The Code of Silence
The pounding at the door was incessant, in sheer rhythm of desperation. The heavy downpour and cracks of thunder did nothing to drown out the urgency. Mr. Hemmingway waved his butler aside and barely unlocked the door before it swung open.
The man rushed inside, “Lawrence, they’ve killed him!”
Hemmingway ushered his colleague into the study as the butler forced the door shut against the storm. “Warm up by the fire, Andy. Fitz, bring him a towel.”
Andy shook uncontrollably. “I waited at the pub as James had asked. There was a commotion outside. Someone ran in screaming to call the police.”
As Fitz passed Andy a towel, Hemmingway fixed two whiskeys on the rocks. He handed one to Andy, “Slowly, chap. What happened to James?”
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Uncover the ring leader, my friend, or say a farewell to arms.”
“Not just any books, Andy. Miller’s Tropic of Cancer, D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Huxley’s Brave New World, Ellison’s Invisible Man, there’s a reference to Catch-22, Catcher in the Rye, Sun Also Rises, Sons and Lovers, The Great Gatsby, Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm, Gone with the Wind, As I Lay Dying, Slaughterhouse-5. Every one of these books was banned at one time or another.”
Andy was near to the fire, but he found no warmth, “Slaughterhouse-5? Seems James knew the names of the five behind it all. This bloody operation with secrets so horrible they’re willing to kill to keep hidden! The leader’s name, it must be in there somewhere.” Fitz handed Andy a refill, which was quickly consumed. “Lawrence, we’ve got to solve his riddle and call it in. I understand the reference to the books, but what’s with the letter?”
Hemmingway noticed Andy was sweating profusely. “The love letter is the clever work of Goff titled From a Gentleman to a Lady. It can be read two ways: Straightforward, denouncing any interest in this particular lady; the way he wanted her father—who had done everything in his power to keep Goff away from his daughter—to read it. Or reading every other line, which would reveal his complete adoration and devotion. The true message, reserved for his lover’s eyes