The Power of Twelve Read online

  “As you can imagine,” Gayle interjected, “when Jim checked the basement, he found the poison canisters. I was up early and saw Jim coming up from the basement in a state of high agitation. He explained what he had found, and I knew that this had to be the work of Arnold Wheeler. We quickly came up with the plan for me to impersonate the chauffeur. I actually took a job as a limo driver in college to help pay my tuition bills, so the driving was easy. The challenge was finding a chauffeur uniform small enough to fit me. The seamstresses at Chateau Mcely came to the rescue, and I was ready to go well before Arnold summoned the car.”

  Then, looking at Eugene Green, Gayle told him, “You have done everyone a great public service. Arnold was a very evil man. You did not kill him for any reason other than your desire to protect innocent people. I do not think you had any alternative. No one ever needs to know what happened this morning.”

  “Actually, Ms. Newhouse, I shot him because I could not bear the thought of the Cusumanos’ beautiful daughter dying such a senseless death. You can thank that little girl for what I did. I took no pleasure in killing Mr. Wheeler.”

  “Be that as it may, Mr. Green, we all owe you a debt of gratitude,” Gayle responded, adding,“We need to get back on the road. The lake is waiting.”

  At the lake, two additional BMWs with drivers were also waiting. Gayle aligned the bloodied BMW she had been driving, with Arnold still slumped in the back seat, and revved the engine. When the car was rolling forward, she jumped out of the front door. The car sped downhill at a brisk pace and then sailed more than thirty feet and splashed into the lake. The car sank without a trace.

  Turning to George and Eugene, she pointed to their suitcases, which had already been removed from the trunk of the car. “Change out of those bloodstained clothes. This BMW has been provided for the two of you. It will take you wherever you wish, but I suggest you go to the airport as planned. The Chateau concierge has phoned ahead and explained that Arnold has decided to stay over, but that you need to get back to Texas. Arnold will supposedly call them in a day or two when he is ready to be picked up.”

  “That plan will work fine,” George said. “I know Arnold’s pilot from many trips throughout the last twenty years. Arnold would often change plans at the last minute. I doubt the pilot will be suspicious.”

  “Good. Oh, and I hope I can count on you to continue to support Project Wake Up,” Gayle asked, still not knowing for sure how George felt about the project.

  “After this incident, more than ever,” George confirmed warmly. “In fact, maybe I should take Arnold’s dinner appointment in Dublin this evening with Mackenzie Hardy the Third. An extra billion dollars might really help to get the ball rolling.”

  Gayle smiled, and Harry the Hilarious gave out an internal laugh. Already Harry was departing from George’s body. The rest would be up to George alone.

  Harry’s final thought as he returned to a joyous reunion on planet Naranjada with the Council of Twelve was, “Maybe George Bush— despite his bumbling ways and previous lack of commitment to anything besides having a good time—will become the man to alter the course of the Illuminati.”

  That thought produced the best laugh Harry the Hilarious had enjoyed since coming to planet Earth 769.

  EPILOGUE

  BACK ON PLANET NARANJADA the Council of Twelve greeted Lily, Karl, Harold, and Abigail with congratulations and jubilation.

  “Is it really true that disaster has been averted?” asked Sheba Sheba.

  “Yes. At least for the moment,” the Thirteenth Apostle affirmed.

  “George Bush took that meeting with Mackenzie Hardy and convinced him to donate a billion dollars. George has become a major supporter of Project Wake Up, as have many other members of the Illuminati,” Karl confirmed. “It looks like Project Wake Up may actually succeed. Planet Earth 769 is changing rapidly toward the good.”

  “But how can this be? Wasn’t it important not to use violence to terminate Arnold Wheeler’s sabotage to ensure that the seeds of negative thoughts would not continue?” asked Madman Michael.

  “The key was that no higher-evolved being use violence, not that no violence be committed against Arnold. Neither Karl nor Lily nor Abigail nor Harold raised a hand against Arnold. The violence was committed by Eugene Green, and he acted as he did with love in his heart. His goal was to protect Nely Cusumano and the others, not to harm Arnold. Arnold gave him no choice, so even on Eugene’s relatively unevolved level of human consciousness, he committed no evil and no negative seeds of thought were generated by the death,” the Thirteenth Apostle explained.

  “In fact,” observed Madame Brightlight, “great love and control was displayed by everyone at Chateau Mcely, especially Inéz and the other women, not to immediately confront Arnold and destroy him as soon as they discovered his plan to blow up the Chateau. Even when they were facing their own deaths, the feminine principle of love and compassion that Mother Mary told them was essential was the overriding emotion.”

  “So in the end only seeds of love were planted and not seeds of hate, even when Arnold was killed,” Magi the Magnificent concluded.

  Does awareness and intention alter the meaning of physical acts?

  Does the universe have any way of knowing the difference between acts motivated by fear and acts motivated by love?

  “Yes, destruction does not always imply evil,” Terry the True confirmed. “In this instance Arnold Wheeler had outlived his role as the leader of the Illuminati. His soul now has a chance to evolve to a higher level of consciousness. His death was not only inevitable but necessary.”

  “But can we be sure that the Illuminati are truly reformed and will continue to assist with the awakening of planet Earth 769 when they start to see their temporal power erode?” asked Caleb.

  “We cannot know for certain. Earth 769 is a free-will planet. Anything can happen in the future, but at least for now let us raise our glasses and toast the efforts of Karl, Harry, Lily, and Abigail. We still have much to monitor to ensure the ever-graceful expansion of the known and unknown universes, and we can rejoice in all that has been achieved to ensure that Earth 769 will not create chaos,” the Thirteenth Apostle suggested.

  The Council of Twelve raised their glasses of sweet nectar, knowing that love in any universe provides the energy that can overcome all obstacles.

  AS THE COUNCIL OF TWELVE made their joyful toast, on planet Earth, Max and Maria were enjoying the final rays of sunlight on their walk on the beach south of Tapachula. The sky was aflame with a golden-orange glow that reminded Max of his home planet of Naranjada. The color was exquisite and full of intensity and mystery.

  Alicia and Gregorio were frantically adding more sand to their sand castle, which the waves of the incoming tide were destined to destroy. Max smiled at the grandchildren and then turned to Maria and kissed her, thinking to himself, “The Earth is indeed glorious. There is no place I would rather be than on this magnificent planet with these wonderful human beings, wrapped in the arms of this beautiful, loving woman. May all souls in every dimension enjoy such bliss.”