Heavy Metal (eBook)

C.R. Willie (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2023 | 1. Auflage
394 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-2299-8 (ISBN)

Infos

Heavy Metal reimagines key points in the events leading up to the Bay of Pigs Invasion and ensuing implications for the Kennedy Administration. The title itself is a metaphor for not only what lies behind the fabled Iron Door, but the heavy significance and worldwide implications the treasure that is found within could have for U.S. foreign policy. Heavy Metal was inspired by the local legend of the Iron Door in Idaho's Samaria Mountains. Deep in the bowels of those mountains a lonely miner, Jack Crampton, labors in search of the 'mother lode'. He knew he was getting close when the last blaster revealed evidence of lead and silver, and an enormous deposit of a grayish, chalky mineral. The worthless mineral Jack discovered turned out to be the catalyst to a heart-pounding thriller that leads from the legend of the Iron Door through the disaster of the Bay of Pigs, to the brink of nuclear war with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Burt Jones, retired air force officer, leads the way in a race against time to control this 'heavy metal', which will decide U.S. military might, or subjection to Soviet domination. Heavy Metal draws from a local legend amid rumors about Jesse James and the Wild West in uncovering a secret that could change the course of history. The prologue sets the stage for this historical fiction novel, which causes the reader to wonder about a much different world than the one that exists today, had this tale turned out differently. Who will end up with the map to the Iron Door, and who will be left to regret its loss? Possession means military might; its loss means subjection to the Kremlin.

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Heavy Metal reimagines key points in the events leading up to the Bay of Pigs Invasion and ensuing implications for the Kennedy Administration. The title itself is a metaphor for not only what lies behind the fabled Iron Door, but the heavy significance and worldwide implications the treasure that is found within could have for U.S. foreign policy. Heavy Metal was inspired by the local legend of the Iron Door in Idaho's Samaria Mountains. Deep in the bowels of those mountains a lonely miner, Jack Crampton, labors in search of the "e;mother lode"e;. He knew he was getting close when the last blaster revealed evidence of lead and silver, and an enormous deposit of a grayish, chalky mineral. The worthless mineral Jack discovered turned out to be the catalyst to a heart-pounding thriller that leads from the legend of the Iron Door through the disaster of the Bay of Pigs, to the brink of nuclear war with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Burt Jones, retired air force officer, leads the way in a race against time to control this "e;heavy metal"e;, which will decide U.S. military might, or subjection to Soviet domination. Heavy Metal draws from a local legend amid rumors about Jesse James and the Wild West in uncovering a secret that could change the course of history. The prologue sets the stage for this historical fiction novel, which causes the reader to wonder about a much different world than the one that exists today, had this tale turned out differently. Who will end up with the map to the Iron Door, and who will be left to regret its loss? Possession means military might; its loss means subjection to the Kremlin.

Textauszug

Chapter 2

The faces appeared to fade in and out in a bright reddish-orange color, as the flames from the fire danced up and down and the wood crackled as it was consumed. “Where is this gold you bragged so much about?” demanded Jesse, as he sat around the fire with Lee and the other outlaws. After waiting for just the right time, which was now more than a week, Jesse was getting short of patience.

Lee seemed a little nervous, and his eyes darted back and forth from Bob to Joe. His lips were dry and he quickly ran his tongue over them and swallowed hard. He knew he had made a mistake talking about their gold. Joe and Bob knew it, too. The whiskey they all had so readily consumed didn’t help either, and Jesse was getting more demanding with each passing day.

“Don’t worry, Jesse, we’ve got it in a safe place. What do you think, we’re all stupid or something?” asked Lee.

Jesse didn’t answer the question out loud, but his eyes easily showed his answer. He gave Lee a cold look, paused for effect and snarled, “Safe! When you talk about gold, there is no safe place. Not even in a bank vault!” He nodded over his shoulder toward the dark town of Corrine.

“Now you cowards, are we partners or not?” Jesse stood and his right hand eased over the worn bone handle of the Colt he had strapped to his leg. He stood calm and unruffled. His dark eyes sparkled with excitement and seemed to shine in the black night.

Lee sat motionless with his hands raised and outstretched above his gun at his waist. He wanted nobody to be mistaken that he had any intention of drawing against Jesse James. “Now, Jesse, there is no need to get mad--sure we’re partners,” Lee stammered.

Jesse James was in his element. He had killed before and he would no doubt kill again. These two-bit outlaws were of no concern to him, but their gold was a different matter. “And don’t partners share their secrets?” Jesse asked.

Lee had backed himself into a corner and it was either spill his guts or lose them. As he looked at the stone face of Jesse James and the lightning right hand that twitched just a little, he made his decision. “I’ll tell you, Jesse. I’ll show you the map.”

Suddenly there was a slight movement to the right of Jesse as Joe Dolling reached for his gun. “No, you won’t!” Joe thundered as he started to bring the blue steel barrel of his six-shooter up to fire.

Jesse seemed to melt instinctively into the ground as he dropped onto his back, drawing the deadly Colt as he went down. Joe’s gun barrel had just cleared leather as a loud single shot rang out.

The bullet drilled a clean, neat hole an eighth of an inch wide between Joe Dolling’s eyes. The impact lifted Joe a foot into the air and drove him back into the sagebrush where he laid instantly dead, his revolver still clutched in his lifeless right hand. A red river of blood ran down over the still open left eye and began to pool around what pieces were left of his exploded skull.

