Chapter 15
Henrik gave another look around. “My father worked closely with von Markov before the war, before he realized von Markov’s true nature.
I would often help my father. We were building a time dilation device.
It became clear to us that the Reich should not possess such power.
My father took the Vrilkristall and gave it to me when I fled the country.
Of course, the Americans wanted to develop the technology.
But like nuclear weapons, it was a genie best left in the bottle. ”
“Where is this Vrilkristall?” I asked.
“Someplace safe. Von Markov needs it to power his time dilation device and harness negative energy if he wants to return to the past.”
“Do you think it was really Klaus von Markov who visited you?”
Henrik’s eyes narrowed at me. “It was him and Heissler. I worked closely with those monsters on the device. Mind you, my father and I had no part in their other experiments,” he said, his face twisting with disgust. “Those came later.”
“Could it have been von Markov’s grandson that came to visit, trying to pull the wool over your eyes?”
Henrik considered it. “I suppose.” He sighed.
“I guess I did get excited about the idea that the device actually worked on such a scale. He claims to have it with him.” He paused.
“I must admit, there is a part of me that would like to see it again. I never managed to recreate von Markov’s device myself. ”
“Did you ever see the device work firsthand?”
Henrik hesitated for a long moment. “One time. We managed to create a stable dilation bubble for a fraction of a second before the device shorted out from the immense energy. A blink of an eye.” He snapped his finger for dramatic effect.
“When I left the lab with my father, a week had gone by.” Henrik laughed.
“My mother was not happy. He had some explaining to do. But that’s when we knew.
My father took the Vrilkristall that night and absconded with it. ”
JD regarded him with a degree of doubt.
“Where is the crystal now?” I asked again.
Henrik tapped his noggin again. “Only I know. And I’m taking that information to my grave.”
I kept playing along. “How did von Markov travel through time without the Vrilkristall?”
“Klaus said he found a way to synthesize one. He said it burned up after use. It must have had impurities,” Henrik said, working out the possibilities.
It was an interesting story, but it still seemed like science fiction.
I gave Henrik a card. “Get in touch if Klaus returns.”
He took the card and examined it. “I suppose he’ll be back. Klaus was always determined.”
I thanked him for speaking with us and said we’d be in touch.
“Come back anytime. I don’t get many visitors besides my granddaughter. You two seem like good people.”
We smiled and said goodbye.
JD muttered to me in the hallway after we’d gotten out of earshot. “How much of that do you believe?”
I shrugged. “Half would be generous.”
We crossed paths with Kathy as we neared the lounge.
“Did you get anything out of him?”
“Not really,” I said.
She frowned and shook her head. “I hear he was a genius at one point in time. Now he can barely wipe his ass.”
Henrik had them all fooled.
I gave my card to the receptionist at the front desk and asked her to get in touch if Henrik had any other visitors. She said that she would, but I wasn't holding my breath.
We stepped into the parking lot and made our way back to the Porsche. We climbed inside, and Jack fired up the engine. "You think Klaus is going to return to the Blissful Shores?”
"Look, I think we’re dealing with von Markov’s grandson. I think he found his grandfather's old technology, and he's chasing a pipedream. I know it's theoretically possible, but it's just a little too woo woo for me."
Jack shrugged. "You know better than anyone else that the Universe is full of possibilities.”
I looked back at the main entrance. "If we sit here long enough, I think Klaus Brenner will return."
"If we sit here long enough, my ass is going to get sore, and I'm going to get hungry."
Jack was never a fan of stakeouts.
At that moment, a medical transport van pulled into the lot and drove to the main entrance. Two men in pale green scrubs hopped out. With heads on swivels, they gave cautious looks around the parking lot before they stepped into the lobby.
Something was odd about it. Too much situational awareness.
We watched as they moved to the front desk and presented paperwork.
JD and I shared a look.
We decided to hang out for a minute and see where this was going.
A moment later, Kathy appeared and escorted them through the facility.
I shared another suspicious look with Jack.
I can’t explain it, I just had a bad vibe about the whole thing. I pulled my phone from my pocket, logged onto the county network, and ran the plates of the van. The vehicle came back registered to Coconut Emergency Medical Transport, LLC.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
I figured my paranoia was just getting the best of me and dismissed it.
It wasn’t long after that when the two men in scrubs pushed Henrik out of the facility in a wheelchair. He slumped in his seat, looking sedated.
That was our cue.
We hopped out and hustled toward the van as they loaded Henrik inside.
“Excuse me,” I shouted, flashing my badge as we approached.
Their eyes rounded. They slammed the doors, hustled to the front, and hopped inside. The driver cranked up the engine and dropped the van into gear. The tires chirped as he pulled away from the main entrance. Rubber squealed as they banked the vehicle around.
JD and I ran back to the Porsche and hopped inside. Jack twisted the ignition and put the car in gear. He let out the clutch and launched out of the parking space.
The transport van tilted as it turned out of the lot, tires screaming, engine howling.
Jack followed.
The Porsche cornered on rails. He stood on the gas as soon as we turned onto the straight. We were on their bumper in no time.