Contest- a Dane Maddock Adventure, page 1
CONTEST
A Dane Maddock Adventure
David Wood
Table of Contents
Title Page
Contest- A Dane Maddock Adventure (Dane Maddock Adventures, #11)
PROLOGUE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
BOOKS and SERIES by David Wood
About the Author
From the USA Today Bestselling author of LOCH and SOLOMON KEY comes a brand new, action-packed Dane Maddock Adventure!”
A treasure lost in the desert. A notorious unsolved murder. A contest where the stakes are life and death.
When treasure hunters Dane Maddock and Bones Bonebrake travel to the Mojave Desert to help launch an adventure race, they make a baffling discovery- a dungeon room hidden high in the desert hills, and beyond, a previously undiscovered network of caverns that seem to go on forever. But someone will kill to protect the secrets that are hidden there.
When an attempt is made on Maddock's life, the assassin's trail sets the former Navy SEALs on a search for one of the greatest legends of the southwest. But to find it, they must unmask the notorious Black Dahlia killer!
Classic adventure for the modern reader! Fans of Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, and National Treasure will love the Dane Maddock Adventures!
Praise for David Wood and The Dane Maddock Adventures!
“Contest is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride!” Alan Baxter, author of Hidden City
"David Wood has done it again. Within seconds of opening the book, I was hooked. Intrigue, suspense,monsters, and treasure hunters. What more could you want? David's knocked it out of the park with this one!" Nick Thacker- author of The Enigma Strain
“Dane and Bones.... Together they're unstoppable. Rip roaring action from start to finish. Wit and humor throughout. Just one question - how soon until the next one? Because I can't wait.”
-Graham Brown, author of Shadows of the Midnight Sun
“What an adventure! A great read that provides lots of action, and thoughtful insight as well, into strange realms that are sometimes best left unexplored.” -Paul Kemprecos, author of Cool Blue Tomb and the NUMA Files
“A page-turning yarn blending high action, Biblical speculation, ancient secrets, and nasty creatures. Indiana Jones better watch his back!” -Jeremy Robinson, author of SecondWorld
“With the thoroughly enjoyable way Mr. Wood has mixed speculative history with our modern day pursuit of truth, he has created a story that thrills and makes one think beyond the boundaries of mere fiction and enter the world of 'why not'?” -David Lynn Golemon, Author of the Event Group series
“A twisty tale of adventure and intrigue that never lets up and never lets go!” -Robert Masello, author of The Einstein Prophecy
“Let there be no confusion: David Wood is the next Clive Cussler. Once you start reading, you won't be able to stop until the last mystery plays out in the final line.”-Edward G. Talbot, author of 2012: The Fifth World
“I like my thrillers with lots of explosions, global locations and a mystery where I learn something new. Wood delivers! Recommended as a fast paced, kick ass read.”-J.F. Penn, author of Desecration
Contest- ©2019 by David Wood
The Dane Maddock Adventures™
All rights reserved
Published by Adrenaline Press
www.adrenaline.press
Adrenaline Press is an imprint of Gryphonwood Press
www.gryphonwoodpress.com
This is a work of fiction. All characters are products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
PROLOGUE
October 7, 1949
The Mojave Desert
The sun beat down on the back of Jean’s neck as the little red sports car zipped along the sun-baked road. The wind swept her hair back and the setting sun’s last rays colored her skin a delicate shade of orange. Jean had given up on trying to keep her hair tied and had just let it fly. She’d fix it when they stopped to fill up. Evelyn Knight was on the radio, crooning a love ballad. It was perfect.
Jean looked over at Kirk, who flashed her an easy smile. “What’s a buzzin, cousin?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me that. It sounds so wrong.”
“Come on, dolly. It’s just a saying.”
Jean frowned. “I understand idioms. I just don’t care for one that sounds so incestuous.”
“Don’t flip your wig.” Amusement sparkled in his dark eyes, and the breeze ruffled his thick black hair. He really was a dreamboat. “You are having a good time aren’t you?”
“Aces,” she said, and immediately felt foolish using the vernacular. Kirk was a writer, a man of words. She didn’t want him to think she was just another chucklehead. “I still can’t get over this car.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the steering wheel is on the wrong side, for a start. And it only has the two seats.”
“It’s a Jaguar XK120,” he said proudly. “Imported it from England. They race these over there, you know? Leslie Johnson just won a biggie back in August.”
“Wow. That’s amazing.” Jean had no interest in automobile racing, but she tried to put some sincerity into her words. “How fast can it go?”
“I’ll show you.” Kirk stepped on the gas. The engine roared and the car surged forward.
Jean knew she ought to be frightened, but she found the experience exhilarating. The parched landscape flashed by in a blur of tan and green. She threw back her head and laughed. After a few minutes, Kirk slowed down to a normal speed.
“What did you think? Amazing, wasn’t it?”
