The Secret Crown paj-6

by Chris Kuzneski

  His friend answered on the third ring. ‘This is Dial.’

  ‘Hey, Nick, it’s Jonathon Payne.’

  Nick Dial leaned back in his office chair and grinned. He hadn’t spoken to Payne in almost a month, which was normal for them since their hectic schedules got in the way of their friendship. Born in America but stationed in France, Dial ran the homicide division at Interpol, the largest international crime-fighting organization in the world. His job was to coordinate the flow of information between police departments any time a murder investigation crossed national boundaries. All told he was in charge of 186 member countries, filled with billions of people and hundreds of languages.

  Dial asked, ‘Are you calling to give me shit about your party?’

  Payne laughed. Every year he sent Dial an invitation to his end of summer boat party, even though he knew Dial wouldn’t be able to attend. The journey to Pittsburgh was a tad too long. ‘Come on, Nick. When was the last time I gave you shit about anything?’

  ‘Let me think. When was the last time we talked?’

  ‘Touche.’

  Dial smiled at his word choice. ‘Finally, a French word I can understand! I swear, I’d like this country a whole lot better if everyone spoke English.’

  ‘Hold up. You live in France and can’t speak French?’

  ‘I can speak it just fine. I simply prefer English.’

  ‘What about German? Can you speak German?’

  ‘My German is okay, but not great. Why do you ask?’

  ‘Because DJ and I are headed to Oktoberfest.’

  ‘Really? Wow, you two party a lot. When are you going?’

  ‘We left Pittsburgh yesterday. We should be in Munich by the end of the week.’

  Dial pondered the timeline. Something didn’t add up. ‘Please tell me you’re not going by boat. If so, I’ve got some horrible news. Germany is not on the water.’

  Payne played along. ‘Are you positive? My instructors at the Naval Academy assured me it was. If you’re right about this, the Pentagon has several invasion plans they have to change.’

  Dial laughed. ‘Glad I could help.’

  ‘Speaking of help, something big has come up. Do you have a few minutes to talk?’

  ‘Of course. How sensitive is the information?’

  ‘Very.’

  ‘In that case, let me call you from a secure line. Give me two minutes.’

  ‘Thanks, Nick. I appreciate it.’

  Payne hung up, dreading the conversation he was about to have. Over the years, Dial had tied up a lot of loose ends for Payne and Jones. Not because they were his friends or because they had saved his life in Greece while he was investigating the deaths of several monks – although those things didn’t hurt. He did it because they were highly trained soldiers whose adventures often got them into sticky situations. They weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and he was more than willing to clean up their mess. In fact, Dial had told them on multiple occasions that he wished he had the freedom to do the same thing as them, dispensing justice around the globe.

  Regrettably, he spent most of his time in the office, not in the field.

  One of the biggest misconceptions about Interpol was their role in stopping crime. They seldom sent agents to investigate a case. Instead, they used local offices called National Central Bureaus in the member countries. The NCBs monitored their territory and reported pertinent information to Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, France. From there, facts were entered into a central database that could be accessed via Interpol’s computer network.

  But sometimes that wasn’t enough. Sometimes the head of a division (Drugs, Counterfeiting, Terrorism, etc.) was forced to take control of a case, possibly to cut through red tape, or to handle a border dispute, or to deal with the international media. All the things that Dial hated to do. In his line of work, the only thing that mattered to him was justice – righting a wrong in the fairest way possible. That was the creed he had lived by when he was an investigator, and it was the creed he followed in his head position at Interpol.

  Unfortunately, Payne realized the mess in Bavaria was different to anything he had faced in recent years. Not because he and Jones had done anything wrong – after all, they had been attacked by gunmen and had simply fought back – but unlike previous cases, one of their allies was a well-known criminal whose involvement would put Dial in a difficult spot.

  The question was: how would Dial react?

  Payne sat on one of the wooden crates, trying to figure out what he could and couldn’t say. His goal was to tell the truth about everything while omitting a few details. He wanted Dial to know what had happened in Bavaria without telling him too much about the bunker. Whether or not he could pull that off remained to be seen. It would depend on Dial’s mood.

