The Secret Chapel (god's lions)

by John Lyman

  The morning sun was rising over a cloudless sky when they turned left onto a long paved driveway lined with olive trees and drove under an arched stone gate topped with a brown wooden cross next to a blue Star of David.

  Lev’s ancient Land Rover rolled to a stop in front of an enormous Mediterranean-style villa set back from the beach behind a series of sand dunes. A rolling green lawn surrounded the villa’s brilliant white stucco exterior, and flowers were everywhere.

  Around the back, a sparkling blue swimming pool bordered by tall palm trees separated the house from the sand dunes and the sea. Red-tiled roofs of several dozen smaller houses dotted the landscape, along with vineyards, orchards, and rows of planted fields.

  People of various ages could be seen walking about the property, the most noticeable being the young men and women of the villa’s security force dressed in olive-colored shirts and matching shorts with automatic weapons slung over their shoulders.

  Within minutes of their arrival, the car was surrounded by a group of young people who greeted Lev with laughter and hugs. It was becoming evident to Leo that this man was loved by almost everyone who came into contact with him.

  John was just waking up in the backseat. He lifted himself upright and rubbed his eyes, blinking in the sunlight at his surroundings. A smiling group approached the passenger side of the vehicle and opened the doors. They giggled and motioned for Leo and John to follow. “Come with us. We’ll show you to your rooms.”

  Walking toward the villa, Lev stopped and looked back at Leo. “Why don’t you two go enjoy a few beers on the beach, Father? We’ll find some swimming trunks for you both. I’ll call you when lunch is ready.”

  With that, Lev turned and walked into the villa, leaving a bewildered Leo and John at the mercy of their giggling captors.

  Chapter 14

  The shallow turquoise water of the Mediterranean Sea stretched before Leo and John as they reclined on weathered beach chairs beneath a ragged blue umbrella stuck in the sand. Bathed in the warmth of the moist sea air, Leo squinted in the reflected sunlight and retrieved a cold Israeli beer from the cooler beside him.

  “This reminds me of those TV ads for Mexican beer,” John said. “You know, the one’s where two people are staring at the ocean in silence with two bottles of beer on a table between them.”

  “Except one of them is a girl in a white bikini, and I don’t see anyone who looks like that around.”

  “No kidding. That brings up a little problem I’ve been wrestling with lately, Father.”

  Leo lifted his sunglasses up on his head and looked over at his young friend. “What problem would that be, John?”

  “Well, for one, why does the Church continue to insist that priests remain celibate? It’s just not natural. I mean, don’t you think there would be fewer problems with priests and the way people are starting to view them if they were allowed to marry or have girlfriends?”

  “I guess that depends on who you’re talking to,” Leo said. “If you’re talking to those in authority at the Vatican, then the answer would be no. If you’re a young man looking at the priesthood, then I think the answer might be different.”

  John picked up a small sea shell from beside his chair and threw it toward the water. “I guess I’m just hoping that someday, the leaders in the Catholic Church will come to their senses and do away with that bizarre and archaic requirement. Priests should be allowed to have women in their lives. How have you managed to cope with it all these years, Father?”

  Leo replaced the sunglasses over his eyes and gazed out at the water. “I haven’t always been a saint.”

  “You, Leo?”

  “That’s what confession and absolution are all about, my son. I’ve had two serious relationships in the past.”

  “With women?” John’s eyes were getting wider by the second.

  “No, I’m gay. Want some suntan lotion on your back?” Leo was trying hard to keep a straight face.

  Like a freshly caught fish that had just landed on the deck of a boat, John’s eyes were bulging and his mouth moved without speaking.

  Unable to contain himself any longer, Leo burst out laughing so hard he came close to spewing beer through his nose. “Of course with women. I was talking about the years before I became a priest, when I was in college. It was more difficult for me when I was your age. I’ve always loved women. Still do. But my ability to put my personal desires in perspective with my role in life has become easier with age. Being a priest is a learning process. You don’t automatically become a pillar of virtue the day you take your vows. God knows that we are imperfect beings, and he makes allowances for us. I’ve never believed that the whole celibacy thing should be a central tenet to the priesthood, but I’ve always kept my vows.”

