Diaries of the past E-Book

Ben Griessler

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 92

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

The two adventurers Vanessa and Pheona are facing their greatest challenge so far. The acquisition of an old marble sculpture at auction is the trigger that triggers a search for a lost library around the globe. In addition to heavily armed treasure hunters, the two young women also have to contend with numerous other disappointments. You can find out how and whether they succeed in the fourth book by adventure novelist Ben Griessler. You can expect gripping action, car chases and a sweeping suspense. So be tense!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Prologue

1717:

"Batten down all hatches at once! The storm is getting closer!"

"Yes Captain!" replied a noncommissioned officer of the Whydah. The crew had already hauled in the sails hours ago. So close off the coast of Cape Cod, rocks and sandbars were an added danger.

The Whydah. A stunning ship from bow to stern. The pinas sailed under the English flag and was a proud forty-two meters long.

The ship had been underway for months. Vast quantities of gold, silver and rubies lay dormant in the hold. Enough rare raw materials to fill a royal treasury. According to legend, some rubies were as big as chicken eggs.

But this was nothing compared to what Thomas Davis and Ian Bufford possessed. The writer's mysterious notebook supposedly led to a library. A library which consisted exclusively of books and scrolls that could not be found anywhere else in the world.

Ian Bufford was a writer from London. Together with his apprentice Thomas, he had made it his business to write down and archive all stories. Therefore, they were always on the road and talked to the most extraordinary people. On their journey they collected not only oral stories. In addition to ancient scrolls of the Egyptians and Romans, they also received a marble statue.

The sculpture of a mermaid with a saber was not only beautiful to look at. If you knew its secret, it opened a gateway to a long forgotten world.

Said statue was also on board, and well stowed in Bufford's cabin.

"Capitano! The storm is driving us further and further off course!"

"Which way?"

"Thirty degrees northwest! The cliffs are only a few hundred yards away!"

"Roger that. Hard helm and do it now!"

But the impromptu course change didn't help either. They did get themselves a greater distance away. But the hurricane carried the Whydah onto a sandbar fifteen minutes later. A good hundred and fifty meters from land.

"To the lifeboats!“, the captain ordered in a smoky voice.

Ian and Thomas put the notebook and the sculpture into an old potato sack and ran to a rowboat. The number of boats, however, was only enough for a fraction of the crew.

Together with a wimpy sergeant, they were lowered into the raging sea.

Davis grabbed the paddles and rowed with all his might to the shore. Before he knew it, a monster wave sloshed the ship into the ocean, dragging him into the dark depths. The other lifeboats had it no easier. All of them sank or the crew drowned.

Only Ian Bufford and Thomas Davis survived.

"Mister Davis, this is where we part ways. I'll take the statue to safety. For this, I'll take the next ship to Europe first thing tomorrow. You must stay here and let me know. Here's my notebook. Take good care of it. Good luck, my friend!"

Thomas looked once more at the ship. He wiped a tear from his cheek and hugged his teacher goodbye. Gratefully, he took the book.

Chapter 1

Today:

"Going once, ... going twice, ... and sold, to number 98. Congratulations!" the elegantly dressed auctioneer announced.

The lucky bidder of the object, stood up and strode to the cashier's office to pay for the antique. The object of desire finally cost him a quarter of a million euros. His counter bidder, clearly an American judging by his accent, was outbid by Dr. Kruger.

Dr. Theodor Kruger placed his brown briefcase on the table and took out several purple bundles of money. He then slid these to the lady at the counter through a bulletproof glass window.

The five bundles were placed in a money counting machine and counted. He then signed a statement slip and, accompanied by a security guard, went to the warehouse.

They rode an elevator to the second basement level and walked down a long cold hallway. The two men entered a room-sized safe. Here, another armed employee was already waiting and demanding the document.

Theodor handed him the certificate of delivery, and shortly thereafter received the object he had bought at auction.

"Over time, the metal on the base and in the surrounds has oxidized, but the silver and marble have been spared. A damn fine object you bought this time, Doctor Kruger!" the clerk remarked with great awe.

"Thank you, I will take it to Africa tonight. Have a good evening, Peter!"

The storekeeper handed him a small wooden box, with a eight foot statue inside. The sculpture which was last seen three hundred years ago. Six months ago it reappeared in the attic of an old farmhouse.

They said goodbye with a firm handshake. The house security guard accompanied the doctor and the statue to the car. Whenever Theodor Kruger was in Vienna, he drove his old Mercedes 180D Ponton. However, when he was at his home, office and laboratory in Namibia, he parked the Benz in a rental garage near the airport.

