The Last Secret of the Ark

by James Becker

  ‘That’s one of the peculiarities,’ Angela replied. ‘He said that to release the documents would be to create a serious act of folly – I’m paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it – which is unhelpfully non-specific. But there may actually have been some grounds for his decision, because of something Élisabeth d’Hautpoul claimed. To understand why this is significant, we need to go back to the purging of the Knights Templar in 1307. The Voisin family was closely associated with the Templars in southern France, and after Philip the Fair ordered the mass arrests of the knights, the Voisins did what they could to help them. According to some accounts, they assisted numerous members of the order to escape to Spain.

  ‘Then in 1422 the Voisin and Hautpoul families were linked when Pierre-Raymond d’Hautpoul married Marcafava de Voisin. The Hautpouls were known as the Kings of the Black Mountain, but they’d fallen on hard times. In fact, they’d brought the hard times on themselves because they’d sided with the Cathars during the Albigensian Crusades, which was a dangerous thing to do, and the French king had reacted in the way you’d expect, confiscating Hautpoul properties and assets. Three centuries later, in 1732, there was another important marriage when François d’Hautpoul wed Marie de Négri d’Ablès. She was the last surviving member and the sole heiress of the Aniort family. Her dowry included all the remaining assets of the Aniorts. That’s almost the end of the genealogy, which is dull but important. The couple produced three children, all daughters, and one of these was Mary-Anne Élisabeth d’Hautpoul.’

  ‘The woman who gave the family documents to the notary,’ Bronson put in, as much to prove he was paying attention as for any other reason.

  The path was quite narrow in places and they paused to allow a small gaggle of tourists, some with cameras around their necks but most clutching smartphones, to continue walking up the slope. Bronson watched as the last of them disappeared from view among the trees, and noticed something that he’d almost been expecting to see.

  ‘Correct,’ Angela said, picking up the story again as they walked on. ‘Élisabeth never married and there was something of a family dispute between her and her sisters about the Aniort inheritance. She was the keeper of the family files and refused to hand over any of them to her siblings. She said she believed it would be dangerous if she did that, but she didn’t explain why. But she did make a slightly curious suggestion, proposing that the documents should be decoded and examined to confirm which were family records and which were not. The fairly obvious conclusion is that along with the usual property deeds and stuff there were documents that had nothing to do with the family, and by implication some of these were written in or contained a form of code.’

  They’d covered about half the distance down the path from the castle, and Bronson was beginning to feel in more urgent need of liquid refreshment. And food as well.

  ‘I’m sure this is all jolly interesting,’ he said, ‘and I presume you’re now approaching the nub of the story, the bit that’s dragged us across the Channel and down here to the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, but could I suggest we walk back to the chambre d’hôte, pick up the car and then find somewhere to have lunch.’

  ‘That was my plan as well, actually,’ Angela replied. ‘There are restaurants in Montségur village and there’s a small museum that’s worth a visit. Anyway, the nub, as you put it, of this matter is the link between the Cathars, the fall of Montségur, and the Aniort family. As we know, a truce was negotiated between the defenders of the fortress and the besieging Catholic forces. The two principal negotiators on the Cathar side were the cousins Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix and Raymond de Perella. I mentioned them before. They were both lords of Montségur and Raymond de Perella had rebuilt the castle the Cathars were occupying. The negotiations were supervised and safeguarded by Raymond d’Aniort. He was then the lord of both Rennes-le-Château and Rennes-les-Bains, and one thing we know for certain about him and his three brothers is that they were implacably opposed to Simon de Montfort, the military leader of the king’s forces besieging the castle. All of which raises a couple of obvious questions.’

  ‘Yes. Why were the two noblemen who effectively owned the castle of Montségur representing the Cathars? They were the landlords, if you like, speaking for their heretical tenants, which is unusual in a situation like this. And why was a man whose sympathies obviously lay with the Cathars supervising negotiations between them and the besieging army?’

