The Secret Crown

by Chris Kuzneski

  ‘Why do you say that?’ Jones wondered.

  ‘Everything is written in Bavarian, except for one item that is labelled in Italian. It says Grotta Azzurra.’

  ‘What does that mean?’ Payne asked.

  Heidi’s face lit up. ‘The Blue Grotto.’

  Payne stared at her. ‘Are you familiar with it?’

  She nodded, obviously excited. ‘The Blue Grotto is a famous sea cave in Capri. Sunlight passes through an underwater cavern that reflects the light into the cave. It makes the whole cavern glow an eerie shade of blue. Ludwig was fascinated by its beauty.’

  Payne sensed there was more information to come. ‘And?’

  She smiled. ‘And Ludwig built a replica in this grotto.’

  Ulster laughed with delight. ‘Can you show us where?’

  Heidi led the way. They hustled to the landing near the artificial waterfall, which had been turned off for several minutes. With a grin on her face, she told them to stay put while she headed for the hidden control panel.

  Payne objected. ‘Not this shit again.’

  ‘No tricks, I promise.’

  ‘Then what are you doing?’

  She started flipping switches. ‘Obviously, there’s no sunlight down here. In order to reproduce the Blue Grotto, the builders had to install a special light under the water. Keep your eyes on the sea cave on the far side of the lake.’

  ‘Where’s the sea cave?’ Jones asked, a split-second before an alcove on the opposite side of the lake turned a brilliant shade of light blue. ‘Never mind.’

  To produce the effect, a stone archway had been built just above the surface of the water. The curved gap between the stone and lake was so narrow that Jones had assumed it was a shadow on the base of the wall instead of an opening. But now that the blue light was on, he was able to see the arched gap above the water.

  Heidi reappeared beside them. ‘Pretty, isn’t it?’

  Payne nodded. ‘Believe it or not, I think I’ve seen pictures of the actual cave. As soon as you turned on the light, the image popped into my mind.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. It really is quite famous. And the designers did a wonderful job.’

  Jones stared across the lake. It looked vaguely familiar to him, too. ‘That’s all well and good, but what are we supposed to do now?’

  She shrugged. ‘I have no idea.’

  Payne turned to Ulster for advice. ‘What do you think?’

  Ulster paused in thought. After a few seconds of analysis, he broke into a wide grin. ‘I hate to say it, but I think the hippo should get back into the water.’

  Payne cracked a smile. He wasn’t used to being teased by Ulster. ‘That’s strange. I don’t remember seeing you in the water earlier.’

  Ulster laughed and patted his own belly. ‘Touché.’

  ‘Seriously, do you think there might be something back there?’

  ‘Obviously, I’m far from certain, but I think it would be foolish not to check. After all, we are a long way from home.’

  Payne nodded in agreement. ‘How big is the cave? Any idea?’

  Heidi answered. ‘I honestly don’t know. I’ve never been back there before. But the one in Capri is huge. The only thing that’s small is the opening. To enter the Grotta Azzurra, people have to lie flat on their backs in rowing boats or else they would bump their heads on the entrance. But once inside, it expands into a massive cavern.’

  Payne studied the gap on the far side of the lake. It was much more narrow than the one in Italy; a toy boat would struggle to pass underneath the stone archway, let alone a rowing boat. Then again, that might have been done on purpose. If it were too inviting, it might have attracted too many unwanted guests.

  Payne hopped into the water. ‘Screw it! I’ll take a look.’

  Jones followed his lead. ‘Me, too.’

  The instant Jones hit the water, Heidi remembered the object he was carrying in his grasp. ‘Please be careful with the key! Try not to get it wet.’

  He laughed at the anxiety in her voice. She sounded like a first-time mom. ‘Heidi, you’ve got to relax. The key is shaped like a swan. A little water won’t kill it.’

  60

  With flashlights in their hands, Payne and Jones trudged through the chilly water of the lake while Heidi and Ulster urged them on. For Payne, his journey had come full circle. Everything had started with a phone call while he was exploring the depths of the Ohio River. Now he was back in the water, hoping to find a secret treasure in the heart of the Blue Grotto. All things considered, searching for gold was a lot more exciting than finding a bottle opener.

