The Bone Tree (2015), a Thriller Novel by Greg Iles: Summary

… the truth is not hard to find, if you are willing to get your hands dirty. Truth waits just under the surface for any man brave enough to scrape a little dirt away. But most of people are too afraid or too lazy to get dirty. They are afraid to ask the right questions. (page 742, the Bone Tree, Greg Iles)

This book is an unforgettable gift from a science  writer, a close friend, and a thriller book lover. A great thriller delivers in some extremely fine writing and comprehensive reading, but unfortunately in extremely small font. The Bone Tree is published by William Morrow and an Imprints of HarperCollinsPublisher in 2015. The book is very lengthy one and it contains 804 pages.

Greg Iles is an American bestselling thriller writer. Mr. Iles was the singer and guitarist in his own rock band, Franky Scarlet, after graduating from Ole Miss in 1983. Later, he walked out on rock and roll for a career in thrillers. The author announces the Bone Tree is the middle book of trilogy. Although I don’t read first book Natchez Burning, but I sense it must be a good book and I hope could enjoy the conclusion on third book. How Snake Knox and main character Penn Cage and his father Dr. Tom Cage at the end and want to learn how the writer finishing it.

The conversation dominated the pages and some of them in intellectual speaking and I found some brilliantly told. The antagonist is too extremely diabolical for me; character Elam Knox molests his own grand kid the way he has his young son. Praise for the robust plot and characters link dark history in sixties to the antagonist.

Of course, the book for the reader who wants to learn dark history in American soil back to forty years ago; slavery, assassination of JFK, and Ku Klux Klan and anyone who loves a beautifully constructed story. If you already have read good summary book on JFK assassination or at least watching Parkland movie so it will help you to understand this novel. Slavery, racial hatred, murder, love, parenthood, adultery, heroic act, and friendship are all combined together. I truly enjoyed every minute of this thriller.

The Bone Tree (2015), a Thriller Novel by Greg Iles: Summary

The paternal warmth Special agent John Kaiser felt toward Caitlin Masters, the publisher of a local newspaper, Natchez Examiner, reflected the conflicts he felt about overall case, and none was more complex than he felt about the Cage family. Penn and Tom Cage represented a unique problem for him. Penn Cage was not only Caitlin Masters’s fiancé, but also the mayor of Natchez, a successful novelist, and a former prosecutor from Houston.

Tom Cage was almost a relic bygone era. A former combat medic in Korea, Cage had gone on to practice medicine foe nearly fifty years in Natchez, where he had worked tirelessly for decades to treat the black community with no thought of recognition  or reward. Viola Turner, Dr. Cage’s sixty-five- year- old former nurse, had died in her sister’s home in Natchez. After living in Chicago for thirty-seven-years, the Natchez native was diagnosed with terminal cancer and returned home to die in the care of her old employer.

Turner’s son, a Chicago lawyer, had showed up at Natchez DA’s office and demanded that Dr. Cage be charged not with euthanasia, but with murder. Dr. Cage jumped bail after being indicted by a grand jury with lighting speed. The doctor had been aided in this task by an old war buddy, a former Texas Ranger named Walt Garrity. Worst of all, within hours of making their escape, either Gritty or Cage had killed a state trooper who’d cornered them near the Mississippi River.

Kaiser strongly suspected that the dead trooper had been working for Forrest Knox, not the State of Louisiana, when he’d caught up with the two fugitives, but sadly Kaiser could not prove that. Forest Knox was a son of the founder of the Double Eagles – a racist group. Frank Knox was suspicious linked in assassination of JFK. The Double Eagle group was tied to at least dozen unsolved rape, kidnapping, and murder cases. A founding member of Double Eagles, Glenn Morehouse- had been ruthlessly murdered by his old comrades, before the FBI even became aware that he’d opened talks with a crusading journalist named Henry Sexton.

Morehouse told Sexton that the 1968 kidnapping of two young blacks- Jimmy Revels and Luther Davis- had been anything but a racist attack by Ku Klux Klan as a part of a plan to lure Robert Kennedy to Mississippi to be assassinated. This plan had come into being after RFK announced his attention enter the 1968 presidential race, a decision that enraged mob boss Carlos Marcello, who’d been targeted for deportation multiple times by Kennedy, both as senator and as attorney general. He believed that if Robert Kennedy elected, he would be permanently deported and lose his criminal empire.

