Shout in the Dark (47 page)

Laura looked surprised. "For
me?"

"
We're a good team, Laura. And I love you." The words came
out quickly. "We can make it together. We're opposites in some
ways, but your father was in the Church. I'm prepared to give up
the priesthood."

Why did he get the impression Laura was
trying to pull away? On her own admission she had felt nothing for
Riccardo, and even if she had, Riccardo was dead. So was Bruno. And
two of the Germans. Father Josef Reinhardt had warned about a
battle, but Marco knew he'd not been prepared for it.

Laura picked up a magazine from the table
and began to turn the pages. "You don't understand. We're finished,
Marco. We've nothing in common. Nothing. I'm going back to work
tomorrow. Please don't try to see me again."

Chapter
41

Piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore

EARLY THE NEXT morning, Josef Reinhardt
sent one of the sisters with a message to Marco
's room to say that he must come at the
earliest opportunity. Marco had slept badly, hearing Laura's
rebuttal over and over again in his head. He tried to console
himself with the thought that she was still in shock and unable to
think rationally. But perhaps he was the one incapable of rational
thought.

Father Josef was waiting impatiently.
"Have you seen today's paper, Marco? If not, have a look at the
front page."

"
The relic?"

Father Josef shook his head as he held out
the paper. "Bruno Bastiani. You know he was a journalist? Yes, of
course you do. Well, his paper has printed the start of a major
series on the wartime Nazis, and today's neo-Nazis."

"
I knew it was coming. Riccardo Fermi mentioned it in the
car going to Paris." Marco took the paper.
EUROPE'S SICK SECRET
screamed the headlines. He read
the explosive details. "These are prominent names. They're not
going to like it. The
carabinieri
think Bruno and Riccardo were in some anti-fascist plot
together."

"
They were certainly first rate journalists. See for
yourself, Marco. Bruno Bastiani recently obtained wartime negatives
showing a raid on the monastery at Monte Sisto. The paper has put
two of the pictures on the next page. In one, there is a family
that has been identified as the Levis. They must be Canon Angelo
Levi's people -- Laura Rossetti's family."

Marco turned the page. The quality of
reproduction was excellent. A row of frightened adults and children
stood in front of wooden barrels, the women wearing head scarves.
The harsh shadows from the single flash gave the photograph a grim
texture of reality. "Laura didn't say anything about this last
night. I don't think she was very close to Bruno and
Riccardo."

Father Josef put his glasses down amongst
the clutter on the desk. "It hurts me to say this, Marco, but I am
afraid I deliberately kept details of Laura Rossetti's friends from
you. It was vital you acted the part of an innocent priest, or they
would not have confided in you. We had to retrieve the relic, and
Laura's friends certainly had no intention of helping the
Vatican."

"
I've already worked that out," Marco replied
wearily.

"
The outcome was gratifying, young man, expect for one
thing."

He raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"

"
I am unhappy at the way your friendship with Laura has
developed so fast. I wonder if it is wise for you to
continue."

"
It's over." He tried to make it sound as though Laura's
refusal to see him was of no consequence.

The old priest put a hand gently on his
shoulder. "I'm glad, but I hope you are both still on speaking
terms. You will be meeting Laura Rossetti tomorrow afternoon before
the program."

"
What program? I thought I'd finished my work for
you."

"
Just a few more days, Marco."

"
I'd like a break soon. I think even Cardinal Amendola would
agree I've earned it. I've been in touch with my friend in Oxford
to see if he can put me up for a few days. I've told him a bit
about the excitement we've had here with the neo-Nazis, but only
what's been in the papers."

Father Josef moved to the table to pick up
a letter, his hands steady. "You certainly deserve a break, Marco,
but I can't let you go yet. You come over well on television, and
TV Roma has asked for permission to use you in an interview
tomorrow evening. Cardinal Amendola is lending the bronze head for
everyone to see."

"
I didn't realize there was another Cardinal
Amendola."

"
Now, now, a little more respect please. It is the same one,
Marco, but I have to admit that Amendola has undergone a remarkable
transformation. He says he may have made a slight mistake in
refusing to admit the existence of the relic. He found Monsignor
Giorgio trying to conceal the parchment that was inside the head,
and discovered it was a most revealing document. But the decision
to let TV Roma investigate the relic on live television is not his
alone, Father Marco."

"
Why are you calling me
Father
Marco? The Church has taken away my position."

"
Only for six months, and it is indeed possible that your
splendid work will cause the panel to reconsider before
that."

"
You don't understand. I need time to think through my
calling. This has been a traumatic introduction to the priesthood.
Perhaps I want to be free."

Father Josef replaced his narrow glasses
on the end of his nose and looked over them sharply. "A problem
with your faith?"

"
No, of course it's not my faith. My faith has never been
stronger -- in spite of all that's happened. Or perhaps because of
it. I've learned something about God's forgiveness for the first
time. But there's something else..." He hadn't intended to
hesitate.

Father Josef said quietly, "You are still
sexually attracted to women. It is a battle fought by many priests.
I understand how you feel."

Quite probably the old priest did
understand. He was a man of great empathy.

KARL HEARD THE publicity for the
forthcoming program. It seemed that everybody knew of the discovery
that could turn the Christian Church on its head. The preliminary
broadcast would be syndicated live, with commentators on hand for
all major languages. He was trained and ready, and so were his
friends
-- ready for the
ultimate in publicity, for their moment in history.

