Paradox Part 18

Chapter 17
April 26, 2012 – Resort Hotel Jodquellenhof Alpamare - Bad Tölz

Early the next morning they got back on the autobahn to Munich then took cross-country route 472 to Bad Tölz. They made reservations the night before for the Resort Hotel Jodquellenhof Alpamare on Ludwigstraße in Bad Tölz. The famous Alpamare water park and the Endless Peak indoor surfing pool was within easy walking distance of the hotel and Weinhaus Höckh was just up the road.
Monday had spent a lot of time in the scenic Bavarian town when stationed nearby with the Special Forces. The little village had once been occupied by the Romans or the Romanized Celts. The 14th century saw Tölz become a crossroads for the salt and lumber traffic on the Isar River. In 1453 the Marketstreet, church, and castle were destroyed by fire. Duke Albrecht III enabled the city to rebuild in stone. He also built a palace, which stood until 1770 when it fell into disrepair and was eventually undermined by the Ellbach.
The Thirty Years’ War (1618 – 1648) brought plague and destruction to the beautiful village. During the War for Spanish Succession, circumstances became better with trade in lime and wood products and other items. In the middle of the 19th century, Tölz changed directions with the discovery of natural springs.
The town began to focus on the healing properties of these springs and became a cure and spa town. In 1899, it became known as Bad Tölz, instead of Tolz, as the German word for bath is bad. Bad Tölz is also well known for its medieval atmosphere and spectacular views of the Alps. It has a population of around 17,800 and is located about one hour south of Munich in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. The local landscape is marked by mountains, lakes, green meadows, dense forests and numerous romantic little villages.
As soon as they entered the foyer lobby Henri rolled his eyes at Monday indicating that he had already spotted one or more suspicious characters. On the way to the elevator, he voiced his suspicions. “There was a man sitting at a table off the lobby that I am well acquainted with. He was an instructor at the Kommando Spezialkraefte (German Special Forces) school a few years back. He was forcibly retired as an Unteroffizier (Senior Sergeant). We could not get enough evidence on him to give him a dishonorable discharge, but rather than press his luck, he accepted retirement. His name is Dieter Fleischer and he is a sadist, a thief, and I personally believe a rapist and extortionist. His presence here cannot be coincidence. He used to run with another Senior Sergeant named Helmut Mueller. We did successfully get rid of Mueller with a dishonorable discharge. If he’s working with Mueller, then we have some very tough and well trained men to deal with.”
“Fleischer! That means butcher in German doesn’t it?” Monday was curious.
“The name fits,” Henri admitted. “If he and Mueller have enlisted the help of additional low life of their type they’ll resort to anything to win.”
“We know for a fact that we are being watched” Monday, his team, and the rest of the group were sitting around the living area in Dominic’s larger suite. “Obviously they haven’t managed to get any further on the clues to find the gold. Most likely they will follow me, Daria or Henri since we are at the center of the hunt. I don’t know if any of you have been pegged or if they know that Dom is working with us."
“Since I checked in separately, I doubt they know my status,” Dominic said. “It may be best if I made a dry run to the wine house first to get a layout of the place and take notice of potential clues. I am well known as a connoisseur of wine, at any rate, and my being in a wine house would possess no ulterior meaning.”
“Perhaps you and Bones can meet there,” Monday suggested. “He has an eye for detail and I doubt they have identified any of the Team yet.’
Dominic looked around the room for Bones to identify himself since he just recently met the Team and was unfamiliar with their faces. Bones gave him a wide grin and nodded his burly head. “Which reminds me,” Dominic stated. “I managed to get hold of my contact in the Ministry of Culture this morning when I first got here. Bruno Schäfer is legitimate but very low on the authority rung of the government ladder. I obtained clarification on the status of finding Nazi gold or Nazi treasure. Since the true ownership of the majority of unrecovered Nazi treasure is in question, the Ministry does offer finder’s fees. I managed to get a solid seven percent for us should we find any bouillon or untraceable gold.”
“You can bet Schäfer’s goons are not interested in seven percent.” Henri raised his foaming beer. “For them it’s all or nothing.”
“There’s not much we can do until we find out what’s at the wine house,” Monday stated. “I think it would be a good idea if Daria and I played tourist for the day. Schäfer’s goons will no doubt keep an eye on us and it will help pull their attention away from you and Bones.”
“If you’re going to expose yourself with the possibility of being kidnapped by those clowns, I’m going to play babysitter.” Weps was adamant. “I think me and The Scout outta work as a team.” His demeanor signaled that he would not take no as an answer.
Monday smiled. “What about you Dom, do you need backup other than Bones?”
“Actually, I’d prefer going by myself. I’m sure Bones has other things to do. My man Gunter Hörbiger is all I have ever needed. He is well acquainted with the use of weapons and has other, shall we say…beneficial training.”
“If Henri will assist me, I would like to get on line and see if I can find any useful information on Dieter Fleischer and Helmut Mueller,” The Geek stated. “I may be able to trace hidden data on them and Schäfer and perhaps connect them with other members of the dark side. It could give us an edge on their potential team assets and capabilities.”
“I have access to classified military personnel files,” Henri agreed. “And I can get in contact with our friend Ted Wrigley at British Intel. That Limey nut has access to information that even the CIA and your brother doesn’t have. I might even give your twin Brother Huck a call.”
“Which leaves me and Bones out in the cold.” Chester stood and stretched. “Reckon we’ll mosey over to that old church, the Stadtpfarrkirche, and nose around. We might even measure off the number of paces it takes us to get to that wine house. This is starting to feel like National Treasure in Germany.”