Brody Royal and Tom Page might possess information about the major 1960 assassinations. Before died Royal admitted some murders and gave the order, Snake and Frank Knox carried it out, and all this happened at the Bone Tree, a long-rumored dump site for Double Eagles corpses and a killing ground. Most of agents didn’t believe that thing even existed. Penn had an eleven years-old-girl. Annie’s mother was diagnosed with cancer and her treatment had failed. His mother, Peggy Cage didn’t come from money; she came from a dirt farm in central Louisiana, not far from the land that produced Frank and Snake Fox. She didn’t believe her husband has killed Viola Turner. Peggy had been married to Tom for fifty three years.

Caitlin Masters had been born into a family with money and her father was a media mogul. Her journalist Henry Sexton had saved her life and Penn Cage from multimillionaire sociopath, Brody Royal. Henry’s mother found a letter form his son’s bag that addressed to Caitlin. The letter had led her to crack the biggest mystery murder in history- the JFK assassination. It’s said Toby Rambin who promised could take Henry to the Bone tree. Agent Kaiser and Penn were meeting with Dwight Stone, the veteran of two wars: Korea and Vietnam, who had some conspiracy theory about the Kennedy assassination. The bedridden man said Lee Harvey Oswald only hit President Kennedy with one of them but he did not kill JFK. Frank Knox-the ex-marine from Ferriday and founder of Double Eagle group- fired the bullet that blew John Kennedy’s brain out.

Tom got shot by Double Eagles and came to Quentin Avery, his friend. The man on motorized wheelchair, Avery, realized the penalties for aiding and abetting a fugitive- especially one wanted for killing a state trooper. He would lose his law license but Tom had risked his family to help Avery in 1965. Tom needed a doctor so they called Dr. Drew Elliot, Tom’s partner and friend since kid and Nurse Melba Price. Caitlin had an employee following Melba and found Tom Page in the house of Quentin. The thirty-five publisher convinced Dr. Cage that Colonel Griffith Mackiever, the man he counted on couldn’t make it. The newspaper was reporting that a fourteen-year- old male prostitute claimed he was paid for sex by Colonel Mackiever on multiple times. The Colonel was about to be forced to resign over a scandal that was probably manufactured by Forrest Knox.

Forest Knox’s police obviously hope to kill Tom before he could get into custody. Viola admitted that Lincoln Turner was son of Tom. He took a pewter box that held a few baby teeth of Lincoln he took the night she died. The feds told Penn they might well offer his father protective custody in exchange for information about the assassination. Viola murdered Frank Knox in out of revenge and Tom helped her. Frank died on the floor of his office. Tom covered it for thirty seven years. They raped her two different times, gang rapes both times. Frank Knox ordered it first time, and Snake the second time. The night before Viola died, she told Tom one of her rapists that first time had been only a boy, Forest Knox. It was Ray Presley who rescued Viola from Knoxes.

Elam Knox was a preacher, both his two sons, Snake and Frank was war hero. Frank Knox had two sons; Frank Junior and Forrest. Junior was the incarnation of his father, a born soldier. Frank Junior had been killed. There was a talk a Medal of Honor, in the end they gave him a posthumous Silver Star. Frank started drinking and he didn’t stop, then a delayed letter from Frank Junior arrived, he had mailed it before he died. Basically, Frank Junior told his father that he had no intention of coming back home. He told Frank that Elam, his grandfather had been messing with him since he was little boy. Frank was a changed man then he gathered his gangs and his brother Snake headed to the Bone Tree. Elam was hanging in the tree and nailed him to the wood until died. He crucified old Elam upside down just like the Romans done Jesus. Frank said that was the only fitting punishment for a diabolical preacher like him. Elam molested his two sons; Frank and Snake and his two grandchildren; Frank Junior and Forrest. It’s only Billy, son of Snake Knox that was protected from that. He was lucky being born last.

Ray Presley had once worked for Marcello, when he was a cop. Tom hated being indebted to him, but once Viola’s life was on the line, he had no choice. Tom sold his soul to the Mafia boss. Mob needed doctors like anybody else. Snake went mad with rage after Frank died. He ordered Viola kidnapped. She saw her brother shot- wounded, not killed, and the tattoo cut off his arm. Forrest’s man, the duty officer of tech division got the phone records of City Hall of Natchez. The Double Eagles found Dr. Cage. The SWAT troopers brought Tom to their boss Colonel Forrest Knox. Melba was shot and lying motionless. Jordan Glass is Kaiser’s wife. A famous conflict photographer from Penn generation, she was one of Caitlin’s idols as a young woman. She and Caitlin sneaked down to Lusahatcha Swamp to hunt the Bone Tree. They flew around in a chopper with two men. Carl Sims was a former marine sniper and Danny McDavitt was a decorated chopper pilot in Vietnam.

