Searching for Truth and Treasure

G. Alan Brooks

Description

A young technology executive found the lost Inca treasure that was hidden in the Ecuadorian jungle for over 1500 years. After his remarkable discovery he became world famous, and he was recruited by the CIA who wanted to use his fame as a cover for covert operations.
Upon finishing his tough CIA training, he is assigned to infiltrate an international terrorist cabal. To maintain his treasure-hunting reputation he is also committed to finding the largest hidden treasure in North America which is the legendary Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.
Can he do both without being killed by terrorists or the dangerous mountains?

Sujets

• Science Fiction
• Truth
• Adventure
• Treasure
• Fiction
• Action

Informations

• Publié par: Xlibris US
• Date de parution: 23 février 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781669862000
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Searching for Truth and Treasure
 
An Adventure into a World of Treasure and Treachery

The Superstition Mountains at Lost Dutchman State Park, Arizona
 
 
 
 
 
G. Alan Brooks
 
Copyright © 2023 by G. Alan Brooks.
 
Library of Congress Control Number:
2023903384
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-6698-6205-5

Softcover
978-1-6698-6201-7

eBook
978-1-6698-6200-0
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
 
 
Rev. date: 02/20/2023
 
 
 
 
Xlibris
844-714-8691
www.Xlibris.com
849585
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Three
Chapter Fifty-Four
Chapter Fifty-Five
Chapter Fifty-Six
Acknowledgments
 
This book is dedicated to three amazing women—my wife, our daughter, and Dr. Judy Greenhill—for their help as early readers. I cannot thank them enough.
Prologue
Notes by Billy Hartwell on a frayed yellow pad made from research given to him by the CIA.
I think these are the most important facts for treasure hunting in the Superstition Mountains.
1- According to a popular legend, somewhere in the rugged Superstition Mountains is a lost gold mine that has been hidden for over 170 years. It is called the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine, and nobody has found it despite thousands of attempts over almost two centuries.
2- It is an undisputed fact that the Dutchman found substantial quantities of gold and gold-rich ore somewhere in the mountains. On numerous occasions, he came to town, tossed large amounts of gold on the bar, hosted everyone, got drunk, shot up the town, threw all his money away, and went back to the mountains.
3- During the Dutchman’s lifetime, his mine location was never discovered despite many efforts to follow him when he returned to the mountains. However, on his deathbed, he left bizarre clues that treasure hunters from all over the world have used in their search for the treasure rumored to be in his secret mine.
4- For centuries, these mountains were also the sacred grounds of the Apache. The Apache believe the mountains are the home of their Thunder God, who protects a great treasure and will kill to keep it safe.
5- In 1848, in a meadow in these mountains, there was an Apache massacre of a rich Mexican mining family, Peralta, and their workers near an active and productive gold mine. Everyone was killed, except for two of the family members who managed to escape. Many old-timers believe that the Apache removed an enormous amount of gold that was being loaded for a trip to Mexico City and then hid the gold in the mine and concealed the entrance. The Apache are rumored to be protecting their treasure to this very day.
6- The Apache fought the Mexicans and then the Americans to keep this land, and it was in a secret cave in the Superstition Mountains that Geronimo was eventually found by the U.S. Cavalry in 1886. When this remarkable Apache leader and fearless warrior finally agreed to surrender, it ended forty years of Indian War.
7- Treasure hunters from all over the world continue the search to find the lost gold mine and wonder if people or gods are still there willing to kill to protect its location. It is an ongoing mystery to understand how the mine entrance was so well hidden that it has never been found.
8- These mountains are only thirty-five miles east of Phoenix, Arizona, and are now in a national park. Current park statistics show that over nine thousand people each year obtain permits to enter the dangerous mountains looking for hidden treasure and rich gold mines.
9- Over three hundred people have died trying to find the treasure. The authorities have also found over twenty dead bodies with severed heads near rock walls with a handprint, believed to be a warning. Nobody has ever found a gold mine in the Superstition Mountains.
10- Maybe there is more than one gold mine in these mountains—or none.
I expect to be in these mountains within the next six months, and I will find the gold mine if there is one.
Once trained, I will also help the CIA uncover the plans of a group of international terrorists who may be planning a massive confrontation with our country, somewhere in Arizona.
Chapter One
Billy called the King Real Estate office in Islamorada, Florida, to make an appointment to buy a home in the Florida Keys. He planned to live in the Keys for the rest of his life, and he had a clear vision of how he wanted to live. He was only thirty-six years old and still full of youthful exuberance.
“Hello, my name is Sheila King. How can I help you?” answered a woman with a cheerful voice.
“My name is Billy Hartwell, and I’m looking for a home on the water with room for two boats that is near an inlet with easy access for fishing in both the Atlantic Ocean and the backcountry shallow water of Florida Bay,” replied Billy.
“I would love to help you, Mr. Hartwell, but there are very few listings with those amenities, and the few that are available are very expensive,” replied Sheila.
“If you have any listings at any price, I would like to see what they are. I can afford the kind of place I want,” said Billy with a bit of irritation in his voice.
“When would you like to start looking?” asked Sheila.
“Right now. I’m in your parking lot, and I’m anxious to see what you have. I’ve just arrived back in the country after a multi-year business assignment in Brazil, and I want to get settled in the Keys as quickly as possible,” said Billy.
“Well, that is perfect because I just had a cancellation and was going for a cup of coffee. I’ll be right out, and we can start touring,” Sheila said eagerly.
Billy got out of his Range Rover and introduced himself to Sheila, and they got into her Mercedes convertible. She had several brochures and her laptop, which she tossed onto the back seat.
“You caught me at the perfect time, plus I’ve a new listing with an owner who is anxious to sell. I think it might be the perfect spot for you. It is only fifty yards from the Snake Creek Canal with room for two boats, and it gives quick access to either the ocean or the bay,” Sheila said as they pulled out of her driveway and headed south.
“How large is the house? I need at least three bedrooms, and I would like a swimming pool. If I had some room in the backyard, that would be even better because I’ve two small beagles,” replied Billy.
“The house has four bedrooms and five bathrooms. It has a total space inside of three thousand square feet. It has absolutely beautiful flooring throughout, high ceilings, and impressive arches leading to an overhanging patio and swimming pool with a chickee hut next to it,” answered Sheila.
“That sounds too good to be true. If it has all those features, I don’t think I’ll need to look any further. What is the asking price?” asked Billy.
“She is asking $3,200,000, and I think she would accept an offer near that price. Her husband just died, and she wants to move to Miami to be near her kids,” answered Sheila.
“That is just the price range I had in mind,” said Billy.
When they arrived at the home, Billy could not believe his eyes. It looked just like the Keys house he had envisioned, and when Sheila gave him the inside tour, he knew this was just what he wanted. Outside, it had a boat lift for the small flats boat he planned to buy for fishing in the shallow waters of Florida Bay. Plus, it had room for a fifty-foot ocean boat that he planned to buy to hunt for game fish in the Atlantic Ocean. It was perfect.
“I like it exactly the way it is. I don’t have anyone to help me decorate, so I’ll pay her asking price if she’ll include