The Secret Crown (2010) by Chris Kuzneski

they had many others. The
Reichsadler
was a black eagle. The
Wolfsangel
, or wolf’s hook, came from the Black Forest. And the SS insignia looked like two side-by-side lightning bolts. If this place was built by the Nazis, they would have branded it in some way.’
    Kaiser shook his head. ‘I found nothing like that.’
    ‘I’m glad. We don’t want to find any Nazi symbols.’
    ‘What about the crates? Wouldn’t they be marked?’
    ‘Without a doubt. As I said, they branded everything - including people.’
    The comment hung in the air like a black cloud, nearly as palpable as the stench from the outer chamber. Even though Payne, Jones and Kaiser had served in the military, none of them could fully comprehend the death and destruction of World War Two. It had swept across Europe like a deadly wave, leaving absolute destruction in its wake.
    ‘So,’ Payne said, trying to lighten the mood, ‘tell us about your epiphany.’
    Ulster smiled. ‘I was wondering when you’d bring that up. Fortunately, this is the perfect time to discuss it. Please, if you don’t mind, can you show me the open crate?’
    Payne walked into the right-hand corner and held his flashlight above the van Gogh crate. During the night, the lid had been closed to protect the paintings inside. ‘It’s this one here.’
    Ulster reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of XXL latex gloves that he had to stretch and pull over his chubby fingers. When he was done, he looked like a surgeon ready to operate. ‘When you told me about this crate, I initially panicked. Not only was I familiar with the paintings, but I knew all of them had been lost during World War Two.’
    Ulster paused for a moment while he opened the crate. Just as Payne had promised, the underbelly of the lid had been marked with the Ulster coat of arms. Even though he had been expecting to see it, its presence still took his breath away.
    Jones cleared his throat. ‘Go on.’
    Ulster blinked a few times. ‘Wait, where was I?’
    ‘You were talking about the paintings.’
    Ulster handed the lid to Jones, and then thumbed through the canvases in the crate. ‘Late last night, once I had a chance to ruminate a bit, I realized something crucial about one painting in particular.’
    ‘Which one?’ Kaiser wondered.
    Ulster pulled out the masterpiece and held it in the air. As he did, he admired its beauty. ‘
Still Life: Vase with Five Sunflowers
, painted by Vincent van Gogh in August 1888.’
    Kaiser nodded. That matched the information he had learned from one of his sources. ‘Supposedly it was destroyed by fire in an air raid, way back in 1945.’
    ‘That is true,’ Ulster admitted. ‘But you’ve omitted the most important part of the story - at least as it pertains to my family. Where did this bombing occur?’
    Kaiser shrugged. ‘I have absolutely no idea.’
    Ulster grinned. ‘Ashiya, Japan.’
    Payne furrowed his brow. ‘Did you say
Japan
?’
    Ulster nodded. ‘It was owned by a Japanese industrialist.’
    ‘If that’s the case, how did the Nazis get their hands on it?’
    Ulster grinned even wider. ‘Who said they did?’

14

    Silence filled the back chamber as they waited for Ulster’s explanation, each of them wondering how a painting from Japan, believed to be destroyed in World War Two, had ended up in a secret bunker in Bavaria. Anxious to clear his grandfather’s name, Ulster explained: ‘Even though Germany and Japan were Axis powers, their relationship was based on a common enemy and little else. Other than a few diplomats stationed near Tokyo, there weren’t many Nazis in the Far East. Ground troops were far more valuable in Europe.’
    Payne, who had a great understanding of the war from his Naval Academy education, nodded in agreement. ‘Japan wanted to control the Pacific. Germany wanted to conquer everything else. Their alliance was one of convenience, nothing more.’
    ‘If that’s the case, how did the painting end up here?’ Kaiser