Chapter Twenty-One

Marked Cards

Distinguishing mark or marks on the obverse side of a deck allowing one to determine a card's value before it is turned face up.

*

The trip across the Pacific was long and boring for the majority of the occupants aboard the Aqua Zep. As in the Atlantic, to minimize the crossing time they traveled on the surface, allowing many to go outside for fresh air. The endless expanse of water was still disconcerting to many, but at least it was warmer than the North Atlantic, and the promised stops at a tropical island or two were anticipated with much excitement, even if it was just to pick up supplies.

Klaus tried to ignore the thieves as they amused themselves. Despite the fact that they had technically put themselves under his command, they still were not trained agents, nor were they military. Their idea of discipline ran completely counter to his own. But they were willing, and that was all that mattered at present.

It had been nearly a week since he sent his men to Australia, and there wasn't even a whisper of a trail to follow. Klaus was still wading through the seemingly bottomless stack of video tapes, watching as Agent Marshall became more and more like the man he would replace. Klaus's agents were also slowly plowing through the packed boxes of records from Project: Eroica, sifting and cataloging as they went.

Shortly after breakfast one morning, Agent M was tapping at the door of the Major's cabin. Klaus did a double take when the man entered, the expression on his face grave. Then officer's eyes fell to the thick folder in his agent's hand.

"Well...?" he asked.

M held out the folder, saying nothing.

Klaus's eyes narrowed, then grew wide when he opened the folder, and he readily understood M's uneasiness. It was an autopsy file. He and his men had seen hundreds of such reports over the years, but the fact that this one was within the boxes could mean only one thing.

Klaus looked at the name on the folder and felt his heart turn over. Then he quickly scanned the Medical Examiner's report, struggling in some places to decipher the English scrawl. He was grateful to find a typed copy further within the folder. He paged through the papers, seeing mention of an auto accident in the autopsy report. There were also notations about autopsy photos, which were not included in the file.

After several very long minutes, Klaus looked up, seeing the silent M still standing a few feet away, awaiting orders. "Who else has seen this?"

"No one, sir," M replied. "As soon as I saw what it was, I brought it to you."

Klaus's eyebrows went up. "You didn't read it?"

M shifted on his feet. "No, sir." A pause. "Should I have?"

Klaus closed the folder, shaking his head. "No, you acted quite correctly, M." He held up the folder. "What else was with this?"

"I don't know. That was the first folder in the box."

"Was it?" Klaus got to his feet, going to the room where his other three agents were slowly wading through the documents. One of the thieves was sitting before a computer, entering the information that was being called out to him. There was an open box on the table before an empty chair that was obviously where M had been when he discovered the file. Klaus set the folder in his hand on the table before pulling out the next file in the box. He flipped through it quickly and then replaced it, going on to put the lid on the box. "M, put this in my cabin," he ordered, patting the box. "I'll go through it myself."

M exchanged a puzzled look with the others. "Yes, sir."

"You others," Klaus went on to say, "stop what you're doing and..." He considered a moment. "I may have new orders for you." He picked up the folder M had delivered and vanished through the door, leaving five bewildered men staring after him.

A few minutes later, Klaus was having another call put in to Agent A. His subdued demeanor caught everyone's attention. Normally when the Major learned something, he had an air of suppressed excitement. The group went silent as the officer spoke to his agent in Bali.

"Who did you send to Australia?" Klaus asked.

"Q and R, sir," came A's reply. "They still report nothing."

"Recall them."

There was a momentary silence. "But, sir... I thought you wanted to know where the real Earl was."

Klaus glanced down at the folder in his hand, a pained look passing behind his eyes. "I already know where the real Earl is," he said startlingly. He drew a deep breath, and looked up, seeing a roomful of astonished faces. "Now all I have to do is prove it."

* * *

Less than an hour after Klaus's extraordinary announcement, he had the entire crew assembled in the largest room in the sub, this being the mess hall. He stood in the doorway to address everyone in the packed room.

"You men...you thieves have been complaining about being bored," he said calmly, addressing the Eroica gang directly. "Well, I find I'm in need of your services again, if you're willing to give them."

The thieves started to make affirming noises, and Klaus held up a hand for silence. "You should hear what it is I need stolen before you start volunteering." His grave tone silenced everyone. Then he laid out exactly what he needed done. In order to prove the identity of the man calling himself Eroica, and that of the man who was doubtlessly occupying the coffin that had been buried in 1975, DNA samples were needed. Not just from the individuals in question, but from their immediate family members.

