And why did Justin want to steal the gold anyway? Was money really that important to him? And what did he hope to do afterward? Surely, he couldn’t have planned to go back home, not with the U.S. government scouring the country for him. Was he planning to abandon his family all along?
The thought was unsettling. Justin, in all likelihood, had planned to skip town with the gold, leaving Drew to grow up in a single-parent household. Drew had then risked his reputation, business, and even his sanity to find him.
In other words, Justin was selfish and Dad sacrificed everything trying to prove otherwise. Now, I was sacrificing everything in order to prove his effort hadn’t been in vain. What did that mean for any offspring I might have in the future? Was I destined to hurt them like Justin had hurt Dad and Dad had hurt me?
I aimed my beam to the northeast. The steel plate, still cracked open, allowed a bit of natural light to creep into the area. But despite the extra illumination, I couldn’t see a back wall.
Ben looked thoughtful. “With the plate closed, there would’ve been no ventilation. They must’ve suffocated.”
I shook my head. “If that was the case, they would’ve struggled. Grabbed their throats and gasped for air. No, whatever killed them happened in a flash. They never saw it or even felt it. They just died.”
He clucked his tongue uneasily. I knew what he was thinking. Could whatever have killed them kill us as well?
He knelt next to a rusted fork and a dusty tin can. “Bortles Beans,” he read off the can’s label. “Maybe they were poisoned.”
“I doubt it. Otherwise, the killer would’ve taken the gold.”
A gust of wind swept into the cavern. Faint and distant shrieking rang out overhead. The noise made me think of the summit. Of the three carvings we’d found. Something had killed off the Caborn-Welborn tribe centuries ago. Did the same thing kill Justin and his crew as well?
I felt around Justin’s clothed skeleton until I located a small leather book.
“What’s that?” Ben asked.
I opened it up. “It’s a journal, just like the one from Milt’s office. They must’ve bought them together, probably so they could have a full record for the history books. That’s interesting… the first couple of pages are missing.” I compared the journal to the Capitalist Curtain papers. “It’s a match. This is where Justin got the paper for his notes.”
Ben nodded. “Well, what’s the book say?”
Quickly, I leafed through the pages. “It looks like he kept a daily record.” I flipped to the last page with text on it. “Okay, the last entry is dated December 27, 1949. That’s thirteen days after the robbery.”
Ben looked at me expectantly.
I cleared my throat. “This morning, the last Army vehicle packed up its equipment and drove off into the night. We think we’re alone now, but it’s too dark to be sure. We’ll visit the crow’s nest in the morning for another look. The men are in good spirits, but restless. They want to hit the road. It’ll be a challenge to keep them here the full thirty days.”
Ben looked at me. “And?”
“And that’s it.” I frowned. “You know, that remark about a crow’s nest is interesting. I wonder—”
A metallic object crashed against my skull. I dropped the journal and flashlight. Clutching my head in agony, I slumped to the ground.
“Hey, Willow. It’s me. I took care of… mesa… Berserkers…” Ben spoke in a near-whisper and my temporarily addled brain had trouble deciphering his words. “Send them and…”
Wincing, I touched the back of my head. Streaks of pain laced through me.
Steeling my body, I forced myself to sit up. Then I twisted in a half-circle. Ben stood a couple of feet away. The pistol, held firmly in his hand, was pointed at my face.
“Life is about decisions,” he said. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Decisions?” I shook the cobwebs from my head. “What are you talking about?”
“You thought your dad committed suicide. But he died because I decided to kill him.” Ben smiled. “Just like I’m about to kill you.”
Chapter 75
Ben killed Dad? But Dad committed suicide… didn’t he?
Slowly, I rose to my feet.
With a sad smile, Ben squeezed the trigger and…
And nothing.
He frowned and squeezed the trigger again. Again. And yet again.
Again, nothing.
I grabbed the pistol and jabbed it backward. The gun slammed into his face. Blood squirted out of his nostrils and he released the gun to grab his nose. Wailing softly, he sank to his knees. “You broke it,” he said. “Oh my God, you broke my nose.”
“Believe me, it’s an improvement.” Reaching into my pocket, I took out a full clip. Quickly, I replaced the empty one.
“There were no bullets?” He blinked his tear-filled eyes. “Wait, you knew?”
“I suspected, but I wasn’t sure.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
“You’re the reason the president wanted me to go to Fort Knox in the first place. Plus, you were still in the vault when the press conference started. So, you could’ve overheard us discover the fake gold bars.”
A grin cracked his visage. “Actually, I already knew.”
That surprised me, but I let it pass for the moment. “So, who’s Malware?” My gaze widened. “Wait. No. No, it can’t be. Willow?”
He smirked.
I shook my head. “Why?”
“The same reason you’re here,” he replied. “Family.”
I frowned.
“Years ago, your grandfather decided to steal all that gold.” Ben waved at the dump trucks. “That, as it turned out, was a critical decision. And it, in turn, caused both of our fathers to make critical decisions of their own. Namely, to find him at any cost.”
“Both of our fathers?” I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“My father was the brainchild behind Project Capitalist Curtain. Through it, he hoped to achieve global governance and thus, world peace.” He offered me a sad smile. “When the gold vanished, his life took a turn for the worse. He lost focus and became obsessed with finding Justin. He even went so far as to befriend your dad in order to keep tabs on your family.”
I heard shouts and scuffling noises. Clearly, the Berserkers were getting closer by the second. But at that moment, I didn’t care.
“I didn’t know it at the time,” he continued. “But apparently, your dad grew wise to it. One day, he invited my father to visit one of his construction sites. Father must’ve expected something because he took me along in secret and asked me to wait outside. And so I did until I heard scuffling. I ran inside and saw Father lying on the ground. Your dad was on top of him, punching away. I ran inside and grabbed him, shoved him toward the window. The glass broke and you know the rest.”
My mind flashed back to that single moment in time. To the hot sun, to the ice cream dripping down my hand. To Dad plummeting to his death. The revelation that I hadn’t seen a suicide that day but rather, a murder, sent jolts of shock through my body.
“And yes, I meant to kill him. You would’ve done the same if you’d been in my shoes. Family first, right?” He shrugged. “After we got away, I asked Father what had happened. He refused to talk about it. It wasn’t until after he died that I discovered the truth. Your dad had found out about Project Capitalist Curtain. He claimed to have a lead on Justin’s whereabouts. And he threatened to go public unless Father told him the truth. Father, of course, refused.”
I exhaled.
“Afterward, Father doubled his efforts, searching for the lead your dad had mentioned,” Ben continued. “But he never found anything.”