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    Crimson Gold
    Crimson Gold
    Crimson Gold
    Ebook130 pages1 hour

    Crimson Gold

    By Donna Kolling Lear

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    MYSTERY/THRILLER FINALIST IN THE 2015 RED CITY REVIEW BOOK AWARDS.

    In September of 1939, in the Dutch Hills of Alaska, the body of an old prospector, Elias Franks, was found in his cabin with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Within hours, they find the bodies of a successful prospector, Harmon Johnson, his wife Zelda and one of their employees, John Brady. All three had been brutally murdered. The case appeared to be a simple murder/suicide case until evidence reveals a more sinister crime.
    George Johnson, who lived in Monrovia, California, was still reeling from the news that his older brother Harmon and sister-in-law, Zelda had been brutally murdered in Alaska. Recently unemployed and unable to travel to Alaska, George agreed to let his brother, Ron, an ex-con, make the trip. Ron’s job was to get information on the investigation and the estate.
    After two months without any contact from Ron, George discovered that Ron had convinced the U.S. Attorney to give him access to funds from the estate. Ron now had the money to start working Harmon’s mining in the Spring. George knows that greed is the only thing that drives Ron. He is convinced that Harmon’s mining sites were still producing gold and that Ron had no intention of sharing the profits with George and their sister, Ruth. George realizes that he had to find a way to make the trip to Alaska, even If he had to borrow the money. Although he would have to leave his wife and two daughters with family for several months, he and his wife Elizabeth agreed that it was a risk they had to take.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDonna Kolling Lear
    Release dateNov 23, 2013
    ISBN9780989871921
    Crimson Gold
    Author

    Donna Kolling Lear

    Donna Kolling Lear is a mystery writer from Orange County, California. Her debut book, Crimson Gold, was published in 2013 and was a finalist in the 2015 Red City Review Book Awards, Mystery/Thriller genre. Her new book, Hands Across The Grave, was published in July, 2019 and is a sequel too, Crimson Gold. Donna resides in Santa Ana with her husband, John, Cujo the Yorkie, and Gus the cat.

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      Book preview

      Crimson Gold - Donna Kolling Lear

      Cast of Characters

      John Brady: Prospector, worked for Harmon Johnson

      Ken Cooper: Prospector

      Swede Erikson: Prospector

      Elias Franks: Prospector

      Perry Jackson: Prospector

      Harmon Johnson: Prospector in the Dutch Hills of Alaska

      Zelda Johnson: Harmon Johnson’s wife

      George Johnson: Brother to Harmon, Ron and Ruth Johnson

      Elizabeth Johnson: George Johnson’s wife

      Maggie and Cauleen Johnson: Daughters of George and Elizabeth

      Ron Johnson: Brother to Harmon, George and Ruth, ex-con

      Ruth Johnson Morgan: Sister to Harmon, George and Ron

      Harold Morgan: Ruth Johnson’s husband

      Jeremiah Jones: Camp Cook

      Joe Keith: U.S. Attorney for the Territory of Alaska

      Bob Maywood: U.S. commissioner and probate judge for the Territory of Alaska

      James Riley: FBI Agent

      Chapter One

      The Dutch Hills,

      U.S. Territory of Alaska

      Harmon Johnson and John Brady

      SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1939—It was a beautiful fall day in the Dutch Hills. It had rained for several days, but today the rain had stopped and the sun had finally broken through the clouds. A cold breeze blew down from the mountaintops, a reminder that winter was not far away. It was the kind of day that made the Dutch Hills so inviting. But by day’s end, four people would be dead, and a community would be gripped by fear.

      Harmon was in a great mood. This season’s profits had exceeded all of his expectations. Harmon had been prospecting in Alaska since 1911. He wasn’t an educated man, but he was smart and a hard worker. He started off small, panning gold by hand. He was always looking for new opportunities. He worked with experienced prospectors and when the opportunity presented itself he bought into their claims. Over the years he managed to stake several claims along Ruby Gulch, Willow Creek and Bird Creek. He advanced from panning gold by hand to mining with hydraulic equipment that could dig deep into the ground. In 1929, Harmon met and married Zelda Standish in Seattle. She joined Harmon in Alaska and together they built a successful business. They were liked and respected by some, envied and hated by others.

      Winter would be here soon and he needed to finish closing down his operations. All of his crew had left for the season except for John Brady, who had stayed behind to help him. Harmon had one more thing to take care of; he needed to pick up a radio and two battery packs from the Bird Creek mining site. The radio and battery packs were heavy, and he was glad to have John’s help. Besides, it was a long hike to the mining site, and it would be nice to have the company. They had started their day early. Zelda made them a hearty breakfast, and then they started the long hike from Little Willow Creek to the Bird Creek site.

