The Wreck of the Flagship Octavian: A Jake Jezreel Adventure

By Donald Craig Miller

A bitter squabble over a tradesman's inheritance. A frightened man, on the run, trying to evade unseen persons to keep them from stealing that same inheritance.

First century privaate detective, Jake Jezreel, has been hired to step in between these two fighting factions. But when you're in the middle, Jake discovers there is no place to hide.

In Jake Jezreel's latest adventure, "The Wreck of the Flagship Octavian", the detective is swept up into an investigation much greater than he ever could have imagined. The ensuing struggle over the inheritance explodes into a brawl with a violent gang, a precision Roman military raid, and a frantic, climactic chase through the windy streets of Jerusalem. Hannukah is the backdrop of this adventure, with the icy winds of December intruding into all the twists and turns of this intricate tale.

In all of his tough choices along the way, Jake's faith is greatly tested. Living the Christian life in amongst the many evils of worldly society "ain't easy". Time and time again, during this investigation, Jake must depend, moment by moment, upon the powerful wisdom of God.

Who will finally get the inheritance? What claim do the Romans have over the disputed inheritance? What is the trap that Jake finally springs to capture the evildoers?

The tale of "The Wreck of the Flagship Octavian" will draw all these loose ends together in a final, dramatic conclusion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664283886

Donald Craig Miller

Donald Craig Miller has been writing Christian papers for local churches and newsletters for more than 50 years. In 2018, he launched his first in a series of Christian books based on a first century detective. His Christian writing is a result of attending a Billy Graham writing school in Minneapolis in 1971. This experience encouraged him to develop his already growing desire to write and redirect his desire toward glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ in his writings. Through the cooperation of pastors, he has been able to write for church newsletters and bulletin inserts for churches in the Dayton, Ohio area, and more recently in the Macon and Warner Robins, Georgia area. Miller also has been a Bible teacher for over 50 years, teaching in Sunday school and church settings, in home Bible studies, and as a lay preacher. He found Christ through The Navigators while stationed at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa. Not long after accepting Christ, Miller realized that God had gifted him with the gift of teaching. From then on, his great desire has been to dig scriptural truth from the Bible and pass it on to other Christians. Based on these years of teaching, the life of Christ has especially come alive for Miller. His desire is to translate his passion for the life of Christ into the lives of his readers.

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Copyright © 2022 Donald Craig Miller.

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 author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Interior Image Credit: Donald Craig Miller

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8389-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8390-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8388-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022921385

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/02/2022

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1Meeting at the Xystus Market

Chapter 2Mystery Client

Chapter 3The Black Robed Man

Chapter 4Secret Meeting

Chapter 5Office Tornado

Chapter 6Betrayed

Chapter 7The Wreck of the Flagship Octavian

Chapter 8Pudge

Chapter 9Discovery Near Mariamne Tower

Chapter 10Home Spun Trap

Chapter 11Seaside Stakeout

Chapter 12The Ramshackle Shanties

Chapter 13Hezekiah’s Tunnel

Chapter 14Man On the Run

Chapter 15All Raked Together

Addendum

About the Author

Dedicated to my brother and sister

and their families

INTRODUCTION

I n my first book, in 2018, I introduced the world to a unique, one-of-a-kind first century individual. His name is Jake Jezreel. Why is Jake Jezreel unique? Jake has a one-of-a-kind profession. Jake is a first century private detective. There is no one like him during those Bible times. And like all private detectives after him, he makes his living by having clients hire him and then investigate their various dilemmas. In the first century, there is lots to investigate. Sometimes, it’s the political winds that blow the worst trouble in Jake’s direction.

