secret bunker. Meanwhile, Heidi, who knew nothing about the crate of gold, asked a follow-up question. ‘Where did the gold come from?’
Hauser started to address the topic but stopped when a loud crack emerged from his son’s workstation. Everyone glanced in that direction, worried that something important had broken.
Friedrich quickly assured the group that everything was okay. It was merely the sound of the lid being removed from the crate. ‘It’s ready, Papa.’
Hauser reached out his arms. ‘Come, my son. Help me to the case. We shall do this together.’
Even with his son’s assistance, it took a minute for the old man to get off his stool and walk to the counter behind him. By the time he got there, Payne, Jones, Ulster and Heidi had already gathered around the wooden crate. They were more than anxious to see its contents.
While Hauser caught his breath, Friedrich removed the lid from the wooden crate. After a nod of approval from his father, he reached inside. A moment later, he pulled out an elaborate gold case and handed it to Ulster, whose eyes widened with surprise. In all his days, he had never seen anything like it. Inlaid with rubies, emeralds, sapphires and pearls, the case measured slightly less than two feet in width, length and height. In the middle of all six sides, the black swan emblem had been discreetly carved into the gold.
Ulster spoke in a reverent tone. ‘It’s magnificent. It truly is.’
The elder Hauser, who hadn’t seen the case in years, reached out his hand and traced the symbol with one of his crooked fingers. ‘My great uncle built this himself. He worked non-stop for many months using jewels and gold donated to Ludwig’s cause. He had requested the materials via a series of letters.’
‘The black swan letters?’ Heidi asked.
His mind drifting elsewhere, Hauser nodded as he ran his hands down the left and right sides of the case. With his index fingers, he pointed to matching sapphires near the bottom of the cube. ‘To open the case, you must push these jewels at the exact same time. Ludwig loved his secret contraptions, and he chose sapphires to match the colour of the water in the Blue Grotto.’
The old man pushed the jewels.
All of a sudden, a horizontal seam appeared an inch above the bottom of the box. To open it, the top would have to be lifted straight off the base.
Hauser continued his explanation. ‘Ludwig did not want a hinge in the back. He wanted his case to be in two separate pieces: the base and the lid. That way he could display the item in the base without interference from the lid.’
Ulster looked at him. ‘You mean the cube
Hauser shook his head. ‘This merely holds the treasure within.’
Payne and Jones exchanged glances. They found it hard to believe that something more valuable was waiting inside. A few seconds later, their doubts were proven wrong.
Hauser wiped his eyes on his sleeve. ‘As you probably know, Ludwig was a vain man who always wore the finest clothes and robes. Even as a child, he valued beauty above all else. With that in mind, he wanted to look his absolute best when he sat on his throne for the very first time. He wanted to look like the king he had always pictured in his dreams.’
Hauser took a deep breath and lifted the lid off the gold case. For the first time in decades, he stared at his grandfather’s handiwork. It was more beautiful than he had remembered – more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. The group gasped at the sight.
‘To be that king, he needed the finest crown ever made.’
Epilogue
The Hofbrauhaus, the most famous beer hall in Munich’s old town, has its own tent at Oktoberfest. Known as the Hofbrau-Festzelt, it is the largest of the thirty-four tents on the festival grounds, with a total capacity of nearly 10,000 people. During the sixteen-day festival, more than a half-million litres of Hofbrau beer would be served inside, not to mention a million pounds of meat. With many guests dressed in traditional costumes and a Bavarian Oompah band playing on the large stage, it was easy to get caught up in the fun.
As he made his way into the tent, the man spotted Jones at a large wooden table and decided to sneak up behind him. Well aware of Jones’s training, he took no chances with the ex-MANIAC. He patiently waited until Jones set down his mug before he wrapped his arm round his friend’s throat. Then he gave it a friendly squeeze.
Jones glanced back and saw the unmistakable chin of Nick Dial. It was the physical trait that defined him. ‘It’s about time. We were wondering when you’d show up. Or
Dial patted his shoulder. ‘Sorry about my tardiness. But some idiot shot a bunch of people in the grotto at the Linderhof. I had to go check it out.’
Jones grunted. ‘The
Payne, who was sitting across from Jones, stood and shook Dial’s hand. ‘Long time no see. We’re glad you could sneak away – if only for today.’
‘And I’m glad you’re still alive. Seriously, you guys are retired. You need to relax.’
Jones handed him a beer. ‘That’s exactly what we’re doing.’
Dial pulled out his chair. ‘Not to be a downer, but it’s getting harder and harder for me to clean up your messes. My badge can only do so much.’
Payne nodded in understanding. ‘Just say the word, and we’ll quit calling.’
‘And miss invitations like this? Not a chance.’
‘Come on, Nick. You know what I mean.’
Dial nodded. ‘We’re not there yet, but we’re getting closer.’
‘Understood.’
Jones glanced at Dial. ‘Any news on Mueller?’
Dial took a sip of beer. ‘Well, those were definitely his men at the Linderhof. Fingerprints and their arrest records prove it. According to my calculations, you’ve killed ten of his men in the past week. That’s bound to get you noticed.’
‘Define
Dial chose his words carefully. ‘Mueller is a cold, calculating son of a bitch. He isn’t the type of guy who will challenge you to a gunfight at dawn, unless he knows he can win. My guess is he’ll take his time to find out everything he can about you. After that, he’ll come after you with a small army – or a very good assassin. Whatever he thinks will work best.’
Payne scanned the room. ‘Great.’
Dial forced a smile. ‘Don’t worry, it won’t be today. Oktoberfest is far too important to the local economy. If he struck here, the German government would destroy him. No way he would risk his entire organization for two Americans he’s never met. Even assholes like you.’
Jones poured another beer. ‘Good to know.’
‘So,’ Dial said as he noticed two empty chairs at their table, ‘where’s Petr? And didn’t you say something about an attractive blonde who might like handcuffs?’
‘They’ll be here soon. They’re flying in from Switzerland.’
Dial lowered his voice. ‘And what about Kaiser? How’s he doing?’
Payne answered. ‘He’ll live, but he’s pretty pissed off. During the assault, he caught some shrapnel in one of his eyes. The doctors tried to save it, but they weren’t successful.’
Dial winced. ‘I’d be pissed, too, if I lost an eye.’
Payne shook his head. ‘Actually, he can handle losing an eye. It’s the joking that’s got him pissed. We stopped by the hospital to see how he was doing, and DJ playfully called him “Long John Kaiser”. He even brought him a pirate eye patch as a gag.’
Jones grimaced. ‘In retrospect, it was a little too soon.’
Dial laughed at his friend’s antics. ‘If I were you, I’d buy him a gift. A
