Ulster called up to him. ‘How was the hatch concealed?’
‘Good question. Let me check.’ Payne climbed out of the shaft and examined the outside of the hatch. A moment later, his smiling face appeared above the shaft. ‘You’re not going to believe this. It was sculpted to look like a tree stump. The damn thing’s pretty realistic. I wouldn’t have given it a second glance.’
Heidi stared up at him. ‘Can I take a look?’
Payne nodded. ‘All of you can. But let’s make this quick. I have a feeling the other end of the tunnel is going to be even better.’
62
The Pentagon
Arlington, Virginia
Randy Raskin sat in his windowless office, surrounded by next-generation computers and paper-thin digital screens that would be the envy of every hacker in the world. Unfortunately, due to his classified position at the Pentagon, he wasn’t allowed to mention anything about his work or equipment to most of his friends. As far as they knew, he was nothing more than a low-level programmer, working a dead-end job in the world’s largest office building – because that’s what he was required to tell them. But in reality, he was a high-tech maestro, able to track down just about anything in the world of cyberspace.
As a computer researcher at the Pentagon, Raskin was privy to many of the government’s biggest secrets, a mountain of classified data that was there for the taking if someone knew how to access it. His job was to make sure the latest information got into the right hands at the right time. And he was great at it. Over the years, Payne and Jones had used his services on many occasions, and that had eventually led to a friendship.
An infamous workaholic, who consumed enough caffeine on a typical working day to jumpstart a car battery, Raskin often pretended he didn’t have time for Payne and Jones, or their bimonthly favours. But the truth was he admired them greatly and would do just about anything to help them. In fact, one of his biggest joys in life was living vicariously through them – whether that was during their time with the MANIACs or their recent adventures round the globe. Sometimes, especially when he was bored at work, he would tap into the GPS on their phones and try to figure out what they were doing. Then he would determine if he could assist them in any way.
For some, it would be considered stalking.
For Raskin, it was a perk of his job.
Over the past forty-eight hours, he had checked their location on several occasions. At first they were in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Then Innsbruck. Then Kusendorf. Now back in Bavaria. Not surprisingly, when he cross-referenced their GPS data with his countless databases, he had discovered a pile of bodies and no arrest warrants.
Obviously, Payne and Jones had remembered their training.
In a twisted kind of way, it made him proud to be an American.
Raskin considered giving them a call to see if he could help but decided to do a little more research before he offered. Based on their brief stop in Kusendorf, he knew the Ulster Archives were involved. That meant whatever they were doing was historical in nature. Curious about the Archives’ latest projects, Raskin entered Petr Ulster’s name into his classified search engine and got an immediate hit. Ulster’s personal helicopter had been reported stolen earlier that day.
Raskin laughed at his screen. ‘What are you guys up to now?’
After inspecting the fake tree stump, they returned to the tunnel energized. None of them knew what they were going to find in the opposite direction, but they sensed it would be significant. Payne closed and sealed the hatch, then led them on their journey.
Whether it was the downhill slope of the tunnel or the adrenaline surging through their veins, their stride and pace increased significantly. Even Ulster, who tended to lumber along like a water buffalo, managed to stay on Payne’s heels. Before they knew it, they were passing the shaft to the grotto and covering new ground.
Jones spoke from the back. ‘Based on the angle of this tunnel, we’re heading directly towards the castle. I bet we’re underneath that trail we took from the arbour to the secret entrance.’
Heidi shook her head in amazement. ‘How do you do that?’
‘Do what?’ he asked.
‘Figure out which direction we’re walking underground?’
Jones shrugged. ‘It’s a gift.’
She glanced over her shoulder. ‘I’m serious.’
‘I am, too. I have a great internal compass. I just know which way we’re going. You can blindfold me, drug me and spin me around. When I wake up, I’ll know which way is north.’
Payne defended him. ‘Believe it or not, he’s telling the truth. We once did that to him at a bachelor party. He woke up in the back of a van in Tijuana but he knew how to get to Canada.’
She laughed. ‘That’s impressive.’
Jones waved off the compliment. ‘Actually, it was pretty easy. It was the middle of the afternoon, so I whipped out my sundial. Trust me, that thing casts a shadow like a sequoia.’
She didn’t miss a beat. ‘And yet, it’s not nearly as big as your ego.’
Jones couldn’t help but laugh. ‘You know what? You’re pretty cool for a white girl. I vote we don’t kill you at the end of this mission.’
Ulster chuckled. ‘Me, too.’
Payne looked back at her. ‘I’m still undecided.’
She gave him a playful shove. ‘It doesn’t matter. Majority wins.’
‘Fine! We’ll let you live, but you have to buy us dinner. This is your homeland after all. It’s the least you should do for your guests.’
She smiled at him. ‘Only if you return the favour when I visit the States.’
‘When is that?’ Payne wondered.
‘That depends. When are you going to invite me?’
Payne flirted back. ‘I guess that depends on what I have for dinner.’
She blushed and bit her lip, but didn’t respond – even though she wanted to.
After a lengthy pause, Ulster cleared his throat. ‘May I change the subject?’
‘Please,’ she said, relieved.
‘Speaking of compasses,’ Ulster said, completely oblivious to all the flirting that had been going on, ‘my moral compass is spinning out of control right now, and I’m not sure what to do. May I pose a dilemma to the group?’
Payne shone his flashlight down the tunnel in front of them. As far as he could tell, there was nothing on the horizon – no hatches, no intersections, no secret rooms – nothing but a concrete tunnel that sloped downhill and curved out of sight. Based on his earlier view of the castle grounds from the window of the chopper, he guessed there was at least 300 yards between the fake tree stump and the castle itself. Ultimately, if that’s where the tunnel was leading, they still had plenty of time to kill. ‘What’s bugging you?’
Ulster swallowed hard. ‘For argument’s sake, let’s say we discover a massive treasure at the end of this tunnel. If that happens, what are your intentions?’
‘What do you mean?’ Payne asked.
Ulster explained his concern. ‘We’re assuming Ludwig designed this tunnel for one purpose or another, which means we’re technically on castle grounds. I’d like to know what we intend to do if we discover a treasure?’
Jones laughed. ‘Do you even have to ask?’
‘I guess so, because that’s what I’m doing right now.’
‘Personally,’ Payne said, ‘I don’t think there’s a dilemma. We’re on castle grounds, so the treasure belongs to the estate. We’re not going to try to steal it.’
‘Do you mean it?’ Ulster demanded.
‘Of course I mean it! We’re not thieves.’
Ulster breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Oh, thank heavens! You had me worried there for a while when you wagered your share of the treasure. I thought perhaps you were serious.’