Sean snorted but tried not to be demeaning. "Already did that, buddy. I'm headed to Poland right now to see what I can find."
"Oh, good. So you were just going to drive out to Poland to see what you could find? It's not that small of a country, you know." Tommy was laying on the cynicism pretty thick. It was a staple in their friendship.
"No, smart guy. I have a general location. The area near the Czech border where there's a mine. I figured I'd check it out."
"That's not bad. But I can go you one better."
"Impress me."
"I've got a name for you. Michel Steiner."
Sean waited for his friend to continue, but Tommy was apparently going to make him ask. "Okay, who is that?"
"Glad you asked," Tommy said dryly. "He is the son of one of the soldiers that worked on the project with Dr. Ott's grandfather. He runs a nonprofit organization that his father founded. It has something to do with helping people find jobs, like a temp agency. If anyone knows something about what they were working on and what might have happened to die Glocke, it would be him. He's the only direct link to the project we can find, aside from Dr. Ott of course."
A few seconds passed in silence. Sean considered what his friend had just told him. "Well, I am definitely impressed," he said finally. "Not sure how you were able to get that little nugget so quickly, but something tells me you didn't do it on your own."
"That would be a correct assumption. Alex and Tara were all over it. It turns out that Steiner has come out with several books on the subject of die Glocke, so finding him wasn't all that difficult." There was a hint of hesitation before Tommy continued. "I do have to warn you, though. From what we were able to find, this guy sounds a little…how should I say…eccentric?"
There was the rub Sean had been waiting for. "Great. So you're sending me to talk to some nut job conspiracy theorist?"
"Now hold on. It's not entirely like that. He does have some credibility, and there's no denying he's the son of someone that worked on that project."
"No denying?"
"Well, I mean it's possible that he's completely full of it, but he's the only lead we have. And not many people would come out of the woodwork and admit that their father had been part of the SS. Although his father was a defector. He ran away from the army because he didn't believe in the Third Reich's mission. Again, that's what Michel has told people. He's probably got some documents or something to corroborate that part of the story."
Sean's heart sank. Tommy had got his hopes up that this case just got easier, but now it was back down to earth. "Let me get this straight. You're basing your information on what this guy claims and nothing else?"
"More or less," Tommy said then quickly pressed on. "But even if he's some crackpot, he might have more information on the subject than anyone else simply due to proximity and from what he's studied."
Finally, a valid point.
"Okay," Sean said reluctantly. "What's his address?"
"I'm texting it to you right now. Definitely give this guy a chance, at least. He might be able to help, and he seems like a nice person. Anyone who donates their time to a charitable operation can't be all bad."
It didn't mean he'd be helpful either, but it was all they had to go on. "All right, Tommy. Thanks. I'm headed that way now. I'll be in touch if I need anything else. And let me know if you find out something on that sub."
"Will do."
Sean hung up the phone and steered the car out into the traffic. His mind wandered, riddled with doubts and concern. Wild goose chase. Going to meet a crazy person in Poland. Almost fell to my death earlier. Coming back was definitely the right decision.
9
Sean woke up to the first signs of daylight in a tiny bedroom. The dark wooden headboard and multicolored comforter reminded him of childhood nights spent at his grandparents' house. A matching mirror and dresser were opposite of the bed and a small, square window was the only view into the outside world. He rubbed his eyes and made his way to the shower in a haze.
The drive from Lucerne to the Polish border had not been a short one. When Sean arrived, it was nearly two in the morning, local time. He'd parked the car outside an inn and managed to stumble inside, exhausted from his travels.
During the last four hours of the drive, he'd struggled to keep the car on the lonely roads that wound through Germany, brushing by the Czech Republic, and across the border into Poland. The first part of the journey had been picturesque, filled with rolling foothills, the tall Harz Mountains in the distance, flat farmlands, lush forests, and the occasional city.
Somehow, he managed to find his way to the check-in counter where a scraggly-haired woman with bad teeth and a fleshy face welcomed him to the inn. Sean was glad he'd been able to get a room, although what he'd seen of the town so far didn't exactly leave an impression on him as a touristy place. On the drive in, most of the village's lights were scattered about, reminding him more of a rural farming community than a city.
He took a ten-minute shower, letting the hot water soothe his skin and dull the effects of waking up so early. It was getting harder and harder for Sean to get a full night's sleep. Lately, the norm had been to get four to five hours at most. This morning had been no different, and the sleep he had been able to get was restless at best.
Visions of Dufort escaping and running amok somewhere in the world kept resurfacing. He wondered if Adriana was okay. And he worried a little about the missing scientist, Dr. Ott. He'd only seen pictures of her in the dossier Emily had sent. She seemed like a nice enough person from her image, but of course, he knew not to judge too soon. Even if she wasn't a terribly friendly person, she was at the very least innocent, and that warranted his help.
He got out of the shower and dried off, rubbed on a little deodorant, and slipped into one of two sets of clean clothes he had with him. He'd packed light so he could remain more mobile. But if this mission went more than a few days, he would need to buy some additional clothes — on the company card, of course.
He grinned at the thought of Emily seeing a bill from a clothier in Prague. She'd be furious, and that almost made him want to make the drive right then and there.
Sean slipped his shoes on and stuffed some of his loose things back into his bag. He slung the rucksack over one shoulder and the backpack over the other and walked to the lobby. A young man, probably in his midtwenties, had replaced the woman from the night before. He smiled brightly and said something to Sean in Polish. It was one of the languages he didn't speak.
"Sorry, I don't know Polish," he apologized.
"Not a problem, sir," the man said in perfect English. "I simply asked if you had a good night's rest."
"As good as I've had in a long time," Sean said. He wasn't lying. The few hours of sleep he had were better than nothing, and he'd needed them badly.
"That's good to hear, sir. If you have any questions for me, don't hesitate to ask."
Sean thanked him and laid the key to his room on the counter, turned, and headed for the door. He hadn't paid much attention to the lobby the night before. He'd been so tired that the memory of even walking into the inn was a blank spot in his mind. Now he took in the quaint interior decor. Dark molding framed the windows, surrounded by dark yellow walls. Vibrant green plants occupied nearly every corner. He could see flower boxes outside the windows, filled with blooms of yellow, white, and purple. There was a sitting area with a sofa and a few chairs near a television. Off to the right, the early risers were getting their breakfast in a small cafeteria-like room.