by John Lyman
Through his tiny swimmers goggles, he watched the colorful fish as they swam over the reef twenty feet below. He spotted some loners with black and white stripes, darting through holes in the rocks as they raced to hide among a field of tall underwater plants that waved in the current. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Evita, swimming down to the bottom. Once there, she lingered over a colorful patch of coral before looking up at him and kicking her way back to the surface.
Popping up beside him, she resumed swimming at his side. They swam for another thirty minutes, until both became winded and struggled back through the surf before collapsing on the wet sand next to the water’s edge. Leo glanced over at the dark-haired beauty lying beside him. Her eyes were closed as she held her face toward the sun, while beads of water dried on her perfectly tanned skin.
“So, how long have you been a Cathar?” Leo asked, turning on his side to face her.
Evita opened her eyes and turned her head slightly. “That’s a great come-on line, Cardinal. You should use it more often.”
Leo began to stutter as Evita giggled. “I only meant …”
“I’m teasing you, Leo. Lighten up.” She reached over and smoothed a tangle of wet, gray-streaked hair off his forehead as she peered into a pair of striking green eyes with a ring of gold deep inside. “I guess like most people, I was born into my religion. My family lived in Barcelona, but when I was three, they moved to Foix after my grandmother died and left her estate to my father.”
“Foix? Isn’t that the Cathar village we’re headed to tonight?”
“Yes. I find it quite a coincidence that my hometown has suddenly become the focus of our attention. At least I know the area, so that should help.”
“Is that when your family became Cathars … after you moved there?”
Evita sat up and tossed her long black hair over her shoulders. “I come from an unbroken line of Cathars that date back to the 13th century. We’ve been Cathars for over seven hundred years.”
“You look really good for your age.”
Evita giggled again. “You’re very witty, Leo. I think that’s one of the things I like best about you. So, what would you like to know? What was it like to be raised in a Cathar household? How did we practice a religion most people didn’t even know existed in modern times?”
“Yes, to all of the above.”
“It was no big deal, really. Since we lived in a Cathar community, we all shared in the knowledge of who we were and what we believed. It was kind of cool, actually … like knowing a secret that no one in the outside world knew about. We felt special. I’ve always loved my religion, and I can tell you now that we were all horrified to find out about Acerbi. If the outside world ever finds out that he’s behind this plague, and that he claims to be a Cathar, it will be disastrous for the rest of us. That’s why we decided to join forces with you. We want the world to know that Acerbi is a monster, and that it was real Cathars who put everything on the line in an effort to stop him.”
“I think it’s a foregone conclusion that Acerbi and his cohorts will be exposed to the world when all of this is over. The fact that he claims to be a Cathar is a little cloudy at this point, but if I have anything to say about it, his twisted theology will be exposed for what it is … an aberration of your true faith.”
“You sound very sympathetic to our plight, Cardinal. Wouldn’t it be ironic that the Catholic Church came to the rescue of our faith now, seven hundred years after they almost wiped us from the face of the earth?”
Leo rolled over on his back and stared up at the sky. “There’s a lot about your faith that makes sense, Evita. I have this overwhelming feeling that we’re connected in ways we don’t even understand yet.”
The sun was blotted out by Evita’s face hovering above his own. She leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips before jumping to her feet. “Let’s go eat,” she said. “I’m starving.”
Leo struggled to his feet and glanced back at the ocean. “You and I need to have a serious talk if we make it through this.”
Evita glanced back over her shoulder as she headed toward the boardwalk that led to the villa. “There’s nothing to talk about, Leo. We’re both adults, and we’ll do what we think is best, for both of us.”
CHAPTER 46
It was almost midnight when the gray, unmarked, Boeing C-17 Globemaster circled to land on a darkened runway tucked into the woods at the base of the rising Pyrenees. With electronic signals to guide them, the pilots were following a laser-guided approach to the field that had been set up just prior to their arrival by Israeli Special Forces soldiers on the ground. Seconds later, the screech of tires against concrete announced the arrival of the big jet on French soil.
Diffuse, bluish light from a waning moon filtered down through a low cloud cover, providing an eerie welcome to the heavy-eyed team who had slept for most of the flight across the Mediterranean. Breathing in the crisp mountain air, they made their way down the ramp at the back of the aircraft to three black SUVs waiting on the tarmac.
“Hello, Professor,” a voice called out from the darkness.
Lev squinted at the dark shapes moving at the periphery of his vision. “Who’s there?”
“Benjamin … Benjamin Zamir, sir.”
“Danny’s boy?” Lev watched as a muscular, dark-haired man in his early 30’s appeared from the edge of the runway. His face was smeared with green and black camouflage paint and a pair of night-vision goggles hung from the front of his helmet.
“Yes, sir. I’m the commander of Special Ops Team 5 now. My father personally chose our team for this mission.”
“Time flies. The last time I saw you …”
“Was at my high school graduation. I was honored that you came.”
