The Amber Room Page 0,67

den, kitchen, bedroom, and bath. From what he could see the furniture was old and tattered, yet the place was clean and cozy, the tranquillity shattered by the sight of an old man sprawled across a threadbare carpet, a large splotch of crimson leading from two holes in the skull.

"Shot point-blank," Pannik said.

His eyes were riveted on the corpse. Bile started to rise in his throat. He fought the urge, but to no avail.

He rushed from the room.

He was bent over, retching. The little bit he'd eaten on the plane was now puddled on the damp grass. He took a few deep breaths and got hold of himself.

"Finished?" Pannik asked.

He nodded. "You think the woman did that?"

"I don't know. All I know is that a female asked where Chapaev lived, and the grandson offered to show her the way. They left the marketplace together yesterday morning. The old man's daughter got concerned last night when the boy did not come home. She came over and found the boy tied up in the bedroom. Apparently the woman had a problem killing children, but didn't mind shooting an old man." "The boy okay?"

"Shook up, but all right. He confirmed the description, but could offer little more. He was in the other room. He remembers hearing voices talking. But he couldn't determine any of the conversation. Then his papa and the woman came in for a moment. They spoke in another language. I tried a few sample words, and it appears they were speaking Russian. Then the old man and the woman left the room. He heard a shot. Silence after that till his mother arrived a few hours later." "She shot the man square in the head?"

"At close range, too. The stakes must be high."

A policeman walked from inside. "Nichts im haus hinsichtlich des Bernstein-zimmer. "

Pannik looked at him. "I had them search the house for anything on the Amber Room. There's nothing there."

A radio crackled from the hip of the German standing guard at the front door. The man slipped the transmitter from his waist, then approached Pannik. In English the policeman said, "I have to go. A call has come for search and rescue. I'm on duty this weekend."

"What's happened?" Pannik asked.

"Explosion in one of the mines near Warthberg. An American woman has been pulled out, but they're still searching for a man. Local authorities have requested our help." Pannik shook his head. "A busy Sunday."

"Where's Warthberg?" Paul immediately asked.

"In the Harz Mountains. Four hundred kilometers to the north. They sometimes use our Alpine rescue teams when there are mishaps."

Wayland McKoy and Karol's interest in the Harz Mountains flashed through his mind. "An American woman was found? What's her name?"

Pannik seemed to sense the point of the inquiry and turned to the officer. Words passed between them, and the officer talked back into the radio.

Two minutes later, the words came through the speaker: "Die frau ist Rachel Cutler. Amerikanerin. "

Chapter Sixteen

THIRTY-TWO

3:10 p.m.

The police chopper knifed north through the may afternoon. Past W眉rzburg it started to rain. Paul sat next to Pannik, a team of search-and-rescue personnel strapped in behind them.

"A group of hikers heard the explosions and alerted authorities," Pannik said over the roar of the turbine. "Your ex-wife was pulled out near an entrance to one of the shafts. She's been taken to a local hospital, but managed to tell her rescuers about the man. His name is Christian Knoll, Herr Cutler."

He listened with great concern. But all he could see was Rachel lying in a hospital, bleeding. What was going on? What had Rachel gotten into? How had Knoll found her? What happened in that mine? Were Marla and Brent in any danger? He needed to call his brother and alert him.

"Seems Jo Myers was right," Pannik said.

"Did the reports mention Rachel's condition?"

Pannik shook his head.

The helicopter flew first to the scene of the explosion-the mine entrance was deep in

the forest at the base of one of the higher mounds. The nearest clearing opened a half kilometer to the west, and the rescue personnel were deposited there to hike back. He and Pannik remained in the chopper and flew east of Warthberg to a regional hospital, where Rachel had been taken.

Inside, he headed straight for her fourth-floor room. Rachel was dressed in a blue gown. A large bandage lay across her scalp. She smiled from the bed when she saw him. "Why did I know you'd be here?"

He stepped closer. Her cheeks, nose, and arms were scraped