The Clock Struck Greed: A Professor Bates Novel

By Lawrence Gordon Knudsen

Professor Bates and company accidentally come into possession of a diary that provides the details of the robbery of a shipment of silver over one hundred and thirty years ago. To their knowledge the silver has never been found. While trying to determine if it is worth their while to see if it can be uncovered other forces become aware of the possibility and the race is on to see if the missing silver really exists and, if found, claim a finders fee worth millions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491704981

Lawrence Gordon Knudsen

Lawrence Gordon Knudsen is a retired banker and a former college professor. He and his wife currently reside in southern Idaho. Besides writing novels he currently runs a couple of small businesses and is a consultant and lecturer on business issues with an emphasis on economics and personal management. In addition to The Clock Struck Greed, Mr. Knudsen is also the author of four other Professor Bates novels.

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THE

CLOCK STRUCK

GREED

A PROFESSOR BATES NOVEL

LAWRENCE GORDON KNUDSEN

iUniverse LLC

Bloomington

The Clock Struck Greed

A professor Bates novel

Copyright © 2013 by Lawrence Gordon Knudsen.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-0497-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-0498-1 (ebk)

iUniverse rev. date: 08/23/2013

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

To treasures lost and found

CHAPTER 1

THE SOUND WAS UNMISTAKABLE. IT WASN’T over-powering or boisterous but I could hear it just the same. Kathleen was sitting next to me in our Jeep. We had the top off and were returning from an early summer night on the town in Durango Colorado. I asked Kathleen what she thought the sound meant but she said that she couldn’t hear anything but the wind.

I thought that perhaps my mind was playing tricks on me and I was just about to dismiss my feelings when I heard it again. Someone or something was calling my name. I looked at Kathleen for confirmation but I received only a shrug of her shoulders in return.

What should I do? I asked my wife. Kathleen and I have been married for over thirty-five years and I value her judgment.

Let’s go home, was all I got in response. As usual I ignored her judgment. I turned the Jeep around and headed back into the heart of Durango.

Why don’t you ever listen to me? asked my exasperated wife.

I do listen to you. I just usually choose to ignore your advice, I replied as I pulled over to the side of the road so that I could listen more intently. The air was full of sounds common to Durango. I was just about to give up when I heard my name being called again. It came on the heels of the noise made by a motorcycle changing gears to climb up a slope in the road in front of us.

I twisted my head slowly from side to side while I tried to pick up the direction from where the message came. Kathleen looked at me with amusement.

If your head spins completely around then you’ll be walking home by yourself, she added. I don’t share my ride with the supernatural.

I ignored that comment as well. I pulled back into traffic and headed towards the sound that I was sure that I had heard. We traveled very slowly and had a lot of unhappy motorists to our rear. I eventually turned off the road again and motioned for the cars behind us to pass by. I received a lot of belligerent looks from the occupants of each vehicle that passed us by but I was oblivious to their facial expressions. Apparently one of the expressions had been accompanied with a gesture as well. Kathleen adeptly pointed that out to me. I was too involved in listening to the voice that was beckoning me to notice however.

We remained motionless for a minute or so before I faintly picked up the sound again. This time there was no mistaking it—the sound was coming directly from our front. There was no doubt now. I heard my name distinctly even though Kathleen was still oblivious to any sound other than those analogous to the evenings in Southwestern Colorado.

I drove forward for about a block and a half before the sound of my name overwhelmed all other reverberation around us. It came from a convenience store directly to our left. I pulled into the parking lot and followed the sound of my name inside. Kathleen waited patiently in the Jeep.

A few minutes later I returned to the Jeep, satisfied that I had done the right thing by following my intuition.

Well? asked Kathleen as I sat behind the wheel. Did you find the source from whence your name was called?

Whence? I asked.

Yes, Kathleen replied.

Yes, I responded.

Where? Kathleen inquired.

Inside, was my retort.

