was picked up.
“He’s been a real soldier today,” Laurie said, watching Jack observe the baby. “I hope this is the start of a new trend, because this has been a tough week.”
“Should I try to pick him up?” Jack asked, melting as he saw JJ smile up at him.
“Well . . .” Laurie debated. “It might be best to just let him be while he’s so quiet.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Jack said, relieved.
Guiltily, Jack turned away from JJ. He stepped behind Laurie and massaged her shoulders. She closed her eyes and leaned back against Jack’s hands.
“I’ll give you a half-hour to stop that,” she purred.
“You deserve it. I’m continually amazed at your patience with JJ. And thankful, too. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but I don’t think I could do it.”
“You are in a different place than I am. You already lost two children.” Jack nodded. Laurie was right, but he didn’t want to think about it.
“I’m sorry it rained so hard today,” Laurie said. “I guess it rained out your basketball for tonight.”
“It happens,” Jack said, starting to feel depressed. He always looked forward to the diversion his Friday-night basketball games afforded him. To avoid obsessing on the loss, he turned his thoughts to his new diversion: the ossuary and the idea that that coming morning he and the others would learn what was inside. He suddenly then remembered he had promised James that he would call him right after seeing Shawn.
Jack gave Laurie a final squeeze. “I think I’ll take a shower. What time are you planning for dinner, provided you’re not interrupted?”
“As if I can plan anything.” Laurie laughed good-naturedly. “Enjoy your shower and then come down. As usual, it will depend on the squirt and how long this amnesty lasts.” Climbing the stairs, Jack again marveled at Laurie’s attitude. Despite everything she’d been through following JJ’s diagnosis, and everything she was destined to endure, she was still capable of putting it aside and pretending everything was normal. “If only I could be so giving,” Jack murmured to himself.
Inside the bathroom and still feeling a bit guilty, as if involved in some kind of conspiracy, Jack used his mobile phone to call James. He didn’t want to do it in front of Laurie, concerned that doing so would elicit a blizzard of questions, all of which he wouldn’t be able to answer without violating his promise.
“My savior!” James offered humorously, having seen Jack’s name pop up on his LCD
screen.
“Is this a good time to talk?” Jack asked softly. “Sorry I failed to call right away. In fact, I biked all the way home, which is where I am now.”
“I have been saying my prayers, but He will understand if I take a break since you are one of my prayers. Tell me what happened. When is he going to open the ossuary?”
“I actually stopped in to see him at the Met. I was interested in seeing Saturninus’s letter.”
“What did it look like? Did it look authentic?”
“Very much so,” Jack said, and then paused. He suddenly heard JJ’s cry, which quickly grew louder. In a minor panic, he realized that Laurie was rapidly approaching. “Just a minute, James!” Jack pushed away from the sink, where he’d been leaning. Feeling even more guilty holding the phone, he opened the door just as Laurie was approaching with the unhappy infant. JJ was screaming, and his face was bright red.
Laurie’s expression reflected her exasperation. “Change of plans,” she said while gently bobbing the baby. “I’m thinking we’ll have to eat takeout again. You’ll have to run down to Columbus Avenue after your shower.”
Jack nodded and could tell she was quizzically eyeing the cell phone in his hand. He held it up. “I’m just on a quick call to someone about tomorrow’s plans.”
“I can see,” Laurie said. “In the bathroom?”
“Just before I was about to shower, I remembered I was supposed to call this person earlier.”
“Whatever,” Laurie said. “JJ and I will be lying down in the bedroom.” She moved on down the hall.
“I’ll be in there as soon as I finish the shower,” Jack called after her.
Jack closed the door, wondering if he was going to have to explain himself more.
Returning to the phone, he apologized to James.
“No apology needed,” James insisted. “I’m just crushed I’ve been reduced to a mere someone.”
“Sorry to sound so impersonal. I’ll explain next time I see you.”
“That sounds like a newborn.”
“Four months.”
“You didn’t tell me. Congratulations!”
“Thank you. Now, back to Shawn and the letter. As I said, it looked authentic because it appeared very old, with edges so dark they almost looked burnt. Of course, I couldn’t read any of it since it’s written in Greek.”
“I surely wouldn’t have expected you to be able to read it,” James said. “Was he happy about you obtaining permission for them to use the lab at the OCME DNA building?”
“He was thrilled.”
“When are they starting?”
“Tomorrow. Actually, I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten in touch with you. He told me he was going to stop by the residence and pick up the ossuary, and then meet me in front of the DNA building before eight.”
“Typical Shawn,” James said. “Thinking of others has never been his strong suit. I’ll give him a call as soon as we hang up.”
“He’s extremely excited about this discovery. He sees it as his path to glory and comeuppance for the Church. My guess is that he feels strongly that if the Church is wrong in relation to the Virgin Mary, it can be wrong in other arenas.”
“I agree, but I am also confident of his strong sense of ethics, despite his questionable sense of morality. Among other issues, he and I have argued endlessly about sex, which he believes is a gift to humanity in exchange for the burden of having to anticipate our death. He believes sex should be enjoyed, and he’s angry at the Church for its propensity to label as sin any aspect of sex beyond a narrow interpretation of its procreative role.
But he knows right from wrong in every other arena, which is why I’m confident he will realize that he cannot prove any bones inside the ossuary are those of the Virgin Mary.
Saturninus’s letter is certainly suggestive, but as we’ve discussed, it all rests on Simon Magus. Did Simon tell Saturninus the truth? No one knows, and no one will be able to know.”
“What about the Gospel of Simon that Shawn expects to find in the ossuary?”
“What about it?” James asked hesitantly.
“What if it talks about this specific issue?”
“I hadn’t really thought of that,” James confessed. “I suppose it is a possibility. That would complicate things.” There was a moment of silence. “You are supposed to be helping me, not vice versa,” he added with a nervous laugh.
“Sorry,” Jack said. “But consider this. Saturninus said something about Simon being disappointed that the bones didn’t convey to him the healing power by themselves. That means that Simon was convinced the relics were real.”
“Okay, that’s enough!” James pleaded. “At this point, you’re just making me feel less secure in my thinking. Even if what you say is true, there’s still the issue of hearsay.”
“You are reaching for a technicality when you say something like that. The ossuary will be opened tomorrow. Let’s wait and see what’s in it. It could be cow bones and a scroll that’s pure fictional grandiosity.”
“You’re right,” James said. “My anxiety has me envisioning the worst.”
“I’ve asked Shawn if he would mind if I observed, and he said I was welcome. I also asked if he would like to take advantage of the OCME’s new anthropology department, and he said he would, provided that no one was told the identity of the individual.”
“Does that mean the bones will be able to be identified as human, and the gender determined right away?”
“If an anthropologist sees them, absolutely.”
“If you are there, will you call me as soon as you can?”
“Of course! And I hope I’ll be able to put your mind at rest.”
“Oh, glory days! I will pray that such will be the case.” After appropriate good-byes, Jack hung up. He opened
