The Secret Crown paj-6

by Chris Kuzneski

  Mueller glared at him. ‘But what?’

  ‘Our contact thinks otherwise because of the source of the information. It didn’t come from a local agency. It came from Interpol headquarters.’

  58

  Jones wasn’t the type of guy who stood on the sidelines. He got his thrills by being in the action, not by watching it. Frustrated by Heidi’s lack of success, he kicked off his shoes and climbed into the artificial lake. The entire time he was wading through the water, he mumbled under his breath, ‘They think they’re so damn smart, just because they solved a riddle about a bird. I figured out the goddamn boulder. I used a piece of meat to jump out of a chopper. I’m a licensed fuckin’ detective. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be beat by a stupid cupid with a boat up its ass.’

  Payne grinned when Jones leapt into the water. He knew his friend better than anyone and was surprised it had taken him so long to hop in. ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘What do you think I’m doing? I’m saving your ass!’

  ‘But we don’t need your help.’

  Jones trudged forward through the water. ‘It sure looks like you do.’

  Payne glanced up at Heidi and winked. ‘Believe it or not, I’ve had my head between a woman’s thighs before. No complaints so far.’

  She blushed and playfully smacked his cheek.

  Jones continued his rant. ‘While you guys are frolicking in the grotto, time is ticking away. The gates open at nine. We need to be out of here before the tourists arrive.’

  ‘And what are you going to do that she couldn’t?’ Payne asked.

  Jones stopped near the side of the boat. Although the cockleshell was tall in the stern and the bow, it dipped down in the middle. The entire craft was supported just above the waterline by a metal stand. To see how sturdy it was, he grabbed the stand and pulled on it. ‘It’s not a question of ability. It’s a question of desire. I’m willing to do things that Heidi isn’t.’

  She glared at him. ‘Such as?’

  He smiled. ‘I’m willing to piss off Bavaria.’

  Without saying another word, Jones sprang out of the water and landed on his knees in the belly of the boat. It rocked from side to side on its stand, a combination of Jones’s weight and the surge of water that followed his leap, but the boat held firm.

  Heidi gasped in horror. ‘I can’t believe you did that.’

  ‘And I can’t believe you didn’t,’ Jones argued. ‘It’s a goddamn boat. Not a Faberge egg. If you’re gonna roll with us, you have to break some rules.’

  She looked down at Payne. ‘Jon?’

  ‘Hey, don’t look at me. I’m just a tamed hippo. You tell me where to go, and I take you there. Other than that, I’m staying out of this.’

  Heidi fumed, but there was nothing she could do. Jones was already in the boat, and he wasn’t going to leave until he wanted to. ‘Fine! But be careful. This boat is an antique.’

  Jones flashed an evil grin. ‘Don’t worry! I’m not going to break anything – unless I feel it’s absolutely necessary.’

  She started to complain, but Payne assured her that he was kidding.

  Meanwhile, Jones went to work on the statue. Not willing to trust Heidi’s opinion, he put his ear against the cupid and knocked on it a few times. To him, it sounded hollow. Next, he took a minute to examine the cupid for a hidden seam which was how he had found the secret entrance outside. He had spotted a crack next to the boulder and followed it to the latch. He figured the same method might work here. Using his flashlight for extra light, he studied the statue until he noticed a suspicious ridge just below the back of cupid’s head.

  Heidi saw his expression change. ‘Did you find something?’

  ‘Maybe. There’s a seam back here.’

  She leaned forward on Payne’s shoulders. ‘I noticed that, too. I tried twisting his head and moving his quiver of arrows, but nothing happened.’

  Jones stared at the figure, trying to view it from Ludwig’s perspective. Where would the infamous Swan King put a secret lever on a statue of cupid? A few seconds later, Jones was beaming like a lottery winner. ‘I think I got it.’

  ‘Got what?’ Heidi demanded.

  ‘The guy had a hard-on for swans.’

  ‘So?’

  Jones studied the back of the statue. ‘What do swans and cupids have in common?’

  Pushing gently, Jones applied downward pressure on the cupid’s wings. Much to Heidi’s surprise, they slid a few inches down its back. Inside the statue, a latch clicked into place, which opened a secret compartment between the cupid’s head and his quiver of arrows.

