The Secret Crown

joined the others.

‘You’re the owner?’ Payne asked.

‘One of them. My name is Friedrich Hauser.’

Payne introduced his group. ‘I’m Jon. This is David, Petr and Heidi.’

Hauser nodded. ‘Nice to meet you. How may I be of service?’

Payne took a step back. ‘DJ, the floor is yours.’

Hauser smiled and waited for an explanation.

Jones took over. ‘We found something from your store, and we were hoping you could give us some additional information about its owner.’

Hauser arched his eyebrow. ‘Let me guess: you found a ring! People lose them all the time. Thankfully, we keep wonderful records. Can you describe the piece?’

Jones shook his head. ‘No, not a ring. We found a document.’

‘A document? I don’t understand.’

Ulster pointed at one of the display cases. ‘May we show you?’

Hauser nodded and walked to the opposite side of the case while Jones placed the receipt on the freshly cleaned glass. Over the next several seconds, the group watched in silence as Hauser inspected the antique document. Strangely, he seemed to go through a wide range of emotions in a short period of time – confusion, followed by excitement and finally trepidation. Meanwhile, his body went on a similar journey. Gone was the relaxed posture of a moment before, replaced by the rigid stance of a prison guard.

His eyes narrowed to slits. ‘Where did you get this?’

Jones answered. ‘We found it in a desk.’

‘Whose desk?’

‘For the time being, I’d rather not say.’

Hauser grimaced and returned his attention to the document. It was painfully obvious that he knew what he was looking at, yet something prevented him from admitting it. Payne was tempted to go on the offensive and question him, but before he had a chance, Hauser looked at him directly. ‘May I take this into the back? I’d like to show it to my father.’

Payne shook his head. ‘Actually, we’d prefer if he came out here and talked to us in person. We’d love to meet him.’

‘That will be difficult. He doesn’t move around very well.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that, but we go where the receipt goes. If you’d like, we’re more than willing to visit him. Just lead the way.’

Hauser stared at the document and sighed, the weight of the world on his shoulders. He looked like a man who truly didn’t know what he was supposed to do. ‘Wait right here. I’ll see which my father would prefer. In the meantime, can one of you lock the main door?’

‘Why?’ Heidi asked.

‘Whichever he decides, this matter should be handled in private.’

Payne nodded. ‘You talk to your father; we’ll get the lock.’

Hauser went into the back while Heidi took care of the door. Meanwhile, Payne, Jones and Ulster tried to figure out what was going on.

Jones whispered. ‘Did you see Hauser’s face? The guy was scared – almost as though I’d handed him a ransom note. If this receipt says “give me your money” in Bavarian, we’re fucked.’

Payne shook his head. ‘That wasn’t fear. That was anxiety. He’s nervous about something. For the time being, I think it would be best if we spread out in the store.’

‘Why’s that?’ Ulster wondered.

‘If he comes back with a shotgun, I don’t want to be an easy target.’

‘Are you serious?’

Payne shrugged half-heartedly. ‘Kind of, but not really. It’s obvious we’ve stumbled onto something important. Until we know what that is, I think it’s best if we take precautions.’

‘Like what?’ Heidi asked.

‘Like spreading out in the store.’

Jones moved first, grabbing a defensive position near the front door, while Heidi and Ulster went to opposite corners. Meanwhile, Payne stood off to the right where he had a clear view of the entire room. From there, he could see everything and control the action.

Five minutes later, Hauser emerged from the back. Although his hands were weapon-free, he was armed with a question – one that would determine what happened next. He spotted Payne off to the side and walked in his direction, sensing he was the leader of this group. Hauser stopped a few feet in front of him and lowered his voice to a whisper.

‘My father,’ he said, ‘is nearly a hundred years old. During his lifetime, he has suffered through two world wars and the death of his entire generation. In the last decade, he has buried the love of his life and two of my sisters, so the man has endured far more than most. Because of that, I’m willing to respect his wishes – even in situations that I don’t fully understand.’

Payne stared at Hauser, trying to figure out where this was going. ‘What does any of that have to do with us?’

‘I spoke to my father about the receipt, and, well, to be perfectly honest, he got upset.’

‘Upset?’

Hauser nodded. ‘He said he didn’t have the strength to talk to you. Unless …’

‘Unless, what?’

‘Unless you can answer a question.’

Intrigued by the whispering, Ulster crept closer. ‘What’s the question?’

Hauser sighed. ‘That’s the thing. It isn’t even a question. It’s more like a statement that you’re supposed to finish. If you finish it correctly, my father will speak to you. If not, I’m supposed to escort you from the store.’

Ulster welcomed the challenge. ‘Such fun! What’s the statement?’

‘Yeah,’ Heidi said as she approached, ‘what’s the statement?’

Hauser took a deep breath, then whispered the words his father had told him to say. ‘He who holds the key …’

The group answered in unison. ‘Gets to wear the crown.’

Hauser blinked a few times, stunned. ‘That’s correct. How did you … ?’ His voice trailed off as he thought about the past few years with his father. They had been more than difficult. ‘Do you know what? It doesn’t even matter. I’m just glad someone knew what he was talking about. He’s been babbling about your receipt for ever. Until today, I thought maybe it was a figment of his imagination. I’m thrilled to know it wasn’t.’

Payne cut to the chase. ‘Does this mean we can talk to him?’

Hauser answered cryptically. ‘Not only that, it means you get to open the case.’

‘What case?’ Jones demanded.

Hauser smiled. ‘You’ll find out soon enough.’

70

Hauser led the group into the stockroom at the rear of the store. To their right was a walk-in vault that protected the most valuable merchandise at Hauser amp; Sons and any currency that had been collected during the course of the week. To their left was a small office filled with a desk, chair, computer, printer and three filing cabinets. Everything was simple and clean.

‘Where’s your father?’ Payne asked as his eyes darted from side to side, looking for danger. While he walked, he kept his hand near his gun. ‘I thought he was back here.’

Hauser glanced over his shoulder. ‘He’s in his workshop, which is in the rear corner of the building. We put it back there so the noise wouldn’t disturb the customers.’

Jones whispered. ‘If he’s chained up and making sneakers, we’re going to set him free.’

Hauser didn’t hear the joke. ‘I wanted him to retire years ago, but he says work is the only thing keeping him going. If that’s the case, he can stay here as long as he wants.’

Heidi asked, ‘What kind of work?’