The Mask of the Suleimanites
(Revised March 2014)
As of July 2013, all of the the chapters in this book are being revised. Character names and plot events may be changed from time to time.
The sections below consist of brief overviews the material in each chapter. To read a detailed chapter preview (synopsis, chapter by chapter), click on the chapter name from the list on the right side of the screen.
SPOILER ALERT! If you don't want to know ahead of time what happens in the story, skip the chapter previews.
Scroll down on this page to read the Cast of Characters for the novel. We will update the cast as new characters are created and as names are changed.
Chapter 1 Preview. The Egyptian Mysteries: The Mask Vanishes
The women of the Specialty Security Consultants company (SSC) travel to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands to investigate the theft of Egyptian artifacts by the Knights Templar, and they become involved in the theft of a supernatural burial mask, rumored to be the mask of Queen Nefertiti. They discover that there is a plot to use the mask for criminal purposes.
Chapter 2 Preview. The Masked Ball of Las Vegas
Intrigue, romance and attempted murder complicate the women's lives as they pursue the Egyptian artifacts thieves, forgers and scammers during the magnificent Missing Lynx Masked Ball in Las Vegas.
Chapter 3 Preview. Lovers and Thieves
A doomed love affair nearly destroys one of the women while they and their new espionage associates try to expose the Tasha Khoury's scam plot and lay their plans to stop the robbery of an Egyptian artifacts exhibit in San Francisco.
Chapter 4 Preview. The Egyptian Museum Caper
The museum theft takes place, but the thief is foiled at the last moment by the SSC leader's quick action. Tasha's "reincarnation of Nefertiti" scam is exposed in a surprising way. The former lover of one of the SSC women reveals secrets to another woman in the espionage group.
Chapter 5 Preview. The Western Movie: Undercover in Arizona
A fresh crime plot and intelligence on an organized crime ring lead the SSC group to the Flagstaff, Arizona area, where they take undercover jobs as actors in a Western movie and spend their time riding, shooting and re-living the Old West cowboy life.
Chapter 6 Preview. The Horseman and the Saddle of Aquila
The filming of the Western movie begins with horseback stunt riding, a cattle stampede and shooting practice with Colt Peacemaker revolvers and Winchester lever action rifles. Two actors who are both on the rebound begin a love affair.
Chapter 7 Preview. On the Stagecoach Trail: Outlaws and Can-Can Girls
The Western movie continues with the filming of an outlaw ambush on a stagecoach, and a posse chase. The actors and their friends enjoy a French Can-can dance performance at the local saloon.
Chapter 8 Preview. The Rifleman: Legacy of the Serpent
New feature: Includes illustrations drawn by Bluebonnet.
An enigmatic man from the past returns and complicates the lives of the SSC women. The filming of the Western movie continues with a frontier courtroom drama.
Chapter 9 Preview. The Red Queen and the Soiled Dove
Includes illustrations by Bluebonnet.
In the Western movie, the abandoned frontier wife makes a perilous gamble, and the desperate woman who turned to prostitution finds hope.
Chapter 10 Preview. The Tea Room and the Devil's Dance
Includes illustrations by Bluebonnet.
The actors find time on their days off to go fossil hunting, and strange things happen to them in the wilderness.One actor reveals her incompetence through a series of mishaps. In the Western movie, a friendship is broken over a desire to help someone who may not deserve it.
Chapter 11 Preview. The Stateroom and the Room of Guns
Includes illustrations by Bluebonnet.
A troubled spy becomes intrigued by one of the SSC agents, and he offers her secret information. In the Western movie, a Victorian woman chafes at the restrictions of her society and makes plans to escape from England.
Chapter 12 Preview. Conflagration, Scoundrels and the Campfire Tale
Includes illustrations by Bluebonnet.
A huge fire threatens the Western town of the movie. In the Arizona Territory wilderness, travelers are besieged by vengeful outlaws, and the Victorian woman, now in America, tells her story of adventure to a new friend.
