The Signal

by John Sneeden

  His partner shifted nervously. “I don’t think—”

  The German held up a hand as if to convey he understood. “But anyway, that’s not your concern, Mr. Bergeron. It's mine.” And he looked down at Zane, almost as though seeing him for the first time. The way he shifted back and forth between violent rage and pensive thought indicated he was on the verge of breaking. “But I have a question for you, Bergeron. And it’s a question you will answer. Who sent you to break into our building?”

  Zane thought for a moment before responding. “Just think of us as an exterminator. When we smell a rat, I’m sent to go find that rat.”

  The German frowned, but then his mouth slowly transitioned back to a smile. “Just keep holding everything back. I’ll enjoy beating it out of you later. Anyway, we’ll find that out soon enough from the remnants of your phone. But I have another question for you. Who were the two women?”

  The way he framed the question didn’t give Zane a clear indication of what might have happened to Carmen and Amanda. Were they still alive? Did they get away? He shrugged and said, “I have no clue what you’re talking about. I was alone.”

  “Do you think we’re idiots, Bergeron?”

  Zane tried the softer approach, in the hope of getting more information. “Look, I don’t know who you’re talking about. Why don’t you ask them?”

  “I can’t. They’re dead.” Zane’s face flinched slightly, and the man smiled at the reaction. “Yes, that’s right, pretty boy. I killed both of them.”

  “You’re lying,” Zane said, his face expressionless. It was hard to get a read on the German, but Zane doubted that what he said was true. The tone of his voice sounded contrived for effect.

  “Oh, I’m afraid not,” the German said, clearly enjoying himself. “Of course, it wasn’t a complete loss. I did have a little fun with the dark-haired one before I shot her in the head.”

  Zane jerked forward, straining at the cuffs.

  The man laughed. “Well, it looks like you do know them after all. Bravo. And don’t worry about giving us everything you know just yet. As I said, I’ll enjoy beating it out of you later. In the meantime, we’re going to put you down so you can rest for your big meeting.”

  And with that, he nodded at Shovel Face, who withdrew a syringe and approached the bed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “WHAT DO YOU mean you haven’t heard from Zane?” Carmen asked, her voice rising. She and Amanda had checked into a small boutique hotel in Vevey, on the northern shore of Lake Geneva. The Italian was standing at the window, looking down into the square.

  “I wish I had better news.” The Oracle's voice came out of Carmen’s phone, which she had placed on the table. “Brett is working on it as we speak.”

  “What about the tracking device? Do you at least know where he is?”

  “Not yet, but—”

  Carmen slammed her fist on the table. Amanda, who had been lying on her side on the bed, sat up at the sound.

  “Listen to me,” the Oracle said.

  “No, it’s not you. I should have waited until that backup unit got out of range and then proceeded to the building. Zane was outgunned in there.”

  “First of all, we still don’t know what happened. He may be fine. Second, your duty was to protect the private US citizen who was there with you, and you did precisely that. Ms. Higgs is now safe because of you.” Carmen remained silent. “Look, we’re doing everything we can to locate him. Unfortunately, our system crashed right as we began tracking.”

  “What was his last position?” Carmen asked.

  “The last signal hit was right outside of Geneva on Highway One, which runs east across the north side of the lake.”

  “Interesting. That means he was actually moving toward where we are now.”

  “Correct,” the Oracle said.

  “He was being taken somewhere against his will.”

  “We have no way of knowing that. He could very easily be following the Renaissance security team.”

  There was the sound of typing and another voice in the background. “Carmen, we just pulled up your location. It looks like you’re right on the Grande Place, correct?”

  “Correct. Do you want us to stay here?”

  “Yes, for now anyway,” said Ross. The typing continued. “Which reminds me, there is something else I want to discuss. Brett received the image you took of the license plate on that SUV that the Renaissance security team was using.”

  “Was he able to trace it?”

  “Yes, he was. And we discovered something interesting. The vehicle is owned by a subsidiary of Renaissance. We think it’s the company that pays their security team. Anyway, the interesting piece is that the address of record for this entity is in Martigny.”

  “Is that in Switzerland?” asked Carmen.

  “Yes, it’s a small town in the Swiss Alps.” There was the sound of more typing. “I’m looking at the map now, and it appears to be in a mountain valley about an hour or two southeast of your location. We did a quick search, and Renaissance appears to be the owner of several properties there, including the address listed for that plate.”

  “Is it another office building?”

  There was a pause before the Oracle spoke again, “No, and that’s what’s so interesting about it. The address appears to be on a remote road north of Martigny. In looking at the satellite view, there's an asphalt driveway that runs up the mountain and then disappears into a grove of trees. Other than trees, there doesn’t appear to be anything else up there.”

  Carmen left the window and sat down at the table again. “That's interesting. There are no structures whatsoever?”

  “None. And those trees are at a high elevation with a pretty steep topography. Not the best place for a building, even if you had the desire to put one there.”

  “Any thoughts?”

  “Brett believes there may be a facility inside the mountain. That seems a little fantastical to me, but I have to admit I don’t have anything better.”

