The Miracle is an continuation of The Mystery of Table Mountain. James Raymond is kidnapped and sold to a despot on a Greek Island. He lives four years there and meets a variety of interesting characters and eventually is miraculously provided a way off the island. When he returns home he finds his wife has remarried, but is able to resolve this and returns to Table Mountain. During this trip he is confronted again by his old nemesis, Regus Collender. A poignant story unfolds about his friends at the Murphy Ranch and their plight. His son by Annette is brought out in the story and he adopts him and takes him back to New York where his son plays an important role to end the story. The Miracle is the second part of the trilogy. Each story stands by itself as it takes the reader through different eras of James Raymond's life. The last of these three books is A Call To duty, which will be available shortly.
The Miracle
Book Two of A TrilogyBy William PostAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 William Post
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4490-9618-2Chapter One
The Miracle by William J. Post
Two men were walking around the perimeter of the exercise yard at the Virginia State Penitentiary. Snow was on the ground and they could see their breath as they walked. There were no other prisoners in the yard as the temperature was in the twenties. Their feet made a crunching noises as they walked. Other than that sound it was very still and cold. Not even a bird could be heard.
They paused at the northwest corner of the yard to look at the only landmark they could see outside of the prison, the very top of a mountain some fifty miles away. It was Regus Collender's favorite place as he could at least see something outside of the gray prison walls. Gerald Billings, his companion, also stared off into the distance, each man in his own thoughts.
The older man broke the silence and said, "Gerald, we have to figure a way out of here. Five years is a long time to spend anywhere. Breaking out is impossible so that leaves only one way."
"I'm not following you, Regus, what other way is there?" Gerald asked.
"Someone on the outside must buy our way out of here," Regus replied.
"The only people on the outside we know who have that kind of money are the ones who put us in here," Gerald stated.
"Gerald, you have no imagination. You must keep your ears open and your mind alert. You're right, we don't know anyone who has that kind of money, but there are over six hundred and fifty other people in here and one or more may know someone and they don't even realize it. We need to find that person and cultivate his friendship. I'll take it from there as I can manipulate anyone given the time. Our job now is to find that person."
"I'll do what you say, Regus, but it's hopeless."
"It's never hopeless! There is someone here, I feel it. Let's concentrate on people who may have a possibility. There are two or three hundred who we can eliminate immediately so we will work on the rest. Let's start a list."
They both fell silent as they were again at the northwest corner of the exercise yard and stared toward the mountain again.
Regus began thinking about Billy Ryan and how he had pretended to be his friend. Ryan had betrayed him with that slavery scheme that started the chain of events that ended up with both he and Gerald serving life terms. Ryan had turned them against one another and both had testified to save his own skin. It took a year in prison before Regus figured it out. It took nearly another year before Billings, his brother-in-law, would listen to him.
As Regus stood in the cold with his hands under his armpits he began to muse about his plan that had been nearly perfect. He would have pulled off a great coup that would have had him inheriting a plantation and a large import-export business. His sister had married the heir to both in 1848. She had died twelve years later after giving birth to twin girls. That had set Regus thinking. If he could somehow eliminate her husband, son and the twin girls he would inherit it all.
Regus thought of how Paul Raymond had moved his family to New York City before he could even form a plan. Then the war started in 1861 and that had put everything on hold. Once the war ended he again began to lust for the large mansion on Raymond Manor again. That was when his plan started to develop in his mind. He remembered how he first thought of how he could become the overseer of Raymond Manor, then laid the plans to accomplish the rest.
He smiled as he thought of how he had arranged for the fatal accident to the overseer of the Raymond plantation. After that the false letters lauding him as an overseer from the factious owners of a plantation had fooled Raymond. Especially when they received a firsthand account from Billings when he posed as Dale Southern, the owner of a plantation adjacent to the factious plantation. Both Raymond and his counsel had bought it. He smiled again as he thought of how eager Paul Raymond had been to hire him as overseer.
Having Elwood Peters pose as a tobacco buyer for a Swedish firm was another stroke of genius. He had sent Paul Raymond a letter saying his company would like to sign a contract with Raymond Industries for a large amount of tobacco. The large contract had brought Paul Raymond to Richmond.
Peters had met Raymond according to the plan. Peters was an expert marksman who had killed several men in duels. Regus changed the terms of the contract from what had been agreed to through letters. Peters delivered the contract at his meeting with Raymond. When Raymond saw the new terms he pointed out that it was not what they had agreed to in their letters.
Collender smiled as he remembered how Peters had accused Paul Raymond of lying, slapping him in public then challenging Raymond to a duel and subsequently shooting him dead. That had brought his twin daughters from New York and his son, James Raymond, from Harvard College to Richmond for the funeral.
