Almost Murder

By Don Crockett

Dedicated to everyone who has ever asked where the road will take them and then taken that first step towards the unknown. However, it takes an extremely strong person armed with a sense of humor to laugh at adversity and challenge.

So now I have described the "Diana" series in totality: one is the writer and the other is the reader. Just remember to keep the dreams alive and let no one put them aside, they are way too important.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463428006

Book preview

© 2011 by Don Crockett. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 06/21/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2802-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2801-3 (dj)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-2800-6 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011910636

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Lost Between Two Worlds

Chapter #1

Chapter #2

Chapter #3

Chapter #4

About The Artist

Chapter #5

Chapter #6

Chapter #7

Chapter #8

Chapter #9

Chapter #10

Chapter #11

Chapter #12

About The Author

Dedicated to everyone who has ever asked where the road will take them and then taken that first step towards the unknown. However, it takes an extremely strong person armed with a sense of humor to laugh at adversity and challenge.

So now I have described the Diana series in totality: one is the writer and the other is the reader. Just remember to keep the dreams alive and let no one put them aside, they are way too important.

Don Crockett

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Lost Between Two Worlds

The young boy rolled and tossed in his sleep, covered in sweat, as the heat of the night covered him like a blanket. His name was Lerdo de Tejada, and he was under the care of a family who let him stay and become one of them in Mexico City, Mexico. He had come from the humblest of beginnings, but when he was finally old enough for his father to simply tell him to walk away from the poor house he lived in with his brothers and sisters, who struggled from day to day for enough food to live on and try to better himself.

Now he finally had the security he always wanted, but only because of the strange American woman and her spirit wolf that she traveled with. From the first time he had seen her he had known instinctively that she could help him. She had been working in Mexico City for an influential family who lived in Spain, and was visiting Mexico. They were investigating a piece of history and were trying to solve the murders that had taken place because of it.

The older man from Spain saw something in him that even Lerdo couldn’t have known was there and he took him under the protection of his wealthy family. He told him that someday he would be selected for some important work that involved many different peoples in different parts of the world. This meant he must get a good education and be one with his people. None of the things the older man said made any sense to Lerdo but he decided that this was the right thing to do and told the man he would do his best.

Over the last few years he felt his body change and at times the earth itself seemed to cry out to him for some kind of relief. His guardians were diggers of the past. The professor always took him with him whenever they excavated the earth and revisited the past by finding the artifacts that had been hidden so long ago.

Lately they had been opening a new area near Mexico City and the ground seemed reluctant to give up its secrets. Then one night, much like tonight, Lerdo had a vision and saw that they were to dig much deeper than had been thought to find what they were after. Although no one believed him at first, he took a shovel and dug a hole much deeper than the other test holes they had already made and, sure enough, he found the charred remains of pottery that told him he was right and the past was buried deeper.

This seemed to pacify the gods or demons that seemed to have a hold on the boy during the nighttime hours when the dreams and visions came fast and furious for him. It was like trying to sleep in a constant barrage of vivid colors and pictures, none of which made any sense to him, for it could have been the past or the future and he never knew which for sure.

But this night was the worst he could remember. He finally gave up trying to sleep and walked over to the large window seat and sat there sweating and panting like he had just run several miles in the hot jungle night. Looking out over the hacienda, he smelled the sweetness of the jungle flowers, which were all around his room. The moon was especially bright this night and it appeared to be almost daylight to him. He grew even more restless as though something seemed to be driving him forward. Lerdo changed into his work clothes and boots and then went to his desk and wrote a short note explaining he couldn’t sleep and would walk to the excavation site and do some late night digging before the sun came up. It was not an uncommon occurrence for him to do something like this, for he was a boy of the jungle and the city and was able to take care of himself, and he enjoyed being on his own.

Lerdo crept out of the house and out into the gardens, past the friendly dog who was always on watch but seemed to like Lerdo more than his keepers and let the boy go on his way without waking the entire household. As Lerdo quietly let himself out the main gate, he felt the slight breeze of the night air blow around him as he walked at a steady pace the long distance to the archeological dig where they had been working.