  As they passed the front end of the cockleshell boat, the water was barely up to their knees. After that, the lakebed start to slope away – much like a swimming pool near the deep end. Heidi had warned them of the possibility. She knew the lake had a depth of ten feet in certain parts; unfortunately, she wasn’t quite sure where since she had never been in the water. In some ways, Payne and Jones were glad they didn’t know. It only added to their excitement.

  By the time they reached the entrance to the Blue Grotto, Jones had to stand on his tiptoes or else the water would have been up to his eyes. Meanwhile, Payne had the luxury of an extra six inches. Although his height allowed him to stay comfortably above water level, it forced him to duck his head as he passed under the stone archway that led to the cave.

  Lit by coloured lights, the ceiling in the cavern glowed a magical shade of blue. But the lamps were so bright it actually prevented them from seeing clearly.

  Payne called towards the shore. ‘Please cut the lights in here.’

  Heidi disappeared behind the control panel and flipped the switch. The Blue Grotto quickly turned dark. ‘Is that better?’

  ‘Much,’ he shouted as he turned on his flashlight.

  Jones rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to adjust. Wherever he looked, he saw light blue splotches. ‘Is it just me, or do you see Smurfs?’

  ‘Seeing them is one thing. If they start to talk, we have problems.’

  Jones stared at him. ‘Holy crap. You look like that chick from Avatar.’

  Payne laughed. ‘If you touch my tail, you’re a dead man.’

  Jones rubbed his eyes some more and hoped for the best. Slowly but surely, he became used to the darkness. Once he had, he flipped on his flashlight and headed deeper into the grotto where Payne was examining the ceiling. ‘What are we looking for?’

  ‘Anything that doesn’t belong.’

  ‘Like my black ass in a lake?’

  Payne smiled. ‘That would qualify.’

  Unlike the spacious Grotta Azzurra in Capri, the cavern was relatively small. Approximately twelve feet in width and length, the Blue Grotto’s most dominant feature was a giant stalagmite near the rear wall that towered five feet above the surface of the water. At first glance, Payne assumed the stalagmite concealed one of the roof’s support beams, but that notion disappeared when he shone his light on the vaulted ceiling and realized there was seven feet of clearance above the top of the stalagmite. That meant the two of them weren’t connected.

  Payne called over his shoulder. ‘Take a look at this.’

  ‘At what?’ Jones said as he tiptoed closer.

  ‘This rock. It doesn’t look right.’

  ‘That’s because it’s fake.’

  Payne thumped on it. ‘I mean its shape. It looks like a volcano.’

  ‘Knowing Ludwig, it is a volcano. If you piss off Heidi, she’ll turn on the lava.’

  ‘I’m serious.’

  ‘Me, too. That girl’s a firecracker.’

  Running his hand over the rough texture of the cement, Payne moved to his right and studied the stalagmite with the beam of his flashlight. His interest soared when he spotted a series of notches, cut vertically into the cement. They started well below the surface of the water and continued up its side. ‘I think I found something.’

  Jones looked at him. ‘Like what?’

  Payne handed
him his light. ‘Here, hold this.’

  ‘What did you find?’

  ‘A ladder.’

  ‘Really?’

  Instead of explaining, Payne placed his right foot in one of the notches and propelled himself out of the water. He quickly wrapped his arms round the stalagmite to steady his balance, then placed his left foot in the next notch and climbed higher. A few seconds later, he was sitting on top of the fake rock. Unlike the stalagmites they had seen near the shore, the top of this one was flat like a plateau. ‘Throw me my flashlight.’

  Jones tossed it up to him. ‘Is there room for me?’

  Payne shone his light behind the stalagmite and realized there was a narrow ledge between the stalagmite and the rear wall of the grotto where both of them could stand. It was just above the surface of the lake. Payne shuffled into position, then reached down and helped Jones out of the water. Dripping wet and slightly out of breath, they studied the top of the rock – which was just below eye level – and spotted a circular seam that looked like a hatch. It was six inches from the outer edge of the rock and sealed tight. They tried to wedge their fingers into the gap, but it was far too narrow.

