Shrouded In Silence

41





The alley had the usual shabby look of garbage cans, litter, junk, and the muck that had collected for a thousand years. A slight scent of decay drifted through the air. Empty cars parked here and there only added to the disorderly appearance. Jack and Michelle stood in the apartment's back door waiting for Guido to drive up in the Jeep.

"You've got that gun that Father Blake left us?" Jack asked.

Michelle patted the large handbag at her side. "I've started paying careful attention since we were chased through Santa Maria. I don't like it, but it's here."

"Got my Browning and a small power-pack flashlight," Jack said. "The gun's a little awkward under this coat."

At a few minutes after 9:00, Guido pulled into a space directly behind the back door. The black Wrangler with a canvas top looked more like a trailblazer in the Swiss mountains than a vehicle on the streets of an ancient cosmopolitan city. The couple hurried out and jumped into the Jeep.

"Hit the road." Jack bounded into the front seat. "I've been waiting a long time for this trip. Today is our Christmas."

Guido glanced in the rearview mirror. "Can't ever be sure whether this is Christmas or Halloween. You people seem to live more on the trick-or-treat side of town."

Michelle glanced up and down the alley. "Don't see anyone. That's got to be a good sign."

Guido pulled away without answering.

"Getting through Rome's traffic won't prove easy," Jack said. "Got any shortcuts in mind?"

"We're going to drive around for a while," Guido said. "The paparazzi have their own unique ways of turning up, and we don't want that tribe on our trail. We'll see how things unfold."

Jack leaned back in the seat and relaxed. "I'm only glad you're behind the wheel and not me. I'll enjoy the sights.

For ten minutes Guido glided around the narrow streets and broad thoroughfares. Alternating between a slow drag and sudden bursts of speed, Guido kept maneuvering down the boulevards. Finally, he turned to Michelle. "I want you to watch directly behind me. It seems like a black Audi's been following us for several blocks."

"You're kidding," Jack said.

"Pay attention. I'm going to cut a sharp right, and we'll see what they do."

Jack watched over the seat while Guido veered to the right and then hit the gas pedal.

At the next corner, he jerked to the left.

"They did exactly the same thing," Jack said. "It's not by chance."

"I don't know where I picked them up, but I noticed the Audi back there on Piazza Santi Giovanni. They're after us."

Michelle clutched the safety belt tightly. "We're in trouble again, aren't we?"

"I don't know," Guido said. "We've got to think about this carefully. Obviously, we can't go to the location I intended. Got to be cautious since we have no idea what they're about."

"Won't be good," Michelle said. "We've been down this rocky road before."

"OK," Guido tried to sound calm. "We're not that far from the ruins of the first-century city of Rome. Tourists flock to that sight. I don't think they can chance an attack on you while you're mingling with sightseers. Too much risk of getting caught. I'll swing into the sight and drop you off at the back. Run into the excavations like you're part of an archaeological team. On second thought, you'll find a monumental drain that's been turned into a tunnel. It will take you under the ruins to the Temple of Minerva, the goddess of household tasks. Run down that drain tunnel and keep going no matter where the path leads. You should be safe hiding down there."

"What'll you do?" Jack said.

"I'm going to circle back on these tailgaters and see if I can get some idea of who they are."

"Listen to me!" Michelle barked. "We've already been down this road with a bombing, murder, and a chase through the crypts under the church. You need to stay out of their way. Keep going south."

"Thanks for the suggestion," Guido said. "I'm pulling into the parking lot of the ruins of ancient Rome. Get out and move it!"

Jack grabbed Michelle's arm with his good hand. "Start moving when the Jeep pulls to a halt. We've got to walk fast."

Michelle took a deep breath. "Something tells me that I won't like this."

Guido hit the brakes. "Go through that entrance over there by special parking. The authorities are likely to think you're archaeologists. You know how to speak the dirt digger's language. Get going."

The Jeep swung away, heading back toward the street. For a moment, Jack and Michelle watched Guido angling back into the traffic. Hardly a minute had passed when the black Audi emerged from the boulevard, aiming for the same parking lot.

"Let's go!" Jack said. "Get in that drainage tunnel!"

With one last look over her shoulder, Michelle watched the black car speed into the parking lot and stop. A man was getting out.

"They're on to us," Michelle gasped. "We've got to hurry!"

Jack led the way, dashing down the drain's wooden steps descending into the darkness. A single lightbulb dangled from a bare socket, only throwing dim light on the steps. Clutching the railing, the couple stumbled down the stairs, hoping that whoever was behind them hadn't seen their descent.

"I've been down here before," Jack whispered. "I remember that the tunnel runs into the ruins of the Temple of Minerva. In the seventeenth century, one of the pope's tore a load of stone out of the ruins, but I also know that they called it the Passageway Forum, because it once provided a road from the old Roman Forum to another part of the city. Keep your eyes open."

Distant footsteps scrambling down the top steps behind them echoed down the tunnel.

"Sounds like an irritated Tasmanian devil's after us," Michelle whispered. "He's bounding down those steps like a maniac on speed. Pick up the pace!"

