Desperate Action

By Kevin S Johnson

The book hero Jason Manning, is and ex military now real estate agent

who accidently witnesses a murder. He is chased and his wife is killed 

in a purposeful accident, but his pursuers continue to hunt him down.

He is kidnapped and taken to Jakarta. He saves the life of an FBI 

agent, Lucy Campbell,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pen Culture Solutions
• Release date: Feb 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638121411

Book preview

Desperate Action

Copyright © 2022 by Kevin S Johnson.

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-63812-140-4

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63812-141-1

All rights reserved. No part in this book may be produced and 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.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Published by Pen Culture Solutions 02/03/2022

Pen Culture Solutions

1-888-727-7204 (USA)

1-800-950-458 (Australia)

[e-mail]

Contents

Forward

Introduction

Chapter 1     A murder is witnessed

Chapter 2     The gangster’s hide-out

Chapter 3     Hiring a boat and spying

Chapter 4     Drug factory burned

Chapter 5     Lucy becomes part of the team

Chapter 6    The drug boss has plans

Chapter 7    Running Scared

Chapter 8    The pursuit

Chapter 9    Jason faces Marcus

Chapter 10  Marcus feeling the pinch

Chapter 11  Chase through the rain forest

Chapter 12  Court case begins

Chapter 13  Huxley hurts

Chapter 14  Legal Trickery

Chapter 15  Huxley’s dilemma

Chapter 16  Huxley takes on Evelyn

Chapter 17  Huxley faces court and Impeachment

Chapter 18  Huxley feels the net tightening

Chapter 19  Huxley bleeds, and the court case is concluded

Note!

About the Author

Forward

This is the 5 th book written by the wr iter.

The first three books were written as a trilogy and spanned the life of David Granger, nick named Aussie Pilot by the president of the USA, who was amazed at his direct thinking and natural skills.

Granger experienced the Falkland and Vietnam Wars, a stint as a medical surgeon, then retiring to develop an international market garden. It was during a site inspection that he discovered an ancient computer named Orack.

The book spans Grangers war involvement, various USA presidential predicaments, some of the political turmoil involving the Middle East, Afghanistan, and the corrupt business moguls stoking those conflicts.

The second book, Aussie Knowhow, continues the fantasy story that uses Orack and the magic of Merlin and Morgana (the twelfth-century wizards) to correct the bad history and continuing sorcery of medi evil Earth’s time and generally negate the evolving corruption and conflicts being manipulated.

Aussie Impasse continues the leadership of the Granger family in interplanetary assimilation, and together with their friends, defeat dastardly, galactic, corrupt business moguls.

The story has space action, the involvement World and USA White House negotiations, and with the direction of Orack, all intertwine resulting in ultimate interplanetary war and eventual peace.

The books spanned the life of a pilot, his war involvement, USA presidential appointment and the political turmoil involving the Middle East, Afghanistan and eventually a Russian business mogul.

After magic enters the equation trickery, outer space devilment and intergalactic conflicts are exciting with the fantasy story plot almost believable.

The fourth book Aussie Mythology follows on the same believable fantasy-style after the hero retires and his children and friends together with the computer Orack, continue world security only to be confronted with Greek Gods wanting to return to power. The daughter of a Chinese warlord seeking galaxy dominance faces Orack, and with final respect, the Princess finds peace and understanding to eventually lead the universe into peace and mutual cooperation.

After the publishing of book 4, the need to continue writing became bothersome. In an attempt to satisfy the urge, the need to produce a better text was overwhelming. It had to be a completely different theme and a story that allowed the reader to use their own imagination to embellish my fantasy story. Something to read a chapter at a time, and to commence the reader to mentally improve, or change, to enhance the passage, then at another time pick up the book repeating the pleasure still pursued maybe weeks after the book has been finished.

That is, the reader is given a platform to entertain themselves rather than the past practices of the written words providing the sole entertainment of the reader.

Too many people want to read what they perceive to be the truth, written in precise correct English and to do so by skimming each page as fast as they can.

Hence, it seemed to me, I needed a popular story, jazzed up with some believable fantasy but expounding modern circumstances.

Accordingly, it is my sincere hope that, at least to some extent, this has been achieved and on closing the book, the reader has a sly smile and a feeling of pleasant enjoyment.

Yet again, I thank my loyal wife, Judy, for her support during and after, yet another book is published. Together with, of course, my family, Michelle, her boys Matt and Ben, Vanessa, husband Reed and their children Finn, Aislinn and Caelan, and David with his wife Kate, daughters Neve, Taya, a few horses and the adored Labrador dog, Meg.

