The Kammersee Affair Page 2

  “Oh, yes, sorry did you say something,” replied Karl, apologetically. “I was concentrating so hard I didn’t hear you. What was it?”

  “It’s okay, but I think that we ought to make a move, just in case a patrol comes along.” He looked back at the lake. “By the way, you were so engrossed back there. Did you see something?”

  “I’m not really sure,” Karl replied. “I thought I had, but it may have been the moonlight playing tricks on my eyes. It just looked like something floating on the surface. It may have been a tree branch.”

  “It was probably the monster of the lake. The famed Creature of the Deep,” Fritz joked. “We’ll have a closer look tomorrow. Come on, back to the town.”

  “Race you,” said Karl playfully, and started to run.

  That was just like old Karl. Karl never did anything in a hurry. Karl was a plodder, methodical, ponderous. There was never the need to hurry. As far as he was concerned, it was take things nice and slowly. That was Karl. Fritz, on the other hand was more likely to plan as quickly as possible, and to rush into something. Can’t stop, can’t waste time. Must get it done, whatever it was, without delay. Sometimes this would lead to an error, and things going wrong. He would then have to spend extra time correcting the situation. At that point Karl would make some comment like “Act in haste, repent at leisure,” or simply “told you so.”

  They were a good team though. Fritz was the leader, the action man, the go-getter. Karl, on the other hand, would provide the calming influence. He didn’t say much, but he didn’t have to. He was quite happy to let Fritz make the decisions, for Fritz to do all of the planning. He trusted Fritz implicitly. But Karl was there if required, with help and advice as necessary. No, he didn’t say much but if the situation arose, he would certainly speak up. If that happened, Fritz would certainly sit up and listen, and take note of what Karl had to say.

  * * *

  Karl had gone about fifty metres ahead of Fritz, when he stopped to wait for his friend to catch up. There was a huge smile on his face, and a mischievous look in his eye. Fritz couldn’t help but laugh. “Race, indeed. I’ll give you race, come on.”

  They started to walk back through the densely forested area, following the river, back to the roadway, where they had left their car. As they walked Fritz had a strange feeling that they were being watched. He was sure that he heard the sound of snapping twigs behind them, or what could have been the thud of footsteps. He had had similar feelings during the day, but had dismissed them as being nothing but his imagination.

  The dark shadows cast by the tall trees played havoc with one’s imagination. All sorts of things could be seen, that weren’t there. Perhaps it hadn’t been a rabbit that startled him earlier. Perhaps there was someone there. Perhaps it was a patrol. He wasn’t sure. The noise of the fast flowing river that they were walking beside may have distorted sounds. He looked behind but saw nothing. Once again he judged that it was merely his imagination. Nonetheless, just to be sure, he turned to his friend. “Did you hear anything, Karl?” he said.

  “Not a thing,” replied Karl.

  How like Karl, so absorbed with his own thoughts, that he was completely oblivious to everything around him. Not entirely re-assured Fritz considered that the probability was that there was nothing, and that it was his mind playing tricks.

  They continued on their way. It was now quite dark. The forest was thick with tall conifers, which blotted out the stars and moonlight, apart from the small slivers that filtered through the branches. The river was on their left, as it twisted and turned, making its way from the lake, and headed west toward the road. Behind them was a sheer cliff face of white limestone, approximately three hundred metres high. It looked as though a large knife had cut through the mountainside, like a cake, leaving its smooth sides glistening in the moonlight. It shone like a massive beacon, a signpost. The way out, back to the roadway lay straight ahead.

  After thirty uneventful minutes, they reached the roadway. They got into their car, and commenced the short drive back to Bad Aussee. The roads seemed deserted. Even so, Fritz still felt uneasy. Had he seen car headlights behind them? Were they being followed? Or was it that old imagination again.

  Over to his right, he could see the small chalets on the lower slopes, close to the roadway. He could see lights twinkling through the windows, a trail of smoke curling up from their chimneys. To his left was Lake Grundlsee. All was calm, quiet and peaceful. Nonetheless, Fritz was still unsure, still concerned. He tried to convince himself that he was worrying for nothing. He checked his rear mirror once again. There was nothing.