By taking several shortcuts he knew, he soon found a very old trail that would lead him directly to the place where his dreams were calling for him to come. As he walked, he thought about the strange things that his visions had told him: important things that would affect everyone he knew and loved. He had seen himself take up a lance and a bloody war axe of the old warriors and shake it at some unknown demon far away. His beloved adopted mother and her spirit wolf were also in these dreams and he saw lots of things happen to her, but she could not win her battles, even with the help of her spirit wolf, without his assistance. He was the key to this whole thing and he knew now she would be coming to see him shortly, though she didn’t even know there was trouble waiting for her in Mexico.

It took Lerdo over an hour walking at his steady pace before he came to his destination and saw the large new hole they had dug into the earth. The day before, the rest of the diggers had all joined him as they continued to burrow deeper into the earth until at last their shovels and picks struck the stones of the temple they were seeking.

Upon arriving the young boy went over to the water bucket covered by a blanket and took a ladle of sweet water to quench his thirst before he removed his shirt and found his favorite shovel. He found the lamps that had been stored down in the hole and lit one so he could see what he was doing as he slowly sliced into the earth and cleared a six foot square of ground around the top stone of the temple. The sweat rolled off him as he worked without a sound as the dirt gave way and showed him he was on the right track and soon many more stones were visible to him. Soon the temperature in the large hole was into the hundreds, so he paused and went back outside for some more water. He knew it was dangerous not to drink, for he could easily pass out and no one would find him until the workers came back in the morning.

When he finally did return to his work, he found a small area of dirt that he had not dug into yet and, using his hands, he scooped the soft dirt away and his eyes sparkled in the lamplight when he saw the head of a small statue looking back at him. He used his fingers to gently remove the age-old dirt from the statue as he brought it from the ground and set it on the stones of the Aztec temple where it was found. The strange looking piece of artwork was undoubtedly a thing that was worshipped and held in high regard by the ancient men and women of the land.

He picked it up and held it closer to the light as he studied each small line, and facial features, and the eyes that seemed to stare out into space. He also noticed that, as he held it and cleaned off some more of the dirt it seemed to grow hot in his hands! Finally he set it down and decided that he had labored long enough for one night. He looked around and saw he now had a clean area on the temple stones and he lay down and rested his head beside the small statue as if it would protect him from harm.

This time he slept soundly, as if the powers of the temple were allowing him to finally have a night’s rest, but down deep he knew there was much more to happen and it would all be dangerous for the ones he loved.

Chapter #1

The early morning sun rose over the large estate as the men working in the fields and vineyards around the main house started their daily ritual making sure they earned their wages by working as hard as they could.

On the large marble patio overlooking several acres of green well-tended grass was a beautiful woman who was sitting under the large deck umbrella and enjoying working on her laptop computer.

The heavy fragrance of the thousands of grapes ripening in the last few weeks before the harvest scented the air with a smell that tantalized one’s nose with the prospect of a good harvest.

One of the vine masters selected a particularly large and delicious looking bunch and told one of the workers to wash them and find a suitable tray so he could deliver them to the madam for her opinion of the coming harvest. Within a short while, the old wine master of many previous seasons took off his hat and approached the woman and offered her the selection of grapes he had prepared for her, saying, Bonjour, Madame Autres, these are for your inspection this glorious morning.

She smiled as she took one of the near-ripened grapes, tasted it, and she commented, Merci, Claude. Is this the year we have worked so hard for? Truly the taste is well formed, but what does the rest of the growing season hold for us, I wonder?

The old man just smiled as he shook his white-haired head and replied, All I can say, Madam, is that if we can count on your sitting this close to the vineyard everyday, surely the gods will grant us a bonus harvest in appreciation of your beauty.

