by Tom Haase
The limousine arrived and she went back in to the motel room to see if she could get her father released.
They walked out together and got into the limousine. She told him what she'd done and that they were heading back to New York. The FBI would have to interview him again but after he saw his doctor in New York. They would contact him tomorrow to arrange for a formal statement.
“Thank you, dear daughter. Could you tell me all that's happened since you left Jerusalem?”
On the ride to the airport, she filled him in on all the details of the events since her arrival in the United States. Once on board their aircraft, Schultz poured himself a large scotch. Gerti waited for a reaction from her father. She knew him and knew he now processed something, but she needed to wait to hear him express it. He’d hardly spoken since they left the motel. He gave her no reaction to her story of all the transpired events. Something bothered him in a manner she never before observed.
“What's wrong? I know there's something wrong. Tell me what it is,” Gerti said. She waited to the end of her patience.
“I'm never told you this before, but I guess it's time. I needed to take some time in that motel to process that the woman I've hated for many years saved my life.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Bridget saved your life and you have hated her?” Gerti nearly shouted.
“I've been trying to eliminate Bridget Donovan ever since your brother was killed in action,” Schultz said. He lowered his head and placed it between his hands. He raised up to face his daughter. “From reports I got out of the Pentagon, I was given to understand that she let your brother die. I just found out more about her from that FBI special agent who served with her in the army. I don't think that I received the right information from the Army. And I’ve done her a grave injustice.”
“What did you do? What kind of injustice?”
On the flight home Shultz related to her all of the things he had done to try to get Bridget killed. When he finished, Gerti did not say a word. She went to the bar and got herself a drink. On returning to her seat, she looked at her father.
“Your actions almost got me killed in Jerusalem. That Kesi murderer you hired happened to be the one who stuck the knife in me. He could've killed me. I have you to thank for that.” She took a sip from her drink. She saw her father look down at the floor and shook his head.
“A man couldn't ask for a better daughter. From this day we go forward. We have a business to run and a Bible to get. And you are an equal partner from now on in all of our ventures. No more secrets.”
He crossed his fingers behind his back.
Chapter 63
Alexandria, Virginia
The next morning, Bridget went shopping on a cold morning so she borrowed her brother's jacket. At ten o'clock, she arrived outside a quaint old bookstore in old town Alexandria. Bridget knew what she searched for as part of her new plan. An hour later she walked out with a heavy tome bound in a thick leather cover, large in size, and weighing about fifteen pounds. Probably someone's old family bible, but it would suit Bridget's plan.
She smiled as she went into a luggage store. There she purchased a briefcase to hold the book. Then she stopped at a restaurant on King Street and ordered coffee. She called Scott to meet her for coffee. While she waited, she inserted the book into the briefcase to ensure a proper fit and that the cylinder locks worked. Bridget reset the locks from the manufacturer’s numbers to ones of her own.
“Whatever are you going do with those things? Why did you traipse around to find them?” Scott asked when he arrived.
“Remember the last time we worked with Jonathan? We were duped, actually hoodwinked into giving up everything. I don't want that to happen this time,” Bridget said. “Remember, they took all the hard evidence of our find, and we were left out in the cold when we tried to publish our work on it, with the Vatican repudiating our claims and saying they were a hoax.”
“So what's the plan?”
“I'll tell you if it works. Don't worry so much.”
“I think I know what you're planning,” Scott said.
“Maybe, maybe not. We'll see.” They finished their coffee and left the restaurant.
“Now then, brother, we wait. We'll go to observe the house this evening from the inside. No police presence will be there in the evening, as I’m sure they have already searched the place with the FBI after the kidnapping. I want us there by seven.”
* * * *
Jonathan and Grossman stayed in the Holiday Inn on King Street. Jonathan ordered Grossmann to move their aircraft to Washington.
“You seem absolutely certain the Donavans will get this Bible,” Grossmann said at breakfast.
“I am. They're after it, and they'll find it. We have to be there when they do. Where are they now?” Jonathan asked.
When he checked the display on an iPad, he said, “Scott is walking around in a downtown area a few blocks from here.”
“Let's go. We need to follow them.”
Grossmann tracked them on the display. He asked Jonathan, “What do we do now?”
“We wait until they make a move. We'll be right on their tails. I want to go everywhere they do. Visit every place they do. Ask questions of anyone they talk with.”
Chapter 64
Alexandria, Virginia
At seven o'clock that evening, Bridget and Scott arrived at Cornelius Jake's house. Bridget shimmied the back door, and they went in. She brought in the briefcase, and they sat in Jake's living room. She decided to turn on a small light in the kitchen to indicate that someone’s at home.
“You think somebody will come here?” Scott asked.
“I don't know. I don't have a better idea. I just thought it unusual that out of the whole day he came here to his house for only fifteen minutes. Why didn't he stay longer? Why didn’t he come earlier? He didn't have to be back to the hotel since he had Schultz tied up. He could have taken his time to do anything here at the house. My supposition is that he waited for someone at a specific time. There is no other conclusion as far as I can see. It may be a leap or a jump to a conclusion, but it is all I have.”