  “Ross, I need to go up and check that out.”

  “I agree. But our priority right now is finding Zane. It’s possible he may have some additional information that we don’t yet know about.”

  “He wasn’t up there long, so I doubt it,” Carmen said. She then looked over at Amanda, who was lying down once again with her eyes shut. She was glad the young American was getting some much-needed sleep. “Is there anything else? If not, I’m going to run down and check the square, and then get some rest.”

  “Actually I do have one other thing,” said the Oracle. There was the sound of shuffling papers. “Have you ever heard of a Vincenzio Marrese?”

  “I’m Italian. Of course I’ve heard of him.”

  “He’s come up on our radar in connection with—”

  “I’ve never heard of him,” Amanda said as she sat up in the bed. Carmen smiled. Apparently, she hadn’t been sleeping after all.

  “Let me give you a little background then,” said Ross. “He was in the news quite a bit about ten years ago. He was a Catholic priest serving at the Vatican. Not a household name by any means, but well known by Catholic hierarchy and those serving in Rome.

  “His specialty in the church was one that doesn’t get a lot of press. He did the kind of work that typically flies under the radar. It’s the stuff of movies.”

  “He was an exorcist,” explained Carmen in a matter-of-fact tone.

  Amanda’s eyes widened a bit. “That’s always fascinated me… how the church deals with the dark side, if you will.”

  “He was one of their best,” Ross continued. “A rising star in the field. Amanda, you called it the dark side. All indications were that Marrese had a special connection with the dark side. When he performed an exorcism, the person was always freed from the demonic force, regardless of their demons and regardless of the circumstances.

  “A few years ago, all that changed. Their rising star deserted the faith in a dramatic way, much to the
angst of the Pope, and much to the angst of many in the Vatican. It started as a routine exorcism in a small town just outside of Milan. I can’t think of the name of the town right now.”

  “Treveglio,” Carmen said.

  “Thanks, Carmen. There was a man in Treveglio who had been possessed, or whatever word you want to use, by a dark spirit. This possession had gone on for quite some time, and his local priest had petitioned the Vatican to help when all local efforts had failed to bring the man back. Eventually, the man was approved for an exorcism.

  “Due to the severity and length of time of the possession, Marrese was assigned to the case. He and his team of seven other exorcists traveled to Treveglio, arriving shortly after dark. The possessed man’s priest was already there, along with a few family members. The timing was perfect, as he was already descending into a demonic manifestation just as the team arrived.

  “Marrese asked the family to wait outside, and he and his associates entered the room. One of the Vatican priests described the scene as nothing short of Armageddon. The man’s eyes were bulging, and blood was seeping out of both corners of his mouth. The screams would probably have caused lesser men to faint with fear. But Maresse took control, calmly praying in Latin while his most trusted associate held up a crucifix and flung holy water over the man. Normally, this guy Marrese would make short work of an exorcism, which was a testament to his skill. But it didn’t happen this time. The possessed guy actually became worse, frothing at the mouth and staring at Marrese no matter where he went in the room. It was almost as if a powerful demon had been sent to provoke a fight with Marrese.”

  “Yes, there seems to be a hierarchy of demons,” Amanda said, “just as there is a hierarchy of angels.”

  Ross continued, “After almost an hour in the room with the poor soul, Marrese lowered his Bible and turned to the group, telling them that stronger measures were needed, as they were dealing with a demon of the highest order. He went on to ask three of his own disciples to escort the local priest out of the room.

  “To this day, nobody knows precisely what happened next. The only testimony came from those waiting just outside the room. But after the door was shut, the screaming and gnashing of teeth actually grew worse. The local priest said in an interview that it sounded as though voices were coming through the very gates of hell. Just when it seemed like things could get no worse, the screaming ended, and there was complete silence. The Vatican priests told everyone to wait, because there had been no evidence of violence. Pretty soon, the door creaked open, and out walked the man from Treveglio, looking like his old self. His sister said he hadn’t looked that peaceful in years.”

  “Another success,” said Amanda.

  “Unfortunately that’s not the end of the story,” added Carmen. She looked uncomfortable.

  “Not by a long shot," Ross said. "The possessed man does appear to be healed. In fact, it’s my understanding that he got married and moved to a small town just outside of Naples. He wanted to begin his new life as far away from the site of his possession as possible.” Ross cleared his throat. “As for Marrese, he was never the same person again.”

  “I’m assuming you mean that in a negative way?” Amanda asked.

  “Correct. Even that very night, on the chartered flight back to the Vatican, Marrese was different. He was withdrawn and wouldn't speak about what had happened in the room back in Treveglio. And upon his return, he began to withdraw even further, missing appointments and refusing to perform exorcisms anymore.”

  “Have any of his associates spoken about the incident?” Amanda asked.

  “All four have refused to speak at all.”

  “And what about the man himself?” Amanda asked. “The one who was possessed—does he remember what happened?”

  “He’s always been willing to speak,” Carmen answered. “The problem is, he doesn’t remember anything.”

  Ross said, “His only memory of that night is awakening to find himself surrounded by Marrese and the four associates.”

