There it was, hunkering down in the darkness like a primitive beast. Daniel was right—maybe they didn’t need the shadows to have some fun.

“Now,” Daniel said, “for our real questions.”

Liam brought the Mercedes to a stop and opened the back door. As Daniel climbed out, silver starlight limned his face; it sent a flutter through Liam’s heart. Daniel negotiated Klaus out of the back seat while keeping the knife firmly planted inside of him, like meat on a spit.

Liam yanked the covering off the chairlift, sending pollen and dead leaves flying. It took some digging around with only the stars to guide him, but finally he found the pull chain for the prime mover’s engine. A couple sharp yanks, and the diesel rig woke up from its long summer slumber with a dry cough.

“Not much gas in the tank,” Liam called. “Better think quick, Klaus.”

“What? What is it you want to know?”

“What Dr. Kreutzer’s doing at Wewelsburg.”

Klaus allowed himself to be jerked forward by Daniel, closer to the chugging engine. The chairlift began its slow processional, bobbing high over the hillside. It was a pretty sad slope, as ski villages went; even upstate New York offered better courses than this. But it would serve their purposes just fine.

“What do you think he’s doing at Wewelsburg? It’s the SS headquarters.” Klaus glowered at Liam as he pulled a length of rope from his pocket and lashed Klaus’s hands together in front of him. “Reichsführer Himmler is stationed there, and the head of the Einsatzgruppen—there’s quite a lot of paperwork—”

“I think you know that’s not what we mean.” Liam yanked him forward by the rope, and Daniel reluctantly pulled the knife out with a thick slurp of blood and a pathetic whine from Klaus. “Kreutzer is experimenting with things better left alone. Dark things. Isn’t he?”

Klaus’s whole body went rigid; he gained the shifty-eyed bravado of subterfuge unique to drunkards. It was like a dog playing dumb when its owner tried to pry a mystery object from its jaws.

“I—I wouldn’t know anything about that,” Klaus said, his voice growing more labored. “As you said yourself, I’m only a lowly Untersturmführer—”

“Oh, don’t be so humble.” Liam tossed the second length of rope to Daniel, who headed over to the chairlift engine and pulled the lever to switch it into manual mode. The engine whined, eager to get back to work. Daniel climbed up and looped the rope over the cable, then tied Klaus to that loop. Once they were in the air, he’d dangle a good five feet below their chair.

“After you,” Daniel said with a dramatic sweep.