He bought the property at that time with his wife, a native of Namibia. A year later, they had a daughter. Pheona Kruger. His wife died in a tragic plane accident fourteen years ago. Since then, he has been alone on earth with his beloved daughter.

The fact that she was working in Paris, however, and they so rarely met, was hard on him.

"At least now I have a good reason to invite her. She'll make eyes," Theodor thought to himself as he drove to the airport in Schwechat. Pheona worked at the Quai Branly Museum as deputy director.

Since childhood days, they went on the most dangerous and exciting adventures together. From mountain climbing in the Himalayas to deep sea diving, it was all there.

Meanwhile, waiting for green at a traffic light, he took a picture of the figure and sent it to his daughter.

A few seconds later, he received a text message saying that she was already looking forward to the reunion.

He had to grin. Then he put his iPhone back in his pocket and steered the vintage car into the parking garage. Gingerly, he took the box with the mermaid out of the trunk.

Dr. Kruger cleared customs on the antique and his small travel trolley. Then he strolled into the lounge and ordered an iced drink. "A martini, stirred not shaken."

The upscale bartender fulfilled his request with a smile and received a commendable tip in return. He didn't have much time to enjoy the drink. He glanced at his pocket watch, and headed for the gate.

Kruger showed his ticket and was ushered into business class. He stowed the briefcase in the carry-on compartment after pulling a book out of a side pocket.

The doctor opened his tattered novel and began to read. But after a few pages, he was too exhausted. He immediately fell asleep, not waking up until he reached Africa.

Sleepily, he packed up his things and left the plane. After picking up his two pieces of luggage, he placed them on a trolley. This also served as a small walking support. The sixty-one-year-old had not been able to do much without assistance for some time. This was probably due to the fact that he had been shot in the legs by several rifle bullets two years ago.

During an expedition in Central America, he met a group of mercenaries who were after the same treasure as he was.

The affair ended smoothly. He was able to bring the treasure, worth millions, to safety.

In any case, his thirst for adventure never waned.

Now Dr. Kruger was in Windhoek. He left the building and finally came to a halt by the road.

Here his faithful assistant Vanessa Kimball was already waiting. A thirty-year-old Namibian woman with bellybutton-length black hair. With an IQ of one hundred and fifty, she was not only a true beauty on the outside. Vanessa also went to school with Pheona. They became friends and also always had action-packed outings.

"Good afternoon, Theodore. Did you have a good flight?" she asked, meanwhile opening the passenger door of his car.

"Greetings. You know me, a few lines from Shakespeare and I'll sleep like a log."

Vanessa loaded the trolley and the box into the trunk and pushed the wagon into a marked area.

She sat in the car, started the green Land Rover and pulled into traffic. The 1972 off-roader was old, but thanks to thorough maintenance and lots of love, it still drove like it did on the first day.

They were on the road for about twenty minutes before they arrived at Dr. Kruger's estate. A three-story mansion with an attached laboratory now towered into the sky before them. The assistant parked the Rover in the garage. The young woman first took the suitcase to the house's dressing room.

In the meantime, Theodor changed his elegant clothes and slipped into a white coat.

Chapter 2

"Vanessa, could you please pass me the Phillips screwdriver? It should be somewhere back there." he said, already full of curiosity to finally unwrap and examine the sculpture.

"Thank you!" He took the tool and set about unscrewing the four screws in the second. A minute later, there it was. The lid was loose. Of course, Theodore had seen the sculpture before. Now, however, it was in his possession.

Vanessa and Dr. Kruger looked expectantly into the wooden box. They brushed aside the snippets of packaging and took out the marble figure.

Theodore placed it under a cool white light. Then they both put on white kid gloves and explored the statue more intently now.

"Okay Doc, when would you date the figure?"

"According to the auction house, it dates from the 18th century. The colleagues in Vienna probably just looked at the oxidation. But if you look closely at the artwork, and have seen similar sculptures before. Yes, I would say the marble statue was made around 1650," Theodor answered, while cleaning the rusted base.

And fact. An engraving not visible before now came to light.

"Vanessa, I don't have my glasses here, could you please read this out?" the older adventurer asked. What his assistant didn't know, however, was that he could very well have deciphered it. However, over the years, she has become like a daughter to him. And watching Vanessa or Pheona solve a mysterious puzzle always warmed his heart.

"Love to! Mhhmm. It says, The library levels only for true heirs. -London 1689." she read out, puzzled and amazed at the same time.

"Interesting, and what does that mean for us now?" asked Dr. Kruger with a broad smile.