Jude Watson - A King's Ransom

“Tell me the story of your life and I’ll tell you mine,” Jonah said to Nicole. “But first, are you sure you don’t recognize me?”

“Is this place real?” Dan asked, looking up at King Ludwig’s castle. “Or am I in Disneyland?”

Up the winding trail through the pines loomed the castle, a folly built by a mad king, all turrets and windows and gables and peaked roofs and windows wink- ing back in the slowly sliding sun. The castle was situated on a high, rocky cliff, with snow-capped Alpine mountains rising around it. It overlooked a sparkling, deep blue lake. Isolated and yet proud of its grandeur, this castle flaunted the crazy.

The Nazis had crammed millions of dollars of looted treasure in that magnificent castle. Jane Sperling had come in 1945, maybe on a misty day like this one. She’d found her old enemy here. Amy was sure of it.

“Actually, the castle was used as the model for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland,” she said. She checked her cell phone again, but there were no messages. No calls. “Where are they?”

She’d left messages for both Jonah and Hamilton. They hadn’t checked in with Attleboro, either. She was starting to worry.

She punched in the Attleboro number. “Are you having any problems with Gideon ?” she asked. “We still haven’t heard from Jonah and Hamilton.”

“Satellite in the mountains can be iffy, even for the Gideon, ” Evan reassured her. “Give them more time.”

“Did the GPS map come through?” Ian asked.

“Check,” Dan said, glancing at his wrist. “I’ve got a bead on a room down in the tunnels.”

“That’s the room where the ERR kept its records,” Ian said. “We think you should start there. That would have been the first place Jane would have gone to look for evidence of the de Virga.”

“If they don’t show up in twenty minutes, we’re going in without them,” Amy said.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Ian put in. “Just fridge yourselves, as Jonah says.”

“Dude,” Dan said. “Do you mean chill ?”

“Precisely. Just what I said.”

“Give me the phone, Ian.” Evan took the phone off speaker. “Listen, I know it’s hard to wait. But I don’t like you going in without backup.”

“I’ll give them ten more minutes,” Amy said.

“I’ve got a stubborn girlfriend.”

“You’re just realizing that, huh.”

Amy cut the connection and drew her jacket closer around her. It was cool under the pines. Dan sat on the side of the road, leaning against his pack and drinking one of the six-pack of soda he’d bought in the village. Amy could picture Evan’s half smile, the way his mouth curved on one end. It was as though she could feel it, the warmth in his eyes when he looked at her.

Just then she felt a buzzing in her jacket pocket. Vesper One. She signaled to Dan.

Sightseeing? The Alps are so lovely this time of year. But don’t forget I’m waiting for the arrival of the next package! If you need some incentive, I’ve got seven ideas. Just let me know!

Vesper One

“Another threat,” Dan said.

They both turned to face the castle above them on the mountain. The sun had dropped behind the tall pines, and shadows stretched toward them.

“We can’t wait any longer for backup,” Amy said. “We’ve got to go in.”

Jonah didn’t know how it had happened. He only knew that they were lost. The GPS had stopped working. They’d had to get off the autobahn. Nicole had directed them to an exit, since the GPS was still working on her phone. But after twenty minutes of driving past farms and cows, Jonah was beginning to suspect that Nicole was not what she seemed.

He checked her out again. There was something about her …

The clouds cleared, and a bright shaft of sunlight illuminated the curve of her cheek. Jonah tried not to stare. He was an actor, and he knew makeup. There was a telltale line along the bridge of her nose. And did perfect girls sweat along their hairlines?

They do if they’re wearing wigs. He met Hamilton’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He cut his eyes over to Nicole. Hamilton nodded. He knew something was off, too.

Oldest trick in the book. And he’d fallen for it.

“Ze gas station ees just around thees bend,” Nicole said. “I zink… .”

“Why don’t you let Hamilton take a look at your phone?” Jonah suggested. Again his eyes flicked to Hamilton’s.

“Let me check it out,” Hamilton said. “I’m totally good at GPS.” He leaned forward and put his meaty hand on her phone. She tried to keep it, but Hamilton’s grip was not to be denied. With a slight hiss through her teeth, she let go.

Jonah made the right turn. He pulled the wheel hard, and she put out a hand to steady herself. He caught a glimpse of a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. A purple triceratops – just like her brother.

He almost groaned out loud. How could he have been such an idiot? He’d seen the photo of Cheyenne Wyoming. But this girl looked nothing like her.

Because, you fool, she’s wearing a wig, a fake nose, and contact lenses!

“I can’t get the GPS to work on this thing,” Hamilton said, looking at the phone.

“May I ’ave it back?” Cheyenne put her hand over it and yanked it.

They needed to ditch her, and fast. Who knew what she was planning?

“Look, there’s a farmer!” he called.

“’Ee is way out in ze field,” Cheyenne said.

It was true. The man was a dot in the grass, and the stone wall in front was at least six feet high.

“It’s the best we can do,” Jonah said, jerking the wheel.

The car skidded to a stop. “Hmm,” Jonah said. “Girls are so much better at charming directions out of cranky farmers.”

“Totally!” Hamilton jumped out and then opened Cheyenne’s door. He practically lifted her out.

“I cannot climb zat wall!”

“No problemo,” Hamilton said. He picked her up, and, as she shrieked, lifted her onto the wall.

Hamilton quickly jogged back to the car and squeezed into the front seat.

“Punch it!” he yelled.

Gravel flew as the car skidded back onto the road.

“That was crazy!” Jonah said, pounding the wheel. “I can’t believe we were so stupid! That was Cheyenne Wyoming!”

“ We were stupid, dude? You’re the one who said let’s pick her up!”

“Dawg, that’s a low blow.” But he knew Hamilton was right.

“She completely hosed us,” Hamilton said. “I think she blocked our satellite signal. She must have planted some sort of device in the car.” He began to search along the dashboard and floor, looking for a blocker. “You were probably too busy trying to get her to recognize you to notice. At least I got her phone.”

“Whoa! How did you manage that? I saw her take it back, bro!”

“Last summer, at the mansion? Dan and I took lessons from Lightfinger Larry.”

Hamilton accessed the phone. “I’m going to check her old messages… . She has a text! ‘G is in the picture. Could need removal – ’”

Hamilton stared at the screen as the letters began to disappear. “It’s getting wiped! I can’t read the rest!”

“The phone is probably password-protected to erase,” Jonah said. “Chill, bro. Attleboro might be able to put some spyware on it.”

Hamilton looked over at him nervously. “But why was she trying to delay us? Do you think Casper is up there with Amy and Dan?”