Mueller smiled for the first time that morning. ‘Wonderful! Just wonderful! Good thinking on your part. I should have thought of that myself.’
His assistant beamed. ‘Thank you, sir.’
‘What else do you have for me?’
‘Our source mentioned another thing, although he wasn’t sure if we would care. He said it was rather unusual for this type of case, so he thought he should mention it.’
Mueller sipped his coffee. ‘What’s that?’
‘He said Interpol was actively involved in the case.’
Mueller laughed. ‘Of course they’re involved in the case. Those pricks follow me wherever I go, hoping I screw up in public so they can arrest me for jaywalking or some other nonsense. I’m sure they do the same thing with Kaiser.’
‘Actually, sir, our source wasn’t surprised they were involved. He was surprised
Mueller winced. ‘You mean they were cops?’
‘No, sir. If they were cops, the police would have notified Interpol – not the other way around.’
‘Not if they were Austrian cops. Maybe they tracked Kaiser’s crew across the border. It’s only a few miles away from Garmisch.’
‘You’re right, sir. I guess that’s a possibility. But …’
Mueller glared at him. ‘But what?’
‘Our contact thinks otherwise because of the source of the information. It didn’t come from a local agency. It came from Interpol headquarters.’
58
Jones wasn’t the type of guy who stood on the sidelines. He got his thrills by being in the action, not by watching it. Frustrated by Heidi’s lack of success, he kicked off his shoes and climbed into the artificial lake. The entire time he was wading through the water, he mumbled under his breath, ‘They think they’re so damn smart, just because they solved a riddle about a bird. I figured out the goddamn boulder. I used a piece of meat to jump out of a chopper. I’m a licensed fuckin’ detective. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna be beat by a stupid cupid with a boat up its ass.’
Payne grinned when Jones leapt into the water. He knew his friend better than anyone and was surprised it had taken him so long to hop in. ‘What are you doing?’
‘What do you think I’m doing? I’m saving your ass!’
‘But we don’t need your help.’
Jones trudged forward through the water. ‘It sure looks like you do.’
Payne glanced up at Heidi and winked. ‘Believe it or not, I’ve had my head between a woman’s thighs before. No complaints so far.’
She blushed and playfully smacked his cheek.
Jones continued his rant. ‘While you guys are frolicking in the grotto, time is ticking away. The gates open at nine. We need to be out of here before the tourists arrive.’
‘And what are you going to do that she couldn’t?’ Payne asked.
Jones stopped near the side of the boat. Although the cockleshell was tall in the stern and the bow, it dipped down in the middle. The entire craft was supported just above the waterline by a metal stand. To see how sturdy it was, he grabbed the stand and pulled on it. ‘It’s not a question of ability. It’s a question of desire. I’m willing to do things that Heidi isn’t.’
She glared at him. ‘Such as?’
He smiled. ‘I’m willing to piss off Bavaria.’
Without saying another word, Jones sprang out of the water and landed on his knees in the belly of the boat. It rocked from side to side on its stand, a combination of Jones’s weight and the surge of water that followed his leap, but the boat held firm.
Heidi gasped in horror. ‘I can’t believe you did that.’
‘And I can’t believe you didn’t,’ Jones argued. ‘It’s a goddamn boat. Not a Faberge egg. If you’re gonna roll with us, you have to break some rules.’
She looked down at Payne. ‘Jon?’
‘Hey, don’t look at me. I’m just a tamed hippo. You tell me where to go, and I take you there. Other than that, I’m staying out of this.’
Heidi fumed, but there was nothing she could do. Jones was already in the boat, and he wasn’t going to leave until he wanted to. ‘Fine! But be careful. This boat is an antique.’
Jones flashed an evil grin. ‘Don’t worry! I’m not going to break anything – unless I feel it’s absolutely necessary.’
She started to complain, but Payne assured her that he was kidding.
Meanwhile, Jones went to work on the statue. Not willing to trust Heidi’s opinion, he put his ear against the cupid and knocked on it a few times. To him, it sounded hollow. Next, he took a minute to examine the cupid for a hidden seam which was how he had found the secret entrance outside. He had spotted a crack next to the boulder and followed it to the latch. He figured the same method might work here. Using his flashlight for extra light, he studied the statue until he noticed a suspicious ridge just below the back of cupid’s head.
Heidi saw his expression change. ‘Did you find something?’
‘Maybe. There’s a seam back here.’
She leaned forward on Payne’s shoulders. ‘I noticed that, too. I tried twisting his head and moving his quiver of arrows, but nothing happened.’
Jones stared at the figure, trying to view it from Ludwig’s perspective. Where would the infamous Swan King put a secret lever on a statue of cupid? A few seconds later, Jones was beaming like a lottery winner. ‘I think I got it.’
‘Got what?’ Heidi demanded.
‘The guy had a hard-on for swans.’
‘So?’
Jones studied the back of the statue. ‘What do swans and cupids have in common?’
Pushing gently, Jones applied downward pressure on the cupid’s wings. Much to Heidi’s surprise, they slid a few inches down its back. Inside the statue, a latch clicked into place, which opened a secret compartment between the cupid’s head and his quiver of arrows.
She gasped with surprise.
Wasting no time, Jones lifted his flashlight and stared into the hollow centre. He spotted a sealed envelope that had been folded into thirds. Much to his chagrin, his hand was too large to reach inside and grab it. ‘Son of a bitch!’
‘What’s wrong?’ Ulster called from shore.
‘There’s something inside, but my hand is too big,’ Jones replied.
Payne made a suggestion. ‘Let Heidi try.’
To prove her worth, she showed her hands to Jones. Her fingers were long and slender. Without tweezers or tongs, she was the group’s best hope. ‘I promise I won’t take all the credit.’
Jones smiled. ‘Fine! But be careful. This boat’s an antique.’
She giggled at his comment, appreciating how he used the very words she had spoken against her. ‘Okay, hippo, I need you to get me closer.’
‘Not a problem.’ Payne slid his hands down her calves and put them under her feet. From that position, he was able to boost her completely off his shoulders, much like a cheerleader being lifted in the air. ‘Is that better?’
‘That’s perfect! Now hold me steady.’ She reached inside the tiny compartment and clasped the envelope between two fingers. ‘Got it!’
Ulster shouted a warning. ‘Careful, my dear, it’s liable to be brittle! There’s no telling what a hundred years of moisture might have done to the parchment!’
She smiled at Jones. ‘Don’t worry. I’m more gentle than DJ.’
