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We have safely returned from our journey. For fourteen months we have aided our brothers as they finished the hiding place, created elaborate safeguards as our engineers instructed, and carefully laid the Most Holy Relics in their new home. Once they were in place it took us several weeks to test the traps. Everything worked as it was intended and we departed for Bruges, confident the relics are now safe for eternity.
Because of his decision to learn where our Templar brethren were building their settlement, the Voyager was dealt with. One of his five ships had taken on water early into the voyage and returned to Ireland. The other four carried on to the new land with a crew of around two hundred.
Almost all of the two hundred crew perished from pestilence or an outbreak of food poisoning that was created by our own efforts. The rest of them, including the Voyager himself, were so ill as to be rendered helpless. The twenty-six of us swiftly and easily dispatched them to their eternal fates.
The taking of human life is an unfortunate but necessary burden we guardians face during our journey. The safety and secrecy of our mission is paramount, entrusted to us by God Himself.
Chapter Forty-Two
French Riviera/Dallas
After the laborious job of decoding the symbol-covered pages Dominic Cardinal Conti read the finished product. It was the last day of his glorious vacation in France and he sat outdoors where he’d spent most of his time. Tomorrow he would fly from Nice to Rome and back to the grind of life inside the Vatican. Today he was engrossed in the translation he had written over many days. He could almost feel the adventure in the words of the Knights Templars as they prepared to move the mysterious “Most Holy Relics” from Ephesus to Bristol, then to unknown points westward across the Atlantic Ocean.
As Dominic sat reading on the expansive patio overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Brian Sadler was in Dallas reading the same set of decoded pages. He had printed the computer-generated translation from Jeffrey Montfort’s friend at Cambridge. This time he skipped the diary entries and read only the pages that had been covered with symbols. Those coded entries had to be the most important ones. As he read he was fascinated by what these men had done and unsure what the Most Holy Relics might be.
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One thing kept popping up in Brian’s mind: North America. Specifically, Oak Island, Nova Scotia. Whoever the Voyager was, he was seeking a passage to China and a monarch had financed him. Brian’s first thought was Christopher Columbus, who believed he’d discovered a shortcut to India but instead arrived in the Americas. Was the Voyager Columbus himself? He stopped to google the phrase “where was Christopher Columbus in 1498?” The answer wasn’t surprising but it removed Columbus from contention as the Voyager.
First problem: wrong monarch. Although an Italian, Columbus was sailing under the Spanish flag. He would have had no reason to be in Bristol; his departures were from various ports in Spain. Second problem: wrong place. On May 30, 1498, Columbus sailed from Sanlucar, Spain to the New World, specifically the Caribbean islands he had previously visited. He didn’t return until 1500. He couldn’t have sailed from Bristol, England with five ships and three hundred men on May 12 of the same year.
Setting aside further speculation, Brian continued his scrutiny of the Templars pages. He’d do research later. There were plenty of clues and enough dates in the decoded pages to likely learn the identity of the Voyager. For now he wanted to read the entire story.
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Cardinal Conti had his bullet point notes from the earlier diary entry close at hand. Finding the identity of the Voyager was a snap – it had taken ten seconds to enter the keywords “Matthew,” “ship” and “1497”. He knew the name of the Voyager and that the ship sailed from Bristol to North America,
“presumably Newfoundland,” according to the article, in 1497. The Voyager was Giovanni Caboto. When he moved to England and became a sailor for Henry VII he changed his name to John Cabot, a man whom most historians believe claimed the lands of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Labrador and perhaps Maine for the King of England.
The information on Cabot fit perfectly. He made his first voyage in May, 1497, just as the manuscript said. His second trip was in May 1498, sailing from Bristol with five ships and a crew of three hundred. The historical facts fit the Templars’ account precisely. The only omission from history was that a small ship called the Rook manned by Knights Templars sailed with Cabot on his first voyage, and that six more of the Order joined Cabot’s second voyage.
