‘Fine! We’ll meet you here in five.’
Jones suddenly turned serious. ‘By the way, thanks.’
Payne nodded, then disappeared into the darkness of the grotto.
69
Munich, Germany
Oktoberfest is the world’s largest fair. Held annually in Munich, the sixteen-day festival attracts more than six million visitors a year. The original Oktoberfest took place in 1810 and commemorated the marriage of Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen and Crown Prince Ludwig, who later became King Ludwig I. (He was the namesake of Ludwig the Second and his paternal grandfather.) The event is held in the Theresienwiese – which translates to Therese’s meadow – an open space of four and a half million square feet that is south-west of the centre of the city. The festival is so important to Munich’s economy that the massive field has its own subway station. During the event, the U-Bahn station handles roughly 20,000 people per hour in each direction.
Because of security concerns, Payne was thrilled that Hauser amp; Sons was located on the opposite side of the city, far away from the madness. Baptiste landed the chopper on a corporate helipad six blocks from the store, then took off as soon as his passengers had hustled to safety. Although Jones was convinced that Raskin had handled the beacon problem, Baptiste was instructed to fly around the city to confuse would-be pursuers.
As a former resident of Munich, Heidi led the way to the store while Payne followed closely behind. Unlike the crowds of foreigners that filled the sidewalks, she knew exactly where she was headed. Energized by the palpable buzz in the city, her pace was so quick at times that Ulster struggled to keep up. Eventually, Payne grabbed her elbow and urged her to slow down – not only for Ulster’s sake, but also for the group’s safety. The further they were spread apart, the tougher it was to keep an eye on everybody.
Ironically, Heidi wasn’t the least bit excited about their trip to the store. She thought it might result in a small titbit about Ludwig but didn’t think it was worth their time and effort, not at this stage of their search. In fact, the only one who truly believed in the significance of the receipt was Jones. For some reason, he just sensed it was critical and wouldn’t let it rest. In the end, Payne and Ulster were willing to play along in order to shut Jones up.
Located in a brown brick building on a commercial street, Hauser amp; Sons had the glossy look of a high-end store. Its name was written in gold calligraphy on an elegant sign above the tinted glass doorway. Display cases, filled with a wide assortment of jewellery, sat behind the shatterproof windows. Lit by overhead lights discreetly hidden from public view, the jewels sparkled like stars in the desert night.
Heidi wanted to stop for a longer look, but Payne dragged her away from the window and towards the door. For the next few minutes, he needed her to focus on the receipt, not the diamond necklace she had been admiring. Heidi nodded and promised she would be on her best behaviour, but the moment they entered the store, she was distracted by a pair of earrings. Then a tennis bracelet. Then a gold ring. Before he knew it, she was in shopping mode.
Dressed in a designer suit, Friedrich Hauser watched the action unfold from his desk near the back of the store. Over the decades, he had witnessed a similar scene play out more times than he could possibly remember. The truth was he made his living on the type of excitement that she was displaying. He only hoped the woman (or one of her friends) had the bank account to match her expensive taste. If so, it would be a great afternoon.
‘Guten tag!‘ he said as he strolled forward.
Payne waved and said, ‘Hello.’
Hauser, a man in his mid-sixties, smiled warmly. ‘Ah, you are visiting our city. I should have known. Everyone is a visitor during Oktoberfest. Where are you from?’
‘America.’
‘That is a long way to come for jewellery. I guess our reputation is growing.’
Payne laughed and shook his hand. ‘From the looks of things, your reputation is well deserved. You have a beautiful store.’
Hauser beamed. ‘I thank you – and so do my ancestors.’
The comment caught everyone’s attention, including Heidi’s. She turned away from the main display case and joined the others.
‘You’re the owner?’ Payne asked.
‘One of them. My name is Friedrich Hauser.’
Payne introduced his group. ‘I’m Jon. This is David, Petr and Heidi.’
Hauser nodded. ‘Nice to meet you. How may I be of service?’
Payne took a step back. ‘DJ, the floor is yours.’
Hauser smiled and waited for an explanation.
Jones took over. ‘We found something from your store, and we were hoping you could give us some additional information about its owner.’
Hauser arched his eyebrow. ‘Let me guess: you found a ring! People lose them all the time. Thankfully, we keep wonderful records. Can you describe the piece?’
Jones shook his head. ‘No, not a ring. We found a document.’
‘A document? I don’t understand.’
Ulster pointed at one of the display cases. ‘May we show you?’
Hauser nodded and walked to the opposite side of the case while Jones placed the receipt on the freshly cleaned glass. Over the next several seconds, the group watched in silence as Hauser inspected the antique document. Strangely, he seemed to go through a wide range of emotions in a short period of time – confusion, followed by excitement and finally trepidation. Meanwhile, his body went on a similar journey. Gone was the relaxed posture of a moment before, replaced by the rigid stance of a prison guard.
His eyes narrowed to slits. ‘Where did you get this?’
Jones answered. ‘We found it in a desk.’
‘Whose desk?’
‘For the time being, I’d rather not say.’
Hauser grimaced and returned his attention to the document. It was painfully obvious that he knew what he was looking at, yet something prevented him from admitting it. Payne was tempted to go on the offensive and question him, but before he had a chance, Hauser looked at him directly. ‘May I take this into the back? I’d like to show it to my father.’
Payne shook his head. ‘Actually, we’d prefer if he came out here and talked to us in person. We’d love to meet him.’
‘That will be difficult. He doesn’t move around very well.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that, but we go where the receipt goes. If you’d like, we’re more than willing to visit him. Just lead the way.’
Hauser stared at the document and sighed, the weight of the world on his shoulders. He looked like a man who truly didn’t know what he was supposed to do. ‘Wait right here. I’ll see which my father would prefer. In the meantime, can one of you lock the main door?’
‘Why?’ Heidi asked.
‘Whichever he decides, this matter should be handled in private.’
Payne nodded. ‘You talk to your father; we’ll get the lock.’
Hauser went into the back while Heidi took care of the door. Meanwhile, Payne, Jones and Ulster tried to figure out what was going on.
Jones whispered. ‘Did you see Hauser’s face? The guy was scared – almost as though I’d handed him a ransom note. If this receipt says “give me your money” in Bavarian, we’re fucked.’
Payne shook his head. ‘That wasn’t fear. That was anxiety. He’s nervous about something. For the time being, I think it would be best if we spread out in the store.’
‘Why’s that?’ Ulster wondered.
‘If he comes back with a shotgun, I don’t want to be an easy target.’
‘Are you serious?’
Payne shrugged half-heartedly. ‘Kind of, but not really. It’s obvious we’ve stumbled onto something important. Until we know what that is, I think it’s best if we take precautions.’