Chapter 13 Preview. A Victorian Legacy: Bullwhips, Billabongs and Jackaroos
Includes illustrations by Bluebonnet.
A Wild West woman recalls her youth as a jackaroo (young, inexpereinced cowboy) and a stockman in Victorian era Australia, where she lived disguised as a man. Her experiences in the Outback are both harrowing and rewarding.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Part 1 of the Cast of Characters list is organized by these categories: members of Tasha Khoury's group; members of the espionage group, the Specialty Security Consultants group; friends and associates
of the SSC; members of the international criminal underworld; other characters; and animal characters. Characters are listed alphabetically by first name within each
category.
Part 2 lists the actors (people from Part 1) and their roles in the Western movie, Trail Ridin' Mama, a plot which we introduced in Chapter 5, "The Western Movie:
Undercover in Arizona." This list is organized alphabetically by first names of movie characters.
Part 1. Suleimanites story characters
Members of the Khoury group:
*Tasha Khoury: secretly involved with the mysterious ancient cult. To the public, she is known only as a minor media personality and entrepreneur.
*Cleopatra: a makeup artist.
*Fred Proud: an elder in the cult.
*Garth Oregano: one of Tasha's lawyers.
*George Kelly: former San Francisco cab driver; Tasha's bodyguard.
*Dr. Jen Errick: a dermatologist, chemist and esthetician.
*Ruff Speck: one of Tasha's lawyers.
Members of the international crime-fighting group and the Speciality Security Consultants company:
*Alan Quickman: British undercover espionage agent working on a contract basis for Interpol and other international agencies. He is the commanding officer of the
espionage group. His civilian occupations are actor and drama professor in San Francisco.
*Belle Pharr: Southern-born sharpshooter and professional photographer.
*Beth Hunter (former nickname Bibi): descendent of a famous female Native American explorer, Powhatan tribe.
*Cher Locklear: descendent of a famous British detective.
*Claudia Hunter: Beth Hunter's older sister.
*Erika Broussard: descendent of a famous Viking explorer.
*Marcia Pola: descendent of a famous Italian explorer.
*Dr. Vicki Paleon: paleontologist and art expert.
Friends and associates of the SSC:
*Dame Kate Maugham: eccentric middle-aged entertainer with a very colorful past.
*Elena Delgado: wife of Frank Delgado.
*Erick Schwize: Native American actor and former member of crime-fighting organization Shadow Wolves.
*Frank Delgado: owner of Waterfall Canyon Ranch, Arizona.
*Jesse St. James: college student majoring in criminal law.
Members of the international criminal underworld:
*Dick Rivinoff: American investment fund manager who was caught running a Ponzi scheme.
*Faustino Carvalho: Brazilian criminal who is the right-hand man of Florian da Silva; to the public, he is the foreman of da Silva's Arizona property, Diamantina Ranch.
*Florian da Silva: Polish-Brazilian criminal who ranks very high in the underworld organization; owner of Diamantina Ranch; founder and CEO of Fell Industries,
a manufacturing and high-tech research company which he uses as a cover for his secret activities.
*Hans Richter, aliases Hans Baker and Hans Schiller: German art forger who also operates in the upper echelons of the criminal organization; he is also an
executive in his family's global metals manufacturing corporation, which is not part of the crime group.
*Kell Temple: American member of the elite security unit at Diamantina Ranch.
*Serafina Duarte: Mexican-American flamenco dancer, Florian's mistress, also Faustino's lover.
*Vincent Prize: American mid-level criminal in the organization, subordinate to Florian
Other characters:
*Babette de Foie Gras: a costume designer for the Western movie.
*Cyril B. "C.B." DeFille: Director of the Western movie.
*Daniel Marcus: an actor.
*Edward von Sauer: a pianist who performs for the Wild Card Saloon and the movie.
*Fifi Clouseau: Head Costume Designer for the movie.
*George "Gopher" Gutz: Assistant Director of the Western movie.
*Jeremiah Jackson: a cowboy.
*Johnny Behrans: an actor.
*Leggy Barber: Scriptwriter for the movie.
