The Gods' Gambit (28 page)

“Many statues in the Buddhist temples have swastikas on
their torsos, palms, or feet,” Lino added.

“The cult perpetrates ritual killings in the same way as
described in Don Federico’s myth—”

“With a horn,” Lino interrupted, his voice croaking slightly
because of his excitement. “That means the cult knows who these ‘illuminating’
people are.”

“It’s said in the myth that they were discovered through
some device named the All-Seeing Eye. That sphere drawn in the diary could be a
depiction of it.”

“If the cult has been in possession of that Eye for a long
time, their actions would have been well known to the world. They would have
killed many illuminating souls. Such ritual killings couldn’t have stayed
hidden.”

“Good argument,” said James. He thought for a moment. “Maybe
in the present epoch there are simply not many such souls.”

“No.” Lino was categorical in his objection. “It would mean
that the cult people have already achieved their goals. The theory is that
these souls are still in their way, isn’t it?”

James articulated his thoughts. “What if that sphere had
been lost for centuries?”

“Maybe this Eye only opens during certain periods. The
transition of our planet from Pisces to Aquarius could be such a period,” Lino
suggested.

James shook his head in disagreement. “The myth states that
the priests used the Eye continuously. The dominance of the gods had been
sustained due to it.”

“Only when ‘an alien wind blew from the ocean’ was it
veiled. Only then did it become possible for the first teacher to wake up and
inspire people to fight.”

“I suppose the Eye disappeared amid the turbulence of the
riot. It could have sunk together with the Island Mountain.”

“The cult people have discovered it somehow. Let’s say it
happened not so long ago. Put it like that and it explains why we’ve seen
ritual killings only recently,” said Lino.

“Exactly. Maybe even with that Eye these people can’t be
found so easily. The cult may only discover them one by one … or with long
intervals between each,” James added.

“That would slow the cult down as well. It sounds logical.”

James pushed his chair back and jumped up. “I think it’s
time we drove back to Florence,” he said. “I’ll call Irina to tell her what
we’ve found out. I want her to check on the two professors as well, to see if
their names are mentioned in Don Federico’s police file.”

Italy

This time James was behind the wheel. Lino had propped his
knees against the dashboard, his head resting on the seat, his eyes half
closed. After leaving the monastery they had travelled in silence, each wrapped
up in his own thoughts. They strayed from the route to Florence because Lino
had decided to visit his mother. James was going to take him to the place she
was staying and then continue alone to Florence. Once there, he was going to
wait in the hotel for Irina.

Lino spoke first. He sounded concerned. “I came up with
something. I was thinking … about Elizabeth and you. As the cult attacked both
of you—”

“Do we belong to the ‘illuminating’ souls?” James finished
his question.

“Yes,” Lino confirmed, sounding confused.

James was cheered by his question. “This thought has crossed
my mind too. Although it’s clear that I’m not a special person. I wouldn’t say
Elizabeth was special either. What the cult thought about us I don’t know.”

“I’d say you’re special … in your own way.”

“The way Elizabeth was killed goes against that assumption.”

“I’m sorry, James. How did it happen?”

“According to the police, her death was most probably
accidental. The blow to her head, which killed her, happened because she
resisted or tried to escape. I don’t buy their thesis. My guts tell me she was
murdered in cold blood.” The rising anger pushed the blood through James’ veins
and he had to pause to regain his breath. “Anyhow, we already know that the
cult murder their enemies with a horn. They didn’t do this to Elizabeth even
though she was their captive.”

“We still don’t have solid evidence to be one hundred per
cent sure of anything.”

“That’s true. But I already know enough to make them move.
When forced to act, they’ll make mistakes.”

“Have you decided what to do next?”

“I’ll tear down their strongest defence,” said James.

“Secrecy and mimicry,” said Lino quickly.

“Yes. I have enough material to produce a series of articles
about the cult. I have a few acquaintances involved in TV programmes. I could
appear on some shows. I’ll speak openly about them, disclose who they are,
where they come from, what their objective is and what means they use to
achieve it.”

