Chase The Rabbit: Gretch Bayonne Action Adventure Series Book #1 Read online

  “It is a personal, handwritten letter from Adolph Hitler,” Stefan explained. “We have it in a locked box. My job is to protect the box, and Hans’ job is to guard the key.”

  “Hitler?” I asked. “Why would he want to get a letter to Hearst?”

  Bela and Alvon were standing behind me, taking this all in. The men were more than a little nervous and appeared reluctant to disclose any more information, especially in front of my friend Lugosi and Monkey Man.

  Adolph Hitler was apparently going to be the next Chancellor of Germany. I knew little about him, just that my journalist friend, von Wiegand had interviewed him a year ago and told me off the record that the man seemed dangerous.

  “Take me to the box,” I said. “I want to read the letter.”

  “We can take you to the box,” said Hans, “but you may not read the letter. It is for Hearst’s eyes only.”

  “Listen!” I said. “I could have let you fall off the edge along with the key! I just saved your mission, not to mention your life! I think I have a right to know why!”

  They looked at each other nervously.

  “What if I were to take the box to Hearst?” Bela asked them.

  “You could do that?” one of them asked.

  “Yes, I could. You obviously have not had any luck. You see, Mr. Hearst is on a very tight schedule on this trip. He is overseeing the shooting of a documentary, and every minute is filled up.”

  “It is not likely that you two will be able to see him,” I added.

  “That is correct, Bay,” Bela continued. “But I am scheduled to shoot my part of the documentary later this evening. I could deliver the box to him then.”

  “It may be the only way,” one of the men whispered to the other.

  “But how will we know that it has been done?” Hans asked. “We have to be sure without doubt that he has received it.”

  “I could take you both back to the observation point and help you off to an early departure,” I said. “Mr. Lugosi is giving you his word!”

  “Yes,” Hans replied. “Very well then, we will give you the box.”

  “Don’t make it sound like you are doing us a favor,” I replied. “It is the other way around.”

  “You are right, sir,” Stefan said. “And thank you for saving my life. I will never forget that.”

  We headed back down into the breathing spine towards the tail of the massive floating whale of a ship. It was as creepy as ever, the giant lungs pulsating slightly toward us. This was no afternoon stroll in the park. I felt like I was going to pass out by the time we got to the ladder.

  “So where is it?” I asked.

  Stefan went straight for the cardboard box that I had sat on the evening before, the one with the flashbulbs in it. He dug around and pulled out a small metal lockbox.

  Well, son of a bitch, I thought. So they brought the flashbulbs on board to hide the box in!

  Monkey Man Alvon looked at me, smiling. He was the only other person who knew about the box with the flashbulbs, besides the Chinese man, who was still standing in the exact, same spot. I’d come to ignore him, like furniture.

  “This is it,” Stefan said, handing it to me.

  Bela shook his head in amazement. I was sure we were both thinking the same thing. This is just too easy!

  “And the key?” I asked.

  Hans walked towards me and ceremoniously placed the chain that held the golden key, around my neck. I felt like I’d just won an Olympic event.

  Bela and I walked through the door to the passenger area. This time, the damn thing wasn’t locked. I looked behind me and saw Monkey Man smiling ear to ear. He winked at me. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. But I still didn’t like the damned monkeys.

  “Follow me,” Bela instructed.

  We walked down the narrow hallway and ducked into one of the rooms on the right. It was just like the one I’d fallen into earlier, where I’d met Marion Davies and Jean Harlow. I nervously inserted the gold key into the box and turned it.

  “You know we shouldn’t be doing this,” Bela said.

  “We said we would deliver it to Hearst,” I replied. “I never said I wouldn’t read it.”

  He nodded in agreement as I opened the mysterious box. Inside, there was an envelope. Oddly enough, it was not sealed. I pulled the papers out and unfolded them nervously. It appeared to be a handwritten letter, written in German.

