Henry's Secret

Book excerpt: Within days before the surrender of the Confederacy at Appomattox, Henry, an eighteen-year-old former slave and recent recruit in the Army of Northern Virginia, is ordered to accompany Major Frank Gardner on a mission to hide dozens of gold ingots acquired in secret trade with the French government to be held until the South rises again. The mission is completed; however, Major Gardner dies shortly thereafter, leaving Henry, sworn to secrecy, as the only person with knowledge of the hiding place. He keeps the secret for sixty-five years, only leaving clues on a 1929 silent film. In 2021, Christine Morgan is an associate attorney in a prominent law firm in Washington, DC, whose weekend hobby is visiting yard sales, searching for unusual items. She purchases a Cine-Kodak silent movie camera that when cleaned reveals an undeveloped film cartridge inside. The contents of the film draw the attention of Andy, who has sold her the camera. After viewing the exposed film together, Christine and Andy begin a dangerous adventure through Northern Virginia, searching for clues not only relating to the hidden gold but also inadvertently becoming involved in a US government sting operation that involves a group of anarchists whose goal threatens the country, as well as Christine and Andy, who are not the only ones trying to solve Henry's secret.