  ‘Exactly. There are another couple of peculiarities about the Aniorts. Because of their alignment with the Cathar heretics, the Aniort brothers were excommunicated by the Church and, like the Hautpouls, their estates were confiscated. That’s what you’d expect to happen, but their excommunications were lifted shortly after they’d been applied, and most of their properties were restored to them. Perhaps stranger still is that Raymond d’Aniort attended the royal court, where he was treated with respect and even deferred to by the king. This makes no sense in any context bar one. Raymond had allied himself with the Cathar heretics, which meant he had rebelled against the king, and he was arguably a heretic himself, a crime punishable by death in those days. About the only explanation that makes sense is that Raymond or the Aniort family had some power, or at least a measure of control, over the king. That could mean that they possessed something so powerful or significant that its very existence frightened both the king and his court.’

  ‘We’ve encountered something like this before,’ Bronson said, ‘but a lot earlier. As far as I know, nobody has ever come up with an explanation for Pope Innocent II issuing the papal bull Omne datum optimum, which exempted the new Knights Templar order from all taxation and obedience to local laws. The most likely reason is that the Templars had found something in their excavations under the Temple Mount that was so threatening to the Church or the papacy that the pope had to do what they wanted. Maybe the Aniorts had something like that hidden away.’

  ‘Maybe they did,’ Angela agreed, ‘and maybe it was even the same something. Back to Montségur and the Cathars, and the escape of the four perfecti who were supposedly carrying the treasure of the order. That’s the number given to the inquisitors by some of the surviving heretics under interrogation. A contemporary report states that once the perfecti had made their escape and had safely reached level ground, a man called Escot de Belcaire lit a signal fire on the top of a nearby hill called Bidorta, and that the purpose of the fire was to let the besieged Cathars know that the operation had been completed.’

  ‘And that’s significant because…?’

  ‘Because Escot de Belcaire was a special personal envoy of Raymond d’Aniort, so the Aniorts were not only protecting the interests and ensuring the safety of the Cathars during the negotiations, but were also actively working with the besieged garrison of Montségur.’

  ‘I follow all that,’ Bronson said, ‘but there are a couple of questions that I think need answering. First, fascinating though all this medieval history is, I still have no real idea what we’re doing here. And second, I was wondering if you’ve acquired a new boyfriend, because there’s a young man about a hundred yards behind us right now, following us down the slope, who also followed us up to the castle from the car park. Don’t turn round. Just take my word for it.’

  ‘Rubbish,’ Angela scoffed, glancing behind her despite what Bronson had said. ‘He’s just another tourist. This bit of France is a popular destination and Montségur is one of the main attractions.’

  ‘Maybe. He was also sitting at an outside table at the cafe when we had lunch yesterday and eating at a corner table in the same dining room as us when we visited a different restaurant last night. So if he is just a tourist, it seems odd that his tastes match ours so closely.’

  ‘This may be a tourist area,’ Angela pointed out, ‘but there aren’t that many hotels and restaurants nearby. There aren’t even many houses. That’s one reason why we’re staying in a local chambre d’hôte rather than some glittering five-star establishment stuffed full of rec
eptionists and chefs. That may be why he’s dogging our footsteps – if you’re right about that – rather than spying on us or whatever you think he’s doing.’

  ‘Perhaps.’ Bronson sounded unconvinced. ‘But if we find him sitting at the next table when we have lunch, I’m going to assume it’s enemy action. And I might have to do something about it.’

  Chapter 9

  Monteverde district, Rome, Italy

  ‘David?’ Marco Ferrara asked, looking at Julius Caravaggio. ‘I don’t think I’ve heard that name, or at least not in this context.’

  ‘That’s good,’ the cardinal said. ‘It’s a random code name.’

  ‘David’ was not any part of the real name of the person to whom he was referring, and the use of the alias was to provide a layer – actually two layers – of obfuscation. The cardinal glanced round, reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small memory stick, which he passed to Ferrara.