  The road was quite narrow as it ran alongside the northern shore of the lake. At the western end of the lake the road passed through the small village of Grundlsee. It then turned toward the southwest, following the river flowing toward the small town of Bad Aussee. The journey took no more than twenty minutes. During the whole of that time Fritz saw nothing of any consequence.

  Fritz and Karl had known each other for a little over four years. They had started college together in Nuremberg. Fritz was studying Literature whilst Karl was reading Physics. For some while they had been intrigued with the recent history of the lake, and obsessed with exploring it, and the surrounding area. They had given the matter a lot of thought. Eventually, they decided to take a year off of college and go for it. They had come to Lake Toplitzsee two weeks ago, although this was not their first trip. In fact they had been a dozen or more times previously. On each occasion they would stay for two or three weeks in one of the villages nearby. This time they were staying at a farmhouse just on the outskirts of Bad Aussee, a small town approximately eight kilometres to the southwest of the lake.

  Although they did not have sophisticated search equipment they were attracted to the area, and wanted to find out more. Fritz was absorbed with rumours of hidden treasures, buried gold. He knew that some divers much better equipped than them had sadly died. He also knew that they were not equipped to make deep dives, and consequently could not hope to carry out a detailed search. Nonetheless, he was drawn to the lake, and was determined to carry out an inspection, even though limited. Karl said that he could not let his friend out alone, and that he would have to go along to keep him out of trouble. Fritz was happy to let him think that.

  They had spent several weeks planning, before embarking on the venture. They had originally visited the area, and had taken hundreds of photographs. Back at their room on the college campus, they had begun their preliminary investigation. They had a number of detailed maps of the lake and the surrounding area. The photographs were cross-referenced with details on the maps. They were then able to see precisely what a particular area, on the map, looked like. They had spent hour after hour examining the photographs and the maps.

  Gradually they began to build up a plan. Certain areas were discarded as being impossible, or impractical. Some mountain pathways were considered to be too steep for anyone other than a mountaineer. Other areas were considered to be possible, although not probable. Gradually they produced a list of sites, graded from quite likely, down to totally and utterly impossible. The more likely areas would be explored first. It was also decided that the first inspections would be restricted to the shoreline, and the adjacent slopes. If that search yielded anything, then the search could possibly be extended to cover the nearby portion of the lake. Even then they could only concentrate on searching the shallower shelves around the lake perimeter.

  * * *

  A little under an hour after leaving Toplitzsee they arrived back at their room at the farmhouse. They washed and changed, and decided to go into the town, and get something to eat. They left their room, and drove the short distance back into the town. In the centre of the town, quite close to the park, was a small restaurant that they frequented quite often. It was a lively establishment, mainly used by the college students of the town. It was comfortable, with a warm friendly atmosphere. The food wasn’t bad either. Over the past two weeks it had bec
ome something of a regular haunt for them.

  * * *

  “Enjoy your meal,” the waiter said, as he placed their order on to the table.

  Fritz looked up and smiled in acknowledgement. As he did so he was suddenly aware that somebody was staring directly at him. It was a dark haired man seated at a table near the door of the restaurant. As he saw Fritz look in his direction, he quickly looked down at his menu, as though ready to order. Fritz thought back to earlier in the evening, and the noise he had heard at the lake. Was it merely a rabbit, or a fox? Or were they being watched? Had this man been following them?

  “Karl,” he whispered. “Do you see that man over there, by the door?” Karl looked up and over to where Fritz had indicated.

  “Yes,” he said. “What about him?”

  “I’m not sure,” Fritz replied. “But I think he has been following us.”

  “Oh Fritz, come on,” said Karl exasperated. “He’s just sitting there having a meal. Why don’t you get on with yours?”

  Maybe he is just having a meal. Karl was probably right. Of course he’s not watching us. Fritz looked back towards where the man had been sitting. He was no longer there. Fritz looked around to see if he had changed seats. No, he had gone. “Strange,” Fritz said quietly. “Very strange, indeed.”