Scott went over and looked out the front door window.
“Don't do that. Someone might see you.”
He turned and Bridget felt him studying her. “You have killed before. Did shooting Jake cause you any problems afterwards?”
She gave him a stern look. “I don't like to shoot anyone. As far as shooting someone, every time I have, it served to save either myself or someone else. That includes you, like in the museum in Warsaw. Remember?”
“Yes.”
“I don't lose sleep over it, and I don't have nightmares about it. I guess my actions are the result of my army training and the campaigns I served in. Jake attempted to kill Schultz. I had no choice but to act. I couldn't take the chance that he only bluffed.”
The doorbell rang. They both jumped and headed toward the door. When Scott opened it there was a little elderly lady standing there with a box.
“Oh, I'm sorry. I thought Mr. Jake might be here.” The woman wore on a single piece black dress that covered all of her shoulders all the way down to her heels, with shinny silver hair and silver rimmed glasses. Bridget noticed in her eyes that she had questions.
“I'm his niece. We just arrived today to visit him since we hadn't seen him in years. Do you want to come in? Are you a friend?” Bridget asked.
“I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Sylvia from next-door. Mr. Jake asked me to pick up his mail whenever he goes away without having time to notify the post office. Would you mind giving it to him?”
“Not at all. Thank you very much,” Bridget said.
The lady bowed, said goodnight, and departed.
Bridget put the box down in the kitchen and didn't even bother looking at it.
“You going to examine it?” Scott asked.
“No. They're all letters, and it's not heavy enough.”
They waited till ei
ght thirty and left.
* * * *
Jonathan observed Jake's house from the time the tracker led them here. He saw a little old lady carry the box to the door. He realized it couldn’t be the book since it didn't appear heavy as she carried it in one hand down by her side so no use in searching the house again. They trailed the Donovan's back to their motel and then returned to theirs.
“What are we going to do now, Monsignor?”
“We'll give it one more day. If nothing happens, then I think we'll have to return to Rome. I believe I know what brought the Donavans here at this time. It was the same timeframe that Jake was here. They must think that he expected something or someone during that time.”
“So if anybody shows up tomorrow, we grab them,” Grossman said. He was a soldier and wanted immediate action.
“No. We'll execute my plan.”
Chapter 65
Jake's House
At seven the next evening the Donavans were again ensconced in Jake's house. They again turned on the kitchen light. Bridget opened a kitchen cabinet door and placed the briefcase from the old town shop in it. She joined Scott in the living room and sat in silence. At a minute to eight, Bridget got up.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” she said. She returned in a few minutes.
“Were you talking to somebody in there?” Scott made glances, from time to time, toward the front door.
“Let's just focus on our purpose here.”
At ten minutes after eight the doorbell rang. Bridget went to open it. When she did, she faced a young lady with long flowing hair and glasses.
“Hi, I'm Bridget. I'm Cornelius Jake’s niece. He's been taken to the hospital, but he asked me to be here to get the package from you. Is that okay?”
“I guess so. He already paid me, but I hoped to get a little more.” She offered the briefcase to Bridget.
Scott listened to the conversation and rushed over to the door. He pulled out his wallet and produced three twenty-dollar bills. He handed them over. The girl accepted them, didn't say a word, and left.
Bridget shut the door and locked it.
“We have to move fast. They'll be here any second. Guard the door.” She rushed into the kitchen. After retrieving her briefcase, she placed the two cases side by side. They probably couldn't see the exact briefcase the girl delivered and her briefcase resembled it. She left out her locked briefcase, and the one from the girl she put into the cabinet. She successfully switched the briefcases in ten seconds. She held the briefcase in her hand and reentered the living room.
At that instant, the front door burst open. Scott reeled backward from his sentinel position. Grossman came in with his gun out, Jonathan right on his heels.
“We saw you get the briefcase. I know the Bible is in it,” Jonathan said.
Bridget acted as if she had been going to the kitchen, whirled and glared at them as she stood in the passageway into the kitchen with the briefcase in hand.
“I'll have to take that,” Jonathan said. “I don't want any problem, Bridget. Just hand it over. It's been a great chase, and you’ve lost. The reporter can't document this one for you. You were good enough to kill him. Can't say it hasn't been fun, but we're off to Rome right now. My superiors will be pleased, and we'll thank you with a finders fee, just like last time but nowhere near as much.”
Grossman grabbed the case from Bridget. He handed it to Jonathan who examined the case, felt the weight and tried to open briefcase locks. They didn't snap open.
“Thank you so much. I can see that you couldn't get this open. It's still in the case the lady gave you.” He smiled at them and waved good-bye.
They both backed out on the front door. And in less than thirty seconds, Bridget heard a car’s engine start up and move away.
* * * *
As they drove to the airport, Jonathan congratulated Grossman on his efforts in helping them secure the Bible of Constantine. They arrived at the airport where their private jet awaited them. Thirty minutes later they were airborne, headed for Rome.
