James Acton 03 - Broken Dove (16 page)

Giasson raised his head. “What do you mean nuclear weapons?”

Acton, Laura and Reading all said in unison, “Nothing!”

Giasson frowned.

“Forget you heard that,” said Reading.

Giasson rose from his desk, shaking his hands. “Forget it all. I’ve heard enough today. I’ll get you your equipment.”

“One thing, and I won’t compromise on this,” said Reading. The room turned. “I want to be at the entrance, just in case. I don’t need to go down with you, but I want to be close, just in the event something goes wrong.”

“Sounds fine to me,” said Acton.

Giasson stared at Reading for a moment then sighed. “Fine.”

He returned moments later with a box filled with weapons, utility belts and two way radios. And body armor.

“Body armor?” asked Reading.

“Just in case,” he said.

Acton’s eyes flitted between the armor and Laura. He could see the fear in her eyes. And the determination.

Why do we keep getting mixed up in these things?

Acton, Reading and Laura quickly donned the equipment as Giasson watched in silence.

“Sir, there’s something you have to see!”

The door had opened without Giasson’s permission, the young head that poked inside didn’t seem to care, his face flushed and pale at the same time. As if he were ready to be sick from terror.

“What is it?” asked Giasson, his tone unforgiving.

The man shook his head. “You have to see it.”

They all rose and followed him into the outer office, Acton, Laura and Reading decked out in body armor and weaponry. The entire office’s attention was at the front desk where the young woman they had seen earlier was heaving into a garbage container, another person rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her.

An opened box sat on the counter serving as her desk, no one near it as if it were contaminated in some way.

“What is it?” demanded Giasson as he neared the counter.

“Look inside,” said the man comforting the desk officer.

Giasson leaned over the box and gasped, stepping back. Acton looked and felt his mouth fill with bile. Inside, on ice, was an ear, covered in blood, and a note, resting underneath it. Laura and Reading leaned in to look and Laura’s hand darted to her mouth as she gasped.

“Maybe we should have taken them seriously,” whispered Reading.

Giasson pointed at the box. “Get this to the police liaison. I need to know who this belonged to, and when it was cut off.” He turned to one of his men. “Get them to DI Chaney’s room—”

The phone rang in Acton’s pocket.

“Silenzio!” yelled Giasson.

The room came to a standstill as Acton answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Did you get our message?”

“Yes.”

“Are you taking us seriously now?”

“Yes.”

“Very good. We don’t want to have to cut any more parts off of our guests. Shipping costs are so expensive these days.”

The phone cut off and Acton returned it to his pocket.

“Well?” asked Reading.

“They asked if we received the message, and if we were taking them seriously now.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

Giasson snapped his fingers. “Greco, make sure you get His Holiness’ DNA profile to the police.” Somebody wailed. In fact, the entire room seemed to still be frozen, the thought of the ear being that of their leader too much. Giasson clapped his hands together. “Back to work people. Focus on your jobs. Do them well, and God willing, there will be nothing to mourn tomorrow.”

Giasson turned back to their escort. “Get them to DI Chaney’s room, then leave them there, alone.” The man was about to open his mouth when Giasson cut him off with a finger. “No questions.” The man nodded and opened the glass door to the Security Office, ushering the armed party through. Giasson continued to bark orders as the door closed behind them, cutting off the sound.

Outside DI Chaney’s Quarters

Apostolic Palace, The Vatican

Within minutes they were in front of what had been Chaney’s room, the young man who had escorted them unsure what to do.

“Thank you, lad, you may return to your duties,” said Reading, patting him on the shoulder.

The man nodded, and left at a trot.

“Everyone around here is walking on eggshells,” said Laura. “I can’t imagine what it must be like for them.”

“I can. When you were missing, I was going crazy.”

Laura smiled and gave him a quick squeeze. “And you found me.”

“Barely,” said Acton. He pulled his Blackberry off his hip and brought up the map. He pointed at the bottom. “I assume we’re here.”

Laura and Reading looked over either shoulder. “You’re the archaeologists, I’ll believe you,” said Reading, stepping back.

Acton gave a single grunt. He turned and pointed ahead. “We go this way.”

