The Quest for the Chalice of Power: This series has been described as Indiana Jones with brains. If you like action and conspiracy stories, this is the book for you.

The Quest for the Chalice of Power: Action/Adventure

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BLURB: The Quest for the Chalice of Power:

The item people are in pursuit of is The Chalice of Power. The back story of the chalice is based on both historical fiction and non-fiction. Miller stumbles onto a massive conspiracy that is being planned by North Korea, The Mafia, and a sinister criminal group. Should the chalice fall into the wrong hands, it will have dire effects on the world.

EXCERPT: The Quest for the Chalice of Power:

“You got to look on the bright side, even if there ain’t one.” Dashiell Hammett.

Two days later

Everything went well. I was able to leave Hong Kong and made it back in one piece to Carbondale. Mr. Chen’s contacting whoever he contacted plus my diplomatic passport meant only the most cursory search. My client in America had quite a bit of influence and I went through no search when I landed in the United States. He had my name placed on a list. When I showed my passport, I was sent right through. He’d gotten a diplomatic passport delivered to me at the Ancient Cloak.

I had decided to hire an intern much as Willard had hired me. Hopefully, whoever my new hire was, they would be a quick learner and eventually become a full-time employee of the Bishop Agency. I was growing much too busy to handle the routine cases and, to be honest, after my most recent experiences, they bored me. Had I become spoiled by the excitement generated by working for particular clients? The answer to the question seemed clear.

I was gone for a week. This meant there was a backlog of projects to catch up on. Willard was out of the country for six months, taking a well-earned vacation and was incommunicado, so it was all on me. I had been having Ms. Nickels refer the more mundane cases to various PI agencies. Never hurts to build up goodwill in your professional community.

I sat at my desk going through the mail deemed important enough by Ms. Nickels for me to read, and I checked my bank statement online. My fee for the rescue of the Hen’s Egg had just been received. The owner would be sending over a courier service to pick up the artifact and send it back to her. I wasn’t in the mood for a cigar, so I lit a cigarette to go with my first coffee of the day. The phone rang a few times, but I wasn’t in the mood to answer it. It was time for me to reflect on my earlier adventure.

I sat back with feet on the desk and was replaying what happened to me on the Dae Song. I knew I made some mistakes. The biggest one was taking the caper for what I’d agreed to. As Willard told me more than once, everything should run smoothly while you’re planning it. Once you’re in the field, that’s when the shit hits the fan. Those pesky things called variables come into play. The weather was worse than I’d planned on and I hadn’t considered the Captain’s safe was alarmed when I saw it open. I’m a hard-headed kind of guy. There were no set of circumstances that would have allowed me not to try for the egg once I’d agreed to. I’m not built that way.

I saw a light flash on my phone and then heard a crackle from the office intercom. “Mr. Rixey, there is a Mr. Chen on the phone. He claims to know you from your vacation in Hong Kong. Shall I put him through?”

“Yes, please do, Ms. Nickels. Please put him through and hold my calls until I tell you otherwise.”

I punched the flashing light on my phone and picked up the receiver. “Mr. Chen, so nice to hear from you. I wasn’t sure I adequately thanked you for the help you gave me in Hong Kong. I’m sure a man of your influence and power didn’t simply call me to chit-chat. What can I do for you?”

“Think nothing of my previous help, Mr. Rixey. I am always glad to help friends or friends of friends. I have a question for you, Mr. Rixey, that embarrasses me. Is your phone line secured?”

“Yes. We take security very seriously at the Bishop Agency. Please call me Miller, Mr. Chen.”

“I knew it was. It was an unfortunate question I needed to ask. I hope I didn’t offend you, Miller.”

“Not at all, Mr. Chen.” I heard a long pause at the other end of the line. “Mr. Chen?”

“Sorry, something came up here. I am aware of your skills at locating and retrieving items that, shall we say, have been misplaced or lost,” he said as delicately as he could.

I nodded, then realizing he couldn’t see my nod. “Yes.” I strummed my fingers on the desk, hoping Mr. Chen was going to get to the reason for the call.

“I was contacted by an individual, an old friend actually, who works for your government. He asked me if I knew of someone who was capable and discreet at recovering items. I suggested you.”

I laughed. “I’m not sure how discreet I was in Hong Kong. I am capable. You said he works for the U.S. Government?”

“Yes. He claims there are some security breaches in the government and he cannot be sure who to trust. Apparently, the group involved is very big and powerful.”

“With the number of leaks our government seems to spout, I’m surprised America somehow manages to stay afloat. Did he bother telling you anything about the case?”

Chen’s tone took a serious turn. “He thanked me for giving me your name and told me he held concerns about government security.”

“Thanks for the referral. Any idea when I can expect your friend?”

“What time is it there?”

I looked at my watch. “About ten A.M. By the way, what is the name of your referral?”

“Mr. Andrew Stuart. He will be there between two and four P.M. I need to go now. I wish you the best of luck, Miller. He has assured me it will be a simple assignment. Just zip in and zip out. I need to go now. Best of luck.”

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