often thought it curious that the domain's operators did not exploit Sauniere's addition to the church's architecture- secret rooms always added to any mystery-but there were a lot of things about the church, the town, and the story that defied explanation.
'When you came in before, was the entrance to this room open?'
The brother shook his head and whispered, 'Closed, Master.'
He gently shut the door. 'Allow no one to enter.'
He approached the cupboard and withdrew his gun. He'd never actually seen the secret chamber that lay beyond, but he'd read enough accounts from previous marshals who'd investigated Rennes to know that a concealed room existed. If he recalled correctly, the release mechanism was in the top right corner of the cupboard.
He reached up and located a metal lever.
He knew that once he yanked down, the two men on the other side would be alerted and he had to assume they were armed. Malone certainly could handle himself and Mark Nelle had proven he was not a man to underestimate.
'Prepare yourself,' he said.
The brother withdrew a short-barreled automatic and aimed at the cupboard. He popped the latch and quickly stepped back, gun pointed, waiting for what would happen next.
The cupboard inched open, then stopped.
He stayed at the far right edge and, with his foot, pivoted the door wide open.
The secret room was empty.
MALONE STOOD CLOSE TO MARK INSIDE THE CONFESSIONAL. They'd waited inside the hidden room for a couple minutes, able to observe the sacristy through a tiny Judas hole strategically placed in the cupboard. Mark had watched as one of the brothers entered the sacristy, saw the room empty, and left. They'd waited a few more seconds, then exited, watching from the doorway as the brother left the church. Seeing no other brothers inside, they'd quickly hustled to the confessional and stepped inside just as de Roquefort and the brother returned.
Mark had correctly surmised that de Roquefort would know of the secret room, but that he wouldn't share that knowledge with anyone unless absolutely necessary. When they'd spotted de Roquefort waiting outside, sending another brother inside to investigate, they'd lingered only long enough to buy a couple of minutes to change locations, since once the scout returned and reported they were missing de Roquefort would immediately surmise where they were hiding. After all, there was only one way in and out of the church.
'Know your enemy and know yourself,' Mark whispered as de Roquefort and his minion entered the sacristy.
Malone smiled. 'Sun Tzu was a wise man.'
The door to the sacristy closed.
'We'll give it a few seconds, then we're out of here,' Mark said.
'Could be more men outside.'
'I'm sure there are. We'll take our chances. I've got nine shots.'
'Let's don't start a shootout, unless there's no other choice.'
The sacristy door stayed closed.
'We need to go,' Malone said.
They exited the confessional, turned right, and headed for the door.
STEPHANIE SLOWLY CAME TO HER FEET, STEPPED CLOSE TO GEOFFREY, and calmly took the gun from his grip. She then whirled, cocked the hammer, and rushed forward, pressing the barrel to Claridon's skull. 'You slimy little scum. You're with them.'
Claridon's eyes went wide. 'No, madame. I swear I am not.'
'Open his shirt,' she said.
Geoffrey ripped away the buttons, exposing a microphone taped to the thin chest.
'Come. Quick. I need help,' Claridon screamed.
Geoffrey slammed his fist into Claridon's jaw and sent the impish man to the floor. Stephanie turned, gun in hand, and spotted through the window a short-hair running toward the front door.
A kick and the door swung open.
Geoffrey was ready.
He'd positioned himself to the left of the entrance and, as the man burst inside, Geoffrey spun the attacker around. Stephanie saw a gun in the short-hair's hand, but Geoffrey deftly kept the barrel pointed down, pivoted on his heel, and kicked the man into the wall. Allowing no time to react, he delivered another kick to the abdomen that brought a yelp. When the man keeled forward, the breath gone from him, Geoffrey propelled him to the floor with a blow to the spine.
'They teach you that at the abbey?' she asked, impressed.
'That and more.'
'Let's get out of here.'
'Hold one second.'
Geoffrey darted from the kitchen back toward the bedroom and returned with Mark's knapsack. 'Claridon was right. We have books and I can't leave without them.'
She noticed an earpiece on the man Geoffrey had subdued. 'He was listening to Claridon, and is surely in communication with others.'
'De Roquefort is here,' Geoffrey said with conviction.
She grabbed her world phone from the kitchen counter. 'We need to find Mark and Cotton.'
Geoffrey approached the open front door and carefully peered in both directions. 'You'd think more brothers would be here by now.'
She stepped up behind him. 'Could be they're occupied at the church. We'll head there following the outer wall, through the car park, staying off the main rue. ' She handed the gun back to him. 'You watch my back.'
He smiled. 'With pleasure, madame.'
DE ROQUEFORT STARED INTO THE EMPTY SECRET ROOM. WHERE were they? There was simply no other place to hide within the church.
He slammed the cupboard back into place.
The other brother surely saw the moment of confusion that had passed across his face when they'd discovered the hiding place bare. He washed any doubt from his eyes.
'Where are they, Master?' the brother asked.
Considering the answer, he stepped to the stained-glass window and gazed out through one of the clear segments. The Calvary garden below was still busy with visitors. Then he saw Mark Nelle and Cotton Malone rush into the garden and turn toward the cemetery.
'Outside,' he calmly said, stepping toward the sacristy door.
MARK THOUGHT THE TRICK WITH THE SECRET ROOM MIGHT BUY them enough time to make an escape. He was hoping de Roquefort had brought only a small contingent. But three more brothers had been waiting outside- one on the main rue, another blocking the alley to the car park, and a final one positioned outside the Villa Bethanie, preventing the tree garden from becoming an escape route. De Roquefort had apparently not thought the cemetery a threat since it was walled with a fifteen-hundred-foot drop on the other side.
But that was precisely where Mark was headed.
He now thanked heaven for the many late-night explorations he and his father had once performed. The locals frowned on people visiting the cemetery after dark, but that was the best time, his father would say. So they'd many times scoured around, looking for clues, trying to make sense of Sauniere and his seemingly inexplicable behavior. On a few forays they'd been interrupted, so they'd improvised another way out than through the skull- and-crossbones gate.
Time to put that discovery to good use.
'I'm afraid to ask how we're going to get out of here,' Malone said.