And what of Cabot’s demise? Could the Templars in a faraway land actually have killed him and his men as the coded symbols alleged? Cardinal Conti read the rest of the article. Every fact fit perfectly so far. Did this fit too?
Historically there is an element of mystery about the fate of John Cabot. An Internet article told the story of Cabot’s five ships, one of which turned back to Ireland after becoming disabled, just as the Templars described. Nothing was ever heard from the rest. Some historians believe the other ships may have been lost at sea. Others think Cabot and his men made it to North America and subsequently disappeared, perhaps killed by natives. A few believe Cabot turned up in Bristol years later after claiming North America for England.
So, Conti thought, the story told by the Templars could be correct. No one knows for sure what happened to Cabot and his men. There is no proof of the sailor’s whereabouts after his departure from Bristol in May of 1498. A wave of sadness come over the cleric as he came to grips with what he now knew.
The Cardinal sat back in his chair. So it’s true. Everything fits. Oak Island, Nova Scotia. We Templars have heard for years that our brothers in the fifteenth century buried something valuable there. Relics they termed “most holy.” But those stories were distorted as the centuries progressed, fact blending with fiction until the truth was lost. Apparently there had no longer been a need to have men there to guard the relics. They were hidden well and “forever more” according to the men who buried them. Over the years people forgot exactly what, and where and who. Until now. The coded pages revealed the secret.
He was deeply disturbed as he pondered the implication of the Templars manuscript. “Most holy relics,” he said out loud. “Bones. There are bones in the pit.” What a sobering, shattering realization. Given the coded Bible verses, that was the only reasonable conclusion. This was horrifying. Everything would change for the Church if this information became public.
Dominic Conti had no idea Brian Sadler was reading the same translation at the same time, thousands of miles away. The Cardinal believed he was the only man on earth privy to a mysterious, obscure secret that should remain veiled forever. Otherwise it would change the entire world.
Dominic Conti considered himself a religious man, of course. But he had human frailties – even though he was a leader in the Church he prayed less often than he should. But now he fell to his knees, asking God to help him decide what to do with the secret he had discovered. He never expected an exciting search for hidden treasure to have this outcome. This situation couldn’t be worse. He felt the burden of an entire religion on his shoulders. He felt genuine contrition for his sins, especially the one he now faced. He had opened Pandora’s box. He had unleashed a monster. Tears flowed as he sobbed, praying for guidance for himself but more importantly for the Church.
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Brian finished the translated pages of symbols. Within minutes he had retrieved the same online information about John Cabot that the Cardinal had seen. It was becoming obvious that Oak Island could be the place the Knights Templars took the relics for burial.
One other thing piqued Brian’s interest. Maybe it was coincidence, maybe not. John Cabot was an Italian whose birth name was Giovanni Caboto. The man who gave the Templars manuscripts to the Vatican in 1875 was named Marco Caboto. It took less than twenty minutes to review the extensive online biography of John Cabot, and the less expansive but also sufficient profile of the wealthy Marco Caboto. Giovanni Caboto, who
became John Cabot, was Marco’s grandfather many generations back. Marco Caboto had somehow obtained the Templars manuscripts because his ancestor ferried the guardians and the Most Holy Relics to Nova Scotia. Incredible.
Unlike Cardinal Conti who knelt in tearful prayer, Brian was excited, invigorated – feelings he hadn’t known since Nicole’s accident. She came first, of course. But she was improving steadily, thank God. Now Brian had a mission. Now an adventure awaited him!
Chapter Forty-Three
Vatican City
As he sat in an expansive waiting area Brian glanced into his satchel where he had put the copy of the manuscript. Since the Cardinal had had the original book for a couple of weeks Brian presumed he had spent time looking at it. Brian had questions and looked forward to discussing the ancient book with the cleric. Hopefully he would find more information about the other volumes in the set as well.