  ‘This contains what you need to know about David, as well as the other information we have obtained about this matter, including scans of the data that Luca Rossi recovered.’

  ‘I understand that, but I still don’t know why this person is important to us.’

  It was Francesco who replied. ‘David is important because copies of the documents we were hoping to recover from that notary’s office in France have ended up on his desk. And that’s definitely a problem, because of who he is and what he does.’

  Cardinal Caravaggio leaned forward again and slightly lowered his voice.

  ‘David is a professional in one of the archaeological disciplines,’ he said, ‘but more importantly he has a peculiar knack for finding lost relics that we would much rather stayed lost. He has no love for the Church and on several occasions has managed to thwart our efforts to perform certain operations. It is vital that this does not happen in this matter. As Rossi discovered, an English academic at the Sorbonne sent copies of these papers to him. I’ve discussed David’s character with people in the Church who have dealt with him in the past, and we were certain that as soon as he’d looked at the papers he would take the next step. We were right. He immediately started to search for the object that we seek. Under no circumstances is he to be allowed to find it.’

  ‘Obviously we have experts working on the data right now at the Palace of the Holy Office,’ Francesco said, ‘but we cannot guarantee that we can decipher the documents and work out where the trail leads before David does. That’s why you’re here, Marco. You’re our insurance policy, a way of achieving the result we need.’

  ‘And our goal is…?’

  ‘To recover the object itself,’ Francesco said, ‘or obtain definitive and unambiguous proof that it has been destroyed. Either outcome would be sufficient for our needs.’

  ‘I understand,’ Ferrara said. ‘So I presume you want me to follow David, and if he manages to locate the object you want me to take it from him?’

  ‘That is precisely what we want.’

  ‘I will follow your directions, of course, Your Em—’ Ferrara broke off before finishing the formal address. ‘I apologise,’ he added quickly, glancing around to make sure nobody could have overheard what he’d said. ‘I presume he is already under surveillance?’

  ‘Of course, but with a small team and from a distance, just to monitor where he is and what he’s doing.’

  ‘I cannot do this by myself,’ Ferrara said. ‘Even watching one target all the time will require several people, so I assume I can recruit whatever additional men I need?’

  ‘This will be your operation,’ Caravaggio told him, which Ferrara immediately recognised as a subtle passing of the buck, ‘so that will be your choice. Now, unless there’s anything else, I think we’ve finished here. Visit my office first thing this afternoon and I will give you enough cash to begin the operation, as well as an unlimited credit card. And remember, this is an enormously sensitive matter for the Church, so there is to be nothing in writing. Don’t retain receipts or any other form of paperwork and don’t print any of the information you’ll find on the memory stick. Make your progress reports to me, or to Francesco if I am unavailable. You can call us on the mobile numbers you’ll find listed on the memory stick. The SIM cards in both those phones are unregistered and have been loaded with pre-paid credit, and I have a similar phone in my office for you.’

  Ferrara nodded. It was exactly what he had expected once the scope of his mission became clear. So that really only left one thing to clarify.

  ‘And David?’ The question was obvious to him, and possibly the answer as well.

  ‘His assistance will no longer be required,’ Cardinal Caravaggio replied, the tone of his voice bleak and the unstated implication perfectly clear.

  Ferrara nodded again.

  Caravaggio glanced at both men and nodded as well. Then the three of them stood up and walked away from the cafe to make their way back to the Vatican by three different and well-separated routes.

  Chapter 10

  Jerusalem, Israel

  Every intelligence service keeps an eye, or rather lots of pairs of eyes, on the activities of a target nation, organisation or individual. The methods used can include recruiting informers, covert and overt physical surveillance, and electronic surveillance, using signals intelligence or SIGINT. This originally meant listening in to enemy radio broadcasts but now has a much wider remit and concentrates on the busiest communication methods: telephone calls, emails, websites and social media posts.

