The Grey Falcon

by J. C. Williams

  “I think you are also asking, polite as you are, about me as well. Let us walk in the museum below us while I explain. If you excuse me, an old man’s legs will not make it. I need my chair.”

  Anton brought a wheelchair to the door and Vittor settled in it. Anton pushed and Vittor talked.

  “A quick word about the building. It was constructed in the late 1500s as a hospital and it remained one through many wars until 1918. Three hundred years of helping people. Then it became many other things. A police station, a children’s theater, and a school. It was renovated in 1978 as a conference center for the city and as a museum for the Knights Hospitallers. That is where we are going.”

  Pushing Vittor, the three men walked down a switchback ramp to the underground level. Wax figures in scenes depicted the storied history of the Knights. The scenes were interspersed with maps that showed their path from Jerusalem to Europe to Malta and their many homes. Vittor had stories for each major location. Stories behind the stories displayed. He spoke with a strong voice, a passionate voice.

  “Tell us about your history with the Knights,” Chad prompted.

  “I’ve been a Knight since 1945. When I was twenty-one, just after the war ended.”

  Harry asked, “Were you born on Malta?”

  “Yes. I’ve lived here most of my life. My father was a Knight as well, and a fisherman. He taught me the world of the sea. I knew every inlet, every sandbar, and every port around the eighteen islands from Sicily to Africa.”

  “What did you do during the war?” Chad asked, though he knew this was never a good question. He had a hunch.

  “I worked for the British. My knowledge of the seas was helpful.”

  Chad and Harry came to their own conclusions about what this meant.

  “After the war, too,” Vittor added. “It was a busy time. And, a profitable time.”

  Harry asked, “So as a Knight what did you do?”

  “We do what we can to help people. You may know there are many locations for the Knights in Europe, England, even Russia and America. We supply medical services. There were many places in need after the war. I applied my skills in ferrying and deliveries around the Mediterranean.”

  Chad asked, “Did you have family here in Malta?”

  “I had relatives, yes. But, I was away much of the time. I did not marry until later. I settled down to fishing again in 1965. To fishing and raising five children.”

  Chad concluded that Vittor Grech worked clandestinely during the cold war. What stories he must have, Chad thought. He wished he had time to spend with the old warrior.

  Grech picked up the narrative of his life. “Several of the Knights here on Malta had been thinking about a museum, a place to educate new generations on our seven hundred year history. We felt that this building with its Hospitaller history was the right place. We also knew we needed to make it financially operable. I spearheaded a group to make that happen by combining a conference center and museum. It has been evolving for almost forty years.”

  They talked more about the displays that they passed.

  “You know so much about each display in the museum,” Chad said. “Were you closely involved in it after its construction?”

  “I was. I am still. I gave up fishing then. I became the curator for thirty years. I retired fifteen years ago.”

  Anton snickered.

  “They allow me to spend time here. Occasionally I have the opportunity, like tonight, to show special guests around. I have to keep moving though. I’m afraid at my age, the visitors will think I am one of the wax figures.”

  He laughed at that. An infectious laugh, that brought smiles to the other three men.

  “Ah, here is a display that I like. I must admit that I pushed for it.”

  The four men looked at the Knights adorned in armor with the eight-point cross on their armor and their shields.

  Vittor continued. “When I was a boy, the tales of the Knights of Rhodes fighting pirates intrigued me. Even more so, the tales of the Knights, when they were pirates, captivated me. They resorted to that way of life to support themselves. The funds from the Kings and Queens of France, Spain, Germany, and Italy had stopped. I often wonder if that was why I became a Maltese Knight.”

  “I wanted to be a pirate when I was a boy, too,” Harry said.

  Vittor moved on. “Now to your questions about the artifacts and your quest. I had a purpose for coming down here, more than just to bore you with my life and the museum. We are almost there.”

  “Our visit has been anything but boring,” Chad countered.

  “That’s nice of you to say. Here we are. Our records room.”

  Chapter 28

  Chad didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t this.

  The door to the room required a hand print identification. Then there was a security code. Inside Chad and Harry stood in awe. It was huge. Chad looked to the left and right. The distant walls were forty to fifty feet away. The end of the room must be another hundred feet, he thought. Ten thousand square feet?

  “Wow,” was all he could say.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” Vittor asked.

  “Not so impressive if this is what we need to look through,” Harry commented.

  The sliding storage racks took advantage of every square inch. There was only one open aisle space. Rolling the shelves provided access to any row. The ceiling was high but the shelves were only six feet tall.

  “It is climate controlled and protected by the latest fire suppression system. No water,” Vittor told them.

  Chad wandered down the open aisle. There were stacks of logbooks and ledgers.

  “What is stored in here?” he asked.

  “Ledgers. The record books. And, as you can see, there are many objects. This is a collection from over a thousand years. From all over Europe, the Middle East, the Balkans - the world of the Hospitallers. This room holds most of what remains from those years. But it is not the only place.”

  “Where else are the items located that were brought to Malta” Chad asked.