  She gasped with surprise.

  Wasting no time, Jones lifted his flashlight and stared into the hollow centre. He spotted a sealed envelope that had been folded into thirds. Much to his chagrin, his hand was too large to reach inside and grab it. ‘Son of a bitch!’

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Ulster called from shore.

  ‘There’s something inside, but my hand is too big,’ Jones replied.

  Payne made a suggestion. ‘Let Heidi try.’

  To prove her worth, she showed her hands to Jones. Her fingers were long and slender. Without tweezers or tongs, she was the group’s best hope. ‘I promise I won’t take all the credit.’

  Jones smiled. ‘Fine! But be careful. This boat’s an antique.’

  She giggled at his comment, appreciating how he used the very words she had spoken against her. ‘Okay, hippo, I need you to get me closer.’

  ‘Not a problem.’ Payne slid his hands down her calves and put them under her feet. From that position, he was able to boost her completely off his shoulders, much like a cheerleader being lifted in the air. ‘Is that better?’

  ‘That’s perfect! Now hold me steady.’ She reached inside the tiny compartment and clasped the envelope between two fingers. ‘Got it!’

  Ulster shouted a warning. ‘Careful, my dear, it’s liable to be brittle! There’s no telling what a hundred years of moisture might have done to the parchment!’

  She smiled at Jones. ‘Don’t worry. I’m more gentle than DJ.’

  A few minutes later, all of them were huddling on shore, wondering what they had discovered. The envelope was made of good-quality paper. It had been sealed with black wax, then stamped with an elaborate swan. The emblem was identical to the black swan symbol that was on the crate of gold they had found in the bunker.

  In Ulster’s opinion, it was a very good sign.

  As a historian, he was put in charge of the document. Initially, he had expressed an interest in taking it back to Kusendorf where he could examine it in the climate-controlled environment of the Archives, but Payne and Jones laughed at him. There was no way in hell they were going to fly back to Switzerland to open the envelope. Even Heidi, who was a protector of all things Ludwig, agreed with them. She was far too excited to wait that long.

  Despite his protests, Ulster was thrilled with their decision. Decades had passed since his grandfather had uncovered the path to Ludwig’s treasure, a trail he had been unable to pursue because of World War Two. In his mind, his family had waited long enough.

  ‘Does anyone have a knife?’ he asked.

  Jones nodded and flicked open a switchblade. ‘Here you go.’

  Ulster grabbed the knife and prepared for surgery. Hoping to preserve the historic wax seal, he carefully slid the tip of the blade under the envelope’s flap and sliced it open with a steady hand. When he was done, he studied the elaborate black swan with his flashlight. As far as he could tell, it appeared to be undamaged.

  Ulster breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I think it survived.’

  Jones stared at him. ‘We’re happy for the bird. Now get to the good stuff.’

  He nodded and gently pulled the lips of the envelope apart. Inside, there was a handwritten document. It was folded in half and yellowed with age. Not wanting to touch the paper with his bare hands, he turned the envelope upside-down and tapped on it gently. The document fluttered out, landing o
n the fake boulder that served as his workstation.

  A moment later, a second object emerged.

  It landed with a soft clank.

  59

  In the dim light of the grotto, four sets of eyes focused on the object that had fallen from the envelope. Made of gold and carved by a craftsman, it was an ornamental key whose bow (or head) was in the shape of the black swan emblem. Surprised by their discovery, no one spoke for several seconds. They just stared at it, imagining the treasures it might unlock.

  Jones was the first to snap out of his daze. He snatched the key off the fake boulder and studied it with the beam of his flashlight. Starting near the tip, there was a message engraved on the side of the key. ‘I’ll be damned. There’s an inscription.’

  Heidi gasped. ‘Really? What does it say?’

  Jones struggled to read it. ‘I’m not sure, but I think it says … Made in China.’

  ‘Are you serious?’ she demanded.

  Jones laughed at her. ‘No, I’m not serious! The damn thing’s written in German, so it could say anything. But you should have seen your faces. Priceless!’

