Kristian stood on the third-floor balcony of the Berlin State Library, his presence hidden by a pair of bookshelves on either side.  In his left hand he held a small pair of binoculars; in his right hand, concealed, a blowgun – a weapon with which he could shoot small darts with pinpoint accuracy.  He was dressed in a plain black shirt, jeans, and black boots; his hair was salt-and-pepper, indicating his age, somewhere north of forty.

His task was a simple one; he was hired to locate and acquire a piece of a map that had been thought to be lost forever, but had only recently resurfaced.  As he peered through the binoculars from his lofty perch, he smiled, knowing he was very close to completing his mission.

His quarry was sitting at one of the desks in the reading section, completely oblivious to the fact that someone was watching her every move – which was exactly what he intended.  After all, he had spent the last few months learning everything about her, once he had discovered that she was in possession of the item he was tasked to retrieve.

He knew her name: Denise Miller.  He knew she was a 24-year-old American woman, a high school history teacher from a rural part of Virginia.  He knew that her great-uncle had passed away six months ago; he had served with the Allied forces that invaded Germany at the end of World War II, and in his will, he had left his great-niece all of his wartime memorabilia, knowing that she would be the one who would understand and appreciate it.  Part of this memorabilia included a piece of a map; the printing on the map identified it as being German, and from 1945, but without the other half of the map, nothing further could be ascertained.

His original plan, once he learned of the will, was to fly to America, find Denise, and take the map by whatever means necessary.  Another associate of his employer had found the other half of the map; his employer believed that once the two halves were placed together, the map would guide them to the location of one of the world’s most valuable lost treasures…

The Amber Room.

Kristian was on his way to the airport when his employer called: Denise was on her way there!  The young teacher’s insatiable curiosity about the piece of the map in her possession had led her to do her own research, and his employer confirmed that she was on a flight to Berlin with the map in her possession.  He made sure to be at the airport when she landed, and had followed her from a safe distance, as she made her way to the library, where she was now.  He raised the binoculars to his eyes again, and looked down at his quarry.

He couldn’t help but be taken by her beauty as he watched her thumbing through a large book at the desk.  From his ‘bird’s eye view’, he had the perfect angle to look down her low-cut black blouse and see her ample cleavage; it took all of his self-control to avert his gaze back to the desk.  The map piece was underneath the fingers of her left hand, as she looked back and forth between it and the book.  He could see her blue suitcase, parked next to her chair.

So far, she hadn’t let the map out of her grasp; he kept watching and waiting for the right opportunity to strike.  He was after the map; if he could take it without harming her, that was fine, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to get it.  If that meant taking her along with it, well, he had done far worse things in the course of his work.

He continued to watch her carefully; he could see the frustration on her beautiful features – apparently the book she was looking at wasn’t helping her much.  She shook her head, tossing her shoulder length brown hair from side to side, before finally getting up from the desk, book and map in hand, and returning the book to the main desk.  Then, she headed back into the stacks, apparently searching for another book, as he followed her movements through the binoculars.

As she continued to walk, getting further and further away from the other library patrons, a smile crossed his face – and not just because he could get a good glimpse of her toned legs, framed by a knee-length skirt and five-inch pumps.  He knew that this might be his chance.  After all, he surmised, as she reached the end of the aisle of books, he was now closer to her than anyone else in the library.

Kristian palmed the blowgun, bringing it to his lips, as he continued staring at her through the binoculars.  Denise was on her tiptoes now, trying to reach a book on the top shelf; one blow into the weapon would send a tranquilizer dart into her exposed neck, knocking her out almost instantly.  He could bound down the stairs, take the map, and be gone before anyone noticed what had happened!

‘God, she is beautiful,’ he thought, as he stared, distracted for just a few moments; and in those seconds, his opportunity was gone.  Another woman came around the corner, stopping next to Denise; she was a bit taller than Denise, with short blonde hair, and looking equally breathtaking in a red sweater dress, jean jacket, brown tights and brown ankle boots.  He cursed his luck; he would have to wait for another opportunity.

