at least three women. Keep the band in your hand’.”

  “Sounds simple enough,” Banyon noted.

  “What does that mean?” Maya, like her two sisters was very inquisitive.

  “I think I understand what it means,” he replied, looking at Lisa. She had a concerned expression on her face. “I’ll see you soon. Tell Loni we will be heading out to the condo soon,” he added and hung up the phone.

  Lisa suddenly whined, “But my friends are out of the country, in a dig in Egypt. How can I hold a séance without them?”

  “The inscription didn’t say they had to be Vril Society members,” he replied. “And I know just the women for the séance.”

  arry Bass stood silently in the hallway outside his father’s hospice room. He leaned against a white, antiseptic wall with his head slumped in sadness. It was over. The nurses had shooed him out the door a minute ago. He knew the end had come for his father. The flat lines on the monitors had told him that. He wondered if anything they had talked about would really happen or if his father lost his mind with the all-consuming pain of cancer. His father had been fed powerful drugs, which could sometimes alter the brain.

  The elder Bass had seemed so full of energy and excitement just minutes ago. Then, he had suddenly become disoriented and unfocused. He didn’t seem to recognize Barry, and he had stared at him with vacant eyes. In the end, he just laid there, staring at the ceiling as his breathing stopped. What truly disturbed Barry was the evil grin that had been plastered across his gaunt face just seconds before he left Earth. Barry thought about his father.

  Harold had always been hard on Barry. He was domineering and forceful, using violence whenever he didn’t get his way. Throughout the years, Harold had pushed him into sports, into the fight game, and even into the Effort. Despite his size, Barry was not a tough guy. He did what he had to do but nothing more. He did not share his father’s passions, but he did have a passion for something else. He wanted to be an artist— a painter— but Harold would not hear of it. Harold was consumed with the return of the Third Reich and the means to get there. He wanted his son ready for the return to glory. Drawing daisies was unacceptable to Harold, only the Third Reich mattered to him.

  I am finally free to do what I want now, Barry thought. But he knew he would miss the old man. They had done many things t
ogether. There were hundreds of memories floating in his mind. His father had always given him advice on what to do. Barry wondered who would help him, now that Harold was gone.

  “Who will help me now?” Barry cried out as tears streamed down his face.

  Inside his head, he heard a voice instruct him, “Get some men and go to UNLV. She is there. Then, make the call.”

  hat’s taking you so long,” Colton Banyon demanded as he stood by the door ready to leave. When he told Lisa they needed to leave immediately, she had, instead, gone to her filing cabinet and began rifling through it. She pulled out files of papers and began to stuff them in her carry bag. She had also stopped to mist her two plants.

  “Colt, it’s spring break at UNLV,” she told him to stifle his impatience. “I have hundreds of papers to read and grade— I’m taking them with me. It will give me something to do while I’m hiding away.”

  “But…” Banyon threw his arms up in frustration as she interrupted him.

  “Then, I’ll need to go home and pack some other clothes. I need dresses for classes. Can we stop at the bank?”

  “We don’t have time,” Banyon roared back at her. “This isn’t a vacation. The Effort people could be on their way here right now. If we get trapped in this building, I may not be able to protect you.”

  She turned to him with her hands on her narrow hips in defiance. “I’m not leaving without being prepared, and that is final,” she proclaimed. Banyon now knew she had a feisty side, which, in spite of his frustration, he couldn’t help but admire.

  “We leave in two minutes,” Banyon ordered, pointing at her and glancing at his watch. He realized she was usually in control of most situations, but he doubted that she had been chased by Effort people before. He knew he had to take the lead. She was, however, fighting him for control.

  Suddenly, a cell phone rang.

  “Hello,” Lisa answered, as soon as she could pull it from her bag. She stopped packing, and a smile crossed her face. She turned away from the frantic Banyon and then settled into her desk chair facing him. He noticed a long slim leg crossing the other leg. She’s getting comfortable to talk on the phone, he thought.

  “Hi, Barry,” Banyon heard her cheerfully say into the phone. “What, oh no… I’m so sorry,” she said sadly as her hand went to her lips. “When did it happen?” Banyon saw her expression change from grim determination to sorrow. Her body slumped; he was sure it was bad news.

  “When is the funeral?” he heard her ask. This set alarm bells off in Banyon’s head. Was this a coincidence?

  He quickly went to the corner of the office with his back to the now-grieving woman. He didn’t want her to know he was talking to someone. “Wolf, do you have an update?” he whispered.

  “He’s here next to me,” Wolf immediately replied. “His name is Harold Bass, but he was known during the Nazi regime as Major Klaus Brenner. He has been hiding in America since World War II in Las Vegas. He has been keeping tabs on Maria Orsic and Lisa since the end of the war.”

  “Who is the conduit, then?” Banyon quickly asked.

  “That would be his son, Barry Bass. I believe Lisa is talking to him right now. He is just outside the building, and he is coming for Lisa. He has three men with him. They want to kidnap her.”

  “Do they know about the key?”

  “I could not stop Harold from telling his son that the hairband is the key. They also know you are with her. They mean to harm you, Colton, and take her.”

  “Is there a way out?”

  “Yes, but if Barry asks his father where you have gone, he will be able to track you. Your best chance is to put distance between you and Barry for now. He will try to keep Lisa on the phone until he reaches her office. They are only a few minutes away.”

