Continued from Part Twenty-Five

The Emerald Avenger treaded lightly, muscles tense. What was going on? Why had Marco lured him to a cave?

 A shot exploded. He hit the ground. Another shot rang out.

He searched for the source. There, behind the stalactite. Marco.

The Emerald Avenger threw a smoke bomb at the stalactite. The chamber filled with smoke. Marco continued to fire off random shots.

Marco gagged, but kept shooting. He had to go the last round. His gun clicked empty. The smoke began to clear. He started to reload.

Someone tapped his shoulder. “Put your hands in the air and turn around.”

Marco cringed and complied. The Emerald Avenger met him with a ferocious right hook. Marco fell. The Emerald Avenger grabbed him and hit him again.

Marco shuddered. “Finish it.”

The Emerald Avenger gave him a quizzical look. “What?”

“You’re terrorizing the organization because of me. Leave the organization alone and take your vengeance on me.”

The Emerald Avenger shook his head. “Huh?”

“Kill me. You know you want to.”

The Emerald Avenger dropped Marco and laughed. He waved a finger. “No way, Markie-boy. Now, I know the perfect vengeance. I’ll take down everyone in your organization and, don’t worry; you’ll be alive to see it all. There is no redemption for you, only the swift justice of the Emerald Avenger.”

“Can’t you just do what I ask?”

“Sorry, I’m the dark figure of justice. I don’t take requests.” The Emerald Avenger ran out.

Marco shook his head. “Is there no penance?” He sighed, he knew full well what would be the necessary penance. He’d have to forfeit the fruits of his sin, which would mean forfeiting the organization, and he couldn’t do that. The organization was everything. He could no more turn himself in and bring about the conviction of Frank Ross than he could turn in his own father.

He’d write another big check to charity for a quarter of a million dollars. Maybe that would assuage his guilt.

—

This concludes our Serialization of Tales of the Dim Knight.  If you’d like to read more, please purchase our book, which is available in both paperback and ebook form.

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

 Continued from Part Twenty-Four

The Emerald Avenger flew overhead in the Avenging Eagle near Marco’s house, a drab green, old world home with a french window that opened to a balcony over the four-columned porch. He hadn’t decided which corrupted cop to go after next, so he’d terrorize Marco a bit.

Something pinged off the Avenging Eagle’s titanium underbelly, followed by a whole volley of pings. Bullets.

He looked down. Marco stopped shooting, jumped in his midnight Mercedes, and drove away. The Avenging Eagle took up pursuit. He caught up over the highway and scraped the roof of Marco’s car. Marco took a sharp right turn down an old mining road. The Emerald Avenger stayed on his tail.

 ###

Marco stopped his car, jumped out, and ran to a cave entrance about three feet wide and barely six feet high. He ran through the caverns until distant footsteps splashed.

He turned and cocked the rifle he’d hidden in the cave. “Avenger, one way or another, this ends tonight.”

The Emerald Avenger entered his scope. He fired.

Continued Next Tuesday

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

Continued from Part Twenty-Three

Downtown, Marco read the headline and cursed. “Welch ain’t that stupid.”

His right hand man, Whitaker, peered at him through grandma glasses that went well with the secretary gray trousers. “Then what happened?”

“The Emerald Avenger. He’s framed him, and I’ll bet you anything he framed those cops that were fingered for arson also.”

“How you gonna prove it?”

“I’m not. I ain’t Dick Tracy. The organization is suffering for my sin. Somehow or another, I have to end this. I’m gonna draw him out and take him down.”

“Boss, I’ll get some of the boys—”

“No, I’m going alone.” Marco got up and grabbed his coat. “Whit, if you don’t see me again, it’s been good knowing you.”

Continued Next Tuesday

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

Continued from Part Twenty-Two

Inside Welch’s e-mail one last time, the Emerald Avenger composed a reply to the last Nigerian e-mail, asking, “Did the wire arrive?” Below that, it included copies of all the messages that had been sent back and forth.

