The Secret of Fatima (40 page)

The questions driving his life were finally coming into focus. How a man with his faults and temptations had such a powerful calling to the priesthood had always been a mysterious unknown. It was now clarifying itself. Prayer was coming more easily. When he held little William in his arms, his heart would pound with love and his sense of purpose would be forever engaged. He knew why he was here. He looked forward to fulfilling it and to serving the highest authority.

He checked his phone, looking for a message from Toby. None came. Before going out again, he made a phone call.

“MC, it's Kevin.”

“Oh Kevin, I'm so happy to hear from you! I've been miserable here. I mean, the place is fine, but I can't go out and TV is boring and …”

“MC, be quiet and listen to me. You're coming to Washington with me tomorrow, understand?”

“No, Kevin, I don't understand. I've never been to Washington, I—”

“Just listen to me. If you stay here, you're going to get implicated, caught in the takedown of Opus Mundi. I'll get you out and give you a meaningful job.”

“What kind of job?” she asked suspiciously.

“You'll be my special assistant, do whatever I tell you to do.”

“I think I'd like that, Kevin,” she said. “How will you pay me? You know, I'm thinking about leaving the Order.”

“Leave if you want to, and don't worry about how I'll pay you.”

“It's a deal, Kevin. But I need more details. Can we have dinner tonight to talk about it?”

“No. I'm meeting an old friend. Maybe tomorrow after we land.”

Kevin turned off his phone and put on his coat. He checked himself in the mirror. He was a priest in a black suit and turned collar. This is who he was. And who he was meant to be. He knew it now. An enormous weight had been lifted from him. He felt he could float in the air.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Mary. I wish it hadn't taken so long, I admit, but now I know the purpose of my life. I'll do everything I can to fulfill it.

He walked out of his quarters into a moonlit night. His euphoria was now giving way to a new concern, a new weight on his shoulders, the responsibility for a new life. A life? Perhaps the most important life in two thousand years. As he strolled, a gentle breeze accompanied him, propelling him along the path to St. Peter's. A guard at the back entrance nodded, allowing him to enter the now empty, cavernous basilica. As he crossed the apse to a side altar, his footsteps echoed loudly. He knew where he was going.

When he crossed the main aisle, Kevin genuflected and continued to a small cove behind the main altar. Inside the cove, a gold tabernacle sat atop a cloth-covered marble altar. To the right stood a life-size statue of Mary on a concrete pedestal. At its base, an array of votive candles in red glass cases cast a flickering light on the figure above. Kevin dropped a few coins in the black metal box and lit a candle. He watched it for a moment, looking up again at the statue. The light on Mary's face shimmered from the candles' reflected light, creating a sense of movement. He continued looking into her eyes. His mind was playing tricks on him as a kaleidoscope of familiar faces appeared on the statue. He recognized them: his mother, Katie, the Bosnian mother of Katie's child, and the young girl he saved in Iraq.
Shukran
.

It had been a long day.

Kevin bowed his head and knelt in front of the statue.

“Hail Mary, full of grace, our Lord is with thee …”

Kevin finished his prayer. His eyes drifted up to the statue.

Mary smiled.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I'm one on those people who actually reads authors' acknowledgments even though I don't know the author or his friends. Apparently you're like that too. The question is: why do we? Perhaps we are curious to know who helped the author and in what capacity. Or maybe we'll find a name or two we recognize. We might want to know who assisted with the complicated police scenarios or the intricate descriptions of a scary medical procedure. Is there a secret wink in there to a long lost relationship? I don't really know, nor can I explain why I spend the time reading these pages. Maybe you have a better answer.

So here goes.

I want you to know that the Secret of Fatima is a project I've been working on for over three decades. My wife, Ann, and I first went to Fatima in the 80s, and back again last year. How it has changed! It is a major pilgrim / tourist destination with a large, soaring chapel, dozens of hotels, and an esplanade that can hold over a hundred thousand visitors. I've been working on the book idea ever since that first visit. I started with the world's fascination over the third secret of Fatima, which has been locked in the Vatican archives since Sister Lucia, the survivor of the three children to whom Mary appeared, recorded it and sent it to Rome for safekeeping in the 1940s. It remained locked up until Pope John Paul II released it in 2000. Was that a major news story, you ask? You bet! It made the front page of The New York Times. But many believe that the real secret was never revealed. This novel addresses that question.

I could not have completed the work without the contribution of several talented editors who helped me at different stages. Heartfelt thanks to Erin Brown and Donna Peerce. More recently, I had the benefit or working with Blair Brown, a seasoned and talented editor who injected much life into the project. I'm grateful to have worked with her and richer as a writer for having met her. My editor at Liberty Island, Jay Merwin, offered additional plot input and he put the finishing touches on the manuscript to get it ready for publication. Thanks, Jay.

Many friends and colleagues agreed to read early versions of the manuscript and offer their comments and suggestions, for which I am understandably grateful. Everlasting thanks to, Katie Fleiss, Vienna McCartney, Alex Hoyt, Sarah West, Marysue Shore and special gratitude to Justine Moore, a fellow writer who contributed both sage advice and some sparkling dialogue for my female protagonist.

Others who offered specialized advice include Lucas Evans, Monsignor Seely Beggiani, and Will Tanous, who contributed thoughtful plot points which I gratefully used.

This book is dedicated to the man who was my writing mentor, advisor, and agent for over thirty years: Theron Raines. We lost him a few years ago and I miss him. Fortunately, his wife Joan Raines has picked up the baton and continued the work of the agency. I am grateful to her for all the efforts she made to market the book successfully.

The second dedicatee is Josephine Tanous my newest adorable granddaughter.

Given that I started this project several decades ago, I likely forgot to acknowledge some individuals who gave me important help and advice, and I will lose some sleep over it. If you're reading this and you fall in that category, please let me know so I can correct and make amends.

As always, thanks to family, including my trophy wife of 50+ years, Ann, my children and their spouses, Chris Tanous, Paul Bartilucci, Helene Bartilucci, Will Tanous, Julie Tanous, and four wonderful granddaughters, Olivia, Isabella, Lilly and Josephine.

And the final acknowledgment, dear reader, to you with thanks for joining me on this extraordinary adventure.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Peter J. Tanous

ISBN: 978-1-5040-3509-5

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