Chaos Read Online Free PDF Page B

ODESSA. ODESSA was a postwar network designed to help SS members escape the Allies. It also enabled those same SS members to transport Nazi resources out of Germany.”
    I shrugged. “Does this story have a point?”
    “I’m getting to it. Although he was just a scientist, Hartek apparently held influence within the SS. As such, ODESSA entrusted him with a substantial treasure after he was forcibly immigrated to America.”
    “What happened to it?”
    “Nobody knows for certain. However, two months ago, a man walked into a Manhattan pawnshop. He attempted to sell a gold bar, which displayed the markings of the Deutsche Reichsbank . Naturally, it raised the proprietor’s suspicions. The proprietor called the police, but the man fled before help could arrive. Eventually, the story came across my desk and I was able to confirm that the serial number on the bar matched that of a gold bar distributed by ODESSA to Hartek many years ago.”
    “Do you have a lead on this man?”
    Chase passed me another photograph. The lines were fuzzy and it lacked color, but I could easily make out the picture of an older man. He exhibited good posture. A fierce scowl was etched across his face. His hair looked dark and bushy. Although clearly advanced in years, his eyes maintained a spark of vitality that gave me pause.
    I frowned as I passed it back to him. “You didn’t answer my question. Do you have a lead on him?”
    “Fingerprints at the scene confirmed his identity as Fred Jenson. He served during World War II. After the war, he returned to Brooklyn for a short while before going off-grid. This is the first time he’s surfaced in decades.”
    “Off-grid? Where does he live?”
    “Underground,” Chase replied with a wily grin. “About one hundred feet under the streets of Manhattan, to be precise.”
    I tightened involuntarily and then forced myself to relax, cursing myself for being so transparent. “Are you sure?”
    “Positive.”
    “So you want me to find him for you?”
    “Obviously, we’ve done our research on you. In your previous life, you conducted an archaeological study of New York’s subway tunnels, did you not?”
    “Well, a section of them. But –”
    “Then, you’re the perfect man for the job.” He paused to take a breath. “According to the pawn shop proprietor, Jenson said that he knew where to find more gold bars. He indicated that they were very close to where he lived. I want to hire you to find him as well as Hartek’s treasure.”
    I held up my hand. “I don’t think you know what you’re asking. New York has hundreds of miles of subway tunnels and thousands of miles of sewers. And that doesn’t even include naturally formed underground spaces.”
    “I know it won’t be easy. That’s why we’re willing to pay you handsomely for your efforts.”
    “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to spend the next few weeks dodging trains just so you can get a little bit richer.”
    “I’m not going to keep the treasure. On the contrary, I’m planning to return it to its rightful owners.”
    “Why?”
    “Let’s just say I have an interest in righting the wrongs of the past.”
    “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
    He sighed. “My father was an American soldier. He died during World War II when I was just an infant. I think he’d appreciate my tiny effort at obtaining justice.”
    His face betrayed his steady voice. There was something else driving him, a reason he didn’t want to share. I considered pressing him on it but ultimately, decided to forget it. “Aren’t you worried I’ll steal the treasure?”
    “I doubt you could, even if you wanted to. We believe that ODESSA supplied Hartek with nearly half a ton of gold.”
    The staggering figure swirled in my brain. “How do you plan to conduct a treasure hunt under New York anyways? The moment the news gets out…and it will…you’ll have a full-fledged riot on your hands.”
    “A solution is already in place.