The Secret Crown paj-6

by Chris Kuzneski

  Unfortunately, he had been craving adventure ever since.

  Jones, too, was an adrenaline junkie, but he looked more like an office clerk than an officer. Known for his brain instead of his brawn, he possessed the wiry build of a track star, someone who could run a marathon without breaking a sweat but wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. Although his mocha skin and soft facial features made him look delicate, Jones was lethal on the battlefield, having completed the same military training as Payne.

  In fact, the two of them used to lead the MANIACs, an elite Special Forces unit comprised of the top soldiers from the Marines, Army, Navy, Intelligence, Air Force and Coast Guard. Whether it was personnel recovery, unconventional warfare or counter-guerrilla sabotage, the MANIACs were the best of the best. The bogeymen no one talked about. The government’s secret weapon. And even though they had retired a few years earlier, the duo was still deadly.

  ‘By the way,’ Jones said, ‘I heard your phone ringing when you were underwater. What a fabulous ringtone. Is that a Menudo song?’

  Payne growled and shook his head in frustration. A few weeks earlier, someone had figured out a way to change the ringtone on Payne’s phone through a wireless connection. No matter what Payne did to stop it – including purchasing a new phone and even changing his number – the culprit kept uploading the most embarrassing ringtones possible. Apparently the latest was a song from Menudo, the Puerto Rican boy band that had launched many pop stars.

  ‘Did you answer it?’ Payne asked, confident that Jones was guilty.

  Jones laughed. ‘Of course not. I’d never touch your phone.’

  3

  The city of Pittsburgh sits at the confluence of three rivers, which helps explain why there are more bridges (446) in Pittsburgh than any other city in the world – including the previous record holder, Venice, Italy. From the deck of Greek Gold, Payne could see the Allegheny River to the north and the Monongahela River to the south. The two waterways converged near the giant fountain at Point State Park. It marked the beginning of the Ohio River and was a popular gathering place for people of all ages, especially in the summer time.

  As a teenager, Payne used to visit the park with his grandfather, who had founded Payne Industries and built its headquarters across the river atop scenic Mount Washington. Despite his duties, his grandfather had managed to find the time to raise Jon after Payne’s parents died in a car accident. Back in those days, when the steel industry was still the driving force of the local economy and the rivers were way too filthy to swim in, they used to play catch along the water’s edge, not too far from old Three Rivers Stadium. Now when Payne gazed at the revitalized North Shore, he saw two of the most scenic ballparks in the country, the Carnegie Science Center, a World War Two submarine (the USSRequin), and the newly opened Rivers Casino.

  No wonder a national poll had named Pittsburgh the most livable city in America.

  Still wet from his swim, Payne slowly made his way through the boisterous crowd, receiving hearty congratulations as he passed. Half the people were from work – mostly lower-level staff from Payne Industries who were being rewarded for their performance. The other half were business contacts and their guests. Payne was a generous host and got along with just about everybody, yet he rarely felt like he belonged. Except for Jones, there was no one on board he thought of as his friend. He was equal parts upper class and blue collar but felt stuck between the two worlds, unable to fully connect with either of them. Not that he was complaining. Payne loved his life and knew how good he had it. Nevertheless, there was a part of him that longed for what he had given up to run his family’s company: the action, the adventure, the threat of danger.

  Everything missing from his current life.

  Glancing at his cell phone, Payne noticed the missed call had come from an unlisted number. Based on experience, he knew it was probably someone from his former life. Business contacts, especially those calling the chairman of the board of a major corporation, wanted their numbers to be recognized in case he was screening his calls. But that wasn’t the case with military personnel – particularly the operatives Payne had met in the MANIACs.

  They were more concerned with protecting information than supplying it.

  ‘Who was it?’ Jones asked.

  Payne shrugged and typed in the passcode that unlocked his phone. ‘I don’t know. It came from a restricted number.’

  Jones arched an eyebrow. ‘Maybe it was Ricky Martin.’

  Payne ignored the Menudo reference and checked his voicemail.

  ‘Not even a smile? Come on, man. That was funny.’

