The Second Messiah (49 page)

FONZI JABBED THE
keyboard and the screen displayed a segment of the original scroll. He circled the red laser dot around a squiggle on the left of the parchment.

“See this? Something you ought to know. A number of Qumran scrolls had similar markings. It’s believed to be an indicator that the writer made a copy. Often the more important documents were duplicated in case of damage or destruction.”

Lela said, “You mean there could be a copy of
this
scroll?”

“Actually, there could be more than one. What’s wrong, Jack? You’re frowning.”

Jack studied the screen. “I’m thinking about my father’s scroll. He could barely unroll it a couple of inches because the parchment was badly damaged. But I remember seeing a similar marking on his parchment.”

Fonzi said, “Which means it likely had a copy. When the original scrolls were found at Qumran, it wasn’t unusual for copy scrolls and fragments to be found. Even in different caves.”

Jack reflected. “One thing bothers me about the text we’ve read.”

“Shoot,” Fonzi answered.

“Would a low-ranking Roman commander have the power to authorize an execution on a serious charge of sedition? I thought only a governor could do that. In Jesus’ case he was brought before the Judean governor, Pontius Pilate.”

Fonzi nodded. “A good point. And it has to do with the final cherry on the cake. Actually, sedition would have covered anything from rabble-rousing to treason, which is a pretty broad definition. It wasn’t unknown for Roman commanders to take the law into their own hands. In fact, in this case the commander’s action makes perfect sense.”

“Why?” Jack asked.

Fonzi peered over his glasses, consulting his notes. “I learned that the governor of Syria back then was a man called Lucius Aelius Lamia, a Roman senator. Ever heard of him?”

“No.”

“Here’s the cherry. What’s interesting about Lamia is that the records say he was recalled to Rome between 27
A.D.
and 33
A.D.
, and his governorship was left vacant by the Emperor Tiberius—in the last years of Jesus’ life. In fact, his local Roman commander in Dora, Cassius Agrippa, would certainly have taken charge of such a trial and execution, because his governor was absent. It’s perfectly feasible, so it lends credence to the text. And Pontius Pilate may never have even been informed because it occurred in another Roman province.”

Lela said, “I want to show you a pair of symbols. Can you tell me if they have any significance for you? They may be Aramaic; I’m not sure.”

Lela picked up an indelible black pen from the desk. She crossed the whiteboard and stepped in front of the blazing projector light and drew the two symbols with the pen.

Fonzi wheeled closer to the whiteboard, studied the symbols, and shook his head. “I’m sorry, these mean absolutely nothing to me. Except that they look vaguely like two cruciform shapes. Why do you
ask
?” Without waiting for an answer, he twisted in his wheelchair and stared toward the door at the end of the room. “Did you hear that?”

“What?” Jack asked.

“I thought I heard a noise in the corridor.”

Jack listened. “I didn’t hear anything. Did you, Lela?”

“Nothing.”

Fonzi frowned and spun his wheelchair to face the door. “Let me go check.”

A split second later a
crack
sounded and the room plunged into darkness.

“WHAT WAS THAT?”
Jack tensed. He could see nothing, the entire room smothered by blackness.

Fonzi said, “I’ve heard that noise before. It sounds like the main circuit breaker in the switch room down the hall. It must have dropped out.”

Lela answered from the darkness, “It could be the weather causing it to trip, there was lightning earlier.”

Fonzi said, “Then why hasn’t the emergency generator kicked in? It ought to kick in once the main power goes out. It controls the alarm system. I’ll need to check the panel.”

Jack stood. “I’ll go. Do you have a flashlight?”

“There’s a penlight in the desk, if I can find it in the dark, and there’s a big torch hanging in the switch room.”

“Use your laser light, Fonzi.”

“If I can find the blooming thing.”

Jack heard a fumbling noise on the desk for a few moments, then Fonzi said, “Got it.”

He flicked the laser on, directing it toward the palm of his hand. The red-hot rapier sliced through the blackness, suffusing the air with a crimson blush. It was just enough for Fonzi to locate the penlight in a drawer and flick it on, and the beam sprang to life. “That’s better.”

Lela reached into her pocket, removed her Sig pistol, and racked the slide to cock the weapon.

Fonzi startled, his expression confused. “Why—why the gun?”

Lela said, “A precaution in case there’s trouble.”

“Trouble? Why on earth would—”

Jack interrupted. “It’s complicated and now isn’t the time. Let’s just say that I’ve attracted a lot of interest.”

“What kind of interest are you talking about?” Fonzi demanded.

“From the same kind of murderous thugs who killed Professor Green.”