  “I can’t read this!” I said frustrated, handing it to Bela. “What does it say?”

  Bela studied the documents for a moment and said, “Yes, you are right, my friend. It is German. And I too, cannot read German.”

  “That’s just great!” I said raising my voice.

  “Shhh! Be quiet! You will alert the others!” Bela said.

  “Good!” I replied. “Maybe one of them can read German!”

  “No one else must know that we opened this box!” he said.

  “We have to get someone to interpret this letter,” I said. “The ship is full of Germans. But who can we trust?”

  “I don’t think we can trust anyone with this,” Bela said.

  “Alvon!” I shouted. “He already knows about the letter! Wait here!”

  I dashed towards the door to retrieve Monkey Man.

  “But what if someone sees you?” Bela said.

  “You can come with me if you want, but I am going to get Monkey Man now!” I said.

  I crept back down the hallway to the cargo room. I could hear voices from some of the rooms, but no one came out or saw me. I opened the door and stuck my head only half way in. Alvon was there, but the two German security men were gone. They must have gone back up top side.

  “Alvon!” I whispered.

  Looking up startled he said, “Yes?”

  “Come here! I need you!” I replied.

  He was smiling bigger than ever before. He tossed a banana into the monkey cage and followed me back down to Bela’s room.

  “Come on!” I said. “Hurry!”

  We rushed in and were greeted by a very surprised Clark Gable and James Cagney.

  “Who the hell are you?” Gable asked.

  “Sorry,” I said. “Wrong room!”

  “Well, next time,” Cagney said, “consider knocking!”

  We went to the next door.

  “I think this is it,” I said.

  “Perhaps you should knock,” Alvon replied.

  Just then, James Cagney came out of his room, acting very perturbed. I took a chance and opened the door without knocking. We both ducked into the room and fortunately, Bela was sitting there, looking at the letter.

  “Good God!” I said. “I just barged into someone else’s room!”

  “What?” Bela asked. “Who?”

  Just then there was a knock on the door.

  “I think it was James Cagney,” I whispered.

  Bela stood up laughing and went to open his chamber door.

  “No!” I whispered. “Don’t open it!”

  He waved me off and swung the door open. There stood Cagney with his hands on his hips, frowning.

  “Jimmy!” Bela said. “How can I be of service to you?”

  Cagney looked around the large frame of Lugosi, eyeing me and Alvon.

  “I don’t mean to disturb you, Mr. Lugosi, but those two men just burst into my room,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you are all right.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Bela said. “Yes, these are my friends, they just got the rooms confused. Please come in!”

  “Oh, no thank you,” Cagney said. “I have my interview shoot in fifteen minutes. I was just checking on you.”

  “Well, I appreciate that, kind sir,” Bela said. “Then I will see you tonight at dinner?”

  “Yes,” Cagney answered, “of course. Will your, um, friends be there too?”

  “Yes, they will.” Bela replied. “We can all have a wonderful meal together and talk then.”

  The actor nodded, looking at me and Alvon rather curiously as
he walked away.

  “Holy shit!” I said. “I am so sorry, Bela!”

  “It’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “I am not concerned about these actors. They are sissy britches! I can act circles around the lot of them.”

  “Yes,” I replied. “I just saw you in one of your better performances!”

  Alvon dramatically cleared his throat.

  “You know, Mr. Lugosi,” Monkey Man said, “I am also an actor.”

  “Yes,” I interrupted, “and you knew Harry Houdini. But for right now, you are an interpreter.”

  I handed the letter to Alvon.

  “What does it say?” I asked.

  Alvon took the letter and began reading it. It was about twenty pages long, front and back. After he read the first two pages, I became impatient.

  “What the hell does it say, Alvon!” I shouted.

  He looked up smiling.

  “Well, so far Hitler explains that he has great plans for Germany,” he replied.

  “Okay, good,” I said. “So read one page at a time and then tell us what it says.”

  “And he has a plan for economic recovery,” Alvon said.

