The Secret Crown

the swan go?’

Jones shrugged. ‘In the front?’

‘Exactly! The swan would go in the front, or else it couldn’t pull the boat.’

Jones, who was doing his best to ignore Payne and Ulster, pointed at the boat. ‘But I don’t see a swan. I see a fat-ass cupid.’

She nodded. ‘Which is the problem I mentioned earlier. Why would Ludwig build an exact replica of the Swan Knight’s boat in his private grotto but omit the most important part? He wouldn’t – unless the added feature was more important than a swan.’

Suddenly excited, Jones turned towards Payne and smacked him in the back of the head. ‘Are you listening to this?’

Payne’s laughter stopped immediately. ‘Listening to what?’

‘I figured the riddle out yesterday, and you guys made fun of me.’

Payne stared at him. ‘What are you talking about?’

Jones refreshed their memories. ‘Petr said Ludwig had hidden the secret document in his gartenhaus, and I said I had done the same thing while crossing the Afghan border. Remember?’

Payne nodded. ‘What’s your point?’

Always the showman, Jones used his hands to explain the process. ‘According to Heidi, Ludwig took his secret document and stuffed it right up cupid’s gartenhaus. Probably did it in the dark while listening to opera.’

She blushed at his description. ‘I never said that.’

‘That’s because you’re a lady. But that’s what you meant, right?’

‘Not at all! I simply think the document is inside the cherub.’

‘Yeah,’ Jones said, still pleading his case, ‘which is what I said yesterday. The secret document is inside the cupid’s – wink, wink – cherub.’

Payne rolled his eyes at Jones’s antics. His friend would do just about anything to avoid being wrong. ‘As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care who solved the riddle. The only thing that matters is what happens next. How do we retrieve the document?’

Ulster made a suggestion. ‘Why don’t we pull the boat over and examine it from shore?’

Heidi shook her head. ‘We can’t. It’s on a metal stand to keep it from rotting.’

Ulster squatted and stared at the lake. For the first time, he realized the boat was being held just above the surface of the water. ‘Now I feel foolish. I didn’t even notice the stand.’

‘No one does,’ she admitted.

Payne studied the lake. ‘How deep is the water out there?’

‘Thigh-high at most. Back in Ludwig’s day, he used to invite opera singers to perform on this side of the grotto. Once they arrived, he made them sing while standing in the water.’

‘Why is that?’ Ulster wondered.

She pointed to the alcove at the far end of the lake. It depicted a scene from one of Wagner’s operas. ‘He used the mural as their backdrop. It helped set the mood for their performance.’

Ulster chuckled. ‘He really was an interesting chap.’

‘Wasn’t he? I’ve been a fan of his for a very long time.’

Payne cleared his throat to get their attention. ‘As far as I’m concerned, we have two viable options. If you want, I can hop in the lake, rip cupid off the boat, and bring it to shore …’

She shuddered at the thought. ‘Or?’

‘Or you can wade over there and examine it yourself.’

She shook her head. ‘I vote for option three.’

‘Which is?’

She poked him in the chest. ‘You get in the water, and I climb on your shoulders. Then you walk me over there like a tamed hippopotamus.’

Jones laughed. ‘I vote for that one.’

Ulster nodded. ‘Me, too. It’s the chivalrous thing to do.’

‘Screw chivalry. I want to see Jon treated like a hippo,’ Jones cracked.

Payne shrugged. He was more than willing to take one for the team. Before climbing into the lake, he took off his shoes and emptied his pockets. He set everything on the path near a fake stalagmite, then stepped over the safety rail where Heidi was waiting for him.

‘How do you want to do this?’ he asked.

‘You step in, then I’ll climb on,’ she replied.

Unsure of the water’s depth, Payne sat on the stone ledge that surrounded the lake and slowly submerged his feet. The water was cold, but bearable. The underwater lights and the reflection of the colourful mural on the rippling surface prevented him from seeing the bottom, but he sensed it wasn’t very deep. Five seconds later, he was sure of it. Hopping in with both feet, the water stopped just above his knees. ‘Now it’s your turn. Climb aboard.’

‘Are you sure? The water’s less than three feet deep. I can walk in that.’

He pointed at the boat. ‘Even if you do, you’re still going to need a lift to examine cupid. The front of the boat is taller than I am.’

Jones glanced at his watch. ‘Come on, guys. We’re pressed for time.’

She nodded and climbed onto his shoulders. ‘Don’t let me fall.’

Payne wrapped his hands around her calves. ‘Don’t worry, I got ya.’

The boat was sitting ten feet away from the shore, a distance he could cover in a few long strides. On his third step, Payne felt the pinch of an electrical cable under his foot. He was startled by its presence. Until that moment, he hadn’t even considered the possibility of electrocution. Now he couldn’t get it out of his mind. The thought of being fried in an artificial lake wasn’t a pleasant one. For an ex-soldier like Payne, it would be an embarrassing way to go.

‘A little further,’ she said as she reached for the statue. ‘Okay, stop!’

Although she had worked at Linderhof for two years, this was the first time she had ever examined the wooden statue from close range. Approximately two feet in height, the cupid sat perched on the front lip of the boat. His right knee was bent up and his left leg was positioned down, as if he was struggling to balance himself on the choppy lake. He grasped a bow with his left hand and an arrow with his right. His head was tilted slightly in an effort to aim. On his back, he had a pair of wings and a full quiver of arrows. The craftsmanship was truly remarkable.

‘What should I do?’ she whispered.

Payne tried to look up at the statue. When he did, the back of his head dug into her stomach. It felt soft and firm at the exact same time. ‘Sorry, I can’t see anything from down here. How is the statue attached?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Is it nailed in place, or is it screwed on? Maybe you can unscrew it like a hood ornament.’

She leaned in for a closer look. ‘I’m pretty sure it’s glued. I think I see adhesive.’

‘Knock on it. Does it sound solid?’

Afraid to damage it, she put her ear against it and tapped on it softly. To her, it sounded like a wooden cookie jar. ‘It’s hollow!’

Payne squeezed her calves in celebration. ‘Great! Now we’re getting somewhere.’

‘Now what?’ she demanded.

Jones called out from shore. ‘Look for a lever or a button.’

She glanced back at him, confused. ‘What?’

‘The boulder outside was held in place by a hidden latch. Maybe cupid has one, too.’

She smiled. ‘Good idea. Ludwig loved his secrets.’

The most obvious option was cupid’s arrow since it was aimed directly at her face. She grabbed it and tried to wiggle it, but the arrow held firm. Next she tried to twist his bow. Then she tried his arms and legs. All of them were secure. To examine the back of the statue, she asked Payne if he could move around to the far side of the boat. A few steps later, she was inspecting cupid’s quiver, which was full of arrows. She went through them, one at