With a bit of luck the leaders of
Achtzehn
Deutschland Reinigung
would be watching to see how well he could cope in a
crisis. He had been trained to lead men who would fight for their
beliefs. Men who were prepared to lay down their lives. Herr Kessel
had been nothing but a pompous old
Narr
driven by hang-ups from his Jewish past. Erich had
confirmed that the ADR in Düsseldorf never regarded the man as
anything but a joke, and only tolerated him because of his father's
SS connections.

Karl smiled to himself. Thank God for Herr
Kessel's contact in the editing suite at TV Roma, a sympathizer who
was prepared to help the ADR. The video editor said he was
compiling a documentary on the relic's discovery in the cemetery in
Paris and its connection with the monastery at Monte Sisto. The
relic would be taken to the studio in a security van three hours
before the broadcast. It was to be TV Roma's reward for Laura
Rossetti's part in the recovery. An exclusive, a world revelation.
Karl laughed aloud. The world would soon be even more
amazed!

The noisy bunch from Düsseldorf were
hopeless. For the snatch operation they needed to be more
disciplined, and their training had obviously been anything but
thorough. A first class leader should be given first class troops,
but he accepted he was not getting better than this in the time
available. He tried to make himself heard as he addressed the gang
in the park, but they kept shouting to each other.

Why had they bothered to come? Where were
the million supporters Herr Kessel had boasted about?

"
Let's have a fight," shouted Klaus, a real
Rowdy
known to everyone as a crazy
troublemaker.

"
You can have your fight in the studios tomorrow," Karl
shouted back, angry at the interruption. They
would
fight, too, given half a chance.

"
We'll fight the Eyeties!" Leo now joined in the
barracking.

Then Karl got his best idea ever, the sort
of idea to be expected from their new leader. "You'll be fighting
tomorrow night," he yelled back. "You'll be fighting each other.
And
that's
official!"

Chapter
42

TV Roma

A BLACK STRETCHED Mercedes picked up Marco
to take him to
TV Roma.
Laura was already in the back, looking a little embarrassed to see
him. It seemed that the plan was for them to be seen arriving
together. A huge crowd of several thousand people had already
gathered in the street outside the studios, and there were still
two hours to go before the broadcast. Laura sat silently by his
side in the back of the huge limousine, and Marco desperately
wanted to know her thoughts.

"
I think there's going to be a riot outside the TV studios."
The driver turned round and grinned. "A gang of skinheads have come
down from Germany. They're animals. They've daubed a few swastikas
around, but they seem to be more interested in fighting each other
at the moment. I suppose it's their idea of fun. The
carabinieri
will sort them out before we
get there."

The words were probably intended to
reassure his passengers, but they rang warning bells for Marco. A
fascist skinhead -- the
zoticone
-- had tried to kill them in Paris.

They stopped close to the front entrance
to be met by Paolo, one of the TV Roma security guards. Out in the
street there was chaos as the
carabinieri
tried to maintain order and keep the skinheads away from
the genuine sightseers. The youths began to chant loudly. Some of
the crowd had been allowed to the gates but no further.

"
Sorry about the disturbance, signorina," Paolo shouted to
Laura above the noise. "That noisy lot won't be bothering you. The
Current Affairs producer wants to see you before you go up. He's
around here somewhere."

Laura sounded fully recovered and she
began to laugh. "Thanks, Paolo. We thought the crowds had come for
us!"

An overweight man in a white shirt and
fawn baggy trousers was directing a cameraman. "The package is
already here, Signorina Rossetti," he wheezed. "Cardinal Amendola
sent it an hour ago by armed guard. I know it's not how it
happened, but before you go up I want to pretend you and Father
Sartini have just arrived with it straight from Paris. You can be
handing the box in at the security desk. Look tired and anxious.
The camera's over there. All right?"

Marco went through the charade willingly,
although his stiff neck made movement embarrassingly awkward.
Looking tired and anxious was not too difficult.

"
Good, good," the producer called. "Now open the box just a
bit and tantalize the viewers. Don't look so worried, Father:
the
carabinieri
have
checked the building."

The partially repaired and floodlit
reception area felt like a stage. When Marco started to open the
box for the camera he became aware of a reaction from the gates.
The people who had been allowed to stand there could see everything
through the repaired glass frontage. They started to clap and cheer
enthusiastically. Overcome by the occasion Marco raised the box
above his head, much to their delight. Then he pointed to Laura and
joined in the clapping. If it were not for Laura's part in
recovering the relic, permission for the program would never have
been granted so readily, apparently by the Holy Father personally,
with some unexpected support from Luigi Cardinal
Amendola.

He and Laura finished their pretence at
the reception desk and moved towards the elevator. The smile Laura
gave him was probably an act as well. But perhaps not. He pressed
the button for the fourth floor. The doors slid open immediately.
Laura stepped in first. A large security guard in a peaked hat
pushed his way in with them. Paolo called in alarm from behind his
desk.

"
Uno momento!
"

But the doors were already closing.

KARL BREATHED DEEPLY in excitement. Every
move he made, every detail of his plan, it was all so perfect. Last
night everything had gone smoothly. With help from Herr
Kessel
's editor friend
he had obtained a studio guard's uniform, then found a hotel where
he spent a couple of hours superimposing his photograph on the
woman's staff pass. In the early morning, when the breakfast guests
were coming and going, the editor had met him behind the studios to
admit him through the rear staff entrance. It was all much more
efficient than Herr Kessel's laughable arrangements that first
night.