1 August 1870

Inquiries from Antwerp police concerning possible murder. Wire indicates witness in custody, not sure witness reliable. Sounds like a suspicious man. My kind of copper. Turned details over to Obergefreites Unternehmen, see if he can make something of it.

Obergefreites Heitreunterseite brings file of questionable cases to my attention. Ask why renewed interest. Unternehmen's case may be connected. Heitreunterseite and Unternehmen request travel voucher to Konigsberg. Deny request, suggest alternate source of information.

Received another wire from Antwerp. Van Guilder sending English inspector with the unreliable witness. Also sending files in response to some of our inquiries. Doesn't specify which inquiry. Mentions that English copper is level-headed. Also mentions Englisher travelling with a herd of associates, including diplomat. Something's up.

Received wire from Royal Police, Konigsberg. Ordered not to cooperate with English diplomat, Sir Cosmo Cowperthwaite. Had good laugh. Briefly considered wiring back something vaguely alluding to the officer's axiom. Decided against. Tossed wire.

Met train with English inspector, diplomat, and party. Extremely conspicuous bunch. Could hide four or five agents in that group, easy. Met Inspector McGreggor. Thankfully not a cheerful annoyance like Van Guilder. Received reports from Van Guilder--may be able to make progress with that smuggling problem. Question McGreggor about his murder witnesses. Says he can lay hands on them if necessary, but wants corroborating evidence before proceeding. Obergefreites Derknopf mentioned curious observations of the English party's luggage.

Sent Van Guilder a wire thanking him for unloading this problem on me. Hope he appreciates the sarcasm. Will probably pretend he doesn't. No replies yet from Konigsberg. Sent wire asking why they haven't answered my inquiries.

Sophia angry about me leaving dinner party early. How many of things do we have to have before the wedding, anyway?

2 August 1870

Reply from Konigsberg awaiting me when I came in. "No unexplained deaths match description." Isn't that helpful? Sent off wire asking to send all information about all deaths, explained or otherwise. May have to take Heitreunterseite's suggestion and contact Von Overselk.

Over night reports a bit of a disasater. Stahlmacherson better get back from his dispatched duty, soon, or desk will collapse.

McGreggor stopped in for follow-up. Repeated message from Konigsberg. Accepted it without question. Is he playing it cagey, or just less suspicious and bright than I first thought? Mentioned difficulties getting accurate information from Konigsberg. Suggested he check again tomorrow.

Had meeting with Prince Niklaus, Bismarck too busy to see me. Usual nonsense about budget and manpower.

Tried to make more headway on reports. Interrupted by demand to arrest English diplomatic party. Hauptmann Fulke is member of Archduke Wilhelm's honour guard. Claims English party visited Archduke today and stole valuable carving of a Lion. Statue supposedly carved from single piece of amber, over one foot high, nearly two feet long. Expressed skepticism that it could be carried off under watchful eyes of honor guard and staff. Fulke insisted it was. When I suggested should examine scene of crime, Fulke threatened to report my time-wasting to Bismarck. Obviously doesn't want me talking with rest of staff. Will assume they can't corroborate story. Said I would look into it.

Sent Wurst and Derknopf to find out about movements of the English during the day. Remembered Derknopf's comments about luggage. Repeated his assertion that one of the trunks contained single piece of amber, at least 45 pounds.

Rounded up officers to surround hotel while I talked with staff. Housekeeper confirmed that English possess statue as described by Herr Fulke, except she is insistend the statue was unpacked from their luggage Sunday night, before the English visited the Archduke.

Left Heitreunterseite and Deiter to cover the exits and made my way to the English party's suites. Got an earful and a half listening at the door. Understand now why Van Guilder so happy to send them my way. Will take some doing to repay this.

Confronted party with potentially incriminating information. Persuaded the two witnesses to come clean on what they had seen. Very interesting. Also completely unusable testimony. Someone should pay for the murder, but it will take a miracle to get the evidence to see the killer hang. Had Derknopf confirm that Lion statue was in luggage when party exacted the train. Couldn't have been stolen from Archduke's residence today since it was already in hotel suite. Fulke turned in a false report, and none of the judges I know look kindly upon false reports.

Explained situation to English diplomat and inspector, including suggesting that to find their murderer they will have to check out the scene of the crime. Inspector repeated back report from Konigsberg I gave him this morning. No unexplained murders match description, but what about explained ones? Could be the Konigsberg police are mistaken, misinformed, or miscreants. I shouldn't have had to point that out. Not as bright as I first thought, apparently.

Explained why I wasn't going to arrest them and why they were going to leave the city. I hope they understood everything I tried to tell them. They seem more literal-minded that Dieter on some things. Don't know which ones were the real agents. Will have to trust that they caught it all.

As soon as Unternehmen reported their train out of the station, I paid a visit on Hauptmann Fulke. Now I have to turn this mess of notes into an arrest report that both Prince Niklaus and Bismarck will accept by morning.

I bet Heitreunterseite half a crown that one of those two worthies would have me rousted from my bed before daybreak. For some reason, he wouldn't take the bet.

Proceed to Upon their prey they steal

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