It was Tommy.
"Hey, man," he said coolly in an attempt not to sound even the slightest bit nerve-wracked.
"We were able to dig up that information you requested, though we're not sure it's going to be as helpful as you'd like." Tommy waited for a response before he continued.
"Some info is better than none." Sean switched lanes to let a red Mercedes Benz speed by.
Tommy took an audible breath on the other end. "I agree. So here it is. Saint Sebastian was a third-century Christian who was martyred in AD 288."
"Oh. During Diocletian's persecution of the Christians."
"Right," Tommy confirmed. "Most images suggest he was killed with arrows, but there are some legends that say he spoke out against the emperor and was clubbed to death. No one's really got anything definitive on that."
Sean interrupted again. "Any idea how that bit of information would be pertinent today?"
"Not sure. I suppose it would depend on the context."
Sean thought for a second before answering. "He doesn't happen to have anything to do with the world ending or any sort of post-apocalyptic prophecy, does he?"
"I don't think so. He was just a man who died for his faith. A commoner. However, there is another possibility that ties into a mysterious happening during World War II."
"I'm all ears." Sean switched lanes to get around an eighteen-wheeler and then swerved back.
"Remember before when you asked me to search for information about German U-boats going to South America? Well, we were able to dig up some interesting stuff. Tara and Alex searched the old naval archives and cross-referenced everything with dates close to the end of the war, as well as possible destinations. There is a city on the southern tip of Argentina called San Sebastián. It's a decent-sized coastal town with a huge bay that forms a sort of natural harbor. The pictures actually look pretty amazing."
"Focus," Sean sensed his friend getting off track.
"Right. So anyway, San Sebastián could explain why you've seen that name a few times in its European form, Saint Sebastian."
He let Sean absorb the news.
"Outstanding," Sean said emphatically.
"Well, let's not count our chickens just yet. However, there is another piece to the puzzle that adds a little more credence to the San Sebastián theory." Sean waited while his friend pulled up some additional info, probably in another document or web page on his computer. "In the naval archives I mentioned earlier, Tara and Alex discovered a peculiar incident. A captain by the name of Jack Harris aboard the USS Slater logged a short report about a potential U-boat sighting in one of the lanes between Africa and South America. The event was recorded on May 3, 1945, just a few days before Hitler and his wife ended their lives in the Führer's bunker. Harris was very detailed about the event in his log, and there are some eerie comments made about the whole thing."
"Eerie?"
"Yeah. It seems just before the sub appeared, all of the Slater's instrumentation failed. I'm talking electronics, radar, everything. Harris also claimed that the weather was clear, but when the sub disappeared, a strange fog had drifted into the area, and when it dissipated, the U-boat was gone."
Sean listened closely. "That certainly is an odd sequence of events."
"Sure is. Harris said they started firing on the sub, but it vanished before they could take it down."
"Went below the surface?"
"No," Tommy corrected. "Like it completely disappeared into thin air. And just before it did, the ship's crew reported the same instrument malfunction from before the U-boat showed up."
Tommy was right. It was beyond weird. Sean had heard of different reports of this nature from the archives. Usually, they had to do with UFO sightings, most of the time revolving around the Nevada or New Mexico deserts. There were a few other odd reports, such as the stories and legends surrounding the Bermuda Triangle, but this didn't have anything to do with any of those things. According to what Tommy said, this event occurred far outside of the Bermuda Triangle, and it wasn't aliens they were seeing but a German submarine, far outside its normal route of operation.
He looked out the window as he pondered the details he'd been given. A VW minivan passed by, loaded down with three kids in the back and two worn-out-looking parents in the front. The child at the window closest to Sean was staring at him with his mouth opened wide and lips pressed to the glass. I feel the same way, kid, Sean thought.
"You still there?" Tommy asked, plucking Sean from his thoughts.
"Yeah. I'm here. Just trying to process all this."
"It's a mind job, that's for sure. I don't know if it helps with what you're looking for. It just struck me as one of the few things in the archives that really stuck out."
"Actually, this might be exactly what we needed. If a U-boat was able to appear and disappear right in front of an entire ship full of sailors at the same time their instruments went down, I'd say that's the sub I'm looking for."
A silent moment descended on their conversation before Tommy spoke up again. "You're still not going to tell me what it is you're trying to figure out, are you?"
Sean laughed. "Can't do that, buddy. Working for old friends. That's all I can say."
"I understand. But if you're looking for a German U-boat that can do what those reports said, it sounds like you're into something heavy, like dealing with wormhole technology or something."
"I'll let you bend your mind around theories, buddy. All I know is, I've got to get to Argentina as fast as possible."
"Well, before you go, we went ahead and did a search of German names in the region of San Sebastián. We found a few that were of interest. You should probably check those out first if that's where you're headed."
Sean chuckled. Tommy and his assistants were able to dig up nearly any kind of information. While the rest of the world could find what they needed through their favorite search engines, Sean was certain Tommy and the other two had other resources at their disposal.
"How'd you do that?"
"Don't worry about it. You have your secrets. I have mine."
"Fair enough."
"The first person you're looking for is a guy by the name of Alfred Wolfz. I'll send you his address. He's in his sixties. Definitely has German roots. There's not much on his father, which makes me think he was one of the Nazis who escaped the country. The other one is a woman, also in her sixties, named Irena Stoepel. Same kind of background. Definitely German heritage. And just like with Wolfz, it's pretty sketchy."
"What have you got on their families?" Sean pressed his luck. The more he could find out now, the better chance he would have of getting a response from either person when he arrived in Argentina.
"Nothing really. Wolfz had a wife, she's deceased. Kids moved away, not sure where. He lives alone now. Stoepel never married. She also lives by herself in a villa overlooking the coast."
"Sounds like she's doing well for herself. Wonder if there was some kind of trust fund that got her started in life." He let the rest of his idea speak for itself.
"Could be. Anyway, I hope this helps. I'm giving a keynote here in Atlanta in a few hours, so I've got to get going."
"It helps a lot. Thanks, Tommy."
"No problem. Always happy to help."
Sean ended the call and focused on the road. His foot pressed on the accelerator, easing the car into a higher rate of speed. A quick check of the clock on the dashboard told him it was still late in the morning. He picked his phone up and found the contact he needed then hit the green button.
"That was fast." Emily answered on the other end. Always direct.