Page 108 (2/2)

An architectural hybrid of sorts, half of Saint Bartholoe hite stucco exterior walls, steeply sloped gray shingle roof, and heavy wooden shutters painted in greens and yellohile the other half was made up of a cluster of three red-roofed onion domes atop of which further rose two spires: one a less doe, a more traditional steeple, with a sloped hip roof and shuttered slit s

“Is it ironic that Hitler also loved this place?” Remi asked, “or just a little scary?”

Berchtesgaden, the ssee sat, was also hole’s Nest

“No one’s immune to beauty,” Sam replied “Even him, it seems”

The question was, Sam and Remi knew, aside from the scenery, why exactly were they here?

Though they had deciphered only the first part of the latest riddle, they’d felt confident enough in their solution to ie fro thanked Yvette for her hospitality and promised to return and recount their exploration, they were on their way to the Nice airport, fro, where they rented a car and drove the ressee

“What ti?” Remi asked

“Nine Re the Königssee valley’s weather was volatile, prone to days that could go fro clouds to snow in the space of an hour The savvy Königssee visitor was always armed with a spare sweater or Windbreaker

Given Saint Bartholomae’s location, there were only tays to reach it, either by boat fro mountain passes While the latter option piqued their wanderlust they kneould have to wait for their next visit Time was not their friend now While their infiltration of Bondaruk’s estate had put the the iven the scope of his resources, their lead could be short-lived They’d seen no sign of Kholkov or his men, but still a touch of paranoia seemed warranted Until they found whatever secrets Saint Bartholo watched Moreover, they would assued an already frustrated Bondaruk Whatever restraint the one What they couldn’t predict was, given the lengths to which Bondaruk had already gone, what ht he do now?

If the Königssee was the height of alpine beauty, Sae, Schönau, epitomized the word “quaint”

Home to five thousand souls, Schönau, which sat astride the stone-strewn river that fed the Königssee, was a sprawling collection of hoe On the eastern side of Schönau’s truncated S-shaped harbor, just south of a string of cafés, restaurants, and hotels, sat a curved line of boathouses whose styling seees coffee-table book

Now, as Sam steered their car down the tree-lined road to Schönau, they could see the day’s last tour boats gliding in and out of the boathouses, their wakes for translucent fans atop the emerald water

A fewlot of the Hotel Schiffs and balconies bursting with red and white and pink flowers, the Schiffmeister’s facade was painted in earth-toned rococo traceries of intertwined flowers and vines and spirals As the valet saw to their car and the bellhop to their bags, they walked into the lobby and found the front desk Minutes later they were being shown into their lakefront suite

They each showered, wrapped themselves in the hotel’s heavy terry cloth robes, then ordered coffee fro the water With the sun falling behind the olden hue and the cal chilled On the streets and sidewalks below, tourists strolled along, looking in shop s and taking pictures of the harbor

Sam powered up his iPhone and tapped into the hotel’s satellite Internet connection “So their e-mail With typical efficiency she had compiled a report on Xerxes I and the Achaemenid Dynasty, one a condensed version, the other more detailed Sam forwarded both to Re about the ancient Persian king