‘This Krause, where was he found?’
‘He was shot at the ski stadium.’
‘Not on the mountain?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Any witnesses?’
‘Our contact doesn’t know. He’s still trying to find out.’
Mueller nodded. ‘What about the other victim? Another friend of Krueger’s?’
‘I hope not, sir.’
Mueller glared at him. He wasn’t in the mood for games. ‘What does
The assistant gulped. ‘Sorry, sir. As far as we know, he’s not connected to Krueger. The guy’s name was Collins. He was found on a hiking trail above the Partnach Gorge. According to several witnesses, a small caravan of soldiers was ambushed at an intersection. Collins was one of the casualties.’
‘Collins was a soldier?’
‘No, sir. He was a criminal dressed in camouflage.’
‘Camouflage? What was he doing?’
‘I don’t know, sir.’
‘What kind of criminal?’
‘Collins was a hired thug.’
Mueller stroked his chin. ‘But he
‘No, sir.’
‘Can we connect him to Ulster?’
‘No, sir, we can’t. But we
‘Who?’
‘According to our source, Collins worked for Kaiser.’
Fuelled by a wave of anger, Mueller cursed for the next ten seconds. No one made his blood boil like Kaiser. More than competitors, they were rivals. Bitter, bloodthirsty rivals. In the world of smuggling, Kaiser was the old guard and Mueller was the new. As long as both were alive, neither could feel safe. ‘Collins worked for Kaiser? Was Kaiser there?’
‘I don’t know, sir.’
‘That’s not good enough!’ he shouted. ‘We need to know if Kaiser was there!’
The assistant nodded. ‘Sir, our source is checking. Unfortunately, the local police are overwhelmed at the moment. In addition to the shootout, there was a major fire on one of the mountains. Right now they’re stretched pretty thin.’
‘A fire? What kind of fire? Was it connected to the shootings?’
‘I don’t know, sir. Our source doesn’t know.’
Mueller swore some more, this time in multiple languages. Something major was going on in Garmisch- Partenkirchen, and he was on the outside looking in. Unfortunately, because of the increased police presence in the region, he couldn’t risk a visit himself. Instead, he’d have to work his network of contacts from his office in Berlin to find out what was going on.
If Kaiser and Ulster had a connection, he would find it.
And then he would sever it.
54
Linderhof Palace is located six miles west of the village of Ettal, not far from Ettal Abbey, a fourteenth- century Benedictine monastery that used to be a popular pilgrimage stop. From the window of Ulster’s chopper, Payne and Jones could see the abbey’s towering baroque dome in the distance. Covered in dew, it glistened in the early-morning sun.
Following Heidi’s instructions, Baptiste landed the chopper in a large clearing on the east side of the Linderhof grounds. The gates didn’t officially open until 9 a.m., but Heidi had called one of her friends on the security staff, who had given her permission to come an hour early since she had worked there for two years and was employed by the Bavarian Palace Department. The guard greeted her with a hug, then handed her the keys to a four-person golf cart parked nearby. Normally used to ferry elderly people around the spacious grounds, the cart would save them a lot of travel time as they made their way to the north end of the park.
Heidi and Ulster sat in the front seat while Payne and Jones sat in the back. As she drove, she provided some background information on the castle. ‘Ludwig was fascinated by the Palace of Versailles in France and copied many of its interior features, including the main staircase and the master bedroom. The exterior of the castle resembles Petit Trianon, a small chateau in the grounds of Versailles that was given to Marie Antoinette by King Louis XVI.’
She followed a narrow, stone path through a thick grove of trees. When they emerged on the far side, they caught a quick glimpse of the castle, which was built at the bottom of a gently sloping valley. Much smaller than Payne had imagined, the marble building was less than 100 feet in length. It was surrounded by several fountains, including one that shot water over seventy feet in the air. He was about to ask a question about the golden statue in its centre, but before he had a chance, Heidi turned to the right and started driving north.
A moment later, the cart was swallowed by shadows as it entered the mouth of the longest arbour Payne had ever seen. Hundreds of arching metal poles had been planted into the ground, approximately one foot apart on both sides of the steep path. The poles were connected by several horizontal rails, which formed a series of one- foot squares that functioned as a trellis. Over the years, dozens of trees had been trained to grow over the extensive framework. The resulting tunnel – a combination of vines, leaves and branches – shielded them from the sun and blocked their view of water steps on their left that flowed towards the ornate castle behind them.
Ulster admired the vegetation. ‘Is this the
She nodded. ‘We entered it from the east. It arches all the way up to a music pavilion on top of the hill before it arches back down to the western side of the grounds. When viewed from the palace windows, the arbour looks like a green rainbow on the hillside.’
Payne leaned forward. ‘And what does the arbour have to do with swans?’
‘Nothing,’ she admitted as they reached a fork in the path.
‘Then I’m confused. I thought
The arbour continued to arch gently around to the left while an uncovered trail veered off to the right. This new trail went straight up the hill towards the north. She made the turn before she answered his question. ‘It did help me solve the riddle. Back in Ludwig’s time,
‘What’s your point?’ Payne asked.
‘My point is simple,’ she said as she drove up the steep path, ‘there’s more than one man-made garden on the Linderhof grounds. The one we’re going to was Ludwig’s personal favourite. It’s called the Venus Grotto.’
‘Does it have swans?’ Jones wondered.
She smiled as she parked their cart next to a large rock formation that was covered in green moss. ‘The Venus Grotto has
Payne climbed out of his seat and stared at the spacious grounds. The approach of autumn had splashed the trees with a vibrant mix of colours. Everywhere he looked, he saw reds and yellows, oranges and gold, all mixed against a palette of greens. If the Venus Grotto was half as impressive as the leaves around him, he would be pleasantly surprised.
‘Is it much of a hike?’ Payne asked.
She shook her head. ‘Not at all.’
‘Then what are we waiting for?’