My 2018 book was titled, Trailing the Bloody Footprints. In the book, Jake takes on a case of overwhelming magnitude. Jake is hired by a group of Pharisees to investigate a dangerous radical in Galilee, name Jesus of Nazareth. The Pharisees fear Jesus and his power. They demand that their detective dig up any kind of dirt they can use to destroy the Nazarene. In the course of his investigation, Jake is swept up into the swirling onslaught by the religious leaders to crush Jesus. The investigation comes to an explosive pinnacle when Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. From that point on, the enraged Pharisees immediately begin plotting the murder of Jesus. Jake realizes he has been dragged into this vicious vendetta against Jesus. The detective now faces a life and death quandary. How can Jake proceed with his investigation, knowing that Jesus is innocent of any crimes? What can he do to protect this good and godly man he has been hired to destroy? In the end, events pivot in a way Jake could never have imagined.

In 2020, Jake Jezreel’s adventures continued when I told his story during the great Christian persecution of the first century church. The 2020 book is titled, Terror Outside the Door (The Persecution of Jesus Christ). The early church enjoyed wonderful joy and peace until the religious leaders brought down the hammer of persecution upon Christians. Jake finds himself caught in the onslaught and on the run. The heavy persecution was crashing in all around him. Jake tries to keep one jump ahead of the devouring enemy. But how long could he avoid the clutches of the vicious mob chasing after him? Terror Outside the Door (The Persecution of Jesus Christ) is a dramatization of the early chapters of the Book of Acts. During this ordeal, Jake has to deal with Pontius Pilate, imprisonment for his faith, and the snarling Saul of Tarsus. All throughout these troubles the presence of Christ never leaves. The assurance of Jesus’ guiding love lingers close by in Jake’s heart.

In the third entry in the series, The Mystery of the Black Diamond, Jake Jezreel again is drawn into a mysterious first century case involving a missing Christian pastor and a rare Black Diamond. This adventure will plunge him into an daring investigation like he had never experienced before. Where is the missing pastor? And what power does this gorgeous Black Diamond have over men that would make men hate and attack each other to own it? Only through a nerve-racking climax at the Hippodrome chariot races in Caesarea will God bring the answers Jake is looking for.

In the fourth Jake Jezreel Adventure, The Mystery of Mariamne Tower, Jake is suddenly thrust into a life and death crisis, trying to protect his best friend from the angry mob, when his friend is accused of murder. Jake goes to all extremes, even risking his own life, to protect his Christian friend while at the same time attempting to ferret out the truth. Jake’s Christian love exemplifies the tremendous power of personal loyalty between friends, especially Christian friends.

Now, in this fifth Jake Jezreel Adventure, The Wreck of the Flagship Octavian, Jake is plunged into a tangled web of deception and lies in his latest investigation. Jake has been hired to step in between two fighting factions. But when you’re in the middle, Jake discovers there is no place to hide. In all of his tough choices along the way, Jake’s faith is greatly tested. Time and time again, during this investigation, Jake must depend, every minute, upon the powerful wisdom of God.

I’ve introduced Jake Jezreel to help all of us to come to know Jesus Christ in a more intimate way. Jake’s experience mirrors every one of us who believe. He is someone, like each of us, who is trying to live for the Lord every day of his life. Hopefully, as you read this adventure that Jake experiences, you will gain an affinity with the detective. By putting yourself in his place, you will experience the new life that Jesus gives to each and every one of us who have surrendered our lives to Christ. Knowing and loving Jesus is the great endeavor of life. May God bless you as you read this book in helping you know and love Jesus Christ more and more affectionately.

Donald Craig Miller

1

MEETING AT THE XYSTUS MARKET

A cryptic papyrus note. That’s all there was.

The mysterious yellowish-brown note had come by a special messenger in the late afternoon. Detective Jake Jezreel held the puzzling cipher tightly in his hand, to keep the gusting winter wind from blowing it away. He looked down at it one more time. The message stated in frightening words that the sender was terrified for his life. This mystery person was afraid to come to the detective’s office, for fear of his enemies finding out he had employed a detective. The only instruction on the encryption was for Jake to be standing on this street corner near the Gennath Gate, not far from the Xystus Market, at sundown. So, there he stood, in the blustery, freezing cold, on a street corner, in the fading evening light, with this puzzling note dangling from his hand.

