Conflict of Interest: Love? Country? or Murder?

By Lee G. Harvey

A murder and Russian spy mystery set in the Smoky Mountains. A selected group of U.S. scientist were invited to a gathering of world scientists in Novosibirsk, Russia. While at one of the seminars a young Russian scientist spoke and gave a brilliant talk that had his audience standing and applauding for some time. The scientists present from the U.S met after the speech and made a decision to ask Kiriyak to come to the United States and work with their group on a project that was super, super secret. A research center had been built, hidden up in the wooded mountain area and disguised by painting trees on the side of the building. Passersby would never see the Center perched high on the ridge! It was located several miles from where the Atomic Bomb Project took place. He was delighted to join their research and arrived a few weeks later. One of the scientists. George, became his mentor at the center and they became friends. George Phillips invited him to his home where he met George’s daughter, Ruby, and they fell in love! A few months later Kiriyak Vasilyey (Randy) asked Ruby to marry him. Ruby had a great friend from school days named Evie, who had moved back to the holler when her husband was killed serving in Navy. Evie is the main character in the story. Her emotions make the story come alive. Ruby asked Evie to go with her to pick out wedding dresses. She was to come pick Evie up. She never came, she disappeared! Her car sitting parked in the drive.

The FBI entered the story, due to George working on the secret project, a defensive weapon to combat any enemy of the U.S to be able to penetrate the Electric Magnetic Field above the United States. It was assumed that Ruby had been kidnapped to get George to give up the secret project.
Agent Harley moved into George’s home to be there in case George was contacted. He and Evie became friends and later fell in love.

George had an office in his large barn and he gave Randy space tor a computer and storage for his files. He was considered one of the family. Randy was devastated with Ruby’s disappearance. He said he wanted to go home to Russia.

Sheriff Joe, who had been the sheriff in the county for many, many years, is a comic relief to the story , as is the hillbilly talk and living in the hollers, (very authentic since that is where the author grew up) Great descriptions of Smoky Mountains and characters.

Days and weeks passed but still no sign of Ruby. Then one day some teen age boys hiking up the mountain discovered Ruby’s body in a cave, murdered! Medical Examiner discovered evidence on Ruby’s body which lead the FBI to her murderer., Kiriyak Vsdilyey. A trial was held in the mountains for the murder. Kiriyak spoke on his own behalf and pleaded love of country overrode his love for Ruby! Another Federal trial was held in Nashville for espionage for sending materials on his work back to Russia.

Very exciting end of the story!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669821465

Lee G. Harvey

Lee is a transplant from the Smokey Mountains to San Diego. There is a saying in the mountains, ‘ You can take the girl out of the mountains, but you can’t take the mountains out of the girl’s heart.’ So true! Glass Ceilings were broken time and again as she tackled all the construction trades in the State and conquered them. Holding numerous licenses. She had a desire in her heart to write from a young age but never had time, until now. She has authored three books, two published, one on the way to the publishers and one in process. “Terror on Top of Ole Smokey” & “L.O.L. Laughing Out Loud @ Myself” Published on Amazon “Riders Up, Handicapper Down” In Publication Read one of her books and you are addicted!

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

All was quiet in the holler except for the singing of the bluebirds whistling their happy song. The early September sun was shining down brightly in all its glory, and all was well with the world . . . or so it appeared to be!

Evie rolled over and slung her legs to the side of the bed. Sleep had come quickly last night, and feeling refreshed, she sat up, reached her arms above her head, and stretched up toward the ceiling. This was going to be a great day!

She and her friend, Ruby Phillips, who lived in the neighboring holler, Whispering Pines Holler, were going into the little town of Pigeon Forge to shop for dresses to wear to Ruby’s upcoming wedding. The wedding was to take place the first of December, so she had about three months. Evie hoped she would be able to find a suitable dress to wear since she was Ruby’s bridesmaid. She wasn’t too happy with the color Ruby had chosen, but, oh well, all eyes would be on the beautiful bride!

Evie and Ruby had been best friends since the first grade. Their school was located in Evie’s holler, Dogwood Holler. Ruby had to ride a school bus to get over to the schoolhouse. A small school, only thirty-eight students, but that was a good thing . . . all the students knew each other and all the families, almost like one big family!

CHAPTER 2

Ruby had been devastated when Evie left to join her husband in faraway California. She beamed with excitement when she heard Evie was coming back home to the hollers.

Evie had left the Smoky Mountains to join her husband, Mac, a Naval Hospital Corpsman, based in San Diego. They met one summer when Mac came from Buffalo, New York, to the holler to do research for a book he was writing about life in the Appalachian Mountains.

After a few months in San Diego, Evie quickly fell in love with the city and surroundings. Such a beautiful city planted next to the peaceful Pacific Ocean.

She had always been fascinated with things that were new to her. She explored every section of the city. The buildings were so tall and beautiful! Balboa Park and the zoo were only three blocks from their apartment, so she and Mac spent many days just walking through, enjoying sights she had never seen before. Animals from all over the world! She especially loved the penguins, all dressed up in their little tuxedos.

