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between them.
    “Strange was his personality,” Schüb said. “Capable of murdering millions, yet concerned that his offspring would be called a bastard.”
    “What happened to Hitler’s child?”
    “Braun gave birth in January 1946. The baby was robust and healthy. That occurred while they were still in Spain. They did not arrive in Chile until early 1947. The child did not make the journey. Bormann took the baby at birth. He was tasked by Hitler with taking care of Braun and the child. But that never happened.”
    He understood. Once Hitler was dead, Bormann made the rules.
    “Eva Braun bled to death giving birth to Bormann’s child. That was in 1954.”
    A muffled sound filled the air overhead, like a breeze. He glanced up to see birds, not a hurried or confused flight, but a pilgrimage, their shadows flitting across the moon.
    “The night is their refuge,” Schüb said. “They will return at dawn.”
    He continued to watch until the last of the shadows faded into the blackness. He faced Schüb and said, “Did you kill Isabel and the book dealer?”
    There was hesitation while the old man caught his breath.
    Then Schüb swiveled his head like an owl and said, “Be patient, Mr. Wyatt, and I will tell you everything.”

    He wondered if that was a good thing.
    I will tell you everything.
    Why?
    These secrets had stayed buried a long time. Why share them now? Particularly with someone who could repeat them.
    Which made him wonder.
    Was the next bullet to the head his?
    “Christopher Combs has become a problem,” Schüb said. “He fancies himself a treasure hunter. Did you know that about him?”
    He shook his head.
    “He’s also a Nazi enthusiast. He has quite a collection hidden away.”
    “You’ve seen it?”
    “I sent men to steal a look.”
    “Is Combs investigating you?”
    Schüb chuckled. “I should say not. No, he’s after the gold.”
    He listened as Schüb explained how, in the last days of the war, the Berlin Reichsbank was emptied, its contents transported south to the Alps and the National Redoubt, the supposed last stand of the Third Reich. Those assets came by railway from Berlin to Mittenwald. The American army wasn’t far away, and time was short. There were gold bars, boxes of bullion, bags of coins, and millions in foreign currency. It was supposed to be buried in mountain caches. Some was, by a special army detail. But only a fraction of that loot was found after the war.
    “There is a great debate over exactly how much was actually buried,” Schüb said. “Later investigations indicated that American soldiers may even have discovered some of the gold and kept it. I’ve read FBI reports from the time, after they were called to Germany to investigate. The results were inconclusive. But if Americans did find the Reichsbank assets, it was still only a portion of the total that the bank held.”
    Schüb reached beneath his jacket, produced a piece of paper, and handed it to him.
April 28, 1945
Delivery of the Reichsbank assets occurred without event in Mittenwald. An inventory was performed that revealed the following:
364 bags of gold (2 bars each for a total of 728 bars)
4 boxes of gold bullion
25 boxes of gold bars (each containing 4 bars)
2 bags of gold coins
11 boxes of gold weighing 150 kilos
20 boxes of gold coins
All banknote printing plates were disposed of in Lake Walchen per original orders. Cache locations were chosen on the north-facing mountain slopes at elevations varying from 100 to 200 meters and burial holes prepared during the night. Disposal occurred over the course of April 25 and 26, completed by the 27th.
    “That is an English translation of a German memoranda from the time. Many call the Berlin Reichsbank the largest bank robbery in history.”
    Wyatt motioned with the paper. “Why is this not in German?”
    “Because you do not speak that language.”
    He was impressed. “What else do you know about me?”
    “That you have been tracking Combs. He