The Golden Keel / The Vivero Letter Read Online Free PDF Page A

bayonet.’
    Walker took the bayonet from the scabbard of the dead German and handed it to Coertze, who began to prise the box open. Nails squealed as the top of the box came up. Coertze ripped it off and said, ‘I thought so.’
    ‘What is it?’ asked Harrison, mopping his brow.
    ‘Gold,’ said Coertze softly.
    Everyone stood still.
    Walker was very drunk when he got to this point of his story. He was unsteady on his feet and caught the edge of the bar counter to support himself as he repeated solemnly, ‘Gold.’
    ‘For the love of Mike, what did you do with it?’ I said. ‘And how much of it was there?’
    Walker hiccoughed genthy. ‘What about another drink?’ he said.
    I beckoned to the bar steward, then said, ‘Come on; you can’t leave me in suspense.’
    He looked at me sideways. ‘I really shouldn’t tell,’ he said. ‘But what the hell! There’s no harm in it now. It was like this…’
    They had stood looking at each other for a long moment, then Coertze said, ‘I knew I recognized those boxes. They use boxes like that on the Reef for packing the ingots for shipment.’
    As soon as they had checked that all the boxes in that truck were just as heavy, there was a mad rush to the other trucks. These were disappointing at first—the second truck was full of packing cases containing documents and files.
    Coertze delved into a case, tossing papers out, and said, ‘What the hell’s all this bumph?’ He sounded disappointed.
    Walker picked up a sheaf and scanned through it. ‘Seems to be Italian Government documents of some sort. Maybe this is all top-secret stuff.’
    The muffled voice of Harrison came from the bowels of the truck. ‘Hey, you guys, look what I’ve found.’
    He emerged with both hands full of bundles of lire notes—fine, newly printed lire notes. ‘There’s at least one case full of this stuff,’ he said. ‘Maybe more.’
    The third truck had more boxes of gold, though not as much as the first, and there were several stoutly built wooden cases which were locked. They soon succumbed to a determined assault with a bayonet.
    ‘Christ!’ said Walker as he opened the first. In awe he pulled out a shimmering sparkle of jewels, a necklace of diamonds and emeralds.
    ‘What’s that worth?’ Coertze asked Harrison.
    Harrison shook his head dumbly. ‘Gee, I wouldn’t know.’ He smiled faintly. ‘Not my kind of stone.’
    They were ransacking the boxes when Coertze pulled out a gold cigarette case. ‘This one’s got an inscription,’ he said and read it aloud. ‘“ Caro Benito da parte di Adolfe — Brennero — 1940 .”’
    Harrison said slowly, ‘Hitler had a meeting with Mussolini at the Brenner Pass in 1940. That’s when Musso decided to kick in on the German side.’
    ‘So now we know who this belongs to,’ said Walker, waving his hand.
    ‘Or used to belong to,’ repeated Coertze slowly. ‘But who does it belong to now?’
    They looked at each other.
    Coertze broke the silence. ‘Come on, let’s see what’s in the last truck.’
    The fourth truck was full of packing cases containing more papers. But there was one box holding a crown.
    Harrison struggled to lift it. ‘Who’s the giant who wears this around the palace?’ he asked nobody in particular. The crown was thickly encrusted with jewels—rubies and emeralds, but no diamonds. It was ornate and very heavy. ‘Nowonder they say “uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,”’ cracked Harrison.
    He lowered the crown into the box. ‘Well, what do we do now?’
    Coertze scratched his head. ‘It’s quite a problem,’ he admitted.
    ‘I say we keep it,’ said Harrison bluntly. ‘It’s ours by right of conquest.’
    Now it was in the open—the secret thought that no one would admit except the extrovert Harrison. It cleared the air and made things much easier.
    Coertze said, ‘I suppose we must bring in the rest of the boys and vote on it.’
    ‘That’ll be no good unless it’s a unanimous