“You’ll have to say ciao to your reputation as a serious
scholar,” said Lino with conviction.

“That’s a small problem. I will have to take care not to
breach the confidentiality declaration I signed with MI5. If they decide that
I’m a whistle-blower I may end up convicted. Then the cult would have finished
me without lifting a finger. I’d also have compromised Irina.”

“It sounds like you’re trying to dance on a razor’s edge.”

“I’ll manage.”

“A straightforward attack is dangerous. You no longer work
for the police. You’d be taking on the cult more or less on your own.” Lino
abruptly moved into a normal sitting position and turned to James. The safety belt
blocked his movement and he grimaced. “Their plan has entered into its ultimate
phase. They’d want to stop you speaking no matter what. And as quickly as
possible.”

James’ smile was sad and dangerous at the same time. “I
count on it. I’ll wait for them. They’ll have to move against me without much
preparation. That’s when they’ll make mistakes and expose themselves. Whatever
happens, I hope it’ll open the eyes of the police.”

“Even if the price is your life?”

James ignored the question. “I believe we can stop them.”
His eyes met Lino’s for a moment. “I can rely on Irina as well.”

“It looks like she knows what she’s doing. Although she’ll
have difficulty convincing Interpol that the cult is a real threat.”

“I’m aware of that. But there’s no going back for me.”

“James, remember – this is my battle, too. I’m with you.
I’ll help you any way I can. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that I’ve been
preparing myself for such a situation for my whole life.”

Florence, Italy

“Don Federico was attracted to the Indian culture,” said
Irina. “Some of the missionaries were discontented because of his passion for
their historic heritage. They accused him of spending more time listening to
and writing down pagan tales than preaching the Word of God. The subject of Don
Federico’s stay in Ecuador is well covered in his police file. It was used by
the police to back their hypothesis about the assault on him. Their conclusion
was that thieves attacked him because of the valuable Indian artefacts he
possessed.”

James was with her in her hotel room. She had arrived from
Rome late that afternoon. They had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant and then
went to her room to discuss their discoveries. During dinner, after having
heard his story, Irina had mentioned that she had a big surprise for him. He
had asked her if it was bigger than what the contents of Don Federico’s chest
had revealed. “The bets could go fifty-fifty. Although I admit that my news
sounds more ordinary,” she had responded.

“Don Federico had the reputation of a good scholar,” she
continued. “The attack on him happened when he was in Rome. His visit there was
closely related to those artefacts and texts. He went to meet with the two
experts in pre-Colombian South American civilization you mentioned about. The
detectives took statements from them both.”

“Do the statements contain details about them?” asked James.

“No. Paolo Donato and Leo Goodman declared that the meetings
never took place. Don Federico was attacked before that.”

“In Don Federico’s diary there’s a note saying that he’d
sent a copy of ‘Dreams from the Old World’ and photos of anthropological
findings to Donato and Goodman,” he reminded her.

“That wasn’t in the file. I don’t think the police ever saw
Don Federico’s diary. It’s not included in the list of evidence.”

“If the police considered the attack on him to be burglary,
they didn’t pay attention to the diary.”

“Yup. It’s clear that Don Federico had attached great
importance to the ‘Dreams’. Sending copies of it to Paolo Donato and Leo
Goodman would have been one of the first things he did upon returning from
Ecuador.”

“He definitely considered this text important because he
asked both experts to see it. They were prominent figures in their discipline I
suppose.”

“Correct. Professor Donato was an internationally recognised
anthropologist. He did field work in Ecuador and almost the whole of Latin
America. Leo Goodman was a well-known linguist. He was a Canadian citizen but
at that time lived in Italy. Both are now dead.”

“It’s normal that Don Federico would want to consult with
such people. What bothers me is that there’s no information about the letter
with the copy of the ‘Dreams from the Old World’.”

