~ 7 ~
The knock on the door was gentle but firm. Maria opened it to find the stooped figure of Father Gallo standing before her. He smiled wanly and raised a hand. “Good morning Sister Maria. I gather you’ve been expecting me?”
“Father Gallo...yes...the cardinal just called and asked if we’d heard from you yet,” Maria said. “He was desperate to talk to you....” She trailed off remembering her manners and stepped back gesturing him to enter. “Please?”
He came in carrying a small briefcase and she immediately began straightening up the room. “That’s Mustavias, alright...always impatient,” he said, putting down the case and looking about the room. “Where is our detective?”
“Clay is downstairs getting coffee.”
“Well I hope he brings three...”
“I’ll call the front desk,” Maria offered quickly, but he merely smiled and waved the idea away.
“That’s fine,” he answered. “I’d just as soon talk to you first. The cardinal wants a full report on what you saw...you know when, where and how. And the Relic was supposed to come on our aircraft last night.”
“The plane?” Maria asked. “Your plane?”
“Yes,” Gallo said, puzzled by her change in demeanor.
“You haven’t heard!?”
“Heard what?” Gallo asked, his tone a little sharper.
“The plane...it crashed,” she said. “Last night...it crashed into the English Channel.”
“It crashed?” Gallo whispered, his eyes wide in surprise. He turned and sat down on Clay’s bed looking somewhat dazed. “How did it happen?”
“I don’t know any details,” Maria said.
“Of course, forgive me,” Father Gallo replied. “Poor Father Gant? Who else was on board?”
“Just the pilots were on board from what I understand.”
“I’ll miss him,” he said, his tone regretful.
“Father Gant wasn’t on board,” Maria explained, now wondering if the shock had been too much for the old man. “Father Gant wasn’t on board.”
“Oh he was aboard all right. He’s the Keeper of the Relic so he would have been on board as well. And now the Relic is at the bottom of the ocean.” His tone conveyed a puzzling air of finality.
“Just the pilots were on board, Father. Cardinal Malachi said that they were the only ones aboard. Father Gant is flying in later today.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
The key turned in the door of the latch and Clay entered juggling two cardboard coffee cups in his hands as he pushed open the door with his foot. “Excuse me,” he said, looking at Maria. “Father Gallo?”
“Mr. Montague,” Gallo said, standing up and shaking Clay’s hand. “You would not remember but we met in a hospital in upstate New York.”
“I do remember,” Clay said. “I understand something happened to you? You went missing.”
“A long story with the ending yet to be written,” Gallo said, somewhat dismissively.
“Clay...the Vatican’s aircraft crashed in the channel last night,” Maria interrupted. “Cardinal Malachi called just before Father Gallo arrived. The pilot’s were killed.”
“What happened?” Clay asked.
“I don’t know....but those poor men are gone.”
“Tragic...tragic,” Gallo muttered, shaking his head. “Can we get room service here...get another coffee?”
Clay, puzzled, looked from Gallo to Maria. “I suppose so. I just found it quicker to fetch one from the dining room.”
“Then if you don’t mind, I’ll just trot down there and get one,” Gallo said, excusing himself and opening the door. “Back in a jiffy.”
As the door clicked shut, Clay looked Maria. “Well he’s all broken up.”
“He’s an old man,” Maria said, by way of explanation.
“He moved pretty fast for an old man,” Clay said, handing Maria her coffee container. She thanked him and gently squeezed his arm affectionately. They were friends again despite Clay having figured out his true role in the hunt and storming out the room the day before. Maria had followed him down to the hotel bar where he seemed about to order a drink, but then thought better of it and settled for a Perrier. She joined him at a black leather upholstered semi-booth and apologized over and over again. She explained she hated the deception but whether he knew it or not he was being hunted anyway. To be sure The Seven were aware of this fact and hoped to use him to attract and engage Adramelech, however, they were doing everything possible to keep him safe. In fact, that was her primary role – to keep him safe by forewarning him of danger. And they truly did need his skills to help find their quarry. The fact they found it so soon at Highgate Cemetery was entirely unexpected.
