The Prophecy

‘He’ll call! He’ll definitely call! He wants the item badly!’

The voice paused. ‘What aren’t you telling us?’

‘What?’ Keller asked, confused.

‘You’re hiding something from us. What is it?’

Keller shook his head furiously. ‘Nothing! I swear on my life!’

‘That’s exactly what you’re doing!’

His eyes widened. ‘I swear, there’s nothing else. You know everything!’

‘If you’re lying, you’ll see us again real soon. Do you understand?’

Keller nodded, terrified of that possibility.

‘Time to go,’ his partner whispered. ‘The camera’s in place.’

‘Good,’ the voice said. ‘Cut him free so we can leave.’

‘Camera?’ Keller asked. ‘What camera?’

The voice explained the device as his partner worked on Keller’s hands. ‘We’ve placed a wireless camera in your room. It is very small but very powerful. It works in darkness and in light. Our associate will be monitoring the feed from nearby. Until midnight tonight, you are to remain in this room at all times. If

‘I understand, but…’

‘But what?’ the voice growled.

‘What if I have to use the bathroom?’

‘You already pissed the bed. One more time won’t hurt it.’

Payne and Jones crept through the woods near Keller’s house. They had managed to get him to talk without roughing him up or threatening specific acts of violence. They might have insinuated it, but the threats had not been defined. Instead, they had threatened ‘to return’ or ‘pay him a visit’, instead of saying they were going to kill him. Early on, they even promised he wouldn’t be hurt if he told the truth, yet they never said they would hurt him if he had lied.

It was a fine line, but they had done their best not to cross it.

In reality, even if they had roughed him up a little bit, it would have been understandable. Criminals were trying to kill them, and Keller had stolen an item from them that might help solve their problems. Of course, they wouldn’t fully

As they slipped through the night, Payne cleared his throat. Disguising his voice for so long had made it sore. ‘Do you think he believed the stuff about the camera?’

Jones laughed. ‘Definitely! I bet he’s shitting his bed right now. I’ll be shocked if he calls the cops or tries to warn anyone. You bought us all the time we need.’

‘Did you like my questions about the Americans?’

‘Those were sweet! There’s no way he’ll ever suspect it was us.’

64

Wednesday, 16 December

Geneva, Switzerland

As the morning sun climbed above the Alps, Payne and Jones decided a quick trip to Geneva made a lot more sense than a long drive to Zurich. Not only were they familiar with the airport, but Ulster had multiple connections there that would come in handy. With a few phone calls, they were given access to the same hangar as the day before. Ulster also arranged a mid-morning charter flight to Ostend-Bruges International Airport.

One of the security guards at the hangar unlocked a small office. It resembled the one Payne and Jones had used at NASJRB Willow Grove. It was a windowless room with cinderblock walls that hadn’t been painted in years. As far as they were concerned, it was perfect because it gave them a chance to examine their recent acquisition in private.

To protect the document, Ulster waited to

Keller had stored the document in a plastic case roughly the same size as a laptop computer. The case had been sealed in several layers of bubble wrap. Thankfully, Ulster was willing to open it with a knife since the parchment was safely ensconced in hard plastic. Once he had sliced through the wrapping, he placed the case on the desk and opened it like a book. A single sheet of parchment had been sealed inside a clear plastic sleeve. Although the sleeve was designed to hold an oversized photograph, it was large enough to house the document.

‘What’s it say?’ Megan asked as she peeked over Ulster’s shoulder.

From his seat at the desk, he glanced back at her. ‘Patience, my dear. Give me a chance to read it first.’

She blushed slightly. ‘Sorry.’

Payne and Jones smiled from the other side of

‘Good news,’ Ulster said as he scanned the four lines of text which had been written in the centre of the page. ‘This quatrain is in Middle French, not a series of ancient languages. Give me a moment or two, and I should be able to translate it.’

‘Is it the same handwriting as before?’ Jones asked.

‘To my naked eye, it appears so. Of course, we won’t find out for sure until I take it back to the Archives and put it through its paces. But give me a moment, and I shall know more.’

While they waited for the translation, Megan played with the puzzle box, testing the combination Keller had revealed to Payne and Jones. She entered seven, two, fifteen, sixty-six — the date of Nostradamus’s death — and a secret panel opened inside the centre compartment.

Megan smiled. ‘It would have been even cooler if the parchment was still inside, but I guess I shouldn’t complain. Thanks to you guys, we have it in our possession.’

‘Speaking of the parchment, how’s it coming?’ Jones asked.

Ulster didn’t even hear the question. He was too focused on the document itself. Every once in a while he grunted with surprise, but at no point during the process did he actually say a word. After that, neither did anyone else. The last thing they wanted to do was ruin his concentration.

Nearly five minutes passed before he translated the final word.

‘Goodness,’ Ulster muttered as he read the verse to himself.

‘What is it?’ Megan demanded. She moved to the front of the desk so she could stand next to Payne. ‘Does it mention me?’

Ulster nodded, still not ready to speak.

She grabbed Payne’s arm. ‘Oh, God. Is it bad?’

‘Honestly, I’m not certain… But it is surprising.’

Payne stared at him, trying to figure out why someone who rarely shut up was suddenly at a loss for words. Whatever it was, it had to be monumental. ‘What’s surprising?’

The comment intrigued Payne. ‘What do you mean? Who else is mentioned?’

Ulster looked him in the eye. ‘You.’

Payne blinked a few times. ‘Excuse me?’

‘You and David. Both of you are mentioned.’

‘It mentions our names?’

‘No, but I’m fairly sure he’s describing you.’

‘Read it,’ Jones ordered, suddenly excited.

Payne nodded in agreement. ‘Read it.’

Ulster glanced at the verse and read it aloud. Although the quatrain had been written in Middle French, the