Seeds of the Pasha

By Louis S. Shuntich

This book is a mystery novel with elements of historical fiction and romance. It begins before World War II with an independently wealthy school teacher providing educational and cultural opportunities to an exceptional young man from a modest background who, during his travels, meets a Jewish family in Vienna. His relationship with that family, while interrupted by World War II and the Holocaust, goes on for three generations and leads to the establishment of a foundation that promotes freedom, education, and democracy worldwide. The foundation is funded by the intergenerational team of both families proving the innocence of wealthy individuals who are charged with serious crimes and are willing to pay handsomely for their freedom. The resulting detective work is brilliant with exciting twists and surprises. Further, in the process of surviving the war and solving the cases the team members find themselves in situations that are more telling tests of their own character than the character of those they challenge and serve.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Covenant Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638146162

Book preview

Table of Contents

Cover

Title

Copyright

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

About the Author

cover.jpg

Seeds of the Pasha

Louis S. Shuntich

ISBN 978-1-63814-615-5 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63814-617-9 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-63814-616-2 (Digital)

Copyright © 2021 Louis S. Shuntich

All rights reserved

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Covenant Books

11661 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

www.covenantbooks.com

To my wife Suwannee and my daughter Savanna.

Because of them, I am better than I would be.

Prologue

Who are you?

I am known as the Pasha.

What do you do?

I sell things.

What do you mean ‘sell things'?

I mean that I sell people what they want by giving them what they cannot buy.

Chapter 1

The trip back to Indianapolis from New York aboard the private plane had indeed been more convenient, but nonetheless, it was tiring. All Emmett really wanted to do now was get unpacked and get some sleep. The phone, however, interrupted his plan.

This Emmett Middleton?

Yes.

I've been trying to get you for days. Where have you been?

In New York, welcoming the recipient of our foundation's first scholarship. Who is this?

Ah, you may not remember me. It's been a long time. My name is Erick Schneider, and we used to go to high school together.

Oh, I remember you. Not fondly, I might add, but I remember you.

I didn't think you'd be glad to hear from me, but I need your help. Well, not for me, but for my grandson.

Why?

Because he has been charged with murdering his father, my son.

I'm not a criminal lawyer, and besides, I retired from the practice of law.

So I hear. But your son is a criminal lawyer, and I heard that the two of you have something going where you work to free innocent people. And my grandson is innocent.

How do you know he's innocent?

Because he's not like me. He's a decent kid who has been framed for something he didn't do.

Coming from you, why should I believe that?

Because, like I said, he didn't take after me. He and his father took after my wife or, should I say, former wife. She's dead now, destroyed her life thinking she could save me from myself. Nothing good ever came of it except this grandson and his father who is dead now too.

Not to be unkind, but with our history, why should I care about anything that comes from you?

Because you're decent and you do what's decent. Me, I come from drunken trash who never taught me anything decent. That's why I hated you when we were kids.

That's a reason for what you were, Erick, not an excuse.

I know that now, Emmett, but not then. I was angry about my life, and I saw you as a daily reminder of what I didn't have and thought I could never be. So I tried taking it out on you. But you were smarter and tougher than me, and eventually, I learned to keep my distance. But now, I need your help. In asking, I know what I have been and that you have every reason to hate me, but this kid isn't me.

Why now, Erick? Why this sudden revelation about caring for what's decent?

Because I know I'm dying. Booze and cigarettes have taken their toll. My lungs and liver are shot. I've got maybe six months to live, which makes me think that's what's brought this on, but I can't prove it.

Prove what?

Prove that my worthless daughter-in-law and her drug-dealing son set this whole thing up to get my property. She was married to my other son who was bad news and is now dead from a drug overdose. In any case, she and her son probably figured out that I wouldn't leave any of it to them, so they had to take out my better son and grandson so they would be all I had left to leave it to. What better way than to make the boy look like he killed his father? But I don't buy it.

Erick, I understand that this is important to you, but it's getting late. Too late to really get into something so serious right now.

Emmett, I'm begging you. Save my grandson. I've got nothing left that I care about but him and this farm, of which I would sell every inch to help him. Please, save the only good that ever came out of my life, and take the farm if that's what you want to do.

Erick, it's not about money. Ironically, this is the second time at this stage of my life that I'm challenged to do what's right when I'm tempted not to. Anyway, I'll speak to my son and the others in our group about taking your grandson's case, and then I'll get back to you.

When?

Tomorrow. All the people I need to speak with are spending the night here at my home, so I'll raise it with them in the morning and get back to you.

Thanks, Emmett. I'll be waiting for your call.

