The Falcon climbed up into a bright clear sky over the mountains and
headed northwards. A few moments after the pilot extinguished the Seat
Belt panel, Utte Kemper thrust her lovely blonde head through the
cockpit door and asked the chief pilot, 'Herr von Schiller would like to
know our ETA.'
'I expect to touch down at Frankfurt at 2100 hours.
Please inform Herr von Schiller that I have already radioed head office
to give instructions for transport to be awaiting our arrival at the
airport.'
The Falcon landed a few minutes ahead of schedule and taxied to the
private hangar. The senior Customs and Immigration officials who were
waiting for them were old acquaintances who were always on hand when the
Falcon carried a special cargo. After they had completed the formalities
they drank a schnapps with Gotthold von Schiller at the Falcon's tiny
fitted bar, and discreetly pocketed the envelopes that lay on the bar
counter beside each crystal glass.
The drive up into the mountains took most of the rest of the night. Von
Schiller's chauffeur followed the covered Pegasus truck along the icy
winding mountain road, never letting it and its cargo out of sight. At
five in the morning they drove through the stone gate of the Schloss,
where the snow lay half a metre deep in the deer park. The castle
itself, with its dark stone battlements and arrow-slit windows, looked
like something from Bram Stoker's novel.
However, even at this hour the butler and all his staff were on hand to
welcome the master.
Herr Reeper, the custodian of von Schiller's collection, and his most
trusted assistants were also waiting, ready to move the two wooden cases
down into the vault. Reverently they loaded them on to the forklift and
rode down with them in the specially installed elevator.
While they unpacked the crates, von Schiller returned to his suite in
the north tower. He bathed and ate a light breakfast, prepared by the
Chinese chef. When he had eaten, he went to his wife's bedroom. She was
even frailer than she had been when last he had seen her. Her hair was
now completely white, her face pinched and waxy. He sent the nurse away,
and kissed his wife's forehead tenderly.
The cancer was eating her away slowly, but she was the mother of his two
sons, and in his own peculiar way he still loved her.
He spent an hour with her, and then went to his own bedroom and slept
for four hours. At his age he never needed more sleep than that, no
matter how tired he might be. He worked until midafternoon with Utte and
two other secretaries, and then the custodian called on the house
intercom to tell him that they were ready for him in the vault.
Von Schiller and Utte rode down together in the elevator, and when the
door slid open both Herr Reeper and Nahoot were waiting for them. One
look at their faces told von Schiller that they were beside themselves
with excitement, bubbling over with news for him.
'Are the -rays completed?' von Schiller demanded as they hurried after
him down the subterranean passageway to the vault.
'The technicians have completed their work,' Reeper told him. 'They have