Denise turned as she heard the other woman approach, and rested back down on her heels.

“Need some help?” the woman asked her.

“I just can’t quite…reach that book I need,” Denise muttered, as she reached up and pointed.

“Let me try.”  The blonde reached up, and deftly snared the book from its spot, pulling it out and handing it to an appreciative Denise.  “There you go!”

“Thank you…thank you so much, Miss-”

“Rachel.  Rachel Fox.”  

“Denise Miller.” Denise extended her hand, and Rachel took it, shaking it lightly before releasing it.  “Wow, I never expected to meet another American in here!”

“Neither did I!” Rachel exclaimed, as she walked back to the reading area with Denise.  “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Please do,” Denise replied, as she sat back down in the same chair she’d been in before.  Rachel took the chair next to her.  “So, what brings you to Berlin, Rachel, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I finished high school a year ago, in Illinois, and I do plan to go to college, but first I wanted some time and travel the world…I’ve always been fascinated with history, and I thought, what better way to enjoy it than to go all the places where history actually happened?”  She looked over at Denise with her blue eyes, smiling as she saw she had captured her new friend’s interest.

“I can certainly understand that!” Denise responded.  “Have you applied or been accepted anywhere?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, I got into Harvard.  Crazy, isn’t it?  I could start in the fall if I want, but traveling the world is such FUN!  And Germany has SO many cute boys,” she added, as she glanced over at two young men who were across the room.  “What about you, Denise?”

“I’m a high school history teacher, from Virginia.  I just finished my first year – it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be!  And I have this piece of a map that my great-uncle left me, and I have been trying for months to figure out what it means, or what is on the rest of the map.  I didn’t have much luck locally, and a colleague suggested that this library was the best when it came to having German history books.  So, here I am!”

“What’s so special about this map that you would come all the way to Germany?” Rachel asked.

“My great-uncle was part of the Allied forces that helped end World War II.  He came home with a whole bunch of stuff he found over there; it was all left to me when he passed away in January.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Rachel whispered.  

“It’s okay -he was pretty old.  He also got involved with the Monuments Men, helping them to find and remove a lot of the art the Germans stole and hid.  There’s still a lot of art that is missing, and I think this map might have something to do with it.”

“How exciting!” Rachel blurted out, ignoring the stares of the people around here.  “It’s like a real live treasure hunt!”

“Maybe yeah!” Denise quietly responded.  “At the very least, there’s a historical value to finding something that has been lost for almost seventy years – I think you can relate to what I mean.  You said you were big into history, right?”

“Right!” Rachel grinned.  “I was in Egypt a while back.  Talk about your lost treasures!  Have you ever been there?”

“No!” Denise answered, her eyes widening a bit.  “I would DIE to get to go there!  I’m teaching World History now, and ancient Egypt is one of the big sections we do.  And so is World War II…”

Rachel leaned a bit closer.  “Do you mind if I tag along with you a bit?  I speak German and French, so I might be able to help you with translation and stuff, and you might just be on to a fabulous adventure!”

Denise thought for a moment.  “I know just enough German to get myself in trouble,” she laughed softly.  “And I’d feel a whole lot safer, as a tourist here, if I wasn’t alone.  Have you been traveling by yourself all this time?”

“For the most part.  I mean, from time to time I hook up, if you get my drift,” and she winked at Denise.  “But I’ve always been pretty good at taking care of myself.  Do you have a place to stay yet?”

“No, I came straight here from the airport.  I figured I’d work out lodging once I was done here for the day.  And I think I’m close to that now,” she yawned, as she looked out the window; the sky was starting to darken, as nightfall was closing in.

Rachel reached into her pocket, pulling out a card.  “I’m staying here, it’s a hostel and it’s just a few blocks away.  I’m going to go and pick us up something for supper.  How does sauerbraten sound?”