  When his phone rang a few minutes later, the ringtone was no longer the Menudo song it had been in Pittsburgh. It had been replaced by a popular children’s song called ‘Little Bunny Foo Foo’, sung by a nursery school teacher who sounded a lot like Angela Lansbury.

  Little bunny Foo Foo

  Hopping through the forest

  Scooping up the field mice

  And boppin’ them on the head.

  Payne growled softly. When he found out who was messing with his phone, he was going to bop them on the head – with the butt of a rifle.

  ‘Fucking ringtones,’ mumbled Payne as he answered.

  ‘Ringtones? You made me call you on a secure line to talk about ringtones? I thought this was important.’

  ‘Sorry, Nick, it’s been a long day. DJ and I are lucky to be alive.’

  ‘What happened this time?’

  Payne explained. ‘One of my contacts informed me about a possible discovery in the mountains of Germany, one with significant historical value. I notified Petr Ulster, who met us at the site early this morning. About three hours later, we were attacked by a hit squad.’

  ‘A hit squad?’

  ‘Multiple gunmen, multiple weapons, no conversation. They simply opened fire.’

  ‘Was anybody killed?’

  ‘Some of mine, all of theirs.’

  Dial groaned. ‘I’m assuming you’re okay. What about DJ and Petr?’

  ‘Both of them are fine.’

  ‘Where did this happen?’

  ‘A town called Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It’s near the Austrian border.’

  Dial nodded. ‘I’m familiar with it.’

  ‘They attacked us in the woods, about halfway up the mountain. After that, the battle spread all over the valley. It ended in town near the Olympic ski stadium. A man killed our chopper pilot as we were attempting to leave. We had no choice but to defend ourselves.’

  ‘Where are you now?’

  ‘Not there.’

  Dial read between the lines. For some reason, Payne didn’t want to answer. ‘Give me some numbers. How many suspects?’

  ‘Six, possibly more. Like I said, the battle spread.’

  ‘Six confirmed dead?’

  ‘Six of theirs, three of ours.’

  ‘But they ambushed you?’

  Payne shrugged. ‘They struck first. We struck back.’

  Dial took notes, using a cryptic style of shorthand that only he could understand. ‘Who were these guys? Any ideas?’

  ‘I can send you their names and addresses.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘What can I say? The mountains are huge and filled with wolves. You’ll be lucky to find the bodies. We had some time, so we grabbed their IDs. We figured it would help your cause.’

  ‘And yours.’

  Payne smiled. ‘The thought had crossed my mind.’

  ‘What about motivation? Did that cross your mind?’

  ‘As a matter of fact, it did. Unfortunately, that’s where things get messy.’

  Dial sighed. ‘Let me see if I got this straight: nine bodies scattered across a mountain isn’t messy, but their motivation is. Do I even want to know?’

  ‘T
rust me, I’d prefer not to tell you because I’m not quite sure how you’re going to react to it. But this is something you need to hear.’

  49

  Payne tried to ease the sting of the information about Kaiser by framing it in the best possible way. ‘Back when DJ and I were in the military, we had contacts around the globe – people who gave us intelligence or sold us supplies when we were behind enemy lines. Some of them were the scum of the earth – the kind of guys who made your skin crawl – but some of them were pretty solid. Over the years, a few of them even became our friends.’

  ‘Where are you going with this?’

  ‘One of those friends is the person who notified us about the possible discovery. He knew we had contacts in the world of antiquities and asked us to contact Petr on his behalf. After weighing the pros and cons, we decided to get involved despite his recent ventures.’

  Dial connected the dots. ‘In other words, he’s a criminal.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And you think the ambush has to do with him?’

  ‘I know it does. One of the gunmen told me.’

  ‘He told you? Do I even want to know how you obtained this information?’

  ‘Probably not.’

  ‘Yeah, you’re right.’

