Sign of the Cross

Dial clarified his statement. ‘The victim was Orlando Pope, a ballplayer for the Yankees.’

Rose took a few seconds to absorb the news. ‘That can’t be a coincidence.’

‘Probably not.’

‘Was there another note?’

Dial grinned. ‘Are you sure that you’re a cardinal? You sound more like a cop.’

‘Sorry, I don’t mean to pry. It’s just that I’m trying to get a clear picture. I figure, with my knowledge of the Vatican and your knowledge of the case, we might be able to help each other.’

‘Speaking of which, what did you learn about Father Jansen?’

‘Nothing useful, I’m afraid. I talked to all my friends on the PBC, and they were saddened by the loss. It seems Erik was one of the good ones, one of those people that everyone knew and liked. In fact, the more I learned about him, the more I regretted not knowing him.’

‘What about his job? Did you find out what he did?’

‘A little bit of everything. Part clerical, part researcher, part messenger. He was a jack-of-all-trades, just trying to learn the ropes.’

‘What about funny business? Sex, drugs, anything?’

Rose took a deep breath. ‘The kid was clean.’

Dial made a note to himself. ‘So this wasn’t about him. That’s what you’re telling me, right? Father Jansen was the victim, but it wasn’t about him.’

Rose nodded. ‘That would be my guess.’

‘What about the Vatican? Anything going on that I should know about?’

‘What are you implying? That we had something to do with it?’

Dial shook his head. ‘I’m not saying that at all. I’m just wondering if there’s anything going on that I should be aware of. Any scandals? Controversies? Bitter feuds? Give me some help, Joe. People are dying, and I don’t know why.’

Rose stayed quiet for a moment, gathering his thoughts. When he finally spoke, he did so in a much softer voice. ‘All organizations — even the innocuous ones — have enemies. No matter what you do, whether it’s good or bad, someone’s bound to be offended. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but the truth is, the Catholic Church gets more threats than any organization in the world. It’s so bad we have a special staff whose sole job is to sort through our mail and separate the real threats from the fake ones.’

‘Is that so? What do they do with the real ones?’

‘I guess that depends on the threat. We have a first-rate security staff that would handle things on our grounds. Anything else would be turned over to the police.’

‘What type of threats are we talking about?’

‘Bombs, fires, assassinations. Everything that you’d expect. Then, of course, there are the whitecollar threats. Lawsuits seem to be popular these days. So does blackmail. You know, “Give me a million dollars, or I’ll tell the press that a priest molested my son.”’

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

‘I wish I was, Nick. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in today. What’s that expression? Money is the root of all evil… Whoever said that was a very wise man.’

Benito Pelati spent the night in his office, waiting for an update. Twenty years ago he would’ve been in Milan himself, doing the things that had earned him his reputation as one of the most feared men in Italy. Now he was relegated to the sidelines, stuck with Dante running things. Not that Dante wasn’t capable, for he was. Still, Benito would’ve preferred his presence in Vienna, working on the excavation that was so important to their cause.

When the call finally came, Benito was angry. He wasn’t one to tolerate inefficiency.

‘What took you so long? You were supposed to call me hours ago.’

Dante replied, ‘I would’ve if it wasn’t for her. Her involvement has complicated things.’

The comment stunned Benito. He wasn’t used to backtalk from anyone. ‘What are you talking about? Who’s involved?’

‘I’m staring at surveillance photos from the library, and Maria was there with Boyd. You know, I wondered why your guards in Orvieto waited so long to take him out.’

‘Maria? But why? Why would she risk everything that we hoped to achieve?’

‘We? She hasn’t been a part of we since you shipped her off to school. I don’t know when that’s going to sink in, but the sooner it does, the better we’ll be. Trust me, if we don’t get to her soon, she’s going to ruin everything you have planned. And she’ll love every minute of it.’

Benito stayed silent for several seconds. He was scheduled to meet with the Supreme Council later that day, and the last thing he needed was a distraction. He had worked too hard and waited too long to have his moment in the spotlight ruined by his insolent daughter. He was getting ready to drop the bomb of all bombs on the Vatican, and he needed to be focused.

He said, ‘Then you know what you need to do.’

Dante nodded, smiling. He’d been waiting for this day since Benito had sent her away.

48

The Ulster Archives sat nestled against an outcropping of rock, one that shielded the wooden fortress from the Alpine winds that roared through the region during the winter. Nut-brown timber, the color of surrounding trees, made up the bulk of the chalet’s framework and blended perfectly with the broad gables and deep overhangs of the reinforced roof. Square windows were cut into the front facade at regular intervals and were complemented by a triangular pane that had been carved under the structure’s crown. A large picture window ran vertically through the middle of the frame, giving people on the main staircase a spectacular view of the Alps.

‘That’s a library?’ Jones asked as they approached the gate. ‘It doesn’t look like one.’

‘That’s because it isn’t,’ Boyd said. ‘The goal of this facility is not to provide books but rather to bridge the ever-growing schism that exists between scholars and connoisseurs. As I’m sure you’re aware, several of the world’s finest treasures are hidden from public view, selfishly hoarded away by a prestigious minority. Did you know that the typical big-city museum displays only 15 percent of its accumulated artifacts? Which means most of the world’s historical wealth is currently sitting somewhere in crates.’

Payne whistled softly. ‘Eighty-five percent.’

‘Alas, that’s just the museums. If you factor in the billionaire collectors who have Monets hanging in their bathrooms, then I’m sure the overall percentage would be well over ninety. Thankfully, this institution is doing something about it. Since this building opened, the Ulster Foundation has promoted the radical concept of sharing. I know sharing doesn’t sound radical, but when you’re talking about priceless artifacts, it actually is.’

‘I’m not sure I follow,’ Payne admitted.

‘Let’s say you teach at Al Azhar University in Cairo. While authoring a book, you realize you’re lacking some critical information on the Nubian sites in Sudan — data that can be found in the Archives. So what do you do? Do you fly here empty-handed and use their books? Of course not. That would be selfish in the eyes of the Foundation. Instead, you loan them an artifact that other scholars might be interested in — perhaps a discovery that you made in Giza — and in return this institute will provide you access to the documents you requested.’

Jones nodded his approval. ‘Sharing… I like it.’

‘Well,’ Boyd argued, ‘you might not like it nearly as much in about ten minutes, because we have nothing to offer these people. Sure, we have the scroll, but I’m afraid this isn’t an appropriate time for its debut. There are still too many riddles to solve before we go public.’

‘What about your video?’ Payne suggested. ‘Would there be any harm in showing that?’

‘The video of the Catacombs?’ Boyd pondered the notion for several seconds. ‘Alas, I must admit that film is not my handiwork. Therefore, I must defer to young Miss Pelati. My dear, how does a premiere strike your fancy?’

A broad smile crossed her lips. ‘Since I haven’t had my fancy struck in quite some time, I confess the concept sounds exhilarating… Wouldn’t you agree, David?’

Jones glanced at her and winked. ‘Yes, Maria, I’m with you on that one.’

‘Outstanding!’ Boyd cheered, failing to pick up on the flirting. ‘Then let’s get to it. I can’t wait to see what we