  “Can you distract him or delay Harold from talking to his son?” Banyon was already forming a plan.

  “I’ll do my best,” Wolf replied.

  Banyon quickly turned and rushed over to the grieving Lisa. He grabbed the cell phone and turned it off. Lisa looked at him with a stunned expression.

  “Why did you do that? It was just my good friend Barry,” Lisa cried out.

  “Barry is the conduit,” Banyon told her. “Harold, his father, is a spirit now, and he can see our every move. Harold was an old Nazi, and he knew your great-grandmother back in Germany. He has been after the book since he came to America.”

  A look of complete shock crossed her face. “Oh, my God,” Lisa exclaimed. “So the rumors about Harold are true.”

  “Yes,” Banyon told her. “Barry is nearing this office with three men, and they are coming after you. We have to leave right now.”

  “But Barry has been a good friend, almost like a brother to me,” a surprised Lisa protested. “He even babysat me when I was small. How could he want to do any harm to me?” she questioned. There was confusion on her pretty face.

  “This is now about the Vril and the Third Reich. You, like your great-grandmother, are just a pawn. They have stayed close to you for all these years, waiting for you to reveal the secret of the lost Vril Society book. We just found the key. They now know the key is your hairband. I’m sorry but we need to escape as quickly as possible.”

  “So, Harold can see us now?” Lisa asked. Banyon could see a shudder pass through the woman. She looked at the ceiling.

  “Yes,” Banyon replied, attempting to drag her towards the door by her arm. “It is like a live TV feed to him. He will be able to follow us anywhere as well. We need to put distance between us and Barry, or he will catch us.”

  “Oh my God, not Barry,” Lisa screamed and put her hand to her mouth. “This is all happening too fast. I don’t know what to do?” Her statement gave Banyon the opening he needed to take control.

  Banyon had been in tight situations before. “Do you know of a quick way out of the building?”

  “Yes, I do,” Lisa replied with a confused look on her face.

  “We need to go that way, now,” Banyon urged.

  She nodded her head in decision. She opened a drawer in her desk and extracted a pair of flat shoes. She grabbed her bag and threw the high heels she had been wearing into the bag. The files containing the papers she intended to review stayed on her desk. She had decided to leave them. Lisa’s first goal was to always protect the Vril Society, and, now, the key to the Vril book. She realized she had to run.

  As she slipped on the shoes, Banyon ordered, “Let’s go now.”

  “Can you run, Colt?” Lisa suddenly asked him.

  “A little,” he replied nervously. She had already locked the office door and was headed down the hallway.

  Over her shoulder, Lisa said. “We will take…” Banyon interrupted her.

  “Don’t tell me. Harold will hear it and direct Barry to intercept us. Just go,” he said as they began to jog up the hallway.

  arry and his three men kicked in the door to Lisa’s office, only to find that it was empty. They stood in the small room, cursing and swearing. One of the men slammed his fist into the wall. They were hyped up and itching for some action. They were not happy about being denied the opportunity to scratch that itch.

  Barry had picked up the three men at one of his gyms near the university. They were members of the Effort, and loyal to Barry’s father. They had not asked questions as they drove to the university. He had just told them he wanted Lisa Lange. The three musclebound men understood he liked her, and they had figured he just wanted to beat her around a little bit and then play with her. They had done it to women before.

  “Where did they go?” the surprised Barry asked.

  The replied came inside his head. “They have fled. But no matter, I can follow where they are going,” his father replied. “I’ll keep you informed, as long as you ask questions,” the new member of the spirit world added. “Let’s give them some time to reach their destination and then we’ll grab her and the key.”

  “Don’t know,” one of the men with Barry answered his question. B
arry realized that he would have to be careful. He didn’t want anyone else in on his secret. Nothing good could come from that.

  Another asked, “What do you want her for anyway? There are plenty of good-looking girls on this campus. Why don’t we just pick one?”

  “It’s not about sex,” Barry patiently replied. “She has something I need to possess. It will help the Effort.”

  “Just tell us what you want us to do, oh fearless leader,” the third man joked. He thought Barry was too much of a wimp to be head of the Effort in Las Vegas, but Barry had always been protected by his tough father. No one wanted to challenge Barry’s father when he was alive. Now, the man had visions of taking over the organization and getting rid of Barry Bass. First, he would have to show that Barry was weak and inept. One way to do that was to taunt him and make him look like a fool.

  “We’re done here. Come on, I’ll buy you guys some dinner,” Barry offered his men.

  “Then, maybe, we can do a little hunting,” the man replied.

  olton Banyon was racing down Desert Inn Road, heading for Summerlin and his home. Lisa sat next to him, quietly sobbing. They had made their escape through a tunnel under the building where Lisa had her office. She explained that it was seldom used and was for the faculty to slip out of the building unnoticed. Banyon found out she was a strong runner, and she had held her emotions together until they got to his rented jeep, where she had begun to cry. The first thing Banyon did was address Wolf.

  “Are they still following us?” he asked Wolf out loud. But Lisa thought he was talking to her.

  “They won’t be able to get through the fire door, unless they have an employee card,” she replied as she craned her head around to look at the exit.

  Wolf also answered; “They have decided to go to dinner, instead. You will be safe all the way home and for some time after.”