“It’s always an honor to be invited by a friend to a special event involving one of their children. Remember that. How long have you been in Special Forces?”
“Almost six years now, Professor. I don’t mean to rush, but we need to get everyone into the vehicles so we can clear this runway. The pilots need to get that jet out of here as soon as possible.”
Two minutes later, the SUVs were headed down a dirt road lined with trees as the sound of a big jet streaking by overhead drowned out all conversation inside the vehicle.
“The safe house is just a few miles from here, but there’s been a change of plans.”
“What kind of change?” Lev asked.
“The man you came to meet in Foix has given specific instructions that he will only meet with you and the cardinal.”
“What about the rest of the team?”
“They’ll remain at the safe house … all except for Dr. Diaz. As soon as we finish his makeup job, we’re taking him to the lab in Toulouse. We were only able to get access to the facility for six hours, so he’s going to have to get in and out quickly.”
Alon leaned over the seat. “I’m not letting Lev and Leo go to any meeting without me.”
“My men will be surrounding the house and …”
“I don’t care. I’m going in with them.”
“You’ll never win this argument, Ben,” Lev said. “Where I go, Alon goes.”
“But the man specifically told us that he only wants to meet with you and Leo.”
“He’ll have to adjust.”
“OK … you’re the boss.” The SUV crunched to a stop on a gravel driveway in front of a log house that was set back beneath some of the biggest pine trees any of them had ever seen. “We’re home,” Ben said. “This is the safe house. The rest of your team will be staying here, while you three come with us to Foix.”
“Right now?” Lev asked.
“Yes, sir. The man you have come to meet is waiting for you.”
“Let’s go.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were passing through the sleeping town of Foix, past darkened homes of families who had no idea that a team of Israeli Special Forces soldiers were driving through their little village in the middle of the night.<
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Glancing out through his side window, Leo thought about the feeling new places gave him at night, in darkness, but then the next day, in bright sunlight, they looked completely different. He remembered a trip he had once made to Seattle. Arriving at midnight, he had been driven straight to his hotel past brightly-lit fast food places and car rental lots, but everything beyond those pools of light was a mystery. The next morning, he threw back the drapes of his room and saw Mount Rainier in the distance. Rising from a green forest floor to a white snow top against a crystal blue sky, it was a majestic sight, one he would never forget. What would he see the next morning here in Foix?
“Do we have any agenda for this meeting?” Leo asked.
“None,” Lev replied. “We’re just going to have to play it by ear and see what this man has to say. Personally, I think it’s a 50–50 chance that we’re heading into a trap.”
Leo looked at the SUV full of soldiers driving in front of them. “I was thinking the same thing. Glad these guys are with us.”
“Me too, but if it is a trap, we’re probably already outnumbered.”
“Are you always so optimistic?”
“This is optimistic. You don’t want to hear what the pessimistic side of me is thinking.”
“Great. And to think, I was getting bored of my life at the Vatican. I’ll never complain of boredom again.”
The SUVs sped out of town and turned off on a side road that led to a two-story stone house situated on a slight rise in the middle of a rocky field with no trees around. The vehicle containing Leo, Lev, and Alon stopped, while the lead SUV drove out into the field and dropped off the soldiers inside. Within seconds, they had all disappeared into the night.
After waiting out on the road for several minutes, Ben received a call on his radio from the soldiers surrounding the house. “Ok, Professor. We’ve got the go-ahead to proceed. We’re walking in from here.”
Stepping from the protection of the armored SUV, the men began walking over the rough ground toward the house. The only light in the building came from a corner window on the second floor. The rest of the house was totally dark. Alon noticed that, from a strategic standpoint, the house was perfectly situated so that no one would be able to approach from any direction without being seen.
With the benefit of night-vision goggles, the soldiers led the group to the front door before fading off into the shadows.
“Now what?” Leo asked.
Lev reached out and knocked on the door. Slowly, the door swung open on its own, as if it had been left ajar.
“Now what?”
Lev looked back over his shoulder at Leo. “Would you please stop saying that?”
“Sorry … but really … now what?”
“Come in, my friends.”
The three men exchanged glances. Peering into the darkened house, Lev saw a figure moving up the stairs through a column of faint yellowish light shining from the floor above.
The figure stopped for a moment. “Come, now, my friends, you have nothing to fear. Join me in my library upstairs.”
The figure disappeared up the stairwell, leaving the three confused men standing in the doorway.
“He could have taken us all out by now if that was his intention,” Lev said. “Let’s go.”
He pushed the door the rest of the way open and the three of them walked into the downstairs living room. Tripping over a small end table in the darkness, Lev led Leo and Alon through the darkened room to the bottom of the stairwell. Taking the Sig 9mm pistols from their waistbands, Lev and Alon motioned for Leo to follow as they moved cautiously up the stairs.
Once they reached the second floor, they found themselves standing in an open room, its polished wooden floors covered with oriental carpets. Pools of light from several ornate lamps highlighted two facing couches in front of a rock fireplace, and the entire space was lined with bookshelves overflowing with books of every description. A quick glance told Leo that most of them had to do with history and archaeology.
