Chapter 24
Lee stood on Stearns Wharf watching Seaview and her crew leave on their month long cruise. He felt it was best to remain out of sight; Chip was the captain and he would not intrude on his command status by appearing at Seaview's departure. He reluctantly conceded to himself it was difficult watching the men board the boat while he was forced to stay behind. There was something caught in his throat as he turned away and headed back to the car where Angie was waiting. She would be driving him back to the clinic. Buckling his seatbelt, he sat back and turned towards the attractive brunette.
"Thanks for the lift. I could have had someone from the motor pool drive me, you didn't have to bother."
"It got me away from the office, Lee. To tell the truth, I wanted to meet Dr. Anderson, she must be a magician."
He was a little hurt that Angie thought he had been in such terrible shape, until she added, "How else could she keep you from disappearing from the clinic? Jamie needs to get her secrets." Angie batted her eyelashes with great exaggeration before breaking off snickering.
"I leave this joint for a couple days and everyone turns into a comedian! Keep those pretty brown eyes on the road, Ms. Williams. I'm in no mood to extend my medical leave."
"Yes, sir!" Traffic was increasing so she turned her attention to it, leaving Lee to reflect on the meetings he'd had with the crew over the last ten days.
The admiral had arranged for Kowalski to show up before the others. It was awkward for both men at first. After a couple of false starts, Lee told Ski what he'd heard. He was horrified the skipper could believe he wanted to hang him. By calming the man down, Lee was able to work through his own distress. Kowalski was followed by many of the others whose voices had been on the tapes. Lee became more at ease, and his reaction helped erase the discomfort the others felt. Soon it was back to normal, Riley putting his foot in his mouth as usual, and the chief threatening him with a month of bilge duty if he opened it one more time.
Two nights ago, Chip had invited O'Brien, Maxwell and Sparks over for pizza and poker. That night went smoother. Lee simply gave a brief rundown why he couldn't accept the truth about the recordings at first. The important thing was he was able to be at ease with these officers.
Yesterday he'd been invited to an impromptu get-together at one of the crew's favorite bars in downtown Santa Barbara. Standing there, discussing how the Dodgers were doing, seemed like the most natural thing in the world.
When Angie drove through the gate, Lee asked the guard for Dr. Anderson's whereabouts. They were both disappointed to find out she'd gone to Los Angeles for a conference. Angie said she'd take a rain check, and waved her hand out the window all the way down the driveway.
Now he was back to being alone for the next month, or so he'd thought. Rick stopped by to give him the good news - he was being discharged the following Monday.
The week went quickly until that day came.
"Well Lee, I am extremely happy to see you leaving us. I'll admit to you now; I had my doubts for a while that you would sufficiently recover to regain your command status. I should never have done so. You have my cell number, call if you run into any trouble and we'll talk. Please try not to overdo your first day back. Dr. Jamieson and I agreed to limited duty the first week at four hours and then the next at six hours."
"That will be fine; I can cross off things on my condo to-do list with my light work schedule." He held out his hand. "Thanks, Doc." His voice caught, but he recovered quickly. "If you want to join the gang for the Army Navy game this fall, I won't make you sit in the corner."
"Careful, you might ruin your reputation. Get out of here, your ride is waiting." The doctor watched the young man turn and walk out the door. Even without a uniform, you could see the military bearing; back straight, shoulders pulled back and a firm stride. Most of all, there were the clear, focused eyes, no longer looking lost.
When he was well out the door, the doctor punched her hands into the air and said, "We did it!"
She was sending another man back into the world strong and whole again, ready to take on whatever came his way. There had been something special about this one. It was more than his commitment to duty. She felt privileged to be part of his recovery, for the world needed men like Lee Crane and Chip Morton. She would miss him and their arguments.
I just pray that the evils in this world will pass him by for a while.
Coming home after four hours of pushing papers around, Lee grabbed a bottle of water and walked out to the deck. The picnic table needed re-staining, but that could wait for a while. A run on the beach followed by a short swim before starting the boring, but necessary task would be a good compromise. Taking off his shoes, with his long legs spread out in front of him and his head leaning back, he enjoyed the sun beating down on him. Maybe a brief nap before the job and swim would be a better idea; after all, the job wouldn't take long.