Regus Collender smiled again to himself as he thought of how he had Peters run the carriage carrying the twins off the levee road into the river drowning them both. He then arranged breakfast at an inn with young Raymond in attendance. Peters showed up for his payoff and Billings shot Peters dead. The three, which included Collender's wife Carrie, swore out a warrant that James Raymond had shot and killed Peters out of revenge.
The smile left Collender's face. A perfect plan except for one thing, James Raymond disappeared that day and he could not be found by anyone. By not having young Raymond in custody the counsel for Raymond Industries, Owen Taylor, had he, his wife and Billings removed from Raymond Manor by the marshal. He thought of all the money he had spent trying to locate young Raymond, but to no avail. Hundreds spent for nothing.
Then five years ago in 1875, he met Billy Ryan, Raymond's adopted brother. Hate began to fill Collender's mind and he swore aloud as he thought how he had been duped by Ryan.
Billings said, "What was that, Regus?"
"Nothing Gerald, I was just thinking and got carried away."
Hate also raged within him as he thought of James Raymond. He had been so close, now he was in prison for the rest of his life. Collender swore within himself, "If I ever get out of prison I will have both Raymond and Ryan serve the same life sentence that I have been given."
A prison guard said, "Times up," and Billings and Collender went back to their prison cells.
About a month later Billings was eating across the table from a Greek. The Greek was telling the man next to him that when he got out of prison he was going back to a Greek island where he worked for one of the richest men in the world. Billings could not wait to tell Collender what he had heard.
Regus said, "Gerald, you may have just found our way out of here."
Regus waited until an opportune time and met the Greek whose name was Varkus. He spent a week or so building a friendship by giving Varkus tobacco and soap that are always at a premium in a prison. Varkus told Collender and Billings about the island of Piros and a powerful man who owned it, Petra Karpus. He said that Karpus lived in the largest castle in Greece and maybe the world.
Varkus said, "No one in Greece crosses Petra Karpus. He is by far the richest and most powerful man in Greece. He has many slaves even though they are forbidden in Greece. Even the king of Greece does not have his power."
Collender said, "What kind of favors does Mr. Karpus want from time to time?"
"He wanted me to kill a man who kept the money he was paid for a shipment of liquor that was never delivered. I tried, but got caught and was sentenced to five years. I didn't realize the man I was going to kill was so powerful. He had bodyguards that I was unaware of. My sentence is up in three months. They will deport me to Piros. I'm just hoping that Karpus doesn't kill me for failing."
Collender said, "Murder is our specialty and we never miss. True we are in prison, but only because of a minor offense that triggered a series of bad breaks. Please tell your boss that we never miss our man. We will also kill him in the fashion that pleases your boss best. If your boss still wants the job done, we are the men to do it. He would, however, have to buy our way out of here. That can be done, you know, by just paying off the right person. I understand the present warden isn't above helping for the right price."
Varkus said, "The man you would have to kill is a very powerful man in Washington. It will be a very difficult job."
"You tell your boss that we specialize in men who are hard to get. We will do the job in exchange for just getting us out of here and taking a man I know back to Piros as a slave."
Varkus said, "I'll give Karpus the message if he doesn't kill me first."
About six months later Collender and Billings were called into the warden's office and he said, "I just heard that both of your mothers died yesterday. I'm going to let you have leave to go to their funerals." He smiled as he continued, "I'm putting you both on your honor to return to the prison after one week. You'll find new clothes that fit you both over on those chairs. Change into them and leave the prison. There are two horses saddled outside for your transportation. Here is a hundred dollars each for your travel money."
Collender and Billings changed and were led to their horses by the warden. When they were outside the prison, Varkus was on a horse waiting for them.
Varkus smiled and said, "My boss has a job for you to do."
They rode for nearly six hours stopping only to rest the horses. They came to an inn and rode into a courtyard. Varkus got down and closed the gate behind them. A man came out and Varkus said something to him in Greek and he took their horses. They followed Varkus into the inn and sat down.
Varkus ordered rum and said, "Petra Karpus told me to give each of you a hundred dollars in advance. I will advise you to do the job or take your own life. The name of the man you are to kill is Milford Wilson. He is an ex-senator from the state of Maryland. You are to kill him and cut off both his hands. Milford is to be left in front of a newspaper office so that photos will be taken. His bloody wrists are to be put across his chest with a note in large enough letters so everyone can read it saying, `A thief must be punished.'"
"I will let you know when a ship is available for the man you want taken to Piros. Karpus is generous, but don't ever cross him. He is a man of his word. You will spend the night here and move on to Washington, D. C. on the horses I provided. I will contact you again the twenty-sixth of next month at the Brighton Hotel for a progress report."
Collender and Billings set up a surveillance on Milford Wilson. They noticed he was followed by two different men. One stayed close to Wilson, but the other stayed back. They had nearly missed the one who stayed back, but Collender had observed him by accident.