Lee and Bob, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, sat as still as death, staring at their dead friend. Jesse calmly stood up and dusted himself off. He then spun his Colt twice over his right index finger and slipped it lovingly back into his holster. Then he turned to face the frightened men, and with a sinister grin said, “Now, pardners, let’s have a look at that map.”

***

The blaster in a mine had to be a man of skill and good judgment if he proposed to enjoy a long career. Jack intended to make his career as long as possible.

Jack used the standard fuse used throughout the West, the Bickford Safety, which consisted of a core of powder surrounded by twisted strands of jute, wrapped with a layer of twine and then wrapped again on the outside with waterproof tape. The fuse burned at a reliable uniform rate and seldom failed; even when it did, it tended to fizzle out rather than burn too fast and set off a pre-mature, lethal explosion. The dynamite Jack used was housebroken by combining the explosive element, nitroglycerin with inert substances, including chalk, so he could handle it and shape it into the desired size of a relatively safe charge. He then molded the dynamite charges and set them into the drill holes. To explode, dynamite required a heavy jolt that was usually provided by a small, tubular copper blasting cap containing fulminate of mercury.

Jack inserted a cap into the center of each set charge and pressed it down firmly, with cool and steady hands. He had done this hundreds of times and felt sure nothing would go wrong. To detonate the cap, Jack measured, with experienced eyes, the exact amount of fuse and inserted it around the blasting cap. The length of the fuse would also time the sequence of the explosions. When all was ready, Jack sat back to survey his handiwork.

“Bless us, I hope I’ve found you, you old illusive vein of gold!” he said with determination.

Then he cut a short piece of fuse called a spitter in which to light all the other “rat tails” protruding from the seven charges. When the spitter burned down short enough to singe his calloused fingers, he knew it was time to depart as quickly as possible back up the shaft. He had laid just enough fuse to escape far enough back not to be harmed in the explosion. Jack then touched a spark to the spitter and it flared into life.

He picked up his kerosene lamp to see as he began to light the fuses. He had to suppress the urge to shout: “Fire in the Hole!”

***

A full moon shone brightly over the valley below, illuminating the deserted streets. The Corrine State Bank was a wooden structure newly painted white, set back off the street on the far right-hand side.

Jesse, Lee, and Bob tied their horses at the back of the mercantile which was about one hundred yards east of the bank.

“This looks like taking candy from a baby,” whispered Lee excitedly.

Jesse crouched beside the wagon they had stolen along the way, and casually looked around. “The easy lookin’ ones are always the worst. Besides, if something can go wrong, it will.”

Bob stood motionless, with the sight of his dead friend still clear in his brain. He was scared and he didn’t trust Jesse James, but he also didn’t see any way out now. They were committed and Bob feared it would be a commitment to the death.

The three outlaws stayed in the shadows and silently moved toward the rear of the bank building. Over their backs they carried the necessary tools to pull off the job in coarse burlap sacks. They froze at the sound of boots against the plank wood boardwalk. With their backs pressed into the wooden walls of the bank, Jesse hissed, “Don’t move or make a sound, I’ll take care of the deputy!”

Jim Fallen walked slowly up the boardwalk checking each store and shop as he went. His mind reflected back two years ago, when as only a boy of seventeen, he had been given the job of deputy by his uncle, Levi Stevenson. Levi had given the boy a real chance to develop himself, and Jim had taken to the job from the start, learning and doing everything he could because he knew that someday he would be the sheriff of Corrine. He didn’t know that dream was soon to be realized.

The muffled sound of a shovel cutting into soft, moist earth made Jim stop and listen. The sound seemed to be coming from behind the street somewhere by the bank. Jim Fallen drew his standard issue Smith & Wesson revolver and cautiously walked to the corner by the bank. He paused and listened; the digging kept on. He had taken only three steps more when suddenly the white bone handle of Jesse’s colt came crashing down on his head. His mouth dropped open and a gasp of breath escaped, his knees buckled and everything went black. Jim never saw a thing, never felt a thing and was carried away in the black void of his unconscious mind.

Bob and Lee had just finished the second hole under the bank. “Fill both with dynamite and leave a five minute fuse on the second batch,” Jesse instructed them.

Lee was confused and asked, “Why the larger fuse? Seems we need to blow the bank and get in, get the money and get out!”

“That’s why I’m Jesse James and you’re only a two-bit drifter!” Jesse exclaimed. “The first charge will open up the building and the second will open up the vault.”

Then it dawned on Lee that Jesse would be causing a diversion with the first blast, probably a fire, too. And then in the confusion they could blow the vault and get the money without anyone else realizing what had happened. It was a good plan.

Jesse had dragged Jim Fallen’s body behind the mercantile, out of the way, and he had a horse and wagon standing by as he gave the signal to light the fuse. Lee touched his half smoked cigar to the end of the fuse and it sprung into life. He quickly lit the second fuse and then scrambled to join Bob and Jesse at a safe distance. Ten seconds later the dynamite ignited and a tremendous explosion erupted into the night.

***

Dust and acrid heavy smoke were still thick in the air as Jack turned up his kerosene lamp to help him see through the dark blanket of smoke. He began to feel his way back along the tunnel walls to the blast site. He paused about half way back and thought he felt a slight tremor run the length of the shaft.

The air was beginning to clear, and Jack wished his head would. The ache in his head and the burning he felt in his lungs always came after a blast. “Bless us, I’ll probably find the “mother lode” and then drop dead from...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 2.12.2023
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-2299-8 / 9798350922998