  Payne smiled. So far the conversation had gone better than he had expected. Then again, he still hadn’t mentioned the name of his contact. ‘Here’s where things get tricky. The gunman gave me the name of his boss. Apparently he has a major vendetta against my friend. I don’t know the specifics, but it sounds like these two are bitter rivals.’

  ‘Why don’t you ask your friend?’

  ‘I can’t. He was seriously hurt during the ambush.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, really. You might find this hard to believe, but I’ve befriended a few criminals during my lifetime as well. Back when I was in the Bureau, I had a weekly dinner with this mid-level Mafioso. He gave me info about his rivals while I gorged myself with the best pasta I ever ate in my life. After a while, a bond was forged – even though I knew what he did for a living.’

  ‘Then you know how it goes.’

  ‘Yes, I do. And yet, if I had seen him shoot a man, I would have arrested him. In my mind, there are certain lines that can’t be crossed.’

  ‘In that case, I’m glad you didn’t see me shoot anyone.’

  Dial smiled. ‘Let me ask you a question: what’s the reason for your call? Clearly, you’re telling me all of this for a reason. I’d love to know what it is.’

  ‘One of my friends was attacked, and three of his colleagues were killed in cold blood. I want to see the men responsible brought to justice.’

  ‘It sounds like you handled that already.’

  ‘As far as I know, the boss wasn’t there. He’s the one I really want.’

  Dial gave the situation some thought. ‘Okay, Jon, here’s the problem. If you want me to go after the boss, you have to give me his name. After that, I’ll track down his associates and rivals, which will lead me to the name of your friend. Is that something he really wants?’

  ‘Trust me, he’s already on your radar.’

  ‘Really? So he’s a big fish?’

  ‘You could say that.’

  ‘And his rival?’

  ‘He’s a big fish, too.’

  ‘Interesting.’

  ‘Listen,’ Payne said, ‘I didn’t call you to be coy. I’m willing to tell you their names right now – as long as you enter one important fact into your database.’

  ‘What fact is that?’

  ‘My friend and colleagues are innocent in this particular shooting. They were attacked, plain and simple. I’ll vouch for it and so will DJ. Of course, we’d appreciate if you kept our names out of it. Just call us undercover assets or something like that.’

  ‘If the evidence supports it, I’ll gladly-’

  ‘You’re not hearing me, Nick. There is no evidence. This shooting went down in the middle of the woods. Sure, you might find some shell casings and some bodies, but there’s no way in hell you’re going to figure anything out without my testimony – especially after the fire.’

  Dial groaned. ‘What fire?’

  Payne fibbed. ‘Those bastards torched the site.’

  ‘They, what? Why did they do that?’

  ‘I have no idea. Maybe you should ask them.’

  ‘I would if they were still alive.’

  Payne smiled. It was why he had been willing to stretch the truth. ‘So, what do you think? Our testimony for their names? Personally, I think it’s a pretty sweet deal.’

  ‘For you.’

  ‘For everyone. Without my testimony, you won’t have jack.’

  ‘Yeah, well, that remains to be seen.’

  ‘I’m telling you, Nick. My friend is innocent in today’s events. He was hit early, and he’s been unconscious ever since. Plus, you’ll love the name of his rival. He’s a serious player in Germany. I’m sure his name will cause some boners in Berlin.’

  Dial mulled over his options. If Payne was painting an accurate picture of the crime scene, the name of a suspect would jumpstart the local investigation and would do wonders with the German authorities. Any time multiple people were killed in a tourist town, there was more to worry about than the loss of life. The local economy was also at stake – especially with ski season around the corner.

  ‘Fine! Give me their names. But if I find out your friend started this bullshit, I’m coming after him. Then I’m coming after you.’

  ‘Damn, Nick, I just got chills.’

  ‘I’m serious, Jon.’

  ‘I’m serious, too. You’re a scary man!’

  Dial couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Give me their names before I change my mind.’

  ‘You got it. The man you’re looking for is Hans Mueller. Have you heard of him?’