There? she asked again as she pointed to the convenience store to my rear.

Thence, was my answer.

Who was it? Kathleen then asked.

This, I responded. It has been calling my name for over thirty minutes now. I held up the biggest chocolate cake donut that I had ever laid my hands on. I looked at Kathleen to get her response. There was nothing there. I took a bite of the source of my name-calling and looked at Kathleen again. This time I showed her my widest grin. It was covered with chocolate. Her blank expression turned to one that needed no further interpretation. In fact, her look would have been understood by every life-form in the universe.

I put the Jeep in gear and we started our long and apparently silent journey homeward. The new ice age that everyone on the planet fears will eventually cover the earth just started. It was sitting next to me in the Jeep.

We drove for a few miles without comment. I couldn’t have spoken anyway. My mouth was too full. I was enjoying the silence when suddenly something or someone hit the side of the Jeep.

What in the world? asked Kathleen. The iceberg finally spoke. I brought the Jeep to a quick stop and ran to the rear to see what had happened. We had been hit all right. It was lying just off the road. It was crumpled and disheveled and had a bewildered look on what appeared in the dark to be a face. Upon further review it turned out to be a man.

What in the world? Kathleen said again as she slowly came beside me. What have you done? Is it okay? Has it moved? I couldn’t answer until I had swallowed the donut in my mouth. I was about to answer her questions but it interrupted.

Please help me, it said.

What can I do? Are you hurt badly? I inquired.

I’m okay, I guess. I just need a ride out of here, it replied while looking in the bushes behind him. The bushes started to rustle. It started to tremble. Kathleen started to turn pale. I started to lick my finger. I had missed some chocolate frosting in the confusion.

It suddenly leaped off from the ground and jumped into the back of our Jeep. Please hurry! it pleaded as it kept looking at the bushes to our rear. I wasn’t born yesterday so I recognized a person that desperately needed a ride. But since I wasn’t born yesterday it took me a little longer to get into the Jeep than everyone else.

Please hurry, said both Kathleen and my backseat passenger. As I started to buckle my seat belt I heard another round of please hurry followed by for Pete’s sake, Joshua! Get the lead out! That last derogatory comment was directed at me from my loving wife of over three and a half decades. I’m the Joshua that she was speaking about. I didn’t know who Pete was.

Good old Joshua. That’s what I’m called around here. Yep, good old Joshua. Except for Kathleen’s outburst that night I’m generally thought of as a right nice fellow. Except for the time my boss called me a dumb… Well maybe not everyone around here thinks of me as good old Joshua. Okay, so no one around here thinks of me as good old Joshua. They call me Dr. Bates or Professor Bates. That’s because I’m so highly respected in the community. I remember once the Mayor called me… Okay, so I’m not so highly respected in the community. I’m called Dr. Bates or Professor Bates because I teach business classes at Wasatch College and the students want to get on my good side so that they will get a good grade. Kathleen calls me sweetie but that’s another story. Right now I don’t think sweetie is one of the words that she will use for a while however. At least as long as I have chocolate donut on my breath.

So your name is Pete, I said to the crumpled mass in the back seat. It gave me a very inquisitive look. Kathleen’s look wasn’t inquisitive at all. Sometimes I can be annoying.

Are you being chased by someone? Kathleen interjected. She was talking to the person in the back seat. Since she didn’t call him sweetie I knew that she was talking to him and not me.

Yes, came the reply. Can’t you drive any faster? it continued. That question was directed at me. I knew it the moment it opened its’ mouth. The fact that my foot is the one on the accelerator never entered my mind. The fact that it punched me in the shoulder with its foot while it spoke to me did however.

I’m going to take you to the hospital in Wasatch. There’s no sense in fighting me about it because that’s what I’m going to do. You need to be checked for internal bleeding and such and I won’t take no for an answer. You’re just going to have to deal with it, I said in my most authoritative voice. My firmness impressed me. I could tell that Kathleen was impressed as well because I could almost see her mouth my sweetie to me as we drove. However I wasn’t prepared for the answer that I received from the back seat. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement.