Finally, Maria had hesitantly admitted she was finding her task a trifle disconcerting because of something she had never expected. She confessed that she knew it was wrong but she had some feelings for him. She blushed crimson when she said this, keeping her eyes downcast. Her words had elicited a feeling of joy within Clay and he’d nodded his forgiveness, sighed and suggested they forget his little tantrum and go out for dinner. When, at dinner, he had tried to tell her that he was in love with her, she had placed her finger on his lips and begged him not to do so. Not just now, she had said. He’d understood he was placing her in an untenable situation and so he took her hand, held it for a moment and then placed it back on her side of the table, symbolizing he was leaving the ball in her court. Today he sipped his coffee, looked at her and realized he was in love with a nun. Just great! He pushed his feelings aside. “So what happened to the aircraft?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I just heard about it from the cardinal. He called looking for Father Gallo and said for us to just sit tight. This crash is going to occupy them for the next few days.” Maria began placing some clothes in a drawer. “Father Gallo kept insisting he is going to miss Father Gant.”
“But not as much as his coffee,” Clay cracked, with a shake of his head.
Maria shot him a look. “I kept telling him Father Gant was safe but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Did he say where he was for the last day and a half?” Clay asked. “Cardinal Malachi said he’d contact us yesterday.”
“No, he said nothing.”
Clay lay sat down on the bed and shrugged. “Well, if this is going to occupy them for a few days, what do we do?”
Maria hesitated. “I-I don’t know. Stay put, I supposed.”
“Thousand bucks a day, eh?” Clay shook his head. “Want to take a tour of London?”
Maria shook her head and with a tiny smile to herself muttered: “I hardly think that’s appropriate right now.”
“Hey! The alternative is staying in this hotel room.” The rejection stung but then he caught her smile and it suddenly made everything better.
“Let’s see what Father Gallo has to say.”
“Of course. Maybe he’ll give us some direction...after he has his coffee.”
Maria gave him another look that he didn’t bother to decipher.
~ 8 ~
As Clay and Maria waited for Father Gallo’s return, Malachi was calling Robert Monarch, his late Aunt Helen’s barrister and investment counselor in Boston. When he had him on the line, he cut right to the chase: how much did he have in the trust fund his aunt had set up for him and how long would it take him to access it? When he heard the amount, he almost dropped the phone.
“Are you sure?”
“I just received the statement today,” Monarch explained, and Malachi could hear the rustle of papers thousands of miles away. “We mail them to you but, of course, you never open them. Over the years our financial people have made some excellent investments for you and cashed in a lot of stocks before the dot.com bubble burst. We made you as liquid as possible. Between mutual funds, money markets, some stocks and a lesser amount of bonds, you have $8 million and change.”
“Jesus!” Malachi said.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I was just saying a brief prayer,” Malachi answered, realizing for the first time that he was a multi-millionaire. He’d known that his aunt had left him quite a bit of money but he had no idea it had grown so large.
The topic changed to how quickly he could access these funds. When he said that, in view of the amount, he would like to have a half million dollars deposited in his personal account, it was Monarch’s turn to almost drop the phone. “My God man, do you know that you’ll lose more than half of that in taxes? Ten percent right off for withholding if we do it in small amounts.”
“Doesn’t matter Robert, I need it.”
“Why? Are you funding a revolution in the Catholic Church?”
“You missed your calling,” Malachi said. “You should have been a comedian,”
“Sorry Cardinal,” Monarch apologized, suddenly remembering who he was talking to. “I just know that Helen would want me to do whatever was best for you and redeeming half a million dollars will open you up to all sorts of tax liabilities.”
“Not doing this will open me to liabilities you would never believe,” Malachi responded, cryptically.
