Curse of the Painted Lady (The Anlon Cully Chronicles Book 3) Read online

  CONTENTS

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  PREFACE

  PROLOGUE

  Chapter 1 – Needle in the Haystack

  Chapter 2 – Vengeance Is Mine

  Chapter 3 – A Weave in Time

  Chapter 4 – Autopsy

  Chapter 5 – Opening Volley

  Chapter 6 – Shockwaves

  Chapter 7 – Eve of Destruction

  Chapter 8 – Old Terrors and New

  Chapter 9 – Narrow Escapes

  Chapter 10 – The Longest Flight

  Chapter 11 – Pézenas Parlay

  Chapter 12 – Pressure Cooker

  Chapter 13 – Roller Coaster

  Chapter 14 – Clearing Fog

  Chapter 15 – One Step Behind

  Chapter 16 – Devil’s Due

  Chapter 17 – Musical Chairs

  Chapter 18 – Captain Courageous

  Chapter 19 – Trojan Disc

  Chapter 20 – Hell’s Angels

  Chapter 21 – Firestorm

  Chapter 22 - Reunification

  Chapter 23 - Illumination

  Epilogue

  ILLUSTRATION: SINETHAL ETCHING

  GLOSSARY OF MUNUORIAN TERMS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COPYRIGHT

  CURSE

  of the

  PAINTED LADY

  K. Patrick Donoghue

  Published by Leaping Leopard Enterprises, LLC

  DEDICATION

  To my sons,

  Michael and Stephen.

  Dream big, work hard, be kind

  and always remember you are loved!

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  The creation of Curse of the Painted Lady was only possible due to the support, feedback and encouragement I received from a host of people, including my family, publishing team and readers of my stories. To each, I owe a round of thanks.

  To my wife, Bryson, and sons, Michael and Stephen, thank you for creating and maintaining a supportive atmosphere for me to conceive and write my stories. Your continued encouragement, support and understanding are deeply appreciated!

  To my editor, Katherine Pickett of POP Editorial Services, thank you for helping me continue to improve as a writer and storyteller. To design artist, Asha Hossain, thank you for conceiving compelling cover art that reinforces the vibe of the story. To design artist, Amber Colleran, thank you for enhancing the look and feel of the printed editions’ interior layout. To proofreaders, Cheryl Hollenbeck and Lisa Weinberg, thank you for your eagle-eye scrutiny and valuable editorial suggestions. To photographer, Donna Owens, thank you for encouraging me to smile (one day I’ll get there). To my website designers, James Lee and Kevin Maines of JML Design, thank you for continuing to evolve and improve my author website.

  Last, but not least, I would like to thank my readers, fans and super-fans. I am grateful for your interest in my stories as well as your constructive feedback. I especially thank those of you who share your opinions of my stories with other readers (and me) via reviews, Facebook comments and personal messages. The thoughts you share are inspirational, even when delivered with a dose of tough love.

  PREFACE

  Greetings to one and all! Thank you in advance for choosing to read Curse of the Painted Lady, the third book in The Anlon Cully Chronicles series.

  I hope you are excited to dive into the finale of the archaeological mystery explored in the first two books in the series, Shadows of the Stone Benders and Race for the Flash Stone! I think you’ll find Curse of the Painted Lady contains plenty of action and plot twists — some of which will hopefully catch you by surprise and make for an entertaining read.

  As was true in the previous installments of the series, the story told in Curse of the Painted Lady blends fiction with real-world archaeological mysteries and ancient mythologies (artifacts, monuments and legends) that appear to challenge conventional views of humankind’s historical record and societal development.

  For those of you who have not read the first two books in the series, I encourage you to tackle those first before reading Curse of the Painted Lady. Otherwise, I believe you may find it challenging to fully appreciate the plot lines, terminology and characters.

  For those who read Shadows of the Stone Benders and/or Race for the Flash Stone some time ago, I would encourage you to at least revisit Race for the Flash Stone before reading Curse of the Painted Lady, as the plot lines in “Painted Lady” commence where the “Flash Stone” plot lines end. To assist in connecting these two stories, the Prologue of Painted Lady provides a synopsis of the ending points of the three main Flash Stone plot lines in the form of news articles (similar to the method I employed in Flash Stone’s Prologue).

  For all readers, I have once again included a glossary of important terms toward the rear of the book, as well as an illustration of the Sinethal etching, a key artifact featured in the story. A quick scan of both reference tools prior to starting Painted Lady may prove helpful. eBook readers can quickly access these sections by clicking on the links for each in the table of contents.

  With those comments in mind, please enjoy the story! Kaeto!

  PROLOGUE

  IN THE NEWS

  September 11-16

  UNUSUAL STONE-AGE ARTIFACTS UNEARTHED IN NICARAGUA

  Discoverers claim artifacts are magnetic tools forged by long-lost civilization

  MANAGUA, NICARAGUA – September 11 – An archaeological research team today announced the discovery of sophisticated magnetic tools that may date to 8000 B.C.E.