  “Remember, we were evicted from Malta by the French. We took some with us, but we hid a significant amount. After the French were removed some items came back. Some did not. There are other churches in Valletta and on Malta from the sixteenth century. Some of the treasures were dispersed to them.”

  “What is in the ledgers?” Harry asked.

  Vittor explained. “Someone back in the early 1500s decided we needed to have a record of the items pouring into Malta. We often wish they had looked ahead and designed a different system. What they did was to write the receipt of each item in a daily ledger. What it was, where it came from, where it was stored, and a place to record where it went if it was moved. Each entry was numbered. That number was affixed to the article.”

  Chad saw the problem immediately. “So, if all you knew was the region or the item there is no way to look it up. You have to start with the date it arrived?”

  “Yes.”

  “We need to look through all of these items?” Harry asked. “Have you ever heard of objects such as what we seek?”

  “Possibly, is the answer to your first question,” Vittor answered. “As to your second question, in my nearly seventy years as a Knight and my forty years at the museum, I have not seen artifacts or possessions identified as belonging to Prince Lazar.”

  “This may take some time,” Chad commented. “More time than we have. We’ll need to come up with a system.”

  “You’re an archeologist, Chad,” Vittor said. “Approach it like an excavation.”

  “That is a good idea, but still a challenge. Can we spend some time this evening and come back early in the morning?”

  “Certainly. Anton will stay with you. However, I have some bad news about these records.”

  “Bad news? Blimey, this room is enough bad news.” Harry sighed.

  “We had a kbar problema in 1798.”

  “Kbar?” Harry asked.

  �
��Large, grande. Napoleon.”

  “That was when the Knights were driven from Malta,” Chad said remembering the museum displays.

  “Yes. He bombarded Valetta. As I had mentioned, we took precautions and hid our records, our treasures, and most of the items that had been housed in Valetta.”

  Chad saw where this was going. “As a result, there are some missing records and some missing items.”

  “Ezzatament,” Vittor nodded. “We may not have all of the records in here. Even if you find a record, you may not find the item. Now, I may have some good news.”

  “Vittor,” Harry complained, “I don’t think I can handle any more of your news.”

  “You will like this,” Vittor said. “What if there was a place that stored weapons from the Knights?”

  Chad asked, “Something like an armoury?”

  “Yes. The Palace Armoury. It’s a museum.”

  “Can we go there now?” Chad asked excited and hopeful.

  “Anton can take you. Gentlemen, I am tired. I will need to leave you. You can drop me at home on your way to the armoury.”

  “Vittor,” Chad began knowing this could be a delicate subject. “If we find something that was once Prince Lazar’s, I would like to take it back with me. My philosophy has always been that artifacts belong to the people. In this case the Serbian people. Are you okay with that?”

  “Yes, I am. The artifacts you seek were never the property of a Knight. It is something picked up in battle that belongs to another. Do not give it a second thought.”

  On their way to the car, Harry commented, “That room. It is another straw in a haystack.”

  “Do you have any suggestions?” Chad asked.

  “My approach to a stonking amount of legal documents is to make a quick first pass to see how it is organized. Let’s see what some of the records look like. And, then review how they organized and labeled the items in the racks.”

  “That sounds like a plan for the morning,” Chad agreed.

  “Smashing,” Harry concluded.

  June 22

  6 days to Vidovdan

  Chapter 29

  The next morning Archer’s cell phone rang just before they entered the MCC. He saw who it was. “Go ahead,” he told Harry. “I’ll just be a minute.”

  Chad answered, “Bonjour, Adrien.”

  “Bonjour, Chad. Comment ca va?”

  “Bien. Et vous?” Chad returned the question.

  “Tres bien. Very, very good.”

  “Does this early call mean you have a break in the case?” Chad asked.

  “It was your lead, Chad. The Meissen porcelain is the key. Every museum broken into, as you pointed out, all displayed Meissen porcelain. All were loaned out at the same time by the Dresden Museum.”

  “That leads us to the Dresden Museum. What’s its connection to Meissen porcelain?”

  “Dresden is the nearest big city to Meissen, only thirty kilometers distance. The Dresden Museum always has a display of the history of porcelain, comparing Meissen to Chinese porcelain. They work with museums around the world to show off their porcelain.”

  “What did you learn?” Chad asked.

  “The Dresden Museum also had a break-in. However, nothing was taken. Nothing. There were two coincidences connected with it.”

  “Doc always said….”

  “I know. No such thing as coincidences.”

  Chad laughed. “I’ve mentioned that before, have I?’

  “Often.”

  “What were the two?”

  “The first is that the Dresden break-in occurred the night after they shipped out the porcelain. They were looking for something, Chad. I think it was in the porcelain. They did not find it at Dresden. So then they looked at each museum where the porcelain was shipped.”

  “Great. So we know who might be robbed next?”

  “Yes. Unless they found what they were looking for in London.”

  Chad thought about his dream that something fell out of a vase or urn. Maybe, the thieves did find it.

  Tellier took Chad’s silence as a prompt to continue.

  “The second coincidence is that the day before the shipment and break-in, there was a murder at the Dresden Museum?”