Welch sent his weekly report to the chief, but the Emerald Avenger intercepted it. The Emerald Avenger changed the e-mail address on the report to the Nigerian’s e-mail and sent the e-mail about the wire to the chief.

###
Welch checked his junk mail at work for the first time in weeks. “Earn $5,000 while you sleep!’ Morons. I know how to make twice that for doing nothing.”

The screen refreshed. The message had vanished.

“Weird.” Welch deleted the rest of his junk mail.

Chief of police Stone Bachman arrived with a police sergeant. Captain Welch rose from his desk chair. “Hi, Chief. I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

The chief frowned.

The police sergeant said, “Are you Captain Jake Welch?”

“Yes, Sergeant, you work in my precinct. You should know that.”

“Sergeant, do your duty,” said the chief.

The sergeant dangled his handcuffs. “Captain Welch, you are under arrest for criminal conspiracy and money laundering. You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent . . . . ”

Welch stared. What the heck? That was outrageous! Guess the chief knew it. He had tears in his eyes. The chief walked away.

The sergeant finished reading Welch his rights, handcuffed him, and led him to lockup.

Continued Next Tuesday

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

Continued from Part Twenty

Captain Welch finished his meal at Fischer’s Café and took the check up to the front counter. He handed the waiter his credit card. After running it through the machine, the waiter handed it back. “Sir, your card was declined.”

“What?”

“Your credit card company wouldn’t pay.”

What an outrage! “I’ll have to call them.” He paid with his debit card.

At home, he called his bank at the number on his last credit card statement. “What is wrong with you morons? Why didn’t my credit card work?”

“Because you have no money,” the female representative replied in a patronizing tone. “I’m showing you transferred the entire $12,000 limit from your credit card to your checking account at 25% interest.”

“What? Why would I do that?”

“My records indicate you took all your money out of your checking account, your savings accounts, IRAs, CDs, and your home equity line to do a wire transfer and then needed the money from the credit card to reimburse your checking account.”

Dizziness and nausea stole over Welch. “What?”

“Sir, do you require our hearing impaired line?”

“No, I heard you. Do something about this, now!”

“I’ll file a claim, and we’ll look into it.”

“No, I want my money back, now!”

“I understand that, but unfortunately, we’re not in the habit of reversing $345,000 back into your checking account just because you don’t remember doing it.”

“I want a supervisor.”

“Sure, I’ll get one.”

Several unhelpful supervisors later, Welch cursed with what remained of his voice. “Fine, I’ll file you moron’s precious claim.”

Continued Next Tuesday

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

Continued from Part Nineteen

Mother Ines walked to her office. “Lord God, do Americans no longer read newspapers? Why has no one responded to the story on our work with the orphans of Brazil? Will you not provide for us? Soon, the mission’s coffers will be empty.”

In the doorway, Mother Ines froze. A briefcase sat on her desk. “Sister Agatha!”

Agatha ran into the office. She opened the briefcase and gasped. “It’s money.” She handed a typewritten note to Mother Ines.

 I expect $320,000 American should feed a lot of children for a long time. Also, here’s 167,000 nairas.

Here’s to happier headlines,

Robin Hood

Tears soaked the cheeks of Mother Ines. “This is a miracle.”

“Mother, what shall we do with the nairas?” Sister Agatha asked.

“Save them for when we run out of toilet paper.”

Abena got up and shrieked. What was she doing in her underwear? What happened to her jeans and blouse? Her gaze fell on the men. She gasped—they were nude!

“Where are we?” John asked.

Olumide shivered. “It is so cold. And what’s with all these funny trees?”

As far as the eye could see, trees grew with sharp, dark green needles for leaves.

“Get out of my forest!”

They turned. In the trees stood a white man with a spear. He wore a loincloth cut from the skin of a North American gazelle, if Abena didn’t miss her guess.

The crazy white man waved his spear. “This is my forest. You go back where you came from.” He paused. “Except her.”