“I’ve never had it before,” Denise admitted.  “But I’m always up for trying something new!  And since I’m here, I ought to eat some real German cuisine, right?”

“Exactly!” Rachel got up, and started to leave, when Denise stopped her.

“Your room at the hostel, it has two beds?”

“Yes, silly, all of the rooms have at least two.  You’ve never stayed in a hostel before, have you?”

“This is my first time in Europe, ever,” Denise disclosed.  “I am totally clueless about everything – I’m really glad we met, Rachel.  I need all the help I can get!”

“And I’ll be happy to give it to you, Denise,” Rachel smiled, as she leaned over and gave the surprised teacher a peck on the cheek.  “Maybe tomorrow night I’ll take you out, let you experience the Berlin nightlife – there’s nothing quite like it!”

“Maybe, sure,” Denise nodded.  “I’m just going to look at this book a bit and then I’ll come find you, ok?”

“You bet,” Rachel winked.  “Hey, I should probably get your cell number, in case we get separated? And I’ll give you mine…”  The two girls exchanged phone numbers, saving them in each other’s phone, and then Rachel waved as she headed out.  Denise glanced up at the clock on the wall – she had thirty more minutes before the library closed for the night, and she was even more determined than before to find out what the map she held was all about!

The thirty minutes passed way too quickly, and as Denise looked up, she realized she hadn’t made any headway that day on what the map was about.  She stood up, picked up the map and the book, and walked back to the desk to return it.  She had her small black purse nestled over her left shoulder; she slipped the map inside it, pulled the handle up on her bulky suitcase, and headed for the exit.

As Denise walked out onto the sidewalk, she looked at the address on the card Rachel had given her.  “It’s just a few blocks away, she said, but which way?”  The street sign closest to her didn’t have the street name she was looking for, so she crossed the street and walked another block.  She checked the next set of street signs…still no luck.

She looked around; the streets were empty, and the light was growing dimmer with each step she took.  There was a bench across the street; she decided she would go have a seat and call Rachel.  She crossed the empty road, and was a couple of steps away from the bench, when she felt a sudden sting in her right buttock.

“What was that?” Denise exclaimed, and suddenly, the world started to spin around her, as she lost her grip on her luggage.  “Oooh…I feel so…dizzy…” she mumbled, as she stumbled towards the bench, her free right hand reaching to see what had poked her.  She managed to find the dart and pull it out, moments before her body slumped on the bench.

“Oooh,” she moaned again, as a man approached, sitting beside her.  Through half-lidded eyes, she made out his black shirt and jeans, as he leaned towards her, taking her hand.


Kristian smiled, as he looked into Denise’s eyes.  The tranq dart had done its work; she was almost unconscious.  He leaned a bit closer, as if to relish the moment; his left hand wrapped itself around her right shoulder, holding her up, as his right hand slipped into her blouse, copping a feel of her tan-colored breasts.  Denise’s eyes fluttered once more, and then went closed as her consciousness completely left her.

Kristian wasted no more time, as he stood up and leaned over, picking her up and sliding her motionless body over his burly right shoulder.  Once he had her balanced, he picked up her purse that had slid down to the bench, and carried her to his waiting car, a few feet away.  He opened the back door, and carefully lay her down on the back seat; he reached into the purse, smiling as he withdrew the map.  He placed her purse gently on the floorboard; then he looked back, seeing that her suitcase was still sitting there on the edge of the street.  He popped the boot and tossed it inside; then he got in the driver’s seat and reached for his phone, dialing.

“It’s Kristian.  I have the girl, and the map.  I’ll be there in two hours.”  He hung up, and turned the key to start the engine.  As he did, he looked back at the beautiful sleeping female in his back seat; his thoughts then went to the other one, the blonde.  He hadn’t any orders to go after her, but she might end up being a loose end that would have to be tied up at some point, he mulled, as he drove away.  As loose ends went, that might be one of the more enjoyable ones he’d encounter…