Fonzi studied their faces in the torchlight. “Gosh, are you for real?”

Jack said, “Now’s not the time. Where’s the circuit breaker panel, Fonzi?”

He pointed to the closed door. “The switch room’s down the hall. Turn right at the end and it’s the first door. All the circuit breakers on the panel ought to be in the up position.”

Fonzi considered, then rubbed his jaw. “The alarm system really should have switched over to battery and the power-fail alarm should be going off by now. Maybe it’s an alarm malfunction that’s brought the power down.”

Lela raised an uncertain eyebrow. “Who knows the alarm codes besides you?”

“The police and a few trusted employees.”

“There’s no chance one of them has come in early?”

“Italians? On a Sunday? Are you kidding? Besides, everyone’s off today, we’re closed.”

Jack said, “Stay here, Fonzi. Lela and I will check out the switch room panel. Hold on to the laser, but we’re going to need that penlight.”

Fonzi handed it over. “Don’t you want me to come along?”

“We’ll find it. You’ll have to stay here in the dark and keep your cell phone handy. You’re our backup.” Jack turned toward the door and Lela moved beside him, her Sig at the ready.

Fonzi said uneasily. “Backup? Now you’ve really got me worried.”

Jack aimed the penlight ahead of him. “Don’t be. But keep your cell phone at the ready. If there’s any sign of trouble, call the cops at once.”

JACK REACHED THE
door at the end of the room, Lela beside him. They listened for noise out in the hall but heard nothing.

Lela moved right of the door frame and whispered, “Yank open the door as fast as you can on the count of three. Then keep back against the wall, just in case we’ve got company.”

Jack passed Lela the penlight. “Whatever you say. Here, you may need this. Ready?”

“On the count of three.” Lela planted her feet firmly apart, her back against the wall. She clutched the Sig in both her hands, the light meshed awkwardly between her fingers.

Jack got a firm grip on the door handle. “Ready when you are.”

“One. Two. Three …”

Jack yanked open the door and slammed himself back against the inside wall. Lela aimed her pistol and penlight into the hall but kept most of her body behind the cover of the door frame. Anxious moments passed before she finally said, “It looks all clear. You can come out.”

Jack stepped out as Lela flashed the penlight down the hallway. It looked deserted. The light beam ended after about fifty feet with a blank wall. A hallway led off to the left and right.

Jack said, “What now?”

“We’d be sitting ducks once we’re halfway down the hallway, so we’ll move down one at a time, me first.”

“Whatever you say.”

Behind them, Fonzi’s voice called out shakily, “Is everything okay?”

Jack whispered, “So far. Stay there. We’ll be back as quick as we can.”

“Hey, I’m not moving, guys.”

Lela stepped cautiously into the hallway. She crouched low, swinging her pistol left and right as she moved forward, keeping her back to the wall.

When she reached the end of the corridor, Jack saw her peer round both corners, flashing the torch, searching for a target with her Sig. Finally, she beckoned Jack forward and he joined her. “Well?” he asked.

“I saw the switch room door. It’s around the right corner.”

“What are we waiting for?”

“The door’s already open, Jack.”

They approached the switch room. A warning sign was fixed to the open door—a black lightning bolt on a yellow background. Aiming her Sig, Lela poked a look inside the switch room. It looked no bigger than a closet.

Jack saw it was empty and smelled of cleaning fluids. A jumble of janitorial supplies, mops, and brooms were stashed on the floor. On the facing wall was a large gray metal panel with rows of black Bakelite circuit breakers. To the left was a security panel with a keypad and several arrays of miniature colored lights. All of them were extinguished. Jack punched the keypad with a finger but got no response. “This security panel’s dead.”

He turned his attention to the circuit breakers. Each had a cardboard tag insert above it, written on in black pen, identifying which circuit it fed.

“You know anything about electricity?” Lela asked.

“I know it can kill you. That’s about the sum of my knowledge. According to Fonzi, all the breakers ought to be up. There’s our light.”

A powerful-looking yellow work light was nestled in a charger unit fixed to the wall. Jack plucked out the torch and turned it on. The tiny cupboard flooded with light, drowning out the weak beam from Lela’s penlight.

Jack studied the breaker panel. He noticed that a large, robust circuit breaker had tripped to the down position. All the other smaller breakers appeared to be up. “See there? It looks like the main circuit’s dropped out.”

“Can it be reset?”

Jack shrugged. “Maybe not if there’s a short.” He gripped the breaker between his thumb and forefinger and yanked it up. The breaker clicked into place and all the lights sprang on in the hall, including in the switch room.