The Vivaldi Cipher

by Gary McAvoy

  As two of their number, Karl Dengler and Lukas Bischoff, sat in seats of prominence on the stage, the remaining 133 Swiss Guards—dressed in their colorful striped Renaissance gala uniforms with red plumed helmets—marched out into the courtyard in formation, the pontifical military band playing official Swiss Guard and papal anthems.

  Also sitting on the stage were Father Michael Dominic, Marco Picard, Hana Sinclair, and Agent Dario Contini, along with Cardinal Enrico Petrini and various other cardinals and bishops connected with the Vatican Museum and the Apostolic Archive. On the center of the stage was a white throne for His Holiness.

  As the band played, various honored guests were ushered in, taking seats in the audience. Once everyone was present, the Swiss Guard Band began playing the Pontifical Hymn as the Pope was escorted into the courtyard. Everyone stood until the Holy Father took his seat and gave his blessing to the crowd. Then the Master of Ceremonies approached the microphone.

  “Your Holiness, honored guests, ladies and gentlemen…”

  The MC went on to introduce those to be honored and the reasons for their courage and valor in restoring precious works of art to the Vatican Museum. The MC asked for each of the six honorees to stand and approach His Holiness.

  With the Commander of the Swiss Guard standing next to him—holding a pillow on which were laid out various medals—the Pope was handed the prestigious Benemerenti Medals to present to Hana, Karl, Lukas, and Contini. As he looped the beribboned medals around their necks, he kissed each of them on both cheeks and gave them his blessing and personal thanks.

  Marco then stood before His Holiness and was given the most esteemed medal of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great, making him an official knight of the papacy in recognition of his personal service to the Holy See and to the Roman Catholic Church.

  Michael Dominic was called up next. The Pope awarded him the Order of Pius IX, the highest papal order currently awarded, for his leadership in the operation.

  On the bark of their commander’s order, the entire Swiss Guard contingent came to attention, smartly snapped their heels and saluted all awardees for their bravery. As flags fluttered in the warm breeze, the Swiss Guard Band struck up another tune, and the audience burst into applause.

  Hana looked admiringly at Marco. “Does this mean I now have to call you ‘Sir Marco’?”

  “I don’t think it works that way unless you’re British,” he said, smiling. “But since I am French, you could call me ‘My Lord’…”

  “I think I’ll just stick with ‘Marco’,” Hana said coyly.

  Cardinal Petrini sidled up to Dominic as the audience continued to applaud. He took him by both shoulders and looked into his blue eyes.

  “I couldn’t be more proud of you than I am today… my son.” Petrini’s eyes glistened on the verge of tears. Dominic, his own emotions taking hold, embraced Petrini tightly, then turned away lest he break down. He then hugged Hana and shook hands with his friends as the Pope was escorted off the stage and back into the Apostolic Palace.

  “So, what’s next for you two?” Dominic asked Hana and Marco as they walked through the papal gardens.

  Hana looked up at the beaming Marco. “We’re going back to Paris, of course, and I’ve got enough for a great story here, so I expect I’ll be busy at the computer for a while. And you?”

  “I’ve got a lot of catching up to do in the Archives,” Dominic said, as he looked into Hana’s eyes wistfully. “But I’m really happy for both of you having found each other. You’re an excellent match.” He reached up to rub his eyes as Hana wrapped him in an endearing hug.

  “Take good care, Michael,” she said. “I’ll be thinking of you.”

  “Same here,” he said, wiping his eyes again. Then he turned to Marco.

  “Marco, I couldn’t ask for a better man at my side throughout this ordeal. In some ways I owe you my life. You take good care of Hana, now. We’ll see each other again, I’m sure.”

  “You are a damn fine man, Michael. I’ll stand with you any day. Au revoir mon frère.”

  Dominic smiled, then turned and walked away, his head bowed, his hand brushing lightly against the trimmed top of the boxwood hedge bordering the Grotto of the Virgin Mary as he returned to his life of devotion to the church through his dedication to protecting—and unlocking—the treasures of the Vatican Secret Archives.

  Author's Notes

  Thank you for reading The Vivaldi Cipher. I hope you enjoyed it and, if you haven’t already, suggest you pick up the story in the other books preceding this one—The Magdalene Deception, The Magdalene Reliquary and The Magdalene Veil.

  When you have a moment, may I ask that you leave a review on Amazon and and possibly Goodreads? Reviews are crucial to a book’s success, and I hope for this series to have a long and entertaining life.

  You can easily leave your review by going to my Amazon book page for The Vivaldi Cipher:

  https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review?asin=B09C51KRFV

  If you would like to reach out for any reason, you can always email me at gary@garymcavoy.com. If you’d like to learn more about me and my other books, visit my website at www.garymcavoy.com, where you can also sign up for my private readers’ mailing list for news, giveaways, and to be among the first to learn of forthcoming books.