  The announcement, made at a press conference held at the Nicaraguan Bureau of Cultural Affairs in Managua, challenges notions of Stone-Age humans as simple cave dwellers. At least, that’s the view put forth by archaeologist and team spokesperson Dr. Cesar Perez.

  “In the team’s eyes, the find is significant in that it suggests the existence of an advanced society at a much earlier point in human history than most archaeologists deem possible,” Perez said.

  Perez told reporters the team believes the tools were crafted by a culture known as the Munuorians, an ancient race of mariners who possessed a sixth sense — an ability to sense and interact with the Earth’s magnetic field. “They applied this sixth sense to create precision magnetic instruments out of stone and diamonds, and they used these tools to build, farm, hunt and heal injuries, among other purposes.”

  According to Eleanor McCarver, a member of the team who joined the press conference by video feed, the tools were found inside a sealed crypt in the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve in eastern Nicaragua.

  “As far as we have been able to determine, the Indio Maiz crypt is the first-known discovery of a fully intact Munuorian archaeological site, and we believe the artifacts found inside are over 10,000 years old,” McCarver said.

  When pressed by members of the media for the team’s proof of the artifacts’ authenticity and age, McCarver indicated the team would invite a group of independent archaeologists and anthropologists to examine and validate the artifacts’ heritage once the collection has been cataloged and the site fully excavated.

  McCarver further indicated the team’s leader, scientist and amateur archaeologist Dr. Anlon Cully, planned to establish a museum to display a sampling of the discovered artifacts in Greytown, a small coastal Nicaraguan town near the Indio Maiz crypt. Speaking in her capacity as the museum’s newly appointed curator, McCarver said the exhibition would be named after the late Dr. Devlin Wilson, a prominent archaeologist and Cully’s uncle.

  In written remarks provided to reporters, Cully sa
id, “Devlin Wilson was the team’s true inspiration. He devoted a decade of his life to the search for evidence to prove the Munuorians’ existence but died before realizing his dream. Fortunately for us, Devlin left behind enough clues in his research files to lead us to Indio Maiz and the evidence he sought for so long. We are proud to honor Devlin’s legacy by dedicating our discovery, and the museum, to him.”

  McCarver concluded the news conference by announcing Cully also planned to form and endow the Alynioria Foundation, an organization pledged to preserve Munuorian artifacts and share insights about their unique culture with the world.

  BENNINGTON WOMAN’S DEATH PUZZLES AUTHORITIES

  Woman found dead in garden, police suspect foul play

  BENNINGTON – September 15 – An unidentified Bennington woman was discovered dead in her flower garden yesterday afternoon by Bennington Police responding to a call from a concerned neighbor. The dead woman has yet to be identified, pending notification of family members.

  According to officers responding to the call, a neighbor’s dog wandered into the dead woman’s yard around 1 p.m. yesterday and began wailing loudly.

  The dog’s owner, who requested her name be withheld from this report, indicated the animal’s excited behavior was uncharacteristic. The neighbor entered the dead woman’s yard to retrieve the dog and discovered the body. She immediately called rescue personnel and the police.

  An unnamed police official with knowledge of the incident said the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death indicated foul play. According to the official, the woman had been electrocuted.

  As there was no source of electricity in the immediate vicinity, police suspect the woman was killed elsewhere and placed in the garden. The official also indicated robbery as a possible motive. Officers entering the home discovered evidence of a break-in. The official described the crime scene as “chaotic.”

  BIZARRE MURDER AT FINCA 6 MUSEUM REMAINS UNSOLVED

  Police suspect murderer may have been American fugitive wanted by FBI

  PALMAR NORTE, COSTA RICA – September 16 – Costa Rican police officials remain baffled by the September 5 murder of a male tourist at the remote Finca 6 Museum and the subsequent abduction of the suspected murderer from museum grounds.

  As previously reported, police were summoned to Finca 6 by the museum’s security chief after three men dashed through the visitor’s center carrying a bloodied, unidentified woman. According to witness statements, the men allegedly loaded the woman into an SUV in the parking lot outside the center and sped away.

  When police arrived on scene to investigate the kidnapping, they discovered the body of a man whose throat had been slit. After examining video footage from security cameras mounted around the museum grounds, police determined the dead man had been attacked by the female kidnap victim prior to her abduction.

  But in the days since the murder the police investigation has produced little new evidence. The dead man remains unidentified, the murder weapon has yet to be recovered and there has been no further news of the whereabouts of the kidnapped woman. Police are also stymied regarding the motives behind both crimes. Suggestions of a drug deal gone bad have been circulating in the media, but police have been quick to dispel the speculation as unfounded.

  The only potential new clue surfaced yesterday, when police revealed fingerprints belonging to an American named Margaret Corchran were discovered in an abandoned rental car at Finca 6. According to U.S. embassy officials in San Jose, Corchran is wanted by the FBI in connection with the murder of a fellow American citizen, Devlin Wilson.

  Yet, police acknowledge there is no evidence beyond the fingerprints linking Corchran to the crimes. No one matching Corchran’s description was observed at Finca 6 by witnesses, nor was she spotted on security camera footage. Further, police have found no record of Corchran entering Costa Rica and the rental car was not registered in her name.