“Cardinal, I’m a lawyer as well as a friend. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Just show me the money.”
“We could leave your accounts alone, arrange a short-term loan, if you’d like,” he offered.
“Just cash what mutual funds or bonds we need and let’s get it done,” Malachi said.
“It’ll take a few days at best,” Monarch said, giving up in his gentle attempt to persuade Malachi to reconsider. “I can have it transferred to your account by Friday I would expect. Instituo per le Opere di Religione...right?”
“Yes...the Vatican Bank. You have my account number?”
“Yes,” Monarch said.
“And the bank identifier code?”
“Yes...IOPRVAVX. It’s all here.”
“Good. And, Robert?”
“Yes?”
“I may need more.”
“Jesus!” the lawyer said.
~ 9 ~
Father Gallo sipped his coffee slowly, blowing on it every few moments while Clay and Maria looked on. The old man appeared to be in a daze and had barely spoken a word since he returned.
“Are you alright, Father?” Clay finally asked.
“Yes...quite alright,” he answered, and then went back to staring into space and sipping his coffee.
“We expected you yesterday,” Clay said.
“Yesterday?” Gallo responded. “What day is it?”
“Wednesday,” Maria answered.
Gallo looked at her is surprise. “What happened to Tuesday?”
Maria and Clay exchanged looks. Gallo took another sip of coffee and then said, hesitantly: “I’ve been having these blackouts.”
“Have you seen a doctor?” Maria asked.
“No...no doctor. I-I remember landing at Heathrow...and then...everything is a blank. I only remember standing on a road – Swain’s Road I think it was called – and summoning a taxi to come here.”
“Swain’s Road?” Clay asked, in surprise. “Near Highgate Cemetery?”
“I-I don’t know...I just saw a sign,” Gallo said.
“That’s it,” Maria said, with finality. “You may have had a stroke. I’m calling the cardinal.”
“No, I’ll call him later and mention it, my child,” Gallo answered. “These blackouts aren’t new; I’ve been having them for years. Right now we have work to do.” After a few more seconds, he looked at them both. “I may have a lead.”
“A lead? What sort of lead?” Clay asked.
“I think I know where it is,” the old priest whispered.
“The demon?” Clay asked, realizing that for the first time, he wasn’t referring to their quarry as a mad man or some other generic entity. He’d actually used the word demon.
“Yes,” Gallo responded. “But apprehending it means breaking a few of Malachi’s rules. And we’ll have to leave as soon as possible.”
“We have to leave?” Maria moved forward and knelt in front of Gallo who continued to sit on the bed with his coffee. “Father, it’s the Crusaders who must deal with it. If you know where it is, you must tell Cardinal Malachi at once.”
“No child... it’s up to us,” the priest said, his voice rising slightly with excitement. “We have one chance and we have to take it now! There’s no time to lose.”
Confused, Maria stood up and looked over at Clay trying to read his thoughts.
“What are you proposing?” Clay asked.
“We can’t let him put it off any more,” the priest mused, ignoring his question.
“Who,” Clay asked, now a trifle more impatient.
“Malachi,” Father Gallo said and stared glassily into his eyes. “He’s known where it is time and again, and he’s put obstacles in our path for years. He doesn’t act when he should. He’s too cautious.”
“Cardinal Malachi?” Maria exclaimed in disbelief, rising to the cardinal’s defense. “How can you say that?”
“You said Gant wasn’t on the plane. Where is the Relic?” Gallo asked.
“I don’t know,” Maria answered. “Maybe in Rome?”
“Of course,” Gallo said. “And yet, we know Adramelech to be here. Malachi didn’t order Gant to take the relic on the plane.”
“It’s a good thing he didn’t.”
“Fortuitous indeed, this time. But why not?”
“I don’t know...perhaps—.”
