Chapter 72
Realization dawned on Graham’s visage. “Justin built a pneumatic system, like the one we found under Manhattan.”
“Exactly.” I traced my beam across the metal box to a connecting machine. “That thing must be an air compressor. It pumped air into this box. The air flowed through the pipes and filled ten separate networks of pressurized rubber tubes. They expanded, forming dummy versions of the trucks.”
Ben gave me a doubtful look. “Dummy trucks?”
“In other words, decoys,” Graham said. “Justin’s unit made a whole bunch of them during World War II.”
“I see.” Ben tapped his jaw. “How did Justin switch them out with the real trucks?”
The last few puzzle pieces slipped into place. I could see it now, the entire picture. “We know Justin’s crew prepped this area beforehand. They constructed the steel plate, covered it with rocks, and placed it over what was once an open cavern. Then they laid pipes and built a smoke deployment system along with an inflatable truck system. Finally, they covered the whole thing with dirt.”
Ben nodded. “Go on.”
“On the appointed day, Justin and his crew arrived. They parked the trucks close to the mesa, probably right above the deflated bladders, but kept the engines running. Meanwhile, Milt parked his vehicle farther away in order to keep an eye out for the U.S. Army. At some point, Justin probably walked over for a chat. Once Milt was distracted, the others went to work. The steel plate swung open and the crew drove the trucks inside the cavern. Immediately, someone pumped compressed air into the rubber tubes, inflating the dummy trucks.”
Graham nodded. “They cut the engines and closed the plate. The next time Milt looked, he saw ten quiet truck-like objects in the clearing, anchored by the pipe system and weighed down by all that compressed air. Up close, it would’ve been easy to spot the fakes. But from a distance? In the middle of the night and during a fierce snowstorm? That’s a different matter altogether.”
I nodded in the general direction of the smoke machine. “I imagine the switch was made early. Afterward, Justin returned to the trucks and slipped in here. They waited for the blizzard to cover up the tire tracks. Then they turned on the smoke machine. Thick columns of smoke blasted into the clearing. Someone else reversed the air compressor. The air flowed out of the tubes, deflating them and sucked them back into the pipe system. In fact, the pressure was so strong it sucked the bladders loose from the pipes and all the way back into this box. The tanks were gone and all that remained was some disturbed snow.”
“Milt and the soldiers rushed forward to investigate, trampling the disturbed snow in the process,” Graham added. “All in all, a neat plan.”
“It’s a good theory, but it depends heavily on the blizzard,” Ben pointed out. “What if it had been a clear night?”
“My guess is that Justin picked out the travel day in advance, knowing full well a blizzard was in the forecast,” I replied. “If the blizzard was delayed, he could’ve pulled the trucks over for nonexistent repairs. He may have even had a back-up plan in the event the storm never materialized. We’ll never know for sure.”
“What about the timing of it all? How did they know the U.S. Army had arrived? How did they know when to start the machines?”
I shrugged. “They must’ve had a lookout somewhere.”
“Hey everyone.” Beverly’s musical voice floated through the cavern. “I’m finished.”
Speedily, we filed out of the cave and returned to the trucks. “Well?” Graham asked. “What’s the verdict?”
“I drilled a bunch of bars and none of them contain tungsten.” She paused. “Obviously, I haven’t run comprehensive tests yet. But I’m almost certain these bars are the real thing.”
Her words shot through me like a jolt of electricity. Any doubts I still harbored melted away. For decades, the gold bars had sat in secret, hidden from the world. Only a handful of people even knew they’d gone missing. But no more. We’d located one of the greatest treasures of all time.
Fort Knox’s lost gold.
Chapter 73
The discovery, as well as the implications, were enormous. The media, no doubt, would have a field day. History books would be rewritten. The president’s gold standard would launch as planned. But deep down, I couldn’t have cared less.
All I could think about was the question I had yet to answer. Namely, what had happened to Justin? His body was nowhere to be seen. And yet, the trucks were still here. Had he stolen the gold only to abandon it? If so, why?
I turned to Graham. “Find K.J.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“He needs to know about this.” I glanced at Beverly. “Go with him.”
“K.J. doesn’t trust us.” She nodded at Ben. “But he might listen to him.”
Ben shook his head. “Doubtful. Especially once he learns I’m helping you guys.”
“I guess that’s true.” Her eyes flitted to me. “So, you two are staying here?”
I nodded. “I’ve got one thing left to do.”
She furrowed her brow and made as if to probe a little deeper. But instead she grabbed Graham’s hand and dragged him up the ramp and out of the cavern.
“There’s something I don’t get.” Bending down, Ben gently touched one of the newly-drilled bars. “Justin went to a lot of trouble to get his hands on this gold. So, why is it still here?”
“That’s what I’m hoping to find out.” I aimed my beam around the cavern. Once again, it fell short of fully penetrating the northeastern space.
Slowly, I headed toward it. The darkness melted before my beam and I walked even deeper into the cavern.
Casting my beam from side to side, I noticed scores of etchings on the walls. They looked old and the drawing style reminded me of the ones I’d seen on the summit.
Many of the drawings showed rudimentary villages. Others depicted carvings of long-forgotten people. Priests giving sermons. Warriors fighting other warriors. Hunters attacking deer, buffalo, and elk.
My eyes started to water, partly from airborne dust particles, but mostly from the stench of garlic. It was particularly pungent, as if I might stumble upon a garden of cloves at any second.
My beam passed over a couple of cloth-covered objects. They were positioned in a rough circle, surrounded by canteens, leather bags, and dog-eared books. At the center of the circle, I noticed a giant pile of heavily charred wood.
“Good lord.” Inhaling softly, Ben stopped short of the circle.
“Well, I guess this explains why the gold’s still here.” I nudged one of the objects with my foot. Cloth fell away, revealing a skull. “Justin’s crew didn’t live long enough to spend it.”
Chapter 74
“They look so…” My brow knitted as I searched for the appropriate word. “… peaceful.”
“You must be joking.” Ben grimaced as he studied the skull. It was light gray in color and completely lacking in flesh. “They don’t even have eyes, for God’s sake.”
“I mean the way they’re just laying here.” Again, I nudged the skull. Then I shifted my gaze to the other bodies. “It’s almost as if they died in their sleep.”
I walked around the circle, checking the bodies. But my gaze kept coming back to the first skeleton. Its tattered clothing meant nothing to me and obviously, there weren’t any nametags in the vicinity. Still, I somehow knew I was looking at Justin’s remains.
Distinct sadness washed over me. Justin hadn’t abandoned his family. Rather, he’d died quietly in the cavern via unknown means, leaving his wife and my dad to fend for themselves. Did he ever realize how much my dad would miss him? That the man would rip apart Manhattan in a vain quest to find him?