Probe

by Douglas E Roff

  That their lives were now in jeopardy was readily apparent and Edward had no desire to make a scene he couldn’t win on the grounds of the Vatican.

  He decided to strike first.

  As the four young men entered the waiting area, now occupied by Marchetti and two young and armed desk officers, Edward wheeled around quickly, drawing his weapon, and putting the barrel neatly up and under Marchetti’s chin.

  “I think you should advise your colleagues to disarm themselves and walk with us out of the Vatican grounds. The alternative might get very messy. For you in particular.”

  “I think, signori, that you misunderstand who you are speaking to and what I am willing and able to do. Disarming my men is simply never going to happen, no matter what you think you can do to me. I suggest you disarm yourselves and hand over the materials you have brought with you for inspection and confiscation. I suggest you do so immediately.”

  The waiting room wasn’t large and with twelve people now occupying the space, it was crowded. Misti, Murden and James had already instinctively drawn their handguns and proceeded to disarm the young desk officers. Hannah moved close in behind James as he motioned her to do. Misti and Murden then attempted to disarm the four other young men who had just entered from the outside. They had not drawn their own weapons yet but appeared unwilling to cooperate.

  “I will give you until the count of three to slowly draw your weapons by the grips and hand them over to my people. If you don’t, your boss here gets a bullet in his brain. Please do as I ask; I have no desire to harm anyone, but the action being taken is illegal and without authority.”

  The four men stared at Edward impassively, neither taking any action to move or react nor taking any action to comply with Edward’s demand.

  “You need to know if I’m serious, is that it? OK then.”

  Edward quickly dropped his pistol from Marchetti’s neck, and fired a shot into one of the four young men’s kneecap, causing him to drop painfully to the floor. Blood began spurting out and the other three men began reaching for their weapons, still holstered under their suit jackets. Misti kept her pistol pointed at the head of one of the men at eye level so there would be no misunderstanding of what might happen next.

  “Now, gents, why don’t you reach into your suit coats and hand over your weapons. Murden, why don’t you assist these fine fellows and check for ankle holsters while you’re over there. Misti, maybe you can explain the situation to them in Italian, given that English may not be their strong suit.”

  Marchetti began to struggle forcing Edward to put him in a choke hold with one arm while pointing the barrel of his pistol to his head with the other. Marchetti settled down for an instant, then tried to force his way out.

  Edward pulled the trigger scattering Marchetti’s brain matter in every direction, dropping him to the floor in a heap blood spurting everywhere. Murden, James and Misti now had the other three men down on the floor and disarmed.

  Edward looked at Misti and said, “Find the fire alarm and pull it.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out some plastic ties. “Use these to bind the hands of our three young friends, then put them to sleep. Tie off the kneecap above the knee of the fourth fellow. Let’s take these two guards as collateral and head for the street. Cars should be waiting for us on the street by the time we arrive. I sincerely hope Raoul and Ogden Medlow got my signal. Otherwise this will be a very short trip terminating in some nice stone cells.”

  The team looked surprised, as neither Raoul or Ogden were thought to have been part of the travelling team. “Oh, don’t look so surprised,” said Edward. “Better to be safe than sorry, you know. And really, if you can’t trust the Vatican, who can you trust?”

  Misti moved quickly and silently following Edward’s instructions. She located and pulled the alarm setting off loud waves of noisy sirens and causing people to pour out of buildings and head for the street according to Vatican fire procedures. Edward and the entourage all made their way out in the confusion, looking down the street for friendly faces attached to cars that could speed them away from the Vatican and toward the small airport on the outskirts of Rome. Two friendly faces appeared from two black BMWs that screeched to a halt exactly where the group was standing. They were careful not to flatten any of the mob collecting around the entrance looking for the fire, but the entrance was a setback off the street and the street itself was largely empty.

  They released their disarmed hostages and climbed in the cars and sped off. They were wheels up within the hour and headed back to London and relative safety.

  Then Edward would contact the Vatican for an explanation of the duplicity and betrayal they had just experienced.

  But they weren’t home yet.

  ***

  The journey back to their waiting airplane had seemed too simple and easy for Edward. He suspected that they were being followed and that the airplane they boarded would be tracked by the tail number as the flight plan would necessarily be lodged with airport authorities. He instructed the pilot to file a new flight plan to Geneva, where they would deplane and return to London via Edinburgh using yet another charter service.

  Air America.

  By the time they were wheels up, Edward was already in contact with Cardinals Oviedo and Fonseca, both of whom verified they knew nothing of his meetings today, that the Supreme Pontiff was also in the dark, and that the commotion caused had been quite unsettling.

  Cardinal Fonseca was very direct. “Our head of security is dead by your hand, Edward. What have you to say about that?”

  Edward demanded, “Where’s Bellinelli? Maybe he can explain why I was detained and accosted by your security folks, threatened and lied to.”

  “We have no knowledge of any of that, but we promise to look into this matter. In the meantime, you should return to Rome and turn yourselves into the authorities here at the Vatican.”

  “Not likely, Cardinal. You tried to kill us today, and would have, had I been unarmed. I was only defending myself and my colleagues. Now where is Bellinelli and his thugs and why’re you protecting him?”

