The Serpent's Disciple

by Deborah Stevens

  Your Friend in Christ,

  Cardinal McKenna

  Someone actually was starting to believe what she had suspected for so long, but with that she hadn’t planned on uncovering a sinister plot.

  Flipping through the pages of notes and documents she would have to study the information after she got on the plane. Cardinal McKenna had taken care of her transportation to the airport and the car would be picking her up soon.

  Thinking about the prophecy of Saint Anthony her thoughts turned to Anthony. Any animosity between them was gone, but she could sense he was preoccupied with something and there was something else she hadn’t been able to put her finger on.

  She became more and more frightened and now realized that was what she sensed in Anthony. If he were afraid, what would he be afraid of? Whatever it was Nelli was part of it too. She planned on finding out this weekend.

  It was getting late and she wanted to call Devlin before she left. Thankfully he picked up after the second ring.

  “Hey Mary, are you about ready to leave for Pesaro?”

  “Yes, but I wanted to talk to you before I left. You know it’s strange Dev, even though it’s been a few years since Anthony and I went our separate ways, it feels like it was only yesterday that I spoke to him.

  “Mary Ellen, I never did know what happened between you two.”

  Mary Ellen had never told Devlin the reason why she and Anthony had drifted apart. She wasn’t about to now. The past was history. Discussing it wouldn’t change anything.

  “It was a difficult time for both of us Dev. It doesn’t matter now. We both moved forward with our lives.”

  “Well, have a nice weekend and tell Anthony and Nelli I send them my prayers.”

  “I will Dev, but I want to ask you a couple questions.”

  When they met for dinner the other night Mary Ellen told him of her suspicions and showed Devlin the notes and a list of money transactions that corresponded around the same time of the accusations against him. Devlin thought Mary Ellen’s imagination was getting the best of her, but he had been accused falsely for something he never did.

  Considering for just a second that there might be something to her conspiracy theory, could there really be evidence that might explain the lies against him?

  “Devlin did you hear me?”

  “What? I’m sorry what did you say?”

  “I need you to contact any of the priests that are still your friends over at the LC. The ones you feel you can trust and ask them if they ever noticed any similar behaviors that you mentioned to me. I have seen more documents that further validate my suspicions. When I get back we will discuss everything.”

  Devlin wondered what new documents she was talking about but he realized Mary Ellen didn’t have the time to get into it right now.

  “Mary Ellen, I don’t know how they will receive my questioning them about things that happened years ago.” Mary Ellen could hear the hesitation in her brother’s voice.

  “They might be suspicious of me digging up the past,” said Devlin.

  “Please Devlin, it’s very important you try.”

  He never heard his sister sound so serious in his life.

  “All right, I will make some calls today.”

  “Thank you Dev, I need to run now.”

  Outside Mary Ellen’s building Sho’am sat in a car. He was talking on his cell phone when he observed another car pulling up to the front entrance.

  “The limo from the Vatican just pulled up,” he said to the person on the other end of the phone. “I’m not seeing anything else out of the ordinary.”

  “Good, follow them to the airport, then Y’hochanan will take over. He’s already checking in his luggage. He’ll be seated towards the back of the plane so he can observe everyone. Then follow up with our contact in the mail room and go over the video again. See if you can figure out who our mystery person might be. Report in at your usual time.”

  CHAPTER 61

  Closing the door behind him McKenna took a deep breath. Whatever evil he had just encountered was for the moment on the other side of the door. Glancing down at his watch, Donovan figured Mary Ellen must be on the plane to Pesaro by now. She should have gotten his envelope and was probably reading through his latest findings.

  First, he would stop at the office and make sure Robert had delivered the materials to Mary Ellen, and then he would check his messages. He was anxious to see if Commander Crevelli or Carlo had tried to call.

  The Holy Father was scheduled to return to the Vatican on Sunday and then on Monday head to his country estate, Castel Gandolfo, for the remainder of the week. It is only fifteen miles from Rome, making it possible for the Pope to return to the Vatican quickly if necessary. At some point he needed to discuss his findings with either Crevelli or the Pope personally.

  To his amazement he had already reached his office. The two guards took their positions outside the entrance to the offices. Robert watched as the cardinal walked through the door.

  “I hope your meeting went well Cardinal McKenna. While you were out Commander Crevelli and Carlo from the Vatican Archives both called and are anxious to talk to you. I told them you were in a meeting. They each asked if you would please call them as soon as you got back to the office.”

  “Thank you Robert. Please hold all my calls,” said McKenna as he went straight to his office. Closing the door behind him he was glad to be alone. Heading to his desk he placed a call to Carlo, who picked up on the second ring.

  Seeing that the call was from McKenna, Carlo wasted no time, “Cardinal McKenna I was just about to call you again. I believe I might have found something that could be important to your search for a diary kept by Saint Anthony.”

  “I will come as soon as I can,” said McKenna. “I must attend to a few things here first but then I plan on spending the remainder of the day in the archives.”