One Sunday, after strolling through the city, they decided to take a break and sit down in front of the Organ Pavilion. There were many people already sitting in the rows of seats. At two o’clock, the stage came alive with a man announcing the music program for the day. Another gentleman came from the back of the stage and sat at the organ. Music filled the air!

The acoustics were harmonious. Every note rang out with joyous bliss. Mac and Evie had never heard music that peeled forth from the instrument! They sat in their seats with emotions they’ve never felt before. Needless to say, they came to Organ Pavilion whenever possible to hear the beautiful music.

Later catching a bus solo, she toured Old Town. Lots of history about the beginnings of the city of San Diego. She sat in on a video that captured the early days when the Spanish ships arrived in the bay and the Kumeyaay Indians were gradually pushed out to the eastern part of the country.

Hours passed quickly while she was visiting shops that were filled with bright colorful Spanish/Mexican clothing. On her first visit to a Mexican restaurant, she ordered a machaca burrito and a taco. Delicious!

Evie spent hours in the huge supermarket, picking up fruits that she had never seen before and had no idea how to eat!

As a Hospital Corpsman, Mac was working at the Naval Hospital near their apartment when she arrived after several months. He had been transferred to a light cruiser where he worked with a great doctor. Mac loved working in the sick bay taking care of the men on the ship.

Evie had landed a job in a construction company in the accounting department. All was well in their world until the evening her world fell apart!

Hearing her doorbell ringing, she opened the door and saw three naval officers standing on the stoop. With a solemn look on their faces, they introduced themselves and apologized as they informed her that Mac’s ship had gone out to sea and hit a mine, and he was killed. Their voices quickly faded.

Mac, along with two other men, had been laid to rest in the Veterans Cemetery in San Diego. Killed in the explosion was the doctor Mac had admired so much. They had become very close friends.

Now Evie was back in the mountains, living by herself, but not alone. She had Riley, a thirty-six-pound Maine Coon. Mac had given the cat to Evie when he went to sea for the last time. Riley was now her family. He loved to go out to the barn and wander around. This was a new world for him!

And of course, she was surrounded by old friends, the mountain folks!

Since Ruby was not coming to pick her up until noon, Evie went into the big kitchen and made her breakfast. As she cracked open a couple of eggs and slid them into a bacon-greased pan, she smiled to herself. She recalled Ruby running all the way over to her house the day Ruby met her future husband.

Ruby’s mom, Bessie, had passed away from cancer just a week after Ruby had celebrated her sixteenth birthday. Although Ruby’s parents had planned on another child, they had come to terms with the disappointment that this dream would never come true.

Ruby and her dad, George, felt the world had come to an end when Bessie died. But life must go on!

George had his work to lean on, and Ruby had her school and friends to be there for her as she became the homemaker for her dad.

Evie continued cleaning the kitchen as her mind flitted back to how life could change in a blink of an eye. Her eye went to the Kitty Cat clock on the wall. Oh my goodness, I have been daydreaming and lost sight of time. Ruby should be pulling up in about thirty minutes.

She selected the clothes she would wear today. She was choosy. She didn’t want anything that was hard to remove since she would be trying on several dresses until she found the perfect one. She didn’t care for the color Ruby had chosen for the bridesmaid’s dress, but oh well! This would be Ruby’s big day! She settled on her jeans and sweater since it was a bit nippy outside even though the sun was warming up the mountainside.

Dressed and ready, she went out to sit in the porch swing. She thought about Ruby’s dad and how he came to be a great scientist. His story was a dream come true!

CHAPTER 3

George Phillips, Ruby’s dad, had studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Growing up in Cambridge, he received a scholarship in physics that gave him the opportunity to attend such a prestigious school.

His older brother, Jack, had been with NASA Johnson Space Center out in Houston for several years as an electrical engineer, and he encouraged George to look to space exploration as a future profession.

George was fascinated with the idea of exploration of the other planets surrounding earth. By the time he was ready to enter college, he had no doubt where his future lay.

He graduated summa cum laude and was given a grant to take another year of special schooling where he learned all about earth, space, and the unknowns of the universe. He was particularly fascinated with the electromagnetic field wrapped around the earth.

George met a wonderful young lady in one of his classes, Bessie, who was studying future communication to space. Most of their dates were taken up with discussions of the future when people would be traveling out in space to other planets. They fell in love not only with each other but also with space dreams. They were married a week after their final classes. Bessie joined a tech company upon graduation. George followed up with a special class in space exploration for one year.

A couple of weeks before graduating from the specialized class with honors, George received a call to come to the director’s office. His first thought when he received the call was What have I done wrong?

There was a well-dressed and respectable-looking man wearing horn-rimmed glasses sitting in a chair at the front of the director’s desk. Director Itkin sat behind the large oak desk and stood up when George came into the room.

Come in, George. I would like to introduce Mike Hallman, chairman of the board of directors at the Glixis Research Center. Mike, this is George Phillips, the young would-be space scientist we have been discussing. Mike, you take it from here.

The gentleman cleared his throat, rose from his chair, and reached out a huge hand to George. As they shook hands, George could feel the connection between them.