Reading pulled his weapon and stepped forward to lead the way.

“Is that really necessary, Hugh?”

Reading looked at Laura, an embarrassed smile on his face as he holstered the weapon. “I guess it’s not exactly appropriate in here.” He raised his finger. “But, when we get to the room where this entrance is, you let me in first. And my weapon
will
be drawn.”

“Agreed,” said Acton, pointing with his head down the hall. “Shall we?”

Reading gave his friend a half smile and a knowing look, then led the way. After several twists and turns, they reached a dead end, with a door to the left, and one to the right. “Did we take a wrong turn?” asked Reading.

“No.” Acton pointed at the door on the left. “This is it.”

Reading drew his weapon and motioned for them to stand back. He knocked on the door and listened. There was no answer. He knocked again, then turned the knob. He looked back at Acton and Laura who had their weapons drawn. He gave them a look and Acton tilted his head to the side, raising his eyebrows and shrugging his shoulders. Reading pushed the door open and reached inside, flipping the light switch near the door. The room flooded with light as he entered, Acton and Laura rapidly following him in, both branching to either side of the door as all three searched.

“Clear,” whispered Reading.

“Clear,” called Laura from the bathroom.

“Clear,” said Acton, standing in front of the wardrobe, his Blackberry already having replaced his weapon.

Reading closed the door, then holstered his weapon. “I thought I told you to wait?”

Laura shrugged her shoulders. “What? You don’t need backup?”

Reading shook his head and chuckled. “I have to admit, you definitely have been paying attention to your training.”

Acton bowed deeply, then in his best Elvis voice, said, “Thank ya, thank ya vary mawch.”

Laura shook her head and joined him in front of the wardrobe. “You and your jokes.” She surveyed the wardrobe. “Is this it?”

Acton nodded and put his hand on the handle, looking at Reading who drew his weapon, then nodded. Acton pulled open the wardrobe door, stepping to the side. Reading reached forward with his left hand and pulled open the other side, his weapon in front the entire time. “Clear.”

They gathered in front, and Acton summarized the instructions. “We enter, close the outer doors, push up on the second hook from the left, then whatever is going to happen is going to happen.”

“What’s that mean?” asked Reading.

“It means it doesn’t say what will happen. I’m assuming a door will open on the other side of this wardrobe.”

“Or poison darts shoot at you, or the floor will drop out from under you,” said Reading, shaking his head.

“You watch too many Indiana Jones movies.”

Reading lowered his chin into his chest, raised his eyebrows and stared at Acton. “Excuse me? Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls?”

Acton chuckled. “Well, we all know which came first. Besides, I didn’t see any aliens.”

“Don’t count on it,” said Reading. “You just might find some on the other side of that door.”

Acton and Laura exchanged glances, both knowing what they had read.
Some of those things very well could be alien.

“What?”

Acton shook his head. “Nothing.”

“Don’t tell me—”

Acton shook his head again. “Don’t ask.” He took a deep breath. “Okay, we’ll go in, you stay out here.” Reading was about to protest when Acton cut him off. “We don’t know what’s on the other side, and you’re not allowed to see anything, remember?” Reading frowned, but nodded, stepping back.

Acton stepped inside then held out his hand for Laura, who took it and stepped up into the large, but still cramped, wardrobe.

“Set?” asked Reading.

Acton snapped on his flashlight, and Laura did the same. He nodded at Reading. “Set.”

“Be safe.” Reading closed the doors, and the light from the room slowly sliced away, then as the doors clicked shut, they were left with the narrow beams of their flashlights, and the ambient light cast off the wood walls of the wardrobe. Acton reached up and pushed the hook upward. There was a clicking sound, then nothing. Acton pulled his weapon, as did Laura, then pushed on the wall. It gave way and they were met with a stone passage.

“You okay in there?”

Reading’s muffled voice didn’t hide his concern. “Yes, there’s a passageway here. We’re going in now.”

“Radio check!”

Acton retrieved the radio from his utility belt and squawked it twice. “Check one, two, three, check.”

Two clicks answered, then Reading’s voice, “Loud and clear on this end. How am I on yours, over?”