Galroni folded his arms. “Show some manners. She is not your property.”

Abena stiffened. The men would gladly sell her to the white man, for the right price.

“Who will defend her after you’re all dead?”

The four Africans fled across the wilderness from the crazy white man.

Continued Next Tuesday

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

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Rather, the the real tension of the story evolves from the complications Dave’s secret job has for his wife and children, not to mention his enemies. The heart of the novel revolves around family, right and wrong, the misguided ways we tend to deal with our hurts, and grace, all wrapped in a light-hearted story that will have you chuckling and smiling.

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The book is still available from our publisher in good old fashioned paperback as well as being on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk for the U.K., and Amazon.ca for our Canadian friends.

Continued from part eighteen

Welch entered the bank. Another police captain at the teller line sixty feet away turned his back and ran to bathroom. Welch shrugged. When you got to go, you got to go.

Where had he seen this guy before? That fella was so over the hill. Man, he’d started to age, but not as bad as that guy. He walked up to the teller counter.

The redheaded banker smiled. “Was there something else I could do for you, sir?”

Something else? The banker hadn’t done anything yet.

Welch handed over the affidavit. “I need to get this notarized.”

The banker waved across the room to a cubicle. “Sure, take a seat.”

Welch sat across from the desk. The banker took his seat and got out his notary book. “I’ve always wanted to go Africa. Don’t know about Nigeria, but Kenya would be nice.”

Why had they hired blathering idiots to work here?

On Welch’s way out, the banker called, “Hope you enjoy your Nigerian home!”

Welch rolled his eyes. What a moron.

Paul Galroni stood at his banker’s teller window.

The banker tapped his fingers together. “Mr. Galroni, this 46,814,271 nairas is quite a wire transfer.”

“I want 167,000 nairas, and the rest in US dollars.”

“You’re forgetting about your bank fees.”

Uh-oh. Galroni narrowed his eyes. “What fees?”

“Converting this into US currency and receiving the wire for you will be 1000 nairas. In addition, we require 500,000 nairas for covering this up in our ledgers, and 1,000,000 nairas for not reporting you to Interpol.”

“You’re a cheat.”

“So are you.”

Galroni grunted. “Fine.”

He exited the bank, eyes darting around. He clutched the briefcase that held $300,000 in US dollars tight against the pocket with the sack containing the 167,000 nairas.

Back at the apartment, he slid the briefcase under his bed and removed from his pocket the sack with the nairas that his friends expected. He eyed Olumide and John as they played poker. Good. Neither had noticed the briefcase.

Olumide glanced up and said in their native tongue, “Galroni, you rascal.”

He just wanted to know what his take was. Galroni sat at the table. “Olumide, you snake, deal me in. I got 167,000 from an American fishing boat captain.”

Olumide handed over the cards. “Fantastic.”

Abena entered with her head freshly shaven and glanced at Galroni’s bed. “What’s this?”

Stupid nosy female. Galroni jumped up and grabbed the suitcase. “It’s mine!”

She sent him a puzzled look. “I was talking about the blanket. It looks new.”

Galroni’s cheeks grew warm. “Oh. It was sent by my aunt.”

Olumide frowned. “What is in the briefcase?”

“I will not tell.”

Sharp cold steel pressed against the back of Galroni’s neck.

“Open it.” John withdrew the knife and stepped into view.

Trembling, Galroni opened the briefcase.

Abena’s eyes grew round. “How much is in there?”

Galroni gulped. Enough to pay for his funeral. “$300,000 US dollars.”

Three sets of eyes glared at him. Olumide said, “You were holding out on us. You were going to go to America and leave us here to risk our lives alone.”

“He’s greedy.” John flicked the knife blade. “Let’s split the money three ways.”

“Hold it right there!” demanded someone behind them in English.

The four turned. In the door stood a man wearing a black and emerald green suit and a gas mask. Coughing seized them. The world faded away.

