CONCEALED. VIKON IAMO
details. He wanted to ensure his opponents from the war were well and truly deceased before this secret was revealed to you. In that way, you're able to resume the search, facing less risk. A wise choice! This is why your father couldn’t lift the curtain and show you the truth. He just didn’t know himself. He renounced this life leaving behind the only tangible thing he had; the key that I'm going to hand over to you.'
Jason and Kate became increasingly concerned hearing all this, while Mr. Parker continued, 'There are a few more facts that I'm ordered to shed the lights on for you. These are being stipulated in a sealed letter, which I'm going to open now.'
'Dad talked about a key before he died. We are supposed to get this key and some paperwork from you ...'
'Yes, that is the key I just mentioned. I've been instructed to open this sealed letter after the death of Peter King in your presence. So, if you would sign this approval down here please, that is to confirm that you attended the reading of the Will and allowing me to open the file. Before we proceed, I'm bound to inform you that the legal option of rejecting the inheritance wouldn't apply in your case.' Their lack of credence still sustained when Mr. Parker added, 'You see, this inheritance is sort of mandatory as time is short.'
'Why would time be short?'
'Again, we'll get to that in a minute. I assume the sealed letter shall reveal that.'
Jason agreed, grabbed a ball-pen and quickly signed the paper Mr. Parker had placed on the desk, right in front of him. He took the signed document, stored it in the file and then retrieved the envelope and presented it to Jason and Kate. Both nodded their heads, and Mr. Parker got a knife from his desk to remove the red wax seal. He opened the envelope, unfolded the letter, and started reading.
---
'I, the undersigned, Peter King hereby declare this to be my Will. I nominate Mr. Frank Parker to be the administRator. He shall obtain mandatory acceptance of the heritage and suBsequentLy shall hand over the key and provide the Following information to the inheritor given hereinafter:
The flat accommodates several art treasures, such as sculptures. The actual nature, number, and quality of those artefacts are unknown to me. Next to the artefacts, there is an ancient scroll, which is said to be the original issue of the holy bible and it has been handed down from generation to generation. The Order Of 33 Stages has threatened members of the King's family to hand over the art treasures and the ancient scroll to their representatives throughout the course of centuries. Persecution had been conducted several times around the 14th to 17th century. However, the undersigned has never seen the bible scroll to verify its contents or its existence. It would erode the fundaments of society and religion. The division of power, as we have known it today, might even cease to exist. The bible scroll records a different narrative than religious and government leaders have made people believe for more than two millennia. It has also been passed down that the art objects, and the scroll had fallen into the hands of the then German regime before it broke down. It is said, that after World War II secret police had accidentally found the items in a Berlin bunker. They managed to move them to a secret flat, supposedly somewhere in the former German Democratic Republic. Unfortunately, there is no tangible trace of the flat, the artefacts, and the scroll since the fall of the Berlin wall. Most probably, the existing documents had been destroyed by the secret service before its headquarters were stormed in the wake of the uprising in 1990.
Therefore, I don't know the location of the flat. I was entrusted with the alleged key, which is enclosed and shall be handed to the heir. My father, Albert King, had entrusted the mentioned details concerning the flat to his younger sister, Mrs. Sally Fulbright, at some unknown point in time. I was forbidden to contact her, and can't provide any further information. The heir shall perform any action necessary to locate the flat, and safeguard its contents as described above.
Signed by Peter King'
---
Jason and Kate aimlessly stared at Mr. Parker for several seconds without having the faintest idea of what to say or do. The silence seemed to fill the entire place. Totally unsettled, Jason whispered, 'Frank, this isn't true at all, is it? Let me get this straight. All we know is that there is a flat somewhere, and we have the key. And by the way, the original bible is locked in there, and all we have to fear is this brotherhood, The Order Of 33 Stages. We have no clue about where to find the flat while facing invisible danger. And the only possible trace is left with my grandfather’s sister, who might not even be alive anymore. This is just insane!'
'Well, there is one thing for sure, this is out of the ordinary,' Mr. Parker agreed and further said, 'you see, we were handed the envelope decades ago and, of course, we were not allowed to open it beforehand. In other words, we didn't know about the magnitude of this, though we have been taking care of your family matters for generations. Despite this unexpected turn, I have to tell you that you and your wife will be left to your own devices from now on. But there is good news. There is an address of Mrs. Fulbright given in the documents.'
'You won't be helping us, Frank? Is that what you are saying?' Kate asked.
'I will help you if I can, and you can consult me basically anytime you want,' Mr. Parker said to bring the conversation to a close while handing a copy of the file and the key to Jason and Kate. 'If I were in your shoes, I'd go and see your great-aunt. You might consider giving me a call after you speak with her. I'm afraid, I'm not allowed to take action myself, because of the law, you know. Please let me know once you’ve managed to see her and we'll have a chat about it, which might help you to sort things out,' he said, and led them to the door where Andrea was already waiting for them. They left the office building speechless about the bombshell that just hit them.
'I simply don't know what to say,' Kate said as they walked through the hallway to the staircase.
'Neither do I,' Jason responded as they passed the splendid wooden door to the inner courtyard. 'I'm not even sure whether to believe any of the things he said. But since dad’s last words were suggesting this narrative as well, let's go and find Sally. That's the clue to follow for now, I think.'
John was waiting for them with the rear doors opened. They got into the car still totally puzzled about the news that had come about with the reading of the Will. Classical music already played on the radio when John ignited the engine and drove off. A weird silence was accompanied with the music that was sounding from the speakers, and the car seemed to be hovering rather than driving on the street to their place.
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