  Dial nodded. ‘Of course, I’ve heard of him. He’s a major player in the world of smuggling. From what I’ve heard, he’s one sick bastard. If you cross him, you’re pretty much fucked.’

  ‘Which explains today’s ambush. Like I said, he considers my friend his number-one rival. Apparently, he’s been trying to take him out for a while.’

  Dial gave it some thought. ‘Which means your friend is Kaiser.’

  Payne grew silent. ‘Damn.’

  ‘What can I say? I’m good at my job.’

  ‘Honestly, I’m glad you guessed it. Now I can tell him I didn’t mention his name.’

  ‘Speaking of names, you promised me the names and addresses of Mueller’s men. Do you have those with you?’

  Payne shook his head. ‘DJ has them. I’ll have him snap pictures of their IDs and send them to your office e-mail.’

  ‘That’s fine, but make it quick. The sooner I have them, the better.’

  ‘No problem.’

  ‘Is there anything else? Or can I get the ball rolling?’

  ‘Actually, there is one more thing. Probably the most important thing of all.’

  ‘Good Lord, what now?’

  Payne laughed. ‘I wanted you to know we’re still planning to go to Oktoberfest. If you can sneak away for a day, we’d love to get together. Believe it or not, DJ said he’s buying.’

  Dial smiled at the thought. ‘DJ‘s buying? In that case, I’ll see what I can do.’

  50

  Payne hung up as he strolled across the warehouse floor. Ulster and Heidi were nowhere to be seen, but Jones greeted him in the middle of the facility.

  ‘How’d the call go?’ Jones asked.

  ‘Not bad at all.’

  ‘Is it my imagination, or did I hear “Little Bunny Foo Foo”?’

  Payne snapped at him. ‘Screw you.’

  ‘Screw me? What did I do?’

  ‘What do you think you did? Quit messing with my phone.’

  Jones was surprised by the accusation. ‘Your phone? When could I have messed with your phone? Would that have been whi
le I was driving the ATV from the ambush, or when I was hauling Kaiser down the mountain? Oh, I know! It was when I was flying the chopper here. Yeah, that’s when I had time to mess with your phone.’

  Payne stared at him. It was obvious Jones was telling the truth. ‘Sorry, man, my bad. You’re always messing with my stuff. I just assumed it was you.’

  ‘Well, it wasn’t me.’

  ‘In that case, I feel bad about my revenge.’

  ‘Your revenge? What did you do?’

  Payne smiled. ‘I invited Nick to Oktoberfest and told him you were buying.’

  Jones shrugged. ‘As far as revenge goes, that was pretty weak – especially since Kaiser’s paying for our trip anyway.’

  Payne glanced around the warehouse. ‘Speaking of Kaiser, I think we should clear out of this place as soon as possible. There’s no telling what he’s storing here.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more. We’ve already loaded the crates into Petr’s chopper.’

  ‘All of them?’

  Jones nodded. ‘Nothing against Richter and Huber, but I think the gold will be a lot safer at the Archives than it would be here. Besides, I think Petr wants to examine it more closely. He’s hoping it will provide some insight into Ludwig’s treasure.’

  ‘And Heidi?’

  ‘I don’t know about Petr, but I’d love to examine her closely.’

  Payne rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. You think she’s attractive. How long are you going to keep this up?’

  ‘With her, I’ll keep it up all night!’

  Payne started to walk away. ‘Let me know when you grow up.’

  ‘Says the man with “Little Bunny Foo Foo” as his ringtone.’

  Payne flipped him off and kept walking towards a small office in the back of the facility. He heard voices coming from the room. He assumed they belonged to Heidi and Ulster. The door was partially closed, so Payne knocked on it before he entered.

  ‘Come in,’ Ulster said.

  Heidi was sitting next to him on an upholstered couch that reeked of cigarettes. She had a bottle of water in one hand and a tissue in the other. From her bloodshot eyes and damp cheeks, it was obvious she had been crying, although she tried to cover it up. As soon as she saw Payne, she tucked the tissue into her pocket and wiped her cheeks with her sleeve.