Heidi waited with anticipation. ‘So, what does it say?’
Ulster lowered his voice. ‘He who holds the key gets to wear the crown.’
‘Crown? What crown?’ she demanded.
Ulster shrugged. ‘Honestly, my dear, I’m really not sure. Perhaps my grandfather made a notation in his journal. If you give me a moment, I’d be happy to check.’
Payne pointed at the document. ‘Or you could just read that.’
Ulster blushed. ‘Yes, of course, how silly of me! Sometimes I get distracted. Like a toddler, I tend to focus on the shiniest toy in the room, not the one in front of me.’
Jones snatched the key out of Ulster’s hand. ‘In that case, why don’t I hold this for you? Personally, I think I’d look pretty damn good with a crown.’
Payne rolled his eyes. ‘Speaking of childish behaviour.’
Ulster chuckled at the comment, then refocused his attention on the document. Unsure of its age or fragility, he used the unsharpened side of the switchblade to unfold the paper on his makeshift workstation. Within seconds, he knew what he was looking at. ‘It’s a map.’
Payne and Jones exchanged knowing glances. The last time they had found a map they were on a fishing boat, piloted by a hard-drinking Finn, near the city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The map had eventually resulted in their wildly successful trip to Greece.
Jones cracked. ‘I’ll buy the vodka. You call Jarkko. We’ll find the treasure in no time.’
Heidi ignored the comment. ‘A map of what?’
‘Capri,’ Ulster said with certainty. ‘The Isle of Capri.’
Standing across from Ulster, Payne glanced at the document. Although everything was upside-down from his perspective and written in a foreign language, he quickly recognized the shape of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Naples. ‘The one in Italy?’
Ulster nodded. ‘Indeed.’
Jones grunted at the news. ‘I was joking about Jarkko, but maybe we should give him a call. He hangs out near there this time of year. And he’s always looking for a pay check.’
Heidi remained focused on the document. ‘Where is it pointing?’
Ulster studied the hand-drawn map, looking for a giant X that marked the spot. When no symbols turned up, he searched for objects that seemed out of place. A minute passed before he found a possibility. ‘I’m not sure, but I think it’s pointing to the north-west coast.’
‘Why do you say that?’ Jones wondered.
‘Everything is written in Bavarian, except for one item that is labelled in Italian. It says Grotta Azzurra.’
‘What does that mean?’ Payne asked.
Heidi’s face lit up. ‘The Blue Grotto.’
Payne stared at her. ‘Are you familiar with it?’
She nodded, obviously excited. ‘The Blue Grotto is a famous sea cave in Capri. Sunlight passes through an underwater cavern that reflects the light into the cave. It makes the whole cavern glow an eerie shade of blue. Ludwig was fascinated by its beauty.’
Payne sensed there was more information to come. ‘And?’
She smiled. ‘And Ludwig built a replica in this grotto.’
Ulster laughed with delight. ‘Can you show us where?’
Heidi led the way. They hustled to the landing near the artificial waterfall, which had been turned off for several minutes. With a grin on her face, she told them to stay put while she headed for the hidden control panel.
Payne objected. ‘Not this shit again.’
‘No tricks, I promise.’
‘Then what are you doing?’
She started flipping switches. ‘Obviously, there’s no sunlight down here. In order to reproduce the Blue Grotto, the builders had to install a special light under the water. Keep your eyes on the sea cave on the far side of the lake.’
‘Where’s the sea cave?’ Jones asked, a split-second before an alcove on the opposite side of the lake turned a brilliant shade of light blue. ‘Never mind.’
To produce the effect, a stone archway had been built just above the surface of the water. The curved gap between the stone and lake was so narrow that Jones had assumed it was a shadow on the base of the wall instead of an opening. But now that the blue light was on, he was able to see the arched gap above the water.
Heidi reappeared beside them. ‘Pretty, isn’t it?’
Payne nodded. ‘Believe it or not, I think I’ve seen pictures of the actual cave. As soon as you turned on the light, the image popped into my mind.’
‘I’m not surprised. It really is quite famous. And the designers did a wonderful job.’
Jones stared across the lake. It looked vaguely familiar to him, too. ‘That’s all well and good, but what are we supposed to do now?’
She shrugged. ‘I have no idea.’
Payne turned to Ulster for advice. ‘What do you think?’
Ulster paused in thought. After a few seconds of analysis, he broke into a wide grin. ‘I hate to say it, but I think the hippo should get back into the water.’
Payne cracked a smile. He wasn’t used to being teased by Ulster. ‘That’s strange. I don’t remember seeing you in the water earlier.’
Ulster laughed and patted his own belly. ‘Touche.’
‘Seriously, do you think there might be something back there?’
‘Obviously, I’m far from certain, but I think it would be foolish not to check. After all, we are a long way from home.’
Payne nodded in agreement. ‘How big is the cave? Any idea?’
Heidi answered. ‘I honestly don’t know. I’ve never been back there before. But the one in Capri is huge. The only thing that’s small is the opening. To enter the Grotta Azzurra, people have to lie flat on their backs in rowing boats or else they would bump their heads on the entrance. But once inside, it expands into a massive cavern.’
Payne studied the gap on the far side of the lake. It was much more narrow than the one in Italy; a toy boat would struggle to pass underneath the stone archway, let alone a rowing boat. Then again, that might have been done on purpose. If it were too inviting, it might have attracted too many unwanted guests.
Payne hopped into the water. ‘Screw it! I’ll take a look.’