  Payne cracked a smile. He had fallen for it, too. ‘I admit it, you had us going. But if you don’t mind, can you give the key to Petr so he can examine it? The clock is ticking.’

  Jones kept laughing. ‘Sure, no problem.’

  Ulster took the key and translated the inscription in his head. When he was done, he explained it to the group. ‘Thankfully, David was incorrect on two major points. First of all, the message was written in Bavarian, not German. This is good news since Bavarian was the language of Ludwig. Secondly, there was no mention of China in the key’s inscription.’

  Jones smiled. ‘Sorry, my bad.’

  Heidi waited with anticipation. ‘So, what does it say?’

  Ulster lowered his voice. ‘He who holds the key gets to wear the crown.’

  ‘Crown? What crown?’ she demanded.

  Ulster shrugged. ‘Honestly, my dear, I’m really not sure. Perhaps my grandfather made a notation in his journal. If you give me a moment, I’d be happy to check.’

  Payne pointed at the document. ‘Or you could just read that.’

  Ulster blushed. ‘Yes, of course, how silly of me! Sometimes I get distracted. Like a toddler, I tend to focus on the shiniest toy in the room, not the one in front of me.’

  Jones snatched the key out of Ulster’s hand. ‘In that case, why don’t I hold this for you? Personally, I think I’d look pretty damn good with a crown.’

  Payne rolled his eyes. ‘Speaking of childish behaviour.’

  Ulster chuckled at the comment, then refocused his attention on the document. Unsure of its age or fragility, he used the unsharpened side of the switchblade to unfold the paper on his makeshift workstation. Within seconds, he knew what he was looking at. ‘It’s a map.’

  Payne and Jones exchanged knowing glances. The last time they had found a map they were on a fishing boat, piloted by a hard-drinking Finn, near the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The map had eventually resulted in their wildly successful trip to Greece.

  Jones cracked. ‘I’ll buy the vodka. You call Jarkko. We’ll find the treasure in no time.’

  Heidi ignored the comment. ‘A map of what?’

  ‘Capri,’ Ulster said with certainty. ‘The Isle of Capri.’

  Standing across from Ulster, Payne glanced at the document. Although everything was upside-down from his perspective and written in a foreign language, he quickly recognized the shape of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Naples. ‘The one in Italy?’

  Ulster nodded. ‘Indeed.’

  Jones grunted at the news. ‘I was joking about Jarkko, but maybe we should give him a call. He hangs out near there this time of year. And he’s always looking for a pay check.’

  Heidi remained focused on the document. ‘Where is it pointing?’

  Ulster studied the hand-drawn map, looking for a giant X that marked the spot. When no symbols turned up, he searched for objects that seemed out of place. A minute passed before he found a possibility. ‘I’m not sure, but I think it’s pointing to the north-west coast.’

  ‘Why do you say that?’ Jones wondered.

  ‘Everything is written in Bavarian, except for one item that is labelled in Italian. It says Grotta Azzurra.’

  ‘What does that mean?’ Payne asked.

  Heidi’s face lit up. ‘The Blue Grotto.’

  Payne stared at her. ‘Are you familiar with it?’

  She nodded, obviously excited. ‘The Blue Grotto is a famous sea cave in Capri. Sunlight passes through an underwater cavern that reflects the light into the cave. It makes the whole cavern glow an eerie shade of blue. Ludwig was fascinated by its beauty.’

  Payne sensed there was more information to come. ‘And?’

  She smiled. ‘And Ludwig built a replica in this grotto.’

  Ulster laughed with delight. ‘Can you show us where?’

  Heidi led the way. They hustled to the landing near the artificial waterfall, which had been turned off for several minutes. With a grin on her face, she told them to stay put while she headed for the hidden control panel.

  Payne objected. ‘Not this shit again.’

  ‘No tricks, I promise.’

  ‘Then what are you doing?’

  She started flipping switches. ‘Obviously, there’s no sunlight down here. In order to reproduce the Blue Grotto, the builders had to install a special light under the water. Keep your eyes on the sea cave on the far side of the lake.’

  ‘Where’s the sea cave?’ Jones asked, a split-second before an alcove on the opposite side of the lake turned a brilliant shade of light blue. ‘Never mind.’

