The Guardian (30 page)

“And my grandfather thought that he could find the answer to the riddle there.”

Benjamin nodded.

“Did he explain to you what he was working on?” Anna asked.

“No. I never wanted to know. He only told me that it was a riddle. I believed that he was doing God’s work. I offered to help him. He just said that he needed to get inside.”

“And how could you get him in?” Jason asked.

“I am a member of the Mossad,” Benjamin said. “It is like your CIA. Through my contacts, I was able to arrange a chance for him to get inside and do some snooping around.”

“And when was that supposed to happen?” Anna asked.

“Next week,” Benjamin answered.

Anna held up her hand. “Still confused here. What good is getting into the mosque if the temple has been destroyed?”

Benjamin let out a sigh. “Underneath the mosque, there is a maze of tunnels and caverns. There are everything from tombs to secret tunnels leading out of the city. Your grandfather believed he could find a room under there called the Holy of Holies. Are you familiar with it?”

Anna shook her head. “What is it?”

Benjamin’s eyes glowed as he continued. “In the time of Jesus, there was a great curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. Only the high priests were allowed to enter. It was said that the presence of God dwelled there. When Jesus was crucified, the curtain was miraculously torn from top to bottom, without human hand, signifying that man had the right to know God personally. Of course, the Jewish leaders still tried to keep everyone out. They refused to believe that Jesus was who he said he was and held on to the Mosaic law, the covenant of the Old Testament. Because it was such a secret place, your grandfather thought that what he was in search of could be found in that room.”

“But wouldn’t it have been destroyed?” Anna asked.

“Perhaps. But he was willing to risk his life to find out.”

“Risk his life?” Anna was confused. “What do you mean?”

Deep sorrow showed on Benjamin’s face. “For centuries, no Jew or Christian has been allowed there. To be caught would mean certain death.”

“Wow,” Anna said. “That’s pretty heavy.”

There was silence in the room for a while. Anna sat with her elbows on her knees, her chin resting in her hands. Benjamin had leaned back, looking at the ceiling.

Anna finally stood up. She looked at Benjamin. “Can you get us in?”

Benjamin half laughed. “You? Are you serious?” “That’s crazy. We can’t go in there,” Jason agreed. “Why not?”

“You’ll be killed, for one thing,” Benjamin said. “It would have taken almost a miracle to sneak Thomas inside that place. It would be absolutely impossible to get you—a woman—inside.”

“Anna, listen,” Jason interrupted. “If we were caught, we would be killed. No trial. No jury. Just shot. Probably in the back of the head. Do you understand that?”

She looked at Benjamin. “You said you were a member of the Mossad, right?”

“Yes.”

“And they’re like our CIA?”

“Well, I think we are a little more efficient in some matters, but yes. Sort of.” He smiled.

“Well, I’ve got news for you. If it meant continuing a mission sanctioned by God Himself, my CIA would get me in that building.”

“Anna, be reasonable!” Jason ran frustrated fingers through his hair.

“My grandfather thought that the answer to the riddle was in there. He was willing to risk his life for it. And now it’s my job.”

Jason cupped her face with his hands and brushed her bangs back. “And it’s my job to protect you.”

“Then do it,” she said softly. “I made a promise that I would continue my grandfather’s work. I promised Vin. And more important than that, I promised God.” She looked him in the eyes. “I’m going in that temple, with or without his help. Are you coming with me?”

After a moment, Jason stepped back, shaking his head. “Okay.” Then he pointed a finger at her. “But you do what I say once we’re inside. Deal?”

Anna just rolled her eyes at him. Then she looked back at Benjamin. He had a sour look on his face, as if he’d been insulted. “So what about it, Mr. Mossad? Are you going to get us in, or what?”

Benjamin stood up. He walked over to Anna and leaned in. He had an awful scowl on his face. “Let me tell you something, young lady. Neither I nor the Mossad has
ever
been bested by your CIA. Don’t you forget it.” Then he smiled and softened his tone. “I’ll see you at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in five days.”

H
ale pressed the button on the radio and asked for clearance to land. The reply came back in seconds. He was instructed to land on the north runway. He touched down and engaged reverse thrusters. Within seconds the small aircraft was taxiing toward the hangar.