“I’ve thought about it, too, and decided to concentrate my
research on the two scholars exclusively. I had another reason to do that. The
archive file was two huge volumes and I needed to prioritise. Otherwise, I
would have had to spend all night reading it.”

Her tone hinted to James that she was heading to the
surprise she had promised to reveal.

“So, what I did next was dig up personal information about
those two men,” she continued. She opened her laptop and put it on the table
between them. She quickly typed in some passwords and opened a file. At first
glance, it looked to James like a family tree. “As I was in a police station, I
linked my computer to their system. Thus, I got access to all their channels.
That includes direct access to tax and commercial archives, civil registers and
so on. In this PC I have special track and trace software. Once it’s been given
starting parameters for cross-referencing it searches through protected systems
as well as through the Net and the Interpol database.” As she spoke she was
opening and closing files.

“Is that legal?” asked James.

She smiled and turned the display to him. “It bypasses
bureaucracy and is a great timesaver.”

“I see Paolo Donato’s name … but not Leo Goodman,” said
James, pointing at the file.

“I simply couldn’t find anything suspicious about him. In
contrast with professor Donato.”

James took a closer look at the file. It consisted of linked
personal names and the names of different firms and companies. At the top was
the name Paolo Donato. Next to it was the name Sabatini’s Auctioneers and Valuers.

“Sabatini’s Auctioneers and Valuers was founded forty-nine
years ago as a partnership between Italian and USA businessmen and antique
collectors. See this …” Irina opened another file which contained a description
of the company’s structure and activities. “Registration in Rome. Offices in
Buenos Aires, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong. Paolo Donato was its long-term
consultant.”

James saw copies of some articles with intriguing titles
related to the company: ‘Auctioneer’s chain finances expedition in the Indian
jungle’; ‘Atlantis can be discovered’; ‘Scandal with a company sponsoring
seekers of Eldorado’.

“They invested money in some quite adventurous enterprises,”
he said.

“Yes. They put money in similar endeavours during the entire
existence of the company. Sabatini’s Auctioneers and Valuers was erased from
the commercial registers twenty years after its registration … or rather it was
restructured. From its ashes one peculiar formation appeared. It’s called ‘The
Historic Fellowship Foundation’. The purpose of this foundation is to preserve
world cultural heritage. On its trust board are quite a few names. Amongst them
the main shareholders of Sabatini’s Auctioneers and Valuers.” Irina displayed a
file showing the schematics of the board members and some activities of the
foundation. Paolo Donato had been chairman of one of its committees.

“The foundation is clearly a continuation of the
auctioneering company. The professor’s chairmanship indicates his commitment to
those people,” said James.

Irina re-sized three pages of the last file and arranged
them in succession on the display. “Here’s a summary of the information about
The Historic Fellowship Foundation,” she said.

The pages comprised Interpol reports regarding questionable
financial operations and antique smuggling – none of which had reached court.
Articles and audio-visual media materials were mentioned linking the foundation
directly to a ‘black’ Masonic lodge, the successor of the notorious Italian
Lodge P2, which was outlawed in 1981 by the Italian authorities for its
conspiratorial, illegal and anti-constitutional activities.

“According to Lino, the cult has been infiltrating and
establishing control over many old secret societies. The P2 Masonic Lodge could
be one of their projects. If the foundation is connected to the P2 successors,
it’s very probable that it’s actually a part of the cult. That information is a
breakthrough,” said James.

“I think the same.” Irina sounded content. “That’s not all.”
She displayed another three pages. “Here’s a list of the known donors to the
foundation. The biggest amounts have come from offshore companies. Several
financial funds are its earliest and most faithful donors. They later merged
into one offshore fund-family. Its name is Macao House Capital Partners –
registered in Macao. On the managers’ team are people who at some point worked
for one man. Actually, they worked for firms and companies which officially or
unofficially were owned by him. I’m talking about a Russian businessman with a
kind of hazy reputation. His name is Alexander Rodnov. The name of one of the
manager’s team is Vinchenzo Donato. He’s a grandson of our professor.”