  Karl looked up. “What’s strange?”

  “The man,” Fritz replied simply.

  Karl looked toward the doorway. “He’s gone,” he said. “Told you it was nothing, didn’t I?”

  Yes he’s gone, but he left without ordering anything. If he had come in simply for a meal, why did he leave so suddenly?

  “So what are our plans for tomorrow?” Karl asked. Fritz did not reply. He was still thinking about the stranger. “Fritz.” Karl shook his arm. “Fritz.”

  Fritz was suddenly startled by the noise of somebody’s chair being moved back, and somebody brushing past him. He looked at Karl. “We haven’t seen the last of that one,” he said slowly, as he turned his gaze to the empty doorway.

  He then turned back to face Karl. “Tomorrow my old friend we’re going swimming,” he said without a hint of his previous concerns. “Now let’s get on with this marvellous meal shall we?”

  * * *

  It was quite late when they arrived back at the farmhouse, and they were both quite tired. The house was in complete darkness. It appeared that the other guests had already gone to bed. They entered the house, as quietly as possible, and climbed the stairs to the first floor, where their room was located.

  Once inside the room, Karl announced “I’m absolutely worn out, it’s been a busy day and I’m ready for bed.” He looked over to Fritz. “What about you?”

  “I’ll just enter details of our progress on to the map first,” Fritz replied.

  He went over to a small table, on which was placed a detailed map of the lake, and its surroundings. The lake had been divided into a number of squares. Several areas around the perimeter of the lake had been shaded in showing that they had been checked as far as possible. The shaded areas indicated that approximately seventy five per cent of the land adjacent to the lake had been searched using metal detectors. Underwater searches had also been carried out to a similar area of the shallower sections of the lake. Fritz hatched the area that they had covered that day. So far, they had discovered quantities of coins; and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a few weapons. But that was all. They had found no indications of any gold.

  All very disappointing, Fritz thought ruefully. But we can’t stop now though. Let’s see what tomorrow brings. Will we see that stranger again I wonder? “I’m willing to bet that we do,” he whispered.

  “Did you say something?” Karl asked, stifling a yawn.

  “No, nothing,” Fritz replied.

  Chapter Two

  Hans Mueller

  The following day Karl and Fritz returned to the area where they had been the previous evening. They both looked out at the lake trying to identify what it was that Karl had seen, or thought he had seen, the night before. They looked in all directions, but saw nothing significant.

  “Whatever it was,” said Karl, “it’s not there now.”

  “Perhaps it was just a floating tree branch,” said Fritz.

  “Perhaps,” Karl agreed, although far from convinced.

  Fritz walked down to the lake edge, and looked over to the area at the eastern end. There was a large clearing, which appeared to be easily accessible by a pathway that ran along the southern side of the lake. They had seen the area the day before, and it had looked promising. “Okay, shall we press on, Karl?” he asked.

  “Where to?” Karl asked.

  “Over there might be interesting,” Fritz replied, pointing toward the east. “Shall we get our feet wet?” he continued. “What do you say?”

  “I’m right behind you,” said Karl.

  They walked along the pathway, to the edge of the clearing. They put their equipment down close to the shore line, and changed into their rubber wet suits.

  “Better check the tanks,” said Karl.

  “I’m way ahead of you,” replied Fritz. “The tanks are full, and the valves operate correctly.”

  They decided that they would commence with a shallow dive, running the length of the clearing, close to the shore. Fritz would go first. When he had completed his dive, and had surfaced, then Karl would carry out a second dive. If Fritz had missed anything, Karl might spot it. More importantly there was always someone at the surface in case the other ran into trouble.

  Fritz strapped on his oxygen tank, and checked the valve once again. He then placed his goggles into the water, and then placed them over his head. “Ready,” he said. He placed a clip on his nose and the mask over his eyes, and gave the thumbs up to Karl.

  “Don’t forget, you only have oxygen for forty-five minutes” Karl reminded him.

