Beer Cart Girls Save the World

by John Piccarreto

June at Shimmering Lake Golf Club on the shore of Canandaigua Lake and the five-week beer-cart-girl certification program is in full swing. It’s a very popular program and a great way for any college girl to start her summer, but this year it could also turn out to be very dangerous.

Strange things start to happen and throw in December 21, 2012, a solar cataclysm, a missing ancient Egyptian necklace, the CIA, Middle Eastern terrorists, and it’s a lot more than Verne bargained for when he left his high-powered Wall Street position to purchase the course. Luckily, two aspiring beer cart girls are determined to help him straighten out this mess and, in the process, for a few believers, help save the world.

ISBN 978-1-59431-915-0 Mystery / Suspense

Chapter 1

March 13, 2009

Dubai, Saudi Arabia

Steve heard the door open and hurried downstairs. He found Rashid sitting on the couch trying to catch his breath.

"They took a shot at me. I can't believe they just tried to kill me. I had to drive like a crazy person to lose them," said Rashid.

"What!" Steve exclaimed. "They tried to kill you? Who tried to kill you? What are you talking about?"

"The fanatics, the terrorists, whatever you want to call them; they tried to shoot me. I can't believe they want me dead. They're going to ruin everything.

"Why would they want to kill you? I've known you for thirty years and I don't know anyone who ever wanted you dead."

Rashid took a deep breath. "They want something I have. It's something my father gave to me before he died. I don't know how they found out about it, but they know I have it and they still think it belongs to them."

Steve took a seat in the chair across from Rashid. "I'm confused. This is all so crazy. What could you possibly have that anyone would want to kill you for? What do you mean, 'It belongs to them'?"

Rashid twisted and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a velvet bag, reached in and revealed a strand of shining gems. There were emeralds, rubies, white, pink and dark blue diamonds, and what appeared to be some black pearls along with some other colored stones Steve didn't immediately recognize.

He dangled the strand in front of Steve. "This, my friend, is an invaluable necklace. My father bought it over forty years ago at the close of the Six-Day War. When he learned he was dying he took it out of hiding and gave it to me. My enemies say it belongs to them, that it's a religious artifact, but the truth is they only want it for the money."

Rashid handed the strand to Steve.

"There are so many types of gems and some appear quite rare. I bet it's worth a lot of money?" He continued to examine the necklace. "But this looks like only half of the necklace? There's no clasp on one end. Maybe you should get it repaired."

Rashid smiled. "It doesn't need repair; it needs to be joined to its matching half. It is worth a lot of money-anywhere from eight to ten million dollars."

Steve let the gems slide through his fingers. "Well, that helps to explain why someone would want to kill you for it."

Rashid held the velvet bag open as Steve dropped the strand into the pouch. "Like many pieces of expensive jewelry, there is a legend that accompanies it. Not a legend like the Hope Diamond that warns the wearer of death, but a legend about the safety, prosperity, and continuation of mankind on the planet Earth. I have been in contact with a party representing the owner of the other half and he lives somewhere in New York State. He is willing to pay handsomely to make sure the two halves are joined before December 21, 2012."

Steve laughed. "December 21, 2012? You don't believe in any of that crap?"

Rashid ignored his questions. "They say this necklace was given to the Egyptians by aliens and they placed it inside the capstone of the Great Pyramid at Giza. At some point in time the capstone was looted and the necklace stolen. No one knows how but for some reason the necklace was split in half and one half was taken by the Knights Templar, eventually ending up in North America."

Steve shook his head slowly. "I don't believe a word of it, aliens, Egyptians, the capstone, oh, and of course, Knights Templar. And December 21, 2012, how does anyone know what the Mayans were thinking when they came up with that date? The Mayans were a clever people but looking to the sky to predict a time of worldwide change. Give me a break. I'm a scientist."

"You're not the only one with that opinion."

Steve shrugged his shoulders and continued, "There's all kind of crap on the Internet and on television about December 21, 2012, about the end of the world, flipping of the North and South poles, a change in the culture, and who the hell knows what else."

"Well, there's more to it than what you hear on television. There are things most people know nothing about. Things only a handful of people have heard about. I understand your skepticism but there are still people in the world who take this seriously."

"Alright, I understand," he said.

"Like I said, this necklace was brought to Earth by aliens. Think of it as a machine, and like any machine, it must be whole in order to work. If it's not all in one piece on that date, it will not prevent the start of a solar storm that will disrupt this planet. Picture it in one piece, emitting a ray from the top of the Great Pyramid that reaches the sun and protects this planet from harmful radiation."

Steve began to rub his forehead. "I still can't believe you think there is anything to that December 21, 2012 crap and an impending solar disaster. It's just another date that will come and pass and nothing will happen. I especially don't believe it when you throw the aliens into the mix."

