something you’re used to doing.’
‘I can’t negotiate in his name, and given how you’re treating high dignitaries of the church, I don’t — ’
‘There’s one thing I’ve learned in life, Tarcisio,’ Adolph interrupted. ‘Everything can be forgotten to preserve a higher good.’
Tarcisio spread his arms dramatically. ‘This can’t be forgotten.’
Adolph smiled sardonically. ‘This never happened, you know very well. It’ll never appear in the history books.’
‘What do you want?’ Tarcisio asked, irritated.
‘That Ratzinger sign an agreement to name a Jesuit to succeed him when God calls him to His side. Obviously.’
‘Are you crazy?’ William reprehended him. ‘His Holiness will never agree to that.’
‘That’s too bad,’ Adolph replied. ‘We guard your greatest secrets loyally,’ he added pointedly.
‘Spare me, Adolph,’ Tarcisio protested. ‘You are the loyal guardians of a fraud. The bones of Christ, parchments that were probably written in the sixteenth century.’
‘How dare you repudiate our work that Saint Ignatius — ’
‘Don’t make me laugh, Adolph,’ Tarcisio provoked. ‘Whatever he brought from Jerusalem weren’t the bones of Christ but some John Doe nobody knows about.’
Tarcisio sounded as if he possessed a higher truth.
‘You have a very high opinion of yourselves,’ the secretary insisted. ‘Do you think if they were really the bones of Christ, the Holy See would have left them in your hands? You were used to carrying them wherever the pope decreed. Nothing more.’
Adolph’s face twisted in rage. He looked at his watch. ‘Ten o’clock. Time’s up.’
A cell phone rang loudly at just that moment. Adolph took it out and listened without saying a word. He disconnected and smiled. ‘It appears His Holiness has conceded. His secretary and prefect are worth something to him, after all.’
Tarcisio and William looked at him, puzzled. Rafael thought it all very strange.
‘It’s not what we agreed, but the parchments will be delivered here,’ the superior general informed them.
‘How do they know we’re here?’ Schmidt asked, surprised.
‘What does it matter, Aloysius?’ Adolph interrupted. ‘What matters is the parchments will be in our power. If Ratzinger gives in on this, he’ll give in on the rest.’ He smiled with good reason. ‘Tell the men to let whoever the Vatican sends come in, Nicolas.’
Nicolas raised the radio to his lips. ‘Attention, Giovanni.’
Rafael got up noiselessly. There would be trouble when Giovanni didn’t answer.
‘Giovanni, come in,’ Nicolas ordered.
No one answered.
‘Go see what’s going on,’ Schmidt ordered.
Nicolas took out a gun and left for the door. ‘Keep your eyes open,’ he said to Schmidt as he left.
Rafael would not have a better opportunity to act. It had to be now, though the telephone call Adolph had received confused him a little. It had to be quick. First the agents, then the priest, if necessary. He waited until Nicolas had walked through the central nave to the entrance.
One shot. Two. Right to the head to make sure. Schmidt couldn’t react, only staring at the fallen bodies of the agents, incredulously.
Tarcisio blessed himself. William fell out of his chair. Rafael pointed the gun at Schmidt and approached him. ‘Quiet. Get on the floor.’ He looked at Adolph. ‘You, too. Get on the floor.’
Adolph refused and looked at him sternly. ‘Do you know who I am?’
‘I don’t know, and I don’t care,’ Barry grumbled, approaching them. ‘Do what he told you, old man, before God calls you to wash His feet.’
Adolph got down, scowling with fury.
‘Check to see if they’re armed,’ Barry ordered Aris, who shook down Adolph and Schmidt, taking a gun and radio from the latter.
The adrenaline began to kick in.
‘What was all that about the pope giving in?’ Barry asked.
‘I have no idea,’ Rafael answered, turning to the cardinals, who didn’t know what was going on, either. ‘Let’s wait and see.’
‘Call your man,’ Barry ordered Adolph.
The superior general, his head resting on the floor, gestured toward Schmidt. Aris returned the radio to the priest.
‘Nicolas, where are you?’
The reply was immediate. ‘I’m up here at the entrance. I’m bringing you some company. There are Swiss Guards outside. Tell them not to come in, if they don’t want to get covered with her brains,’ he threatened. ‘I’m not kidding.’
Rafael felt as if he had been shot by them. Nicolas had said her. His heart was in his mouth, and he was upset, though not showing it. Was he talking about Sarah? If so, what the hell was she doing there?
‘I’m coming back,’ Nicolas’s voice came over the radio. ‘I’m not afraid of killing or being killed,’ he stressed so they’d know he wasn’t joking.
Rafael watched the entrance and felt desolate when he saw them enter through a side door. Sarah and Jacopo with Nicolas behind them, a gun in each hand pointed at their heads. They were walking so slowly it would take them an eternity to join them.
Rafael wanted to know how this could have happened.
‘What are they doing here?’ Barry asked.
‘I have no idea,’ Rafael replied.
‘What now?’
Rafael sighed. ‘Let’s be very careful.’
‘It’d be a shame to waste such a pretty woman,’ Barry said.
‘I don’t want any hasty moves,’ Rafael warned. Nothing bad can happen to Sarah. He’d never forgive himself.
Finally the three got to Saint Aloysius Gonzaga’s chapel.
‘Let the superior general and Father Aloysius get up,’ Nicolas ordered.
Rafael let them up. There were too many Aloysiuses in the story. Aris and Barry placed themselves behind them strategically, with guns pointed. They had to keep the game counterbalanced.
As Adolph regained his posture, his arrogance doubled. ‘Did you bring the parchments?’ he asked.
Jacopo hung on to the leather case that Nicolas was trying to grab from him.
‘This should be it,’ Nicolas said.
‘You’re not going to get away with this,’ Rafael warned. ‘There are agents everywhere outside.’
‘Shut up,’ Nicolas said. ‘This isn’t over until we say it’s over.’
‘Sons of bitches fanatics,’ Barry swore.
‘Bring me the case,’ Adolph said.
Nicolas obeyed promptly.
‘What now? Are we going to stay here staring at each other?’ Rafael asked.
Sarah’s frightened expression broke his heart. This wasn’t in his plans. He wanted to avoid it at all costs.
‘Let’s stay calm,’ Tarcisio asked. ‘No one else has to suffer.’
‘I have what I want,’ Adolph said, holding the case tightly.
He opened it and cautiously took out the contents, handling them like the most valuable of prizes. He checked them and his solemn face turned angry.
‘Is this some kind of joke?’ He grunted, waving the pages in the air with no attempt to protect them. ‘Are you joking with me? Did you think you could fool me?’
No one understood, but the papers certainly didn’t seem ancient rarities.
