Payne looked at Jones, and he looked back, the color draining from both their faces. Suddenly they felt like Winona Ryder getting busted for shoplifting.
‘Listen,’ Payne said, ‘we weren’t — ’
‘No need,’ said the gentleman in an aristocratic accent. He was in his early twenties and wearing a red soccer outfit complete with shin guards and grass stains. A Dover emblem covered his left breast. ‘It’s none of my business, really. I just came to ring some of my chums. Do you mind?’
‘No, go ahead,’ Payne said, half stunned. They had just been busted in someone else’s office, yet he was being asked permission to make a call. God, the English were polite.
‘By the way,’ the guy reasoned, ‘I’m assuming you’re the chaps who rang me last night for an appointment. If I knew what you were after, perhaps I could expedite things?’
Payne glanced at Jones and noticed his grin. The detective gods were looking out for them.
‘Actually,’ Payne said, ‘we have some urgent business to discuss with Dr Boyd, and time is of the essence. Any idea where we might find him?’
‘Well, I can assure you he’s not in that chest.’ Payne waited for the kid to smile, but somehow he managed to keep a straight face. ‘For the last few weeks he’s been in the Umbria region of Italy, specifically the town of Orvieto. I was planning on spending my summer there until Charles told me that I’d be more helpful at home. Not exactly a vote of confidence, would you say?’ The bitter tone in the kid’s voice told them everything they needed to know. He was pissed at Dr Boyd, so he decided to get revenge by using Boyd’s phone and helping them out.
‘Do you know where he’s staying?’ Jones wondered.
He shook his head. ‘Orvieto is pretty small. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding him.’ He retrieved a book written by Boyd from the closest shelf. ‘Do you know what he looks like?’
Payne nodded. ‘We have one picture from when Winston Churchill was still alive.’
‘Most likely his annual from Oxford. It amazes me that he was willing to sit still for it. He’s something of a recluse when it comes to cameras.’
The kid flipped over the book and showed them the back photo. It must’ve been taken during one of Boyd’s lectures, for he was standing in front of a chalkboard with a pointer in his hand. His face and physique looked pretty much the same, albeit thirty years older. The only thing that had changed was his comb-over hairstyle. He had finally opted to go bald instead.
Jones asked, ‘Do you mind if I keep this? I’d like to read his stuff.’
‘Not at all. Feel free to take whatever you’d like.’ The kid wrote his number on a scrap of paper and gave it to Jones. ‘Should you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to call.’
Payne said, ‘We won’t.’
‘Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to trouble you mates for a favor.’ The kid finally cracked a smile. A devious little grin. ‘When you surprise Charles in Orvieto and do
18
Nick Dial knew that Cardinal Rose would honor his promise to get back in touch but doubted he’d get anything of substance within twenty-four hours. Thankfully, Cardinal Rose was full of surprises.
‘Here’s what I can tell you,’ Rose said when he called. ‘Father Erik Jansen came to the Vatican eight years ago from a tiny parish in Finland. Upon his arrival he filled a number of duties, everything from clerical to spiritual, yet nothing that stands out until a year ago.’
Dial leaned forward. ‘What happened then?’
‘He was reassigned to a new post with the Pontifical Biblical Commission.’
‘To do what?’
Rose sighed. ‘I’m not quite sure. Perhaps if I had some more time.’
‘I’ve heard of the PBC, but I’m clueless about them. What can you tell me?’
‘Where to start? Well, they’ve been around since the turn of the century. Make that
‘Such as?’
‘A few years ago they released a study that examined the correlation between the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Bible in hopes of bringing the two groups closer together.’
Dial stroked his chin. ‘Sounds controversial to me.’
‘You’re right about that. Then again, anytime the Vatican changes their interpretation of the Bible, it’s bound to cause a stir.’
‘So the PBC is like the American Supreme Court. They have the final say on things.’
Rose smiled at the comparison. ‘In a rudimentary way, I guess you’re right — only the PBC is much slower. Take the Hebrew study. It took them ten years to draft their position statement.’
‘Ten
‘When you’re dealing with the Word of God, you don’t want to make mistakes.’
Dial shook his head as he wrote a few notes. ‘Any idea what they’re working on now?’
‘Sorry. That’s a closely guarded secret that only a select few would know.’
‘Would Jansen be one of those people?’
‘Most appointees are senior members of the Vatican, men who are even older than I am. I doubt they’d include such a young member of our community.’
‘Yet he still worked for them.’ Dial stared at his bulletin board and focused on a crime scene photo of Father Jansen. Even with a broken face, he appeared way too young to have a position on such a powerful committee. ‘Could he have been an intern or somebody’s assistant? I mean, you mentioned that he had experience with that type of stuff.’
Rose nodded. ‘That’d make more sense than a spiritual role.’
‘Could his nationality be a factor? Is anyone from Finland on the Commission?’
‘I can check.’
‘While you’re at it, see if there are any Danes. We still don’t know why Jansen was brought to Denmark. Maybe it was some kind of message to the PBC.’
‘You think that’s possible?’ Rose wondered.
‘The fact is Jansen worked for one of the most powerful committees at the Vatican. That’s reason enough to suspect his death was job-related. Throw in the fact that he was crucified and the killer left a note that quoted the Bible, and, well, you see where I’m going.’
‘Just a second! What do you
Dial smiled. Rose had taken the bait. The truth was he was trying to shield the Bible angle from all outsiders, fearing if the media reported it that every religious fanatic in the world would be asking him questions about the Bible that he didn’t know how to answer. But Dial also knew if he was going to get any top secret dirt from Rose, he was going to have to reveal some of his own. Nothing major, just enough to make it seem like give-and-take instead of take, take, take.
So he said, ‘Joe, I could get in big trouble for telling you this. However, if you promise to keep this quiet…’
‘You have my word, Nick. This is between us. I promise.’
Dial nodded, satisfied. ‘The killer left a note that said, “IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER.” Nailed it on the cross above the victim, just like the sign above Christ.’
‘But why?’ he gasped. ‘Why would he do that?’
‘We’re not sure, Joe, we’re really not. But that’s why I need to know everything about Father Jansen. His duties, his enemies, his secrets. It’s the only way to stop the killers from doing this again. It’s the only way to save lives.’
‘My Lord! You think they’re going to kill again!’
‘Yes, and I wouldn’t be shocked if they followed the same pattern.’
‘You mean more priests?’
‘No, Joe, I mean more crucifixions.’
