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Sam watched the rotation of smaller-framed camera views on the larger monitor, seeing the cameras leave the pavement for the graveled road before switching to the front of the cabin and then the back. “You were saying something about cameras on other areas you wanted to keep an eye on? I only see three active frames here.”
“The views of the house and the road leading to it are always on. It keeps me from jumping up every time I let my dog out. Or if I have to leave her here when I run into town. My phone alerts me if one of the other cameras activates. Right now, nothing’s going on out there.”
“Definitely an impressive system. How many cameras total?”
“Twelve.” He woke up each camera, giving them a view of the surrounding forest.
“Twelve?” Remi said. “All to watch your cabin?”
“Other than the road and my house, most of them are pointed toward the two areas I’m currently exploring.”
“Not the tracks near the sixty-fifth kilometer?” Sam asked. “We heard that was one of the places they suspect the Gold Train was hidden.”
Gustaw looked up from the monitor. “I thought you weren’t interested in that?”
“Not specifically. We’re interested in one of the men who may have been responsible for hiding it. Or, rather, the route he took when he fled Königsberg. I have a map I can show you.”
Sam accessed the photo of the original Königsberg map on his phone. “The route we were looking for isn’t on here,” he said. “We found out about that from a friend in Kaliningrad.”
“Considering how large this area is, I’m surprised you were able to find me.”
“We’re persistent, if nothing else. So why is it that you’re discounting the sixty-fifth kilometer as being legitimate?”
“It’s still a very good theory. Renard got a hit on the area with ground penetrating radar. Definitely something down there about the size and shape of a train car.”
“You weren’t able to dig there?”
“The government wouldn’t let us.” He looked away a moment, eyeing his dog. “We were searching for the entrance when Renard was killed . . .”
Remi reached out and touched his arm. “I’m sorry. We all are.”
He nodded, took a deep breath, looking back at them. “There are several other areas not yet explored. But with the number of tunnels down there, who’s to say which one leads where? This hill here,” he said, pointing to the top far-left frame on the monitor, “has definitely held a lot of Nazi activity. That’s where I found the coins and the helmet.” He woke up another camera, two frames over. “Here, this is the other side,” he said, tapping the frame between them. “This brook originates at the tunnel and runs down between those two hills. I believe the Nazis diverted that water. That means they had to have done so inside the mountain.”
“You’re sure?” Sam asked, intrigued.
“Very. I found an old, hand-drawn map of the area from before the end of the war.” He pulled out a present-day map of the area, showing a location closer to the town. “The brook ran from the mountain into town on this side prior to the Nazi occupation. The farmers were able to use the water for their livestock. Once the explosions and excavations of the tunnels occurred, the brook was diverted here to the other side of the ridge.” He pointed to another location on the map. “The perspective and distance are somewhat misleading until you see the area in person. But once you’re there, you can easily see how a short diversion up at the top of the hill makes such a difference.”
Remi leaned in for a better view. “I’m not sure I understand. There have to be several water sources originating in these mountains. What makes this one special?”
“Because that’s where I found this.” He reached for something on the shelf next to the old German helmet, then held out a lapel pin with a small skull and crossbones on it.
Sam recognized it instantly. The insignia of Unternehmen Werwolf.
33
As Rolfe listened to Leopold Gaudecker’s men arguing over where to start their search, Tatiana and Viktor, her ever-present bodyguard, walked in the door. She looked around at the chaotic scene before zeroing in on him. “What’s going on?”
“Leopold’s men are trying to pinpoint where the network of tunnels starts and how the Fargos plan on getting in.”
She glanced over at the table and the men leaning over the map. “Where did that come from?”
“The Fargos.”
“How?”
“The Guard broke into their hotel room last night and took it.”
“Are you insane?”