onto their sides. Occasionally, a mausoleum sprang up among the ordinary graves, an eternal tribute to someone who was willing and able to spend a little more in death than their less fortunate neighbors.
Sean followed Steiner through the winding maze of tall hedges, shaggy evergreen trees, and headstones. They arrived in the center of the graveyard, surrounded by dozens of stones that were marked from a similar era. Steiner stopped in front of one in particular. His face grew respectfully solemn as he stared at the name engraved on the stone.
"This is my father's grave," he said.
Max Steiner was born in 1916 and died in 1994. His wife, Lilia, was buried next to him, having died in 1985. Sean read the Biblical passage inscribed below the name and dates. It was one he recognized from the book of Psalms in the Old Testament reading, I will fear no evil.
A strange quote to include on one's headstone, but Sean figured it must have had personal meaning to the man, especially considering the older Steiner's close brushes with the Nazis. He'd likely seen a great deal of evil up close with his own eyes.
Over the name, Sean reread another line, one that both confused and surprised him. May Saint Sebastian watch over you.
Sean knelt down and passed over the line one more time. "What does this mean?" he asked. Steiner was still standing behind him with a regret-filled face.
"Which part?" Sean answered by pointing at the top sentence on the stone. "Oh. Saint Sebastian?" Sean nodded. "I am not entirely sure. Father rarely spoke of a patron saint. I would assume that was the one he chose, though I do not know why. He was never a deeply religious man. That fact always made me question why that sentence was on his headstone. It was what he wanted, though."
Sean thought for a second. "This isn't the first place I've seen that. It's in Ott's journal as well. The exact same line."
It could mean only one thing. The two were connected somehow and held a deeper meaning than Sean or anyone else had first suspected. The only question was what was that connection?
He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text message to Tommy, asking him to dig up all he could about Saint Sebastian. Sean leaned closer to the stone, staring hard at a small emblem etched into the surface. His eyes widened. Carved into the smooth stone was the shape of a bell, no longer than two inches and maybe an inch wide. Four numbers surrounded it. On the left side, a one. On top was a five. The right side of the bell and the bottom both had zeroes.
It’s 1500. The same number as the U-boat that was rumored to carry the strange object.
Sean's heart began to beat. How are the two connected? Why is Saint Sebastian mentioned twice? What does it have to do with the U-boat? And where did it end up?
The thoughts stormed through his mind, and he couldn't sort them all out at once. He stood up and turned around to face Steiner. "This has been very helpful," he said. "I hope I haven't taken up too much of your time."
"Not at all," Steiner smiled and shook his head. "If anyone can put an ending to this mystery, I would be most grateful. My father went to his grave with a very serious and deep secret. I believe that had he wanted to keep it completely hidden, he would not have left little clues lying around."
"I agree," Sean offered. His eyes narrowed at the sight of movement a hundred feet away, just beyond a row of headstones.
Sean instinctively grabbed his weapon and held it low, not wanting to alarm Steiner too much. The sudden movement took the older man aback. The weapon was also disconcerting. "What are you doing?" he asked, bewildered.
"Herr Steiner, stay here, and keep low. I believe we were followed."
Sean turned and ducked behind a wide headstone. Someone knew he was here, but how was that even possible? He peeked over the top and motioned for Steiner to join him. Steiner's immediate concern was reaffirmed when he glanced back the way they'd come and saw two men
Sean followed Steiner through the winding maze of tall hedges, shaggy evergreen trees, and headstones. They arrived in the center of the graveyard, surrounded by dozens of stones that were marked from a similar era. Steiner stopped in front of one in particular. His face grew respectfully solemn as he stared at the name engraved on the stone.
"This is my father's grave," he said.
Max Steiner was born in 1916 and died in 1994. His wife, Lilia, was buried next to him, having died in 1985. Sean read the Biblical passage inscribed below the name and dates. It was one he recognized from the book of Psalms in the Old Testament reading, I will fear no evil.
A strange quote to include on one's headstone, but Sean figured it must have had personal meaning to the man, especially considering the older Steiner's close brushes with the Nazis. He'd likely seen a great deal of evil up close with his own eyes.
Over the name, Sean reread another line, one that both confused and surprised him. May Saint Sebastian watch over you.
Sean knelt down and passed over the line one more time. "What does this mean?" he asked. Steiner was still standing behind him with a regret-filled face.
"Which part?" Sean answered by pointing at the top sentence on the stone. "Oh. Saint Sebastian?" Sean nodded. "I am not entirely sure. Father rarely spoke of a patron saint. I would assume that was the one he chose, though I do not know why. He was never a deeply religious man. That fact always made me question why that sentence was on his headstone. It was what he wanted, though."
Sean thought for a second. "This isn't the first place I've seen that. It's in Ott's journal as well. The exact same line."
It could mean only one thing. The two were connected somehow and held a deeper meaning than Sean or anyone else had first suspected. The only question was what was that connection?
He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text message to Tommy, asking him to dig up all he could about Saint Sebastian. Sean leaned closer to the stone, staring hard at a small emblem etched into the surface. His eyes widened. Carved into the smooth stone was the shape of a bell, no longer than two inches and maybe an inch wide. Four numbers surrounded it. On the left side, a one. On top was a five. The right side of the bell and the bottom both had zeroes.
It’s 1500. The same number as the U-boat that was rumored to carry the strange object.
Sean's heart began to beat. How are the two connected? Why is Saint Sebastian mentioned twice? What does it have to do with the U-boat? And where did it end up?
The thoughts stormed through his mind, and he couldn't sort them all out at once. He stood up and turned around to face Steiner. "This has been very helpful," he said. "I hope I haven't taken up too much of your time."
"Not at all," Steiner smiled and shook his head. "If anyone can put an ending to this mystery, I would be most grateful. My father went to his grave with a very serious and deep secret. I believe that had he wanted to keep it completely hidden, he would not have left little clues lying around."
"I agree," Sean offered. His eyes narrowed at the sight of movement a hundred feet away, just beyond a row of headstones.
Sean instinctively grabbed his weapon and held it low, not wanting to alarm Steiner too much. The sudden movement took the older man aback. The weapon was also disconcerting. "What are you doing?" he asked, bewildered.
"Herr Steiner, stay here, and keep low. I believe we were followed."
Sean turned and ducked behind a wide headstone. Someone knew he was here, but how was that even possible? He peeked over the top and motioned for Steiner to join him. Steiner's immediate concern was reaffirmed when he glanced back the way they'd come and saw two men
Similar Books