Most of the Double Eagles were in jail but Forrest Knox remained free, as did his cousin Billy. Snake and Sonny Thornfield, a Double Eagle sent to cellblock using planted meth to pressure the Eagles like they did to Sheriff Dennis Walker. Sonny said it was Carlos Marcello’s show and Frank Knox killed JFK. Carlos knew Frank from the anti-Castro training camp. David Ferrie was the one who knew Oswald. Carlos was sick and Dr. Cage helped him and he knew Frank. The Eagles blew the agents cars and exploded the courthouse. Sonny sat frozen on his cot but contrary Snake escaped. Powerful hands seized Sonny’s neck. Snake killed him and named him as a traitor.

A boy of about nineteen admitted knew the map and knew Toby Rambin. He drove Caitlin to the Bone Tree. Harold Wallis, black boy, asked two thousand dollars. Caitlin found body at the swamp and they heard motor, probably hunters. Caitlin and Wallis scanned the darkness under the canopy of the trees.  She saw some bones, far more than she expected. Harold shot Caitlin. Though Caitlin has begged Harold to spare her life and the baby in her belly and she convinced him her father would pay him million dollars but Harold didn’t care of it. Colonel Forrest has promised to release his brother from twenty-year sentence in Angola jail. He’d recognized Caitlin the moment he saw her standing outside the service station and he called someone in the Knox organization. Caitlin moaned and the bullet was still in her chest. She fired Harold and tried to walk. There was a body lying facedown against the wall of the tree. Whoever that person was, he had to be dead. The moment the beam fell on her face, she recognized it was her future father in law, Tom Page.

Tom was diabetic and low blood sugar sent him into coma. The peppermint was saved Tom. He woke and tried to help her. The chopper was rolling right, picking up speed, but finally they saw Caitlin jacket. The team got Dr. Cage and Caitlin. The Bone Tree was set on fire, the burning Bone Tree like angry Crusader around burning altar, looked like trying to destroy the evidence. Special Agent Kaiser phoned Peggy Cage and he informed Penn and Cage was alive and well but Caitlin Masters had been killed.

Old Texas Ranger Walt Garrity helped Tom Cage ran away from hospital. He had failed so many things. He lost not only Caitlin and the child she was carrying, but also Penn. Colonel Griffith Mackiever wearing the uniform of Louisiana State Police came to agent Kaiser. He brought a video, the only evidence, to bring down Forrest Knox. Forrest was promoted twice by Mackiever. According to him, Forrest was the smartest man under his command, the best man in the field. He was pure sociopath. He’s more like a highly intelligent wolf than a shark, a thinking predator.

Jordan Glass flew to Cuba to meet Fidel Castro. The old dictator still remembered Jordan. She asked him about an American pilot named David Ferrie. He had no longer believed in a CIA conspiracy regarding Kennedy. It was Mafioso Carlos Marcello. A man who knew much of assassination told Castro that the pilot Ferrie had close dealings with Marcello’s people. As Virginia Sexton, Henry’s mother asked Dr. Cage to some  words at Henry Sexton’s funeral. The fed caught him. A recording message from Caitlin‘s cell phone. She told him everything; about the tie of Marcello to Frank, the president’s killer – to look for a letter written in Russia.

Penn Cage visited Valhalla Exotic Hunting Reserve belonged to Forest Knox. Penn listed Forrest’s crimes: Caitlin’s death, the raped Viola when he was sixteen, dozen raped cases. Forrest’s eyes had grown larger when Penn said Viola Turner killed his father, Frank. Two days after Forrest and his father’s crew raped Viola, Frank was hurt and brought into Dr. Tom’s office. Viola saw her chance and injected Frank with enough air to stop his heart. Dr. Tom just watched him died in terror on a cold tile floor like a dog. Forrest told that the black kid, Harold Wallis, killed her fiancée. She was pleading her life and pregnancy. Forrest told it was not him  but Alphonse Ozan did kill Wallis.  Penn never knew Caitlin was pregnant. It’s only his father knowing of the pregnancy. Forrest pushed him to go for gun. Penn killed Forrest and Walt Garitty shot Ozan.

