Shrouded In Silence

52





Michelle's mouth went dry, and her heart pounded. She grabbed the wall behind her for fear of fainting. The goon pointing the pistol at her husband's face was the same creep who had been following her. At this close distance, she clearly recognized the depth of the scar on his cheek. Behind him stood Dr. Albert Stein, just as he looked the last time she saw him at the Translation Conference when Michelle thought a brawl would break out. She could hardly breathe.

"We made sure their was only one entrance in and out of the baptistery," Albert Stein said. "Of course, we knew you would come here to the church. We've been listening in our own special way. We just weren't sure exactly where you'd land."

"He-he followed me." Michelle pointed at the man holding the gun.

"Klaus can be a clever boy," Stein continued. "We were only making sure you showed up at the church. Once that was clear, it was only a matter of you leading us to this edifice. Your mistake was not making sure the panel wall door closed behind you. Once we saw that it was partially open, the rest proved simple."

"What are you after?" Jack asked with quiet intensity.

"I think we have it now." Stein pointed at the stone container. "You can scream all you wish, but history will record that I, Dr. Albert Stein, found it first." He jabbed his finger at Jack. "Not you, you worthless twit. This time I win big."

"You have three witnesses that will swear you stole the manuscript," Jack asserted forcefully. "We will prevail in a court fight, and you can count on the fact that there will be one."

Stein laughed. "I don't think so, and there won't be three witnesses."

"How dare you!" Michelle suddenly screamed defiantly. "You think you can frighten us? You don't scare me!" She shook her fist forcefully. "You want to take on a woman? Try me!"

"O-o-w," Stein mocked her. "I think we'll start with your husband and finish with you. How's that, my dear?" He turned to Klaus. "Blow Townsend's head off."

The shot roared through the small room with a deafening roar. Instantly, Klaus Burchel dropped to his knees and fell on his face. A man stepped out of the descending stairs and held a Beretta Modello pistol in front of him.

"What happened?" Michelle gasped.

"I think your boy got a little overextended," Tony Mattei said to Stein.

"Tony!" Jack exclaimed. "You've saved our lives."

"Only in a manner of speaking," the diamond merchant said. "Don't anybody move, and put that stone box on the altar." He motioned with his pistol. "Do it now."

"I don't understand." Jack held his hands out like he was greeting a friend.

"You just don't get it," Mattei groused. "I don't like Americans. In fact, I hate the American government, your capitalist system and everything it stands for."

"What are you talking about?" Jack said.

"I've only been playing along with you Yanks," Mattei said. "You were nothing but pawns in my game."

Michelle took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I'm not afraid of you either," she asserted defiantly. "I'm not going to sit back and allow you—"

"Shut your mouth!" Mattei shouted. "And keep it shut, or I'll finish what this punk on the floor started to do." He swung his pistol back and forth. "His body complicates matters because it will look like he was the killer and I can't have that. I want credit for what I do, not have this worthless stooge steal it from me."

"This doesn't make any sense," Michelle said.

"Tough, woman." Mattei turned his pistol directly on Stein. "You pick up that container and carry it upstairs. I'll be right behind you with this gun in your back. Got the picture?"

"Upstairs?" Albert Stein muttered.

"The rest of you get down on the floor with this corpse." Mattei kept moving the pistol back and forth between Jack, Michelle, and Guido. "Kneel and stick your arms straight out in front of you. NOW!"

Michelle dropped to her knees as she was told.

Jack stared across the floor into the lifeless eyes of Klaus Burchel. A haunting emptiness filled each pupil of his eyes and his expressionless face reflected only a void. Guido knelt beside Jack on the floor.

Mattei moved quickly behind the Townsends, feeling under their arms. "Well, well, you've come to the party armed." He reached under Michelle's light jacket and pulled her gun out. Without stopping, he did the same to Jack. Finally, he ran his hands down Guido's back. "Nothing here," he murmured. Walking to the wall, he dropped the Townsends' weapons in the hole.

"What are you trying to prove?" Stein hissed.

"How stupid you are," Mattei sneered.

"You can't get away with this, Tony," Jack said.

"But I already have. Start up the stairs," Mattei commanded Stein. "Listen, you German pig, I can drop you in an instant if you try anything cute. Just walk up the stairs carrying that stone box, and I'll tell you what to do next. Move it."

Stein picked up the stone container with both hands and glared at Mattei.

"Be glad I didn't put you down there on the floor with that houseboy of yours. If you didn't have a purpose, I'd still put a hole in your head. Now get moving."

From the floor, Michelle could see Albert Stein reluctantly carry the box and start up the stairs with Tony Mattei pressing his gun against Stein's back. Mattei turned and looked at the three figures on the floor.

