A Double Book Release: The Wrath of Tlingit Joe and Ghosts of Attu Island

By Arthur Cromarty

The Wrath of Tlingit Joe

The Wrath of Tlingit Joe is a whirlwind of revengeful, murder, and jaw-dropping suspense. This timeless tale of murder and deceit begins in 1972 Anchorage, Alaska, but it all comes to a bloody revenge forty years later. Joe Runningwind aka Tlingit Joe and his partner in crime Rilo Suggs run the anchorage underground with an iron fist until their untimely demise. Like many other Alaskan natives during this time, Tlingit Joe was stripped of his ancestors land and resources in a blatant display of racial hatred toward Alaskan natives. However, do to his connections in the anchorage underground and his choice to have a black man (Rilo Suggs) as a business partner made Tlingit Joe a real nuisance to the powers that be. It all ended in their brutal deaths, and in his last breath, Tlingit Joe vowed his revenge!


Ghosts of Attu Island

Sarah Hughes was raised on a salvage boat her entire life with her father (Esaw) and his crew. When Esaw dies and leaves everything to Sarah, the business is going under fast, and she considers selling the last boat in her fleet (The Bering Lady). Just when shes about to give up hope, a young man from Japan (Oshi Lu) offers to hire her boat for a special mission. He claims to know the whereabouts of the Emperors lost go-rudo (gold) thats buried somewhere on Attu Island in Alaska. Although reluctant to do so, she takes the job and Oshi Lu leads them right to the gold. They also find that after seventy years the Emperors elite soldiers are still there guarding the gold. Now Sarah and her crew must fight to survive the wrath of twenty-five Japanese soldiers with ghostly powers that are hell-bent on keeping the gold on the island.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503540330

Arthur Cromarty

Arthur Cromarty is a pioneering author from Anchorage, Alaska, and a native of Texas. The US Army brought him to Alaska at the age of sixteen where he attended the University of Alaska Anchorage and later graduated from North Texas State. He began writing novels in 1999, publishing his first book in 2000, The Nocturnal Thirst. Now to date, Arthur Cromarty has seven published books to his credit in four different genres. When asked about his books on a literary entertainment level, Arthur simply responded “Fire!” with a warm reassuring smile. “I've been told that reading my books is like watching a movie.”

Book preview

A DOUBLE BOOK

RELEASE

The Wrath of Tlingit Joe and Ghosts of Attu Island

ARTHUR CROMARTY

Copyright © 2015 by Arthur Cromarty.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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.

Rev. date: 01/29/2015

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Contents

THE WRATH OF TLINGIT JOE

Partners In Crime

Men Of Virtue

Classic Corruption

Getting Away With Murder

The Time Is Now

Tragedy Strikes

Strange Days

Working Late

Room Service Please

Under Construction

Fighting For Love

Family Of Whores

No Time To Retire

Not In God’s House

Guess Who’s Back

GHOST OF ATTU ISLAND

BOOK 1

Secrets Of The Grave

Don’t Lose Hope

Unrefusable Propisition

A Hideous Voyage

Death Lives Here

Missing Oshi Lu

The Treasure

Rich Men

Grizzly Murders

Undisclosed Information

THE WRATH OF TLINGIT JOE

If you understand the nature of the thing, then you know what it’s capable of.

Wesley Snipes

PARTNERS IN CRIME

In 1968, Anchorage was a slow growing city with lots of opportunities for an increasing population from the United States migrating north looking for work. Along with them came all the unsavory elements as well. Alaska was a new addition to the United States that played by its own rules and laws. For that reason, Alaskan native way of life and culture would pay the price with the help of the white man’s alcohol. Just like any other growing city, brothels and crime flourished but for two men looking for riches, Anchorage was the perfect city to set up shop.

Joe Runningwind a.k.a. Tlingit Joe migrated from southeast Alaska to Anchorage in south central Alaska to take over management of his grandfather’s land and real estate that was willed to him. After moving to the city from southeast Alaska that was indigenous to and mostly populated by the Tlingit tribe, Joe found that a predominately-white populated Anchorage was very unfriendly to Alaskan natives. Although he owned his own land and real estate, Joe would still have to make money to survive. With no money and no work, Joe was reduced to eating out of soup kitchens but his luck would change when he meets his future partner in crime Rilo Suggs.