Chapter 2

Katherine Kruger's family had emigrated from Germany in the 1850s. Her great-grandfather had been trained as a cabinetmaker, and by 1900, the family had established a successful furniture-manufacturing business in Indianapolis. Her father wanted no part of it, however, and set his course for Princeton and then Harvard Medical School. By the time he died in 1926, Katherine had inherited a substantial amount of wealth. Being financially conservative and understanding the meaning of economic cycles, she had converted that wealth by 1928 into the kinds of assets that were less affected by the Great Depression. More than that, as the Depression wore on, she was in a position to buy the property that others were forced to sell so that for her, it became the Great Accumulation.

Emmett Middleton had entered her ninth grade class in 1929. During the first week of school, she was summoned to the principal's office to be told that he had been in a fight with an older boy, a twelfth grader named Erick Schneider. Katherine thought it unusual for the principal to call her in about a fight between two boys that he would normally handle on his own.

In any case, Principal John Barnhart began by saying, Katherine, there is more to this than meets the eye, and I do not want you to start the year thinking that Emmett Middleton is just another teenager trying to prove how tough he is. Rather, he was defending a smaller friend from the school bully and stepped in to keep his friend from getting hurt when neither I nor any other faculty member was around to stop what was happening. Beyond that, the Schneider boy is an ongoing problem that is beyond anything I can fix. He is a bad kid from a bad family situation, who I can only try to rein in until he is out of here come June, and the sooner that happens, the better. Moreover, I suspect that Schneider resents Emmett as someone that he knows is better than he is, and he tries to taunt Emmett down to his level. But Emmett has always been too smart for that. Only this time, Schneider crossed the line when he went after Emmett's friend, the Billings boy. Maybe Schneider figured out that it was the way he could get to Emmett, and he was right. Where he was wrong was in thinking that he could take Emmett because he was three years older and a head taller. Of course, losing the fight won't teach Schneider anything but to not bother Emmett or the Billings boy, and I am satisfied with that. I just don't want you to assume that Emmett is the problem and take a negative view of him that might affect his performance here at our school. I want to see that boy succeed. We don't get many like him, and I want him to have every opportunity that we can provide him.

Looking back intently, Katherine responded, Thanks for taking the time to explain the situation. My impression of Emmett has been that he is a fine young man, and without knowing more, I was surprised that he would mix it up with Schneider, who I know is a bad number. I must say, however, that I am not surprised that he got the better of Schneider even though Schneider is bigger and older. And between us, I am glad that Emmett showed the courage and character to do what he did.

I agree, Katherine, and what am I supposed to do with Schneider?

Send him home. That's where he became what he is. Anyway, you now know the score, so leave Schneider to me and do what you can for Emmett.

Leaning forward and looking quizzical, Katherine asked, I know that you care about all of the children in our charge, but why this seemingly special concern for Emmett?

You're very perceptive.

Okay, but why?

Because I owe a debt of gratitude to his father. We grew up together going to this very same school. I was something of an intellectual type and small for my age, which made me an ideal victim for a bully, and like Schneider, we had one that tried to pick on me. Emmett's father, on the other hand, was much bigger and tougher, with a sense of decency that would not tolerate me being pushed around. Beyond that, he was a good student and a fine athlete. The problem was that he was tied to the family farm, and that, along with a lack of money, precluded him from going on with his education. I, on the other hand, came from a family that could afford to send me to college. To his credit, rather than resenting my better circumstances, Emmett's father was glad for me and encouraged me to go on with my education. Back then, I needed that kind of encouragement from a friend my age, and I still feel a debt of gratitude to him for his kindness and support. The result is that when Emmett acted to protect the Billings boy, I knew he was like his father, and I figure the best way for me to repay my debt to his father is by helping him to succeed. I have even been thinking about putting some money aside for his education since I know that his family still cannot afford the cost of college, but with children of my own, my resources are rather limited.

Leaving John's office in smiles, Katherine was pleased at the news about Emmett. He had caught her attention during the first week of school. In fact, she had been looking for someone like Emmett that she could mentor and to whom she could provide opportunities that would not otherwise exist. This was because never having married and had children, she was nonetheless drawn to them. She enjoyed teaching and loved watching children develop from awkward adolescents into capable young adults. Inspired by this and with John Barnhart's encouragement, Katherine ultimately used her substantial wealth and influence, along with Emmett's grades and athletic ability, to get him into her father's alma mater—Princeton University, where he excelled in the classrooms and on the playing fields.

Chapter 3

It was a beautiful spring day in Princeton, New Jersey, during June of 1937. Emmett's family was very proud of him at his graduation from such a fine university. They would also be eternally grateful to Katherine for making it possible through her generosity and guidance, but she was not, by any means, finished with him yet. So after the graduation ceremony and dinner with his parents at the Nassau Inn, she asked Emmett to follow her downstairs for a drink as his parents retired to their room.

