Shrouded In Silence

53





The taxi that picked up the threesome outside San Giovanni in Laterano sped through the dark streets at a good speed. Guido kept the stone box on his lap carefully concealed beneath his coat. The driver had been told to go to the Townsends' apartment. No one said much.

"I think we're going in the wrong direction," Jack finally spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Guido ask.

"I think we ought to go to Santa Maria Church. Our work began there. Now we've come up with a sort of sarcophagus. Since the church is filled with coffins, it seems like it would be a more appropriate place to open our own little coffin."

"Down there in that crypt?" Michelle shivered.

Jack smiled. "Why not? Santa Maria has its own history, and the priests have been good to us. Why not put our treasure on a table and let all those ghosts from the past gather around and watch?"

"I nearly got killed down there!"

"True, but you came out smelling like a rose," Jack said.

"It wasn't that easy."

"Michelle, I was also surprised that you came on so strong when that crackhead put a gun in my face. You didn't seem frightened."

"I had to fight to keep my emotions from erupting full blown. I may not be able to keep the attacks from coming back, but I think I've learned how to control and direct the energy the old memories generate. When I yelled at that thug, it dissipated the anxiety that turns me inside out. Even with all the difficult and terrible experiences we've faced, I've made progress. If I can't make the problem stop, I've learned something about controlling the results."

"Then I think you can take one more trip down to the crypt." Jack grinned slyly.

"Oh, brother!" Michelle said. "I talked myself into a corner."

"OK." Guido leaned over the seat. "Driver take us to Via Vittorio Veneto 27. We're going to the Santa Maria Church."

"Whatever you say," the driver replied. The cab sped up.

"I hope knocking that stone mummy case to the floor didn't damage the document," Jack said.

Guido nodded and looked grave. "Certainly."

Michelle settled back against the seat and watched her husband. Seldom had she seen Jack so nervous. He kept rubbing his fist against his palm and then folding his hands together before starting the rubbing all over again. His entire adult life had been spent chasing such documents. He had looked into everything from the Secret Gospel of Mark to John of Damascus as well as numerous classical and Hellenistic texts. She knew his grasp of Greek remained remarkable. This new find had to be the consummate moment in his research.

"I guess we can forget about someone watching or following the cab," Jack said. "Stein must be running for the border, and The Scorpion terrorist group is captured. We already ruled out the Vatican as bad guys. Maybe we can open this receptacle in the quiet peacefulness of the crypt under the sanctuary."

"Peacefulness is not exactly the word that I would use," Michelle said. "But if it makes you happy, I'll settle for it."

Jack winked at her. "That's a good girl."

The taxi pulled up to the curb in front of the old church where the austere exterior left no clues as to the extraordinary sights inside. The driver said nothing but held his palm up.

Jack reached over the seat and crammed several bills in the man's hand. "Keep the change."

"Thank you," the man said and prepared to drive away.

"Let's enter through the side door," Jack said. "I want to get downstairs as quickly as possible."

Darkness had covered the entire street in almost impenetrable shadows. Only one street light provided any light. The recessed side door had to be unlocked without the help of light.

When the wooden door opened, Michelle said, "I think I have a screw driver, a small hammer, and some other stuff we might need in our office. I'll get it."

"Good," Jack said and rushed forward.

Jack and Guido clomped down the stairs while Michelle hurried to her office. At the bottom, an old table held brochures, small religious medals, and a few holy cards.

"Let's lift the table over here," Jack said. "I want to carry the table under the electric light next to the skeleton still standing there in an ancient brown robe. That old guy ought to have a look at what we're doing."

Guido frowned. "You're kidding." He looked again. "You're not!"

Jack grabbed his end and Guido took the other. They walked the table over under the light by the remains of some long-dead monk. A biretta on the skull gave the figure a ghastly, haunted look; bones dangling out of the deteriorating sleeves hung lifelessly. Obviously, some now departed priest had given the corpse a few touch-ups probably intended to convey a warning message of some variety or the other.

"We've got everything in order," Jack said. "You ready, Guido?"

"I think it is time to start calling me Jonas De Lateran again. Generations and generations of my family are standing behind me in this effort. This is a moment that the centuries have waited to see."

Michelle came bounding down the stairs. "I've got 'em." She held up a screwdriver, pliers, tweezers, and a small hammer. "Let's start the operation."

"Jonas, you are the one who should open the box. Your hands are the right ones and have been conditioned by a long family history."

Jonas picked up the screwdriver and hammer. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. After a deep breath, he said. "I'm ready."

The screwdriver slipped between the edges in the middle of the pieces of volcanic rock. With gentle taps, Guido began prying the sections loose. A popping noise signaled movement. Finally, the rock lid broke open. Guido picked up the top and lifted the piece to one side.

"There it is!" Michelle shrieked.

Jack leaned over and stared at two portions of papyrus lying one on top of the other. "I can't believe my eyes." He reached in his pocket for a pair of rubber gloves. "I brought these up earlier in case we got this far. I can't believe I'm about to touch this priceless document."

Michelle handed him a pair of tweezers. "I had these in my desk drawer. You'll need them to lift the pieces out."

Jack smiled. "We're about to open the treasure of the ages."