The Spanish Helmet

by Greg Scowen

  ‘Not illegal in itself,’ Matt said. ‘Just stupid. But it was when he started shooting at us that I didn’t like him any more.’

  Regenbrecht smiled. ‘It’s not what he was trying to do that was the problem,’ the agent continued. ‘It was how he went about doing it. Seems like your friend would stop at nothing, which you also learned after all.’

  Matt cringed at the use of the word friend now. Warren had been well short of that. He glanced across at Andreas but caught himself. He knew he was safe with Andreas.

  ‘That’s true,’ Matt said. ‘Warren showed me his true colours this last month. But I still don’t understand what drove him to it.’

  ‘Greed,’ Regenbrecht answered. ‘It’s always greed or passion. This time, greed wins.’

  ‘Greed for what?’ Andreas asked, clearly interested in a little background. Matt was also interested in any information he might glean from this inconvenient visit.

  ‘Money, the tourist dollar. It’s been reported to us that Warren Rennie was one of the founding members of the Clan of Truth.’

  Matt felt his mouth drop open.

  ‘The Clan of Truth openly fought against Maori tribal tourism organisations in New Zealand, claiming that they, as Celtic descendants, should have the rights to tourism-related commercial land that they own,’ Regenbrecht said.

  ‘The land that the Iwis claimed as Maori land.’ Matt explained to Andreas. ‘The jet-boating rivers, tourism destinations and activities throughout the South Island... even whale watching in Kaikoura. The New Zealand government gave a lot of rights to the Iwis as redress for the loss of revenue the Maori suffered under Britain’s earlier land purchases.’

  Andreas nodded, but looked bewildered. Matt would explain later.

  ‘So Rennie set out to find evidence that the Celts had colonised New Zealand before the Maori,’ Regenbrecht continued. ‘Evidence that wasn’t available to be found, so Rennie had to create some himself. He set about stealing artefacts from a museum in England. He transported these to New Zealand, and planted them where he could later make a chance discovery.’

  Matt had heard this part before, but was it really possible that Warren had constructed the entire scenario? Had Warren really stolen the mirror from a museum, buried it on a farm in Northland, dug it up, and called him out to New Zealand to verify his faked discovery? Matt felt squeamish and cheated. Utterly used.

  ‘I don’t see how Warren would be capable of doing all this by himself.’ Matt said.

  ‘Neither did Agent Davis, which is what he needed to report back. Rennie had help. Help with a lot of pull.’

  ‘Who?’

  Agent Regenbrecht slid a photo across the table to Matt. ‘The owner of the farm where Rennie buried his stolen evidence. This man, the other founder of the Clan of Truth.’

  Matthew looked down at the photo. Waves of emotion flooded over him, like the pounding surf that follows in the wake of a storm. He felt ill. It couldn’t get any worse.

  * * *

  The automatic sliding glass doors separated and Matt walked into the Special Collections reading room, with Andreas at his side. Their informative little visit to the police station had been interesting to say the least, but right now, Matt had other things on his mind. He wanted to know what was in that diary. He saw Julia over in the far corner, hunched over her photocopied version of the journal. She appeared to be about half way through. It had been the right decision not to tell Julia they were going to the police station. It would have been unpleasant for her. It was best she didn’t know about what went on in New Zealand. He glanced at his watch. They had been gone for two hours.

  ‘That must have been some seriously good coffee!’ Julia said, half-whispering. ‘I’ve been busting to tell you what’s in here.’

  ‘It was good coffee, wasn’t it Andreas?’ Matt asked, as he turned to Andreas with an instructive look.

  Andreas responded as he hoped, with no mention of the police station visit. ‘Yeah, sure was.’

  ‘So, what can you tell me?’ Matt asked, sitting down.

  ‘Well...’ Julia said, her voice getting louder with excitement ‘...I’m only part way in, but I can tell you this much, not only did the San Lesmes make it to New Zealand, the surviving crew sailed and mapped some of the coasts and settled in among the Maori. In fact, they even intermarried and had children.’