Rilo Suggs moved to Anchorage from Houston, Texas trying to find work after coming home to poverty and despair, following his two tours in Vietnam. He soon found out that fleeing to the last frontier was no friendlier to blacks than the south. He faced the same racist politics and crooked government that he tried to leave behind in Texas. Once he crossed paths with Tlingit Joe that all would change. After Rilo showed him how to use his resources to make money illegally, there was no turning back. They hired girls and turned his houses into brothels. The money they made from the brothels built more houses on Joe’s land that they turned into gambling houses. The gambling houses bought bars and after-hours spots. They built an underground dynasty by paying off local law enforcement and government officials. There was no mercy for anyone in the city that opposed their will. Drug dealers had to pay to operate. Even politicians had to pay them for votes. Tlingit Joe was always uplifting his people no matter what tribe they belonged to. He did not allow Alaska native teens to sell drugs nor would he let Alaska native women work in brothels. Joe and Rilo would often fly out to Asthebaschin, Aleut, and Tlingit villages to hand out food, clothing, books for literacy, and medical supplies to the people that the Alaskan government did not provide. Rilo knew all too well how a majority white government would treat minorities in need so he loved doing it too.

The money they made was getting harder and harder to make illegally so they started investing the money into construction companies, tourist bus lines, and prime real estate. It was 1972 and the times were changing. That meant the streets were also changing so they had to change their ways. The federal government started sending in agents to assist the local law enforcement. This was all new to Tlingit Joe but Rilo Suggs knew all to well that the federal agents had a lot more power and they did not play fair. At the climax of the war in Vietnam, the federal government had a brand new domestic focus.

The local government did not need help with corruption because they were already up to their necks with money laundering officials. An elite, organized gang of rich white men known as The Wisemen secretly controlled the local government. At the head of this gang was Walter Whitlow, a hotel tycoon, Christian McGuire who owned the state’s largest construction company, Senator Thomas Fritz, and Mayor Jonathan Holgram. Donald Immes and Sam Wolf were their hired goons and they were proficient at the job.

Downtown Anchorage at City Hall the mayor sat in his office, staring out his window, and contemplated the construction of the new high school in his grandfather’s name that lived in Mississippi. An expected knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Come in, said Mayor Holgram as he fumbled through papers on his desk. Good afternoon Mr. McGuire. How are the wife and kids?

They are all just fine, replied Christian while helping himself to the mayor’s liquor cabinet. The misses just had surgery but she’s recovering fine. Her sister flew up from California to help with the kids.

That’s good, smiled Mayor Holgram You should bring the family over for Sunday dinner when she’s feeling up to it.

That sounds just splendid Jonathan, responded Christian with a smile.

So what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, asked Mayor Holgram? How’s the foundation coming on the high school?

Well that’s why I’m here, said Christian clearing his throat. The city inspectors won’t clear that land for construction zoning.

What do you mean, asked Mayor Holgram? That land was cleared months ago. There must be some mistake.

No there’s no mistake, hastily replied Christian. The lot we had previously planned to use to build on was not for sale. Apparently that land has already been purchased right from underneath our noses.

That’s not a problem, responded Mayor Holgram. We’ll just formally offer the new owner a nice piece of change to sell it and if they don’t take it then we’ll send Immes and Wolf to talk with them informally.

I’ve already talked to him, said Christian pouring himself another drink. He won’t budge. He plans to build a recreation center for troubled youth or some such nonsense. I even offered him twice what he paid for it but he’s determined to build his center for young kids and it’s going to be a native homeless shelter a night.

Who is this asshole, asked Mayor Holgram in a furious voice? I bet it’s some free-life, liberal bastard from California. These hippie fuckers think they can save the world.

It’s not a hippie, said Christian with a serious face.

Then, who is it, asked Mayor Holgram?

I set up an appointment to meet with this guy, Christian started to explain. When I walk into his office guess who? There sitting behind his desk all high and mighty was a one Joe Runningwind.

