Above: The Baden railway station about 1900.

Source: Meinbezirk (MyDistrict), August 22, 2020: Then and Now: Baden Railway Station. Photo credit: Stadtarchiv Baden; uploaded by Gabriela Stockmann.

14. The Next Morning (continued)

When Hoyos and Josef arrived at the Baden railway station Josef still did not know about the deaths. He asked Hoyos what had happened, but Hoyos replied evasively.

Hoyos told Josef to wait at Baden for Dr. Widerhofer but Josef protested that he was expected back at Mayerling as per Rudolf's instructions to Loschek earlier that morning. Hoyos "assured him that everything had been taken care of and he should wait at Baden" (Judtmann 132). Josef brought Dr. Widerhofer to the hunting lodge shortly before noon.

Meanwhile Krauss's undercover officer, Inspector Eduard Bayer, found himself on the same train as Prince Philipp who was returning to Mayerling from Vienna. When Philipp took a cab from Baden to Mayerling Inspector Bayer was not far behind him in a second cab.

Bayer observed Josef's departure with Count Hoyos and his return with Dr. Widerhofer but he was in the dark about what had happened. He obviously could not go knocking on the hunting lodge door so his only option was to hang around the village inn across the road in hopes of learning something from any lodge staff who happened to drop in.

Bayer was lucky enough to eavesdrop on a conversation between Prince Philipp's valet and the lodge gardener, but all Bayer heard was that the day's hunt had been cancelled because Rudolf was indisposed. Evidently Loschek, Count Hoyos and Prince Philipp had managed to conceal Rudolf's suicide, and Mary's presence, from the rest of the inmates at the lodge.