The blood was still wet when Billy Knox walked into his office at Valhalla and saw his cousin lying dead with Alphonse Ozan. His mother and Annie ran out onto the porch as the deputies handcuffed Penn and forced him into the back of a cruiser. After calling the sheriff, Billy Knox got the idea of checking the deer cameras strapped to pine trees on the Valhalla property. Colonel Mackiever released Penn. Garrity dug Forrest’s pocket and found a key. He traced Forrest residence and checked every Chateau lock he could find, until that Knox’s key fit. He found two boxes that contained two items were particular interest: one was a US navy tattoo on a swatch of human skin and the other Lee Oswald Harvey letter to his wife Marina and it was dated November twenty first, 1963.

Kaiser also told Penn about independent confirmation of a tie between Ferrie and Oswald from Fidel Castro. Castro told his wife Jordan about a French Corsican who made an attempt on his life. Under torture, he told Castro that an American instructor at one of Cuban training camps killed JFK for Marcello. The man was former Klansman. Lincoln Turner visited Penn, his half brother. Dr. Cage had a DNA test done on some baby teeth of Lincoln. It was positive, Tom was his father. Snake Knox piloted a Cessna and his son Billy sat beside him, trying to hide his fear. It was in dangerous area to depart from regulation procedures. They headed to Toledo Bend, Texas.

11 p.m

February 4, 2016

Sekapur Sirih

Novel ini adalah sebuah hadiah yang tak terlupakan dari seorang penulis sains yang juga penggemar novel thriller. Terima kasih padanya, dengan hadiah ini berkesempatan mengenal satu lagi penulis berkualitas seperti Greg Iles, penulis baru bagi saya.

Novelis Greg Iles adalah penulis laris dengan empat belas thriller yang berasal dari Mississippi, Amerika. Penulis adalah lulusan Ole Mississippi pada tahun 1983. Iles meninggalkan grup rock band miliknya dan memutuskan menjadi penulis thriller. Menurutnya, buku ini merupakan buku ke dua dari trilogi. Walau belum pernah membaca seri pertamanya Natchez Burning namun saya punya keyakinan besar buku itu pastilah thriller bagus. Tentunya saja sangat penasaran akhir cerita dan kesimpulan pada buku ketiganya.

Walau penulis sendiri berkulit putih namun dengan jujur mengkritisi kebejatan pendahulunya terhadap budak mereka. Ini pertama kali menikmati karya Greg Iles dan menurut saya dia adalah penulis cerdas dan dalam beberapa tulisannya dalam the Bone Tree disampaikan dengan percakapan dengan bahasa kualitas tinggi. Setelah membaca seperempat bagian dari novel ini mulai membawa pada keseruan plot. Memang di awal agak membosankan karena dihujani banyak nama tokoh dan terlalu sering pengulangan yang dibawa-bawa ke masalah pembunuhan JFK dan adiknya Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, dan pembunuhan massal tahun enam puluhan.

Tokoh utama  Penn Cage seorang mantan jaksa (prosecutor), novelis sukses, dan  menjadi mayor (walikota) kota Natchez. Serangkaian pembunuhan, termasuk kasus ayah Penn sendiri, Dr. Tom Cage seorang buronan yang dituduh membunuh mantan perawat pada kliniknya dan seorang tentara. Kasus demi kasus muncul dan memicu membawa ke sebuah tempat sadis yang diragukan keberadaannya selama ini.

Tersiar rumor, ada sebuah area pembantaian massal empat dekade lalu dimana mayat-mayat dikubur di sana dan dinamai the Bone Tree (rawa penuh tulang). Tokoh jahatnya kelompok yang masih berkaitan dengan pembunuhan JFK. Kelompok Double Eagle bukanlah Ku Klux Klan tetapi kekejamannya tidaklah kalah sadis. Plot kuat dan pengembangan tokoh sangat berkaitan kuat karena mereka memang masih sekampung.

Buku ini memang tergolong sangat panjang hingga 804 halaman, bagi pembaca yang kurang meminati dominasi percakapan maka buku ini mungkin akan kurang cocok dan yang cukup mengganggu yakni font-nya, sangat kecil. Namun tentu saja, bagi pencinta tulisan bagus akan menepisnya karena memang karya ini dituliskan dalam kalimat dalam bentuk percakapan intelektual, berkualitas, serta kekuatan cerita yang bagus. Bila Anda sedang mencari bahan untuk skripsi atau sedang mencari thriller berkualitas tinggi dalam penulisan dan berplot kuat maka buku ini sangatlah tepat dijadikan pertimbangan.

