Secret Cargo
The first in the series of compelling action adventure thrillers.
Written & published by
John Day
All names, places and references are total fiction and the story is written purely for entertainment, other than that I have tried hard to make it credible.
Copyright © John Day 2018.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Contents
Secret Cargo
Prologue. Date 1943
Present day, Berlin.
Plan B.
Project unviable.
Accident.
New York.
London.
Montevideo.
Sonar survey.
News.
Inspiration.
Cat & Mouse.
Caracas.
Meeting.
Party intrigue.
ALAN
SARAH
WALTER
ELLEN
BENNY
The thief.
The embrace.
Harsh reality.
Hooked!
Shocking discovery.
A Plan.
Afloat.
Uncertainty.
Steel coffin.
The Logbook.
Lagoon.
Stranded.
The cave.
Final salute.
Matthew.
Lady Jane.
Saddam’s doors.
Walter and Ellen.
Die trying.
Deceitful act.
Mutiny.
Storm abates.
Expedition.
Benny.
Walter.
Sarah.
Alan.
Ellen.
Celeste.
Capture.
The German.
Escape.
Alerted.
The map.
Surprise!
The deal.
Escape.
A ripple of time.
A new dawn.
Every action we take, no matter the size, its effect ripples through time for eternity. For some people the action will result in disaster, for others, success. For a few souls, good fortune appears to smile on them, but that is not their destiny. The following action sets in motion a chain of events that resonates again, more than 7 decades later…
Grupenfurer Franz Kaltman knew Germany’s defeat was inevitable. It was rumoured other officers were already planning for their future. The acronym ODESSA hinted at the intended formation of a secret organisation, to spirit high ranking leaders away to safety, and manage their affairs.
It was time for him to do the same, but independently.
His superior’s orders were clear and unambiguous. The amassed treasures of Germany were to be transported to secure, secret locations like the salt mines at Merkers, Altaussee and Siegen, for storage. Once the consignments left his charge in Jeu de Paume in Paris, what happened to them on route was not his concern.
Franz was responsible for itemising and recording the description of every painting, piece of artwork, jewellery, and bar of gold in the city. Great care was taken to package and protect the treasures from physical damage, or changes in humidity. The unique number on the package, the typed description and photograph against that same number on the schedule, was the only way of knowing the specific content. Every package had to be checked and verified independently, by specially appointed staff.
Franz had a dark past. To avoid execution for his earlier war crimes, he needed to go into hiding, probably for the rest of his life. At 46, there was a lot of life to live. To do that, he needed transport out of the country and as much wealth as he could take with him. The transport was easy to arrange, he had already produced false orders from Karl Dönitz to achieve that. The challenge was outwitting the SS. They had already executed looters, who diverted consignments under cover of wartime confusion. When the expected delivery failed to arrive, it would be easy for the SS to trace the lorry and track those responsible. Now it was Kaltman’s turn to stick his neck out.
Franz Kaltman eased back in his comfortable Louis XV chair and looked around his exquisitely adorned office. He ran through the audacious plan in his mind, for the thousandth time. The moment he made his move, he knew he will have signed his own death warrant. The thoughts of humiliation and physical pain he would receive upon capture refused to lay silent, at the back of his mind. In reality, any chance of his plan succeeding was spider web thin and as full of holes.
Bracing himself, he took a deep breath and reached for the telephone.
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