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“There’s a path to the house over here. I can see a back door,” Dietz said.

  Carrying a crowbar and three flashlights he had purchased in town, Anderson joined Dietz and they began walking down the path. By now, the snows were gone and everything was green and lush. A dingy moss covered wall came into view. There were no windows. The door had signs of rust all along the edges and in spots. Dietz knocked on the door and it rang out slightly. “Steel door,” he said. He grabbed the handle and tried to pull it open. The door didn’t budge. “I doubt we shall get in from here,” he said.

  “Let’s head to the front then,” Anderson said pointing toward a place where there were two ruts going around the house. On this side there were shuttered windows higher up on the wall on two levels. The men couldn’t reach the lower windows and continued their trek until they reached the front of the house. The wall there had a couple of windows beside a large double wooden door. A road led from the door back through some woods out of sight.

  To everyone’s surprise, the large doors creaked open with some effort from the three men revealing a courtyard and the rest of the house. The outer walls were about twenty feet thick. Inside the wall a courtyard led to the main entrance to the house. Like before, the windows were shuttered. To the right along the wall were what looked like four wooden garage doors. To the left were a couple of smaller doors with steps and a double line of shuttered windows. The courtyard had once been covered with white pebbles, but the weeds and grasses had grown through it making a grassy lawn.

  “Let’s see what’s in the garage,” said Anderson.

  The men walked to the first set of doors. They would move, but appeared to have a lock on the inside. Anderson chuckled and jammed the crowbar into the gap and gave a heave. The dry rotted wood parted and the doors opened. Sitting in the garage space was an ancient looking black Mercedes. It was a convertible whose top was rotted and in some places hanging down. Peering through the windows, the leather upholstery looked pristine and the black paint and chrome shown through the layers of dust. There was a tag on the front showing IIA-19357.

  “Isn’t this something,” said Anderson.

  “I believe this is a Mercedes 770 Model. I haven’t seen anything like this since the war,” Dietz said in amazement. “It looks almost as if it could be started and driven off.”

  “You see these others?” asked the pilot.

  In a second bay was an old Rolls Royce Phantom II cabriolet. It too was covered in a haze of dust. But the grey sides and black top shined through. The final car was somewhat of a surprise. It was a Volkswagen.

  The men walked around the Rolls and peered at the small car. It was painted a dull black with a split back window. The interior was brown and the tag read IIIA-42802. Anderson reached for the handle and pulled the door open. Sitting in the seat he saw the same familiar instruments with one exception, there was a large German eagle with a swastika where the storage pocket would be. When he closed the door his ears popped.

  Getting back out of the car, Anderson rubbed his hand through the dust, taking off almost a quarter of an inch. “They’ve been here a while,” he said.

  “These are museum pieces,” exclaimed Dietz. “With a little work you will have some show cars,” he said.

  Anderson nodded. “I might keep them. I like these things. Maybe I’ll get a chauffeur to drive me around in them,” he said with a chuckle.

  “People would talk,” kidded Dietz.

  “Let’s check out the house,” Anderson said as he closed the door. The men made their way out of the garage and to the front door of the house. The large door had dry rotted badly and when he grabbed the knob, it came off in Anderson’s hand.

  Opening the door, they stepped into another world. There was a glass entry way, framed in wood, to act as a weather barrier. The second door opened freely into a large cavernous hall made of stone. At the far end was a huge stone fireplace with glassed double doors on either side leading to a covered patio. Lining the room were columned stone arches. To the right was a large dining room filled with what appeared to be a highly polished table. To the left was a hallway leading to other rooms. The floors were made of the same stone as the walls. In front of the fireplace was a set of leather furnishings including two couches, some end tables and lounge chairs. The tables had electric lamps on them. Light was entering the room from a row of glass windows high up in the vaulted ceiling.

  The men were amazed. “Just a lake, huh,” Anderson said to the men.

  “How could this even be here?” asked the pilot who had already decided he would sneak back to the place later on for his own exploration.

  “I doubt anyone even knew this place existed,” said Dietz.

  “Must have been some sort of private home,” said Anderson. “But why desert something like this?” he asked.

  “I have no idea,” said Dietz. “But no matter, it is yours now, so let’s look around.”

  Room by room, the men walked through the house. It was fully furnished. The beds were made and aside from a layer of dust, looked as if they were ready for their next occupant. The pantry was filled with two sets of fine china. The kitchen was fully equipped but the cupboards were bare. The house was wired for electricity and the plumbing was there, but nothing worked. A door was found leading to a cellar. It was a large room with empty racks for wine bottles, and three large casks decorating one wall. The casks looked huge and when he tapped one with his knuckles, it sounded hollow.

  “Too bad they’re just for decoration,” Anderson said.

  The men had finished walking through the house looking in every room and taking note of what was there. The closets were empty, but there were clean sheets and blankets in the side chests. In the end they had more questions than answers.

  By the time they went back outside all three men were sweating. Dietz called over to Anderson. “You mentioned Rolf and his people were searching the area for secret places. Do you think this was one of them?” he asked.

