Vermont Idol Murders: Taking the Innocent

By T.T. James

The “Vermont Idol Murders Taking The Innocent,” is a fictional drama focusing on Captain John Pierson, a World War II veteran after the war ended. Once home he is enlisted to aid the the local citizens of Free Pass, Vermont to support their efforts to bring down corrupt city officials and criminals. Free Pass Township located in the Northern Highlands of Vermont bordering Canada has for generations been terrorized root in their town inflicting violence, murders and intimidation.

One French clan named DeFranque escaped to America after looting a fortune in tax revenues from Napoleon in 1789. This group set up their criminal enterprises in the early 1800’s in Northern Vermont and across the border in Canada.The DeFranques in their lust for power and wealth even collaborated from early 1900 up to 1947 with pro-Vichy Nazis cells supporting the German sedition in the region. Free Pass was then gripped by more fear, and the town was governed by crooked public officials and businesses.

These criminal cells also provided aid to Germany, trafficked in children and sex slave trade for Hitler's Aryan dream as as well helped Nazis escaping Europe after the war. DeFranques even promoted false by criminal gangs taking murder claims about the Abenaki Indians to divert blame off of their people. This treachery spread mistrust about the Abenaki across the Northern Highlands.

Peirson recognized that with his war background he could be important to the people of Free Pass Township in fighting the DeFranques. Shortly working with allies in the community and across the border John Pierson developed a plan take on the Vichy Nazis and sought to uncover their vulnerabilities. Leading a coalition of citizens, police, National Guard, and Canadian law officials DeFranque enterprises was taken out, their resources destroyed and the DeFranque mob leaders were eliminated.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: May 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9781665741675

T.T. James

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Copyright © 2023 T.T. James.

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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.

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ISBN: 978-1-6657-4166-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-4167-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023905986

Archway Publishing rev. date: 05/12/2023

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Chapter 1     Normandy Duty

Chapter 2     Returning Home

Chapter 3     Examining the Farm

Chapter 4     Truth Revealed

Chapter 5     Pierson’s Family Deaths

Chapter 6     Free Pass Conflict

Chapter 7     Unannounced Rider

Chapter 8     Lunch and Terry

Chapter 9     John and Solglunal

Chapter 10   Fixing the Family Barn

Chapter 11   Lunch with Jinx

Chapter 12   A Forest Ride

Chapter 13   The Roadhouse

Chapter 14   Confronting Papa Louie

Chapter 15   Time with Terry

Chapter 16   Indian Powwow

Chapter 17   Kangas, Billy, and Others

Chapter 18   Armatate Recruits John

Chapter 19   Who Are the Oblates?

Chapter 20   Immigration and Mr. Fleabag!

Chapter 21   Montpelier Trip

Chapter 22   Continuing the Investigation

Chapter 23   Learning about the DeFranques

Chapter 24   Meeting with the Abenakis

Chapter 25   Death, Taxes, Ownership

Chapter 26   DeFranco Construction

Chapter 27   Armatate and Daley

Chapter 28   First Planning

Chapter 29   Cheering Helps

Chapter 30   Kaylee and Tommy

Chapter 31   Rescuing John

Chapter 32   Swearing-in Ceremony

Chapter 33   RCMP, A Woman, Information

Chapter 34   Waltzing Matilda

Chapter 35   The Petulant Woman

Chapter 36   Death and Home

Chapter 37   Funerals and Todd’s Death

Chapter 38   Detailing the Plan

Chapter 39   Exploring the Zone

Chapter 40   Boston and Friends

Chapter 41   Assembling the Task Force

Chapter 42   Town Meeting and Abenaki Help

Chapter 43   Celebrating the Events

Chapter 44   KKK Strikes Close to Halloween

Chapter 45   Kaylee Finds Reality

Chapter 46   Death Pits and Exit

Chapter 47   Revenge Planned

Chapter 48   Meeting the Baroness

Chapter 49   Explosions Rock Free Pass

Chapter 50   Papa Taken Down

Chapter 51   The Crisis Is Ending

Epilogue

DEDICATION

To my daughter Julia who has contributed so much.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to thank many of the readers who

reviewed this text and gave their encouragement.

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Normandy Duty

J ohn Pierson, US Army JAG (judge advocate general) officer, stood at an iron gate at the back of the prison yard in Saint-Lô, France. It was July 25, 1944, fifty days after France was liberated by Allied forces. He watched while the crowd gathered to observe the hangings. He waited for his final assignment to be over, which would return him to the field. It had been almost two months since he arrived to assist French officials in prosecuting several groups of Nazi SS officers and French collaborators. There was little emotion or remorse. These hardened and evil Nazi soldiers who were about to meet the gallows deserved to die. John Pierson found these prosecuted men despicable for their crimes. These Nazis and many others like them had exterminated millions of innocent people across Europe. German soldiers had raped and trafficked children and engaged in sex trades as well. John was glad this assignment was over, and he would be returning to his last assignment prosecuting the top leaders of Nazi Germany.

