From Beyond the Grave
The first shafts of bright daylight were streaming in through the stained glass window of the Smugglers’ Chapel. Finding the door unlocked, the four had gone inside and sat down in the pews, awaiting the arrival of Von Krankl. Drew was still munching away on bread and bacon they had cooked up at Five Muskets farm. Gaston had been astonished to see all four apparently up so early but was much preoccupied with milking the herd and had not hung around.
‘To think this has been staring me in the face every Sunday for the last sixty years and I never noticed.’ Everyone turned to see a hooded figure standing next to Von Krankl in the doorway of the chapel, looking up at the great window and shaking his head. ‘I am too hot.’
The man pulled off the hood and monk’s habit and stood before them now clad in more normal clothes.
Rebecca instantly recognised the old man from the wreck.
‘Rupe?’ A note of concern in Laura’s voice prompted everyone to look at Rupert, whose face had turned deathly pale. His bacon sandwich dropped from his hand to the floor.
For a few seconds he simply stood, staring at the man in utter disbelief, before he ran over and threw his arms round him, clinging on as if his life depended upon it.
‘Grandpa!’ he cried. The sudden intense emotion in his voice and the tears of joy which now streamed down both his and the old man’s faces brought forth an involuntary cry from Rebecca. Laura clung onto her friend’s arm, tears welling in her eyes. It was left to Drew to speak. He looked in amazement at Von Krankl.
‘This is the Admiral ? Isn’t he supposed to be dead?’
Von Krankl wiped a tear from his own eye, smiling as he watched Rupert and his Grandfather embracing. ‘He had to go into hiding or heaven knows what those devils would have done to him. And the only way to do it was to go along with the faking of his death.’
The Admiral was holding his grandson by the shoulders. ‘Can you ever forgive me, Rupert, lad? There was no other way, believe me. If anybody had known I was still alive, both they and I would have been in great danger. The Nazis could not tell anyone I had escaped, because they had already told everyone I was dead. Their “doctor”, so-called, had sent a death certificate to my solicitor. And in truth I would have been dead, but for my good friend here …’ He turned to look gratefully at Von Krankl. ‘With Werner’s help I escaped and hid out on the wreck.’
Rupert turned quickly to Rebecca and Drew. ‘But you guys went to the wreck!’ He closed his eyes, realisation dawning. ‘Of course! You wouldn’t have recognised him.’
‘And you, young lady, I think, have suspected something for a while, haven’t you?’ The Admiral raised his eyebrows at Rebecca.
Rebecca looked at Rupert apologetically. ‘I couldn’t say anything, Rupe. What if I had been wrong? But I was doubtful from the moment you told us about what had happened the night the Admiral was taken away. You got that message … I did wonder who could have sent it other than your Grandpa. Then you told us nobody saw his body; there was the dodgy doctor who you later saw at the monastery; you weren’t allowed to hold the funeral for two weeks … Something didn’t ring true. And the message was so carefully put together. I had a suspicion he might put in an appearance at some stage.’
‘I needed you all to be my eyes and ears and to solve the mystery,’ said the Admiral. ‘I am so grateful.’
‘God, though Gramps, what about Mum? She’s going to have a heart attack when she finds you are back from the dead!’
‘My turn to apologise,’ said Von Krankl, gravely. ‘The reason for your mother’s sudden departure was because I went and told her what had really happened. But we could not let on to another soul and she said there would be no way she could keep it from you or anybody else, so she went off for a few days with Guinevere.’
‘I hate to break this up,’ said Rebecca gently, ‘but we are going to have to move fast now. There is no time to lose.’ She briefly explained everything that had happened in the last few hours. Admiral Dewhurst- Hobb went over to the stained glass window and stood gazing at it. He shook his head again. ‘The map reference is the exact location where the U-boat went down, near the Horns of Lucifer. I think Kraus is telling us where to find the gold.’
The door of the chapel slammed shut, startling everybody. They heard the sounds of footsteps running off down the gravel path outside.
Drew leapt over a pew and dashed out of the door in pursuit.
‘Catch them!’ cried the Admiral. ‘Whoever it is knows everything now!’