  Payne glanced at him. ‘Suggestions?’

  ‘A crowbar might work.’

  ‘Do you have one?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘Then let’s cross that off the list. While we’re at it, let’s eliminate Plan B.’

  During their years as MANIACs, Plan B often meant using C-4 and a remote detonator. Here, that wasn’t an option.

  Jones frowned. ‘Too bad. I always liked Plan B.’

  Payne knocked on top of the stalagmite. Although it was coated with cement, it sounded metallic – like the hatch on a submarine. For all they knew, it could have been an access panel to a mechanical floor underneath the grotto, a place where drainage pipes had been laid and coloured lights could be fixed. Yet something about its placement told him otherwise. Boats couldn’t enter the cove because of the stone archway, and due to the depth of the water, workers would have had a difficult time bringing in tools and supplies. In Payne’s mind, the only reason to put a tunnel back here was to hide it from the rest of the world, and the only reason to do that was if it led somewhere important. What had Heidi said earlier? ‘Ludwig loved his secrets.’

  Well, whatever was hidden back here was bound to be a doozy.

  Payne glanced at Jones. ‘Start looking for levers or buttons. I’m heading to shore to talk to Petr and Heidi. Maybe they missed something on the map.’

  ‘Good idea.’

  Not wanting to jump into the water because of the presence of underwater lights, Payne hopped on top of the plateau and draped his legs over the side until he felt one of the stone notches with his toes. Once his feet were in place, he started his climb down, one foot at a time. As his face passed the highest notch on the stalagmite, his eyes widened with surprise. He quickly used his left hand to steady himself before he climbed back up.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Jones wondered.

  ‘Nothing’s wrong. I think I found a handle.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘It’s in one of the steps.’

  Wasting no time, Payne threw his legs in front of him and flipped over on his stomach. This allowed him to hang his upper torso over the edge of the plateau and examine the interior of the notch with his flashlight. As he suspected, a small handle that activated the locking mechanism inside the stalagmite had been concealed in the notch. Although he wasn’t quite sure how it worked – or if it would work – he realized he shouldn’t be on top of the hatch when he gave the handle a tug. A few seconds later, he was hanging from the side of the stalagmite and pulling on the handle.

  Payne heard a creak, then a whir as a series of internal gears rotated into place. It was soon followed by a pop and a clank as the hatch sprang open. The entire process took less than three seconds. When it was done, the edge of the hatch closest to Payne was only a few inches above the outer rim of the plateau, but that was more than enough space for him to insert his hands and lift the hatch on its hinges until it was perpendicular to the lake.

  Jones watched the proceedings from the nearby ledge. He immediately leaned forward and shone his flashlight into the centre of the stalagmite, hoping to see a pot of gold or a treasure chest filled with jewels. Instead, he saw a series of rusty iron steps. They had been mounted into the side of a cement tunnel that went deep into the earth, far beyond the beam of his flashlight.

  ‘Great,’ he mumbled. ‘We found a sewer.’

  Payne stared into the abyss. To him, it looked promising. Who knew what Ludwig had hidden underneath the grounds of Linderhof? ‘Stay here if you want. I’m going in.’

  ‘I wouldn’t recommend it.’

  ‘Why’s that?’

  Jones pointed out the rusty steps. ‘Bare feet and rust don’t mix. When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?’

  Payne conceded the point. ‘Agreed. I planned on going back to shore anyway. I have a feeling our friends will want to join us.’

  61

  Payne and Jones returned to the hatch a few minutes later. This time, they were joined by Heidi and Ulster, who willingly braved the deep waters of the grotto for a chance to explore the secret passageway. Before they left shore, Heidi stashed their personal belongings and Ludwig’s map behind a fake boulder, far from the tourist path. They decided it would be safer there than in the lake and the unknown environment of the tunnel.