It was late. He hadn’t been able to get out of Rome as early as he had wanted. By the time he’d gotten to the airport, there was a big delay, holding up every aircraft. Apparently there was a fuel spill. It took almost four hours to clean up the mess and make it safe to resume all flights.

He had called Marie and Miles from the air. He told them all that had happened that day. They said that they had already heard about the pope’s death and had the same suspicions as his. He told them to meet him at the hangar for a debriefing. They moaned about how late it would be by the time he got back. But in the end, he still outranked them. They said they would be there waiting. And they were.

As he pulled in front of the hangar, he saw Miles swing the massive door outward. Marie stood inside, waiting for the plane to come to a stop.

The nose of the jet swung wide as Hale made the turn. He gave the engines a little push, and the jet rolled inside. He shut down the engines and heard the soft whine as they cycled to a stop. Outside he could hear the loud thud of the hangar door being closed once again.

He did his postflight checks quickly then moved to the rear to open the door for Miles and Marie. What he saw nearly knocked him over.

Standing in front of him, holding a Smith & Wesson 9mm, was a beautiful redhead. Her hair was long and hung over her shoulders. She was wearing all black. Her shoes were steel-toed combat boots. Her pants were loose like fatigues. And her shirt was some kind of athletic zip-up. The gun had a silencer attached to it. It was pointed directly at his head.

“Hello, Hale,” she said calmly.

“Who are you?” he asked. “And how did you get on this plane?”

“You know,” she said, “I would love to tell you all about that. But Miles and Marie are waiting. Don’t you think you should open the door and let them in?”

“You have no idea what you’re doing,” Hale said tersely. “Give me the gun, and I promise you won’t get hurt.”

The redhead laughed heartily. She moved the gun a fraction of an inch and pulled the trigger. The gun spit, and a flash flew out of the silencer.

The burning was immediate. Hale’s hand flew to his ear. He felt blood washing over his hand. She had expertly shot his earlobe off.

“I’ve been doing this as long as you have, I can assure you,” she said. “Maybe even longer. Now open the door.”

Hale did as he was told. He moved to the side and pulled the lever and popped the door. As he did, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Then he felt his eyes roll back up into his head. His vision went blank as he lost consciousness.

When he woke, he was bound and tied, lying on the couch. He strained to focus his eyes. Everything was still blurry. And his head felt like a semitruck had rolled over it. He had no idea how long he’d been out. He shook his head and tried to clear the cobwebs.

As his vision began to focus, he noticed that Marie was sitting on the floor, bound and gagged. She was also unconscious. He felt a rocking motion and realized they were in the air. Someone was flying the plane. Miles? He wasn’t anywhere in the rear cabin with him and Marie. He must be piloting the plane. And what about the redhead. Where was she?

Almost as if reading his mind, she appeared from the bathroom. “Well,” she said, “I see we’re getting up from our little nap. Did you sleep well, honey?” She smiled a sly grin.

“So, would it do me any good to ask who you’re working for?” Hale asked.

“Well, let’s just say I work for the same people you do.”

“I work for the pope,” Hale spat. “Filth like you wouldn’t even be allowed in his presence.”

“Ooh … testy now, aren’t we?” She chuckled and squatted to put the muzzle of the gun against his forehead. She reached down, grabbed him by his bound wrists, and pulled him up into a sitting position. “There. That’s better. Now you can look straight at me when I kill you.”

“Is Miles flying the plane?”

“I told him to fly or I’d kill all three of you right then.” “Where are we going?”

“Rome. I wanted to kill you there, but I knew your friends”—she pointed behind her at Marie—”would be a pain in my rear. So I just decided to hitch a ride and take care of all three of you at once. Pretty smart, huh?”

“I’m going to watch you die when I kill you,” Hale said matter-of-factly.

She made a sympathetic face. “Oh honey, that’s so sweet. You think you’re going to kill me.” Then she started laughing. “Like I told you before, I’ve been doing this a long time.” She stood back up. “Wickham wants his plane back and you dead. I want my money. Actually, I can’t believe I even took this job. It just so happened that I was in the neighborhood when he called. And, well, I couldn’t turn down the shot at a pro like you, now could I?”

