The Secret Crown

‘Why? Because they’re armed, and I know nothing about them.’

‘Fair enough,’ he said. ‘They’re men I’ve used before. Men I trust.’

‘And their backgrounds?’

‘German.’

‘Yeah, I figured that out on my own.’

‘What’s wrong?’ Jones asked.

‘Nothing’s wrong,’ Payne said, forcing a smile. ‘I just wanted to know who we’re dealing with. Better safe, than sorry. Right?’

Jones stared at him, trying to read his expression. ‘And you’re cool?’

Payne nodded, ever so slowly. ‘Yeah, I’m cool.’

‘Great!’ Kaiser exclaimed. ‘Then what are we waiting for? We’re almost there.’

7

While approaching the site, Payne and Jones kept their heads on a swivel. Not only because armed guards were watching their every move, but because the duo still didn’t know what Kaiser had discovered in this desolate stretch of woods. Or exactly why they had been summoned.

For the past twenty-four hours, Kaiser had been less than generous with the details, keeping information to himself for security reasons. Or so he claimed. At first, they were willing to let it slide because of their history with Kaiser. They trusted him and knew he wouldn’t have flown them to Germany for something trivial or illegal. But the longer the mystery lingered, the longer he kept them in the dark about their role, the more suspicious they became.

‘Ten o’clock,’ Payne whispered to Jones. ‘Behind the fallen rocks.’

Jones glanced in that direction and nodded. Although Kaiser’s men were dressed in woodland camouflage – a mixture of greens, browns and black that was perfect for this terrain – Payne and Jones had spotted four guards in less than a minute. An amazing feat in dim light.

‘Unbelievable,’ Kaiser gushed. ‘You found them all.’

‘Not yet,’ Payne said. He pointed to the hillside that overlooked the site. ‘Twelve o’clock, on the ledge. There’s a bird’s nest up there.’

Bird’s nest was military slang for an elevated sniper position.

‘Nice spot,’ Jones said. ‘Good protection, wide field of fire. And high enough to take a nap without the other guards knowing. That’s where I’d set up with a camouflage blanket.’

Kaiser studied the rock face. ‘Sorry. I forgot about him.’

‘Somehow I doubt that. But if you did, it makes me wonder,’ Payne said.

‘About what?’

‘What else you’ve forgotten to tell us.’

Kaiser grimaced when he heard the tone of Payne’s voice. Usually playful, it was now tinged with distrust. ‘Forgotten? Nothing about the site. Omitted? Plenty. But I promise, there’s a method to my madness. Once you see what we’ve discovered, you’ll understand why I brought you here. Not only that, you’re going to thank me for my discretion.’

Payne stared at him. ‘Who’s we?’

Kaiser blinked a few times. ‘Excuse me?’

‘You said we discovered the site. Whom were you talking about?’

‘Come on, Jon. Did you really think I found this place on my own? Look at my stomach. See the way the fat hangs over my belt? Do I look like I climb mountains in my free time?’

‘Not unless they’re made of sausage,’ Jones teased.

Payne rolled his eyes. ‘In that case, who found it?’

‘A friend of the deceased.’

‘And when did you get involved?’

Kaiser explained. ‘As luck should have it, I was notified right after the site was discovered. Due to the embarrassing nature of the hunter’s death – getting crushed by a flying pig – a colleague of mine was paid good money to move the corpse to a secondary location, one that would be more dignified. He made it look as though the hunter died in a fall.’

‘This colleague of yours. Is he your partner?’

Kaiser shook his head. ‘Thankfully, my colleague owed me several favours, so I traded them for the rights to the site. Personally, I think it was a bargain.’

‘Do you trust this guy?’ Payne asked.

‘Not completely, but I have enough dirt on him to guarantee his silence.’

Payne agreed. ‘Sometimes that’s better than trust.’

Kaiser read between the lines, trying to remain calm. ‘Listen, I understand your frustration. I truly do. You’ve come all this way, and I’ve been stonewalling you the entire time. But I promise, that’s about to change. Give me five minutes – just five more minutes. That’s all I need. After that, everything will make sense. My secrecy, your involvement, everything!’

‘It’d better, or we’re leaving,’ Payne warned him.

Kaiser smiled, hoping to lighten the mood. ‘Trust me, Jon. What you’re about to see will convince you to stay. I guarantee it.’

Payne glanced at his watch and noted the time. More than twenty-four hours had passed since Kaiser’s initial call. Since then, he and Jones had travelled nearly 4,500 miles from Pittsburgh to Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. And now, under the vigilant watch of five armed guards, the duo had followed a smuggler up the side of Zugspitze, yet they didn’t know why. In many ways, it was exhilarating.

‘You’ve got five minutes. Lead the way.’

Kaiser did as he was told, leading them into the natural cul-de-sac where the boar had been killed. The area didn’t seem special in any way, except for the large hole in the forest floor. For safety’s sake, the perimeter had been marked with several wooden posts and a bright yellow rope. With a buffer zone of ten feet, the rope formed a semi-circle with the rock face on the far side of the hole.

‘What do you think?’ Kaiser asked.

Jones crouched and examined the boundary. ‘I like the rope. Is this nylon?’

‘I meant about the site.’

Payne scrunched his face. ‘This is the site?’

‘Technically, it’s the entrance to the site, but what do you think?’

Payne paused, searching for words. ‘It looks like a hole.’

‘Well, it is a hole. But a hole in what?’

Payne guessed. ‘The ground.’

Kaiser shook his head. ‘Actually, it’s a hole in the roof.’

Jones stood, confused. ‘The roof of what?’

‘A secret bunker,’ Kaiser replied. ‘As far as I can tell, the ground collapsed from the weight of the pig. I’m telling you, it’s a massive sucker. At least six hundred pounds.’

Jones whistled. ‘That’s a big pig.’

‘Unfortunately you’ll get to see it – and smell it. It’s way too big to lift by hand. We’ll need a winch to move all that meat.’

Jones grinned. ‘I dated a girl who said the same thing about me.’

Kaiser ignored the comment. ‘Obviously I can get you anything you need. But extra equipment means extra workers and at this stage of the game, I felt privacy was more important.’

Payne smiled. ‘Same old Kaiser. Still loving your privacy.’

Kaiser corrected him. ‘Not my privacy, your privacy. I’m doing this for you.’

‘For me?’ Payne asked.

‘For all of you.’

Although he wanted Kaiser to explain himself, Payne figured it would be a waste of time. Why settle for an ambiguous response when they were this close to learning the truth? On multiple occasions, Kaiser had said everything would make sense once they saw the contents of the site so it seemed foolish