Okay, was its’ response. The response came from a man with a weathered face and a beard that had seen better days. His hair was long and matched his beard—both in color and lack of grooming. He was dressed in only a tee shirt and climbing shorts and sandals. I would guess that he is younger than I am but then again most of the people on the planet are younger than me so it’s a fairly safe guess.

His knees were skinned because of our collision but there were no other outward signs of any serious damage. He wore a very compact book pack over his shoulder and he clutched at it as though it held everything that he owned. His name wasn’t Pete by the way. It was Billy. Not William, or any other derivative of that moniker, but Billy. When asked what his last name was, his reply was that his name was only Billy.

I liked it better but from that point on our passenger was called Billy by everybody that met him. I never found out who Pete was.

We arrived at the hospital in Wasatch about fifteen minutes later. I drove right to the Emergency Entrance and we were descended upon by a gaggle of nurses that were positioned at the entrance to care for the injured. Since I’m a regular customer the nurses came directly towards me. I pointed to the crumpled mass in the back seat and they eventually helped him into the innards of the large building. I was left with one of the charge nurses to fill out all of the necessary paperwork.

Nice to see you again Professor, the nurse said as she motioned for me to sit in a chair at the front of the nurses station. How come you’re not the one injured? she continued. I told you that I came there a lot.

Just lucky I guess, I responded to her question. Billy, I then added.

Billy what? replied the nurse.

Billy is the answer to the first question that you’re going to ask me, I said in reply. The nurse just smiled at me and then looked at the form in front of her and started to ask me some questions.

What’s the patients… ? the nurse said before she stopped and filled in the first blank.

I don’t know, I said when she finished writing. She gave me a funny look. That’s the answer to your second question, I added. The nurse went back to her form.

What’s the patients last… ? she started to ask before she looked up at me and smiled.

By the way, the answers to all of your questions from this point on will be ‘I don’t know,’ I offered. Then I added, Is your cafeteria still open for business? The hospital has the best cheeseburgers in the area and it had been at least twenty minutes since I had eaten anything. The nurse told me that the cafeteria was still open so I politely excused myself and went towards the familiar surroundings of the hospital cafeteria, reminding the nurse that I didn’t have any more answers for her as I left. Kathleen took my spot in the chair in front of the nurse and I could hear her answers while I waited for the elevator to arrive. I don’t know, I heard Kathleen say at least three times before the elevator arrived.

Although I didn’t hear a cheeseburger calling me, I did find one that I’m sure had my name on it. I was thrilled. It was almost worth having a guy run into to me so that I could discover my new friend. Our friendship lasted only long enough for me to put condiments on it however. On my way up to the lobby I didn’t even feel guilty that I didn’t let the relationship with the cheeseburger develop any longer. Oh well, here today, lunch tomorrow.

As I de-elevatored I heard Kathleen in the distance. She was still talking to the nurse that was checking Billy into the hospital.

I don’t know, I heard her say. From the tone of her voice I could tell that Kathleen was tired. The nurse looked up at me and pleaded with her eyes for me to give her the answer to her next question. The lobby had become quite busy and the noise level had increased since I had been there just a few minutes before. I stood a few feet away and listened intently for her next question. I mulled the question over in my mind for a few minutes and then cleared my throat.

Can you hear me over the noise? I asked loudly. The nurse nodded her head excitedly. I paused for a few minutes so that my answer would have the necessary clarity that my answer deserved. I then delivered it with all of the emotion that I could muster.

I don’t know, I bellowed. The nurse gave up on us and asked to see the next patient. Kathleen and I placed ourselves in chairs on the other side of the waiting room and waited for Billy to put in an appearance. Our wait lasted another thirty-five minutes.