  “Turn yourself in, Edward. That’s my advice to you. There is nothing further that Cardinal Oviedo and I can do for you until you do.”

  “All the books and tapes are ready for release, so unless you start behaving normally, I will assume that you two and Cardinal Bellinelli are acting in concert and with the support of the Holy Father. As such you are in breach of our longstanding agreement and the Concordat of 1993. What are you up to, Cardinal?”

  “How dare you speak to me in that fashion? It’s not for me to explain the actions of Holy Mother Church to you. It is for you to obey the dictates of the Curia and our Holy Father.”

  “Since I am neither a Catholic nor a citizen of the Vatican, you have no authority over me. You gloss over the events and actions of your own people as if they’re normal every day occurrences. There is duplicity and criminal behavior here, and the only question is, who is behind all this? Are you? And where exactly is Bellinelli and what is he up to with the Office of Ancient Records? I have always had good relations with the Vatican until today. Nothing good will come of you stonewalling and whitewashing this incident.”

  “Turn yourself in Edward, then we can talk.”

  “So be it, Cardinal. You’ve brought this on yourself. The release will happen in twenty-four hours to newspapers and media outlets across Christendom. Contact me before then or you will not like what you read in the Press. Enjoy your media day.”

  Chapter 36

  Back in London, Edward was stunned and gathered his teams together at the Loft to make fresh new plans for the immediate future. While Edward had had some mental reservations about the proposed meetings in Rome, as he always did when dealing with Holy Mother Church, he wasn’t expecting things to turn out as badly as they had.

  Cardinal Bellinelli was now a massive wild card, or so he thought. He hadn’t seen the Cardinal at the Va
tican; in fact, he had only spoken to him a few times in passing. The meeting with the Curator of Documentary Antiquities had been arranged by Cardinal Oviedo, so whether Cardinal Bellinelli even knew of the meeting now had also to be explored. Certainly, the Director of Vatican Security, now deceased, knew something. But without a miracle, all they would get out of him was dead silence.

  The four other men, dressed smartly and carrying identical shoulder holstered 9mm Glocks plus a smaller caliber ankle weapon, had seemed out of place. They weren’t Vatican Security; that much was certain. But they had been summoned by Bruno Marchetti, so there had to be some connection between who they worked for and the Vatican.

  But, if not Bellinelli, then who?

  Had Edward touched a raw nerve or was something else at play here? Edward didn’t really know Bellinelli well, having only met him in passing at conferences on a few occasions. But he was now a complete wild card Edward had apparently not accounted for properly. Like so much surrounding the Gens Collective, Edward was uncomfortable with not understanding the parameters of the risk he and those he loved most were undertaking. And he did not like unknowns. That was the fast track to the hereafter.

  Now this thing with the Church and Bellinelli was an unbelievable and completely unwelcome surprise.

  The relationship between the St. James clan and the Church had always been close and good. Now if the Church was trying to kill him and supress his knowledge, or if Bellinelli had gone rogue, there would be severe repercussions. The Church had extensive knowledge of Barrows Bay, the Eight Families and Edward.

  That could be dangerous if the Vatican knew the extent of Edward’s interest in the Gens Collective.

  And, if Bellinelli was aware of Edward and the Project and was in communication with the Gens Collective, then things might go very wrong and very quickly. If that was a possibility, then Edward would have to address the situation ASAP as everyone he loved would now be in very serious jeopardy, beginning immediately.

  There were a lot of ‘ifs’ and not enough concrete facts; Edward would have to make assumptions, then make decisions.

  ***

  A day later, all project teams then resident in or visiting London were assembled at the Loft. Edward launched right into his new orders wasting no time. This wouldn’t be a discussion; this would be subordinates receiving orders.

  Edward didn’t look his normal affable self. He looked worried and harried. His face showed stress, something he normally gave to others, not something others gave to him. He spoke quickly and succinctly.

  “Misti, Adam, Alana, Edmund and Noki are to return immediately to Barrows Bay and will remain there for the next several months while the construction at the Manor continues. When construction is complete, they will be free to return here at any time, assuming it’s still then safe. Hannah, Vera and the rest of Team Hannah will vacate these premises, the Loft, immediately and take up residence at the Manor. Not a word to anyone else about these plans. No one.”

  Edward looked around at all the puzzled faces in the Tech Room.

  “Tawney will move out to Lansdowne Park with the Detwilers while Marcus returns to New Orleans. When things settle down, we can decide where Marcus and the rest of his family will reside. Edmund, as I said, is coming with us to Barrows Bay. We can discuss longer term solutions once these moves have been finalized and I get word from the Vatican as to what just happened in Rome. I believe that Cardinal Bellinelli is in the wind and the Vatican will likely have no explanation for his conduct. I still need to determine what his potential ties are to the Gens Collective, assuming there are any. Any questions?”

  “Tons,” said Adam. “But I don’t think you have any answers. At least not yet. When do we leave?”

