Secrets and Lies

By Glen Johnson

Terry Strickland is a 27-year-old assistant in a residential nursing facility in New York City. While in Mr. Derne’s room – a 94-year-old mute – Terry finds a wooden box wrapped in brittle yellowed newspaper, with the date September 1945 – the end of World War II. Inside is an old war medal and a small black book that is empty apart from the last two pages, which has the coordinates for South Brother Island that is in New York’s East River, less than a mile from the nursing home. Along with the coordinates is a small hand-drawn map of the island. An X marks a secret.

Terry’s curiosity takes him on a journey that soon turns into a nightmare when he uncovers a secret about South Brother Island. A secret the American government is willing to kill for. A horrific secret that has already cost millions of lives worldwide.

Some secrets and lies should stay buried. The consequences of their meaning could destroy a country.

“There are no secrets that time does not reveal.” Jean Racine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Glen Johnson
• Release date: Jun 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005250324

Glen Johnson

Glen Johnson was born in Devon, England in 1973. He is the author of 55 fiction and non-fiction books. In August 2014, he gave away all his belongings and bought a backpack and he started travelling around Southeast Asia. While he travels, he helps charitable organizations, writing and releasing books about their foundations, leaving them with all the royalties. His first charity book is called Soi Dog: The Story Behind Asia’s Largest Animal Welfare Shelter and it’s available in ebook and paperback worldwide. He has also started to release a series of books about his travel adventures as they unfold, and Living the Dream: Part One – Khaosan Road, Thailand, and Part Two – Krabi, Thailand is available from all good ebook retailers. He also loves to travel and has spent over eleven years living and travelling around the world – so far, he has explored forty-three different countries. At present, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand, but he has also lived in Mexico, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Singapore. He is also the lead writer on the development team for a new computer game called The Seed (2018), from the creators of the award-winning S.T.A.L.K.E.R Misery mod.Why not add Glen as a friend on Facebook. From his author’s page, you can keep up to date with all his new releases and when his kindle books are free on Amazon. He checks it daily, so pop on and say hello. Don’t be shy, he’s friendly and accepts friend requests.www.facebook.com/GlenJohnsonAuthorwww.facebook.com/RedSkullPublishing and all good ebook retailers.Glen has published 174 books worldwide (via two publishing companies he owns). 55 are his own work; the other 119 are modern-classic-fiction books that can be found on all good eBook and paperback retailers.Books Released by Sinuous Mind Books, and Coming Soon –Books released under his real name Glen JohnsonNON-FICTION BOOKS –CHARITY BOOKS (with Gary Johnson)Soi Dog – The Story Behind Asia’s Largest Animal Welfare Shelter (2015)BEES Elephants Sanctuary: A Haven for Old and Retired Elephants (Coming Soon)TRAVEL BOOKS (with Gary Johnson)Living the Dream 1 – Khaosan Road – Thailand (2015)Living the Dream 2 – Krabi – Thailand (2019)Living the Dream 3 – Penang – Malaysia (Coming Soon)FICTION BOOKS –APOCALYPTIC/DYSTOPIAN/HORRORTHE SIXTH EXTINCTION SERIES (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short Stories)The Sixth Extinction 1 – Outbreak (2013)The Sixth Extinction 2 – Ruin (2013)The Sixth Extinction 3 – Infested (2013)The Sixth Extinction 4 – The Ark (2013)The Sixth Extinction 1-4 – Omnibus Edition (2013)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: THE FIRST THREE WEEKS SERIES (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short stories)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks 1 – Noah’s Story (2013)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks 2 – Red’s Story (2013)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks 3 – Betty and Lennie’s Story (2013)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks 4 – Doctor Lazaro’s Story (2013)The First Three Weeks 1-4 – Omnibus Edition (2013)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION & THE FIRST THREE WEEKS SERIES OMNIBUS (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short stories)The Sixth Extinction & The First Three Weeks 1-8 – Omnibus Edition (2013)The Sixth Extinction & The First Three Weeks & The Sixth Extinction America 1-12 – Omnibus Edition (2014)The Sixth Extinction & The First Three Weeks & The First Three Weeks The Squads Stories & The Sixth Extinction America & The Seven Seeds of the Gods 1-23 – Omnibus Edition (2017)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: THE FIRST THREE WEEKS – THE SQUADThe Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks – The Squad – Echo’s Story (2014)The Sixth Extinction Series: The First Three Weeks – The Squad – Coco’s Story (2014)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: AMERICA SERIES (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short stories)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part One: The Black Spores (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Two: False Hope (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Three: The Pods (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Four: The Long Road (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – 1-4 Omnibus Edition (2014)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Five: No Turning Back (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Six: A Friend in Need (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Seven: All Aboard (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Eight: New Hope (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – 1-8 Omnibus Edition (2015)The Sixth Extinction: America – 1-20 Omnibus Edition (2016)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Nine: Keep Running (2016)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Ten: Don’t Look Back (2016)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Eleven: Resurrection (2016)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Twelve: Alliance (2018)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Thirteen: Abandon (2019)The Sixth Extinction: America – Part Fourteen: Burn (Coming Soon)THE SIXTH EXTINCTION: BOOK EXTRASThe Sixth Extinction: The Seven Seeds of the Gods. Book One – Ancient Egypt (2016)The Sixth Extinction: The Seven Seeds of the Gods. Book Two – Ancient Mayan (Coming Soon)The Sixth Extinction: One Year On (England) (Coming Soon)The Sixth Extinction: Clarkson’s Discovery (Coming Soon)THE ENDLESS SERIESEndless: Part One – Sorrow (2019)Endless: Part Two – Fear (Coming Soon)Endless: Part Three - Anger (Coming Soon)THE EVENT SERIESThe Event: Part One – The Last Hope (2019)The Event: Part Two – Crashing Down (Coming Soon)THE HUMAN NATURE SERIES (A #1 Best Seller on Amazon UK Horror Short Stories)Lamb Chops and Chainsaws – Vol.1 (2012)Lobsters and Landmines – Vol.2 (2012)French Fries and Flamethrowers – Vol.3 (2014)The Human Nature Series 1-3 – Omnibus Edition (2014)Backpacks and Body Bags – Vol.4 (Coming Soon)THE EXTREME HUMAN NATURE SERIES (Extreme Horror Short Stories)Condoms and Cabbages (2015)GHOST (Short Stories)Sea of Trees (2017)Child Angels (2018)Tall Ghosts (2020)The Lost Cat (2023)HORROR (Short Stories)Quarantine (2020)Laugh Out Loud (2021)Secrets and Lies (2021)Blood Lotus (With Hathairat Phuekhiran – 2023)HORRORThe Watchers (2014)THE WAR OF THE GOD’S SERIESWar of the Gods 1 – The Devil’s Tarots (2012)War of the Gods 2 – Lilith’s Revenge (Coming Soon)THE SEVEN WORLDS SERIES (with Gary Johnson)The Gateway – World One (2014)The Keystone – World Two (2015)Even Jewel – World Three (2017)The Sleeping Gods – World Four (Coming Soon)The Turquoise Abyss – World Five (Coming Soon)Oceans of Fire – World Six (Coming Soon)Journeys End – World Seven (Coming Soon)THE SPELL OF BINDING SERIESThe Spell of Binding – Part One (2012)The Spell of Binding – Part Two (Coming Soon)THE PARKINGDOM SERIESParkingdom – Book One (2012)Parkingdom – Book Two (Coming Soon)OTHER BOOKSTales from the Lake Vol.2. Short Story: Prime Cuts (A mixed horror anthology with 18 other writers – published by Crystal Lake Publishing. 2016)Books released under the pseudonym J.G. NewtonEROTIC PLEASURES SERIES (#1 Best Seller on Amazon USA and UK Erotic/Suspense)Guilty Pleasures: Erotic Pleasures Series (2014)Dirty Pleasures: Erotic Pleasures Series (2014)Secret Pleasures: Erotic Pleasures Series (2014)Kinky Pleasures: Erotic Pleasures Series (2014)Erotic Pleasures Series 1-4 – Omnibus Edition (2014)EROTIC MONSTERS SERIES (#1 Best Seller on Amazon USA and UK Erotic/Suspense/Horror/Humorous)Frankenstein’s Monster: Erotic Monsters Series (2014)Dracula’s Lover: Erotic Monsters Series (2014)Mummy’s Desire: Erotic Monsters Series (Coming Soon)Werewolf’s Lust: Erotic Monsters Series (Coming Soon)COMPUTER GAMETHE SEEDGlen Johnson is on the development team as the lead writer (eight writers) for a new computer game series called The Seed. The Seed is a story-driven post-apocalyptic video game set in Eastern Europe in 2026. It’s a single-player 2D interactive novel, deeply rooted in HEXACO psychology – it showcases the gravity of choice. It’s by the same team that created the award-winning game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Misery mod.The Seed: Act 1 (2018)The Seed: Act 2 (Coming Soon)The Seed: Act 3 (Coming Soon)If you need to get hold of Glen Johnson, email him on: [e-mail]

