Sign of the Cross

‘Sounds good. I’ll let my agents at Ciampino know.’

‘And what about smaller airfields? We have several scattered across the region.’

‘We’re sending men to as many locations as possible, but my guess is these guys will show at a major airport. With all these planes and people, it’ll be easier for them to blend in.’

Payne and Jones had no choice. They had to fly to Italy. That was the only way they could catch up to Boyd and Maria. They calculated how long it would take to get to Rome and figured they could beat them there — since jets fly much faster than helicopters — if they found a direct flight that was leaving immediately. But that was just one of their problems. They were covered in mud, driving a stolen car, unwilling to use a credit card, and had no idea where they were going.

Other than that, things would be a snap.

Anyway, Jones knew they needed some assistance, so he called Randy Raskin to see what he could do for them. If anything.

‘D.J.,’ Raskin said, ‘what a pleasant surprise!’ Jones could detect his sarcasm from halfway around the world. ‘You realize I’m at work, don’t you? And that I don’t work for you?’

Time was precious, so Jones got right to the point. He explained their situation — everything except the religious aspects — and asked for help. Raskin must’ve heard the desperation in Jones’s voice because he stopped giving him a hard time and started pounding away on his keyboard.

A few minutes later, Raskin said, ‘There’s a Marine cargo plane leaving Vienna within the hour. I’m talking military transport. No frills, few seats, fewer questions. They’re headed for Madrid, but I’m sure I could persuade ’em to stop in Rome if you’re interested.’

‘Very,’ Jones assured him.

‘Not a problem… And I’d imagine you’d like some clean clothes waiting for you. Are you two the same size you were with the MANIACs? I can access your files and get a perfect fit. You’ll look like you just came from the friggin’ tailor.’

The hangar was in an isolated part of the airfield far from the public terminal. Raskin called the pilot and told him what Payne and Jones needed, probably making it sound a lot more official than it actually was. When they arrived, he had everything waiting for them, including clean boxers. The plane was still being loaded, so they had time for a hot shower and a quick meal. The weather had delayed everything — takeoffs, departures, cargo, etc. — and they were thankful for that. Planes could get above the clouds, so they handled storms much better than helicopters, meaning inclement weather was to their advantage.

As far as Payne and Jones were concerned, let it rain, let it rain, let it rain.

The flight itself was eighty minutes, which gave them more than enough time to figure out where they were headed. Jones called one of the detectives on his payroll and had her track down some information on Benito Pelati. She found an office address in the middle of Rome, two nearby apartments where he probably kept girlfriends (a common practice for wealthy men in Italy), and a palatial estate on Lake Albano. Dante made it clear that they were going to talk to his father, and Jones assumed that he’d want their conversation to be as private as possible. That ruled out all the city addresses and led him to believe that they were headed to the lake. If Jones was wrong, he figured they could always torture — er, question — Benito’s staff and find out where he was hiding.

Anyway, once their plane was airborne, the pilot called in a fake mechanical problem and asked the Roman Air Authority for clearance on one of their auxiliary runways. Not only did that bump them up in the landing order, but it also allowed the pilot to taxi their plane to one of the service areas where Jones and Payne could slip into the country undetected.

Thankfully, his plan worked without a hitch. Or so they had hoped.

They were in the middle of bribing one of the ground crew to take them to Lake Albano when they heard a beeping noise behind them. A security cart drove out of the sun and into the shadows of the hangar. They did their best to look busy as the security guard listened to instructions on his headset. He mumbled a word or two, then listened some more. Finally, he pulled his cart over to Payne and Jones.

‘Please come with me,’ he said with a thick Italian accent.

‘Why?’ Payne asked, feigning ignorance. ‘We just got here.’

Nodding, the guard pointed to a small camera in the corner of the hangar. ‘We know.’

Within minutes Payne and Jones were herded into an airport security room where they were forced to sit at a metal table that was bolted to the floor. They’d been in enough interrogations to know where this was going. Lots of questions, lots of scare tactics, horrible coffee.

Jones glanced around the room and grimaced. ‘Feels familiar.’

Payne nodded. ‘If Manzak and Buckner walk through that door, I’m gonna shit.’

Well, those two didn’t show up, but Payne almost shit himself anyway because he wasn’t expecting to see the face that came into the room. Or the massive chin. Because that’s the thing Payne always noticed when he talked to Nick Dial. That huge speed bump of a chin.

Dial walked into the room, unsmiling, and whispered something to the guard who’d been watching Payne and Jones. Dial gave the guard a moment to leave, refusing to say a single word until they were alone. The instant the door clicked shut, Dial shook Payne’s hand. ‘How long’s it been? Five, six years?’

‘Maybe more.’

‘Well, you look like hell… And so does your sister.’

Jones laughed at the jab. ‘Look who’s talking, gramps.’

The three of them went way back, back to the days when Payne and Jones were in the MANIACs and Dial was still paying dues at Interpol. American bars are scattered all across Europe, places for homesick tourists or overseas businessmen to get a brief taste of home. Soldiers frequented these joints more than most, hoping to stave off the loneliness that most of them never quite get used to.

One night Payne and Jones were shooting pool at a place called Stars amp; Stripes when they overheard a heated debate about football. One of the guys, Dial, mentioned his dad used to coach at Pitt, and that’s all Payne needed to hear. Before long they were drinking beer, swapping stories, and having a grand old time. The three of them kept in touch over the years, occasionally having dinner when they were in the same town. Unfortunately, due to the secretive nature of the MANIACs, they never got together as much as they would’ve liked.

Anyway, the fact that they bumped into each other like this was kind of surreal. For each of them. Dial had no idea why Payne and Jones were sneaking into Italy. And they had no idea why Dial stopped them.

When they finished exchanging pleasantries, Dial got serious. ‘Guys, we have a slight problem here. Right now we’re flagging everyone at this airport who has any hardcore military experience, and, well, we have film of you two entering this country illegally.’

‘There’s a good reason for that,’ Payne assured him. ‘I know this is going to sound crazy, but two of our friends were just taken at gunpoint in Vienna, and we flew here to get them back.’

‘You’re right. Sounds crazy. Why didn’t you just call the cops?’

‘Couldn’t. Not with these two. Too many questions.’

‘How so?’

‘You’re already looking for them.’

‘Is that so?’ Dial leaned forward, slightly pissed. ‘What are their names?’

‘Nick, I can’t. We can’t.’

‘Jon, if you want them to live, tell me their names. Otherwise, they’re going to die while we’re in this room playing Q amp; A.’

Dial had a point, so Payne and Jones debriefed him for the next several minutes, skipping as much about Christ and the Catacombs as they could but giving Dial all the background information he needed. Payne showed him the notes they had taken on Pelati’s addresses and explained why he thought they were headed to Lake Albano and not to the city.

‘So let me get this straight, the Pelatis are responsible for everything — the murders, the violence, the kidnappings — and Dr Boyd is nothing more than a pawn?’

‘Yeah,’ Payne said. ‘Something like that.’

Dial leaned back in his chair and smiled, a reaction that would’ve been much different if not for their history together. As it was, Payne could see Dial was still having a hard time with what he had told him. ‘OK, guys, here’s my dilemma. I can’t just call the local PD and say one of the most powerful men in Italy is guilty of something this