      It was late in the morning when they arrived at the Bird Creek site. They loaded the radio and battery packs into their backpacks and started back to Harmon’s cabin. They talked as they made their way down the trail and discussed their plans for the winter months. John would be heading to Seattle to spend the winter with his family. Harmon and Zelda planned to go to their apartment in Seattle to take care of some business and then travel to California to visit his family. This would be their first real vacation, and Zelda was looking forward to the trip.

      Harmon and John made their way down the trail, unaware that they were being followed. The trip back was taking much longer than they expected. The weight of their shotguns, along with the weight of their backpacks, slowed them down. It was quiet and they had not run into another person all day. At the height of the season it was not unusual to run into other prospectors on this trail, but by this time of year, most of the prospectors had shut down their claims and left for the Dutch Hills.

      Suddenly, John stopped. Did you hear that?

      Harmon stopped and listened. I don’t hear anything except the wind blowing through the trees. I think you’re hearing things!

      John furrowed his brow. Be quiet and listen, he whispered.

      They stood still, not talking or moving. Then they both heard a crunching sound coming from the thick brush along the trail like someone or something walking on the dried leaves and twigs that covered the ground. The leaves crackled and the twigs snapped. They put down their backpacks, and pointed their guns in the direction of the noise.

      John yelled out, Whoever you are, come on out or we start shooting!

      All of a sudden, a deer crashed through the brush, crossed the trail, and disappeared down the hill.

      Harmon and John looked at each other and started laughing.

      Harmon patted John on the shoulder. Hey John, you gotta watch out for those killer deer!

      Harmon and John put on their backpacks and continued down the trail. They had gone about a mile, when John complained that the battery pack in his backpack had shifted, and he needed to stop. They found a clearing at the side of the trail. Harmon sat down on a log and John removed his backpack. They leaned their guns on the log next to Harmon. John started fixing his backpack.

      Harmon stood up and turned toward the mountain peaks and marveled at the majestic mountains that surrounded them. It was so peaceful. A cool brisk breeze blew down from the mountain peaks and the only sound to be heard was the rustling of branches.

      John was leaning over his backpack when he heard a noise behind him. Before he had a chance to turn around, he was hit in the back of the head with the butt of a shotgun. Blood spurted from his head, and he fell to the ground.

      Harmon heard a thud behind him and turned around. A man stood over John with a shotgun. To Harmon’s horror, John was lying face down in the dirt, his head covered in blood.

      You son of a bitch, what the hell have you done? Harmon yelled. I always knew you were a sneaky piece of shit, but I never thought you would stoop this low. You’re a dead man!

      Harmon turned to grab his shotgun, but it was gone.

      A second attacker stood behind Harmon.

      Looking for this? Harmon, you’re the dead man.

      Harmon turned just as the man swung the butt of the shotgun at his head. Harmon put his hands up to try to defend himself, but the butt of the shotgun struck his hand, severing the tip of his finger on his right hand. Then the attacker hit him in the head, crushing his skull. Harmon’s lifeless body fell to the ground. His attacker was vicious and continued to hit Harmon in the head, splintering the butt of the shotgun.

      John was still alive but he couldn’t move. The injury to his head had left him helpless. All he could do was watch as his friend was beaten to death.

      Harmon’s attacker walked over to John. Your friend is dead and so are you.

      The attacker hit John in the head again with the butt of the gun. John lay dead on the ground. It was obvious that Harmon and John were dead, but the attackers were not satisfied. They slashed their throats with a large hunting knife. Harmon was almost decapitated. They dragged the bodies into the heavy brush along the trail and threw the victims’ guns and backpacks into the tall grass a few feet from the bodies. They covered the bodies with snow, dirt and grass. However, in their rush to hide the bodies, they left Harmon’s left boot uncovered.

      Zelda Johnson

      Harmon Johnson had waited a long time to marry. When he returned to Alaska from Seattle with Zelda, his neighbors were shocked. They couldn’t understand how he had hooked up with this odd little woman. She didn’t care much about her appearance, and she cared even less about her neighbors. She cursed like a man and she trusted no one. She was ruthless when it came to business and she took no prisoners. The neighboring prospectors referred to her as The Crazy Lady. But for some reason, and to everyone’s dismay, Harmon and Zelda made a great team. Together they had built a very successful business.

      It was early afternoon. Zelda looked out the window of the cabin and admired the scenery. It was a glorious fall day and the mountains had turned golden. As much as she loved their time in Alaska, she was looking forward to getting back to the city. They planned to leave the last week of September.

      Because it was a long trip from the Dutch Hills to Seattle, they didn’t deposit their gold until the end of the season. Zelda would be relieved to get it deposited in the bank. The couple also planned to take a trip to Southern California to

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