At the bottom of the steps, the tunnel straightened, allowing them to run down the dirt floor toward the Temple. Footsteps behind them stopped, and Michelle paused to listen. The explosive roar of a gun vibrated through the dark and a bullet whistled by frighteningly close.

"God almighty!" Jack grabbed her hand. "I've got to fire back to hold him off." He dropped to one knee and fired straight into the tunnel.

Another wild shot careened into the tunnel wall above them, but all running had stopped. Grabbing Michelle's hand again, Jack dashed into the dilapidated Temple. Dropping behind the remnant of a waist-high wall, Jack pulled out the small flashlight and made a quick survey of the area.

"There's the entrance!" he whispered and pointed to his left. "That's a continuation of the street that once ran into the city. We've got to get over there and stay as low as possible. Start crawling."

On hands and knees, they shuffled along in the dark. Behind them they heard only a slight noise, which meant their pursuer had only slowed down.

Jack dropped beneath the bricked entryway opening into the black tunnel that once emptied into Rome's housing district for the general population. "I'll delay the shooter. Run down the tunnel, and no matter what you hear, don't stop."

"No, Jack. I can't leave you here alone."

"You can and you will! This is no game of 'got ya last.' Take my flashlight and get going."

Michelle backed away slowly. "I d-don't want—"

"Run!"

Michelle plunged into the darkness with her heart pounding and fear surging through her limbs. Her arms stiffened and her breathing became more difficult. Stumbling onto the hard floor, she scrambled to get back on her feet. Once again old scenes began swirling through her head. Flashes of fires exploded and debris blurred her vision. Pounding her chest, she knew another emotional attack mustn't stop her in the midst of the danger descending on them with the ferocity of a pack of starving wolves. She had to stop the post-traumatic stress surge from overwhelming her.

Switching on Jack's flashlight, Michelle edged forward. It looked like archaeologists had been digging in the sides of the walls and leaving hunks of rock strewn over the floor.

Two sudden exchanges of gunfire behind her caused her to run again. The path seemed to wind like a meandering trail through a long-gone forest. Piled together through the centuries, mounds of dirt around her stood as remnants of a bygone age. Michelle kept running.

The shallowness of her breathing made it hard to maintain a pace. Finally, she dropped down behind a pile of rocks. Another blast echoed down the tunnel with a fearsome roar. She had to get her mind organized and push the increasing trepidation away.

Michelle began crawling on her hands and knees into a side tunnel. Keeping the Walther pistol in her right hand, she inched her way through the blackness. The air felt damp, and a hint of moisture filled her nose. When she turned on the flashlight again, Michelle found a still pool spreading in front of her. Like a small pond, the surface of the quiet water stretched to a distant rock wall. She must have stumbled on to drainage from who knows how many centuries.

The black surface reflected like a giant mirror. With Jack's flashlight gleaming across the water, she recognized the black hair and dark eyes of a striking Italian woman and knew men found her attractive. The image wasn't a little girl crouching in the backseat of a car flying out of control. She had become someone different and always would be. What happened to that child was in the distant past and had to be kept there. The danger they were struggling with at this moment wasn't the same frightening experience from childhood. She could push the past away.

Squinting her eyes as tightly as possible, Michelle pressed with all her might to force the old images to float away. Slowly, the tide drifted out and calm returned. Even with a terrorist shooting at them, she could face the assault without allowing it to become confused with long ago. Michelle got back on her feet and steadied the gun she held in front of her. It was time to help her husband whether he wanted her assistance or not. They were a team, and running away down some dark tunnel didn't help either of them.

With cautious, slow steps, Michelle retraced her path back through the musty tunnel. All shooting had stopped and no other sounds echoed down the way. If she yelled, it might disclose her location and endanger both she and Jack. Michelle kept walking.

After a turn in the tunnel, she recognized a dim glow of the entrance straight ahead. Unless he'd been hurt, Jack had to be close. She crouched down on the floor, watching for a shape to emerge in front of her. She saw nothing. Could he have been hit? Could their attacker be waiting just on the other side? Absolutely. The only option was to wait in the dark and see.

Time hung heavy. Finally, she decided to try a ploy. With her gun held straight in front of her aimed at anyone that might come around the corner, she called out in a near whisper, "Jack?"

"I'm around the corner," a quiet voice said.

"You all right?"

"Yes," Jack said. "I think our adversary retreated. He probably didn't expect us to be carrying weapons."

"Can I come around the corner?"

"I think so. We've got to be cautious. The man could be lurking ahead of us in the tunnel."

Michelle crawled around the corner. "Jack, we must be doing something awfully right or big-time wrong to stir up this much of a struggle. Who'd think that the pursuit of the ending to a Gospel could set off World War III under the remnants of a three-thousand-year-old city?"

"Hand me my flashlight," Jack said. "Let's see if we can spot anyone in the tunnel who was shooting at me. Maybe an exchange of gunfire sent him sprinting back out of the tunnel. It's possible that the noise never got above the ground and no one knew we were down here slugging it out."

"Yeah, and we've got to make sure that nothing happened to Guido during the struggle."