  “The Barrows crowd leaves tomorrow morning. A jet will be waiting for you at Heathrow. Team Hannah leaves for the Manor later the same day. The tech folks are replacing all the gear we have here. We don’t want to move anything as that might be traced and we want no record of that. Bethy and George have seen to the quick duplication of equipment on an expedited basis through government channels. Other than personal laptops, I want the crew here to leave everything behind and just leave and drive out with James, Raoul and Ogden late afternoon tomorrow. Are we clear on this? No communication about the change of residence to anyone for any reason. Tomorrow you just get up, get ready and go. Ogden will see to the movement of luggage and personal possessions afterward.”

  Hannah asked, “If Noki is going to Barrows, did you want me to replace her position or stand pat.”

  “Stand pat for now. Replace later if necessary. Vera will take up some of the slack on logistics and planning, while James and Raoul are taking over more extensive security duties. James has become a valuable resource of advice and counsel for you Hannah and he’s far more valuable than adding an unknown body to the mix. I think we can afford to wait on a replacement, if one even becomes necessary. Noki is a video conference away, if you need her expertise. The circle doesn’t need to expand right now.”

  “Agreed,” was all Hannah had to say. She didn’t want any more ‘new folks’ involved and was beginning to think in some areas she might already be overstaffed, as things had worked out. When field assignments began in earnest, she would have decisions to make about deployment of some of her personnel to the Team Suarez field teams.

  Problem solved.

  Hannah had already begun to quietly reduce the size of her inner circle. Her biggest surprise had been Vera. And it was Edward who first recognized the level of Vera’s organizational and logistics skill sets, not Hannah. Edward had urged Hannah to knock down the wall separating them, business and personal.

  Hannah’s reluctance, she believed, was solely predicated upon her fear for Vera’s safety. Or was it?

  Adam looked at his father and asked, “I trust your judgment on these matters, old man, but wouldn’t we all be safer if we all just moved with Team Hannah out to the Manor? After all, the Vatican knows where we live. If they’re colluding, we’ll all be together. Easier targets. No?”

  “I thought about this both long and hard. I still don’t believe the Vatican is a part of what happened to us in Rome, but we’ll know for certain within the next 72 hours. The Vatican doesn’t want any problems with us nor the release of any confidential documents in our possession. They want a quick return to normalcy and the restoration of our 1993 Concordat. They will assign a special unit inside the Vatican Police to investigate the incident. They have promised no exemptions and free reign for their unit to investigate and discover the truth. In theory, even his Excellency the Pope isn’t exempt from this investigation.

  “Plus, I want us all at the Institute with Mom, Pops, Mark, Julia and the girls. Rod and Cindy are on their way back home as we speak. Remember, along with Alana and Edmund come a goodly number of warm bodies from the FBI, the CIA, CSIS and the RCMP, all armed to the teeth, together with new and additional electronic security measures and an all-around safer environment which we can better control. All of this is either already in place, or on its way. But, you’re right, over time, we may all have to eventually relocate. I think we’re good for now and for at least several months.”

  “Why not bring just bring what’s left of Barrows Bay here?”

  “So, we drop in, kidnap Mom and Pops, Mark and Julia? No. I think they will need to be convinced before they agree to leave. In Mark and Julia’s case, they have no idea what’s going on. I think we’ll all be safe in the short run, just not forever.”

  Adam looked around, his eyes settling on Misti. “Sweetie?”

  “I’m with the old man on this. Redeploy to home first, then wait for the new construction to complete, then we all come back. Edward is right. We need to handle the situation with the folks very carefully. They won’t want to leave. Too much history, too much joy, too many memories and too much to leave behind. Won’t be easy. We’ll have to be very convincing. But it’s going to have to be their decision.
”

  Adam looked around. “Barrows Bay it is then, at least for a few months. But Hannah, Vera, we shall return. That’s a promise. Keep those builder’s building, and before you know it, we’ll all be back here together. I leave the builders in the hands of a motivated Vera Capri.”

  Vera said, smiling, “See you next week then.”

  Neither Hannah or Vera expressed or showed any worry, but they were worried. Whatever they thought before Rome, it had suddenly become all too real. Edward would speak to the Bentley boys, whose sole job would now be to protect the safety and security of the ladies.

  Edward turned to the men. “You know what you’re supposed to do?”

  “Right sir,” Raoul said. “Consider it done.”

  ***

  Cardinal Bellinelli sat in the study of an enormous villa no one even knew he owned. He was now firmly planted in the small Swiss village of St. Martin on the shores of Lake Geneva. In the village, everyone knew him as Dr. Federico Musso, a now retired Italian MD of some notoriety and fame and lay scion of the Catholic Church. As with his father before him, and indeed for numerous generations of the family Musso before that, he resided in the villa but never full time.

  For his wife and two adult children, it was an entirely different story.

  ***

  Today, however, he was ensconced in his study with several men who had never visited the villa before, and who had no idea his other identity was that of Cardinal Antonio Francesco Bellinelli, curator of the Museum of Documentary Antiquities. That original man had indeed been an up and comer in the Catholic Church until an unfortunate accident had seemingly almost ended his life and career.

  But another man, a new Bellinelli, now a heavily bandaged patient at a private clinic seemed to have just barely survived the accident.