Brian was brought to the beautiful office of the Cardinal and offered tea. Dominic Cardinal Conti introduced himself and welcomed Brian to the Vatican.
“Are you Catholic, Mr. Sadler?” The Cardinal’s English was cultured, tinged by only a slight Italian accent.
“I’m not but like everyone else I’m overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of everything here in the Vatican. It’s such a magnificent place. I always enjoy coming to Rome. It’s one of my favorite places to visit.”
The tea arrived and the talk turned to the manuscript. The ancient volume sat on the desk between the Cardinal and Brian. Dominic opened it up to a random page and said, “It’s my pleasure to return this book to you. You may not know that in the papal archives are the other four volumes of the set to which this one also belonged. If you and your client decide to sell this book we would appreciate being notified. Of course, we could also offer a generous tax deduction for the owner if he chose to donate it.” The cleric smiled.
“I’ll pass the information along, Eminence. May I ask how you came into possession of this manuscript? You know, I’m sure, that it was stolen from my gallery in New York during a bombing.”
“I do know that and I offer my condolences at the losses you suffered. An anonymous person donated the book to the Church. I wasn’t involved in obtaining it. I apologize that I don’t know anything about that. I was assured the book itself couldn’t have been the cause of the tragedy in New York. After all, it turned up here not long afterwards.”
Although he thought the cleric’s response somewhat naïve, Brian took it at face value. It was unlikely a man as senior in the affairs of the Catholic Church as Conti would have had direct knowledge of a crime such as this. He moved on.
“On a related subject, may I ask your opinion about something?”
“Of course, Mr. Sadler. Anything.”
Brian rose and turned to the front of the manuscript. He flipped a few pages then looked puzzled. “May I?” he said, turning the book around so he could read the pages.
Brian turned one page, then another, then flipped back again. The Cardinal watched him closely.
“Are you looking for something in particular, Mr. Sadler?” Conti asked.
“This is strange. Let me show you something.” Brian opened his briefcase and took out the thick sheaf of papers that was the scanned copy of the manuscript. He flipped a few pages and came to the first page of coded symbols. Pulling it out, he laid it in front of Cardinal Conti.
The cleric’s face turned ashen. He tried to conceal his shock. Where had this man gotten a copy of the manuscript? The man in the Monument Club library assured him the only copy had been taken. Conti had destroyed that copy. Where did Brian Sadler get another?
“What do you have here?” Conti tried to appear nonchalant.
“Have you spent much time looking at the manuscript, Eminence?”
“A bit. I’ve read some diary entries here and there. It makes for interesting reading but frankly it’s a bit dull in my opinion. I had hoped for a little adventure!” The Cardinal talked more freely than normal; he was hoping to find out what Brian Sadler knew.
“This page is different from the others. There are thirteen of them in the manuscript. But this is strange. The original book doesn’t have this page. Look, Eminence.” Brian leaned over the desk and examined the book’s binding closely. “Someone’s removed this page.”
The Cardinal feigned surprise as Brian carefully turned the ancient pages one by one until he came to the place where the next sheet of symbols belonged.
“This one’s gone too. And do you see, Eminence? It’s been removed too.”
“All right, Mr. Sadler. I understand what you’re saying. Pardon me if I don’t see the significance of some missing pages. The manuscript is very old, after all. Could they have been lost along the way? Couldn’t they even have just fallen out?”
“Unlikely. From what I’ve seen here, I think the only missing pages are the ones with symbols. That seems strange, don’t you think?”
Conti was wary, cautious. He hoped the response to his next question wouldn’t create a problem.
“And what do the…what did you call them, ‘symbol pages,’…contain, Mr. Sadler?”
Brian had no reason to hide the truth. He believed this Cardinal, head of both a national bank and the Knights Templars, would be an ally in finding the truth about the Templars manuscript.
“Cardinal Conti, I need to tell you that I’m aware of your secret work.”