  “Okay,” I said.

  “As Chancellor of Germany,” Alvon went on, “he is looking for world wide support.”

  This went on and on as Alvon went through the pages. I was actually starting to get bored with it. But the last two pages sent shivers through my spine.

  “He is asking for Hearst’s support in the United States for a long term plan,” Alvon said.

  “What plan?” I asked.

  “He is talking about world domination,” Alvon said.

  Bela and I looked at each other confused.

  “He is talking about ruling the world,” Alvon went on.

  “Why would he reveal that to Hearst?” I said.

  “I don’t know,” Alvon replied. “But in return for Hearst’s support in the United States, he is alluding to the fact that Hearst would control the world’s newspapers. Not just America’s newspapers, but the entire world.”

  Alvon dropped the last page on the floor. We sat, stunned in silence.

  “That is insane!” Bela said.

  “That is what the letter says,” Alvon replied.

  I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around the idea of a little man from Germany ruling the world. It seemed crazy to me.

  “Yeah, good luck with that, Adolph,” I said, shaking my head.

  “I don’t know,” said Alvon. “I am German. He is sure to be chancellor there. And the Nazi party is prime to move into power.”

  “Well,” I said. “I don’t care about politics or crazy people who want to rule the world. This is never going to happen. But we have to keep our promise though and get the letter to Hearst.”

  “I am not so sure that we should do that.” Bela said.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “What if it does happen?” Bela asked. “What if Hitler does what he says he wants to do? And what if Hearst goes along with it?”

  “That is not going to happen,” I said. “Are you crazy?”

  “But what if it does?” Bela shot back. “Could we have helped to prevent it by NOT delivering the letter?”

  “I don’t think that is our decision to make,” I said. “And what if it backfires on us?”

  “What do you mean, backfires?” Bela asked.

  “If Hitler gets no response from Hearst, because we did not bother to deliver his letter, he may take that as an insult,” I said. “Who knows what he may do in retaliation. It could put Hearst in danger.”

  Alvon cleared his throat as if to be included in the conversation.

  “Gentlemen,” he said. “I think this is an important letter and it could have a significant impact on the future of mankind.”

  “Yes,” I said, “we know that. What is your point?”

  “We do not get many opportunities in life like this,” he said. “We are privileged to be here on this historic flight, and into your hands, this message is being passed.”

  “Go on,” I said, starting to get impatient.

  “This decision,” Alvon said, “to deliver this letter or not, is in your hands, Mr. Bay. Do not take it lightly.”

  Bela and I looked at each other. He raised a brow and smiled.

  “Son of a bitch!” I said. “I just wanted a ride to Hollywood! Now there’s all this!”

  “So what are you going to do?” Bela asked.

  “I am going to deliver the letter to Hearst” I said.

  “God help us all,” Alvon whispered.

  “There is one small problem that may be a bit awkward to deal with though,” I said.

  “What’s that?” Bela asked.

  “I don’t think Hearst knows I am on board,” I replied.

  Bela laughed, shaking his head. “That is brilliant!” he said. “And you want me to introduce you?”

  “Well, yes,” I said. “Of course.”

  “Just give me the letter” Bela said, “and I will give it to Hearst. You can stay in my room. It would be safer that way.”

  “Sorry, my friend,” I replied. “I have to give it to him myself.”

  “And for what reason?” Bela asked. “Do you not trust your old friend Lugosi with such a simple task?”

  “It’s not that,” I replied. “Of course I trust you. I just have to do it myself. I have to be the one who hands Hearst the letter. I couldn’t bear sitting in that tiny room and not witnessing the exchange.”

  “I understand, my friend,” Bela said. “Then I will introduce you and you can explain the whole thing,” he laughed. “I actually like that idea better! And I want to be witness to that exchange!”

  “It should be most interesting!” Alvon said.

  “You better get back to your monkeys,” I told Alvon. “And remember, not a word of this to anyone!”