Introduction

The hero of this book is Major Jason Manning, an ex -S AS military, Afghanistan war veteran who after service became a bank officer, then later studied and became a real estate agent in the city of Perth, Western Austr alia.

Following a successful military career, our hero entered the world of banking, then moving on, he began working in a real estate agency, ultimately purchasing that business and operating from a converted residence on a busy road in the well-to-do suburb of Nedlands.

At the time of this storey’s beginning, the business had three other salespersons, two office staff and an accountant/conveyancing clerk and a front counter receptionist.

Up and until his maturity, Jason was well coordinated and excelled at both Cricket and Surf Club swimming. More recently, he joined the local Cottesloe Golf Club and has become a regular player.

Recently married Jenny Crawford, a prominent theatre nurse, also was a talented sportsperson, private school educated and a past State Women’s hockey player. They met at a dance and immediately hit it off. Engaged for twelve months, they recently married and were planning a new home to hopefully accommodate a new family. They are both as happy together as anybody could be.

We start the story with Jason having sold to a recent immigrant Asian businessman and his mature family, five houses, plus three office suites, and now he is driving into the suburb of Dalkeith to relist a luxury property that the owner no longer wants.

Chapter 1

A murder is witnessed

On arriving at the address, Jason, (who was awfully familiar with the property), saw that there were three cars already parked in the driveway. So, he did the obvious and parked his car on the street verge. It struck him as strange as he was not expecting anybody to be there and casually wondered who they were.

The rain was constant. Lightly, he ran along the path and up the porch step to the ornate coloured glass front door and enjoyed the relief of instant shelter. His house listing pad was wet, and he wiped it dry as best he could.

It really was a beautiful old home. Set back from the verge, the white building was a fifty-year-old, two-level with a cellar basement residence with arched feature colonial-style windows, and a high domed double-story entry porch roof that was painted in shiny silver. The grounds were expansive and carefully manicured. To Jason, it was the perfect gentlemen’s residence. The only problem being it was not located on the right parcel of land. It did not overlook the river or have expansive views, and the surrounding suburb had some not so attractive neighbours.

He held his camera in his hand in readiness to take pictures of the house to display on the internet and was about to knock on the door when he heard arguing coming from the room, he knew to be the lounge room. Becoming inquisitive, he cautiously crept to the nearby bay window and peered inside.

The internal overhead lights were on, and he could clearly see a man on his knees and three others standing over him. The central figure holding a gun and was pointing it at the kneeling man. On reflex, Jason took a couple of photos. Suddenly, there was a crack noise! The kneeling man fell sideways and lay still. Blood began oozing from the hair down past the ear and neck, further drenching the shirt as it spread. Another couple of photos; the gun was still smoking in the killer’s right hand. The three men, who to Jason appeared to be gangsters of Asian descent, started bitterly arguing, then the central figure shouted some nippy orders. In serious hast, the four made their way, one behind the other, out the front door and into the cars parked in the driveway. Some more photos the last of which zoomed in on the closest car’s number plate.

With rain pouring down his collar, Jason purposely strode back to the front door and went inside. He took photos of the body, and after leaning the head back, took a few close of the face. Suddenly, Jason felt the effects of shock; it was the staring, frightened, saucer-shaped open eyes that shook him. He began to tremble; Jason realised where he was and what he had seen.

He closed the front door and went to his car on wobbly legs. He sat inside relieved that nobody had seen him. He began thinking of what he should do. Should he contact his client and leave matters up to him, or did he shield his client and inform the police on his own behalf?

A trickle of cold water from his wet hair ran down his neck. His clothes were saturated and clammy, and the car windows had immediately fogged as soon as he was seated. He grabbed his mobile, fingered 000 and immediately was directed to the police crime section.

The person on the other end was very efficient, asked several pointed questions and then told Jason to stay and wait for the police to arrive. Seemingly in no time, they were there. Several cars with photographers, particular unit forensic and other police officers; even media reporters were all swarming over the front lawn. Soon the place was crowded, and orders were being dispensed at a rapid rate.

It got to about 4.00pm on this dismal, cold, rainy, Friday afternoon. The clouds were low, and it seemed you were inside them rather than driving through falling rain. It was not teaming, but it was constant, and you needed lights to warn others you were there.