Billy finally came through the door but the admitting nurse corralled him before he could move ten feet from the door that he came through. Another fifteen minutes passed before he was cleared by the admitting nurse and given the green light to leave the hospital.

We tried to help you out by answering all of the questions that the admitting nurse had but we were only able to answer the first one, I said as Billy came towards us. By the way, what are the answers to her questions? I added.

Wadsworth. Forty-two. Five feet ten. One hundred and sixty two pounds. Brown/gray. Hazel. Engineer. Colorado Springs. Divorced. Blue Shield. I don’t know and no, Billy offered.

What don’t you know? I then asked.

Where I’ll be staying in Wasatch? Billy replied.

Where were you going? inquired Kathleen.

Nowhere in particular, Billy answered as we left the hospital and walked to the Jeep.

Would you like to stay with us for the night? Kathleen asked. We have plenty of extra space. Before Billy could answer Kathleen’s question I asked him one of my own.

Why are you running around with only the clothes on your back and with your little book bag in tow? I questioned.

I’m running for my life, Billy responded.

CHAPTER 2

WE ARRIVED AT THE JEEP JUST as we heard Billy’s answer. The timing of his announcement couldn’t have been worse. Our Jeep had been ransacked.

How long have you been running? Kathleen asked.

About two weeks, Billy replied.

From whom? was the next question. That was from me. I wanted to show him my impressive use of the English language.

I don’t know, Billy said. I had heard that a lot lately. Kathleen and I looked at each other. Incredibly she was lost for words. I was about to say something before I realized that I was at a loss for words also. We all just looked at each other before Billy broke the silence.

Would you just drop me off at the nearest bus stop? I don’t want to trouble you anymore, Billy offered. I shook my head in the affirmative and was getting into the Jeep when Kathleen found her missing words and put a sentence together.

Nonsense. We invited you to stay the night and we would be insulted if you declined our conversation, she blurted out. She then looked at me for confirmation. I reluctantly confirmed. I liked her silence better.

We decided to go straight home and to inform the police the next morning about the tossing of the Jeep. When we arrived at the house I pulled the Jeep into the garage. Under the light of the garage’s illumination I examined the Jeep further to see if anything had been taken. I came up empty. Actually the burglars had come up empty because there was nothing in the Jeep to take.

As I was about to leave I noticed a small white object sitting on the floor of the passenger’s side of the vehicle. It was directly under the seat. Not knowing what to expect I slowly approached the article from the rear. As I pulled myself over the back of the passenger’s seat I got my face to within a few inches of the package. I didn’t know what I’d find but upon further examination I was relieved and elated at the same time. I had found the last bite of my chocolate donut wrapped in white tissue paper. I hadn’t been able to finish it because I was interrupted when the Jeep and Billy were introduced to each other.

I was still munching on my discovery when I walked into the kitchen of our home.

Where’s Billy? I asked.

In the hot tub, Kathleen replied.

Where is the General? I then continued. The General is our very furry Samoyed puppy that has been our constant companion for several years now.

Probably sniffing every blade of grass in our back yard, was Kathleen’s reply.

Where’s Phil? was my next inquiry. Phil is our next door neighbor. He’s usually seen around our place when he smells dinner cooking. Kathleen didn’t respond so I continued. Where’s dinner? I added.

It’s still in the can, Kathleen responded. Besides, we ate dinner in Durango before we came home. Remember?

I had remembered but I had hoped that Kathleen had forgotten. I was now on my own. Suddenly I had an insightful thought. They don’t come often so I appreciate them when they do.

What about Billy? When was the last time he ate something? I inquired. Don’t you think he’s hungry? Kathleen went out on our patio and talked to Billy while he was still in the hot tub. She was shaking her head when she returned.

Well? I asked.

He said he didn’t want to be a bother, Kathleen offered.