They were about to turn and retire for the day when Billings' shoe came untied and as he bent over to tie it Collender saw a man looking intently at the area where Wilson was. Sure enough, the next time they observed Wilson the man was nearly a block away and would have never been noticed. That set Collender thinking, "Were there others?"
They spent an extra week trying to observe anyone else before they were confident there was none.
The rest was easy. They used chloroform to render both Wilson's bodyguards unconscious. Collender then approached Wilson just before he entered his apartment.
Collender said, "Senator Wilson?"
Wilson replied, "Yes."
"Petra Karpus sent us to let you know he does not tolerate thieves. He has engaged us to remove both your hands for not delivering the liquor that he paid you for."
Wilson smiled and said, "You had better look behind you, my man has a bead on you with his pistol."
"Oh, you mean those two men who were supposed to be watching your back? They are both sleeping at this moment. We will have them awakened after your hands are removed."
Billings pulled out a large Bowie knife and grinned at Wilson, saying, "Which hand do you want first, Regus?"
Wilson's face turned white as he realized he was unprotected on a quiet street with no one around. He turned to run, but Billings caught and put him to the ground.
Billings pulled out a chloroform drenched rag and put it over Wilson's face and said, "I always use an anesthetic before surgery." In just a few seconds Wilson was unconscious. Billings did his work then put the body in a coach containing the two bodyguards. Near midnight they took the body to the corner where the newspaper office was located and put the knife in one of the bodyguard's hand and one of Wilson's hands in the other. The other bodyguard was also given a hand. A note was pinned to Wilson's coat before Collender and Billings drove off.
The next morning was the twenty-sixth of the month. Collender and Billings were eating a late breakfast while reading the paper. It seemed that Senator Wilson had been killed by his own bodyguards. The note was printed in the paper.
Varkus came up to their table and said, "I see you have completed your contract. A ship will be in New York Harbor, berth seven, to transport your man on the twenty-eighth of next month. Can you have your man there by then?"
"One month will be sufficient time. Give us the name of the ship, and we will have our man there before midnight."
Chapter Two
The Aftermath
A policeman walking his beat in New York City was hailed down by a man running. He was out of breath, but managed to say, "A man just beat another man to death with a pipe. The men who saw him do it are holding him. They told me they needed to use force and now the man who committed the murder is unconscious."
The policeman quickly obtained the address of the crime which was only two blocks away then said, "Please go to the police station and have them dispatch more policemen to the crime scene."
When the policeman arrived at the crime scene two men were standing over a man who was unconscious. Another man lay not far away and was a bloody mess. His face had been beaten so badly that no one could have recognized him. The policeman took his handcuffs and secured the unconscious man to a pipe that protruded from a building and into the ground near the unconscious man.
The policeman took out a pad and pencil and took down the names and addresses of the two men who had been holding the unconscious man and ask what they had seen.
One of the two men said, "As we were coming around the corner we saw the man you handcuffed beating the other man with a pipe. We jumped the man and knocked him unconscious. That's about it until you arrived."
The Policeman pointed to a bloody pipe by the man now handcuffed and said, "Is that the pipe he used to kill the other man?" The two men nodded.
After the men had given their account of the crime other policemen arrived at the scene with an ambulance and the police wagon. They put the body into the ambulance and the unconscious man into the wagon. The first man was sent to the morgue and the other man to the jail.
At the morgue the dead man's wallet was searched and his name and address were discovered. The name was James Paul Raymond of 225 Charleston Way. Police Captain Wade Wilson was dispatched to that address. Once there he knocked on the door and an attractive woman opened it.
Captain Wilson said, "Mrs. Raymond?"
The woman said, "Yes, I'm Rachel Raymond."
"Mrs. Raymond, I'm Captain Wilson of the New York Police Department, may I come in?"
She motioned him inside and said, "What has happened?"
Captain Wilson seeing another woman and four small children in the next room said, "Mrs. Raymond would you ask that woman to take the children into the bedroom?"
The other woman said, "What's happened, Rachel?"
As Linda walked into the room Rachel said, "Captain Wilson this is my sister, Mrs. Ryan."
Captain Wilson nodded his head and Rachel said, "Linda, Captain Wilson wants you to take the children into the bedroom. Will you do that for us?"
Rachel was shaking as she sensed the deadly news the officer was bringing.
After Linda had left with the children Captain Wilson said, "I have some very bad news. We think your husband was murdered about an hour ago."
As calmly as she could Rachel said, "What evidence do you have that he has been murdered?"
Captain Wilson pulled out James' wallet and watch and said, "Do these belong to your husband, James Paul Raymond?"
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Miracleby William Post Copyright © 2010 by William Post. Excerpted by permission.
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