“I loved it!” It was the simple truth. She’d found it utterly exhilarating.
“I love you,” he replied.
Jean gasped. She searched his eyes for a sign of laughter, but there was none.
“Kirk, we’ve only known each other for three weeks.” And what a three weeks it had been! They’d met on the set of Cursed Treasure, where she’d been working as an extra. She’d taken him for an actor, given his good looks, but he said he was a writer and also worked behind the scenes in some unspecified capacity. The first time their eyes had met, she felt as though he could see right through her. He hadn’t smiled, only a quirk of an eyebrow acknowledged her existence, but she’d been smitten from that moment. The courtship had moved rapidly. As a dancer, model, and actress she was accustomed to receiving attention from men, but not from someone like Kirk. He was handsome, self-assured, and by all appearances, rich. What was more, he didn’t seem to mind that she was divorced.
“Not just three weeks. Three wonderful weeks, baby,” he said. “Tell me you don’t feel the same.”
She hesitated. “I don’t want you to think I’m some Able Grable.” Too many men assumed that a divorced woman was always open for business.
“I know you’re not. You’re a classy dame, else I wouldn’t be with you.” He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. His leather driving gloves were surprisingly supple. She looked down and noticed a dark patch on the thumb.
“Oops. You’ve got a stain.”
He jerked his hand away like he’d been bitten by a snake. His eyes went wide for a moment, but then the easy smile was back.
“Sorry. I just love these gloves. Guess I’ll need to buy a new pair.”
“Maybe you can buy some when we get where we’re going.” She paused. He still hadn’t told her his plan. “Where are we going, anyway? You’ve been quite secretive about this whole thing.” She reached out and gave his shoulder a playful thump. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Kirk laughed. “As a matter of fact, there is. Something very important.”
Her heart lurched. “Oh God. You’re married, aren’t you?”
He laughed even harder. “No, no. I only meant that I’m not going to tell you where we’re going or what we’re doing this weekend. It’s a surprise. You don’t want me to give it all away now that we’re almost there, do you?”
“Oh. So we’re almost there? That’s a clue.” She opened the glove box.
“What are you doing?” Kirk snapped. He slammed the box closed.
“I was looking for a map.” Try as she would, Jean couldn’t keep the hurt from her voice. “I wanted to see if I could guess where we were going. I thought it would be fun. A little game, you know?”
Kirk sighed, the sudden flash of anger already faded. “I’m sorry, Jeanie. I’ve got all the paperwork for the car in there and I was afraid it would blow away. I’m just so touchy about this new car and everything related to it.” He swallowed hard, his voice trembled. “I just like you so much and I wanted this to be a perfect trip. Now I’ve gone and ruined it.”
Jean relaxed. She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. “I shouldn’t have nosed around. Let’s just forget it ever happened, okay? I’ll let you have your little surprise.”
“Thank you. You’re too good for me.” Kirk sounded like he truly meant it. “Speaking of surprises, I’ve got one for you that you can open now. Just be careful not to drop it. It’s delicate.” He reached under the seat, took out a small white gift box, and handed it to her.
Jean’s heart raced. She could tell just by the fancy box that it was expensive. The last gift her ex-husband had given her was a new frying pan wrapped in the funny pages. She untied the ribbon that held the box closed. Anticipation flooding her senses, she slowly, almost reverentially, removed the lid and extracted the layer of cotton batting. When she saw what lay inside, she let out a little gasp.
It was a glass flower, rendered in exquisite detail, its leafy stem topped by a many-petaled bloom. The sun sparkled off its indigo surface, each facet reflecting a tiny sliver of light.
“I don’t know what to say,” she breathed. “It’s gorgeous.”
“A lot of guys give a lady flowers,” Kirk said, “but those don’t last. This one you can keep for the rest of your life, and it will be just as perfect as it was the day I gave it to you.”
Tears welled in her eyes, a torrent of emotions surged through her. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“I love you, too.”
“Finally! It only took a fancy gift to get you to say it back to me.” He winked to show he was kidding.
“Don’t be like that.” She took another long look at the obsidian flower. “What is it? What variety, I mean?”
“It’s a dahlia.”
Jean’s stomach dropped. A thousand images flashed through her mind. Newspaper headlines. Haunting photographs of a beautiful young woman. An unsolved murder. “You gave me a black dahlia?”
Kirk slapped himself on the forehead. “Jeez, Jeannie, I didn’t even think of that. I read that the dahlia symbolizes dignity and elegance. And when you give it to someone as a gift, it’s a symbol of a commitment and bond that lasts forever.” As he said the last, he reached out and brushed her cheek. She couldn’t help but shiver. “If it bothers you, I’ll get you something else.”
“No, I was just being silly. The Black Dahlia murder has been in the news so often, that’s where my mind immediately went. I’m so sorry if I made it seem like I don’t love your gift. It’s the most amazing thing anyone has ever given me.”
