CHAPTER 96
THE ALARM WENT OFF at eight-thirty. Raphaniè sprang out of bed with a heavy head, aching body, and a persistent cough.
I can't get sick now... he thought as he slipped into his bathrobe and soft slippers.
He knelt beside the bed, clasped his hands in prayer, closed his eyes, and bowed his head. He remained silent until the image of Jessyca Volpi's face on the front page of The Sunny flooded his mind, forcing him to open his eyes.
— How much longer are these memories going to haunt me?
He got up and turned on his laptop.
Maybe there's a message from Gregory Evans... or a reply from Cardinal Josefo DellaMonica...
He needed to call him before breakfast and explain the reason for his email.
The computer showed two new messages. One of them was marked urgent, with the subject line: "His Holiness's Remarks."
Raphaniè, last night the Holy See's Apostolic Nuncio in London held a teleconference with His Holiness. Immediately afterward, His Holiness summoned me to an emergency meeting. I tried calling your cellphone, but it went straight to voicemail. The situation is extremely serious. As soon as you read this message, call me. I don't care what time it is.
In Christo et Maria,
Josefo.
— What happened? — he wondered.
I can't call from the cellphone Gregory lent me... And I can't call from my room... The Business Center is the safest option... he decided.
The sender of the other email was his assistant, Antoine.
Probably more research... he concluded, shutting down the computer and putting on his suit. He locked the room and took the elevator downstairs.
The Cardinal and the Pope still haven't received my report on this mission. If the Apostolic Nuncio had privileged information, why didn't he come to me? he wondered as he entered the Business Center.
The room was empty. The priest walked straight to the telephone and dialed Josefo's cellphone. Before the second ring, the Cardinal answered in a sleepy voice.
"...Raphaniè?..."
— Yes, it's me. What happened?
"...I was hoping you would tell me..." the Cardinal replied curtly.
— I solved the second riddle. I called the secret number and spoke the password...
"...Did you read my message?..." Josefo interrupted.
— Yes.
"...And it never occurred to you to wonder why the Apostolic Nuncio contacted His Holiness?..."
— I haven't had time for speculation.
"...Well, he made some very serious accusations against you, Raphaniè..."
— What? To the Holy Father?
"...Exactly..."
— What accusations?
"...You checked into a luxury hotel under a false identity and are one of the suspects in the murder of a member of the House of Lords..." the Cardinal replied.
— I can easily explain that...
"...The Pope summoned me, and I told him about your crime, Raphaniè..."
— You violated the seal of confession... — he stammered.
"...The Pope is the representative of Jesus Christ on Earth, Raphaniè. We cannot hide anything from His Holiness..." Josefo justified himself.
— What did he say?
"...That you pose a threat to the Church's security. Effective immediately, you are temporarily relieved of your ecclesiastical duties and suspended from your position as professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. Another priest will take your place at Santa Maria in Aracoeli, and you will be transferred to a monastery in Greece, where you will have time for reflection and do penance for your sins..."
— I have to finish my mission... — the priest said, his voice breaking.
"...Yesterday you wrote to me saying it was already over, Raphaniè..."
— My computer is being monitored. I had to write that to mislead the enemy...
"...Take the first flight to Rome!... — Josefo ordered.
— Please, in the name of our friendship, I'm begging you. Let me finish this mission. I only need two more days. After that, I'll go wherever you tell me to go — the priest pleaded.
"...Your methods are unacceptable to our Church, Raphaniè..."
— I didn't kill Sir Hawkings, Cardinal... I swear.
"...The Pope gave me the dressing-down I deserved, and I have every reason to be deeply disappointed in you, Raphaniè! If you were here, I'd give you the beating you deserve..."
— I understand your point of view, sir...
"...You betrayed my trust. I entrusted you with an important mission, and you forgot that you're a priest. Priests don't use false identities, priests don't stay in luxury hotels, priests don't become involved in murders, priests don't indulge in debauchery or sleep with masseuses! You have become everything a priest must never be!... — Josefo shouted at the top of his lungs.
Raphaniè flushed with embarrassment. His hands were drenched in sweat and trembling. The telephone slipped from his grasp. He bent down to pick it up, but his legs could barely support him.
— Priests are human beings. Our first Pope denied Our Lord three times... I know I shouldn't have done what I did, but please... have faith in me — he pleaded, his voice barely audible as tears streamed down his face.
"...Only two days, Raphaniè... Not a single day more... And one more thing... During that time, you are not acting as a priest. From this moment on, you're on your own..."
— Thank you!
"...Don't get yourself into any more trouble. And remember, you are forbidden from performing any priestly duties. You are suspended..."
— Understood...
"...When you arrive in Rome, come to me immediately. And don't discuss what happened in London with anyone..."
— As you wish.
"...One more thing, Raphaniè. You were right about this. There truly is a traitor within the Brotherhood of the Four Angels. I hope that by the end of this mission we'll have that bastard's head served on a silver platter..."
— I'll do everything I can...
"...Goodbye..." the Cardinal said before hanging up.
RAPHANIÈ TOOK A DEEP BREATH, pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his jacket, and wiped the sweat from his forehead along with the tears on his face.
Then he noticed something embroidered on it:
Sirach 27:26.
A biblical reference. This handkerchief was in the luggage Gregory left in my hotel room. There was also a biblical reference on the luggage tag the driver slipped into my suitcase when I arrived.
"Sirach, chapter 27, verse 26," the priest murmured.
Another threat from the Enemy... Saul was right. Gregory Evans is part of the same faction as the Dark Brotherhood, and I walked straight into their trap... He handed everything over to the traitor. And that bastard hid behind the Apostolic Nuncio! he concluded, hurrying back to his room.
The Bible was still open to Sirach, chapter 27, verse 29, the passage referenced on the handkerchief:
"Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; whoever places a stone in another's path will stumble over it; whoever sets a trap for someone else will be caught in it himself."
— Who is the damned traitor within the Brotherhood of the Four Angels? — Raphaniè burst out.
His Holiness knows about my crime. What a disgrace. I can't let this break me—not now. I have to finish my mission...
He picked up the notebook with its warped pages and wrote down the names of the members of the Brotherhood of Exorcists, their religious orders, and the sequence of the riddles revealed in the Sistine Chapel:
Cardinal Josefo DellaMonica (Franciscan Order) — Leader;
Brother Manuel Hernandez (Cistercian) — First Riddle;
Abbot Bertrand Stillton (Dominican) — Second Riddle;
Father Raphaniè Marin (Jesuit) — Third Riddle;
Brother Benito de Segni (Benedictine) — Fourth Riddle.
Who is the damned traitor?
— Father Bertrand is English... He's close to the Apostolic Nuncio in London...
His cellphone rang, and he recognized Saul's number.
— Have you met your father yet? — Raphaniè asked immediately.
"...Not yet. I called because you forgot your hat at the house. My cellphone battery is almost dead. Can you call me from there?"
— In five minutes.