  “Well, at least he’s found peace,” Amanda said.

  Carmen stood and walked over to the window, staring down at the square once again. “That’s all well and good, but what on earth does this have to do with Renaissance?”

  “I was coming to that,” Ross replied. “Did you ever hear about what happened to Marrese in the aftermath of the event in Treveglio?”

  “I know that he eventually left the Catholic Church altogether, saying he no longer believed and that he had found a greater truth. The last I heard, he took all of his disciples and left to start some sort of commune in the mountains.”

  “You’re mostly right. He took four of his men with him, the four that had entered the room that night. The other three who had left the room are still a part of the Catholic Church today,” said Ross.

  “I didn’t know that,” Carmen said. “His commune is in Switzerland, correct? I know some tabloid reporters tried to find him without any success. In fact, they came back and refused to provide any details about their search. The whole thing was strange.”

  “We do believe he constructed a series of buildings on a mountain overlooking Locarno. Supposedly, that’s where he and the other four live now.”

  “Where is Locarno?” Amanda asked. “That name rings a bell.”

  “It’s a town that sits on a lake, just across the border from Italy,” Carmen explained. She then turned back to the phone. “You know, I’m still not understanding.”

  “I’m almost there,” Ross replied. “After leaving the church, it seems Marrese started some kind of cult, issuing cryptic statements that indicated the world as we know it would be coming to an end soon. He went on to say that people had better be prepared to embrace these changes.”

  “Of course, how could I have forgotten? And a couple of Catholic priests who criticized him were later found dead.”

  “Unfortunately, you’re right,” replied Ross. “Although the killers could never be found, most assumed that Marrese had played a role in their death. And here is another interesting tidbit. One of the critical priests had sent an e-mail to a colleague just prior to his death. He said he discovered what had happened on night in Treveglio.”

  “Really?” Carmen spun back toward the phone in surprise. “I’ve never heard that before.”

  “This wasn’t something that was reported in the press, but Brett is sure his source at the Vatican is rock solid.”

  “What happened?”

  “To use a worn-out cliché, the priest said that Marrese made a deal with the devil. Supposedly, the demon that possessed this man was indeed one of the highest order, assuming you believe such things.” The Oracle sounded skeptical. “In any event, the demon agreed to depart the man’s body on one condition and one condition only.”

  “And what was that?” Carmen asked.

  “The demon was going to give the priest some piece of information regarding the future of mankind. The priest had to act on that information, and in return, he would be made the leader of a new world order.”

  “It sounds like the same type of thing that Satan offered Christ during the temptation in the wilderness,” offered Amanda.

  “Only Christ never gave in,” Carmen added.

  “Well, according to the story, Marrese did,” the Oracle stated. “The priest said in his e-mail that Marrese wanted to keep his perfect record of successful exorcisms intact, and he figured that he’d be able to simply ignore his end of the bargain.”

  “And let me guess,” Carmen said. “He wasn’t able to.”

  “No, he wasn’t. Apparently, in making that deal with the devil, he opened himself up to some kind of possession, at least that’s how the story goes.”

  “What do you think, Ross?” Carmen asked.

  “I think the e-mail from the murdered priest represents what he truly believed to be the case. As for all the spooky stuff, you know where I stand on that.”

  Carmen knew exactly what the Oracle was saying.
He was a man of science and was highly skeptical of the supernatural.

  “And now we get to the connection to Renaissance,” the Oracle said. “We discovered something very interesting about Alexander Mironov. When we reviewed all that had been shared about him between intelligence agencies, we found that AISE, the Italian spy division that handles matters abroad, had posted briefs that Marrese had been seen with Mironov on several occasions. They couldn’t prove there was any mischief going on, but they wanted it out there, in case something came up.”

  “Marrese has been spending time with Mironov?” Carmen asked. “That seems like an odd pair.”

  “Ever since Marrese moved to Switzerland, AISE has kept an eye on him. It’s been difficult, as the man is as slippery as they come, but they were able to take several pictures of him and Mironov. Unfortunately, they’re always taken at night as the men slip into a restaurant or one of Mironov’s private villas.”

  “Do any of the restaurants have security film?”

  “No, Brett has already checked,” Ross told Carmen. “They’re always small restaurants and don’t have any sort of CCTV surveillance, and may even be owned by Mironov. It appears they pick their rendezvous locations carefully.”

  “Do we know why these two men would be working together?” Carmen asked. “I mean, I can’t think of two people who are more different. When I think Mironov, I think dollar signs. Marrese may be into a lot of things, but money is not one of them. At least that’s what I’ve read.”

  “To be honest, we have no clue. The whole thing is so weird we don’t know what to think. But the word on the street is that they’re cooking up something big.”

  “Where is Marrese now?” Carmen asked.

  “We don’t know that either. I’m going to try to discreetly reach out to AISE and see what I can find out. I need to be careful because we don’t want to involve the Italians at this point, not unless we have to. No offense.”

  Carmen laughed. “None taken. What now?”

  “Priority number one is for you to get some rest. We’re going to keep looking for Zane on our end. We’ll be back in touch with you first thing in the morning.”