Tlingit Joe, gasped Mayor Holgram! He works with us and we let him and that nigger boy operate with no problem. How dare those two try and go against what we are trying to do. Just who in the hell do they think they are?

Well brace yourself because it gets worse, inserted Christian. I told Tlingit Joe that I was displeased with this and I wouldn’t accept the contract to build it unless he found another location. He informed me that he didn’t need me to build it because Suggs Construction had the contract to build it.

Suggs Construction, said Mayor Holgram with a look of confusion? Do you mean as in Rilo Suggs?

Yes, that’s the one, replied Christian.

When did all this happen, angrily asked Mayor Holgram? When did they get out of the underground business?

Well, it’s the feds sir, added Christian taking a gulp of scotch. They are making it harder for them to operate illegally so they are starting to invest their street money into legal business ventures.

That’s a bunch of horse-shit and you know it, growled Mayor Holgram! We’ve been controlling these Alaska natives with booze for decades. That ungrateful nigger is behind all this.

I’ve found a nice piece of land in Spenard that will be perfect for the high school, suggested Christian. I can show you the plans if you’d like.

Our kids are not going to school in Spenard, responded Mayor Holgram. Just listen to yourself. I’m not changing my plans or my granddad’s legacy so we can accommodate some street nigger and a drunken snow-nigger.

What do you want to do about this, asked Christian?

I tell you what I’m going to do, replied Mayor Holgram get me Immes and Wolf on the phone. We need to call a meeting with all the partners.

Now wait a minute Jonathan, inserted Christian we should be diplomatic about this situation. We don’t want to cross Suggs. He has a lot of influence on the Negro vote and Joe does do a lot for the native community.

Come on you dumb cracker, snarled Mayor Holgram! Listen to yourself man! We don’t negotiate with niggers or snow niggers. The people of this city have entrusted me with the procurement of its development and I will not ignore that duty to make a deal with the source of 75 percent of this city’s crime.

Jonathan I understand, Christian started to explain but Tlingit Joe and Suggs have contributed a lot of money to your campaign and this city.

That was then, replied Mayor Holgram this is a new day. With all the talk about drilling for oil on the North Slope, we don’t need to do business with the likes of them anymore. We are about to become an oil city.

How do you plan to handle this situation, asked Christian?

We are going to start with their brothels in Spenard and…, Mayor Holgram started to explain but was interrupted by his secretary buzzing his intercom.

Excuse me Sir, the secretary said in a soft voice you have a call on line one.

Doris didn’t I tell you to hold all my calls, quickly responded Mayor Holgram in a sarcastic voice!

I apologize Sir but it’s your wife, calmly replied the secretary. She says it’s an emergency, it’s about your daughter.

I’ll get it in here, says Mayor Holgram thanks Doris. My daughter has been in labor all night. It’s about time she gave me a grandchild and cleaned herself up. I just hope she stays clean this time.

Yeah, I agree, replied Christian a daughter living on the streets, is not a good look for the Mayor.

I’m so excited, this will be good, smiled Mayor Holgram I’ll put her on speaker. Hello honey, Christian and I were just having a chat about some business but I know you’ve got some good news for me.

You need to get to the hospital right now, sobbed Mrs. Holgram over the intercom speaker. We have a big problem!

What is it, asked Mayor Holgram rising up in his chair? Is the baby okay? What is it? Is it a grandson? Is Brooklyn okay?

Yes, she and the baby are just fine, his wife sobbed, we have a grandson.

Yahooooo, that’s this best news I’ve heard all day, said Mayor Holgram while he smiled at Christian! So, what’s the problem?

Congratulations Mrs. Holgram, yelled Christian from across the room. I’m glad to hear the good news!

You just need to get here right away Jon, insisted Mrs. Holgram strongly reasserting herself!

I’m really busy right now, replied Mayor Holgram. Can’t it wait?

Jonathan, this baby is as brown as our housekeeper, answered Mrs. Holgram!

MEN OF VIRTUE

In a back bedroom inside a Mt. View brothel owned by Tlingit Joe and ran by Rilo Suggs, three women try