The beautiful capital city of Jerusalem stood proudly, bathed in the gorgeous yellow-topaz colors of the setting sun. The late-day sun’s rays chiseled strikingly sharp shadows in the edges of the buildings of the city. Wintery skies were clear and blue, with wispy, yellow tinged clouds. But with December temperatures hovering well below forty degrees, the sunshine did little to warm the detective. The disparity between the beautiful evening sunshine and ice cold breeze cutting his face seemed to contradict each other. The chilly wind accelerated through the canyons formed between the buildings, causing the wind chill factor to dip down into the low-thirties.

As Jake looked eastward, he could still see faint remnants of white smoke drifting heavenward from the evening sacrifices at the fabulous holy Temple. Closer by, to the east, the Xystus Market bustled with humanity. People rushed past the detective, so busy with their own affairs that they hardly even noticed him. Like he was painted on the wall. The Xystus Market up the street seemed to be especially busy this evening with shoppers buying items for their soon approaching suppers.

The Festival of Lights, Hannukah, also was fast approaching. In just ten days, the joyous, colorful eight-day festival would begin. Jake figured that Hannukah probably would account for some of the crush of shoppers in the Xystus Marketplace. Each holiday shopper had their Hannukah grocery list, attempting to purchase all the goodies necessary for the most delectable feast possible. Noisy buying and bartering echoed through the expansive market plaza up the street. Vendor booths lined the plaza in row after row. Pedestrian traffic tightly packed the market, as the shoppers gathered up their much-needed foodstuffs. Hannukah was a joyously scintillating, exciting, jubilant, holiday time.

Jake shivered. He was cold! He pulled his dark gray, wool coat tighter around him. This year, the Hannukah season seemed to be the coldest December Jake could ever remember. Each night the temperatures had been dipping down into the thirties. One night the low had even dropped down to thirty-two. Last night, the city had already had its first dusting of snow. Little patches of white snow still lingered, tucked away in the hidden shadows around the edges of the buildings. Daytime temperatures had been rising up into the lower fifties, so that rise in thermal reading helped the Hannukah celebrations to warm up somewhat.

Jake appreciated the tiny sliver of warm sunshine that still shone on him between the buildings. Evening was quickly approaching. The chilly darkness of night had already begun to sweep in, wrapping its frosty fingers around the lone detective.

As Jake stood in his designated spot in his frigid surroundings, a darkly clothed man brushed quickly past him. Their shoulders glanced off each other. The shadowy figure didn’t look over at Jake but hurriedly insisted, Follow me. The man had a scruffy, greyish cover over his head pulled down over his face. Only his eyes were showing, as if to shield his identity from the bustling crowds around the two men. The mysterious dark, ratty-clothed figure hurried on ahead. In a moment, he became partially absorbed in the jostling crowds. Jake followed him. He could see the man’s grey covered head within the stream of humanity. The mystery man approached the boundaries of the Xystus Market. As he stepped several yards into the marketplace, he stopped and waited for Jake.

Jake advanced on the dark figure. He halted a few feet from him and looked at the man. Well… the detective simply stated.

The dark figure looked up from under his grey head covering. With his leathery, wrinkled right hand, he pulled the head wrap more tightly around his face. You’re Jake Jezreel? he asked in a quivering voice.

That’s me, Jake said holding the scrap of papyrus up slightly. I’ve got this note today telling me to wait at the street corner by the Genneth Gate. Are you the sender?

Yes, sir that would be me. I didn’t dare come to your office, the dark character stated, his bloodshot eyes glancing nervously all around him. There are evil men who are after me to steal what is rightfully mine. If these men knew that I had contacted a private detective, they would be highly upset and may resort to extreme measures.

"If these men are after you, what makes you think they have not followed you here today?

I tried in every way possible to give them the slip, the man’s halting voice stated. I can’t be sure. But even so, by meeting you here in this way in this marketplace, I think we can hide our meeting in this busy crowd. But we need to move deeper into the market area and find a safer place, off to the side near a vendor’s booth.

Jake still could not see the dark figure’s face. Only his bloodshot eyes. The man quite obviously was attempting to keep his identity hidden. As the pair turned to find a safer place,