The Hermetrius Conspiracy Read online

  “So what now, Jack?”

  “I think it’s time to get out of here and back into the real world. Let’s plan our exit from here, get everything packed up in boxes, then load it in the utility trailer. We’ll take tomorrow to do that and plan to leave the next morning.”

  That brought cheers and laughter from everyone.

  Rick tapped a spoon on a glass to get everyone’s attention.

  “I volunteer to be the relocation focal point. Let me know where you plan to go and I’ll get you some real estate listings for rentals and homes for sale.”

  “Can you find me a nice condo in the Bahamas?” Jim asked.

  “I’ll find you a fancy condo where the ratio of women to men is at least ten to one, and the average age of the women is under forty.”

  “I forgot about your predicament, Jim. Winston may be out to have you killed for betraying him. I can put you in touch with a guy in Miami who can give you a new identity.”

  “I’m ahead of you on that, Jack. Like most of us who came out of the spy business, I have my own set of new identity documents. And before you picked me up, I transferred all my money and investments to a numbered Caribbean bank account.”

  “Great, Jim. Now, about getting you all to where you want to go. Tom, you can catch airline connections to wherever your family is from the Charleston airport, if you aren’t afraid to take off from the flat top of a mountain. Jim, you can get connections from there through Miami to the Bahamas.”

  He looked at Harriet and Rick. “We have decided to take a long vacation in Ft. Lauderdale before we settle down somewhere. That will give us time to recover, reconnect, and find the home of our dreams. We can get a flight out of Charleston to Miami and drive back to Ft. Lauderdale.”

  “Well, that’s settled, then. After we take you all to the airport, Lynn, O’Malley I will head for Colorado.”

  Lynn added, “With a stop along the way to get married and have a honeymoon.”

  Chapter 60

  The next morning Jack went down into Pittston and bought some casual clothes, toiletries, and a suitcase for Jim. The jogging suit he was wearing then they snatched him off the street wasn’t suitable for traveling. By noon Jack had all of the electronics and weapons he took from his cabin packed into the utility trailer and was ready to roll first thing in the morning. After lunch they got together to share tales from their past, and that turned into a contest to see who could tell the tallest tale and make the others believe it really happened. After supper Jack called them together again to talk about plans for the future.

  “Based on Harriet’s idea, our new mission is to find a way to tie Charles Winston and his flunkies to murders, election fraud, and other illegal acts we hope to discover and have them brought to justice. Is everyone agreed on that?”

  Harriet said, “Well stated, Jack. What are we going to call our gang of justices seekers?”

  “The floor is open for suggestions.”

  Lynn spoke first, “How about Getting Even, or maybe Payback is a Bitch.”

  Tom gave it some thought. “I think it should be something that means nothing to others. Something that we can use among ourselves for emails and media news releases. A name that Winston will grow to hate.”

  “I like that idea. I think we should even have our own web site where we can release hints of his shenanigans and keep followers posted about our activities and progress. Let other crusaders help us do the digging and uncover evidence.”

  “Jack, I think you hit on just what we need here. You can keep the web site anonymous and untraceable, can’t you?”

  “It will take some work but, yeah, I can do that. . I can create a site that no one can trace to us, so we can use innuendos and half truths without being sued or shut down.”

  “Will the NSA with their secret eavesdropping techniques be able to trace it back to us?”

  “It will be a challenging problem, but that’s what I’m best at. Give me two months and I think I can have us online and untraceable. All we need is a mysteriously cryptic name. O.K., everybody to your laptop. I want half a dozen possible names in 10 minutes.”

  #

  Lynn spoke up first. “Forseti! He’s the Norse God of Justice. We could call ourselves the Forsetians.”

  Jack smiled. “I think we have a winner. Has anyone found something better? No? Then it’s settled. We are the Forsetians. Kind of like ‘We are Marshall’ – the battle cry of the Marshall University football team that replaced the team killed in a plane crash. . . . taking off from a flat topped mountain.”

  Rick asked “What’s so scary about flying from a flat topped mountain.”

  Jack answered, “Because when you shave off the top of a mountain to make an airport, all the surrounding mountains are higher than the runway.

  The next thing to settle on is how we will communicate. I’ll set up a secure video conferencing network and we can all meet online. That will take some custom software that has to be installed on each of your laptops. When it’s finished I’ll send you an encrypted website to log onto. Once I verify your identity I’ll take over your computer and install the software. I’ll need another week for that. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”

  “What next, Jack?”

  “As they say in the movie business, ‘That’s a wrap.’ I think were done here.”

  Jack expected a cheer, but got looks touched with sadness instead. This had been an adventure of sorts, one they all shared intimately. Leaving this closeness behind was going to be tough.

  #

  They pulled away from the Double Wide after breakfast the next morning. An hour later they pulled up in front of the airport terminal in Jack’s truck and Lynn’s Jeep and said their goodbyes. Lynn and Jack put their communications headsets on as Jack said “Follow me.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Twenty minutes later they pulled into storage facility. “Stay in the Jeep. I’ll be right back.” Jack came out of the office and waved Lynn down a driveway between the storage buildings. Halfway down he stopped, unlocked and opened the door, and pointed for Lynn to pull the Jeep in. She got out with a puzzled look on her face. “Why am I parked here?”