  An important technique employs trip wires of various sorts, ranging from detecting when a particular person visits a premises under surveillance or meets another suspect individual, to setting software alarms on the Internet to produce an alert when a specific website is visited, allowing the intelligence service to identify where the visitor is located through their IP – Internet Protocol – address.

  Of course, it’s not just intelligence services that do this. At opposite ends of the spectrum, manufacturing companies keep watch on their competitors and on the marketplace to keep aware of new trends and developments, and terrorist groups watch other terrorist groups and the forces of law and order to ensure their operations are successful.

  The disparate collection of zealots who called themselves Zeru did not consider their group to be a terrorist organisation, though their avowed aim would have been described by most people as a terrorist act, though welcomed by many others. Zeru was a shortened form of Zerubbabel, an Old Testament figure named in the book of Zechariah, whose single most important accomplishment exactly mirrored Zeru’s aims. Zeru was not an active organisation in the general sense of the word, because its members were waiting for one single event to take place. In their eyes this event would be a legitimate signal for them to fulfil their stated objective, an objective that they knew would certainly embroil the Middle East and potentially much of the rest of the world in a bitter religious conflict. But that did not concern the men – and they were all men – from Zeru to even the smallest degree. They believed the event they awaited would be an entirely unmistakable message from God, and therefore whatever blood was spilled or lives were lost, it would all be God’s will.

  They had no idea when this event was likely to occur, but they’d done extensive research, tracing a tortuous path through the centuries, picking up a clue here and a hint there to produce a timeline that provided possible answers to some of their questions. What it didn’t do was supply the final piece of information they needed, because at some indeterminate date in the medieval period, the trail went cold. But what the men from Zeru had been able to establish was that if the clue still existed and was recorded anywhere, it would probably be found somewhere in the Languedoc region of southern France. And that was enough.

  They’d done what an intelligence service faced with that kind of problem would probably have done. Not knowing exactly where to look, they’d set trip wires across the region in every place and using every medium they could access, covering local newspapers, radio station
s and television programmes that dealt with the subject in even a peripheral sense. They didn’t expect these sources to yield positive results, but they were still worth checking. They had concentrated most of their effort on the Internet, focusing on blogs run by people in the region, reasoning that these were likely to be the most productive since they had to fill the computer screens of their electronic visitors with fresh material on a daily or weekly basis. A small team of Zeru members monitored all the sites of interest from their base in Jerusalem, while newspapers, free papers, news sheets and the like were obtained by a couple of local sympathisers and any relevant material was scanned and emailed to Jerusalem to be scrutinised.

  In the event, this allocation of their priorities turned out to be correct. One website, mainly used by its blogging owner as a public display for photographs he’d taken of local attractions plus snippets of interesting news from the region, reported a seemingly senseless crime.

  An office in Limoux belonging to a former notary, a man who’d retired prematurely due to ill health, had been broken into late one afternoon. Nobody had seen anyone, but because of what the gendarmes found when they entered the building after being called by a resident who’d spotted the splintered door, the assumption was that at least two people had been involved in the crime.

  The body of a man named René Maréchal, a clerk who’d worked for the notary for some two decades, had been found inside the office. His death had been termed une exécution by an unidentified police source, though the method of his killing had not been made public. There appeared to be no obvious motive for the break-in: there were four reasonably expensive computers in the office, plus scanners, printers, a high-speed router and even two mobile phones, and they had all been left untouched.

  So robbery clearly hadn’t been the reason for the crime, but Maréchal had been deliberately killed, hence the conclusion by the gendarmes. Local enquiries revealed no apparent reason why he had been murdered. He owed no significant sums of money to anyone, he had no connections to organised crime, or indeed to any form of crime, and had no known criminal associates. In fact, he was almost a cipher because so few people in Limoux, either near the office or in the vicinity of Maréchal’s home on the outskirts of the town, appeared to know him well.