  ‘Oh my God, that’s great,’ Matt said, barely containing himself.

  ‘It’s brilliant, Matt,’ Andreas said, nudging his shoulder. ‘But I think we better keep it down, or take this elsewhere. We’re in the library, remember?’

  Matt checked himself and realised he must have spoken too loud in his excitement. Sure enough, as he glanced around the room he saw more than one set of frustrated eyes looking back at him.

  ‘Let’s go have dinner back at the hotel,’ Matt said, grabbing the copy of the journal and thrusting it in his satchel before Julia even realised it was gone.

  Thirty minutes later, they sat at a table in the hotel restaurant over-looking the Limmat River. Small snow flurries drifted into the water and melted on contact. The flakes hitting the ground only lasted a few seconds longer.

  ‘I think we have enough to go home,’ Matt said, turning to Andreas.

  ‘You probably do,’ Andreas agreed. ‘Certainly, you already know that there’s revision of New Zealand’s history to be done. The second half of the journal should be interesting to read through too.’

  ‘Oh for sure,’ Julia said. ‘I could get started on it tonight.’

  ‘No, I think we have had enough excitement for one day, and we want to be sure to be thorough in our interpretation of the work. We can head home in the morning and spend a few days on the first read and translation.’

  ‘I guess so,’ Julia said, as she slumped back in her chair, looking distinctly disappointed.

  Matt watched out the window as a swan and a duck appeared to fight over a piece of bread. Just as it looked like the swan had won, a sparrow flew down between them, grabbed the bread, and was gone before either of the fowl knew what happened.

  ‘I’m sorry we haven’t been around for longer, Andreas, I’d have liked to have had a good catch up.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, I’ve really enjoyed today. It isn’t every day you get to be involved in such a monumental discovery.’

  ‘Looks like ours,’ Julia said as she indicated the approaching waiters.

  Matt watched, amused, as the waiters placed their meals, concealed under silver food domes, on the table in front of them. Then, as one of the waiters counted to three silently, all three domes were removed with a precision that only Swiss could muster. Julia almost clapped. It was one of the things that Matt had always enjoyed at some of the better Swiss restaurants. He loved the sense of surprise that you still got when you saw the meal that you had ordered. Some surprises in life were great, others not so. Matt hoped that he would get a few less of the bad ones, and that the journal would continue to deliver only pleasant discoveries from now on.

  CHAPTER

  62

  Sunday, September 8, 1529

  My son is now two years old. We arrived in Gálatas Nueva a year before he was born. Yet no other Spanish have come. Are they no longer searching for Terra Australis? To have given up would have been foolish. Granted, Gálatas Nueva is not the imagined great southern continent that we dreamed of, but the land is also not low on resources. The wood grows in abundance and on a scale not to be found in Spain. We have also seen many fine gems and rocks, aside from the jade jewellery that is made in Whareakeake, we have also seen gold.

  The sea offers up the best fishing I know, with a wonderful variety of fleshy white fish and shellfish of all sizes. There are whales coming past, not too distant from the land, and seals even sleep on the beaches around us. Any nation that settled here would be pleased with the island’s riches. Indeed, I am more than pleased with my lot.

  There has, it must be said, been some brawling among a few
of the men. Two were killed. The incidences seem to be isolated however, and for the most part, everyone is settled in and showing no signs of interest in returning to Spain. We are, now, deserters. If we did return, we would likely be executed. A good thing it is then that life here is so good.

  CHAPTER

  63

  Everything was packed and ready to go. Matt’s suitcase sat at the end of the hotel bed but it wasn’t going to be rolled out the door for at least an hour yet. Matt was early. That was a problem, because he had to fill in time, and he had hoped to find an excuse to not do what he knew he had to do. He picked up the phone and dialled.

  ‘Hello?’ Her voice sounded as sweet as ever. Damn.

  ‘Hi Aimee.’

  ‘Oh my God, Matt. Thanks for calling. Are you OK?’

  ‘I promised I’d let the DCI know if I found anything. So here I am.’