“It's a great feeling to have accomplished this and to have this back in our possession. The cardinals in Rome will be pleased.”
“Monsignor, for completing our mission I think we deserve a drink. What will you have?” Grossman asked.
“If we’ve any champagne on this plane, I think we deserve it.”
* * * *
At Jake's house, Bridget noticed Scott after their former compatriots departed with the fake bible. He appeared completely defeated. His shoulders sagged. He moved into the living room and flopped down into a chair.
“All that effort and we're beat again. We have nothing. What are we going to tell Mr. Shultz?”
“Get up. We have to leave right now in case they come back. They didn't get it. We have it. Before they come back we need to go. Now move!”
Chapter 66
Bridget sat down in their motel room and waited before speaking. In direct contrast to how she observed her brother, she felt exhilarated and teased him, saying, “Are you worried about Mr. Schultz or that he'll shoot you for liking Gerti?”
Scott looked at her and took his time in responding. “Both.”
“Come on, it's time to get going.” Bridget got up and headed for the door.
“Where are we going?” Scott asked.
“We’re going to the airport,” Bridget said. She went into the kitchen and picked up the briefcase.
“Is that the bible?” Scott said. “I thought Jonathan got away with it.”
Bridget kept it in her hand, and they went out to the car. “I'll tell you my secret when we get there.”
“Why are we going to the airport?”
Bridget didn't answer. They drove in silence to Reagan International airport. She drove to the front of the fixed base operation on the field where general aviation aircraft were serviced and where Scott took the flight to meet Mr. Schultz. She stopped and told Scott to wait inside while she returned the rental car.
When she arrived back with her briefcase, she observed that Scott remained unhappy.
“Why the hell are we here?” He glared at her.
“Remember the arrangement that Jake made with Schultz for five million dollars if he delivered the Bible?” She led him to a seat where she faced the airport and he the wall. She gave him the briefcase and he put it beside his chair.
“Yes, but what does that have to do with us?”
“Earlier I called Mr. Schultz. You asked if I called someone when I was in the bathroom. I asked him if we delivered the Bible would he provide the same arrangement for us,” Bridget said. “He agreed.”
“Yes, but then we thought we would get the Bible. Before McGregor and Grossmann did it to us again and stole it for the Vatican.”
“That's true,” Bridget said, and then she looked over Scott’s shoulder. “But he agreed that if we did deliver it he would honor the contract for five million.”
A shadow loomed over Scott and a piece of paper dropped into his lap.
He stared at the paper. His eyes froze on one figure. He rapidly swiveled to face the person behind him who had dropped the paper.
Gerti smiled and pulled him to her for more than a sibling-type kiss.
“What the hell is going on? How did you get here?” Scott said when they broke apart.
“You're not happy to see me?” she pouted.
“Of course.” He still held her in his arms. “But the check you dropped is for five million dollars. It's made out to Bridget and me.”
Scott turned to Bridget. “What the hell is she talking about? We don't have the original.”
“We sorta do. What you don't know and I'm sorry I kept it from you, but I switched the cases and we have the real bible.”
“How?” Scott asked.
“When I ran to the kitchen in Jake's house I believed I would only get a few seconds to act. I realized that Jonathan would have seen the woman deliver the briefcase. A lucky guess on my part that it would be i
n a briefcase, but it makes sense that would be the least conspicuous way to carry it around.”
“Smart thinking,” Gerti said. She moved around to stand beside Scott. She placed her hand in his.
“In the kitchen I just had time to take out the briefcase I purchased and put the one from the delivery lady under the sink. I stood in the passageway with the briefcase in my hands pretending I planned to go into the kitchen from the living room when Grossman burst in. They assumed I still had the one delivered by the girl in my hands. I put a security lock on the case so it would not be easy to open even if they tried. Probably they figured someone in Rome could open it with no trouble. They had what they wanted and left at once.” Bridget concluded and then gave a broad smile of satisfaction. “But we had to leave Jake's house as soon as possible just in case they somehow opened the fake briefcase, realized the ploy, and came back to get the real one.”
Bridget handed the briefcase over to Gerti and picked up the check.
Chapter 67
New York
Schultz Apartment
Bridget and Scott accompanied Gerti back on the private jet to the Schultz's penthouse in New York City. Gerti did not attempt to open the briefcase on the way there. Mr. Shultz greeted them with a warm embrace for Bridget and a firm handshake for Scott.
On Bridget’s first time Bridget in the penthouse, she gave Mr. Schultz complimentary remarks on his décor and the beauty of the panoramic view over New York City. After everyone sat and held a drink in their hands, Mr. Schultz stood up.
“It is a great pleasure for me to have both of you in our home. I know from researching and from talking to Scott that your first adventure with the Crown of Thorns was brilliant. I know that you had the documents and the relics in your hands and the church whisked them away ands denied you credit for your discoveries. As a result of that you lost everything.” Schultz hoped they would never find out that he became the primary cause of them losing everything. For Bridget saving his life, he now wanted to make some amends. It would be a Schultz secret.