"It's been interesting," Mattei said. "You Yankees proved helpful, but that was about it. I'm sure I'll be able to fetch a top dollar for whatever is in that container. You wouldn't have gone to so much trouble if this thing wasn't worth big bucks. Beyond that little exchange of the box for your lives, you ought to be thankful I haven't killed you."

Mattei disappeared up the stairs and silence settled over the room.

"God help us," Jack whispered. "We barely escaped."

Guido murmured. "I can't believe it."

The noise of a crash rolled down the stairs. It sounded like the stone box had been dropped on the floor. Another noise resounded like a person falling on the tile.

"Stop!" The command echoed down the stairs. "Don't go out that door!"

Another gunshot echoed through the baptistery.

The reverberation of the large front door slamming rang through the entire building.

Jack immediately sprang to his feet and rushed to the stairs. Flattening against the wall, he listened intently. Guido came right behind him.

"What's happening?" Michelle got up much more slowly.

"You can come on up," an entirely different sounding but not unfamiliar voice shouted down the stairs. "It's over."

Jack slowly moved up the stairs. Michelle rushed across the room to get behind Guido.

"Be cautious," Jack warned. "We don't know what's going on up there."

Michelle felt her heart pounding, but the paralyzing anxiety was gone. She crept forward much more confidently.

"What in the world?" Jack stepped out from the panel door. Guido and Michelle came out behind him.

Michelle stared at the floor. Tony Mattei lay unconscious, silently sprawled with his arms in front of him. Stein was gone, but Father Donald Blake stood with one foot on Mattei's gun hand and holding the jeweler's weapon in his other.

"Father Blake!" Michelle explained. "What w-what are you—"

"Everybody relax," Blake said. "And you can stop calling me Father. I've been after Stein and Mattei for weeks. I'm just surprised they both showed up tonight."

Jack stared uncomprehendingly at the priest in a clerical collar. "I don't get it."

Blake said. "I have international connections and have been chasing the terrorists since the subway bombing back at the first of September. Tony Mattei isn't just a local diamond merchant. You're looking at the general of The Scorpions. The stinger himself. This bad boy's been smuggling diamonds for years and selling them across Europe. Changing economic policies in America whacked his profits, and that set him in motion. The man's small potatoes from a terrorism point of view, but what he did had major repercussions. He's one dangerous maniac. One little bomber can blow a big hole in the street. That's how Mattei took on an importance that even exceeded his size. A small potato turned into a big watermelon.

"But Stein?" Michelle asked.

"I'm not sure what he was about. Seems to have a big hate on for you, Jack and Michelle. My guess is that Albert Stein is a sociopath at best and maybe on the psychopathic side. The man broke for the front door and by now is probably running down the street like a terrified hog. The police couldn't find him earlier. I imagine it will be even more difficult with his lackey lying dead down there on the floor."

"You've been an investigator all this time?" Michelle sounded baffled. "I would never have guessed it."

"Let's just say that your country pays better attention to its citizens than most people realize. We knew that Mattei was the big dog because I had an undercover connection with his small organization. Unfortunately, we simply didn't have enough evidence to take him to court yet. Obviously, we do now."

"But that crook downstairs?" Michelle ask.

"He was Stein's boy who apparently hated Americans as much as Tony Mattei did. Maybe more. Don't know his full story yet, but we'll immediately be after it. His actions make Stein a conspirator in murder for starters. For that reason, I'm sure Stein is heading out of the country as fast as his little legs will take him. Don't worry. The border police will be watching."

Guido pointed to the stone sarcophagus on the floor. "The receptacle belongs to my family. I would like to take it out of here tonight."

Blake looked at the box on the floor. "You know, I don't see a thing down there. If there's something around here that's yours, I'd strongly suggest you take it with you right now without further explanation."

"Thank you!" Guido sighed. "Thank you so very much."

"That gunshot was muffled by the basement, but if anybody was close, they might have called the police." Blake pulled a cell phone from his pocket. "If they didn't, I'm about to summon the local constabulary. "Why don't you folks just hustle on out of here? I can call you when you are needed. I'll tell the cops that you left early to avoid the hassle during the second part of this little drama. My hunch is that you need to get that rock box out of here and somewhere in safe keeping. I don't think you want your picture in the paper over this incident."

"That's for sure," Jack said.

"I want to call you Father," Michelle said. "You've been like a spiritual overseer for us and have always been a caring person, but never as much as tonight. We can't thank you enough for your concern and thoughtfulness.

"Oh, go on," Blake blushed. "Get that box and move it. Go on now." He shooed them toward the door. "The clock is ticking."

Michelle hugged him tightly. "Thanks, friend."

Blake grinned.

Jack grabbed her arm. "Give us a ring and we'll be there. We're out of here."

The trio rushed through the front door and disappeared into the night.