His eyes closed and the next thing he knew the front doorbell was ringing. Damn! Four hours, how could he have fallen asleep for that long? Not bothering to put on his shoes, Lee went inside muttering to himself. If Jamie or Chip arranged for a babysitter, I'm going to kill them. He jerked open the door and was surprised to see Jimmy, one of the guards, accompanied by a well-dressed young stranger.
"Sir, this is Mr. Kunze, who insists he needs your signature for some items that must be hand delivered to you." Worried about Lee's momentary stunned silence at seeing the men, the guard continued, "Don't worry sir, they've been scanned."
"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone. Please come in, Mr. Kunze. You said you had a package for me?" Lee stepped back to allow the two men to enter.
"Perhaps I should explain." The stranger spoke with a heavy German accent. "I'm a junior member from the law firm of Nussbaum and Richter. Herr Nussbaum has entrusted me to carry out the final wishes of Professor von Kempner. I beg your pardon; I must first ask you a question to verify your identity."
Jimmy, jumped in, arguing that of course Commander Crane was Commander Crane, didn't he think NIMR would know the captain of Seaview, and Admiral Nelson's right-hand man?
"Let the man do his job, Jimmy. He has his orders just like you do." Having diffused the situation Lee asked the lawyer to continue.
"Danke, Herr Crane." He fell back for a moment to his native tongue, not only awed being in America but by being singled out by the head of the firm to ensure everything was properly handled. Taking a steadying breath, he resumed his task, switching to English. "I apologize, we are a small but old firm and there is seldom a reason to travel out of the country. Please, can you tell me the last wine you presented to the professor?"
Lee had no trouble with the answer; the day was etched in his memory for it was the last time he was ever to see his friend alive. "A Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver Oak from the Alexander Valley. We enjoyed a Riesling from his cousin's winery with lunch." He smiled at the youthful attorney showed he was not offended.
"Excellent." Respectfully he asked the guard to bring in the crate from the van. "It is the wine von Kempner promised. Your embassy was very helpful with the red tape. I also have a parcel; it is papers our client wanted to make sure were delivered safely into your hands."
Lee called out to Jimmy to bring the crate through the garage into the kitchen then motioned Kunze to follow him.
The guard opened the outer shipping container in the driveway and wheeled the smaller one into the kitchen where he removed the box top. It wasn't a full case, nine bottles instead of the customary twelve, Jimmy thought, but it was a pretty good gift all the way from Germany, anyway.
Mr. Kunze pulled a sturdily wrapped bundle from his briefcase and handed it to Lee, along with a thick pile of legal documents signifying the receipt of the two items.
"Do you have to go right back, Herr Kunze? Sure you couldn't wrangle a couple of days to visit?"
"Ah, I would love to, Herr Crane, but I am afraid my employers would not permit it."
"Just tell them you couldn't find me right away. That ought to get you a couple of days to visit Hollywood."
The young man's face lit up. "Hollywood! Ja! Perhaps I could see the famous Kardashians!"
Lee hid his smile. "Oh, no doubt. Well, whatever you decide, enjoy your trip back to Germany, Herr Kunze, and thank you for everything."
Fortunately, the designer included a wine cooler when building the condominium. It would hold the eight bottles with no trouble. Lee removed a beer from the refrigerator and carried it, along with the package, into the living room and sat down on the recliner.
The wine has plenty of time to settle before Seaview returns. We'll open a bottle to toast the professor's memory.
He vividly remembered his friend's confession over the bottle they drank at lunch, ashamed at having consumed three of the remaining twelve while writing his memoirs.
Lee cut the tape holding the thick brown wrapper closed. Pausing to take a long drink of beer, his heart began to beat faster, could this be a copy of the manuscript?
Finish opening it you fool, whatever it is, von Kempner felt it was important enough to go through all the hassle of hand delivery. Well, here goes nothing.