But you are going to be bothered, aren’t you? I pleaded. Kathleen shook her head up and down. I took that to mean yes. Make mine ham and eggs, I said as I left to talk to the stranger in the hot tub that was wearing my bathing suit. Kathleen thumped me on the head with a spatula as I walked by. I took that to be a love tap. I didn’t turn around to see if her facial expression matched my intuition however.

Billy and I engaged in small talk until we heard Kathleen’s call to come to the feeding trough. I waited until Billy had a mouthful of eggs before I asked him the question that had been nagging at the both of us.

Who is really chasing you and why? I asked rather nonchalantly.

I really don’t know, Billy replied. Honest, he added as he ate some more eggs.

How do you know you’re being chased then? asked Kathleen. She had taken the words right out of my mouth. That was okay with me. I needed more time to chew the ham that I was eating anyway.

I have seen the same two men everywhere that I have gone for the last several days now. They have gone wherever I have gone. If I speed up so do they. If I slow down so do they. If I go into a store so do they. When I go to church so do they. When I… , Billy tried to continue but I cut him short.

I get the picture, I offered. Have you gone to the police?

Yes, Billy replied. He filled his mouth again so we had to wait before I could ask the next question. Kathleen beat me to it. I was eating some toast this time.

And? was all Kathleen said. I was going to say that as well.

They said that these men had done nothing wrong and that as long as I wasn’t accosted or anything that they had a right to be wherever they wanted to be. The men following me finally wore me down so I packed everything that was meaningful to me and left town. I hoped that I could lose them in my travels, Billy stated.

And? That was me that time.

I haven’t been able to lose them, was Billy’s reply.

Where are they now? I asked.

Probably just outside your house, Billy said. Kathleen looked at me. I looked at her. We both looked at Billy. Billy looked at his eggs. I looked at Kathleen again. She returned my stare. We both looked at Billy again. I tried to get you to take me to the nearest bus station, Billy added. He was right. He had.

Just as Billy finished his last sentence we heard the General start to bark loudly. He was still in the back yard sniffing the grass. We knew that it took something major to disturb the General while he was doing his smelling routine so both Kathleen and I became alarmed.

Why don’t you check that out? asked my lovely wife.

Check out what? I asked while trying to delay the inevitable.

Oh for Pete’s sake Joshua, do I have to draw you a picture? Kathleen said rather annoyingly.

That would be nice. I’ll get the crayons. On my way I think that I will see what’s the matter with the General. While I’m gone why don’t you check on Pete? I replied. I thought that that was rather funny. Kathleen didn’t however. It would be awhile before I saw her my sweetie look again.

As I approached the doors to the patio I could see the General staring intently at where the sliding glass door would open. He was still barking loudly. As I opened the door he bound into the house with vigor. Something or someone had really scared him. I turned on the patio lights and slowly went outside. I turned around to tell my backup support that all was clear but neither Kathleen nor Billy was anywhere to be seen. I was alone.

I slowly moved a few feet away from the hot tub and down onto the grass. As I moved quietly towards the brick wall that separated our property from our neighbors to our rear I heard some movement by some large lilac bushes next to our garden. I froze. The lilac bushes froze as well. I must have stared at the bushes for what seemed like an eternity before I was convinced that there was nothing in my yard to be afraid of.

I had just regained my manly composure when suddenly the bushes started to rustle. They were occupied.

Who’s there? I squeaked. I grabbed an old rake that had been left in the garden and repeated my question again. This time my voice was at least an octave lower.

Who’s there? I asked in my best baritone voice. The lilacs rustled and parted. Their occupant had left its covering and headed straight towards me. It was Phil, my next door neighbor. He was carrying his nine iron like a sword.

I thought that I saw some guys milling around in your backyard. They looked like they were up to no good so I thought that I would check it out. The General scared the stuffing out of them before I could see what they were up to. What have you gotten yourself into now? my neighbor and retired county prosecutor asked. I told Phil about Billy.

Would you like to meet him? I asked.

