She waited.
“Lose your bodyguard.”
A flick of her head, and Viktor walked off. Even then, Rolfe hesitated. She crossed her arms. “I’m waiting.”
“What do you know of the Romanov Ransom?” he asked.
“That it was stolen by the Nazis, stored in the castle at Königsberg, then secreted away at the end of the war.”
“I mean, what it was intended to be used for.”
“I have no idea.”
“To fund Unternehmen Werwolf,” he told her. “To start the war again.”
She hid her surprise over this bit of news. “I’m listening.”
“The sole purpose of the Wolf Guard was to protect the Romanov Ransom so that it could be used to bring back the Third Reich. The plan was so secret that only a few in power knew.” His gaze flicked toward Viktor, and even though he was still out of earshot, Rolfe lowered his voice even more. “They divided the code into three parts so that if any one part was captured, it would be useless. The plane that went down in Marrakesh belonged to a Nazi pilot who was an Allied spy.”
“The pilot knew of the code?” Tatiana asked.
“Possibly. He’d found the first part in Königsberg, which would lead to the second part.”
“In the Project Riese tunnels.” She realized how very little she actually knew about what had happened to the Romanov Ransom after it’d been stolen from the Catherine Palace in Russia. If there was one thing she was good at, though, it was prodding for information. “Are you telling me that there’s more to this than what Durin found in the courier bag on the plane?”
“I am saying that we have nothing until we get all three boxes gathered in one place. Only then will it lead to the location of the Romanov Ransom.”
“Not even an educated guess?”
“I know this much. The war was over, and the Nazis were scurrying like rats to get out. Every treasure they hid was meant for their eventual return. The Romanov Ransom was the exception. It was smuggled out of Königsberg for one purpose only — to bring about Operation Werewolf.”
She glanced over at Leopold and his men, off in the distance. “That doesn’t make sense. They’re part of Operation Werewolf. So where’s the treasure?”
He laughed. “They’re the Wolf Guard, a big difference. Their primary duty is to protect the hidden caches that lead to the Romanov Ransom.”
“How do you know all this?”
“My father, who believed in the Nazi idealism, spent his life researching it.”
“I never would’ve taken you for a Nazi.”
He regarded her with a look of scorn. “I have no desire to resurrect that failed ideology. I’m in it for the money.”
“Do they know that?” she asked, nodding toward Leopold and his men.
“I’ve never pretended to be anything other than a capitalist, but why would I tell them?” he asked. “As long as it continues to be mutually beneficial for both parties, our respective motives and beliefs matter little.” A distant train whistle caught his attention. He picked up his radio, keying the mic. “Why is that train still moving? I don’t care if you have to blast everyone on that thing. Just get me what they took from the tunnels.”
Tatiana waited until he walked off before waving Viktor over.
“What’s your plan?” he asked.
“Find the Fargos and whatever they took from the tunnels before Rolfe does.”
39
Tell us something good, Selma,” Sam said into the phone over the steady rumble of the train as it sped along the tracks.
“I wish I could, Mr. Fargo. But we’re still missing quite a bit of information. The letters we found in the courier bag appear to be just that.”
Lazlo added. “I’m still trying to figure out the reasoning behind carrying the letters in the courier bag if they’re of utterly no importance.”
“Exactly,” Selma said. “But, enough about our end. What do you have on yours?”
“You’re not going to believe it but we have a key and a tin.”
“‘Tin’?”
“Typewriter ribbon tin,” Sam clarified.
“The same as—”
“The same.”
“Interesting.”
“There has to be some significance. There were no typewriters, to speak of, in the tunnel. And someone went to the trouble of putting one of those tins in the courier bag. So why are they there?”
“Send me photos of the one you found. Top, bottom, inside. I’ll see what I can find. In the meantime, you were saying something about a key?”
“Old antique type. Brass. I’ll send a photo of it as well. Other than that, we’ll be heading to Wrocław, waiting to—” He looked out the open door of the boxcar.
“What’s wrong?” Selma asked.
“The train’s slowing down.” He moved to the door for a better view, but they were on a curve, and he couldn’t see far enough up the tracks to see if anything was going on.
Gustaw joined him. “This isn’t anywhere near the next stop.”
“Selma, I’ll have to call you back. We have a problem.” He shoved the phone into his pocket. “Any idea where we are?”
“I’m familiar with the area,” Gustaw said. “They had to have called for help. They couldn’t have gotten here this quick.”
“The Guard’s that big?” Remi asked, coming up behind Sam.
“They are. Especially around any of the sites rumored to have hidden Nazi treasure. That is, after all, one of their reasons for being.”
Sam eyed the low, grass-covered hill, and the forest beyond, thinking about the length of the train. It’d take a few minutes for this many cars to come to a complete stop. “Why wait? We should get off here.”
He looked over at Remi, who gripped the side, the wind whipping at her auburn hair. He wasn’t worried about her. Sergei and Gustaw, on the other hand… “Think you can manage that jump?” he asked the both of them.
Gustaw nodded.
Sergei glanced out, looking a bit unsure. “Yes… Maybe…”
Sam stood back. Gustaw tossed his long gun out, then leaped. Sergei hesitated, and Sam put his hand on his shoulder. “I’ll tell you when… Go!”
Sergei jumped, then rolled down the hill.
“Your turn,” Sam told Remi.
“Tuck and roll, Fargo!” Remi called out as she jumped.
Sam tossed his pack, then followed, landing a few feet away from her. He looked over, saw Sergei start to rise. “Stay down.” He drew his gun, then crawled through the long green grass, up the side of the hill, looking below the passing boxcars.
Gustaw grabbed his long gun, belly-crawling next to Sam.
“What do you think?” Sam asked him, talking loud enough to be heard over the train. “If the Guard is the one who is stopping the train, we’re going to need a better place to hide.”
“If we can get across the tracks to the forest, there’s a back road I know of. We’re not too far from a friend who can help.”
Sam eyed the tree line on the other side. They’d be exposed on the hill leading up to the woods, which was a lot farther from the track than he liked. Not that they had much choice. Behind them was a wide-open field. He waved Remi and Sergei over. “We need to get across before that train clears the curve. Otherwise, if they’re anywhere in the area, they’ll see us.”
After the last car rumbled past, they raced across, up into the trees. Sam found a thick stand of shrubs and directed everyone behind it.
The squealing of the train brakes faded as it finally slowed to a stop. Above them, birds chirped and leaves rustled in the breeze. In the distance, Sam heard a high whistle. Human. And then another.
“The Guard,” Gustaw said. “One of the ways they communicate. No doubt they’re checking the train.”