  With a flashlight clenched in his teeth, Payne entered the stalagmite first. He slowly climbed down the ladder, testing the sturdiness of every step before he shifted his weight to the next one. By the time he reached the bottom of the steps – a distance of nearly thirty feet – he was covered in cobwebs and a wide variety of spiders. He calmly brushed them aside, then took the light out of his mouth to study his surroundings.

  An arched tunnel ran uphill from left to right. It was made of cement and looked similar to the passageway he had just climbed through. Payne shone his light in both directions, hoping to see where the tunnel led, but the path curved out of sight.

  Jones called down the shaft. ‘Are we clear?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Payne said. ‘You’re clear.’

  Although the trio didn’t know what to expect or what they might find, they climbed down the ladder with a spring in their step. Heidi reached the bottom first followed by Ulster, whose bulk gave him some trouble in the shaft, and Jones, who lowered the hatch but didn’t close it completely in case there wasn’t another way out.

  Heidi shone her light downhill to the left. ‘What is this place?’

  Payne shrugged. ‘I was about to ask you the same thing.’

  ‘Honestly, I have no idea. I never knew it was here.’

  ‘Any rumours about secret passageways?’

  She glanced uphill to the right, trying to regain her bearings. ‘All Ludwig’s castles have secret passageways: Neuschwanstein, Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof. I thought we had found all of them during the past century or two. I guess I was wrong.’

  While they were talking, Jones studied the composition of the tunnel itself. There was something oddly familiar about its colour and design. He ran his fingertips across the concrete surface, trying to get in touch with the memory that eluded him. A few seconds passed before he figured it out.

  ‘I’ll be damned,’ he said, laughing.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ Ulster asked.

  Jones knocked on the wall. ‘I was trying to remember where I’ve seen concrete like this before. Then it dawned on me. It’s the same colour and texture as the bunker.’

  Ulster considered the possibility. ‘Actually, that stands to reason. Ludwig could have used the same builders and materials for both projects. As I mentioned yesterday, the bunker is less than fifteen miles from Linderhof. It wouldn’t surprise me if the bunker and tunnel were completed in the same year.’

  Payne overheard the end of their conversation. ‘Speaking of tunnels, let’s figure out w
here this one goes. Does anyone have a preference, or should we flip a coin?’

  Jones, who was blessed with an impeccable sense of direction, clarified their options. ‘In case you’re wondering, the castle is to the left. I’m not sure if the tunnel goes that far, but the castle is definitely that way.’

  Payne pointed uphill. ‘In that case, let’s go to the right. I have a pretty good idea where it leads, but I want to test my theory.’

  Jones laughed. ‘You have a theory? About what?’

  Payne started walking. ‘About something Petr said.’

  Ulster hustled after him. ‘Wait! What did I say?’

  Payne glanced over his shoulder to make sure everyone was following. Just to be safe, he signalled for Jones to bring up the rear. ‘Yesterday, you told us a story about Ludwig’s disappearance from Linderhof. You said he vanished without a trace for thirty-six hours.’

  Ulster nodded. ‘It occurred the night after he sent the black swan letters. His advisors eventually found him at his house in Schachen.’

  ‘Covered in dirt,’ Jones added from the back.

  Ulster grinned. ‘I’m glad you guys were listening!’

  ‘We’re always listening,’ Jones assured him. ‘We’re often bored, but still …’

  Payne tried not to laugh. ‘Anyway, as a former soldier, the thing that bothered me most about your story was the negligence of the palace guards. How in the hell could an overweight king like Ludwig sneak past all of them without being seen? At first, I thought maybe he dressed up in one of his elaborate costumes, but then I remembered this happened in the middle of the night. The guards were bound to check anyone who passed through the castle gates.’

  Jones cleared his throat. ‘Are you getting to a theory?’

  ‘As a matter of fact I am.’ Payne spotted the end of the tunnel. It was less than thirty feet ahead of them. ‘My guess is he didn’t go through the castle gates. My guess is he took this tunnel under the castle wall. That’s why none of the guards saw him leave.’