“Five by five,” said Acton. “We’re heading in now, over.”

“Roger that. Keep your radios on and check with me every five minutes, over.”

“Will do, over and out.”

Acton stepped down into the passageway, then helped Laura. He shone his light around, the beam playing off the stonework. “What do you think? Thousand years?”

“Probably older.” She pointed at the floor. “Look. Footprints.”

Acton nodded, using the beam to trace them off into the distance. “Several sets. Let’s see where they lead.” They followed the prints for several dozen feet, past what looked like a large pulley controlled platform, then to a winding, stone staircase. Acton raised his radio. “We’re about to go down a staircase. Not sure if you’ll be able to get a signal when we get down there, over.”

“If you can’t get voice, I might pick up a squawk. Two for okay, three for help, got it, over?”

“Got it. See you on the other side, over and out.”

Acton shone the flashlight on his face and looked at Laura. “He worries so much.”

She did the same with hers. “He means well.”

Acton jerked his head toward the steps. “Shall we?”

“After you?” said Laura.

“If you insist.” Acton gave her a peck on the cheek then with weapon and flashlight leading the way, began down the spiral staircase. It went much further than they had imagined, at least several hundred steps. Coming out at the other end, they both gasped. The chamber they found themselves standing in was massive, and went for as far as their flashlight beams could reach. Row after row of shelving, along with other objects covered by cloths, some ancient, some more modern, hiding their secrets from the naked eye. Acton found himself almost salivating at the thought of exploring this room of hidden treasures. Then he recalled what these were supposed to contain, and he shivered. Laura had her arm pressed against his and had obviously felt him shake.

“You okay?”

Acton nodded, then remembered she couldn’t see him. “Yes. Just remembering what’s supposed to be down here.”

“I’m trying to forget that.”

Acton shone his flashlight on the floor. “The footprints go that way, let’s follow them.”

She gripped his arm. “Shouldn’t you check in with Hugh?”

“Oops, forgot.” He took the radio and pressed the button to talk. “Hugh, can you still read us, over?”

There was a burst of static, and a couple of syllables made it through, but nothing intelligible. Acton stepped back closer to the stairs. “Can you hear me now?” The irony wasn’t lost on him.
Bet you they never filmed the commercial down here.
Again a burst of static. “Looks like we’re out of range.”

“Too much rock over our heads.”

Acton squawked twice.

Two squawks came back.

“Okay, at least he can still be reached if we need help.” He clipped the radio to his body armor so it would be handy, then led the way, weapon and flashlight pointing ahead. Laura followed, slightly behind and to his right, walking backward, covering their rear. Acton moved forward slowly, careful to keep Laura always in his peripheral vision as he covered their advance. Two sets of shoeprints went up and down the shelves to their left, as if their creators had been searching for something. Acton continued ahead, and within moments reached a jumble of prints, and a large pool of something dark. “Found something.”

Laura turned to look at where his flashlight shone. “Blood?”

“Looks like it.”

Acton dipped the toe of his shoe in. “Very dry.”

“And a lot of it,” said Laura, kneeling down. “There’s too much here for anyone to have survived. If we’re to believe that Chaney and the Pope are alive, then this must be where the Father was killed.”

Acton took some photos with his phone, then pointed with his flashlight. “Look. Seems like someone was dragged this way.” They followed the two solid lines, and several sets of prints, back to the pulley they had noticed earlier. Acton took some more photos. “This must be how they got his body back up there.”

“Which means they know about the secret entrance,” said Laura.

Acton squawked twice. Two clicks responded.

They walked back toward the scene of the crime, and continued forward. Acton stopped again at another jumble of footprints, and more drag marks. “Looks like another scuffle took place here, and somebody lost.” Laura turned to look, and her flashlight followed the drag marks off into the distance, deeper into the complex, rather than back toward where they had entered.

“This could be Chaney.”

Acton nodded. “Yup.” He scanned the area with his flashlight. “No blood, so hopefully he’s okay.” Two clicks came over the radio. Acton reached up and squeezed twice in response. “Before we follow these, perhaps we should find this Gospel.”