Razak sensed the man’s sincerity.
“...But I know who did,” the voice added.
“And how do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Because I’m going to give the ossuary back to you....So you can put an end to this, as you see fit.”
At first, Razak didn’t know what to say. “And why would you do that?”
“I see what is happening there, in Jerusalem,” the man continued. “Too many innocent people suffering. I know you agree. You’re a just man. I could tell that the moment I met you.”
It was almost too much for Razak to comprehend. “I don’t suppose you’ll be making the delivery yourself?”
“Unfortunately, there’s more work I’ll need to do. I’m sure you’ll understand that I cannot take that risk.”
“I see.”
A pause.
Razak couldn’t help but to ask: “What was inside the ossuary that made it so valuable?”
There was a long pause.
“Something very profound.”
Razak shuddered when he thought about Barton’s wild theory about fanatical Christians. Could the remains of Jesus really have been inside the missing ossuary? Did this mysterious book tell of the relic’s ancient origins?
“Will the contents be returned with the box?”
“Unfortunately, I cannot allow that.”
Razak dared another question. “Was it really his remains inside that box?” He tried to prepare himself for the response.
The caller hesitated, clearly knowing whom Razak was referring to. “There’s no way to know for sure. For your own safety, please don’t ask any more about this. Just let me know where you’d like it delivered.”
Razak thought about it. He pictured Barton sitting in an Israeli prison cell, awaiting trial. Then he considered how Farouq—the singular force behind the delivery of the book that had set everything in motion—had likely played him like a fool, jeopardizing both peace and lives. Razak decided to give the caller a name and a shipping address. “When should I expect it to arrive?”
“It will be sent out today, I assure you. I’ll spare no expense to have it to you as soon as possible.”
“And the book?” Razak inquired.
“I’ll be sure to include that as well.”
“Can you send that to a different address?”
“Absolutely.”
Razak gave him the second mailing address.
“And for the record,” the caller added, “that English archaeologist be- ing held by Israeli police had nothing to do with all this.”
“I suspected that,” Razak replied. “And the real thieves? What will happen to them?”
Another pause. “I think you’ll agree that justice has its own way of finding the guilty.”
The line went dead.
63
SATURDAY
******
Temple Mount
After dawn prayer, Razak headed straight for the El-Aqsa Mosque. He hadn’t slept at all last night, his mind mulling over the shocking phone call he’d received from the priest he had met in Rome three weeks ago. The Israeli police were right. Only an insider could have abetted the thieves. Now it was clear that Graham Barton wasn’t the insider.
In the rear of the building, he made his way down a service corridor ending at a newly installed metal fire door. Above it, a sign in Arabic read: “Open only in case of emergency.”
He reached down and turned the handle.
Beyond the door, a freshly painted spiral staircase wound down twelve meters, directly to the subterranean Marwani Mosque. A secret passageway? Could this be the modern equivalent of the one Joseph of Arimathea used two thousand years ago?
Turning his attention back to the corridor, he let the door swing shut.
Off each side of this hallway lay the mosque’s storage rooms.
His heartbeat quickened as he went over to the first door and opened it. Inside there were cardboard boxes stacked against one wall and a shelving unit containing cleaning supplies. Another shelf was stacked with fresh copies of the Qur’an, ready to provide spiritual enlightenment to new Muslim recruits. He shut the door and moved on to the next room.
Behind the second door were stacked chairs, a discarded desk, and spare oriental carpets rolled up in plastic, propped against a side wall. Against the rear wall lay the charred remnants of the mihrab that had been set ablaze by a young Australian Jew, Michael Rohan, on August 21, 1969. Razak remembered being told that the fanatic had informed Israeli authorities that his act had been inspired by God to expedite the coming of the Messiah and the