Jason Manning is thirty-one years of age, well-built and generally of pleasant disposition. Following his stint in the armed forces, and more recently as a bank officer, he had studied and passed the Real Estate Licensing course, and at this moment, is intent on driving to a house in Applecross. His best client intended selling it on an urgent basis. It had not been occupied for several weeks, ever since he had sold the client a replacement mansion overlooking the Swan River foreshore in the elite suburb known as Dalkeith.

His wealthy client is of Indonesian/Asian heritage had decided to immigrate to Perth with his wife and family of eight mature children: all qualified professionals. They comprise four medical doctors, one architect, two accountants, and one studying law at the University of Western Australia.

His first wife had died of bowel cancer at the age of thirty-six, leaving him in the unfamiliar position of bringing up the five children. Later, he met and hired a very efficient secretary who in time became his lover and eventually his second wife.

Her name was Mia lin Ng, private school educated, and she bore him a further three children, all intelligent and well-groomed. She knew her husband’s business and was a pillar of strength, particularly now as he was aging and involved in so many business activities.

They made excellent partners, and with her drive and determination, their status and wealth had rapidly accelerated.

The shift from Jakarta to Western Australia was not without its traumas, but now they were here and very nearly settled. They had acquired two office buildings, a law practice, and two medical surgeries, and three residential houses. Quite a lot of real estate sales over a four-month period.

The transactions had given Jason and his company a significant financial boost and all were hoping the client would recommend other Indonesian immigrants in the future.

A tall willowy middle-aged man, Detective Sargent Bob Simpson and his younger associate Sharen Peters, introduced themselves as they approached Jason and began asking questions. They were from the Central Police Headquarters.

Jason told them what he had seen but didn’t mention his photos. The media, TV and papers, were relentless in their interviews, but eventually they stopped, and he could go.

The police warned him not to leave the city, and they would be in contact in the next day or so. They offered to drive him home, but Jason declined and made his way to his car.

The rain was easing now, but he felt cold and decidedly miserable in his wet clothes, so he drove straight home.

Hello, dear, greeted him as he walked in his front door. He replied, Hi, honey, I’m wet and going to change and went straight to the laundry, took off his clothes, and changed into his morning jogging tracksuit.

As Jason walked inside the kitchen, he saw his smiling wife, and she looked gorgeous. Standing at the sink, dressed in a lemon-coloured angora jumper and white jeans, she looked perfect, and Jason felt warm all over. He loved this woman, and he knew she loved him. He stood behind her, clasped her upper arms, and gave her a slight hug as she was preparing a meal.

He kissed her neck and said, Love you, smiled, and went to the drink cabinet.

She looked back over her shoulder and smiled again, saying, I’ll have white wine with ice please; so Jason prepared the drinks and sat on one of the kitchen chairs.

He took a large swig, swallowed and slowly said, Something bad happened today.

They held each other’s eyes, and with immediate dread, she waited for him to go on.

It was like opening flood gates. All he knew just flowed out. The full description. He got up and retrieved his camera. Together, they flipped through what he had taken, and she saw the horror and evil.

Oh! Jason that must have been terrible, was her response.

Are you going to give those to the police? She queried.

"I think they are my client’s men, and he felt reticent. He didn’t know why, he just felt what he had taken proved murder and if those men could do that to one man, what would they do to him?

Jenny was strong, and she said he must run off at least two thumb drive copies. She would take one copy to their post office mailbox, and he would place the original in his office safe.

They looked at each other in the eyes and agreed. Together, they went to the study and ran off the copies. Then feeling a little better, they finished their meal and chattered a bit more.

They hit the bed shortly after 9.30pm with the expectation of a restless night.

Around 2.00pm, Jason awoke in a white sweat; he was scared, and something had awakened him, and he could not fathom what. He kicked off his side of the bedclothes and felt a sharp chill. He decided to get a glass of water to quench his dry throat.

He heard a shuffle and saw the curtain move. He instantly dived at the shape. His hands fell on the silencer end of a gun. He yanked, rolled to one side, and his assailant, a lightweight Asian-looking man, toppled over. Jason took the advantage, and with both knees, jumped on the man’s chest. They each wrestled, chopping at each other till Jason saw the man had a knife. With all his might he grabbed at the hand on the knife, each struggled; Jason turned the man’s wrist, a sudden lurch and Jason saw the knife up to the hilt imbedded where he estimated was the man’s heart.

Jenny was awake and screaming, she turned the light on and saw her husband standing over a body. She