  “What happened?”

  “Sketchy information at the moment. Seemed totally random. A visitor was leaving by a stairwell and was stabbed to death. Police think he must have stumbled onto something. I’m going there this morning.”

  “Call me tonight? I’ll be out of touch most of the day, in a place where my phone doesn’t have a signal.”

  “Where are you? In a cave?”

  “Sort of. I’m in Malta, in an underground museum.”

  “Malta?”

  “Long story. Tell you another time.”

  “Okay. Au revoir, Chad.”

  “Au revoir, Adrien.”

  -----

  “Harry, tell me you found it already?” Chad asked as he entered the research room.

  “Certainly. It was a doddle.”

  Chad looked at Harry inquisitively. “I know you are speaking English, but you have some expressions that I haven’t heard in my year in London.”

  “Doddle. An easy task. Perhaps your view of the world in London is a bit posh, mate.”

  “Perhaps. I’ve got one for you,” Chad remarked. “I’m full of beans this morning.”

  Harry looked askance.

  Chad said with frustration, “It means full of energy. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard that.”

  “Seems you have friends in low places, as well,” Harry snickered.

  “Right,” Chad answered in his best British accent.

  They were interrupted by the impeccably dressed, and energetic Vittor.

  “Bongu,” he greeted them.

  “Bonjour?” Chad asked.

  “Maltese is similar to French for good morning or good day. Bongu.”

  “Bongu,” Harry and Chad said in reply.

  “How was the armoury?” Vittor asked.

  “Impressive,” Harry answered.

  “Very much so,” Chad agreed. Quite a display of the evolution of armor and weaponry. Very educational, but I think it depressed us.”

  “How is that?”

  “There are so many swords and weapons that if any belonged to Prince Lazar we would never know. We have to hope the records here can help us.”

  “I know a little about that museum,” Vittor said. “And, a little about swords.”

  Vittor looked at their questioning faces.

  He explained. “For a brief time I was in charge of that museum as well. It was an interesting time in weapons and defenses in the 14th and 15th century. Actually, that is true throughout history. A weapon is developed and then a defense is invented. Then a more powerful weapon is built that can penetrate that defense. And so on. Mankind has progressed from rocks and tree bark shields to swords and armour. Then bows and then better metal armour, and then, when armour became leaves of metal, man invented crossbows. In the late 14th century, the time of your concern, most swords were still small enough for one hand. Some were single sided and some were sharpened on both sides. But as the leaf metal armour became light enough to wear, swords were changed. They became two handed, longer, and heavier.”

  “Do you think we should look for the single handed sword?” Chad asked.

  “Yes. Also a metal scabbard. The wealthier used metal instead of leather. It would be lined with wool. The oils would enable ease of withdrawal.”

  “What about decorations on the sword or scabbard?” Harry asked.

  “There are elaborately ornate swords. Some you saw in the armoury. However they would not be normally carried into battle. The pommel and the cross guard may be ornamented for show, sometimes with jewels. But, for battle, perhaps just a coat of arms engraved on the pommel.”

  “We asked Dr. Maric about that and she gave us a few possible coat of arms to look for on Lazar’s possessions,” Chad commented.

&nbs
p; Vittor added, “The scabbard might contain an inscription. If you wish to return to the armoury, just let me know. I will leave you to your work.”

  Chad spoke first after Vittor left.

  “Moving on. I did a timeline last night on the Hospitallers. Here is what was happening around 1389 and the Battle of Kosovo. It was in 1309 they took the Island of Rhodes. Their rival order, the Templars, was disbanded in 1312. The Hospitallers acquired, or were given, many of the holdings of the Templars over the next seventy years. So, by 1389 they held land, monasteries, and churches in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, and other European Catholic countries. What would you do Harry? It’s 1389. You return to Croatia where your power has been usurped. Would you continue over land to the north or would you go to Rhodes, an island off the coast of Turkey, home of the Ottomans, the army that just defeated you?”

  “You made that choice easy. I go north.”

  “I agree. Then the next key time period is 1517 and 1522. The location of the events is Germany and Rhodes. When the Templars were broken up, the Pope created eight regions. One was Provence in southern France, one was Italy, and one was Germany. I think Germany had the responsibility for Austria, Hungary, and those places we mentioned. But in 1517, Martin Luther started the Protestant reformation. Uncertain times for our Hospitallers.”

  “They turn to Rhodes for sanctuary?” Harry asked.

  “Probably not. In 1522 the Ottomans took Rhodes. They allowed the survivors to leave. They went to Sicily. Eight years later they were given Malta.”

  “What do you think happened?” Harry asked.

  “The spread of the Lutheran religion in Germany progressed though the 1520s. In the 1530s things became contentious between the Protestant and Catholic princes. I think that there were two phases of transfer to Malta. The first in 1530 from Sicily. The second from the German controlled areas in the mid to late 1530s.”

  “What about France?”

  Chad answered, “Good question. They would be moved in the late 1500s. We should concentrate then on the time period of the 1530s from Germany, Austria and the like. You agree?”