Found Missing: Day 20

 Word Total: 120,005

Year to Date: 780,171

Summary of Events:

Dallas pursued the red SUV until it blew a tire and rolled, he then chased its driver on foot and caught up to him with superior foot speed. He discovered the man was Talbert Brauer's great-grandson, Orlando, whom evidence proved had kidnaped Mrs. Hardwick and delivered her to his great-grandfather, having discovered who she really was by way of becoming the boyfriend of one of Mrs. Hardwick's granddaughters, who'd showed him family photos, including wedding photos featuring the chain. Dallas' Oma was called on to translate some German papers found in Orlando's SUV in hopes of establishing to whom the chain belonged, and once she was done, Dallas was summoned to S/Sgt. Colvin's office . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

“Thanks to the clues your grandma found in those papers, we’ve determined the identity of the chain,” S/Sgt. Colvin said.

“Okay,” Dallas said.

“It turns out that palace at Sieniawa that Jarman Brauer raided had been a place where items from the Czartoryski Museum of Kraków had been sent for safekeeping when the Germans invaded,” S/Sgt. Colvin said. “But, unfortunately, someone who knew the stuff was there was a Nazi sympathiser, or at least a German, and told the Nazis where it was.”

“That’s a shame,” Dallas said. “Those types ruin everything.”

“I know,” S/Sgt. Colvin said. “Anyways, according to Polish authorities, the casket described by Jarman in the entries your grandma translated is likely the Szkatuła Królewska, or the Royal Casket of Poland.”

“You’re good at saying all these Polish words,” Dallas said.

“That’s only because I’ve never read them written down,” S/Sgt. Colvin said. “I’m sure if I did I’d be hopeless.”

“But anyways,” Dallas said.

“Yes, anyways, it was known that the Nazis who looted the palace at Sieniawa had divided up the contents of the casket among themselves, but none of the pieces had been found, until now,” S/Sgt. Colvin said.

“So what did we find?” Dallas asked.

“We found the chain of Queen Ludwika Maria Gonzaga of Poland,” S/Sgt. Colvin replied. “She was Queen of Poland in the sixteen hundreds, first as wife of King Władysław the fourth, and then his brother King John the second Casimir.”

“I’m presuming that was owing to death, not divorce?” Dallas asked.

“Yes,” S/Sgt. Colvin replied. “Poland is way too Catholic to do a lot of divorcing.”

“Catholic?” Dallas asked. “I would’ve thought they’d be Orthodox.”

“Pope John Paul the second was Polish,” S/Sgt. Colvin replied. “And from what I’ve heard Poland is very Catholic.”

“Oh, I didn’t realise that,” Dallas said. “I knew they were steamrolled in the Second World War, and that they were behind the Iron Curtain, but I didn’t even know they had their own kings and queens. Why didn’t I get taught about this in school? It’d be more interesting than Calculus and Trigonometry and Chemistry.”

“Not big into the maths and sciences?” S/Sgt. Colvin asked.

“Not really,” Dallas admitted. “But I think that knowing a bit more, like, geography, and foreign culture and customs, would reduce the amount of dumb tourists making major faux pas.”

“It could,” S/Sgt. Colvin said. “Then I guess you may want to do some more reading up on Poland.”

“Why?” Dallas asked.

“Well, owing to our having found an over eighty-years-lost treasure of Poland, the Canadian and Polish governments have agreed to have the return occur ceremoniously, restoring the chain to the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków — which still exists,” S/Sgt. Colvin replied. “And I’ve been told to select two men from my detachment, as this is where the chain was found, and we were instrumental in determining its identity for the purpose of its restoration.”

“You mean I’m going to Poland?” Dallas asked.

“Yes,” S/Sgt. Colvin replied. “That’s exactly what I mean.”

Pronunciations:

Sieniawa: sheeehnyahvah

Czartoryski: chahrtohrihskee

Szkatuła: shkahtoowah

Królewska: kroohlehvskah

Ludwika: loodveekah

Władysław: vwahdihswahv

Next Post: 30 September