  Payne plugged his ear and turned away, trying to hear his message. Behind him, the party raged on louder than it should. Music thumping from his speakers. People laughing and dancing and blowing off steam. Tiny waves lapping against the sides of his boat while his best friend yapped in his ear. Despite it all, he heard the message. Years of training had honed his focus.

  ‘This is Kaiser,’ said the voice. ‘Call me asap.’

  No wasted words. No wasted syllables.

  Call me as soon as possible.

  Payne swore under his breath. This wasn’t good news. It couldn’t be.

  If Kaiser was calling, something bad had happened.

  Payne and Jones had known Kaiser for a decade, but didn’t really know him.

  Not his real name. Or where he lived. Or if he had a family.

  But if they needed anything from the black market, he was the man to contact.

  According to legend, he was an ex-supply sergeant who had retired from the US Army when he realized he could make a lot more money on his own. He started his operation in Germany near the Kaiserslautern Military Community, the largest US military community outside the continental United States. Known as K-Town, it houses nearly 50,000 people. Originally he catered to these displaced men and women, providing simple things from home that they couldn’t get on their own. Food, clothes, movies, books – all at a fair price.

  Then the Internet came along and competed for his business, forcing him to dabble in other things: weapons, smuggling, and phoney IDs. Pretty much everything except drugs.

  Over the years, Payne and Jones had done so much business with Kaiser that he eventually invited them to dinner to show his appreciation. In his line of work, face-to-face meetings were a rarity, but Kaiser knew if either man wanted to track him down, they could do it within a week. Not because he was sloppy or failed to take precautions, but because Payne and Jones were that good at their jobs. He figured, if they could find and eliminate terrorist strongholds in the mountains of Afghanistan, then they certainly could locate him in Germany.

  With that in mind, he did whatever he could to stay on their good side.

  But up until now, he had never called them in America.

  Jones noticed the concern on Payne’s face. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing’s wrong.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Not really.’

  Jones lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘Who was it?’

  Payne subconsciously glanced over his shoulder. ‘Kaiser.’

  ‘Kaiser? Was he returning a call of yours?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘Then something’s wrong. Kaiser wouldn’t call unless something’s wrong.’

  ‘Not necessarily. Maybe he’s in the States and wants to grab dinner.’

  Jones grimaced. ‘Did he say he wants to grab dinner?’

  ‘Not in so many words.’

  ‘Then what did he say?’

  Payne cleared his throat. ‘This is Kaiser. Call me asap.’

  ‘Good Lord! Someone’s dead.’

  Payne couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Relax, princess. We don’t know that.’

  ‘Speak for yourself. I can tell. Someone’s dead.’

  ‘Here’s a thought. Why don’t I call him before you panic?’

  ‘I’m not panicking. I’m predicting.’

  ‘Well, it sounds like you’re p
anicking.’

  ‘Come on, Jon. You know me better than that. If anything, I’m excited about the possibilities. Watching you swim for kitchenware isn’t exactly rousing.’

  ‘That’s funny. I don’t remember you volunteering for the job.’

  ‘That’s because I don’t drink and dive.’

  Payne smiled at the pun. ‘Touche.’

  ‘And even if I did, there’s no way I was going to jump in that water. Let’s face it: you’re gonna smell like fish for the rest of the weekend.’

  Payne smelled the towel draped around his neck. ‘Please tell me you’re joking.’

  Jones shook his head. ‘Let’s put it this way. You’re a good-looking billionaire and no women have flirted with you since your return. What does that tell you?’

  ‘It tells me that you think I’m good looking.’

  ‘What? That’s not what I meant.’

  ‘So what are you saying? It was a Freudian slip?’

  ‘No, Jon. My point is that you smell.’

  ‘Compared to normal?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  Payne pressed the issue. ‘In other words, you usually like the way I smell.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You think I’m a good-looking, good-smelling guy.’

  ‘Stop it! Quit putting words in my mouth.’

  ‘Dude, I’m not putting anything in your mouth.’