  Matt wanted to come off as scathing, and it seemed to work.

  ‘Oh. What did you find?’

  ‘We found the journal. The Journal of Francisco de Hoces, Captain of the San Lesmes. He reached New Zealand.’

  ‘That’s great. Wow, Matt, this will change everything.’

  Matt struggled to be angry at Aimee. He continued to tell her about the previous days’ events and what they had found. As time ticked by, the conversation got warmer and warmer. Before long, Matt had all but forgotten about Aimee’s betrayal.

  ‘I never knew how dangerous Warren was, or I would have told you. Do you understand that I was just doing my job?’ Aimee asked.

  ‘I guess I do. I was just doing mine too. But I fell in love with you. It hurt so much to find out you were only using me for your investigation.’

  ‘I wasn’t. At first, I flirted to get closer to you. But then I got to know you. I couldn’t stop myself from loving you.’

  ‘That only makes it a little better. How could I trust you again? How can I trust anyone?’

  ‘You would have to give me a chance. Give us a chance. Without trying, we can never go past where we are now.’

  They talked for a few minutes about the situation. Matt realised that Aimee was hurting too. She seemed so genuine about her emotions. He thought of the night on the golf course. His jacket still had light grass stains. That night had been real. That was the real Aimee. He loved her, and needed her by his side.

  ‘I need time.’

  ‘Take it. But don’t give up on the idea.’

  They ended their call on promises to keep in touch. Matt wanted to believe that Aimee meant what she said. He wanted to believe they would be with each other. But he had doubts it would ever be more than words. He needed to sort his own thoughts out too.

  The hour had passed. He grabbed the handle of his case and rolled it out the door, in search of Julia.

  * * *

  The short flight from Zurich to Heathrow wasn’t something that bothered Matt too much. But he was fidgety. Nervous. He had his reasons of course. In his satchel, tucked under his seat, was a document that would change his life, his career, forever. Next to him, Julia was also fidgeting.

  ‘We have another hour, Matt, let’s look at the journal some more.’

  ‘Not here, not now. I think it’s best to try and keep this private until we have a true understanding of what it means.’

  Julia looked disappointed. Matt didn’t care though, this was too important for its value to be diminished through leaks, or worse, espionage. And since Matt’s experiences of the last few weeks, he wasn’t ready to give away too much anymore. You never knew who was sitting next to, or near you, on a plane. Up until now, the only people that had an inkling of the importance of the documents he carried were the Swiss librarian, Aimee, Andreas, Julia and himself. Of those, only three of them knew the gravity of the content. He studied Julia’s face, as she looked out the window. He had to admire how someone so innocent and normal was able to hide such an intelligent, clever, and witty intellect. She never ceased to surprise him.

  Time flew along with their aircraft and before long, Matt and Julia walked side by side towards the arrivals lounge. They had cleared European customs in Zurich, so here all they had to do was collect the bags and get to the train station. Matt watched as the gate to the arrivals lounge drew closer to them with each step. His heart raced as they turned the corner through the exits and two uniformed police officers stood in front of them. Different uniforms, same feeling, the second time in two days that Matt was greeted by police.

  ‘Dr. Matthew Cameron?’ The tall, kindly looking policeman asked him as they approached.

  ‘Yes,’ Matthew said with as much calm as he could muster. ‘And this is my colleague, Julia McKenzie.’

  The shorter, plumper of the two officers turned to Julia. ‘Miss McKenzie,’ he said as he extended his hand.

  Julia reached out her hand to shake his but he didn’t take it. The taller officer also turned to Julia now, and continued to speak. ‘Julia McKenzie, you’re under arrest on charges of theft and of conspiracy to induce bodily harm. You do not have to say anything unless you wish to do so, but I must warn you that if you fail to mention any fact which you rely on in your defence in court, your failure to take this opportunity to mention it may be treated in court as supporting any relevant evidence against you. If you do wish to say anything, what you say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?’