On the radio, Vaughn Monroe’s Red Roses for a Blue Lady blared from the speakers.
“I should have gone with red.” Kirk let out a little laugh and then his expression grew serious. “That Black Dahlia thing is something, isn’t it?”
“I guess that’s one way of putting it. It’s crazy that he hasn’t been caught.”
“He’s smart. Too smart for the cops, anyway.”
“I’ll betcha the boys on Dragnet could catch him,” she said, referencing the popular radio drama.
“Maybe. The real police certainly don’t seem to have a clue. They haven’t even put two-and-two together when it’s staring them in the face.”
“What do you mean? Do you know who it is?” She almost added in a joke about her glass flower, but didn’t want to hurt his feelings again.
“I think he’s the same guy as the Cleveland killer.”
That gave her pause. “Same as the what?”
Kirk frowned, puzzled. “You haven’t heard about the Cleveland Torso Murderer? The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run?”
Jeanie shook her head.
“He killed thirteen people. Dismembered them, cut them in half, just like the Black Dahlia killer. And he was too smart for the police, too.”
“I take it they didn’t catch him?”
“Eliot Ness himself tried and couldn’t track him down. The murders eventually stopped on their own.”
The sun had slipped below the horizon, darkness crept up on them. Jean shivered, suddenly cold.
“So, you think he packed his things and moved to Los Angeles?” Jean knew it was idle speculation, but the thought frightened her.
Kirk nodded. “The killings were ten years ago. I think he drifted west. I’ll bet there are all sorts of bodies lying between Ohio and California just waiting to be discovered.”
“Are you interested in this sort of thing? Serial killers? Dead women?” she teased.
“I’m a writer, so I’m naturally curious. I just wonder why he was never caught. I don’t believe a killer like him could ever stop killing.” He glanced at her and his expression softened. “I’m scaring you. I didn’t mean to. Sorry for the morbid turn of conversation.”
“Not scared. It’s just a weird thing to think about.”
He slowed the Jaguar and turned onto a dirt road. Really, it was more of a faint track in the sand.
“Where are we going?”
“This is the surprise! I’m going to show you something amazing! Something no one but me knows about.”
Jean lapsed into silence, watched as the moon’s silvery glow replaced the sun’s golden light. They rode on, the twin headlight beams illuminating the dirt, sand, and cactus.
“I don’t see a road anymore,” she said.
“There is no road. I found this place myself. No one can know that there’s anything back here but desert.”
Perhaps it was the unsettling conversation they’d just had, or maybe it was the speakers playing a Dick Haymes tune, a song about telling little white lies beneath the light of the moon, but she found herself growing anxious. She had suspected he was taking her to the Salton Sea, but she’d been wrong. What could there possibly be out here in the middle of the desert that would be worth showing her?
She was about to ask him to turn the car around when Kirk parked the car and cut the engine. “We’ll walk from here. It’s not far. I know a shortcut.”
A wave of uncertainty rolled over her. What could Kirk possibly want to show her out here in the desert?
“I’m not dressed for hiking.”
“It will be fine. I promise.” Kirk came around to the passenger side. He opened her door with a flourish, and offered his hand. “I’ll take care of you.”
Unable to resist his charms, she allowed him to help her out of the car and escort her into the darkness. After a short walk, they came to a halt on a ledge overlooking a valley.
“There it is. Isn’t she magnificent?”
Down below, sheltered by a giant sand dune, a dark shape thrust up from the sand. It was so out of place here that it took a minute for her mind to process what she was seeing.
“Is that a sailing ship?”
“Yes! Can you believe it?”
She shook her head, surprise and wonder rendering her mute.
They stood there, holding hands, as their eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight. As they gazed at it, the details of the ship became visible. It sat half in and half out of the sand, its bow angled upward slightly. The sails were long gone, but bits of rigging clung to the masts.
“Oh, Kirk. This is...” She couldn’t find the words.
“Come on. I’ll show you inside.”
“Is it safe?”
“Of course. I’ve been here several times. I’ve even brought a few friends. Not someone special, like you, though. Just friends,” he hurriedly added.
Curiosity overcoming caution, she climbed out of the car, took his hand, and allowed him to lead her toward the bow.
“We’ll have to crawl through this hole,” he said. “Trust me. It’s worth it. Ladies first?”
“You lead the way and I’ll follow.”
“Fair enough.” Kirk dropped down on his hands and knees and slipped through the opening. A moment later she heard a metallic click, and a flickering light danced inside the old ship. His fancy cigarette lighter, she wagered. “You coming in, doll?”
“On my way.” She hitched up her skirt, crawled through, and slid down a pile of sand to the deck below. She stood and brushed the sand from her knees before allowing Kirk to help her to her feet.
“Atta girl!” He slipped his arm around her waist. “Come on. The thing I want to show you is just through this doorway.
