But first he had to go down to the café and see Annabelle. Unlike earlier, Bonne Nuit was now bristling with activity as he walked down the hill to the café. The harbour had an old world charm and timeless beauty as was common throughout the Channel Islands, the main reason why Nathan had fallen instantly in love with the place.
Nestled at the base of the cliff and slightly back from the small sandy beach. Annabelle’s café sits comfortably, and well above the high tide mark, on a part natural, part manmade granite pier. The outline of which, from the other side of the harbour, resembles that of an old-fashioned paddled steamboat. The steps up to the front balcony area had a hand painted sign hanging silently from the railing, informing people to mind the steps. Inside it was a hive of activity, with the aroma of freshly baked bread and scones together with the sound of whistling kettles.
Voices could be heard coming from the small kitchen at the rear of the wooden building. Along the seaward side, small intimate tables for two lined the timber walls, and a long bar cleverly made from old ship’s timbers, ran down the other. There were high stools at the bar, and bottles on glass shelves against the wall behind it. An attractive, forty something woman with auburn coloured hair, served a small group of weekend divers with their lunch orders, and drinks. Kate Jackson was Annabelle’s manager, and lived just a short drive from the café. She had sharp eyes, and could hear a pin drop in St. Helier.
She looked over and smiled, “Hello Nathan, you looking for Annabelle?”
“Yes, is she around, or have I picked a bad time?”
“She’s just popped over to Gorey to pick up the fish for tonight. Probably be back any minute. Can I get you something, while you’re waiting?”
“Why not, I’ll have a cup of tea, Kate, I’ll be outside at the front.”
He sat on the terrace, drinking the tea, his mind full of tumultuous ideas and worries, and was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice his daughter come up the steep steps towards him.
“Pops, you’re back.”
Nathan looked up and found his daughter standing beside him, a shallow crate of assorted fresh fish on a bed of ice in her hands. She leaned against the balcony, an absolute picture of loveliness in a linen skirt and white cotton blouse. She frowned. “Come on, out with it. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing is the matter, I’ve got to fly up to London this afternoon, that’s all.” He told her.
“Why? For how long?”
“Just overnight, and I’ll be back tomorrow, late afternoon, promise.”
Her frown deepened and she went and gave the box of fish to Kate, before returning to sit opposite Nathan. “I know you far to well. You’d not be going back to London for nothing. So, come on. What’s going on?”
“Before I tell you Annabelle, you have to swear on your mother’s memory, that you’ll not breathe a word of what I’m about to tell you to anyone. Not anyone.”
Annabelle’s expression changed from being concerned for her father’s welfare to one of utter bewilderment.
“Well it must be pretty bloody serious for you to bring up mummy’s memory. Of course I swear, but you’re worrying me Pops. Now please tell me what’s going on?”
“This morning when I was diving, I came across the most extraordinary thing. A tunnel entrance about fifty feet down. And do you know what I found at the other end of it? A wreck inside an enormous subterranean cavern.”
“You silly man, silly, silly, man.” She was angry, and Nathan knew it. “It’s not enough that you were diving on your own, you then are reckless enough to enter an unknown tunnel with absolutely no idea of where it ends up. And, at your age. It’s not only completely irresponsible, it’s absolute bloody madness. I suppose I should thank the heavens above that you’re here at all. So, where is this tunnel?”
Although not a diver herself, Annabelle Cunningham did know most of the sites around the island. He paused, not only because he knew that she would be furious when he told her that he had dived just off the Devil’s Hole point, and it wasn’t because he didn’t trust his daughter. He just wanted to keep the exact location of the submarine a secret for the time being, at least until he’d seen Edward LevensonJones.
“I can’t tell you that at this time, Annabelle. But what I can tell you, is that I’ve found a German U-boat from the Second World War.”
She ran a hand through her hair. “My God, are you sure?”
“Sure I’m sure, I swam right up to it. Annabelle, it’s absolutely enormous, in fact it’s incredible to think how it actually got in there in the first place. Anyway, I had a look around the outside before mustering the strength to climb the conning tower, and going down into the main control room that was completely flooded.” A shiver ran right through Nathan’s body. “I felt really odd, or perhaps even awkward, you know? It was as if I was desecrating a grave, and shouldn’t be there at all. I found the skeletal remains of the commander laying in the silt at the foot of the conning tower access ladder. Imagine if you can, he was still gripping the submarine’s official briefcase. I brought it back with me and managed to open it on the boat. What I found inside gave me a pleasant surprise; there was the U-boat’s log, a number of routine documents and then two letters. It’s the letters that are so exciting; one of them was from Grossadmiral Karl Donitz and the other from Heinrich Himmler.”
“So, what is it about these two Nazis, that make them so special?”
“Not special, Annabelle, just fascinating. These were two of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. Next to Adolf Hitler and Martin Bormann.”
She looked suddenly tired and slightly dazed. “Pops, what’s this all about?”
“I don’t know? But one things for sure, I’m going to find out.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Do you remember my old university room mate, Edward LevensonJones?”
“The one that used to wear those awfully gaudy dickey-bow ties, and work for MI5 or whatever it’s called? Of course, I met him four years ago at that official party we all went to in London.”
“Well I phoned him earlier this morning. He retired from the security service some time ago, but we’ve always kept in touch, and as luck would have it he’s now with a specialist firm, still closely associated with the Government, and has access to all sorts of official German records from the last war. He’s already learnt that the U-boat is surrounded by mystery, and was supposed to have been sunk — twice!”
She looked at her father in bewilderment. “So what does it all mean?”
“The letters are specific about two things. The first is that the mission was vital to Germany winning the war, and secondly.” He paused, “secondly, there is a reference to the Fuhrer’s special cargo that the U-boat was carrying. After I’d finished talking to LJ, I decided to look on the internet for any information relating the cargo. And it appears that the cargo was supposed to be a priceless religious artefact called, the Spear of Destiny.”
“So what’s so special about this spear?”
“Only God knows that, Annabelle. But, what I do know is that Hitler had flirted with the supernatural, and the occult for many years, long before he became Fuhrer.”
He shook his head. “LJ is going to look into the history of it, and all I really know is that I’ve found this submarine, and that because of the implications to the island, should its whereabouts become public knowledge, LJ has sworn me to secrecy.”
He stood up, and walked down the steps to the slipway that led onto the sandy beach. Annabelle who had never seen him so excited, got up, and followed him down to where he was stood with his hands in his pockets, and looking out to sea. She put her arm through his and gave it a squeeze. “You go and see your friend LJ, he’ll know what to do. But if you’d like me to go with you, I’ll get Kate to look after things here?”