Once again the old man was rewarded with a twinkling laugh as the beautiful woman blushed and thanked the man for his gracious comment to start her day off with. As he retired from the large marbled patio to return to his fields, a maid came out with some more hot coffee that madam would need as she returned to the work she was in the midst of on her computer.

Her name was Jaqueline et les Autres, and she was married to Pierre et les Autres, a well-placed government official who was at the present time working in Paris, France. The estate was located in the beautiful Valley of the Lorie. Like the River Lorie, this vast region runs through the heart of French life. The Orleans Section of France was its intellectual capitol in the 13th Century, and the seat of the royal family, which led to the building of many magnificent chateaus all along the Lorie. The Autres’ Chateau had been in the family for countless generations.

It was also one of the richest estates in the area, as they had several thousand hectares under cultivation, including some of the finest vineyards in the country producing the world’s finest light white Vouvray wine, or full bodied Bourgueil. Their wine was world-class and known for the flavor achieved by the oldest winemakers in the area who had worked for the Autres family for generations.

This lovely couple had been blessed with the birth of a son who was now in his mid twenties and, against the family’s wishes, had volunteered for service in the special forces of his country. He had been named Jacques et les Autres and had the wild streak that was so inherent in the men of the Autres family. At the present time he was on special assignment out of the country and his folks were worried that something might happen to him, even though he was specially trained to take care of himself. In a sense, he was everything his beloved father could never be, as the Autres family had forbade his father to be in the military. It was important he carry on the family name and estates, to marry well, and have many children. This he had done better than he could have possibly imagined since he had the incredible luck to spot a beautiful young woman swimming near the beaches of Marseille one summer. As was the custom with men and women in the area, she was swimming topless and totally ignoring the stares of the young men who were constantly chasing after her, as she brushed off their many advances with her delicious sounding laugh.

However, Pierre was a determined, young, good-looking man who obviously came from a wealthy family that spent their summers on the beaches every year. He had set his sights on her the minute he pulled the bow of his highly polished, wooden-hulled speedboat next to the float she had swum out to lay on to enjoy the sun away from the prying eyes of the crowded beach. There he had jumped out of his boat with a dozen fresh flowers, a cold bottle of champagne, and sat beside her, inviting her to enjoy the champagne with him. The rest of the day was spent cruising around the area in his boat and finally, not wanting to let her go even for a minute, he asked her to dinner. Within a few short days, he was hopelessly in love and asked her for her hand in marriage. Since she was a very modern woman, she gave his serious proposal a great deal of thought before inviting him to speak to her parents, Colom and Evelyn Bernia, about the marriage proposal.

After their initial meeting, both families thought it was an excellent idea for the couple to marry, the date for the fancy wedding was set, and a very expensive looking engagement ring was presented to her, crafted from some large, old-style diamonds the groom’s family offered.

Before long the happy couple was married at the family estate where they were living now and moved in to share in the enormous wealth that was offered. Jaqueline’s own parents were not poor by any means as they had a smaller estate outside their family home in Toulon, France, where she had been raised, and they owned considerable interest and property in the large city near the ever-busy dock section of the seacoast town.

But the young couple’s dreams of raising a large family were soon diminished as Jaqueline found it very difficult to become pregnant. Finally, after they had been married for over three years and on the verge of giving up on having children, Jaqueline was with child. But after the difficult birth of their only son, it was never to happen again. So Jacques found himself an only child with the many privileges that the rich grow up with on a daily basis.

Although both families’ lineage was well-documented, Pierre asked his lovely wife, who was somewhat bored with the everyday running of the large estate and farms, to put both families together on her computer she was constantly doing things with so that a permanent record could be printed out of their families for any grandchildren that might come along in the future.

Jaqueline was doing well with the many sons and daughters of her husband’s family as well as her own mother’s side of the large generation tree she was building, but she was stopped cold with her own father’s lineage. She was unable to complete his family tree before the Second World War. This was not unusual, for the war had totally destroyed whole families and their histories without a trace. It was as if Colom Bernia had started a new life after the war with no record she could locate of anything before the war years.