*Max T. Montezuma: journalist/actor.
*Mike Perez: foreman of Waterfall Canyon Ranch.
*Roy Beal: cowboy.
*Sam Sackett: cowboy actor and stunt riding trainer/stunt double in the movie; owner of a Kansas horse ranch; partner in family
sporting goods business.
*Wilfred Brummel: a cowboy.
*Willie Bellaire: senior citizen cowboy who works at Waterfall Canyon Ranch.
*Yves Laflounce: Assistant Costume Designer for the movie.
*Zach Gallagher: an actor.
Animal characters:
*Augusta (movie character) Hardwicke's animals: Severus, an Appaloosa gelding, and Hermione, a "mammoth" gray mule.
*Calamity: Australian Blue Merle Shepherd dog, an animal actor in the movie.
*Claudia Hunter's pets: Merlin, a black male cat; Indie, a male skunk.
*Hans Richter's horses: Corona, a palomino American Saddlebred gelding; and Tiberius, a bay Hanoverian gelding.
*Sam Sackett's stunt horses: Aquila, a buckskin gelding; Coco, a bay mare; Maja, an Appaloosa mare; and Ruffles, black gelding with white stockings.
Part 2. Characters in the Western Movie, Trail Ridin' Mama
Some actors play dual roles. The lead characters in the movie are Clementine Carson, Philip Faraday, Logan Reinhardt, Sarah Jane Stanton, Augusta Hardwicke
and Odette DuPont; they are played by Tasha Khoury, Alan Quickman, Sam Sackett, Claudia Hunter, Dame Kate Maugham and Marcia Pola, respectively.
*Annie Travis, cowgirl, sharpshooter: Belle Pharr
*Augusta Hardwicke, adventurer, cowgirl: Dame Kate Maugham
*Aurelius Spencer, attorney at law: supporting actor
*Bartholomew Marsden, "Sheriff Bart" : Jesse St. James
*Bonaparte Sprigg, attorney at law: Max Montezuma
*Calamity, animal actor: Herself, Australian Blue Merle Shepherd dog
*Charlie, a cowboy: Roy Beal
*Chester, a cowboy: Wilfred Brummel
*Clementine Carson, abandoned frontier wife: Tasha Khoury
*Ciaran Hamilton, an Englishman who owns cattle stations in Australia: supporting actor
*Cyrus "Cookie" Stubbs, cowboy: supporting actor
*Edward, pianist at Odette DuPont's brothel: Edward von Sauer
*Elbert Jaeger, manager, Sidewinder Stagecoach Lines: Johnny Behrans
*Hank, a cowboy: Jeremiah Jackson
*Jack Hardin, U.S. Cavalry officer: Daniel Marcus
*Jake Curtis, outlaw: Zach Gallagher
*John MacTavish, blacksmith: supporting actor
*John Wesley, outlaw gang leader: Max Montezuma
*Jude, First Nation tracker: Erick Schwize
*Karl Dietrich, owner of saddlery: supporting actor
*Kate Ellis, outlaw woman: Vicki Paleon
*Logan Reinhardt, cowboy, stagecoach driver: Sam Sackett
*Mattie "Big Nose" Jensen, saloon girl: Erika de la Rouge
*Nell Fossett, cowgirl: Marcia Pola
*Obadiah and Hester Pendergast, owners of the General Store: supporting actors
*Odette DuPont, madam of brothel: Marcia Pola
*Philip Faraday, professional gambler: Alan Quickman
*Phoebe Maddox, outlaw woman: Cher Locklear
*Quinn Carson, Clementine Carson's runaway husband: Johnny Behrans
*Rusty Tibbets, cowboy: Willie Bellaire
*Sarah Jane Stanton, "soiled dove" at brothel, cowgirl: Claudia Hunter
*Tobias Kelly, owner of Wild Card Saloon: supporting actor
Stunt doubles and stand-ins:
*Sam Sackett, horse stunt trainer/coordinator and stunt double rider for Daniel Marcus
*Beth Hunter, stand-in and stunt double for Tasha Khoury
|
