Free Icefall (Dane Maddock Adventures) by David Wood

quoted the passage from the clue. “ Well, I guess we ’ re headed for Paderborn. ”
     
    The west tower of the Paderborn Cathedral rose above the ornate Romanesque-Gothic church like a sentry on the lookout for intruders. At least, that was how Dane felt as he gazed up at the structure that stood three hundred feet tall . It was, to him, the cathedral ’ s most impressive feature, though he was also blown away by the many large arched windows that contained within them smaller, narrower arched windows topped by round, highly decorative portals. No matter how many cathedrals he visited, the architecture and craftsmanship never ceased to amaze him.
    “ So, what exactly are we looking for? ” Bones asked.
    “ There are two key connections to the clue, ” Jade said. “ The three hares, and the peacock. Paderborn Cathedral has a famous three hares window. Let ’ s start there. ”
    They circled the cathedral examining all the windows for the three hares sign. They drew a few odd glances, but probably due more to Bones ’ presence than their interest in the stained glass. They searched for a half-hour before Jade decided to ask for help. They were directed to an inner courtyard where they found the three hares window and more.
    “ This has got to be it! ” Jade exclaimed as soon as they were alone. It was not as impressive as Dane had expected. The three stone hares in a circle were set atop a stained glass window and in front of it stood...
    “ A peacock! ” Angel brushed the snow off of the dark stone fountain surmounted by an ornately carved peacock. “ This must be what the clue was talking about. ”
    “ Could be, ” Dane said. “ Bones, you keep an eye out in case somebody comes this way. The rest of us will see what we can find. ”
    They scoured the courtyard, paying particular attention to the area around the stained glass window and around the peacock fountain. The window offered no promising leads, so they focused on the peacock, but no amount of poking, prodding, pushing, or twisting uncovered any hidden compartment or passageway, nor did they find any telltale three hares images like those they had found in Cologne and Hildesheim.
    They expanded their search, checking the walls around the courtyard and scraping away snow and ice from the ground in any likely spot. Dane scrubbed rough block s until he wore holes in his gloves , but with no success.
    “ I don ’ t think this is the right place. ” He looked at Jade, who nodded. “ What else did you find out about this place when you researched it last night? You know, hares and peacocks and stuff. ”
    “ If by ‘ stuff ’ you mean the Magi or the Wise Virgins, I didn ’ t find anything. Nothing else about the three hares either. ” She screwed up her face in concentration. The expression made other people look constipated but, on her, it was cute. “ There is supposed to be a lot of peacock imagery inside the cathedral. ”
    “ The clue talks about the peacock being the guide. A peacock supposedly guided the relics. Considering where we found the first skull, I ’ ll bet that ’ s the connection. ” He ’ d had a feeling about the relics, but they had wanted to eliminate the obvious first, and thus had checked the area around the three hares window.
    “ It ’ s the next best possibility, if not the best ,” Jade said . ” The relics are down in the crypt. Let ’ s check it out. ”
    The Paderborner Dom featured three parallel aisles, all reaching the height of the roof. The stained glass windows that ran the length of the side walls cast the interior in a warm glow. Christmas trees hung with white lights added to the cheer. Jade took Dane ’ s hand and leaned her head on his shoulder.
    “ It ’ s nice, isn ’ t it? ”
    He nodded. It was all too easy to get caught up in the mystery and not enjoy the moment. Bones and Angel seemed to feel the same way. Each was smiling and taking in the beauty that surrounded them. The