  “Of course,” he replied. “I don’t see anyone anyway. Who would I tell?”

  “Well, it doesn’t matter,” I shot back. “Just don’t tell anyone anything.”

  Alvon nodded as he left the room.

  “You were right about one thing, Bay,” Lugosi said.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “It is best that you deliver the letter to Hearst and not me,” he replied.

  “What changed your mind about that?” I said.

  “Because if it were left up to me,” he responded, “I would not do it.”

  “Look, I will level with you,” I said. “It is not everyday that one gets to meet William Randolph Hearst, right?”

  “Well, yes, of course,” he said, “but…”

  “And I am about to do that,” I said, cutting him off. “So what am I going to say? ‘Nice to meet you, Mr. Hearst?’ No! I am going to say, ‘Mr. Hearst, I have a letter here to give you from Adolph Hitler.’”

  “So it is about you then, Bay?” he replied. “You want to be the one who gives him the letter so you have something special, something unique, to say to him?”

  “I am not a big movie star like you,” I explained. “Hearst doesn’t know me. And I am pretty sure he doesn’t know I am onboard. So when I do get the opportunity to meet him, and give him this letter…”

  “I understand my friend,” Lugosi said. “But I thought you were unimpressed with Hollywood movie stars and people like William Randolph Hearst. Isn’t that what you used to tell me?”

  “I was lying” I responded.

  Bela laughed in his huge, distinctive way as he threw his head back. We had been friends for a long time.

  “Okay then,” he said chuckling. “I will introduce you to the great William Randolph Hearst, and you can deliver the letter from the not-so-great Adolph Hitler!”

  “Thank you,” I said. “And by the way, thank you for saving my life up there.”

  “I didn’t save your life,” Bela said. “I only pulled the rope. But knowing what I know now, perhaps I should have cut it!”

  We had a good laugh together, but I k
new that Lugosi had serious reservations about getting that letter into the hands of Hearst. And he was right. I was doing it for personal gain and attention. But I also believed that one should not try to interfere with fate. I didn’t trust the Germans since the Great War. But nothing like that would ever happen again. This was 1932, and a lot has changed since then. America is still the most powerful country in the entire world. Hell, I don’t know. But I was still betting on America.

  Some things you don’t even reveal to your closest friends. I didn’t even tell Bela what I really thought would happen. I figured Hearst would publish the letter from Hitler in all of his newspapers. In fact, I was dead certain of it. And yes, me personally handing Hearst the letter was certainly for personal gain and attention. Old man Hearst would definitely know who I was after that.

  It was all handed to me. This assignment. This crazy trip on the Graf. The monkeys, the two German security men. Marion Davies and Jean Harlow. And now the letter. Me falling in love instantly with the women who’d sent me to chase the rabbit in the first place. It all came back to that. How the hell could all of this happen to an orphan from New Jersey?

  “I have my film segment scheduled for seven o’clock tonight,” Lugosi said. “I will introduce you to Hearst then.”

  “That’s six hours from now! What the hell am I going to do in the meantime?” I asked.

  “You will have to go back up topside I guess,” he responded.

  I nodded in reluctant agreement. I would knock on Marion Davies door on my way out.

  Chapter Seven

  We swore Monkey Man to secrecy as I escorted him back down to the cargo area.

  “Of course,” he said. “I will never tell anyone of this. I know how Harry Houdini did many of his tricks, and you will never get me to tell that either.”

  “We will just pretend that this never happened then, right?” I asked.

  “I am an actor,” he replied. “I can pretend with the best of them.”

  “How the hell did you get on board this crazy journey again?” I asked.

  “You forget, Mr. Bay,” he said. “William Randolph Hearst likes my monkey act. But I barely got passage. I was told if I came I had to tend to my monkeys. I gave them my word that I would. Just as I am giving you my word that your secret will be kept with me.”

  “You are all right in my book, Alvon,” I said.