The other half of the room contained a small but elegant kitchen built around a circular alcove surrounded by windows. Sitting at a table in the alcove, they saw the outline of a man cloaked in shadow.
“Guns, Gentlemen?”
“Just a precaution,” Lev said, suddenly feeling exposed.
“I see you’ve brought Alon Lavi along with you. An excellent choice. I would have done the same.”
Lev could barely contain his astonishment. “How do you know Alon?”
“I know all of you.”
Alon tightened the grip on the pistol behind his back as he tried to make out the face of the shadowy figure. “Really? What else do you know?”
“I know that Israeli Special Forces Team 5 is outside my door right now. You’ve brought the best of the best with you this evening.”
Lev felt a chill run down his spine. This man was completely at ease, and whoever he was, he knew everything about them. If this was a trap, it had been planned perfectly.
“Won’t you join me for a cup of tea?”
Taking a step forward, Leo thought he heard the hint of an Italian accent in the man’s speech. “Tea?”
“Yes … tea, Cardinal. We have a lot to discuss. You might as well be comfortable. And you can tell the men outside they can relax. I can assure you that I am alone.”
“They have their orders,” Alon said.
“I’m sure they do.” The figure stirred before leaning forward and bringing his face into the light. His piercing blue eyes looked like those of a much younger man, but his hair was snow white, as was a neatly trimmed goatee. Deep lines creased his pale face, while the translucent, parchment-like skin highlighted the raised blue veins in hands that had a slight tremor to them.
All three men froze with the sudden realization of who they were looking at. They stood there speechless with a foggy grasp on reality, as if they were just awakening from a dream, for they were all staring into the face of a man they had seen only in pictures.
It can’t be! He’s been dead for years!
But truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, and it was obvious that the man sitting before them was very much alive. They were all staring into the face of Eduardo Acerbi, and he was smiling.
CHAPTER 47
The astonished men attempted to gather their thoughts as they looked into the unblinking eyes of Eduardo Acerbi. Sitting before them was a man who had once been one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. As the enigmatic head of the powerful Acerbi clan, he had ruled over a vast international business empire until that fateful day forty years ago when he had suddenly disappeared without a trace.
“Gentlemen, please. Don’t look so shocked. Join me in some tea. You have my solemn promise that no harm will come to you from me on this night.”
Lev was the first of the three who was finally able to speak. “As much as I’d like to believe you, Mr. Acerbi, your presence here is a little disturbing, to say the least.”
“No one else in the outside world knows I’m even alive, Professor. If anyone is in danger, it is I.”
Lev and Alon traded looks before sliding their guns back into their waistbands. Eduardo had made his point. They both knew that if he had wanted them dead, they wouldn’t be listening to the sound of his voice right now.
“Come, Gentlemen … please, sit.”
The three men scanned the room once more before walking over to an intricately carved wooden table that dated back to the Middle Ages. Taking a seat, Leo noticed that Acerbi had laid out four place settings, indicating that somehow he had known beforehand that three guests would be joining him instead of two.
The old man smiled. “I don’t receive many visitors here, so this is a special treat. I’m sure the first question on your minds is my connection with my son. Despite what you may have heard, Rene and I are two completely separate entities. Although we may share the Acerbi surname, our views on the world do not fall under the umbrella of the same god.”
&n
bsp; “Your son has committed the unspeakable, Mr. Acerbi,” Leo said. “I seriously doubt his actions are covered by an umbrella held by any god.”
“I guess that depends on which god you follow, Cardinal Amodeo.”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “The theology of the Cathars has always been a little cloudy to me, Mr. Acerbi. I’ve always considered them more like Christians, who clearly believe in only one god.”
Acerbi stood to pour some freshly brewed Earl Grey tea. He then opened a plain white bakery box and laid some buttery croissants out on their plates. “Cathars are Christians, Cardinal, which begs the question of how much you really know about our faith.”
“I’ve studied enough about the subject to know that yours is a religion of peace, and that many of your beliefs seem to be in harmony with the world around you. I also know that your people were persecuted hundreds of years ago by evil men who called themselves Catholics.”
“Actually, our near extinction was condoned by a Catholic pope, but those were different times, Cardinal. Most people in the Middle Ages were still barbarians. People who romanticize about that period in history usually have no true knowledge of the times. I can’t help but chuckle to myself when I read some of the fictional drivel written about the chivalrous knights of old in their shining armor. They’re usually portrayed as morally incorruptible men who come charging to the rescue on white horses, willing to sacrifice their lives in defense of the downtrodden. However, men who study history … men like yourself … know that nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, they had no code of honor. They were filthy, crude, vicious men whose morals more closely resemble those of modern-day motorcycle gangs. In short, they were thugs, plain and simple. The one exception was the Knights Templar. For the most part, the Templars were educated men who actually had a code of honor, but sadly they were exterminated by the French around the same time as the followers of my faith.”