Terjemahan dalam Bahasa Indonesia: the Bone Tree (Rawa Penuh Tengkorak), Greg Iles

Agen Khusus FBI John Kaiser sangat sibuk dengan penganiayaan reporter surat kabar Natchez Examiner, Henry Sexton. Hanya berselang beberapa jam dia diculik dari rumah sakit dan ditemukan meninggal di rumah seorang sosiopath millioner Brody Royal. Penn Cage dan tunangannya Caitlin selamat dari upaya penculikan dan pembunuhan. Henry memberikan nyawanya demi pasangan itu. Rumah sang millioner terbakar hebat, hanya Caitlin dan Penn yang selamat.

Banyak masalah telah terjadi apalagi serangan dan serangkaian kejahatan kelompok the Double Eagles, sebuah organisasi kriminal berbasis rasis mirip Ku Klux Klan yang meresahkan. John sangat tertarik memecahkan misteri tentang pembunuhan paling besar sepanjang sejarah yakni pembunuhan Presiden JFK empat puluh tahun lalu. Glen Morehouse, salah seorang pendiri the Double Eagle, sebelum meninggal mengungkap sebuah fakta baru yang layak diburu; jikalau Lee Harvey Oswald yang selama ini diyakini merupakan pembunuh tunggal JFK diragukan kebenarannya.

John Kaiser tambah dibingungkan oleh kasus pembunuhan Viola Turner. Seorang mantan perawat berkulit hitam yang sudah tua dan pulang kampung dari kota Chicago. Dia sakit dan ingin menghembuskan nafas di kampungnya Natchez. Lincoln Turner, putranya yang merupakan seorang pengacara di Chicago, telah menuntut Dr. Tom Page telah membunuh ibunya, bukan karena ethaunasia. Viola Turner  adalah seorang perawat yang dulunya bekerja pada klinik praktek  Dr. Cage semasa muda, sebelum wanita itu pindah ke Chicago. Tidak hanya itu Dr. Cage telah lari dari penjaminan dan telah membunuh seorang tentara negara dalam upaya pelariannya. Dia dibantu sahabat setianya, Walt Garrity, pensiunan Texas Ranger. Keduanya pun menjadi buronan.

Sangat membingungkan bagi agen Kaiser. Dr. Cage adalah ayah dari mayor (walikota) Natchez dan seorang novelis sukses, dan mantan jaksa dan juga tunangan dari Caitlin Masters, sang publiser dan pemilik surat kabar Examiner. Masters sangat mengidolakan istri John, Jordan Glass, seorang fotografer hebat pada masanya. Dr. Cage berusaha meminta perlindungan dari iparnya dan teman-temannya. Keberadaannya tercium oleh kelompok Eagle dan sempat tertembak. Quentin Avery seorang pengacara berkulit hitam membuka pintu baginya walau sang istri sempat menolak. Namun Avery tidak pernah lupa dan berhutang budi pada kebaikan sang dokter yang rela menolongnya walau sangat beresiko pada tahun enam puluhan.

Luka tembak Dr. Cage cukup parah, butuh perawatan serius. Perawat Melba Price, seorang wanita berkulit hitam pun dipanggil secara diam-diam menolongnya. Pesuruh Caitlin berhasil mengintai gerakan Melba dan menemukan Tom Cage. Setelah kematian jurnalisnya Henry Sexton, Caitlin mendapat sebuah surat yang isinya tentang the Bone Tree dan petunjuk baru tentang pembunuh JFK. Ibu Henry, Virginia Sexton menemukan surat itu dari tas anaknya. Caitlin pun ingin menanyakan Tom tentang hal itu.

Tom mengakui banyak hal dalam masa lalu tentang hubungannya dengan Brody Royal, Frank Knox, pendiri Double Eagles, bos mafia Carlos Marcello, dan pembuhuhan JFK. Frank Kox, saudaranya Snake, dan krunya telah memerkosa perawat Viola Turner. Pemerkosaan bergilir, perbuatan sangat sadis bahkan anak berusia enam belas tahun, Forrest Knox ikut memerkosanya. Dua hari setelah pemerkosaan itu, Frank terluka dan mendatangi klinik praktek Dr. Cage. Saat itu pula, perawat Viola menyuntikkan udara yang cukup menghentikan jantung Frank Knox dan Cage hanya memandangi kematian penjahat itu yang seperti anjing mati terkapar di lantai kantornya. Cage telah menyembunyikan pembunuhan itu berpuluh-puluh tahun.