  With best wishes,

  Fact vs. Fiction

  Many readers have asked me to distinguish fact from fiction in my books. Generally, I like to take factual events and historical figures and build on them in creative ways—but much of what I do write is historically accurate. In this section, I’ll review some of the chapters where questions may arise, with hopes that it may help those wondering what’s real and what isn’t.

  Prologue: Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni was an actual figure in the Church, as described, and a major benefactor of the arts. And yes, he did father between 60-70 children among his many mistresses; times were certainly different back then. He did fall ill and die during the papal conclave of 1740, but as far as I know he died of natural causes. I’m the one who poisoned him. I do not know if he knew Antonio Vivaldi, though it’s highly probable he did.

  The devious scoundrel Cardinal Niccolò Coscia was also a real life figure and was heavily penalized for misappropriation of Vatican treasury funds. And yes, there was mystery connected to the extreme reduction in his punishment.

  Antonio Vivaldi was in fact a priest, which—having a longtime appreciation for Vivaldi’s work—surprised even me when I discovered it in my research. He spent decades of his life teaching violin to young girls at an orphanage called the Pio Ospedale della Pietà (Devout Hospital of Mercy) in Venice, Italy.

  Chapter 1: The proliferation of pigeons—and the serious destruction they cause to buildings in Piazza San Marco—have been described accurately. They have become a real menace, and tourists are discouraged from feeding them since their nesting in the buildings, as well as waiting for food, does incalculable damage to the ancient structures.

  Venice’s Biblioteca Marciana (the Library of Saint Mark) does have the oldest actual texts of Homer’s Iliad, and the only autograph (meaning handwritten by the author) commentary of Homer’s companion work, Odyssey, from the 12th century. All descriptions of these works are accurate.

  Chapters 2 and 8: The images of the Vivaldi documents are not authentic and were digitally prepared for this book by me and my music collaborator Dr. David Loberg Code, Associate Director of the School of Music and Professor of Music Theory and Technology at Western Michigan University. However, as a manuscripts collector myself, I have come across such authentic material, and it does have a similar appearance. I prepared the images using antiquing software, though couldn’t achieve a more handwritten effect like I’d hoped.

  Chapter 3: I’ve spent a great deal of time in Venice and, like Michael Dominic, count it as my favorite city in the world. (If only the cruise ships would leave, it would be a much better place.) The magnificent palazzos on the Grand
Canal feature prominently here, and my descriptions of them are as I recall and as I have photographed them.

  The Camorra, as many readers may know, is an actual Mafia organization in various regions throughout Italy. It has a flatter organizational structure but the same criminal enterprises as other Mafia clans. I doubt they have much influence in La Serenissima—since Venice has its own Mala del Brenta organized crime group—but the Camorra’s presence elsewhere and its long history did come in handy for the story. My descriptions of the Camorra clan here are largely fictional, though.

  Chapter 6: I count myself fortunate to have come across Dr. David Loberg Code and his ingenious Solfa Cipher (see Acknowledgments), which served as the initial inspiration for this book. I’ve loved codes, ciphers, and cryptology in general since that was part of my job in the US Army decades ago, and bringing Vivaldi into the world of secret codes made perfect sense and a good foundation for this work.

  Chapter 7: Palazzo Grimaldi and its story is completely fictitious. Other than the fact that the House of Grimaldi is over 800 years old and does have an illustrious history, I know nothing of the family’s estate holdings throughout history, nor whether or not they ever had a palazzo in Venice.

  Giulia Lama was a real and outstanding female painter in the all-male world of artists in 18th-century Venice, and she struggled to maintain her notability despite men taking credit for—no, actually stealing—her work. Men really can be pigs at times.

  Chapter 8: Count Giacomo Durazzo was, in fact, the owner of the Vivaldi manuscripts—some 300 concertos and 20 operas—in the late 1700s, purchased from a Venetian senator named Count Jacopo Soranzo, who acquired them from Vivaldi’s brother Francesco after Antonio died in 1741. Two brothers from the Durazzo family inherited the manuscripts in the late 19th century, and eventually they were sold off to library museums.

  Chapter 10: Harry’s Bar is among the most beloved landmarks of Venice, having been the hangout for Ernest Hemingway and others mentioned in the book, along with so many more celebrities as well as folks like you and me. As longtime readers know, the foods I write about all come from actual menus from real restaurants mentioned, many of which I’ve actually dined at over the years. Ah, if only Venice were closer to Seattle….