  “Then I will see you shortly cardinal,” said Carlo.

  McKenna tried to reach Commander Crevelli next but he was out of the office. He immediately buzzed for Robert.

  “Robert, would you please track down the Commander for me. I am headed over to spend the remainder of the day in the Vatican Archives. When you track him down tell him to call me on my cell phone.”

  “Is there any other message you would like me to give him?” asked Robert.

  “No, he’ll know what it’s about. I will be leaving in a few minutes. If I need you I will call from the cell.”

  McKenna started gathering everything he wanted to take with him. He had to stay focused. He’d worry about Cardinal Cavallari later.

  CHAPTER 62

  Anxious to see what Carlo had discovered, McKenna took a seat across the table from the Vatican archivist.

  “What have you found that leads you to believe there might be evidence of a diary belonging to Saint Anthony?”

  “Here’s the remarkable thing Cardinal McKenna, there is actually a small collection of the old church journals from the monastery that Saint Anthony belonged to preserved in the Vatican library.

  “In them Saint Anthony speaks about a loyal and faithful friend at the abbey. For some unknown reason, it became important for me to find out more about this person. Perhaps, it was the work of the Holy Spirit, but I finally came across some information in some of the earlier documents.

  “It is well known that at that time in history the monks were among the very few who were educated. Sometimes a family would send their young son to be an apprentice to the monks. The abbeys always needed help, and in return they taught these young boys to read and write, hoping that some would later want to join the Church.

  “A boy by the name of Giovanni was placed under the care of Saint Anthony. In the documents Saint Anthony wrote about what an excellent student the young Giovanni was and how he had the same gift of working with wood as his father in the village. He wrote how he encouraged the boy to practice his writing by keeping a journal. I searched through the rest of the document
s but there is little else of benefit.

  “I tried cross-referencing different things but came up empty. Still I felt like there was something I was missing but I had run out of ideas.

  “I was about to give up when I realized I hadn’t searched under the name of the young apprentice. It was a long shot but it was worth a try. To my amazement I found a surprisingly large collection of documents, manuscripts, and drawings pertaining to the abbey.

  “As I looked through all of it a small leather bound book fell out from among the papers. It was very old and most of the lettering was worn off. I could make out a few letters, and then I realized what I had found. It was the journal of a young boy by the name of Giovanni.

  “The dates of the journal entries would have been around the time of Saint Anthony’s death. Unfortunately many of the pages had disintegrated but there was enough for me to piece together a limited picture of who this person was and his relationship with Saint Anthony. Some of the writings I believe were descriptions of things that had happened in his earlier years at the monastery.

  “One entry talks about when he was working in the fields one day and meeting a holy man. The man offered to share his lunch with Giovanni. While they ate he told the man his desire to make something special for Father Anthony for teaching him to read and write. The holy man had heard he was gifted at making things out of wood. Giovanni did not know how the holy man would know this but it wasn’t for him to question God’s ways. The monk suggested he make a beautiful wooden box in which Father Anthony could keep something he treasured.

  “Another passage talks about keeping a promise to Father Anthony at his deathbed. He promises to pass on the key to one worthy until the day it was needed.”

  “Does he write what the key is for?” asked McKenna.

  “No, I only saw it mentioned that one time. A key could mean many different things than what we commonly associate with the word today.”

  “So we’re not talking about an actual key like one used to unlock a door?”

  “Well it could be many things. There were two ways important information was transported during that time in history. A key could be a code used to unlock a message within the written word. Battle plans were often hidden within a letter sent by a courier to army leaders in the field.

  “Then you have the Old Masters like Michelangelo, it is said he included secret messages in his paintings. And finally, it could be an actual key that unlocks something.”

  This newest lead created a realm of possibilities that McKenna couldn’t spend any time delving into right now. He had to stay focused on finding the Antichrist and stopping him. He would run this latest information past Mary Ellen, perhaps this friend of hers knew something about the world of secret codes and keys.

  “Carlo, I would like you to continue to see what more you can uncover but I need to research a group called P2. I will check back with you later.”

  McKenna was now headed down Via di Porta Angelica to Porta di S. Anna, the entrance to the archives, which was adjacent to the Vatican Library. The last he heard, the archives are said to hold more than fifty-two miles of shelving.

  He’d called ahead and requested anything they could find on Propaganda Due or P2 be pulled and ready for him. Entering the index room, he was met by a priest wearing the black cassock, required dress at the Vatican.

  “I am Cardinal McKenna. I called and asked that some materials be pulled for me.”

  “Si, everything is waiting for you. Please, if I may ask your indulgence, I must ask for identification, it is protocol.”

  Swiping McKenna’s I.D. card into the computer he quickly handed it back to the cardinal.

  “Do you have a cell phone, camera, or other electronic devices on your person?”

  “I have my cell phone.”

  “I must ask that you allow us to hold it for safekeeping while you visit with us,” his hand open to receive the device.

  He put the phone into a tray and placed it in a lock box, then handed the key to Cardinal McKenna.