  “Wow,” John said, looking relieved. “You just described what I’m going through right now. I think about meeting the right woman, getting married, having kids, all of it. I just hope I make the right decision this summer before I enter seminary in the fall.”

  “You’ll find your way, John. Whatever you decide, priest or no priest, you have a good heart. If you want to be a husband and father, I know you’ll be one of the best. If you become a priest, you’ll be a great one.”

  “Lunch,” a twenty-something girl shouted at the two from the dunes. She had long brown hair and was wearing a white blouse and skintight khaki shorts. She giggled at John before turning her back and running off toward the villa.

  John shot Leo a glance and moaned. “See what I mean?”

  Leo smiled. He knew the struggle this young man would face in the months ahead would be difficult. It was possible the Church would lose another promising candidate for the priesthood due to its antiquated views of marriage and priests. For now, Leo just wanted an answer to the question of why they were here, and so far, no one seemed to have one.

  Beers in hand, they retreated from the beach across a rickety boardwalk that ran through the dunes toward the villa. In the distance, Leo noticed the sun’s reflection glinting off something nestled in the dunes farther down the beach. He shielded his eyes with his hands and peered out over the sea swept landscape. Nothing moved. Whatever he had seen was now gone, and the burning heat from the sun-baked boardwalk against his bare feet made him step up his pace. The sound of laughter coming from the villa, along with the aroma of meat cooking on an outdoor grill, put an end to Leo’s thoughts about the shining object in the distance as he headed toward the promise of a delicious meal.

  Arriving by the pool, Leo and John stopped and stared at a long buffet table piled high with food. There were bowls nestled in ice and filled with Jerusalem salad, a delicious concoction that included olives, feta, pomegranate, and za’atar, a seasoning of hyssop and sesame seeds sprinkled with kosher salt. Wide platters ringed with lime wedges held grilled tilapia, known locally as Saint Peter’s fish.

  There were mounds of pita bread next to bowls of hummus, olive oil, minced garlic, and freshly picked lemons from the groves around the villa. Shashlik, spiced ground meat on skewers, along with kebabs of cubed lamb and beef, sizzled on the grill nearby, while dishes of pickled vegetables and baba ghanoush were spaced throughout the buffet next to heaps of freshly picked fruit.

  Under big yellow umbrellas, Israeli and French wines populated linen-covered tables, while ice-filled metal tubs holding Cokes and bottles of water were stationed nearby on the stone patio floor. People of all ages were lounging beside the pool, enjoying the feast and the comfortable familiarity of being surrounded by friends who were more like family. The atmosphere had the feel of a holiday to it.

  “I think we must have died at the beach and this is heaven,” John said.

  Leo nodded in agreement as they piled as much food on their plates as room allowed and fell into some poolside lounge chairs. Reaching for a bottle of cold water, Leo noticed Lev standing next to the villa talking to a group of exceptionally fit-looking men. Judging by their appearance, the priest took them for military type
s.

  Lev soon spotted Leo and John by the pool and grinned while raising his glass of wine in a gesture of welcome. Leo and John responded by lifting their bottles of water in a return salute, their mouths too full to grin. Squinting in the late afternoon sun, Leo continued to study the group around Lev. Could this be the Bible Code Team Morelli had talked about? His question was about to be answered, because the men, led by Lev, were now walking in their direction.

  Several hundred yards away, behind a sand dune to the north, two men with binoculars and cameras packed up their equipment. They walked back to their car parked along the road and sat inside, staring at the villa. The men exchanged glances before looking around to make sure no one was watching as the driver started the engine and pulled out onto the roadway. Slowly, they drove past the villa as the passenger reached for his cell phone and punched in a preprogrammed number.