Continued Next Tuesday

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

Continued from Part Seventeen

The Emerald Avenger entered the bank disguised as Welch. Jake Welch normally banked at the branch in Seattle, so the Emerald Avenger went to the Tacoma office. He walked up to a banker, an auburn college age kid with freckles, who stood at the front counter.

The banker said, “How can I help you?”

“I’m Jake Welch,”the Emerald Avenger said. “I need to do a wire transfer.”

“Sure. How much would you like to send?”

“$345,212.53.”

That got him arched eyebrows. “Buying a house?”

What? “Something like that.”

After the banker got Welch’s identification from the Emerald Avenger, the banker looked at Welch’s accounts. “Sir, you only have $8,000 in your checking account.”

Who did this guy think he was? “Like I didn’t know that! Transfer over all the available funds on my home equity credit line, my savings accounts, certificates of deposit, and IRAs.”

After all the fees, that left him with exactly enough money for the transfer, but an empty checking account would get caught sooner than he wanted it to be. He frowned like he was having second thoughts, but was too committed to back out. “You know, I need to eat. Transfer the available credit on my Visa card to my checking account.” At a very high interest rate.

The Emerald Avenger wet his lips each time he signed Welch’s signature on all the forms, which seemed to stack as high as in a cartoon. What if Zolgron was wrong, what if his signature wasn’t an exact forgery of Welch’s? What if it got traced back to Dave Johnson?

 He gave the banker the scammer’s swift code—the number that said where to wire the money, apparently. The banker sent him a curious look. “You’re buying a house in Nigeria?”

Would he please stop asking questions? “Yes.”

The Emerald Avenger signed the last paper and grinned. Yes! Free at last!

The banker headed off to transmit the wire. The Emerald Avenger turned around and gasped at the man walking in—the real Jake Welch.

Continued Next Tuesday

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.

Continued from Part Sixteen

In Nigeria, Paul Galroni checked his e-mail. He sent out a thousand e-mails every day running various scams out of his flat in Abuja, Nigeria. It used to be easy to make money, but now he’d be lucky to get one or two responses a day. This day, he had two.

He opened the first.

Dear Obusi,

   How’s it going? I’d be more than happy to help you smuggle twelve million dollars into the US from stolen oil money. What do I need to do?

–Captain Jake Welch, Seattle PD

Strange, the first email was usually more skeptical. It’d been years since he’d enjoyed such naivety. He wrote back, “I need $1,200 to bribe local officials so I can get the money out of the country.”

 He checked his second message:

Dear Sir,

It’s a shame you’re so greedy you’d destroy people’s lives. I pray God will save your soul and urge you to get right with Him soon, before it’s too late.

–Brother Elijah Collins

“First, I’d have to have a soul.” Galroni deleted the message.

Another message arrived from that Captain Welch:

My pal Obusi,

Hope you’re having a great day, buddy. Did you see the Mariners game? Are they broadcast in Nigeria? The Giants creamed them last night.

Do you really think $1,200 will be enough to hold off local officials? I’ve been taking bribes from crime lords for the past FIVE years, and we demand a lot more than that. You’ll need a lot of money to get out of Nigeria, and I want to help you. Tell you what. I’ll loan you $345,712.53. You go ahead and give me $6,345,712.53 of that $12 million when you get here, and we’ll call it even.

–Captain Jake Welch.

Galroni fell out of his chair. With that money, he could actually go to America.

He looked around the apartment he shared with four partners. Over $350,000, they would kill him. He’d tell them he got the standard $1,200. He replied to the message, “I am not aware of sea monsters battling giants or of the giants making butter out of them.” He glanced quickly over his shoulder and provided his bank account information.

Seconds later, another message arrived in his inbox:

Great! The funds will be sent out today.

–Captain Jake Welch.

Continued Next Tuesday

Tales of the Dim Knight is available in Paperback form, in the Kindle Store as well as on Smashwords in a variety of formats. At both sites, you can get extensive free excerpts on your computer, or sent directly to your Kindle device from the Kindle store.