  “Please Cardinal McKenna follow me.”

  McKenna was led down a hallway to a small reading room. As the priest opened the door McKenna heard what sounded like a balloon deflating. They entered a small space just large enough to accommodate two people. They stood there until the door closed behind them. The priest knew if this were the cardinal’s first time to the archives he would be unfamiliar with the process.

  “It is climate controlled to preserve the materials,” said the priest calmly without turning around.

  When the hissing sound finally stopped the priest unlocked the second door. They entered a small room with no windows. The room was well lit and in the center was a long table surrounded by four chairs. An additional library lamp and intercom were in the middle of the table. The requested materials were placed at one end and next to them were a pair of white cotton gloves.

  “We require all our visitors to wear gloves while viewing the materials. If you would be so kind,” the priest glanced over at the pair lying there.

  Walking to the table Donovan sat down and put on the gloves.

  “Thank you Cardinal McKenna. I will leave you to your reading. Please buzz me,” motioning to the intercom, “if you need anything or when you have finished.”

  Donovan watched as the priest turned and exited through the first door. Picking up a file that sat on top of the stack of documents, he placed it in front of him. He sat there for a minute staring at the folder.

  “Cardinal McKenna,” said a man’s voice interrupting the silence. “I thought I would just ask one more time if you have everything you need before you begin.”

  It took McKenna a second to register where the voice was coming from, then he remembered the intercom.

  “Yes … thank you. I have everything I need.”

  Donovan now had to accept the truth. This wasn’t a dream. The Bible has long warned mankind they would be deceived by false prophets unless they kept the commandments.

  He had to learn everything he could about P2. Checking the time, he put on his glasses and began reading.

  CHAPTER 63

  Anthony had been keeping an eye on the time. “We should head out, Nelli. It’s about a thirty-minute drive from the villa to the airport. I’d like to be there before Mary Ellen’s plane lands.”

  “Gradara Castle is between here and the airport in Rimini. After we pick her up I thought we could stop and tour the fortress and see if the chapel really exists.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “Help me gather up all the information on Gradara and we will take it with us,” said Anthony.

  Neither of them spoke as they drove away from the villa down the gravel road past the cypress trees that stood guard. When they reached the stone archway, Nelli looked over at Anthony.

  “What if our suspicions are right Anthony? What if the private chapel does exist? Do you think the box could be hidden somewhere inside it?”

  As he turned left onto Autostrada Adriatica, Anthony had also been wondering the same thing. He would need to contact Mattithyahu and the others. They’d need a plan to sneak the box out and get Nelli somewhere safe.

  “Let’s take it one step at a time. First we’ll see if the chapel even exists, and if it does, does it match up with the drawing we saw in the book.”

  They both started watching for the signs to the airport, then they saw airport 1 km. Anthony looked for a cell phone area to wait at until Mary Ellen called that her plane had landed.

  At the same time the flight attendant was welcoming the passengers on Alitalia flight 7212 to Rimini and Federico Fellini International Airport. The flight was short but Mary Ellen had managed to read through most of the file Cardinal McKenna had delivered to her this morning.

  If you drew a timeline between the money transfers by the Vatican Bank, the travel records of its president, and the reports of the sexual abuse cases against priests, there were a lot of red flags popping up. It wasn’t jus
t the last few months either; it now appeared to have been going on for years and it seemed to be escalating. It was becoming more and more evident a well thought out plan was being executed.

  Mary Ellen stared out the window as they taxied to the gate. The world seemed to be carrying on as usual. Planes were lined up to take off while others were coming in for a landing. The baggage handlers were loading and unloading bags. While waiting for people to get their luggage down from the overhead bins, she sent a text message to Anthony’s phone: The plane just landed. I’ll call when I have my bag.

  “Is it from Mary Ellen? Has her plane landed?” asked Nelli.

  “Yes, she’ll call us when she has her bag.”

  “Do you think she’ll sense something’s going on Anthony?”

  “I don’t know why she would. All she knows is we’re here to see where Dad was born, and that I am combining it with a little research.”

  Ten minutes later Anthony’s phone rang.

  “Hello, Mary Ellen. That was quick,” said Anthony.

  “Hi, I know. I have my bag.”

  “We’re pulling out of the cell phone lot now. We’ll be there shortly. Which door are you at?”

  “Let’s see, looks like number four.”

  Two sets of eyes watched Mary Ellen as she headed outside of the baggage claim area. The first set belonged to a young man from Rimini. Thomas hoped that the warning that had been sent to Ms. O’Farrell would have scared her enough to stop her from looking any further into her brother’s innocence. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

  Then there was the new development of her relationship with Cardinal McKenna. The positions they both held within the Vatican could create problems for P2, and no problem was too small to ignore.

  Before eliminating the problem, Thomas wanted to learn as much as he could, on what this woman might be up to, so he had someone sent to follow her. The terrain in the area she was visiting could be treacherous. It would be unfortunate if she and her friends lost control of their car on one of the curvy roads through the mountains.