As they chose a booth, she asked, Emmett, now that you have graduated, have you decided what you want to do next?

Well, you have been suggesting law school, and I like the idea. But you know that my family could not begin to afford it.

That's my problem, or should I say privilege, if you will go along with me and apply to Harvard Law School when you get back from Europe.

Europe?

Yes.

Why?

Because you may have just graduated from Princeton, but you still have some things to learn before you are as prepared for law school as I would like you to be.

What are you referring to?

I mean that I want you to visit London, Paris, and Vienna.

What does that have to do with being prepared for law school?

Well, as you know, in London, you will be visiting the birthplace of our legal heritage in terms of government by the rule of law rather than the rule of men, which Hitler has set up in Germany. In any case, I want you to go there and see and feel where it all began because it may help you to better appreciate what we have and what it means to our rather thin and fragile veneer of civilization in light of what I think is coming in terms of another world war with Germany.

And why Paris?

That is because if you are to associate with people of position and power as a professional man, it would be a good idea for you to be both educated and familiar with the finer things in life. On that account, I have sought to expose you to cultural opportunities, but that has been somewhat limited compared to what you can find in Paris where there is no better place to seek the finer things.

Vienna?

There you will be at the edge of evil and as close to it as I dare send you. I think that it is again important to your perspective on what the rule of law in a democracy means as compared to what is happening next door in Germany.

Katherine, why are you so incredibly generous to me?

Because you are the son I never had. The greatest tragedy of my life is that I never married and had children. I always wanted that, but it never happened. And at my age, I doubt that it ever will. I have been fortunate to come from a family that left me more wealth than I will ever need, and while I am alive, among other things, I want to use it to give you opportunities you would not otherwise have. All I ask is that you continue to make something of yourself and allow me to be a part of it. Beyond that, I feel some obligation to my community and my country to help provide for a better and more secure future. I do not think that there is a finer way to assure that than to position future leaders like you with your values and judgment.

But I still don't understand why an attractive and intelligent woman like you from a prominent family never married.

Because I was too outspoken and independently minded for most of the men of my age and time. Fortunately, my inherited wealth gave me the freedom and independence to be myself. Unfortunately, there is a limited window of opportunity for finding a partner in life, and I seem to have just run out of time before I could find someone who would accept me for what I am. In any case, while I think attitudes may be changing in terms of the relationships between men and women, it's probably too late for me.

Chapter 4

During the summer and fall of 1937, Emmett's experiences in London and Paris went as Katherine had hoped, but Vienna was to be another ball game entirely as what awaited him there was far more dangerous than they had anticipated. This was because while the city displayed elegance and sophistication on its surface, there was an insidious, deep undercurrent of fear and intrigue stemming from Nazi Germany's influence and intentions. This was never more apparent to Emmett than when he saw Hitler's vanguard of thugs looking to spread fear and intimidation. He instinctively hated them for the threat they presented to all he knew had been good in London, Paris, and at home. The mere sight of them both raised his temper and put a chill up his spine. He had never experienced anything like this before and was not sure how to deal with it until he saw Allie walk out of the library with three of the remorseless Nazi predators closing in on him.

Chapter 5

Allie Spitzer's family immigrated to Austria after that nation's 1867 constitution gave Jews the unrestricted right to reside and practice their religion. Consequently, Vienna had become their family's home, and as purveyors of fine art and antiques, they were able to build their business in one of Europe's most beautiful places.

In Allie's generation, there were three children, of which he was the middle child and, like his younger sister, a true intellectual taking after their mother. Sidney the oldest favored their father and focused on the family business at which he was excellent at. Unfortunately, that day, Allie did not heed his older brother's advice to stay off the streets—a mistake that, only because of Emmett, he would live to never make again.

Emmett's years as an athlete had honed his situational awareness to the point that he could not only see what was coming down but also anticipate his opponent's moves, and moving they were, right for Allie. The first one knocked the books from Allie's hands, while the second was starting his punch for Allie's face when Emmett's hurtling fullback body drove his head into the library wall. Then spinning around, Emmett caught the second thug with a crushing fist to his jaw. As his friends did not look like they would remember what happened anyway, the remaining thug saw no reason to stick around for a similar fate, and he quickly disappeared.

Emmett, being aware of the possible consequences of what he had done, grabbed the startled-and-somewhat-stunned Allie and made it clear that they had better leave in a hurry. Under the circumstances, Allie's thoughts turned to home, and they wasted no time in getting there. Fortunately, no one followed