House of Acerbi

“Yes, thank you, Professor.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t get back to you sooner concerning your request to examine the virus, but I’m afraid it’s out of the question. The authorities won’t let a specimen of it anywhere near Israel.”

Zamir cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Lev, but I think we can kill two birds with one stone. We’ve made arrangements for Dr. Diaz to examine a sample of the virus after you return to France.”

“But you’d need a level 4 biohazard lab for that.”

“And we have one … in Toulouse. It’s the technology capitol of France. Most of their aeronautical and pharmaceutical research facilities are located there. In a strange twist, the facility Dr. Diaz will be going to is the headquarters for Acerbi’s pharmaceutical company. However, after the outbreak of the virus, the French government nationalized the facilities and took complete control of all operations. Even Acerbi isn’t allowed on the premises, but the government has drafted some of his scientists to help develop a vaccine, and we’re certain some of them are still loyal to him.”

“How in the world are we going to get inside a government-controlled biohazard lab filled with scientists who are probably hostile to outsiders?” Leo asked.

“Only Dr. Diaz needs access. We know that French intelligence has been compromised by some of Acerbi’s people, but we also have operatives at the facility that will help him once he’s inside.”

“But we’re still considered fugitives in France.”

Zamir paused. “Like I said before, Cardinal, we’re working on that, but there’s still a problem. Someone in Europol has been very persistent in keeping all of you on their most wanted fugitive list.”

“Even the cardinal?”

“Especially the cardinal. Haven’t you been watching the news? They’ve painted him to be some kind of rogue Jesuit warrior … a dark prince of the Catholic Church out to destroy the papacy in Rome and transfer the power of the Church back to France like they did in the 14^th century.”

Leo practically fell off his stool. “What!”

“It’s true. A week ago, you were practically Saint Leo. Now, Acerbi and his PR people are trying to make it look as if your miraculous accomplishments last year have gone to your head. They’re saying you’ve become this crazy, egomaniacal, power-hungry Church official who’s banded together with a radical group of Christian survivalists-an agrarian, back-to-the-land zealot who wants to turn back the clock and bring his own brand of radical religion to the masses.”

Leo was stunned. “What did Pope Michael have to say about all of this?”

“Coming to your defense now will only put him in Acerbi’s crosshairs, so he’s agreed not to make any public comment for now. We had a very tough time convincing him that you were safer on the run. In our discussions, he told me you were a warrior at heart, Cardinal. I hope he’s right in that assessment, because that’s a quality that will come in handy in the days ahead.”

“It’s nice to know everyone has so much confidence in me.”

Zamir smiled. “Morelli had a message for you. He told me to tell you … and I quote … that all fame is fleeting, and that you’re the nicest zealot he’s ever known.”

Leo returned Zamir’s smile. He was beginning to like this man. He sipped his coffee and thought of Morelli. The man was right. All fame was fleeting, for it was human nature for people to turn on their heroes just as quickly as they embraced them in the first place. People loved to see their giants tumble from the sky. Maybe it was a form of jealousy, Leo thought. He could hear them now. He’s not so special … he’s just like us.

The sound of a female voice shook Leo from his thoughts. He turned to see Evita Vargas standing behind him.

“I don’t know about you, Cardinal, but I feel like an ocean swim this morning. Why don’t you join me? I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes after I change.” Without waiting for an answer, she turned and walked back toward the villa.

Ariella nudged John in the side. “That woman never misses an excuse, does she?”

“The cardinal’s a big boy, Ariella. Besides, he looks like he could use a little diversion right about now.”

“I don’t know … he seems really vulnerable.”

“We’re all a little vulnerable.” John winked. “Maybe I need to take you for a swim.”

Ariella pinched him in the side, making his eyes narrow in pain as he tried to pretend he didn’t feel a thing in front of the other men at the bar.

Zamir was nibbling on a piece of toast, taking quick mental snapshots of everything around him. Decades spent on the streets of foreign lands had taught him to catch every nuance, every glance, every sudden movement-who was watching who. He usually knew when someone was preparing to act just by observing their body language, a universal language he had become fluent in over the years.

“I wish we could be more involved in all of this, Cardinal, but right now you people are the best hope for stopping Acerbi.” Zamir stuffed the rest of his toast into his mouth and brushed the crumbs from his white shirt. “We’re not sure how far he’s dipped into the intelligence community. Like I said last night, so far he’s managed to infiltrate police, military, and intelligence services all over the world. The only way we’re going to get to him without exposing our plan is to send in a group that’s completely secure, and you’re that group. You’re the only ones we feel we can trust.”

Leo finished off his coffee and set his empty cup on the bar. “What about the support people? I mean, what about the pilots flying us to France, all the people around here. There are a lot of eyes on us right now, and any one of them could be working for Acerbi.”

“True, but we work on a need-to-know basis only. Our support groups are made up of unconnected cells that work independently of one another, so that makes it very difficult to fit all the pieces together when a mission is unfolding. The pilots have been hand-picked by me personally … I’ve known most of them since they were children. They don’t know who’s sitting in the back of the plane, and the people in the back of the plane don’t know who’s flying it, but above all they’ve been trained not to ask questions. Someone asking a lot of questions about a mission will stand out. There’s also a total blackout on any communications coming from this villa. We’ve scrambled all the signals and rerouted them through a communications satellite, so if there’s a spy around, he or she will have a very hard time getting word out about who’s here now or where they’re going.”

Lev wrapped his towel around his neck and lifted himself from the barstool. “Why didn’t you just fly the contact person in Foix here to Israel?”

“His information-his rules. Also Dr. Diaz needs to take a look around inside the biohazard lab after our makeup artists change his appearance.”

“Change his appearance … why?”

“I thought you knew. He once worked for Acerbi, and there are still people at the lab who will undoubtedly recognize him.”

Diaz stiffened in his seat as Leo and Lev traded astonished looks.

“You worked for Acerbi?” Lev asked, his eyes boring holes through the man. “Why didn’t you share that little bit of information with us sooner?”

“A lot of people worked for the Acerbi Corporation, Professor Wasserman, but if it’s any consolation to you, I’ve never met the man personally. Think about it. A lot of people work for General Motors, but that doesn’t mean they’re best friends with the CEO. I did happen to see Acerbi once when he was touring the facility I worked at. In fact, it was the same lab I’ll be going to. I was the team leader in viral research there, and I have a feeling that some of my research led to the development of the engineered virus he’s using now. That’s why I need to see it, because if I’m right, he’s turned a very nasty little package loose on the world.”

Diaz peered at Zamir over the rim of his cup as he sipped his coffee. “What about the wheat?”

“We think we’ve located the two farms where they grow the stuff. One is where you said it would be-in France on approximately twenty acres just outside of Toulouse. Due to its location and small size, we agree with you that this is probably their main test site. The other farm is in the Balkans … in Croatia to be exact. That one is much larger. They’ve planted over five-hundred acres. Our Special Forces teams have just arrived at safe houses close to both locations. They’re equipped with the herbicide you suggested.”

Lev was still glaring at Diaz. “I’ll bet that’s the first time they’ve ever been asked to attack a wheat field.”

“Their commander said the same thing,” Zamir said. “In fact, they’re making up a special mission patch to