Lee pulled back the heavy gauge paper and found an envelope addressed to him taped to a blank piece of paper. Trying to rip it off the sheet, he tore it, revealing the bottom half of the next page. The typed sheet had writing on the margin he recognized as his friend's distinctive penmanship. In a flash, Lee recalled the professor's actual words, a copy of the manuscript of his life's work to be sent to the United States.
Oh my God, this has to be the original.
He ripped open the letter; it was short and cryptic. Von Kempner was sorry for the ruse of sending off a copy with Lee, he knew Lee was capable of defending himself. It would distract anyone who might be watching. If the unforeseen happened, and the book was taken, the original could then be safely sent to Lee after the professor's death.
It then went on in a similar vein as the conversation in Bitburg. Remember the first time we met, you had so many questions? I told you never to stop questioning, to look always for the hidden truths, in science or in life. Always keep searching; you will be surprised at what you can find. Things are not always as they seem at first glance. He concluded his letter with blessings for a long and happy life and hoped whenever Lee saw the wine, he would remember their last conversation.
The earlier plan of a jog and then work on the picnic table faded from Lee's mind. The wine in the kitchen was forgotten as Lee's attention turned solely to the manuscript. He started to read.
After two straight hours, he stopped to make a pot of coffee and rest his eyes. The professor had apologized for getting bogged down in the scientific aspects, making the book seem more like a textbook than someone's memoirs. Lee was able to follow for the most part, but between the technical jargon and all the handwritten notes in the margins he was studying for any secrets, his mind was in overdrive.
While waiting he went to the patio to retrieve his forgotten shoes and stretched for a few minutes to work out the kinks. So far, he had not come across anything not already known or easily found out. After a couple more toe touches, he was ready to return to the book.
Refilling the large travel cup and choosing a Red Delicious apple to snack on, Lee resumed reading.
The ringing of his phone interrupted his concentration. Lee was shocked that it was after 2300.
"Lee, I took a chance you were still up. Would you like to meet for breakfast before work tomorrow?"
"Thanks Angie, maybe the next time." His mind was only partially on the call.
"You sound a little strange. Is everything all right?" Angie tried not to sound concerned, knowing how he hated being fussed over.
"I'm just trying to figure out a mystery I'm reading. Thanks for the offer, let's make a definite date for the day after tomorrow." He realized Angie would keep pushing now that she sensed something was wrong. Hopefully, making plans would put her off.
"Well, okay. I guess I'll see you in the morning at nine. Don't stay up too late reading. If it's that riveting, maybe I can borrow it when you through. I love mysteries."
"Night, Angie." After he had hung up, he picked up the apple core and empty mug and went to the kitchen. Realizing he would never get to sleep on an empty stomach, he poured himself a bowl of Cheerios, added a sliced up banana and ate standing up. A good night's sleep would clear his head.
Lee easily fell asleep but was disturbed by strange images whose identities were at the tip of his tongue. Perhaps the frustration caused him to wake less than three hours later. Knowing it was fruitless to try to go back to sleep, he drew on his robe and returned to the living room and the manuscript. After another hour of reading, he got up and made a pot of coffee and pulled out a pad and paper from the desk drawer. The manuscript contained what appeared to be underlined letters in the margin comments, but it was difficult to be sure. The professor's handwriting was becoming shaky. It was possible the marks were from uncontrollable tics of the pen. Had he been trying to write 'L C,' Lee Crane? Or could the 'C' stand for carbon?
He copied the other letters, but for now, they remained a mystery. Sometimes later, he stopped to refill his cup and toasted a bagel. Taking them both out to the deck, he relished the early morning breeze. His head was swimming, however, he refused to quit. He had at least another hour or so of reading.
He recalled Decker's words on how the professor's mind started to wander towards the end. What Lee saw was solid and reliable science, not some pie-in-the-sky ideas, for the unproductive project von Kempner was working on. The writing wasn't as polished now, but the concepts were defendable. The professor was intertwining more antidotes in the latest chapters, knowing the end was near. Lee was pleased to find so many stories involving his time with his friend. What was puzzling, or maybe not, was here in this section some of the inconsequential facts were incorrect. Only Lee, and perhaps those whose names were being mentioned, would catch the mistakes. Taking a final lungful of fresh air, he went back inside to another mug of coffee and the remainder of the manuscript.
