Shadows of Yesterday

Chapter 26

Major Ziegler sat in the back of the staff car, watching Bayer talk to a group of men at Godefriduskaai 99, Pier #3. A fishing trawler, its paint faded and chipped, was docked on one side of the wharf, a tugboat on the other. After a ten-minute discussion, the men went back to their boats and Bayer returned.

“I have more information,” he said as he climbed in the car. “Both boats were in Antwerp the evening we took the port.”

“Did they have any passengers?” Ziegler asked.

“No, neither was at this location,” Bayer replied. “The tugboat was docked at the next pier, the fishing trawler on the other side of the river.”

“Did those in the tugboat see anything unusual?”

“Yes, they did. A woman approached near midnight and asked if the port was closed.”

Ziegler leaned forward. “Was it the blonde in the green Minerva?”

“They didn’t get a good look at her,” Bayer replied. “But they told her that we controlled the port, and no one could get out. She then raced away.”

“Was it a green Minerva?”

“They said it was a Minerva, dark, but not sure if it was green.”

Ziegler frowned. “Did they know where she went?”

“She was trying to get out of Antwerp, but they told her it was likely too late.”

“It was her,” Ziegler said. “And she still could be here. If we find the car, we find her.”

They spent the rest of the day gathering information on green Minervas from the police department and government agencies. Bayer took the list, not sorted in any way, and gave it to Ziegler.

“We’ll start with those cars identified with damage,” Ziegler said, scanning the report and giving it back to Bayer. “It’s all we can do.”

An hour later, they stood beside a green Minerva with a dent in the passenger’s side door. It was parked on a side street facing the River Scheldt. “Who does it belong to?” Ziegler asked.

Bayer shuffled through the papers. “An elderly woman who works at a clothing store. She’s a widow. Her husband died a few years ago.”

Ziegler shook his head. “Enough,” he said. “We can go. She has nothing to do with it. No bullet holes, either.”

“The bullets may have missed,” Bayer offered.

“This is the second car we’ve checked,” Ziegler said, frowning. “And I’m sure there are more. But we’re no closer to the diamonds than when we arrived.”

Bayer thumbed through the report. “The local police assembled this. It isn’t organized very well. Maybe we can eliminate some and investigate others.”

“How many more are on the list?”

“Probably a hundred, twenty with known damage” Bayer said. “But it’s for all of Belgium.”

Ziegler was quiet, imagining what he would do if he had stolen some of the rarest diamonds in the world. He would flee. By boat would be easiest, maybe to England or Sweden. But the port had been captured. The woman had to escape by land—or hide in Antwerp.

“The thief is probably long gone by now, sir,” Bayer mumbled.

Ziegler was struck with another thought. “Maybe she wasn’t from Antwerp and arrived only to get the diamonds. Are any stolen cars on the list?”

Bayer scanned the paperwork. “Yes, there are two.”

“Where were they stolen from?”

“One in Brussels, the other in Antwerp.”

“Has either been found?”

Bayer shrugged. “Refugees left cars all over Belgium when they ran out of petrol. But the police did have a report that one of the stolen cars has been found.”

Ziegler was confused. “With so many abandoned automobiles, how did the police find this one?”

Bayer smiled. “The car belonged to the police chief’s sister.”

Ziegler’s eyes narrowed. “Where did she live?”

“Near the zoo, not far from the diamond exchange.”

“And it’s green with a dented fender and broken taillight?”

“Yes, according to the reports.”

Ziegler’s interest was piqued. “Where was the car found?”

“Near the French border. Just west of Tournai.”

Ziegler’s eyes widened. “The business card you found on the floor. If we assume Paris was her destination, maybe that’s as far as she got before she ran out of petrol. That’s our thief.”