  Chapter 1 – Needle in the Haystack

  Bennington, Vermont

  September 25

  Detective Timothy Hall stood at the edge of the garden and pointed at a flattened patch of wildflowers and milkweed. “They found her right here.”

  Jennifer Stevens leaned forward to examine the crushed plants, then held up a photograph of the crime scene. In the picture, Anabel Simpson was splayed face up with a horrified expression frozen on her face. Mouth agape as if cut down in midscream, Anabel’s lifeless eyes stared straight ahead. Her outstretched and twisted limbs were gruesome to behold, but they paled in comparison to the charred hole through her chest and her disfigured, bloodied hands. Jennifer handed the picture to Detective Dan Nickerson. “God, she put up one hell of a fight.”

  Nickerson examined the photograph, then asked Hall, “Any other defensive injuries, other than the hands?”

  Scratching at his beard-covered chin, Hall said, “It’s hard to say. There were other contusions, but the medical examiner said they could have been caused by the jolt she received. We won’t know for sure until he’s done with the autopsy.”

  “Where do you think she was killed?” Jennifer asked.

  “We don’t have a solid idea, yet. All we know for sure is she was placed in the garden after she was killed.” Shaking his head, the ginger-haired Hall confessed, “It’s the damnedest thing. There’s so much evidence, it’s overwhelming, but none of it points us in a direction any of us feels good about.

  “Just about every room inside was turned upside down, but, on the surface, it looks more like a search than a struggle. No blood stains, signs of fire. So, it doesn’t look like it happened in the house. Outside, we haven’t found anything of significance either. No singed plants. No blood trail and no source of electricity nearby. Plus, we haven’t found anyone who heard or saw any disturbance. Given the condition of the body, it seems impossible someone wouldn’t have noticed if it happened in her yard.”

  Nickerson nodded in agreement and then pointed at the wilting garden. “When you say ‘no blood trail,’ I assume you combed the whole property?”

  “Correct. When we didn’t find any clues near the body or in the house, we expanded the search area a few hundred yards in every direction. Into the neighbors’ yards, into the woods behind the garden. Nada,” Hall said.

  “And her car is missing, right?” Jennifer asked.

  “Yes. Silver Honda CR-V, 2010 model year. We don’t know for sure, but we’re fairly certain it was stolen the same day Ms. Simpson was discovered.” The Vermont State Police detective explained they’d interviewed the surrounding neighbors, including the woman who found Anabel, as well as the postal carrier who delivered mail on Anabel’s street. The carrier and two of the neighbors said they were positive the car was in the driveway the day before Anabel’s body was found. “Unfortunately, no one saw the car leave, so we don’t know whether it was taken before or after she was killed. We’ve got warrants out to review video surveillance cameras around town. Hopefully we’ll get lucky.”

  While Hall spoke, Jennifer scanned the garden. It was hard to believe how much the plot had changed in the six weeks since she had last visited Anabel. Then, it had been bustling with color and life. Hundreds of butterflies had floated in the air above the forest of flowers while others competed with bees for the nectars of the various blooms. Now, however, the garden looked pale and withered. All that remained were brittle, drooping stalks of yellow, brown and gray. She could understand why the Bennington police quickly reached the conclusion that Anabel had been killed elsewhere and moved here afterward. Given the intensity of the burns to her chest and hands, one would have expected the dead, dry stalks to ignite like tinder if Anabel had been standing near the garden when she was electrocuted.

  But had she really been electrocuted? For that matter, had she really been murdered? Or, could she have been Muran? If so, had she instead transferred her mind to a new body, as Jacques Foucault claimed she had done many times before? And the abuse to Anabel’s body — could that have been delivered after
the fact to send a message to someone? Anlon, maybe? Thus far, Jennifer thought there were aspects of the crime scene that favored Foucault’s theory, but other aspects argued against it.

  As she walked around the perimeter, Jennifer noticed something she hadn’t seen in August when the garden was full and lush. There were bowling-ball-sized holes in places throughout the garden. She bent down on hands and knees to examine the closest one she could see from the garden’s edge. Peering through the thicket, she spied two others of similar size deeper in the garden.

  Calling over her shoulder, she asked Hall, “What did your forensics guys make of these holes?”

  Hall crouched down next to her. “Pretty weird, huh?”

  “I’ll say,” Nickerson said as he leaned forward to get a better look.

  “At first, we thought someone dug holes looking for something buried,” Hall said. “But there’s only crumbs of displaced dirt and no footprints or trampled plants around the holes. When the techs took a closer look, they said it looked like stone markers had been set in them, but that didn’t make sense either.”

  “How so?” Jennifer asked.

  “The holes go about three feet deep, so we’re talking pretty large stones. There’s no way someone could lift out rocks of that size without leaving some trace, but there were no shovel marks or other signs of digging. If someone used a crane or tractor to pull them out, there would be tracks all over the place, but there aren’t any. And no one saw or heard any heavy machinery or anyone digging,” Hall said.