Elam Knox adalah seorang pengkotbah dan kadang-kadang sebagai petani. Dia punya anak dua yakni Frank dan Snake, keduanya adalah pahlawan perang. Frank memiliki dua putra. Frank Junior melanjutkan jiwa perang ayahnya dan Forrest menjadi polisi. Junior mati terbunuh di Vietnam walau kurang jelas, dan dia pun dianugerahi medali kepahlawanan. Namun sepucuk surat tiba setelah kematiannya. Surat yang telah dikirimkan sebelum kematiannya. Anak muda  mengatakan pada ayahnya bahwa dia tidak akan pernah pulang, dia sangat sakit dengan perlakuan kakeknya Elam Knox. Sejak kecil dia dilecehkan seksual oleh sang kakek.

Setelah membaca surat itu, dia mengumpulkan anggota the Double Eagle dan saudaranya Snake dan membawa ayahnya Elam ke Bone Tree. Dia menyiksa dan menyalibkan lelaki bejat itu seperti tentara Roma menyalibkan Jesus. Hukuman sepantasnya bagi seorang pengkotbah iblis seperti Elam. Pembalasan atas kekerasan seks yang ia terima dan  Snake serta penyiksaan terhadap ibu mereka. Walau Elam sudah dia bunuh, Frank tetap tidak tenang atas kematian anaknya, dia pun mabuk-mabukan dan depresi hingga suatu ketika bergabung dengan gerakan anti pemerintah, pernah bergabung dengan gerakan rasis KKK, dan mendirikan organisasi rasis baru the Double Eagles. Dia pun akhirnya mengenal boss mafia Carlos Marcello dan dokter resmi anggota dan keluarga mafia yaitu Dr. Tom Cage.

Mendapati Frank mati, anaknya Snake pun bertindak gila dan menculik Viola dan menyiksa dan membunuh saudara Viola dan mengambil tato di lengan saudaranya hidup-hidup. Viola menyaksikan semua kekejian itu. Tom pun akhirnya meminta pertolongan Ray Presley, seorang polisi dan anak buah mafia Carlos Marcello. Ray menolong Viola di Chicago dan kelompok Eagle pun sempat mendatangi Viola di Chicago dan tidak membunuhnya dan hanya mengancam perawat tidak boleh pulang ke Natchez. Sebelum meninggal Viola berujar tentang putranya Lincoln Turner, adalah anak Dr. Cage. Sebenarnya dokter itu telah yakin perkataan Viola, wanita yang dicintainya, tapi sebuah kotak berisikan beberapa gigi bayi Lincoln dibawa dokter itu untuk memperkuat.

Tim teknologi dari kepolisian yang juga merupakan anak buah Forrest menemukan keberadaan Dr. Cage dan dia pun dibawa paksa sebuah helikopter dan ditinggal Melba Price terkapar dilantai. Dr. Cage pun disiksa dan dibawa ke sebuah tempat. Penn dan John Kaiser mendapati jejak pelarian Tom Cage. John Kaiser memberi harapan baru bagi Penn, jikalau mereka mampu mengungkap pembunuh sebenar JFK maka ayahnya akan dibebaskan dari tuduhan pembunuhan tentara itu. Tom sangat berharap dengan bantuan Kolonel Mackiever atasan dari Forrest semasa di kepolisian. Namun colonel itu telah dalam masa ancaman pemecatan. Surat kabar memberitakan seorang lelaki berusia empat belas tahun mengaku melayani seks sang kolonel. Caitlin tahu itu hanyalah sebuah rekayasa Forrest.

Hanya calon mertuanya itu yang mengetahui tentang kehamilannya. Dengan keterangan Dr. Cage, Caitlin semakin yakin dengan temuan Henry dan ingin membuktikan dan pemburuan pun dimulai dengan menemukan the Bone Tree. Dia pun mengajak Jordan dalam misi itu. Toby Rambin seperti dalam surat Henry satu-satunya yang bisa membawanya ke tempat yang diduga orang hanya bualan. The Bone Tree dirumorkan sebagai tempat penyiksaan dan pembunuhan massal dan pembuangan mayat dari kelompok the Double Eagle maupun Ku Klux Klan. Dengan sebuah helikopter mereka pun tiba di sebuah rawa yang dipayungi hutan gelap.