The strange thing was that her mother never was able to give a straight answer to her many questions about her father’s strange past or the lack of it. Now she was in poor health and not expected to live much longer and Jaqueline was starting to get anxious to learn more of his past before it was too late.

As she once again reviewed all the information about her mysterious father, she couldn’t help but note that he had done well since his marriage to her mother just as World War II ended. Together, and with help from her family, they had increased their family holdings to several large apartment buildings near the waterfront, which appreciated in value and were worth a sizable fortune as the years passed. There were also two restaurants and several bars, many of which had been the most popular in Toulon for years. Then there were the bakeries her father enjoyed working in so much. Many were the hours he would spend hard at work baking all the breads and specialty items for his many customers over the years.

He was also well known for his tasty bouillabaisse, a chowder made with six or more kinds of fish and shellfish. He also specialized in a hearty casserole made of beans, sausage, poultry, and pork which he called No Name to everyone’s delight.

Most the people of Toulon visited his bakeries every day for his offerings of croissants and brioches served with jam and coffee. Her father was also a generous man to the very end, and no one ever left his shops or restaurants hungry or, for that matter, worrying about paying his bill. Anyone who had ever suffered through hard times knew the generosity of her family, which was legendary throughout the region for many years.

He had been a tall, rotund man filled with an inner strength that seemed to shine at times and made his family strong, and he lived with great purpose throughout his long life. But it was his strange death that always troubled her. Her mother just seemed to let the authorities handle the matter, and the case was never solved. Everyone thought someone finally took advantage of his generosity and tried to rob him while he worked, or was carrying out a longtime grudge from the war years, perhaps.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the maid came out to where she was working and told her she had a call, an important one, about her mother from her aunt.

Jaqueline hurried to the large living room and took the phone as she answered, Hello, Madame Autres here.

Oh, Jaqueline came the reply, I am so glad I was able to catch you. I’m afraid it’s your mother, my dear. She has been in ill health for quite awhile now and she has slipped over the last few hours. The family doctor says there is nothing more he can do for her with her heart condition and all. I pray you can come right away as I’m afraid she may not last the day!

Fighting back her tears, Jaqueline responded that she would leave immediately. All she had to do was notify her husband of the family crisis and drive down to Toulon. Turning to the maid, she ordered that her husband be contacted in Paris about her mother’s condition and she would be there, however long it would take. She also gave orders quickly for all the staff on what was to be done in her absence and, if she was gone longer than the harvest of the grapes, she was to be contacted with every detail.

The maid quickly hurried with her to her bedroom and packed two suitcases full of clothes and personal things she would require for her trip. On the top of the list was her laptop computer, which she had made sure all her family notes were on just in case she was able to find out anything else about her father.

After a few short hours of driving, she entered her mother’s bedroom and was shocked at the sad condition she appeared to be in. Her face and body looked as though she had lost all of her blood and there was a pallor about her as if the slight coma she drifted in and out of was sapping the very life force from her. Her aunt assured her the doctor had done everything that was humanly possible for her before he finally gave up and left. But their conversation was interrupted as the parish priest finally arrived to administer the last rites.

As the priest blessed her mother for the last time, he turned to the women who were weeping at the foot of her bed and told them the arms of God were surely opened wide to receive this fine woman who had lived her long life with love of others.

Seeing how distressed Jaqueline the other family members were and the priest suggested to her that they give her some time alone with her mother before the end came. Her aunt also told her that her two older sisters would be arriving shortly and she would notify her of their arrival.

As the time passed and her mother’s condition worsened, Jaqueline had to take a break and walked over to her mother’s small private desk and sat down just as her mother had done countless times in her lifetime. She quickly went through the small stack of items that had been left unattended to and made a mental note to make sure all the bills were paid and the estate settled after the will was read at an appropriate date later on. There would be much to do when it was finally all over and the grieving began.

Jaqueline sat lost in thought until she heard a feeble voice say to her, Is that my Jaqueline?

