“Want me to handle him?” Graham whispered in a conspiratorial tone.
“What are you going to do?” I asked. “Challenge him to a duel?”
“If you say so.”
He’d do it too. Of course, the president could merely snap his fingers and every soldier in hearing distance would’ve jumped in to protect him. But that was duty, not devotion.
President Walters stopped in front of me. His gaze lifted to the dump trucks and his eyes opened wide in wonder. “That’s the gold?”
I nodded.
“Then it’s over.”
Maybe for him. As for me, I still had a little bit of unfinished business on my plate. Namely, Malware, a.k.a. Willow Marvin. But that would have to wait for another day.
“What happens now?” I asked.
“That depends. Do you want anything?”
“The truth.”
He cocked his head.
“I want the world to know what happened here,” I said. “I want people to know about Capitalist Curtain, Fort Knox, my grandfather, Ben and Malware, everything.”
He exhaled. “I appreciate everything you’ve done. I really do. Once again, this country owes you a debt of gratitude it can never hope to repay. However, what you’re asking is, quite frankly, impossible.”
I frowned.
“This country has faced far too many scandals as it is. I don’t know if it can survive another one. As such, my people have concocted a cover story. Specifically, that the gold never disappeared. Instead, Milt Stevens deliberately built a top-secret vault in there,” he said with a nod at the mesa, “and hid the gold inside it. The depository at Fort Knox became, in fact, the ultimate deception.”
I was beyond furious. “What about the battle at Fort Knox?” I asked, my voice rising. “How are you going to explain that?”
“Thanks to K.J.’s efforts, the media never caught wind of it. And everyone involved has been sworn to secrecy. Of course, we’ll still have to explain the deaths. As for me drilling that fake gold bar, we’re chalking it up to miscommunication. Unfortunately, Milt died suddenly without leaving a succession plan in place. By the time we figured out he’d built the second facility, the press conference was already over.”
“No one will believe that.”
“They will. Because that’s what I’m going to tell them. It’s what we’re all going to tell them.” His gaze narrowed. “That’s not going to be a problem… is it?”
Justin had risked great harm to himself in order to steal the depository’s gold. Not because he wanted to get rich, but because he thought his fellow countrymen should know the truth about Capitalist Curtain. And Dad had lost his life seeking the truth as well, doing everything in his power to discover Justin’s ultimate fate.
The truth. It matters. It mattered then and it mattered now. But of course, I didn’t have to tell the president that. When I got back to New York, I’d find a way to leak the real story to the media.
I smiled. “Of course not.”
We shook hands and he walked away. And then I was alone. So alone. Justin was gone. So was Dad. So was Mom for that matter. I was alone in this world and that was enough to make my heart ache.
Graham and Beverly wandered over to me. “What did he want?” Graham asked.
“He wants us to lie,” I said.
“About what?”
“About everything.”
“I hope he’s used to disappointment,” Beverly said.
“Yeah,” Graham added. “Because we’re definitely used to it from him.”
Clearly, they knew what I was going to do before I even did it. “This is my fight, not yours,” I said. “And it’s going to be a messy one. Real messy. He’ll come after me, probably chase me clear out of the country. But it doesn’t have to be that way for you guys. Play nice and stick to the official story and you’ll be fine.”
“If it’s your fight,” Beverly said softly, “then it’s our fight too.”
I stared at her, then at Graham. They stared back at me, unblinking, and I felt my loneliness melt away. There was no talking them out of this. They were with me to the end.
And that meant something. No, it meant everything. Maybe I was the last of the Reeds. Maybe I was the last of my bloodline. But I would never be alone.
Not as long as I had my family.
Author’s Note
One of the brightest lights in that great big sky of ours finally darkened a few months ago as my grandmother, Gertrude "Trudie" Meyer, passed away at the ripe old age of 97. Grandma loved romance novels, celebrity gossip, tennis, Baileys, cruises, slot machines, and many other things. And she loved her family. Oh, how she loved her family.
Every couple of weeks, Grandma and her husband, Henry, would hop in their Cadillac and drive many hours to see us. They came to my baseball games, my graduations, and oftentimes, for no reason at all.
Which brings me to KNOX. At its core, KNOX isn’t about the gold standard or government conspiracies. It’s about family. About its warts and all its forms. About how family defines us and how we define it. And about the lengths we’ll go to understand, support, and even protect it.
Grandma sacrificed much on my behalf, a fact for which I’m eternally grateful. May all of you be blessed to have such a wonderful family member in your life. And perhaps, to be that kind of family member to others as well.
Thank you for reading KNOX. I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to be the first to know about my upcoming stories, make sure to sign up for my newsletter.
Keep Adventuring!
David Meyer
February 2016
About the Author
David Meyer is an adventurer and the international bestselling author of the Cy Reed Adventures and the Apex Predator series. He’s been creating for as long as he can remember. As a kid, he made his own toys, invented games, and built elaborate cities with blocks and Legos. Before long, he was planning out murder mysteries and trap-filled treasure quests for his family and friends.
These days, his lifelong interests — lost treasure, mysteries of history, monsters, conspiracies, forgotten lands, exploration, and archaeology — fuel his personal adventures. Whether hunting for pirate treasure or exploring ancient ruins, he loves seeking out answers to the unknown. Over the years, Meyer has consulted on a variety of television shows. Most recently, he made an appearance on H2’s #1 hit original series, America Unearthed.
Meyer lives in New Hampshire with his wife and son. For more information about him, his adventures, and his stories, please see the links below.
Books by David Meyer
CHAOS
ICE STORM
TORRENT
VAPOR
KNOX
BEHEMOTH