A half-hour later Lee was pacing up and down the living room floor, tapping the now necessary magnifying glass onto the pages. He would stop, use the magnifier and record a letter or symbol, then resumed his frantic walking. He came to an abrupt halt. He had come to a section discussing wine making, the pages seeming totally out of place, mainly for the length written about the irrelevant subject.
I've checked it out on Internet and it seems correct, but I'll verify the process. Whom do I know and trust I can show this to get some answers? There has to be something here, this portion does not belong in the book. Don't want to send it to ONI if it turns out I'm imagining things.
He continued his reading only to stop minutes later at the line, "my nephew sends me a case each year…." Something was wrong; he distinctly remembered what was said at their lunch.
"It is from my cousin's winery in Hessische-Bergstrasse. He sends me a case every year. I have eight bottles left of the vintage we had with our meal. I confess to drinking three of them while working on my book. When I'm gone, I have arranged for them to be shipped to you, as a final token of my friendship."
Lee walked into the kitchen and now stood staring at the crate. At the time, he thought how he would treasure the remaining eight bottles. Eight bottles. He blinked and rubbed his tired eyes.
Eight bottles … but there are nine bottles here.
Dropping to the floor on his knees, Lee cautiously removed the first bottle from the straw nest. It looked like a regular bottle of wine. He held it up to the ceiling light - nothing strange from what he could tell.
Gently he placed it in the center of the table and withdrew the second one. He repeated the examination with the same results. Soon there were four containers sitting on the table and he was beginning to question his memory. Reaching for the bottle in the center of the crate the professor's words leapt into his head.
"Keep searching until you get to the root of your problems."
Mentally crossing his fingers, Lee carefully extracted the wine and held it up to the light. Was it his imagination or didn't the bottle seemed different? Not the wine, it was the same color, but the bottle itself. It felt slightly heavier. He took one off the table for comparison. He could swear there was a very slight difference in weight. He would check it out on the lab scale to be sure.
He turned the bottle upside down, tapping the base. Yes, he was sure it sounded different. He dampened a dishtowel and wiped off the dust, paying close attention to the bottom. Lee detected a slight imperfection in the glass, a small bubble. It almost looked like a plug. Was it possible? He removed the rest, one by one, carefully inspecting each. To be sure, he looked for the bubble on the first four. Nothing, no bump or marks of any kind.
Lee picked up the phone and called NIMR Security, requesting someone be sent to his condominium. He disconnected and then called ahead to the lab to ensure someone would be there to x-ray the object. Maybe he was still being paranoid, but he wasn't taking any chances.
Taking the bottle into the bedroom to keep it in his sight he quickly dressed and placed the wine into his briefcase, locking it. By the time the guards rang the doorbell, Lee was ready.
"Adams, I want you to take this book to the Security Locker and check it in. Then come back here and keep watch, no one goes in until I return. Monroe, you're coming with me to the lab. All this has been sitting out since yesterday and I don't think anyone is searching, but I'm going to err on the side of caution."
At the last minute, he chose a second bottle and handed it to Monroe. Making sure he set the security alarm, Lee and the guard got into his Cobra, followed by the second security officer.
"What can I do for you, Lee?"
"Tell me if I'm crazy or not. I need these bottles x-rayed, paying close attention to the base."
Lee had a worried look on his face. Was he making a fool of himself? He trusted the professor; something had to come out of his experience in Germany. He chewed his lip and crossed his arms as he waited impatiently. von Kempner had been so concerned he was being watched; all those things he said to Lee about searching and not giving up, and the two copies of the manuscript with the underlined letters; it had to add up to this bottle.
"Should be ready in a minute. I took pictures at several different angles," the technician informed Lee while handing back the bottles. Turning on the lights for the viewing panel, the tech snapped the films into place.
Lee pointed excitedly. "There is something in the first one! Looks like a tube of some sort."
"It measures three inches in length and about a half inch in width. Do you know what's inside?"
"The final chapter to a brilliant man's life."