They felt the nose of the plane dip forward. Then a sharp left turn. They were starting their descent.

“Well, looks like we’re almost there,” she said. “I have enjoyed our conversation, Mr. Hale. I’m sorry it can’t continue. I’m only supposed to get the plane back to Rome. Once we land, my job’s complete.”

She reached into a drawer and pulled out a roll of gaff tape. She pulled a piece long enough to tape over his mouth and cut it. She put the tape over his mouth and pushed him back down into a lying position.

Five minutes later they were back on solid ground. She was in the cockpit with Miles, holding the gun to his head. Hale heard her tell him to taxi to the far end of the runway to another private hangar. In a few moments, the plane came to a stop. The woman forced Miles back into the rear cabin with him and Marie. She leveled the gun and shot him twice in the head.

Hale tried to scream and shake his way loose of his bindings but had no luck. He was tied up tighter than a banjo string. He felt the tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched Miles’s lifeless body slump to the floor. He could only be thankful that Marie was still unconscious. At least she didn’t have to see it.

Next, she moved the gun to Marie. She repeated the process quickly and without mercy. Finally, she turned back around to Hale. She undid the tape from his mouth.

He didn’t scream or even talk. He knew. He knew he was going to die. In his last final minutes, he prayed that God would watch over Anna and Jason. And then he rejoiced, knowing that he was about to be with Christ.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

He didn’t answer.

“Suit yourself. Oh, and just because I don’t want you to think I’m totally unsociable, I will answer your question from before. You asked me who I am. My name’s Remy.” She pulled the gun up and fired two shots directly into his forehead.

A
nna scooped up a stack of papers and let them flutter to the floor. “We have piles of notes, loose pages, maps. And not one clue as to what my grandpa was looking for.”

She and Jason had been sitting in the middle of the floor with all of Thomas’s journals and notebooks around them for the better part of two hours.

“It’s late.” Jason restacked the scattered pieces of paper. “Let’s get some rest. We can start again tomorrow.”

Anna let out a big sigh. “I guess you’re right.” She tossed the notebook she was holding onto a pile of ten other ones. “It’s just that my grandpa spent his whole life leading up to this point. And we only have five days to figure it out before we meet Benjamin.”

“At least we know we’re looking for a key.”

“To what?” She threw her arms in the air. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Grandpa knew. Or at least he thought he knew. We don’t know squat!”

“We’ll figure it out,” Jason said. “I promise.”

“We have to. I won’t let all of his work be in vain.”

“It won’t.” He stood up and reached his hand out for her. She took it, and he helped pull her up. “Go to bed. You look rough.” He smiled.

“Gee, thanks. You really know how to make a girl feel good.” She turned to go upstairs to her room. “Anna.”

She stopped and looked back over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

Jason walked over to her and brushed her hair out of her eyes, smiling at her. He loved the way her hair always fell down into her eyes. He loved watching her stick out her bottom lip and try to blow it out of the way. He guessed she didn’t even know she did it. And then there was the way she crinkled her nose, as she was doing now. She really was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

He swallowed the lump that was in his throat and said again, “Anna.”

She smiled. “Yes?”

“I just wanted to say good night. Sleep well.”

She giggled a little and nodded. “You, too.”

He cleared his throat. “Um, okay. See you tomorrow.” He turned around to walk to the kitchen. Suddenly, his mouth was as dry as the desert sand. He needed a drink of water.

He found a glass and turned the faucet on. He held it under the water and noticed that his hands were shaking. “Come on, you gotta be kidding me,” he mumbled to himself. “She’s just a girl.”

“Oh, so I’m just a girl?”

With the water running and him clanking around in the cupboards for a glass, he hadn’t heard her behind him. He turned, and there she was, arms crossed and looking perturbed.

“That’s what you said—just some girl.”

He stood there with his mouth open, but nothing came out. He had been talking to himself. He hadn’t meant anything derogatory by it. And besides, what was she doing here? Didn’t she go upstairs to bed?