  Chapter 15

  Leo and John sat happily munching away by the pool while Lev and the three fit-looking men approached them. Two of the men appeared to be in their late twenties or early thirties, while the third appeared to be at least in his fifties. Setting their plates aside, Leo and John stood to meet the group.

  “Are you feeling rested, my friends?” Lev asked. “Is the food to your liking?”

  “The food is excellent, Lev. I’ve never seen such a spectacular feast put together in a private home. I feel like a guest at an exclusive resort. We can’t thank you enough for your generous hospitality.”

  “How about you, John? Did you get enough to eat?”

  Red as a lobster from too much sun, John stood next to Leo holding a skewer of meat in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. “This is probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had. My folks back on our ranch in New Mexico used to put on some real parties with lots of Mexican food and barbecue, but nothing like this.”

  “Well, this is a special occasion,” Lev said, winking at the men around him. Let’s go inside, and I’ll start the introductions.” Lev studied John’s deepening red color. “You two need to get out of the sun.”

  The group filed into the villa and entered a cavernous room with a red-tiled floor and a man-sized iron chandelier hanging from the center of a thirty-foot high ceiling. The walls were painted the color of desert sand and lined with artwork, while Persian carpets and white fabric sofas took up the center of the room, giving the space a modern Mid-Eastern flavor. Floor-to-ceiling windows at one end opened up the space to a panoramic view of the sea, while on opposite sides of the room, two wide hallways led away from the great room into separate parts of the villa.

  As the men gathered around on sofas, the holiday mood took on a distinctly more business-like tone when Lev stood and faced Leo and John for a moment before speaking. “I want to start off by saying that everyone here is very grateful that you two made it to Israel safely. Those of us involved with the Bible code have been extremely impressed with both of you, especially your involvement in the discovery of the ancient chapel and your ability to shake off your pursuers and make it to Israel without being stopped. I’m sure we’ll all get to know one another much better in the days ahead, but before we get to the matter of why we’ve all been called together at this exact time and place, I want to introduce you to the team Father Morelli was working with for the past year.”

  The stoic-looking men sitting across from Leo and John smiled in their direction. “Shalom,” they all said in unison.

  “Don’t let their casual looks give you a false impression,” Lev said. “Most are experts in their chosen fields, and all of them have devoted the past year of their lives to the study of the code in the Bible.”

  The man seated next to Lev stood and seized Leo’s hand in a vice-like grip. Leo returned the squeeze, causing the man to smile. “I heard you were once a boxer, Father. You still have a good grip.”

  “This is Moshe Ze?ev,” Lev said. “Our chief of security.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Moshe.” Leo watched as John winced in the clutches of the man’s iron handshake. At fifty-five years of age, Moshe was the oldest and most colorful member of the three. He was wearing a bright blue fly-fishing shirt, lime-green shorts, and flip-flops. The long, thin muscles of a runner made it obvious that he still kept himself in shape, and his tanned head was completely shaved. His only facial hair was a thick handlebar moustache that he twirled at the ends. Leo knew Moshe’s name was, of course, synonymous with the man who delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt-Moses.

  “Moshe was a general in the Israeli Defense Force before joining the Mosad, our version of the CIA,” Lev continued. “Let’s just say he knows more than your average citizen about what goes on in this country and other parts of the world.”

  A large man dressed in khaki pants with a tight-fitting brown T-shirt stood up. He was six feet five inches tall and looked like a linebacker in the NFL. At the age of thirty-five, he had black hair worn short on top and shaved on the sides and was the only one of the group who did not have any facial hair.

  “This is Alon Lavi,” Lev said. “Alon was a captain in the Israeli Special Forces and is Moshe’s second in command here at the villa.”

  “I’m happy to meet you, Father. And you too, John.”

  Leo reached out to shake his hand. “Alon is a Hebrew name, isn’t it?”

  “It means oak tree,” Lev said, cutting in. “Very fitting, don’t you think?”