  “You didn’t think we were going to drive to Colorado in two vehicles, did you?”

  “What about the tow bar we used coming out here?”

  “I left that back at the farm. There wasn’t room to pack it. I want you snuggled up next to me on the truck seat for the whole trip. Especially after we stop to get married. We’ll fly back here and pick up your Jeep in a couple of weeks.”

  “Oh, Jack!! This is wonderful. I can’t believe we’re finally free.”

  “Climb in the truck while I lock up.”

  #

  They had been on the road for an hour before Lynn asked, “Well, when are we going to stop.”

  “That depends – where do you want to get married. Want to wait for Colorado?”

  “You’re joking of course. Let’s pull off at the next town and find the courthouse. Then we can find a mom and pop motel – one with concrete block walls of course – and break our vow. By the way, you never told me what it is with you and concrete block motels.”

  Jack laughed and said “I’ll tell you tonight. But we’ll need them even more tonight.”

  #

  Jack closed and locked the motel room door as Lynn stepped into his arms. They enjoyed the closeness of their bodies for a few minutes, then Jack said “I’ll shower first.”

  He came out in his boxers and T-shirt and saw that Lynn had turned the bed down. He smiled as he stretched out on the bed. Lynn leaned over and whispered in his ear, “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Save my place – and don’t you dare go to sleep,” and laughed as she closed the bathroom door.

  Jack waited impatiently while he heard the shower run, and imagined what she must look like in there. Then the door opened. Lynn stuck her head around the door jam and said with a mischievo
us smile, “Guess what. I forgot to bring my pajamas in here with me . . .” and stepped into the room.

  #

  They woke up midmorning, entangled in each other and the sheets. Jack looked down at Lynn’s face and felt his heart swell with love. Lynn gave him a quick kiss. “What a night! Definitely worth the wait. I’m going to shower, and I expect a cup of coffee waiting for me when I come out.”

  “So now that we’re married you’re going to boss me around?”

  “Honey, do you suppose you could get me a cup of coffee while I’m in the shower?”

  “That’s more like it, sweetheart.”

  Jack slipped into his clothes and headed for the front office to get some coffee and Danish. When he got back Lynn was sitting on the bed. “Come over here and hold me, so I know I’m not dreaming.”

  Jack set the coffee and rolls down on the bedside table, eased into bed, and leaned back against the headboard. He put his arms around her, pulled her into his lap, and wrapped his arms around her. He held her awhile, then reached for coffee cups. “Let’s check out the news and see what happened while we were in dreamland.” He picked up the TV remote and turned on Fox News. The talking heads were stuck on the upcoming primary elections, and Jack was about to turn it off when he heard what they were talking about.

  The latest twist in the republican race is the announcement by wealthy financier Charles Winston that he has entered the race for the Presidency. Here is his announcement:

  “I have been watching the economy of this country go downhill for the past eight years, and if it doesn’t stop, we are headed for an economic Armageddon within a year. That’s not a prediction. That’s a fact. As CEO of Winston Securities I understand the banking system and the Federal attempts to control it into self destruction. This is the single most important issue in this campaign and I am the only candidate with the knowledge and experience to see what needs to be done and make it happen. All of our other problems – the budget deficit, the national debt, the underfunding of our military, and the overspending on Government mandated health care – they all hinge on the economy. If we don’t fix this . . . our country will collapse . . . and China will own us. I’m the only candidate who can stop this and save America.”

  Lynn turned to Jack. “Oh my God, Jack! What are we going to do!”

  COMING SOON

  Book 2 of the Jack & Lynn Preston Series

  The Forseti Solution

  Retired Agent Jack Preston and his new wife, Lynn, have settled onto her Rocky Mountain home after uncovering a conspiracy by a wealthy financier to control the outcome of the next Presidential election. Their attempts to expose the plot failed, and now they have to find a way to reveal the illegal activities of the soon-to-be President before he can destroy democracy in America. Using his superb skills as a hacker, he joins a team of ex-agents to uncover hidden files and facts that will send the conspirators to prison. But the conspirators are out to stop them – for good. Can Jack’s Agency training in escape, evasion, and firearms keep them alive long enough to stop the impending political tragedy?

  Feel free to contact me with comments and questions at

  [email protected]

  For information about future novels and other writing projects please visit my blog at:

  https://jdgermanauthor.blogspot.com/

  About the Author

  J. D. German retired from a 40 year career as a scientist to a lake in southwestern Georgia. His career focused on the development of laser and optical devices for the Department of Defense and other Government agencies. Some of these devices have been patented, and show up as the “gadgets” that Jack Preston uses in the book.

  Although The Hermetrius Conspiracy is his first novel, he has authored several other documents that are not available to the public. He is presently working his second novel, The Forseti Solution, which picks up with Jack and Lynn Preston continuing their fight to stop the ultra-conservative billionaire, Charles Winston, from taking over the country.