“You’re thinking of that archaeologist, aren’t you?” Farouq sounded disappointed. “Razak, we all know that in Israel, regardless of religious affinity, there are only two sides. And Barton is not on ours. Just remember which side you are on,” Farouq warned. Brushing his palms together, he continued: “And before you pass judgment, let me show you one more thing.” He opened his desk drawer and produced a ream of paper. Peeling off the top page, he laid it out for Razak. “Take a good look at this.”
Razak studied the crude sketch of rectangles that was accompanied by some text that appeared to be Greek. He shook his head, failing to grasp what it all meant. “What’s this?”
“Joseph’s map of Temple Mount—the same map the thieves had used to determine the ossuary’s exact location. Notice that structure on top?”
Nodding, Razak felt choked.
Farouq’s voice was suddenly frail. “That’s the Jewish temple Joseph so vividly describes in these pages.” He patted the pile of paper.
“Then it did exist after all.” Razak felt the breath sucked out of him.
Farouq smiled. “Perhaps. One could even argue, just as the Jews have, that the rubble in Kidron Valley contains its building blocks. Maybe now you’ll understand my desire to avoid further digging. Following the theft, all discussions of excavations beneath the Temple Mount have been indefinitely suspended.”
“And all archaeological evidence removed.”
“Once we’ve permanently disposed of the remaining nine ossuaries, nothing will remain.”
Razak was at a loss. If it was true that the Western Wall had definitely once supported a temple, it legitimized Jewish claims to the platform. The Jews’ endless mourning hadn’t been in vain. But now they’d never know. And unwittingly, he had helped make it all possible.
Farouq reached down again and produced a thick document. “I had the entire text of the Ephemeris Conlusio secretly translated. Read this in your own time,” he set it before Razak, “then let me know what you’d have done. Make absolutely sure that you burn these pages when you’ve finished.”
Razak wasn’t sure if he could take any more of this.
“There is something you didn’t deliver to Rome. Something you need to know.” Farouq unhinged the casket’s lid. “I found one other document in this Templar box. Another journal, though not one written by Joseph of Arimathea.”
It was beginning to dawn on Razak that the old man’s motives were complex, not driven purely by hatred. It only confirmed that circumstances had a cruel way of playing with a man’s fate.
“Then whose journal is it?”
From the box, the Keeper pulled out a frail-looking scroll. “The Templar Knight who discovered the ossuaries in the first place.”
65
******
Rome
In their suite at the Fiumicino Hilton, Evan and Charlotte sipped coffee as they relaxed in armchairs facing the sun-filled window, overlooking the airport’s busy runways. Not exactly classical Italian romance for a surprise rendevous, but Charlotte had insisted that she wouldn’t feel safe going back into Rome.
She pulled her bathrobe snug and eyed Evan affectionately, a light breeze ruffling her hair. Finally, she had achieved a good night’s sleep. All it had taken were a couple of glasses of wine and a sleeping pill. The unexpected and utterly gratifying bout of lovemaking hadn’t hurt, either. Having told Evan all about the incredible events that had taken place over the past few days, she’d shown him the astounding presentation stored on her laptop. He convinced her that everything would be okay—regardless of any confidentiality agreement she’d signed. Nonetheless, he had booked the room under his own name, just to be safe.
Given BMS’s involvement in the analysis, they’d have to be very careful, Evan reminded her. He suggested waiting to see what would come of Dr. Bersei’s claims against the Vatican, feeling that it was much too early to assume anything fatal had happened to him.
Adoringly, she gazed over at him. “I really missed you, Evan. And I’m sorry about how I’ve been acting lately.”
“It’s not exactly like I’ve been on my best behavior either.” He smiled. “Hey, I know yesterday wasn’t the best time for this, but I’ve been dying to show you something, Charlie. You have no idea.”
He looked awfully excited, she thought.
Getting up, he slalomed around the room service cart and went directly to his bag. Unzipping its side pouch, she watched him take out a small box, a key ring, and what looked like a vial. He retrieved her laptop from the nightstand and sat back beside her, placing the items on the round table that sat in front of the window.
She shot him a look. “What’s going on?”
“I was going to call you,” he said. “But I knew that we’d need to talk about this face to face. First off, this is for you. Honestly, it’s the real reason Icamehere.”Smiling,heheld outthe smallbox in thepalmofhis hand.
Seeing it, her heart skipped a beat. It looked like a jewelry box—the perfect size for . . . Had he come here to propose? She took it from him and straightened in her chair.
“Go ahead. Open it.”
She glanced at him. Not exactly the most romantic approach.
“It’s that bone sample you sent me.”
“Oh,” she said, feeling simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Pulling the lid away, she stared down the aged metatarsal that could’ve easily been confused with a fossil. Sitting on a piece of white gauze, there was a perfect hole drilled into its center where Evan had extracted its DNA. She gently touched it with her index finger.
“You remember that anomaly we discussed?”