She was cut off by Gallo. “Perhaps...nothing. The reason it’s in Rome is that once again he is too cautious. Listen to me, both of you. We must secure the Relic and move on Adramelech while there is still time. Mr. Montague, whether you know it or not...you have been the cheese in a trap; my good friend Mustavias is pragmatic but not always above board. I’ll call him, find out exactly when the Relic is coming and we’ll plan from there.”
“Father Gallo...,” Maria began, but he silenced her with a wave.
“I have taken you into my confidence,” he said. “Don’t fail me.”
“We need the Crusaders,” Maria protested.
“I’ll take care of the details,” Gallo promised. “However, Malachi must remain at arm’s length until we are underway at least.” The priest’s frustration was evident as he rose, muttering to himself. “Too cautious...too worried about exposure to the public...too worried about danger to our people. We don’t have the luxury of a guaranteed, fail-safe plan of attack. We need the flexibility to change course as we see fit, to strike on its home turf and put it down for eternity. Doesn’t that make sense?”
Maria stared at Clay who turned and walked to the window and stared out at the London street below and muttered: “This is bizarre.”
“Yes it is,” Gallo said, overhearing him. “But remember...Malachi sent me here to help you find the Beast. I’m doing that and we have to act now...for everyone’s sake. After all, would he object to our killing it?”
“Of course not,” Maria said. “But how do you know where it is?”
“My child, you may know I was taken once. Much of the memory of my capture and imprisonment was wiped from my mind. But periodically, I remember things. And now I am sure I know the location of it’s lair, where it goes to rest or plan or whatever it does...from time to time. I am reasonably sure that since Adramelech is here in the UK, he’s heading home.”
“Where is this ‘home’?” Clay demanded, turning to face Gallo.
“A Scottish baronial castle on a moor,” answered Gallo. “It’s been under the care of his familiars for years. When he needs it.”
Clay shuddered at the word “familiars.” But Maria was not so easily convinced. “We have to call Malachi.”
“I will deal with Mustavias,” Gallo said firmly
Maria turned to Clay, torn between the sincerity of the priest and her loyalty to Malachi. Instinctively she moved closer to the detective for comfort and, wi
thout thinking, he put his arm around her. Gallo raised his eyebrows momentarily, but said nothing.
“Is this what we are supposed to do? Are you sure...?” she asked
“What harm are we doing other than ridding the world of the scourge of mankind? Our cardinal friend will thank us later for taking the initiative. Let us not disappoint our good friend.”
“You’re sure of where it is?” Clay asked.
“With more clarity each day,” Gallo responded.
Clay shrugged. “Well Cardinal Malachi said he was sending you to provide us with guidance, didn’t he? So he trusts you to make the right decisions. Go ahead. Make your plans. We’ll not interfere.”
“The logic and deductive reasoning of a good detective,” Gallo said, rising and heading for the door. “My room is upstairs. I’ll call him from there. Since Gant is on his way, as soon as we have the Relic, we’ll leave for the highlands.”
As the door closed, Maria threw up her hands. “What do you mean we’ll not interfere?” she said, in exasperation. “A few hours ago you wouldn’t even admit this thing existed and now suddenly you’re an authority on what we should or should not do?”
“Maria, he’s being straight with us. Lately I’ve had to face a few of my own issues. I can’t fool myself any longer. I saw it in Panama. I admit it. And, I faced its’ ‘familiar’ in Vermont. The little bitch killed my friend and perhaps my wife in an attempt to get to me. So if Father Gallo thinks he can stop it now, we should help him.”
“I don’t like it.” She turned and sat down on the bed, her hands folded in her lap.
“Look, I’m sick of the convoluted agendas of these people. For God’s sake, look at how they operate. They move across borders without reserve, kidnap people with impunity, and throw the bodies of murder victims in the trunks of their cars like so much flour with not a thought for the police. I want this to be over and I want to make sure you don’t get hurt. I couldn’t stand for anything to happen to you.” He looked at Maria, his eyes revealing what his voice wasn’t allowed to say. She met his gaze openly.
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