  Anderson shook his head. “I’ve been thinking the same thing, but we went over every inch of this area and found nothing. I feel certain if there was a place, he would have let me know. You know what I think it is?”

  Dietz shook his head.

  “I think this is a getaway house.” Dietz looked like he didn’t understand. Anderson smiled. “You know. A place some high ranking Nazi built in secret where he could hide in relative comfort once the war started going bad. Well, whoever it was never made it here. That would explain the empty kitchen cupboards and an empty wine cellar. He must have been killed before he could escape.”

  “That sounds like it would fit,” said the pilot. “I found a radio transmitter and receiver in one of the rooms in the servant wing. If I had electricity it would probably still work. It looks like it has never been used.”

  Dietz nodded. “In any case it doesn’t look like you will need to build anything here. The house is ready made.”

  “Yes, it’s a fine house,” Anderson said looking over the exterior walls one more time. “But I have some ideas to make it a little more livable, and I know my wife will have a few things to say about it.” The men chuckled as Anderson looked around just a little more.

  “What are you looking for?” asked the pilot.

  “Electric lines. The house is wired but I can’t see any lines coming in. Let’s walk down the road and see where the tunnel is leading into this place.”

  “Tunnel?” Dietz questioned.

  Anderson nodded. “Somebody had to bring all the building materials up here.”

  The road had originally been made of gravel and the weeds had simply grown through it. After only 300 yards the men stood at the entrance of a large tunnel heading back into the mountain. Checking to see if the flashlights were still bright, the men walked cautiously into the darkness.

  The curved walls and floor of the tunnel were concrete and although there was some evidence of seepage, the tunnel was bone dry. Just thirty yards into the tunnel it began t
o curve to the right and angle downwards. Fifty yards further and the men noticed a metal door into the side of the tunnel wall. A sign beside the door said “Turbine.” Continuing on nearly 100 more yards and the tunnel flattened out for a few yards then came to an abrupt end. A door as wide as the entire tunnel blocked the way. Upon closer study the men saw wheels along the bottom of the door and at one end there appeared to be a large latch holding it in place.

  Anderson looked at the other men. “I guess we have nothing to lose,” he said. Surprisingly, the latch was heavily greased and showed little signs of rust. Anderson grabbed the latch and pulled. There was s short screech and a snap as the latch pulled loose. Grabbing a couple of handles on the door surface, the men slowly pulled the door away from its stops and back into the tunnel. Daylight streamed in as the door opened wider and a rapid rush of wind seemed to travel from the direction of the house, back down through the tunnel and out the opening, carrying with it the misty air from above.

  The men stepped out onto a road which led along the mountain to the small flat area near the falls on the other side. The door had been made to look like all the other retaining walls used to protect the road. As the men gazed out upon the now green landscape they could see the waterfall and park 200 yards to their left. The edge of the road dropped off sharply into the ravine some 300 feet below. The drop was almost straight down, lined with jagged rocks. The road was gravel and well maintained. It led in a series of switchbacks down the mountain and out the valley. On the other side it ended at the small park.

  “Now we know how the place got built,” Anderson said.

  “It’s amazing to me how no one ever discovered this place,” said Dietz.

  Anderson shrugged his shoulders. “I doubt anyone would be testing what they thought was a retaining wall. With the mist hiding the valley most of the time, there’s a good chance no one would notice. It’s a great place not to be found.”

  “Nice view though,” said the pilot. “I’ve been up here to this little park lots of times just to feel the power of that water and enjoy nature.” He turned to Anderson. “You’re right. I would never have looked around these retaining walls. I was too intent on getting to the park.”

  “Yep. Kind of like hiding in plain sight,” said Anderson. They talked a few minutes and then Anderson turned to his friends. “Let’s close this door. I want to protect this property for a while longer.”

  The men struggled to get the massive door closed, but soon everything was in place. The door was not latched so that Anderson could get back inside later on. “Now let’s check out that door up the street,” Anderson said.

  Walking back up the tunnel was a lot more exhausting than going down. All three men were puffing hard when they got to the door marked “Turbine.” It was a metal door with a knob. Anderson grasped it and turned. To his surprise, the knob turned and the door clicked open. In the beam of the flashlights the men could see a vertical shaft with a circular metal staircase. After a quick examination the men could see the stairs were as sound as the day they were made. The shaft was also lined with heavy cables that came up from the bottom and exited beside the first door. The men went down 30 feet to another door. This door also opened easily.

  The men entered a room filled with metal cabinets and consoles. Through the dust, the men could see the consoles were covered with gauges, switches and knobs. Large cables ran to and from the consoles along the walls and out into the entrance shaft. Cobwebs hung from the fixtures giving the whole room an eerie look.

  At the far end of the room was a set of large wheels leading down to some very large valves the men could see under the gratings at their feet. Behind that was some sort of large circular machine. But what was more unnerving, the whole room shook faintly. Each of the men could feel it in his feet. “What is that?” asked Dietz.

  The pilot got a surprised look on his face and rushed over to the valve wheels. Looking at their markings he stood back in amazement. “I know exactly what it is,” he said. He turned to Anderson. “You mind if I try something?”