Time was growing short. Precisely at 7:45 a.m., the eight men were led out of a side door of the walled prison. Each man’s hands were bound, and ankles were shackled. Reaching the steps to the gallows, each prisoner walked up slowly. The guards led them under hanging nooses. A dark gray hood was placed over each man’s head. A French priest walked up to each prisoner, asking if they wanted absolution for their crimes. All refused. Nooses were placed around their necks and tightened. At the appropriate time of 8:00 a.m., the levers were pulled, and the trapdoors swung open. The executions were carried out under the Charter of the International Military Tribunal by the Allied forces.

Returning to his field assignments between August and December 1944, Pierson continued his duties assisting with researching crimes by both German and Allied soldiers. Later on, John would be ordered to Nuremberg to process criminals. Once the war in Asia was finally ended, Pierson submitted his separation papers for active service from the army to his commanding officer, Colonel William Newsome. Having served eight years, Pierson had had enough executions and trials of bad guys.

Several days later, Colonel Newsome called John to his office and tried to persuade him to stay in the service longer. Newsome knew that John had already fulfilled his service to active duty in the regular army after eight years.

John arrived at Newsome’s office, sat down, and immediately knew what Newsome wanted.

Bill, I know exactly what you want. You’re hoping you can talk to me about staying in the service longer and helping you clean up many more prosecutions landing on your desk.

Newsome responded, Now hold on. Would I do that to a good friend? Newsome was from Colorado. He was tall, with gray hair, and was thin but built well. As a commanding officer, he always showed fairness and straightforwardness in his treatment.

With all the Nazi criminals surfacing from tips and investigations across Germany and Europe, you’re bound to be swamped, and you know that’s a fact.

With genocide and murders by the damn Nazis, we also have a problem with murders, rapes, the concentration camps, as well as drugs and social issues. I could use ten more lawyers like you.

Yes, Bill, you need help, but I am tired. I miss my home. Besides, Hitler took almost three decades to make this mess, and you have plenty of time to clean it up. There are plenty of young lawyers out there looking to make a name for themselves, John said.

John, you’re one of the best investigators and legal minds in our JAG team. You can stay here and work on cases in France and across Europe. I need you to stay.

John recognized disappointment in Newsome’s voice. He felt a little guilty, but he knew he had to leave to go home. Looking up at the colonel, John gave a long sigh.

Bill, I can’t. I’ve dealt with combat in the Far East. I fought with the enemy here in Europe. I have covered all types of human rights violations—enough to write a book.

John, listen. The brass knows that there have been tens of thousands of Nazis fleeing not only across Europe but also the United States, Central America, and South America. Few will be captured and prosecuted without you here.

John again looked at Newsome sadly. I just want to go home to run my milk farm and forget the past.

All right, John, but you might miss all the action of fighting these despotic Fascists. We have enough work here and in Washington to keep you busy for years.

Yeah, and I will never get home. Right?

Most likely, if you stay, this will be your final destination. But I respect your wishes. We are going to miss you around here. Colonel Newsome shook hands with John.

John, how’s your buddy George?

He’s great. He already shipped out for Fort Devens in Massachusetts.

Good. I wish you the best of luck.

One week later, John received his discharge notice and headed out of Nuremberg by train to Calais, France, looking for a passage to London. While on the train, Pierson entered the dining car and found Jean De Rousseau, a liaison from the French government to the prosecution trials. Immediately, John was pleased to see De Rousseau, a man he had worked with on investigations of Nazi leaders. De Rousseau was a tall but stout figure. He was friendly to a fault to everyone but also a fun guy to be with to keep a person’s spirits up.

The two officers greeted each other warmly, and De Rousseau asked John to sit with him for a drink and dinner.

So tell me, Johnny, we were a good team fighting for injustice, were we not?

Yes, we were. We took down some pretty bad men. Unfortunately, I am now leaving for home in America.

Yes, I have heard of your departure. It is too bad. You make the Fascists shake in their boots, he said, laughing. John, my friend, you will be greatly missed by our team.

Thank you, Jean. I now know when it’s time to hang it all up. I am heading home to a different life, a more quiet life in Vermont. Jean, I fought against the sick German Aryan ideas that have nearly destroyed the world. The SS are tough to find and capture. They were like rats scurrying around, throwing away their uniforms, and then sneaking out of the country.

We still have criminals left who committed countless human atrocities and few to search for them.

Jean, I have to go home to peace, quiet, and a different life. The vile crimes I’ve witnessed have shaken me to my core. Think of the six million Jews slaughtered. The concentration camps, the ovens used to kill these poor people, but also their experimentation on humans and the baby farms for SS officers and enlisted soldiers. Did you know that many young blond children were taken from their homes and off the streets to become children of the Nazi dream of the Aryan race?