Surprised, she turned to see her mother’s eyes looking over at her and she anxiously replied, Yes, Mother, I am here for you.

Her mother closed her eyes once again as she replied with great effort, I am so tired, my dear. Have I been asleep long?

Holding back a flood of tears, she sat beside the small and frail body of her sick mother as she replied, Not long, my dear. The doctor says you must try to rest now and not try to speak so much.

But her all-knowing mother was smart enough to realize that if she did indeed close her eyes, it would be for the last time as she held Jaqueline’s hand even tighter and she said, But there is so much to say and tell you and I am so weak.

Now small tears began a slow journey down the beautiful skin of Jaqueline’s face as she answered with great difficulty, There is nothing more important to talk about, Mother, than your getting better, for we cannot do without you.

A faint smile crossed her mother’s face as she replied, It will be nice to see your father again. I miss him so.

Jaqueline paused as she replied, I miss him also, Mother, but I wish I could have known him better, especially his younger years before you met and married.

With great difficulty, her mother turned her head to focus on her as she answered weakly, There is no one to give you what you seek but me and our Black Knight. But there is a small reminder in a little box in my things that might help you find out about him. I can’t help you, for I promised him I would never tell any of you if you ever asked about his past.

This reply shocked Jaqueline, as it was something she was not prepared for. Before she could say anything else, her mother gave a small sigh, closed her eyes for the last time, and passed on to join her waiting husband.

Jaqueline bravely released her mother’s hand from her own, arranged her gray hair and straightened her head. Then she covered her face with the sheet and left the room to inform the small crowd of people that the Madam of the house, her mother, had finally expired. As Jaqueline joined her sisters in their grieving, she followed them back into the room to take a last look at the woman who had brought them into the world and loved them so much.

It was a short time before Jaqueline’s husband arrived and called the local mortician to collect the body and prepare it for burial, after the local population was invited to view the body at the large estate house on the edge of Toulon.

Just how respected she had been in life was fully realized as the grounds of the estate were soon filled with anxious viewers coming to pay homage to the gracious woman one last time. A woman who had been one of the last of a passing generation that had seen the best of times, and the worst.

Chapter #2

It was several days after the funeral and the interment of her mother’s body into the family crypt where she was laid alongside her father for eternity that Jaqueline and her two sisters sat down with the family lawyer to hear the formal reading of the will and her mother’s last wishes. However, much to everyone’s surprise, Jaqueline’s oldest sister, Marguerite, offered to move her whole family into the estate and, with her husband’s help, take over the running of the large holdings that the brokers were charging such an exorbitant price to do before their mother’s death.

Each of the women was entitled to live on the estate in their lifetime if they chose to and the profits from all the Bernia investments and property would be divided equally after the yearly expenses of running the massive farms and fields and other investments were deducted.

There were also many items that her mother had directed to be given to other family members, and Jaqueline volunteered to stay behind and make sure all her final wishes were carried out to the letter. It was also the first chance Jaqueline had to be alone and look over the family records in hopes she would find out more about her father. She had never told anyone of her mother’s last words to her about her father’s past, and Jaqueline thought perhaps it would be best not to bring the subject up just yet until she was sure of what she would find.

With the help of the two housekeepers, she soon had all the items packed her mother had asked be given to family members all over France. As the movers arrived and loaded all the boxes into their van, Jaqueline finally had a chance to collect her thoughts and rest after all the strenuous work she had done in the last few days. It was strange just how quiet the large estate had become, especially since she could easily remember the sound of so much laughter and love in every room.

Jaqueline walked into the kitchen and found the coffeepot was hot and tempting. She poured a cup of coffee and wandered about lost in thoughts of her now-departed parents. She then entered a room with a large window settee that her father had made especially for her mother to sit on and look out onto the fields in the sunlight.

It was also the room her mother had her large antique desk in, where she could keep the books for the family business and do her correspondence at her leisure.

