The Secret of Excalibur

‘You think the Nazis took the sword?’ Mitchell asked.

‘Why not? It fits with what Nina’s friend told her.’

‘It used to be part of Bernd’s work as a historian,’ Nina realised. ‘Of course! He would already have the information he needed. The Nazis kept paperwork on everything. The German government’ll still have those records - hell, they’ve probably been computerised by now! We just need to find anything concerning the castle -’ she glanced in the direction of the fort beyond the village - ‘and follow the trail from there, see what comes up around southern Germany.’

Mitchell looked thoughtful. ‘We’ll be able to get access to the German records via the State Department. We can use the satellite link on the plane.’

Nina regarded the memorial again, then looked at Chase, impressed. ‘Go on, you can say it,’ he said, grinning broadly.

‘Okay, I admit it - you’re pretty great. Sometimes . . .’

The computer aboard the Gulfstream revealed the information Nina was after even more quickly than she had hoped. The German government database was clearly extremely efficient.

‘Well, whaddya know?’ she said, reading her discoveries off the screen to Chase and Mitchell. ‘Peter’s castle was actually used as the local SS headquarters during the war. That’s why it needed rebuilding - the Allies and the local partisans shelled it during the assault on the island. But the SS commandant had already cleared out, and it seems he left with a lot more stuff than he arrived with. Maybe he took the sword with him as well.’

‘Where did he go?’ Mitchell asked.

‘Austria. It looks like a lot of looted treasure from the Mediterranean and the Aegean went through there on its way back to Berlin. The commandant took over another SS regional headquarters. A place called Staumberg Castle.’

‘A castle, eh?’ said Chase. ‘Just like your friend said.’

‘Right. And get this - it’s less than sixty miles from Munich. I’d call that “surprisingly close to home” from Bernd’s perspective. Worth checking out?’

‘Definitely,’ said Mitchell. ‘But where do we go first - there, or the Middle East?’

Nina rested her chin on her hands, thinking. ‘We’ve got nothing to go on in the Holy Land apart from the name of the man who killed Peter of Koroneou. The longer we leave it before we go there, the more time it’ll take us to find anything out - and the Russians might already have got the location from Bernd’s notes.’

‘So we go to Jordan first,’ Mitchell decided. ‘I’ll make the arrangements.’

‘What about the castle?’ asked Chase. ‘What if the Russians go there first?’

‘They won’t know what to look for,’ realised Nina. ‘Bernd said the owner refused to let him search the place.’

‘Yeah, but even if they don’t know, we don’t know where to look either.’ Chase looked thoughtful. ‘Unless we get somebody to do some research while we’re in Jordan.’

‘Let me guess,’ said Nina. ‘You know an attractive woman in Austria who can help us.’

‘Actually, no.’

‘Really? I’m surprised.’

He grinned. ‘But I know one in Switzerland.’

Nina sighed. ‘I’m not surprised.’

Mitchell regarded him dubiously. ‘This whole operation’s classified, remember. I’d prefer not to get anyone else involved if I can avoid it - especially not civilians.’

‘Don’t worry, you can trust her. Besides, we don’t have to tell her anything about this earth energy business.’

‘But you’ll need to warn her about the Russians,’ Nina said. ‘What if they turn up while she’s there?’

‘Don’t worry!’ Chase repeated. ‘All she needs to do is check the place out and see if she can persuade the owner to see us, then wait for us to get back from Jordan. There’s no way I’m going to ask her to do anything dangerous.’ He frowned slightly. ‘Although knowing Mitzi, she’ll probably want to do it anyway.’

8

Switzerland

After the State Department jet landed at Zurich airport the following morning, rather than heading for the city itself Mitchell drove another waiting SUV up into the surrounding mountains, guided by its satellite navigation system to where Chase’s friend Mitzi Fontana had agreed to meet them. Surprisingly, it turned out to be nothing but a steep alpine pasture . . . which was playing host to a very unusual sporting event.

‘What the hell are they doing?’ Nina asked, regarding the scene in amazement - and not a little worry for the health of the participants.

Chase let out a disbelieving chuckle. ‘I told you she’d want to do something dangerous. But bloody hell, this is something new.’

Stretched across the bottom of the pasture was a high net, a white paper tape running between two poles a few metres in front of it. Beyond that, a rough path of flattened grass wound about a hundred metres up the bumpy hill to a relatively level area where the competitors were waiting. It was a racecourse, but those taking part were neither on foot nor in any kind of vehicle. Instead, they were strapped inside giant inflatable spheres resembling transparent golf balls.

Chase couldn’t see Mitzi among the spectators, so wasn’t the least bit surprised when he saw that one of the first two contestants had long blond hair. ‘Oh, Christ,’ he moaned as a man yelled out a countdown from three in German.

‘She’s in a ball?’ Nina asked nervously.

‘She’s in a ball.’

‘Go!’ the man shouted. The plastic bubbles began to roll down the hill, picking up speed with alarming rapidity. As far as Chase could tell the occupants had absolutely no control - they were just along for the ride, whirling around like clothes in a tumble dryer as the balls bounced off bumps, boulders and even each other.

It was over in about fifteen seconds, Mitzi’s sphere breaking the paper tape just ahead of the other ball and careering onwards into the net, rolling up into the air before dropping back to earth and coming to a stop. People hurried over to hold the spheres steady as the occupants unstrapped themselves and slithered out. The defeated racer, a scrawny young man with a goatee beard, immediately slumped to the grass, while Mitzi managed to stand, if rather unsteadily. She spotted Chase and the others standing nearby and waved excitedly, only to wobble and almost fall backwards before someone supported her.

‘I’ll give your friend this,’ said Mitchell, ‘she makes one hell of an entrance.’

They walked over to her. Nina realised that the curvaceous and pretty blonde was somewhat younger than any of Chase’s other international ‘girlfriends’, only in her early twenties. ‘Eddie!’ Mitzi cried, beaming broadly as they approached and hurrying, still a little off balance, to embrace him.

‘Hi, Mitzi!’ Chase replied enthusiastically. ‘Steady on,’ he added as she kissed him full on the lips. ‘Don’t want to make my fiancee jealous.’

Still hugging Chase, Mitzi looked round at Nina. ‘Hello. You’re engaged to Eddie? Congratulations! And congratulations on discovering Atlantis, too. I read the article about you in Time.’ She released Chase, then regarded him questioningly. ‘You were hardly even mentioned! What happened?’

‘Ah, I’m not bothered - fame’s not really my thing,’ said Chase with a dismissive shrug. ‘Now fortune, I wouldn’t mind that!’ Mitzi giggled.

Introductions were made, then Chase glanced at the inflatable spheres, which were being lifted on to large hoop-shaped trolleys to be winched back up the hill. ‘So what’s all this?’

‘It’s called Zorbing,’ Mitzi told him. ‘It’s a lot of fun.’

Chase grunted. ‘Looks like a load of balls to me.’

Mitzi giggled again. ‘So what brings you to Switzerland? You know I’ll always do anything to help you. Even though you’re now off the market.’ She smiled at Nina. ‘You’re very lucky.’

‘Yeah, sometimes I think so,’ said Nina, noting with amusement that Chase actually seemed faintly