Klaus allowed this monumental request to sink in before he turned to the astonished Bonham. "Is the current location of Lord Gloria's family known?"

Bonham had to struggle to get hold of himself before replying. "Er...yes, Major. And Agent Marshall's family as well."

Klaus nodded approvingly. "Good. We'll need these locations to determine the number of teams this will require."

"Teams?"

"My men will be able to handle security, but your thieves are better suited for procuring the DNA."

Bonham turned a questioning look at the assembled Eroica gang, seeing a lot of stunned faces. "Give us a minute or two, Major."

Klaus nodded. He motioned to his men and they left the room. "I'll be in my cabin," he said to Bonham before leaving himself.

* * *

By the time Agent A reported back that Q and R had been recalled, Klaus once again had the unanimous support of the Eroica gang. The Major reflected on the irony of the situation. Eroica was directing his Alphabet, while he had somehow taken over Eroica's gang. If anyone had told him, even six month earlier, that this would be the case, he would've dismissed them as being a lunatic. Now Klaus wondered if he weren't indeed a lunatic himself. Everyone else seemed to think so.

Klaus gave everyone strict instructs not to let Eroica know what they were doing. He was still recovering from his illness, not to mention coming to grips with his own identity crisis. The last thing he needed to learn was that the Major's suspicions about the body in the casket buried in 1975 might actually be accurate.

It turned out that the locations of the Gloria and Marshall family members were in James' procured database. Both men's mothers were still living, along with their siblings. The Earl's family was ensconced in the south of France, while Marshall's was still in Western New York State. This would make it easier, as the available manpower was starting to wear thin.

* * *

Just as when the Major first asked the Eroica gang for help, excitement buzzed amongst the thieves as they prepared for their newest "mission." Bonham went to tell the Major that everyone was ready to go as soon as they made their next port. He found the officer in his cabin staring at the blank television screen, deep in thought, a thick manila folder on the table beside him. The older man placed the cup of coffee he had brought beside the officer before wordlessly taking a seat at the table. He studied the German as he continued in his silence. His eyes had an almost lost expression. Then he remembered the Earl telling him about the haunted look the man had had when he learned the truth. The pain that even Iron Klaus couldn't hide. What had he read in the file beside him that had brought that pain back in full force?

After a minute, Klaus seemed to return to reality, possibly roused by the aroma of coffee. His eyes moving from the television, to the cup, to the man seated beside him. "Danke," he said automatically as he reached for the cup.

Bonham's eyes flickered, a brief smile flashing across his features. "The lads are ready to go whenever you tell them, Major," he informed.

Klaus nodded. "Good."

"Any thoughts on where you'll be getting your samples analyzed once they've collected them?" Bonham asked.

Klaus shook his head. "I'm still trying to figure a way of exhuming--" He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, putting a hand to his head. He hadn't even thought about the next rather large stumbling block. If he were still with NATO, he could just send the DNA off and order the analysis. Of course, he could go to a private company, but the risk of exposure was very high.

Bonham cleared his throat, breaking into the Major's thoughts. "I don't know anything about grave robbing," he said mildly, "but I have an idea about processing the DNA." There was more than a hint of mischief in the other man's voice.

Klaus's eyebrows went up and he sat back in his chair, more than a little intrigued. In the past few weeks, he had noticed that everyone seemed less and less terrified in his presence. He had been worried that this meant he no longer had anyone's support. As it turned out, he learned, to his amusement, that the thieves had been convinced that it was only the presence of the Earl or his own Alphabet that had kept him from killing anyone when he lost his temper.

"I seem to be surrounded by idea men," Klaus remarked, a smile playing at the edges of his mouth as he drank his coffee.

Bonham gave him a brief smile. "Well, sir, I suggest you send the DNA to the FBI lab."

"Come again?"

"Or should I say, Agent Marshall should send them off."

Klaus's eyes lit up.

"Include a sample of your own DNA," Bonham suggested. "Say you want to run a comparison search, or something like that."

"A comparison..." Klaus finished his coffee as he mulled this over. "Mr. Bonham, it seems I was right to try to recruit you all those years," he said finally.

This was enough to cause the older man to laugh. "I take that as a very high compliment, Major."

"Good." Klaus got to his feet. "Now let's see if any of these other idea men can come up with a way of getting that body exhumed."

* * *