"Well, my friend, it doesn't matter what I believe. I agree with you; this is probably just some silly legend. However, the person with the other half is aware of the legend and has claimed through his representative that he takes the legend seriously and intends to reassemble the necklace."

"It sounds like another fat cat with more money than he knows what to do with; probably a New York State lottery winner," cracked Steve.

"I don't know anything about the buyer but I do know it is time for me to sell. You may not realize this because it has not been publicized, but this country is heading for financial problems, maybe a financial meltdown. It will not be long before the world learns that Saudi Arabia is heading into a debt crisis not dissimilar from the one that hit the United States. I am not immune from the downturn in my country's economy. I've decided to sell this necklace for ten million dollars."

"Well, I can understand the need for money in a time of crisis. I can understand the easy money the zealots could command with such a prize piece of jewelry. I'll just pretend the end-of-the-world legend is just that, a legend."

"You are wise my friend," he replied. "However, your wisdom will not change my need to get this to the United States so I can close the deal as soon as possible. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized this group of fanatics knew I had the necklace. Now I need to act to close the deal as planned; there is not enough time to change plans. Besides, I may need this money sooner than later. I've been investing a big part of my fortune into projects right here in Dubai."

"And this man in New York State is going to pay you ten million dollars in cash for the necklace?"

"That is correct. Ten million should serve as a good nest egg should the worst case scenario occur," said Rashid. "I need your help and I'm willing to pay for it. I will give you a million dollars if you can help me get this into the United States."

Steve's eyes opened wide. A million dollars was a tidy sum, but moving something this valuable, an item that people are ready to kill for, could be problematic.

"We have been friends for a long time. I know it will be easier for you to get this necklace into the States than it will be for me. I know you intend to visit your brother in America in a few days. Maybe you can bring it with you. I need your help, my friend," pleaded Rashid.

"Rashid, I love you like my brother, I would do almost anything for you, but I don't know anything about smuggling. How am I going to do this?"

"You can do it, Steve. No one is going to be looking for you. They're after me."

"I hope so, but I may need some help."

"See what you can do. If needed, I know people who can help you but it is best to keep this between you and me," said Rashid. "I must make arrangements for my escape from Dubai. The airport is too dangerous; they will be looking for me. I'm not sure if I can trust anyone or when I can get out of the country. I'm going to leave the necklace with you in case they come after me again. Let's plan on meeting at Starbucks tomorrow morning to discuss this further. Hopefully, I will still be alive."

Steve pulled the necklace from the velvet bag as Rashid closed the door behind him. He stared at the gems and tried to wrap his brain around the situation. He could just hand the necklace back to his friend tomorrow morning and tell him he couldn't do it, but he felt obliged. Rashid had been his friend since their days as graduate students back in the seventies. It was Rashid who hired him to work for his oil company in Houston and offered him a promotion if he moved to Saudi Arabia. After all he had done for him he couldn't bring himself to abandon his friend during his time of need. Besides, it's tough to pass up the chance for a quick million dollar pay day.

Steve fell back on the couch and considered his options for moving the necklace. He could stuff the necklace into his luggage, take his commercial flight as planned and hope to get the necklace through both airports undetected. However, if the necklace were discovered how would he explain it? There had to be an easier way than trying to take the necklace on a commercial flight.

He had an idea and he could carry it out without even having to leave his house. Each year Steve invited friends and family from the States to visit and this year had invited his golf crazed niece, Heather, for a week of golfing and sight-seeing in Dubai. The trip was made even better when she learned she would have the chance to re-connect with her friend from London, Rashid's niece, Malika. Since Steve was so busy with the oil business it was great that she had someone to spend time with while he had to work.

Today, instead of golfing, Malika had arranged a day-trip up the coast and they wouldn't be back until at least five o'clock. It was by far the best idea, especially because Heather was flying to Rochester, New York early tomorrow morning on a private jet her uncle Verne had so graciously arranged. He knew that no matter what you hear, as a traveler on a private jet she would not be subjected to the intense scrutiny at Customs that a commercial traveler might encounter. Plus, there would be no chance of losing her luggage. It was a foolproof plan; Heather would be home for a few days before returning to Syracuse University to finish her junior year and that would give him a chance to get to the States and retrieve the necklace.

He went upstairs and opened the door to Heather's room. Heather's golf stand bag was in the corner, still not packed into her golf travel bag. He took the golf bag to his work room, placed it on the table and, using some tools, managed to remove the foot of the golf bag leg stand. He wrapped the necklace in lead tape, shoved it securely into the leg and reattached the foot. He returned the bag to his niece's room, placed it back into the corner exactly the way he found it and closed the door as he left.