Dear God in Heaven. What did this man mean? Dominic felt a wave of heat sweep over his body. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He strove to maintain his composure.
“I’m not sure what you’re saying, Mr. Sadler. What do you believe is my ‘secret work’?”
“You’re head of the organization known as the Knights Templars. I wanted to let you know I am aware of that fact so perhaps you can help me.”
Conti relaxed. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Mr. Sadler. The Knights Templars were eradicated in the fourteenth century.”
“I mean no disrespect, Eminence. The Knights Templars exist today. I know that you are head of that secret Order within the Church. I want to share some potentially important information with you. I have no idea why the original doesn’t have these particular pages, but I located a copy in the archives at a library in London. Luckily my copy did have those missing pages. I’ve had them translated and I’ve read the story. It’s a fascinating tale, Cardinal.”
Conti forced himself to be calm. More concerned than ever, the Cardinal waited for Brian to continue. He must find out whom Sadler had told about the translation. Here was a new set of problems and at least one more person to deal with.
It took ten minutes to relate the mysterious story embedded in thirteen coded pages. The cleric seemed interested, Brian thought as he talked, but Conti didn’t have the anticipatory excitement he expected. Although without the pages it wasn’t possible, it seemed to Brian as if the Cardinal already knew what Brian was telling him. But maybe he was reading the cleric wrong. Maybe this man knew about the Most Holy Relics from other sources. As head of the Templars that was likely, Brian figured. One other observation Brian made was that the Cardinal looked really upset. He was nervous. Maybe this was normal – maybe it was some sort of health issue the cleric had.
Brian told about how the librarian at the Monument Club helped him find materials Lord Borland had been working on. He briefly related the attack at the club’s library and how the intruder had stolen a copy of the manuscript but not before a scan could be made.
“How fortuitous that was,” Brian said enthusiastically.
“Indeed,” the Cardinal replied warily. “So this librarian has been helping you. Please continue.” Conti jotted a note to himself.
“It’s a long story,” Brian replied. “I’ll try to make it brief.”
“I have time, Mr. Sadler. Please tell me everything. I think it’s very interesting.”
Brian told Cardinal Conti about the Fifth Avenue bombing, the death of Arthur Borland and the sabotage of Nicole’s ca
r. He said the FBI was hard at work to see if there was a connection between all this and an Italian Mafia boss named John Spedino.
“Have you heard of John Spedino, Eminence?”
Now Dominic Conti became really nervous. This American appeared to be fitting all the puzzle pieces into place. Presumably the FBI agent had not broken his promise to him – the promise not to reveal Conti’s connection to Spedino. If Brian didn’t know that, he also couldn’t know how the Cardinal got the manuscript. He didn’t know how to respond to Sadler’s question. If the FBI Agent had told Brian about Conti’s tie to Spedino, he’d know Dominic was lying. The cleric made a choice. He’d answer with a question.
“An Italian Mafioso named John Spedino? Should I know him?”
“No, Eminence. I just thought you might have run across his name. He was very big in the Mafia in New York, I’m told.”
Conti parried. “Do you believe the Mafia was involved in the crime against your gallery? If so, what would its motive have been?”
“I think it’s personal – a vendetta against the three of us. Since you have the original manuscript, I’m inclined to think the attack on the gallery and my assistant was aimed at me personally and the book theft was a diversion. I have a past with John Spedino. The three of us – Lord Borland, my friend Nicole Farber and I – were instrumental in putting him in prison in Guatemala. We learned he escaped and I’m certain he’s involved in the violence against all of us.”
Cardinal Conti wanted to end this meeting. Now. He was feeling sick to his stomach; his involvement with John Spedino and the manuscript was becoming more and more difficult to manage. He had told a plethora of lies to Officer Messina of the Gendarmerie Corps, in front of the Holy Father, no less. Now this American Brian Sadler shows up, obviously aware of the meaning of the thirteen pages of coded symbols and with far too many things figured out.
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