  Fritz waved back in acknowledgement. He looked at his watch, switched on the oxygen valve, and dived into the water. He intended to swim down to a depth of about twenty metres, and gradually work his way southwards along the shoreline.

  Within a few minutes he had reached what appeared to be a shallow shelf, at a depth of a little over twenty-five metres. He carried two powerful torches with him. One strapped to his head, the other in his hand. Visibility was, however, still hampered by the constant swirl of the undercurrents stirring up the sediment. He shone the torch beams down into the murky waters. In the gloom he could see nothing but dark shapes. He swam deeper, toward them. As he did so he could see scattered over the shelf beneath him were deposits of brick and concrete rubble. Underneath the rubble he could occasional see pieces of broken metal. He swam over to a small section of metal, approximately 150 millimetres long, and lifted it out of the sediment. He checked his watch. He had been underwater for almost thirty-five minutes. Time to go, he thought, and he began to swim toward the surface.

  As he reached a depth of approximately eight metres, he noticed a large concrete structure, running parallel to the edge of the lake. At the base there appeared to be a sloping section, above which were three metal plates, circular in shape. Fritz had no idea as to what it might be, but he did know that he had no more time to investigate. He had been underwater for longer than he had planned. He also knew that he had gone deeper than normal. His oxygen tank was almost empty, and without further delay he continued to the surface.

  Back on dry land, Fritz discarded his oxygen tank, and placed it on the ground by the side of him. He took off his goggles, and flippers, and placed them next to the oxygen cylinder.

  As he did so, Karl approached him. “I was getting worried about you,” he said. “Do you know you were under for almost forty two minutes?” He walked over to the discarded tank. He checked the valve. “It’s virtually empty. What were you doing down there anyway?”

  Fritz told Karl to sit down, and over the following twenty minutes told him everything that he had seen. “There, that’s the piece of metal I found,” he said as he tos
sed the metal section on to the ground just in front of Karl. “There are dozens and dozens, maybe hundreds, of similar pieces down there.”

  “What do you think they are?” Karl asked.

  “I haven’t got a clue,” Fritz said. “We really need a larger section to examine. We might get an idea then.”

  “Okay,” said Karl. “It’s my dive next. I’ll bring one back if I can.” He then stood up, and started preparing for his dive. He selected a fresh oxygen tank, and checked the valve. “That’s working okay”, he said to himself, and strapped it onto his back. He put on his flippers, picked up his goggles, and walked to the lakeside.

  “Forty minutes only, Karl,” Fritz called out. “And be careful. It’s quite dark down there.”

  “Right,” Karl shouted back, gave the thumbs up sign, and then disappeared beneath the water.

  Fritz had given Karl quite detailed directions as to where the metal pieces were. It did not take long before Karl found the location, and he too saw the pieces of metal lying below him. He swam down to take a closer look, and checked his depth gauge, twenty-five metres. He checked his watch. He had been underwater for just seven minutes. He still had plenty of time. As far as he could see the metal pieces generally appeared to be the remains of a tubular structure. They were substantially rusty, and many were lying deep in the sediment. The large majority were covered by vast quantities of concrete and rubble. Karl looked around, until he saw the piece that he wanted. It was quite large, and formed a whole tube. He swam down to it, and noticed that there were two metal fins attached to the tube. Both of the fins appeared to be intact, although they were substantially buckled. Karl took hold, gripping both of the fins. He began to pull, but it was held firmly in place by the rubble. No matter how hard he tried, it would not budge.

  He bent down, and started to remove some of the smaller pieces of rubble. There was still a large amount of debris remaining, but after a few minutes it looked a lot clearer. He checked his watch; he had now been underwater for twenty minutes. Say five minutes to get back up to the surface, that leaves no more than eight or nine minutes, he calculated. He placed his hands around the metal section, and started to pull once again. It was still stuck although he thought that it had moved. Then he noticed the slight swirl of sediment below him. It did move. If I remove a little more debris, that might do the trick. He took away some more of the debris. For a third time Karl took hold of the metal section, and with every ounce of strength he could muster, he pulled.