  “Go ahead. With everything else we’ve seen I can do with some more surprises.”

  The pilot grasped the control wheel and gave it a firm twist in the “open” direction. After several turns there was a change in the sound of the rumbling and a noise began to increase at the back of the room near the large circular machine. Slowly, the electric lights in the room began to glow and become brighter. The more the pilot turned the wheel, the brighter they became. After a moment, the pilot ran to the center console and began reading the gauges. He searched the next one until he found what he was looking for and threw some switches. With an electric hum, the wheels began to move on their own and the gauges settled exactly on markings someone long ago had placed on the dials.

  The pilot smiled at himself and turned to the others. “I used to work at a power plant during the war,” he said with a smile. “The shaking is the water rushing through some the large diameter piping leading under this facility. We diverted some of it to run that big generator back there. My guess is the water empties as the waterfall we have outside,” he said pointing back toward the door. The pilot turned again and looked at another panel. He reached down and threw some large switches. “The circuit breakers are now on. I bet the house has power now,” he said. “This is a nice set up.”

  “Is it okay to leave this on?” Anderson asked.

  The pilot nodded. “With this equipment, it should run indefinitely. We will be good.”

  The men left the room and rushed back to the house. There was no need for the flashlights now. The tunnel was illuminated by lights along the sides. When they got to the end of the tunnel they were in for another surprise. The mist had cleared and the valley, with its lake and waterfall were gleaming in the sunlight. The tunnel had acted as a vacuum and had allowed the mist to empty.

  In the house, with the press of a switch, the massive chandeliers in the dining room glistened and sconces that looked like a hand holding a torch gleamed brightly. “It looks like you have not only a house, but your own electric company,” Dietz kidded Anderson.

  On a whim, Anderson rechecked the kitchen. There was a sound of an electric motor when he went in. A large, two door refrigerator was on and when he opened it, was producing cold air. Next to the refrigerator was a door they had missed. It led to a walk in freezer. The more Anderson discovered, the more he fell in love with this house. It would be a perfect second home for his family and a nice place to eventually retire to.

  Anderson went back to the large living area to find the other two lounging on the leather sofas. Unfortunately, the leather had cracked and was coming apart in places. “It looks like you’re still going to have to get some new furniture,” Dietz said.

  “That’s okay. I don’t really like that Teutonic style anyway. I’ll turn Mary onto it. She’ll have this place like she wants it in no time,” Anderson said. “You two want to see anything else?”

  Both men shook their heads. “What are your plans, Al?” Dietz asked.

  Anderson smiled broadly. “By next week, I plan on having fifty workers up here turning this place into my own little castle. Give me a couple of months, and you guys won’t recognize the place,” he said confidently.

  Chapter 5

  Building and Tearing Down

  Stadt was worried. No sooner did he get the trucks ready for the first load but the Americans emptied the storage tanks to move the fuel somewhere in Italy. He attempted to get a truck load of diesel oil, but as he had pointed out, people were everywhere around the terminal looking at paperwork. One of his men had a good idea. Since most of the trains now used diesels they might get the fuel at a marshalling yard. A quick check came up with nothing. The fuel tanks didn’t really hold more than a few days of fuel. There wouldn’t be enough and almost impossible to get without someone noticing. Everyone was frustrated.

  Stadt couldn’t imagine that getting such a common fuel would be so difficult. The worst p
art was that the second group had no problem at all getting the nitric acid. He had figured that part would be the hardest. But by siphoning off only a truckload at a time the old fertilizer plant hadn’t even noticed.

  He was pulling his truck into the station to pick up a load of waste oil when he noticed activity at the far storage area again. After pulling onto the loading ramp he set the brake and walked over to the old ramp supervisor who was taking down numbers.

  “What’s going on over there?” Stadt asked innocently.

  The old supervisor turned to look and spit on the ground. “The damned Americans are up to their old tricks. They demand we give them storage whenever they have a need. I was going to use those tanks to stock up more heating oil but now it’s too late. I hope the tanks rupture on them,” he said in disgust.

  “What are they storing this time?” Stadt asked.

  “Same thing, some of their special fuel.”

  “Kerosene? What’s so special about that?”

  The old man looked a little upset at having to answer all the questions. “How should I know? Maybe they use it to cook their sausages.”

  Stadt saw the look on the old man’s face and backed off. He shook his head. “We would better use the heating oil,” he said in a disgusted tone.

  The old man growled and turned away to register another truck that pulled up. Stadt stood staring at the activity in the far yard. Now they could get the fuel they needed. He would report to the General tonight.

  The Anderson house had been a little disturbing to Dresner. He had thought they had found every place the old regime had built in this part of the country, but that had not been the case. Already there were rumors of hidden Nazi bunkers full of gold, money, even the Russian Amber Room from Leningrad. With everything else, he didn’t need that kind of headache. Luckily, no one seemed to pick up on the find. He had personally gone to the house with Al Anderson the day after it was opened. The cars caught his eye.