Roman world at that time, there was a growing belief that ancient prophecies were about to be fulfilled, that someone special would soon be born and the course of history would change. In the Old Testament Book of Daniel, which is set hundreds of years earlier, Daniel had a vision about a sign in the heavens bringing a mysterious leader who would establish a new, everlasting dominion.
“ There were many similar predictions. Even contemporary Roman historians like Suetonius and Tacitus mentioned prophecies about a man from Israel who would rule the world. One of the great Roman poets, Virgil, predicted that a child would descend from the heavens, possibly from the constellation Virgo, or Virgin, and establish a golden age.”
“ Sounds like he was talking about the Virgin Mary,” Cole said, puzzled.
“ Or maybe there’s another explanation. Maybe Virgil was trying to impress someone of influence, a politician perhaps, whose wife was about to give birth and whom Virgil was praising for her virtue. Presumably the child would be the divine creator of peace that Virgil predicted in his poem. He might even have been referring to the Roman emperor.
“ There can be all sorts of explanations for those prophecies. But that’s not the point. What matters is that two thousand years ago, people believed them-really believed them.
“ Herod certainly did. When he heard about the magical star, he went berserk and summoned his priests, demanding to know what they thought of the Magi’s claims. ‘A star indeed exists in many of the prophecies,’ the priests agreed. Herod shouted, ‘But do the prophecies say where the new king will be born?’ The priests answered, ‘Yes.’ They quoted an ancient text that said, ‘And you, Bethlehem, are by no means insignificant since from you shall come a leader of Israel.’
“‘ Bethlehem,’ Herod murmured. Now remember, Cole, this was a power-hungry sociopath who killed his own sons because he suspected they were plotting against him. What would he do if he believed a new rival threatened his throne? He was in his seventies, and terrified of losing control. Even though he’d probably be dead by the time the child was old enough to threaten him, the child’s followers were another matter. If a revolution was being planned, Herod needed to stop it with every means possible. Cole, what do you suppose was actually going on?”
“ I don’t understand.”
“ The Magi were spies. What do you think their mission was? They arrived as if by magic and told a story about an amazing star and a newborn rival. What was the point of telling him?”
“ It sure made him angry.”
“ And? Draw a conclusion.”
“ Maybe that was the point-to make him angry.”
“ You definitely have the instincts of a spy. Using prophecies, along with their reputation for secret knowledge that supposedly enabled them to predict the future, the Magi set forces in motion to destabilize Herod and his government.”
“ Destabilize?”
“ Make it fall apart. From an espionage point of view, the tactic was brilliant. If Herod ordered all his men to root out every sign of an imagined rebellion, if the mysterious child was reported everywhere throughout the kingdom, Hero wouldn’t be able to focus on ruling the country. Persia could intensify its attacks on Israel’s border while Herod’s defenses became so chaotic that the country collapsed from within. The Roman Empire wouldn’t know how to retaliate because the fall of Israel would have been caused by Herod himself.”
“ It’s like you said.” Cole sounded impressed. “What they did was more powerful than fighting a battle.”
“ If the plan had worked. But Herod showed how clever he was and why he’d been able to stay in power for so many years. His instincts warned him about the potential for a trap. Not that he suspected the Magi. Even his own priests admitted that the newcomers had the authority of the prophets.
“ No, it was Bethlehem that bothered him. Only eight miles south of Jerusalem, the town lay in a rich agricultural area, where the inhabitants had ample money to organize a revolution. It was nestled among hills that would be easy to defend and difficult to attack. Its proximity to Jerusalem made it all the more suspect, since raids on the capital would be easy to stage from there.
“ In his rage, Herod almost ordered his army to ransack Bethlehem until they found the child and killed him. But he feared he might cause the rebellion he wanted to suppress. So he decided to try a different approach, and the idea he came up with was so unexpected that even the Magi were caught unprepared.
“ He tried to recruit them as his own unwitting spies. ‘The child you came looking for has a magnificent destiny,’ he told them. ‘Continue your journey. Go to Bethlehem. Find the savior that the star predicted. Worship him. Then come back here and tell me where the child is so that I, too, might go and worship him.’
“ How classic. The Magi were so convincing that Herod didn’t realize who his true enemies were. They became what intelligence experts call double agents: spies pretending to work for one side when they’re actually working for the other.
“ They must have been terribly pleased as they traveled south to Bethlehem. Now that they had Herod’s trust, they could tell him anything they wanted to, and he’d believe them. More than they’d originally hoped, their made-up reports would cause Herod to order his soldiers back and forth across the kingdom, fatally weakening his defenses as he chased a phantom. But something remarkable happened in Bethlehem, something that changed everything.”
“ What was that?” Cole asked.
“ They began to believe that the disinformation they’d given Herod was in fact the truth.”
“ You understand what you’re supposed to do?” Andrei asked Brody. “Learn as much as you can. Talk about it as naturally as possible so the suspect doesn’t realize we’re listening. We’re particularly interested in any defenses he set up.”
“ Yes,” Brody said, “but…”
“ Are you having second thoughts? You don’t want to help your wife and son? You don’t want to make up for beating her?”
“ Honest to God, I’ve never regretted anything more in my life.”
“ Then prove it to them. Maybe you can convince the suspect that we’re not out here, that he’s safe and he can let your family go.”
“ But…”
Andrei cut him off. “Okay, if you don’t want to help your wife and son, fine. I can understand why you don’t want to risk your own neck. It’s human nature to look out for number one. When the SWAT team gets their snipers set up, I’ll figure another way to handle this.”
“ Snipers? For heaven’s sake, no.”
“ Mr. Brody, I don’t have a lot of alternatives.”
“ All right, all right. I’ll go in there.”
“ You’re sure? No second thoughts?”
“ I said I’ll do it!”
“ Keep your voice down. The suspect might hear you.”
“ Sorry. This is all too-”
Andrei put a steadying hand on Brody’s shoulder. “Your family’ll be proud of you. That’s what matters. Now there are just a couple of other details. Give me your keys.”
“ My keys? Why?”
“ Is there a vehicle in your garage?”
“ A Range Rover.”
“ The suspect might try to escape in it. Canyon Road should be open to traffic by now. He might be tempted to take the chance.”
Brody gave Andrei the keys. “But if Canyon Road’s open to traffic now, why hasn’t the SWAT team gotten here? It’s been a long time.”
“ Good question. I’ll call headquarters and find out.” Andrei pulled out Brody’s cell phone, opened it, started to press numbers, and again deliberately lost his grip. As he intended, it fell in the snow.
“ Damn,” Andrei said. “I wish I’d worn thick gloves. My hands are so cold I can barely hold anything.”
He reached into the snow, groped, and pulled out the phone. He brushed snow from it and pretended to try to