  Matt watched Julia crumple. Her normally composed expression was replaced with one of shock and dismay. Unlike him, it was crystal clear that Julia had no indication that this was going to happen. She had been taken completely by surprise, which was exactly how it had to have been. The Interpol police in Zurich had said as much.

  Julia turned to him and stared pleadingly into his eyes. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said. But Julia wasn’t answering the police officers question, she was directly addressing Matt. ‘What have you done?’

  ‘You know what you’ve done.’ Matt blurted the words out, struggling to fight back his emotion. ‘I don’t have to explain myself to you. If anyone has some explaining to do it’s you.’

  With that, Matt turned to his luggage trolley, catching a glimpse at the multitudes of amused onlookers, and quickly composed himself.

  ‘But I have important work to do, Julia. I don’t have time for any more of your games.’ He turned to the officers and nodded, thanking them for their duty.

  With that, the officers farewelled Matt and flanked the soppy mess that Julia now was and walked her towards the terminal exit and the waiting patrol car.

  * * *

  Matt stood and watched, completely struck by the moment, as the three departed looking more like a strange carnival race than three professionals in their fields. The events of the previous day’s visit to the Zurich police station played over in his head.

  Matt was overcome with emotion when he first saw the photo of Warren’s accomplice. After composing himself, he turned to Andreas.

  ‘That’s Sir Alan McKenzie. Julia’s father.’

  Andreas looked miserable. Matt felt it.

  ‘So Julia stole the mirror. She’s been in on this.’ Matt hadn’t said anything more about it. His brain just whirled into top gear.

  Julia had been feeding info to Warren. That’s why Warren suggested he take Julia along. She had been in on it all along. How long? The betrayal went so much deeper than Matt had imagined possible. Had their years of working together all been part of a scam? God, she’s got a copy of the journal, I have to get it back.

  Everything had only come together when Aimee and Hemi caught up with each other to swap notes following his recovery. They had realised that the only person who could have tipped Warren off, if it wasn’t either of them, had to be Julia. After a bit of digging, they found out that Julia’s father, the honourable Sir Alan McKenzie and Warren were the founders of the Clan of Truth. Together, they had plotted to get their hands on more tourist land for the McKenzie empire. Greed had killed Warren Rennie and resulted in Julia’s career being ruined. Matt co
uldn’t begin to imagine how it would affect her when she learned that Warren was dead.

  As he watched Julia stoop into the back seat of the police car, he pinched himself. He was awake alright. The journal existed. He felt it in his satchel, the memory stick too. Yes, this was reality.

  ‘First my mother, then Warren, Aimee, and now Julia. How many people have I put misplaced trust in?’ he muttered to himself, as he gave the trolley a shove to move it from its stationary position off in the direction of the train station.

  CHAPTER

  64

  Rose finally leaned forward and lowered her coffee-cup onto the table. She stared at Matt with a dumbfounded expression.

  ‘I’m so sorry, luv,’ she said. ‘You don’t deserve all the heartache this journey must have caused you.’

  ‘Thanks Rose, still here I am back at home, safe and sound. My favourite landlady and my loyal friend.’ Matt stroked Meridian’s lovely little head and thought perhaps he should go away more often. Meridian practically never settled down on his knees, but right now, there was no moving him from his perch, dribbling and purring in Matt’s lap.

  ‘And you got to meet your father and half-sister, so even though you’ve lost some, you’ve won some too, right?’

  ‘Sure.’ Matt smiled. Typical of Rose to see the best in every situation. ‘I met a girl too.’

  ‘Aimee?’

  ‘How’d you know?’

  ‘Every time you mentioned her, your face lit up.’

  Matt was embarrassed to be so transparent. He had only mentioned Aimee as a companion on his search. The romance had been left out. So had the betrayal. Now he explained the whole situation to Rose.

  ‘Sounds to me like love, Matt. You shouldn’t let go of a chance for love like that. Give it some thought.’

  ‘I know you’re right, Rose. As soon as I get through this journal and sort out a few changes at work, I’ll get in touch with her.’