  Jones blushed, worried some of the other guests might have overheard the comment. At first he was going to speak up and defend himself, then he thought better of it. No matter what he said, it was going to be taken out of context and used against him. So he stood silently waiting for Payne to let him off the ropes. But Payne wasn’t done throwing verbal jabs.

  ‘What’s wrong, DJ? Did I embarrass you? Or are you jealous?’

  ‘Jealous? Of what?’

  ‘That another guy phoned me. I swear we’re just friends.’

  Jones laughed to himself, surprised that Payne was still busting his balls. Normally Jones was the childish one in their friendship, always joking at inappropriate times, and Payne was the adult. The sudden role reversal made Jones wonder if his friend had stayed underwater a little too long.

  ‘On that note,’ Jones said, ‘I’m going to get a drink.’

  Payne smiled in victory but couldn’t resist a knockout blow. ‘I think we’re out of daiquiris. But if you’d like, we can probably get a pink umbrella for your beer.’

  4

  Despite groans of protest from his guests, Payne lowered the volume on his stereo – low enough to return Kaiser’s call, yet loud enough to prevent eavesdroppers – then strolled to the far end of his boat. Some people might have viewed him as paranoid, but not Jones. Years of experience had taught them the value of secrecy. One of their superiors at the Pentagon used to say, ‘the smallest of leaks can sink the biggest of ships’, and they knew this to be true.

  In their world, small leaks were often plugged with bullets.

  Using his encrypted cell phone, Payne dialled 0-1-1, followed by the country code for Germany, and then Kaiser’s number. A few seconds later, he was chatting with the man who ran the largest black market network in Europe.

  ‘Thanks for getting back to me so quickly,’ Kaiser said. ‘I wasn’t sure if a man of your stature would return a call from someone like me.’

  Payne smiled. ‘Why wouldn’t I? I talk to assholes all the time. Including DJ.’

  Kaiser laughed loudly. Very few people had the guts to tease him, and even fewer had permission to do so. Payne was one of the chosen few. ‘How long has it been? Two, maybe three years?’

  ‘Gosh, I hope not. Otherwise we’re both getting old.’

  ‘In my line of work, there is no old. Only alive and dead.’

  ‘Damn, Kaiser, how depressing! And you wonder why I never call?’

  Kaiser grinned, glad their rapport hadn’t diminished over time. If it had, he wouldn’t have revealed the real reason for his call. ‘So tell me, how’s the corporate world?’

  ‘Boring as hell. How about you? How’s the … um … concierge business?’

  ‘Lucrative.’

  ‘Even in a recession?’

  ‘Especially in a recession.’

  ‘Good to know,’ Payne said, although he wasn’t the least bit surprised.

  ‘What about DJ? How’s he doing?’

  Payne glanced at Jones, who was sipping a beer while sitting nearby. ‘Right now he’s working on his tan. I can put him on if you’d like.’

  ‘Actually,’ Kaiser said, ‘can I speak to both of you at once? That might be easier.’

  ‘Not a problem. Let me put you on hold and call his cell. We can do one of those menage a call things.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘You know, a three-way call.’

  Kaiser laughed at the term. ‘Now that’s funny. I’ll have to remember that.’

  ‘Trust me, they’re hard to forget,’ Payne joked as he put Kaiser on hold.

  Jones looked at him, confused. ‘So, what did he want?’

  Payne shrugged. ‘I don’t know yet. He wants to talk to both of us.’

  ‘About what?’

  ‘No idea. But he seems in good spirits. I doubt it’s anything major.’

  ‘Bet you a buck that someone died.’

  Payne smiled. ‘A whole dollar? Are you sure you can afford that?’

  ‘Fine! Let’s make it a hundred. That way I can use your money to pay off all the bets I lost on your swim. I think there’s some justice in that.’

  ‘Let’s see if I got this straight: You’re using gambling to settle your gambling debts? Sounds foolproof to me.’

  Jones feigned indignation. ‘Give me a break, Jon. It’s not like I need an intervention. In fact, I’ll bet you twenty bucks I don’t have a gambling problem.’