  Alon blushed slightly as the Israeli men began to laugh. John stood to shake hands with the big man while making a mental note to be standing close to this guy if a fight ever broke out.

  The third man extended his hand toward Leo and John. In his late twenties, with short, dark hair, horn-rimmed glasses, and a beard, he had a decidedly more intellectual look about him than the others. He was dressed in a loose-fitting white shirt that was one size too large and wearing the ever-present khaki shorts that seemed so popular among the staff at the villa.

  “Hi. I’m Daniel … Daniel Meir.”

  “The Book of Daniel calls you the interpreter of dreams,” Leo said,

  Lev seemed impressed. “Very good, Father.” The Israeli men nodded their approval and obvious respect for Leo.

  “It also means one who is pious and wise in the Book of Ezekiel,” John added, also earning a few nods of respect from the others.

  Quiet by nature, Daniel was embarrassed by the attention. “Well, since you’ve given me the challenge of having to live up to my name, I hope I don’t disappoint you. Of course, one can’t help but remember that Daniel was also thrown into the lion’s den. I have a feeling history is repeating itself.” The room erupted in laughter at the obvious reference to all those present whose names meant lion.

  Lev put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder and smiled. “Daniel was a cryptographer or ‘code breaker’ in the ministry of defense and, like me, has a PhD in mathematics.”

  John was just sitting back down when he noticed the girl he had seen earlier on the beach enter the room from one of the side hallways. She walked right up to Lev and kissed him lightly on the cheek. John suddenly felt self-conscious and began brushing his hair back from his forehead with his fingers.

  “Let me introduce you to the final member of the team, running late as usual,” Lev said, smiling at the girl. “This is my daughter, Ariella.”

  Leo took her small but strong hand in his. “It seems we have yet another lion. Ariella is Hebrew for lioness of God. Daniel truly is in the lion’s den.”

  Ariella laughed and swept a strand of long brown hair back over her shoulder. “It’s an honor to meet you, Father Leo.”

  John wiped his hands on his shorts and reached out to shake her hand while uttering a squeaky hello. Ariella smiled sweetly at him before she lowered her enormous brown eyes and turned shyly back toward her father. She was the same height as John, and he couldn’t help but notice that her lean tan legs gave her the look of an Olympic swimmer. John thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever met.

&
nbsp; “My daughter has honored me by following in the footsteps of my second career,” Lev said. “She just received her degree in archaeology from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.”

  Leo and John had a newfound appreciation for the individual talents and abilities of this special group of people, a group that had obviously been assembled with a definite mission in mind.

  One of Leo’s favorite pastimes was looking up the meanings and origins of names that were new to him. Aside from those he had recently met who were named after lions, he was struck by the way all of the Israelis seemed to have names that fit their roles in life. For instance, Alon’s last name was Lavi, obviously another lion, and Moshe’s surname, Ze?ev, meant literally “son of wolf”. It appeared that Lev had chosen both a lion and a wolf to be in charge of protecting those he loved.

  Then there was Daniel’s name-the strangest coincidence of all. As Leo had mentioned earlier, Daniel was called the interpreter of dreams in the Bible, but his last name, Meir, meant brilliant. Putting the two together, Leo saw that the name of the team’s chief cryptographer meant brilliant interpreter. It was a very appropriate name for a code breaker, and a strange coincidence indeed.

  Lev grew serious as he gazed at Leo and John across an immense coffee table hewn from the single trunk of an olive tree. “We would like to extend an invitation. Before I picked you two up at the airport this morning, we all took a little vote. The result was unanimous, and we’ve all agreed that we would like both of you to join our team here in Israel.”

  The others nodded silently in agreement.

  Leo and John looked around the room and studied the faces staring back at them. Wasn’t this why they had come to Israel in the first place? Not only had they developed a keen interest in the code, but they were now becoming totally entranced with their new friends in this exotic setting. The Israelis waited for their answer.