Hello, George. I’m Mike, and I represent a research group, Glixis Research, that has been made aware of your background and your progress with the school here. We understand that your plans are to be involved in space exploration with a special interest in the electromagnetic field and its protective ring surrounding our planet.

I am not at liberty to discuss our current research. However, let me say the project is one that meets your dream of the future. I have been sent to you with an invitation to meet with our administrator and board of directors as soon as possible to discuss the possibility of your joining our group. We have been working on a top-secret space project that seems to be right for your future, besides becoming a leader in important defense research for your country.

The Glixis Board of Directors has given me the task of locating a person that has been well educated in your field and has a sincere desire to follow the path you have chosen. Would you be interested in going to Tennessee to meet with the research group?

George could not believe what he was hearing! A million things entered his mind. He thought it would take months, perhaps even years, to find a spot where he would be able to follow those dreams of really working with space researchers. And here stands a man holding my dream job in his huge hand!

Realizing the man was waiting for an answer, George tried to speak normally, but he wanted to shout, Is there a cow in Texas?

He cleared his throat before answering very calmly. Well, sir, it sounds like you have come to the right school and the right person. I would be happy to meet with the group and discuss the possibility of my helping with the research. I’m sure I would continue to learn a lot with a group of researchers who have been there, done that! Looking up at Mike, he held out his hand, along with a big smile.

That is the answer we were all hoping for. Here is a contract for you to read over. It explains as much as possible at this time about the Glixis Group and a nondisclosure form for you to fill out. Upon receiving the paperwork enclosed, the executive director will contact you with further information and set a time for you to meet with the board.

Now I must be going if I am going to catch my plane. Thank you, Director Itkin, for setting up this meeting and thank you, George. It was a pleasure to meet you, and I will be your sponsor for the board. See you soon. He shook hands with both men and departed.

Director Itkin asked George to stay a few minutes as they discussed the great future George might find with this research group. Perhaps it was destiny! Like a magic wand had fallen into George’s lap!

Thank you so very much, Director Itkin, for making it possible for me to have this opportunity. I can never repay you for your faith in me. If I get this position, I owe my thanks to you and the institute here.

The director rose from his seat and reached for George not to shake hands but to wrap his arms around George and say softly in his ear, You’re being successful, George, will be my reward. I will always be here for you. Now read through that contract and follow your dream!

CHAPTER 4

Since the school was near the apartment where George and Bessie now lived, he had walked to the meeting. Now he found himself running, needing to get back fast and tell Bessie the great news. Every few steps he came out with a loud Wow, and he realized people on the sidewalk were turning to see what in the world made this young fellow so happy!

Bessie cried for joy when he told her about the interview. She was especially enthused when Tennessee came up in the conversation. Bessie was born in the mountain area and always dreamed about going home. George told her he had not been told where the research center was located, but it was somewhere in the mountains.

Bessie hugged George and said quietly, Well, I’ve got news also.

You got the job, right? Bessie had applied to a research center in Boston a couple of weeks prior.

That’s not the news . . . George. I am four months pregnant. It’s a girl. We’re pregnant!

Oh my god, George exclaimed as he grabbed her in a bear hug. That’s the best news ever!

As they lay in bed that night, they picked a name for the baby—Ruby, their jewel!

Life was good!

CHAPTER 5

After filling out the paperwork, he put the signed packet in the express mail to the address on the enclosed envelope. The office was in Washington DC.

Ten days later, he received a letter from Glixis Research as well as a plane ticket to Knoxville, Tennessee, and a letter with an instruction to look for a driver holding George’s name on a card at the airport on arrival.

George was picked up at the Knoxville, Tennessee, airport and driven to Sevierville, where he met in a hotel conference room with the administrator and three scientists who drilled George with questions. He was informed that he would have to pass a security interview up in Washington.

He inquired about the location of the research center and was told that, until he passed the security screening, they could not give him that classified information.

During lunch, they loosened up a little and laughed a lot. George felt as if he was among friends. Finishing their lunch, the three men took their leave, each shaking George’s hand as they departed.

The administrator sat across the table from George, silent, just staring at him with intensity in his eyes. George was on pins and needles, thinking, What now?

The administrator rose from his seat and came around the table. George rose from his seat when the man approached. Well, George, if all goes well, and in my opinion it will, I will be seeing you soon at the center. He shook George’s hand and left for parts unknown. The chauffeur who had picked him up earlier at the airport met him in the lobby with a smile. Let’s get you back to the airport, sir.

CHAPTER 6

Arriving back at the apartment, Bessie was waiting with dark eyes flashing.

Finally, she could wait no longer. How did it go? Did they like you? But most of all, did you get the job?

George smiled as she bubbled over with questions. Slow down, my love, one question at a time.

He pulled her over to the couch and told her all about the meeting, about having to go to DC for the security clearance before he would be contacted by the center and all the answers to their many questions would soon be answered.

And of course, she could go with him when he goes to Washington for the security interview, and they could sightsee for a couple of days. But right now, life is especially good.

CHAPTER 7

George was nervous as he