Please remember, John: there are still forces seeking to destroy our way of life. They believe in only one thing—raw Nazi Socialist power. They feed on our people and in the end destroy our will to fight back. Beware. They will rise again somewhere, cautioned Jean. I am going home to visit with my family, and then I return to the trenches to uncover the foul criminals still out there. I will think of you after you have departed, John.

Thank you, Jean. I will always remember you and your concerns for your people.

With the dinner over, De Rousseau shook John’s hand. John, may God be with you.

John left the dining car, returned to his sleeping compartment, and began planning his trip home. Once the train reached Calais, he caught a navy ship heading over to London and from there a transport plane to Boston Airport. From Boston, he took a US Army truck heading out to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, for evaluation and final discharge.

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Returning Home

S itting behind the steering wheel, John Pierson discovered the road he was driving on was bumpy, covered with potholes, and could be hazardous, causing the Jeep’s headlights to bounce and flicker.

The date was September 15, 1945. John’s vehicle was a military-green 1939 Willys Jeep, speeding west from Manchester, New Hampshire, and picking up several routes north. The Jeep maneuvered along the flood plains and farmlands close to the Connecticut River. Reaching Saint Johnsbury, Vermont, Pierson continued on Route 3 to the Northern Highlands onto his hometown. Pierson’s hair blew in the wind coming through the driver’s side window. It felt good to be back.

Approaching Canaan, Vermont, the Jeep turned onto a road cutoff near the town of Free Pass Township, Vermont. The driving became strenuous as the road grew darker, with little or no lighting except for dimly lit farmhouses that were hard to view in the distance. The passage was narrow and winding, and Pierson was driving quickly to his family home where his parents once operated a dairy farm. The farm was located on the southern rim of the reservation forest in the Northern Highlands of Vermont, a short distance from the US–Canadian border. John knew that there would be no one at his home to greet him since his family had passed away years before.

Ahead of leaving for the north, Pierson had stayed over in Manchester for a few days, looking to purchase a decent used vehicle. In the course of his auto search, he’d found an older Jeep at a used-car dealer that seemed perfect for his transportation. The Jeep was what he called an old clunker.

Pierson had served in the judge advocate general’s office in Europe and the Far East. He’d worked on many cases related to civil and war crime issues, as well as participating in combat in both theaters of war. Pierson received campaign medals for action in both wars.

John Pierson was tall with blond hair and deep blue eyes, a muscular person, well-fitting into his uniform at six feet high, and possessing a strong physical condition.

Pierson was very excited to travel to northern Vermont since he had been away overseas for most of his duties. Moving closer to his farm home driveway a few miles away, he spotted flashing red-and-blue lights appearing through the trees.

Rounding the corner of the road, he was confronted with a police roadblock, fire engines, ambulances, and more police, as well as state police cars. Proceeding slowly toward the roadblocks, two police officers flagged him down and walked toward him with their guns drawn. Pierson pulled over to the side of the road.

One of the officers in front stood over the Jeep’s driver’s side window. The officer was short, stout, and had a big stomach. John noticed that his gun holster was half-broken, and his shirt was unbuttoned except for one button. The officer pointed his flashlight into John’s face and then into the backseat. Unexpectedly, the officer stood back, seeing two large eyes staring right at him. It was a dog. Its eyes were fixed on the officer. The dog did not growl nor did it bark, but it just sat with its big eyes fixed on the officer.

The officer called out, Is this dog dangerous? Will he attack me?

John laughed. No, George will not attack you unless he is ordered to do so. He is kind and gentle.

George was injured while serving as a messenger and combat support. John was able to bring him back to his encampment to nurse his injuries. George was a Bernese mountain dog, who was trained by the French underground to aid in their work against the Germans. George belonged to Diane and Peter Bonne Vilcan, members of the French underground in northern France. Diane had a career as a schoolteacher, and Peter was working with the underground leaders. The German Gestapo took both Diane and Peter and sent them to concentration camps where they were never heard from again. John obtained a US Army Certificate of Service, which made it possible for George to go home with him.

George had been with John for almost two years. The officer looked back at George and asked sarcastically, You got papers on that beast?

John shot back, He is certified by the French government and the United States of America. Is that enough?

The officer looked back with a strange look and just walked off. Returning, the officer requested, Please step out of the Jeep. John did as he was told. Immediately, John observed off in the distance the action taking place. Two firemen were exiting the forest entry, carrying a stretcher with a body on it.

Can you tell me what has happened? he asked.

The police officer stated, We have had another child missing in the forest. We still live with the problem of young children missing along with their parents. The victim was killed, hung on a tree, and then set on fire.

John was shocked but was able to restrain himself. John then heard the officer shout, He’s a soldier, Chief!

If you’re a soldier, what are you doing out at this time of night?

I am John Pierson of the Pierson Dairy family.

The second officer had gray hair and was better dressed in a blue police suit. He was somewhat tall, and as he drew closer, John could see a big shiny gold star with the word Chief imprinted on it.

"I just came up from Fort Devens in Massachusetts. I am heading home