Pencarian pun agak sulit sehingga mereka beristirahat namun Caitlin nekat pergi sendirian ke tempat itu dengan tawaran seorang lelaki muda berkulit hitam bernama Harold Wallis. Rupanya lelaki itu telah mengamati pembicaraan Caitlin dari kejauhan dan segera menelepon kelompok Eagles. Lelaki itu meminta sejumlah bayaran dan bersedia mengantar Caitlin ke rawa the Bone Tree. Akhirnya tempat yang selama ini dianggap misteri adalah nyata. Caitlin pun mendapati mayat-mayat bergelimpangan dan banyaknya tulang mengambang. Sesosok mayat dia duga adalah calon mertuanya Tom, ternyata bukan.

Harold menembak dada Caitlin, lelaki muda itu menjelaskan semuanya. Dia melakukannya untuk menyelamatkan saudaranya yang tertahan di penjara Angola dan dijatuhi hukuman dua puluh tahun kurungan. Forrest Knox telah menjanjikan untuk membebaskannya. Walau Caitlin telah memohon agar tidak membunuhnya; ayahnya akan membayarnya satu milyar dolar dan memohon atas bayi di kandungannya, tetapi lelaki berusia sembilan belas tahun itu, menghiraukannya. Dia hanya memikirkan saudaranya. Dengan sisa tenaga, Caitlin pun berhasil menembak anak itu. Dia pun berusaha menjauh darinya, sesosok lelaki tua tertelungkup dan pastilah sudah mati menurutnya.

Dia membalikkan sosok itu dan rupanya dia adalah Tom Cage. Ternyata dia hanya dalam koma, akibat tekanan darah rendah, Tom penderita diabetes. Permen pepermin membuat dokter itu pun terbangun. Peluru itu masih bersarang di dada Caitlin, Tom sempat berusaha menolongnya. Beberapa saat kemudian, Tom kembali koma dan Caitlin menduga lelaki itu sudah mati. Tim pencari helikopter pun melihat jaket Caitlin. Forrest dan timya menemukan Harold dan menanyakan tentang Caitlin. Namun Ozan Alphonse, polisi korup itu, anak buah Forrest, menusuk mati Harold yang telah terluka tembak.

Suasana duka menyelimuti kediaman Penn, ibunya Peggy Penn sangat sedih menerima telepon dari John Kaiser yang mengatakan bahwa Caitlin Masters telah mati terbunuh. Kehadirian Caitlin pada keluarga itu membawa kehangatan terlebih bagi Penn dan putrinya berumur sebelas tahun. Kematian ibunya oleh kanker saat Annie berumur tiga tahun. Pernikahan Caitlin dan Penn seharusnya seminggu lagi dan sebuah rumah telah dibeli Tom sebagai hadiah pernikahan untuk wanita rupawan yang dicintainya itu. Tom Cage dirawat di rumah sakit namun kembali melarikan diri dibantu temannya Walt Garrity. Dia tidak sanggup menghadapi fakta, dia telah gagal dan banyak masalah. Dia gagal menyelamatkan calon menantunya Caitlin, orang yang sangat dicintai anaknya, serta bayi, calon cucunya, dan terlebihnya kegagalannya pada anaknya Penn.

Walau menyadari resiko seorang buron, Tom sangat menghargai pengorbanan Henry Sexton yang berani menyelamatkan nyawa anaknya dan Caitlin. Ibu Henry, Virginia Sexton memintanya memberi sepatah dua kata pada upacara pemakaman putranya Henry. Tom pun menyanggupinya dan saat acara itu juga dia ditangkap. Penn pun merelakan ayahnya dibawa. Seperti janjinya Kaiser meloloskan Tom atas tuduhan pembunuhan tentara namun masalahnya tuntutan Lincoln atas pembunuhan Viola belum ditarik. Tom memberi selular yang berisikan rekaman suara Caitlin sebelum meninggal.

Dari rekaman itu, Penn pun mengetahui semua gerakan kejahatan the Doule Eagle dan hubungannya dengan mafia Marcello, siapa pembunuh Caitlin dan kaitan dengan suruhan Forrest Knox, kematian Frank Knox dengan Tom dan Viola dan berpesan pada agen John agar mencari surat dalam berbahasa Rusia. Penn semakin geram dan mendatangi Kawasan Perburuan Terbatas Valhalla, milik keluarga Knox, kantor di mana Forrest Knox berada. Sang mayor datang sendirian dengan tangan kosong. Dia membeberkan semua pembunuhan dan pemerkosaan yang dilakukan Forrest Fox dan keluarganya tapi seolah semua itu hal biasa bagi Forrest. Mata Forrest membelalak ketika mengetahui ayahnya Frank dibunuh Viola Turner dan Dr. Tom hanya memandangi kematian Frank seperti anjing mati di lantai kantornya.

