The Second Messiah

“I’ve seen this same relief before on several marble slabs. These images of animals, monsters, and sylphs are very distinctive. The slabs themselves were about six feet long, shaped like massive unrolled Roman scrolls, and had chiseled inscriptions.”

Jack studied the drawing more closely. “There was a whole bunch of them on the wall of an enormous round room, what the Romans called a rotunda. Many commemorated deeds by Roman commanders. Archaeologists called the slabs the Nero marbles because they were in a huge villa, part of which dated from the period.”

“What did the inscriptions say?”

“There were too many to recall exactly. And many of them had been damaged by subsidence and rockfalls. But I remember one in particular documented a list of plundered gifts presented to Nero by one of his commanders in Palestine.”

Yasmin frowned. “So what’s the drawing doing in this box?”

Jack tossed down the magnifier and scratched his head. “Another inscription we found nearby commemorated the defeat of the Jews at Masada, near Qumran, in 78 A.D., during the Roman occupation. But apart from that, I can’t really see any great relevance. Except the drawing’s got to have some if it’s in a Vatican file. Novara also had a rough copy of it.”

Jack slipped out his cell phone and Yasmin said, “What are you doing?”

“Taking a picture of the drawing. Move that reading lamp over here.”

“What about the security cameras?”

“Shift yourself over here. If I hunch my shoulders I can cover up what I’m doing.”

“Kelly will go crazy if he finds out.”

“Too late.” There was a soft click, followed by several more. Jack checked the recorded images he’d shot before he flipped shut his phone and tucked it back in his pocket. “It’s not exactly high-quality photography, but I think I’ve got what I need.”

Yasmin’s mouth opened as she stared past Jack’s shoulder. “We’ve got a problem. Kelly’s seen us and he’s on his way over.”

Jack had just replaced the second box on the shelf when he heard footsteps and turned. Kelly stood there with a sour look. Beside him waited a tall, lanky man with a dour expression like a sad bloodhound. Dark rings under his eyes suggested he hadn’t had proper sleep for days.

Kelly said bluntly to Jack, “What were you doing? Did you touch one of the box files?”

“I found a note that referred to a document in another box, right there. I was almost tempted to take a look. How about it?”

Kelly appeared suspicious as he checked the box file on the shelf for himself, then pushed it back into place. “Absolutely not, you know the rules. Besides, your time’s up.”

Kelly clicked his fingers at the lanky man. “Father Rossi, one of our senior archivists, will check the file to make sure it’s all there. Proceed, Father.”

“Yes, Excellency.”

Jack said, “There’s a document’s missing from our box.”

Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“According to the index there’s supposed to be a document number nine, titled ‘Father John Becket’s statement,’ but it’s not in there.”

Kelly was suspicious. “Is this some kind of trickery?”

“No way. Look for yourself.”

Kelly searched the pages and frowned. “He’s right, it’s not there.”

Jack said, “We haven’t got it. We’ve nothing to hide.”

The archivist was ashen, at a genuine loss to explain. “Excellency, we haven’t got around to working on this section yet, so I can’t explain why the document’s missing. I’ll check to see if anyone signed it out, but I’m sure I would have noted it in my records.”

Kelly was grim. “This is serious, Father Rossi. Deal with it personally.”

“Of course, Excellency.” The archivist flushed, tucked the box file under his arm, and crossed back to his work area.

Kelly regarded Jack with a skeptical look. “Under the circumstances, you and your lady friend will have to submit to a full strip search before you leave.”

73

They followed Kelly into a chamber manned by two well-dressed security guards, one male and one female. The cardinal spoke to the guards in Italian. “Check them both. A document is missing. Do a full and thorough examination, if you please.”

The woman led Yasmin through a nearby door while Jack was escorted by the male guard into a windowless room with a doctor’s couch and several chairs. A number of electronic devices were laid out on the table, looking vaguely like torture implements, and the guard said in English, “Please remove everything from your pockets, signore.”

Jack removed his notebook, wallet, and cell phone and the guard checked each in turn before he picked up an electronic scanner. “Arms wide, please.”

Jack did as he was told and the guard ran the scanner over his body. “What does the scanner check for?” Jack asked.

The guard smiled. “Paper or parchment of any kind. In case you have stolen documents.”

“You mean people actually try and steal items from the Vatican Archives?”

The guard raised his eyes in amusement. “Over the years I have caught respected priests and senior clergy trying to smuggle out priceless church papers. But nothing escapes our eyes, or our fingers.”

“Fingers?”

“Bend over, signore.”