  To produce the effect, a stone archway had been built just above the surface of the water. The curved gap between the stone and lake was so narrow that Jones had assumed it was a shadow on the base of the wall instead of an opening. But now that the blue light was on, he was able to see the arched gap above the water.

  Heidi reappeared beside them. ‘Pretty, isn’t it?’

  Payne nodded. ‘Believe it or not, I think I’ve seen pictures of the actual cave. As soon as you turned on the light, the image popped into my mind.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. It really is quite famous. And the designers did a wonderful job.’

  Jones stared across the lake. It looked vaguely familiar to him, too. ‘That’s all well and good, but what are we supposed to do now?’

  She shrugged. ‘I have no idea.’

  Payne turned to Ulster for advice. ‘What do you think?’

  Ulster paused in thought. After a few seconds of analysis, he broke into a wide grin. ‘I hate to say it, but I think the hippo should get back into the water.’

  Payne cracked a smile. He wasn’t used to being teased by Ulster. ‘That’s strange. I don’t remember seeing you in the water earlier.’

  Ulster laughed and patted his own belly. ‘Touche.’

  ‘Seriously, do you think there might be something back there?’

  ‘Obviously, I’m far from certain, but I think it would be foolish not to check. After all, we are a long way from home.’

  Payne nodded in agreement. ‘How big is the cave? Any idea?’

  Heidi answered. ‘I honestly don’t know. I’ve never been back there before. But the one in Capri is huge. The only thing that’s small is the opening. To enter the Grotta Azzurra, people have to lie flat on their backs in rowing boats or else they would bump their heads on the entrance. But once inside, it expands into a massive cavern.’

  Payne studied the gap on the far side of the lake. It was much more narrow than the one in Italy; a toy boat would struggle to pass underneath the stone archway, let alone a rowing boat. Then again, that might have been done on purpose. If it were too inviting, it might have attracted too many unwanted guests.

  Payne hopped into the water. ‘Screw it! I’ll take a look.’

  Jones followed his lead. ‘Me, too.’


  The instant Jones hit the water, Heidi remembered the object he was carrying in his grasp. ‘Please be careful with the key! Try not to get it wet.’

  He laughed at the anxiety in her voice. She sounded like a first-time mom. ‘Heidi, you’ve got to relax. The key is shaped like a swan. A little water won’t kill it.’

  60

  With flashlights in their hands, Payne and Jones trudged through the chilly water of the lake while Heidi and Ulster urged them on. For Payne, his journey had come full circle. Everything had started with a phone call while he was exploring the depths of the Ohio River. Now he was back in the water, hoping to find a secret treasure in the heart of the Blue Grotto. All things considered, searching for gold was a lot more exciting than finding a bottle opener.

  As they passed the front end of the cockleshell boat, the water was barely up to their knees. After that, the lakebed start to slope away – much like a swimming pool near the deep end. Heidi had warned them of the possibility. She knew the lake had a depth of ten feet in certain parts; unfortunately, she wasn’t quite sure where since she had never been in the water. In some ways, Payne and Jones were glad they didn’t know. It only added to their excitement.

  By the time they reached the entrance to the Blue Grotto, Jones had to stand on his tiptoes or else the water would have been up to his eyes. Meanwhile, Payne had the luxury of an extra six inches. Although his height allowed him to stay comfortably above water level, it forced him to duck his head as he passed under the stone archway that led to the cave.

  Lit by coloured lights, the ceiling in the cavern glowed a magical shade of blue. But the lamps were so bright it actually prevented them from seeing clearly.

  Payne called towards the shore. ‘Please cut the lights in here.’

  Heidi disappeared behind the control panel and flipped the switch. The Blue Grotto quickly turned dark. ‘Is that better?’

  ‘Much,’ he shouted as he turned on his flashlight.

  Jones rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to adjust. Wherever he looked, he saw light blue splotches. ‘Is it just me, or do you see Smurfs?’

  ‘Seeing them is one thing. If they start to talk, we have problems.’

  Jones stared at him. ‘Holy crap. You look like that chick from Avatar.’