  Payne laughed as he dialled Jones’s number. ‘Just answer your phone so we can talk to Kaiser. I’m curious about his call.’

  A moment later, the three of them were catching up on old times.

  Kaiser said, ‘If I remember correctly, the last time we met was before your trip to Greece. It seems your journey paid off handsomely.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Jones said from a boat named after that adventure, ‘you could say that.’

  While helping an American student stranded in Russia, Payne and Jones had found themselves tangled in a global conspiracy that involved assassins, Spartans and several dead monks. At the heart of their adventure were a lost relic from Ancient Greece and more treasure than anyone could spend in a lifetime. Although they discovered the treasure, Payne and Jones weren’t allowed to claim it as their own due to government intervention and international law. However, the countries involved gave them a finder’s fee with more digits than a sheik had wives.

  Needless to say, it had made headlines around the world.

  ‘Looking back on it,’ Kaiser asked, ‘which was more thrilling: hunting for the treasure or getting the reward?’

  ‘The hunt,’ Payne blurted. ‘Definitely the hunt. No question about it.’

  Jones argued from his chair. ‘Easy for you to say. You were rich already.’

  Payne smiled. ‘That’s a very good point.’

  ‘Does that mean you disagree?’ Kaiser wondered.

  ‘Not really,’ Jones admitted. ‘I simply like mocking Jon.’

  ‘In other words, you loved the hunt, too?’

  Jones nodded. ‘You could say that.’

  ‘Great! I’m glad to hear it.’

  Payne paused in thought, wondering where this was headed. ‘Okay, Kaiser. Enough with the foreplay. What’s going on?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Jones said, ‘did someone die?’

  ‘Did someone die?’ Kaiser echoed. ‘Why would you ask that?’

  ‘No real reason. Just a hunch.’

  ‘Well,’ he said, searching for an appropriate response, ‘someone did die, but his death was fortuitous.’

  ‘Not for him,’ Payne observed.

&nb
sp; ‘True, but it was for us.’

  Jones grinned in victory. ‘I couldn’t agree more.’

  Kaiser sensed he was missing something – perhaps an inside joke – but didn’t take the time to ask. He knew a fortune might be on the line, and the clock was already ticking. ‘Out of curiosity, have either of you been to Munich?’

  ‘Munich?’ they asked in unison.

  ‘Yes. The capital of Bavaria.’

  Payne shook his head. ‘Can’t say that I have.’

  ‘Me, neither.’

  Kaiser continued. ‘It’s a wonderful city, perhaps my favourite in Germany. There’s an interesting mix of old and new, and the Weisswurst is simply delicious.’

  ‘The what worst?’ Jones said.

  ‘The Weisswurst,’ he repeated. ‘It’s white sausage. A Bavarian specialty.’

  Payne and Jones tried not to laugh, which took a lot of effort. The last time they had dined with Kaiser, he had spent half the meal professing his love of sausage. The man had dozens of rivals in central Europe, yet the odds were pretty good that a heart attack would kill him before one of his adversaries. And in between bites of meat, he had admitted as much.

  ‘Before you start listing ingredients and cooking times, I’d like to back up a little bit. Tell us more about the guy who died,’ Payne demanded.

  Kaiser answered cryptically. ‘I’d prefer not to mention any details over the phone. However, let me assure you that I wasn’t involved in his death – if that’s what you’re wondering.’

  ‘And yet his death benefits us. I believe that’s how you phrased it.’

  ‘Yes, I did. And yes, it does.’

  ‘Care to explain?’ Payne asked.

  ‘I’d love to, but not over the phone. For additional details, you need to come here.’

  ‘Where’s here?’ Jones wondered.

  ‘Munich. I thought that was pretty clear.’

  Payne laughed. ‘Nothing about this conversation has been clear.’

  Kaiser considered the remark, then nodded. ‘Perhaps not. But I assure you there’s a reason for my caution. The fewer people who know about this, the better.’

  ‘Well, you’re doing a great job. Because we’ve been chatting for five minutes, and neither of us have any idea what you’re talking about.’