Tak kalah luka hati Penn ketika Frank  mengatakan mungkin saja bayi itu lelaki, Caitlin memohon-mohon pada Wallis agar tidak membunuhnya demi calon bayi. Penn pun sangat terbakar atas ejekan itu, kenyataannya juga dia sama sekali tidak mengetahui kehamilan tunangannya. Forrest telah memaksa Penn mengambil senjata untuk menghabisi penjahat itu. Dengan perkelahian sengit, lelaki sosiopat itu pun tergeletak dan mati. Saat Ozan Alphose hendak menembak Penn, Walt Garrity melumpuhkannya. Mantan Texas Ranger itu mengambil kunci dari kantong Forrest.

Darah basah masih mengalir ketika Billy Knox mendapati sepupunya Forrest dan Ozan terbunuh. Dia pun memanggil sherif dan terbersik ide di benaknya mengecek kamera pengintai rusa dan mendapati wajah Penn dan Garrity. Penn pun ditangkap dan masuk bui sama seperti ayahnya. Lincoln Turner membesuk Penn dan mengatakan hasil tes DNA telah positif bahwa dia adalah putra Cage. Kini mereka adalah saudara seayah, saudara separuh darah. Namun perlu waktu untuk Peggy Cage untuk karena dia tidak pernah mengetahui perselingkuhan suaminya. Walau sudah jelas dia putra Tom, Lincoln belum menarik tuntutan pembunuhan ibunya.

Tak berselang lama, pengacara Quentin Avery dan dengan bantuan Kolonel Mackiever membebaskan Penn. Kolonel itu membuat mantan ke dua anak buahnya itu pada sebuah rekayasa Ozan dan Forrest saling membunuh. Garrity diam-diam menyelidiki kediaman Forrest. Setelah mencoba ke berbagai lobang kunci akhirnya kunci itu pas dengan sebuah kotak. Ada dua buah benda yakni sayatan tato dari tubuh manusia dan sebuah surat dalam amplop. John Kaiser pun akhirnya yakin pembunuh JFK adalah Frank Knox. Surat dalam berbahasa Rusia dalah surat Lee Harvey Oswald pada istrinya Marina. Rencana pelariannya ke Havana dan sebuah janji akan membawa Marina dan putrinya ke Kuba.

Akhirnya terungkap bahwa Oswald hanyalah penembak pertama dan Frank-lah yang meledakkan kepala sang presiden, atas suruhan mafia Carlos Marcello yang merasa terganggu dengan presiden yang beberapa kali berupaya mendeportasi sang mafia, menjauhkan dari kerajaan kriminalnya. Demikian juga adiknya Robert Kennedy yang menghalang-halangi bisnisnya. Carlos mengenali Frank dari gerakan. Jordan Glass, istri John Kaiser terbang ke Kuba dan mewawancarai Fidel Castro. Sang diktator rupanya belum lupa dengan Jordan Glass. Fotografer itu berhasil menggali bahwa pilot Amerika Ferrie ada hubungannya dengan mafia Carlos Marcello tapi dia tidak bilang siapa pembunuh JFK.

Castro sendiri tidak yakin pembunuhnya adalah CIA, hanya saja dari sumber yang ingin membunuhnya dalam kondisi disiksa, dia mengaku bahwa mafia Carlos Marcello dan pilot Ferrie berhubungan kuat (Ferrie adalah perekrut Oswald). Pembunuh sesungguhnya bukanlah Oswald melainkan seseorang keturunan Prancis dan Corsican (orang yang bemukim di wilayah Perancis Selatan dan Utara Italia). Tanpa menyebut siapa namanya. Dengan bukti-bukti yang ada serta surat Oswald dan penggalian Jordan Glass, John Kaiser dan Penn Cage pun semakin yakin pembunuhnya adalah Frank Knox. Snake dan putranya Billy terbang dengan Cessna dengan melihat lautan api yang sengaja mereka buat pada rawa hutan the Bone Tree untuk menghilangkan bukti. Keduanya pun terbang  menuju Texas.

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4 Februari 2016