Is there food involved? I think that I smell dinner, Phil offered.

There was when I left to come out here, I said. That did the trick. Phil was anxious to meet our houseguest. By the way, I said as we went back into the house. Do you know who Pete is? Phil didn’t have time to answer. Kathleen had suddenly put in an appearance.

Where have you been? I was worried, she said as Phil and I entered the kitchen. The General was at Billy’s side and was eating everything that Billy would drop his way.

Phil says that he saw some men in our back yard but that the General scared them off before he could investigate. Do you think that I should call the police? I asked.

Yes, was the unanimous response. With the urging of everyone in the house I dialed the police department. I had their telephone number memorized. Ten minutes later they were at our door.

The police searched our property and the street surrounding it and pronounced it fit for safe habitation. The officer in charge of the search was an acquaintance of mine and we reminisced about past adventures while the search was underway.

We’ll keep a special watch on your house tonight, said the officer in charge as they left.

Did you tell them about Billy? Kathleen asked as the police drove away.

No, I replied.

Why not? she inquired.

I’m saving that for Bigg, I offered. Detective Bigg is a friend of ours and I had planned on introducing him to Billy in the morning. As I approached my hastily abandoned ham and eggs I noticed something very peculiar. They were gone.

I was hungrier than I thought, Billy said in response to the look on my face. I looked at Kathleen. Phil looked at Kathleen. The look on his face was more pathetic than the look on mine. Billy looked at the floor. The General looked at Billy. Kathleen looked in the refrigerator.

I’m sorry! We are temporarily out of ham and eggs, Kathleen said. We have some tofu, she added. That did the trick. The kitchen emptied. Even the General picked up the tone of what she had said and vacated the kitchen with the rest of us. We spent the rest of the evening listening to Billy tell us about his experiences during the last two weeks.

Phil is old enough to be my father but has become one of my best friends. He has lived in Wasatch ever since he retired from the Navy. He was the County’s Prosecutor for several years. Now he is retired, plays golf when he can, and suffers from an acute case of very timely gout—which is to say that it mostly flares up when there is something that needs to be done. We know that he uses it as an excuse to get out of work, he knows that we know, and we know that he knows that we know. Even the General knows… I take that back. The General doesn’t even know what day it is.

At precisely eleven o’clock Phil excused himself. He mentioned that his pipe required its eleven o’clock feeding. As he left he asked me to keep him informed. He also stated that he would sleep with his nine iron by his side. A few minutes later I could smell the sweet aroma of his favorite blend of pipe tobacco mingled with the late spring air flowing into our house from the open patio doors.

Kathleen led Billy to the guestroom while I climbed the stairs to our second floor bedroom. I turned off all of the lights during my journey. A few minutes later I could hear Kathleen feeling her way up the stairs. I then heard a muffled thump as Kathleen fell over the General. He had planted himself on the top of the stairway.

Oh for Pete’s sake, she said as she pulled herself off from the floor. I wondered if the General knew who Pete was. I fell asleep before I could ask him.

The next morning we had waffles with blueberry syrup for breakfast. The General had Alpo. It wasn’t a fair trade. I called Detective Bigg and made an appointment to see him that morning. While we waited I let Billy rummage through some of my clothes and let him pick out a new wardrobe. I have three sets of clothes. One set is my current wardrobe. It consists mainly of Wrangler jeans, cotton shirts, Roper boots, and wool or corduroy jackets. Those are my Professor clothes. A second set of clothes are those that no longer fit because I spend too much time at the feeding trough. My third set of clothes consist entirely of double knit pants and jackets with wide lapels along with silk, form fitting shirts, just in case the Seventy’s look becomes in again.

Billy was more interested in my Seventy’s wardrobe but I told him that that was off limits. He had to settle for my skinny set. When he was dressed he looked like I must have looked a few years ago. Except that I was cuter.

We eventually wandered into my study and I enraptured