Book preview

1

I lie in dirty sewer water waiting for death. A helicopter is circling above. I cannot feel the wind of the rotors on my skin. My body is numb.

I hear them approaching with heavy footfalls, counting down the seconds I have left to live.

The tinny bursts of words on their headsets are too distant to comprehend.

All because of my curiosity and a military secret the government is willing to kill for to keep hidden.

My body tries to move, to stand up and run. Take a chance on my feet, rather than die hiding on my back like a frightened animal.

However, I cannot run; I cannot do anything, only listen and move my eyes – I am paralyzed.

I don’t want to die; become a rotting corpse like the others.

I’m categorized as collateral damage. Somewhere I will end up as just a statistic. A number on a filed piece of paper. A red stamp with TOP SECRET printed on it.

I curse the day I set eyes on the small faded black notebook. If only I ignored it. Why do I have to be so bloody curious?

2

24 hours earlier…

My name is Terry Strickland. I work as a nursing assistant in a residential nursing facility.

I’m twenty-seven, borderline obese, and unfit, working a job I hate, feeding, cleaning, and wiping butts of old people that have no right to still be alive. I know; I’m probably in the wrong line of work. With no ambitions, no girlfriend and no life plan, I monotonously take one day at a time. Living hand to mouth – paycheck to paycheck.

I spend my free time playing computer games, and chatting to people on the Internet I have never met via a gaming headset. I have few friends in the real world, and no family to speak of – I am an only child and estranged from my parents. I was kicked out after smoking weed in my basement bedroom. You’d think I was Pablo Escobar with the way they reacted. My mother even phoned the police.

There’s no one to miss me.

No one to identify my body when it ends up lying on a cold metal mortuary table, with a Y incision in my chest and my organs in a stainless-steel bowl.

Why did I open the little black notebook? Why didn’t I just replace it in the small wooden box where I found it?

A strange little box with delicately carved symbols on it.

It belongs to Mr Derne, a 94-year-old man who has never said a single word in the eight years I’ve washed, fed, and helped him use the toilet. He’s been living at Riverview Residential Home since he was 79 – fifteen years. No one has ever heard him speak.

On his official office paperwork, it shows no transfer and no private information or contacts in case of an emergency. It’s as if he just showed up one day out of the blue.

There is no one still working at the home who was here fifteen years ago when he arrived.

He’s registered in the file as a mute with mental issues.

He’s certainly got some mental illness. Most at the home do, to some degree; or that might just be what old age is like?

I have never met my grandparents – not that I remember. Like me, they cannot stand my overbearing mother.

When Mr Derne isn’t engrossed with the loud TV on the wall bracket, he simply stares out the window towards the East River.

You can add deaf to his list of problems. The TV in his room literally vibrates because the sound is up so loud.

His favourite spot to sit is outside on the decking, watching the boats and the city in the distance.

There is no photos or memorabilia in his room to give a hint at his life before he arrived. No visitors. No phone calls. It’s as if he’s alone in the world.

An enigma.

How wrong I was.

Some pasts need to stay hidden – stay buried.

I found the box by accident. I rested a cup on the dresser. It spilt. I had to clean up the mess and wipe out a few of the drawers. That’s when I found the box