As Jaqueline sat down at the desk and thumbed through the pile of bills and mail, her mother’s favorite large white Angora cat jumped up on her lap looking for someone to spoil him the way her mother always did.

"Well hello, Gaspera, I wondered just where you had been hiding. I can tell you your life is about to change when Marguerite’s children arrive. Perhaps we should bundle you up and send you to my home, but then maybe you would not be happy so far from here. I think maybe we will just leave you here for the time being and let you suffer those young ones for awhile. They will be good for you, my fuzzy friend. Maybe they will wear off some of that fat you have gained with mother’s help over the years.

Now run along and go find your food bowl. I have things to do and they don’t include sitting here with you all day."

The cat looked up at her, his eyes filled with dislike at what she had suggested, as he jumped down and disappeared into the rest of the house.

Jaqueline rummaged through the desk drawers in search of any clue at all about her parents’ history. But there was nothing until she recalled her mother’s last words to her that no one would be able to help her, as only she and the Black Knight knew the truth. She hadn’t thought of that person they called the Black Knight for many years and what it had meant to the family to have such a person helping them.

Her mother had told her the only clue might be hidden away in her dresser, so she decided to go find out what she had meant. She walked into the bedroom where her mother had passed away and found the large chest of drawers she was looking for. Jacqueline went through it drawer by drawer, until in the bottom one she found a wooden box about the size of a large picture, several inches deep, and quite heavy. It had been covered over with a couple of old sweaters of her mother’s, more to hide it than to store it.

Not wanting to open it in this room out of respect for her mother, she took it back to her mother’s office and sat down at the desk. Then she opened it up and placed the contents on the desktop one by one.

As she slid the wooden top open, she saw lying on top of several items was a shiny black German Lugar in a very highly polished holster with the ammunition clip out of it and lying alongside. As Jaqueline lifted it out and laid it on the desk, she saw there were two beautiful daggers like the hated Germans wore on their dress uniforms. One was encrusted in jewels on the handle, and neither looked as though it had incurred much use. Just why her mother had chosen to keep such objects from the war was beyond her imagination, as she always hated weapons of any sort in the house.

It appeared that her mother had kept everything separate from the regular family papers and pictures that had been scattered around the house in different places. Jaqueline couldn’t help but wonder why. There were also several postcards, a few old black and white pictures, and some different kinds of money from various foreign countries.

Next she found two high military awards from France that dated from World War II and a much worn set of dog tags that had been bent out of shape from much use. The name on them was almost destroyed. The only thing she could make out was the U.S. Navy near the bottom of one. As she separated the war medals, part of which came from the U.S. Navy, she came across a whole set of fancy dress medals of the German Army, including the feared SS insignia and one of the German Iron Cross awards, complete with precious stones.

Knowing how hated the Germans were both during the war and afterwards, finding these medals simply added to the mystery of her father. She had been told by her mother and her grandparents that her father had fought valiantly against the hated invaders as the war ended. Supposedly, her father was a leader and fighter for the partisan group that helped end the occupation of France, and aided in the return of their beloved Charles De Gaulle. He had been awarded a French medal for bravery at the war’s end, even though he had insisted that he had done nothing except fight to protect his country and his beloved family.

Then she found several slips of paper dated in the mid-sixties and each one was a promissory note for rent, food or cash and signed by Roy Faber. It would appear that the Black Knight had borrowed quite a sum of money as well as rent and food for about a five-year period. Jaqueline found this very strange that her mother, as frugal as she had been her whole life, would have let anyone owe them that amount of money or stay at their apartments for any length of time without paying before they left. Perhaps, she thought, Roy had worked off these notes to her parents’ satisfaction before he left.

Jaqueline took the pictures and walked over to the window settee and sat looking at the old black and white photos. The first one was obviously taken in the tropics and was postmarked from someplace she had never heard of in Mexico. The tall, well-built young man was standing by a large sign that read, Private Property of Shell Exxon Oil Company. It was obvious