  Chapter 11: Yes, the Vatican does indeed have 70,000 works of priceless art in its inventory, 50,000 of which are tucked away in storage most of the time. Seems a shame, really, that so few people will ever get to see them.

  The artworks I describe are all authentic pieces by the artists mentioned; none of that is fictional, apart from the forgeries I invented.

  Chapter 12: Carnivale is Venice’s annual, months-long gala celebration similar to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. Costumes are a big and very serious part of it, and the long history I described about them is spot on. Antonia Sauter’s famed atelier is the place to buy couture costumes, as is Ca’ Macana for the most exquisite genuine historical masks Venice has to offer. I’m almost one hundred percent sure the Swiss Guard would never be permitted to wear their official gala uniforms at a costume party; but hey, it’s my book.

  Chapter 18: The processes for establishing authenticity of a painting are all depicted accurately here. There are many more, of course, but in the interests of time and prevention of boredom, I omitted the others.

  Chapter 20: The Vatican very probably has its own internal restorations team and would likely never send paintings out for such work. But using an old established firm in Venice was crucial to the plot; hence, the use of the fictional Palazzo Feudatario.

  Chapter 27: Shockingly, it is true that, day and night, 12 cars are stolen every hour in Italy! And the Fiat Panda is the most popular for thieves. Having rented one on a particular trip from Milan to Lake Como, I can’t imagine why.

  The process described here for aging canvasses to antique them is accurate, and a favored method used by forgers (“old cigarette butts soaked in rainwater?!” Yep.)

  Chapter 28: I am not a runner, but for those who are, this course through Venice is, I am told, one of the best for taking on the city’s interior. If you ever get there and need some exercise, give it a try.

  Chapter 31: Just a little sidebar here. In laying out Marco’s scheme for getting the drop on the bad guys from a bridge, with Hana driving the boat below him, I actually used a detailed canal map of Burano island to do this. Imagine my surprise, then, to find that the specific yet random bridge I chose—the only one that would work for the scene—actually did cross a canal called the Rio Assassini—the River of Assassins! Coincidence?

  Chapter 34: The processes described here are the actual methods used by forgers for creating their faux masterpieces. Today’s fakebusters are scrupulous in analyzing pigments as described. Thomas Hoving, former director of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, once wrote that he believed nearly half of all art he had evaluated for museums in his long career was fake. So, caveat emptor.

  Chapter 39: Italian trains have two classes of car: First Class and Second Class. The difference in cost is minor, only a few euros, but First Class seating is more spacious, with fewer seats per compartment, and usually quieter. There is more room for luggage and it will generally be less crowded, since most passengers typically travel in Second Class. Just FYI if you’re ever considering between the two.

  Like the Vatican, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence most likely does their own restorations in-house, not sending them to a fictional palazzo in Venice.

  Chapter 41: Just so you know, €25 million for a Raphael is certainly within the range such paintings go for. There are only 184 known Raphaels extant today, but as one of the most prominent and distinguished artists of all time, his work is in great demand (by the few who can afford it).

  Chapter 42: When I first introduced Apple’s AirTag tracking discs in The Magdalene Deception—long before they would be officially released, and based only on tech rumors at the time—I was holding my breath that the company would not fail me, or worse, change the name. Thankfully, AirTags were released in mid-2021 (I wrote that book in late 2019), and they worked as well for saving Hana in this book, too.

  Epilogue: The prestigious Vatican medals and awards described here are actually used by the Pope for valued services rendered to the Church.

  General Notes: I’ve really come to enjoy Marco Picard and his involvement with Hana. Having introduced him in The Magdalene Veil, I didn’t realize he would become so prominent in future stories, but I do like the way Dominic struggles with his feelings for Hana, and the challenges his calling has burdened him with. However, some early reader feedback tells me they feel bad for Michael and are upset with Marco having taken Hana. To which I say, stay tuned…

  All firearms mentioned in the book are as described. Glocks are made of a highly durable plastic, favored for their lightness by police departments worldwide. The Swiss Guard uses SIG Sauers as their primary weapons of choice, though they have a wider assortment based on the demands of each operation.

  Acknowledgments

  I have had the grateful assistance of many friends and colleagues in the writing of this book, without whose help it would have been a more challenging project.

  Special thanks first to Dr. David Loberg Code, Associate Director of the School of Music, and Professor of Music Theory and Technology, at Western Michigan University, for his brilliant and creative assistance with Solfa Ciphers and musical cryptography, which served as the inspiration for this book. For more information on the Solfa Cipher, visit https://wmich.edu/mus-theo/solfa-cipher/secrets/

  Thanks also to Greg McDonald, whose fine mind I am honored to say was at my beck and call, as we weaved through some of the more complex plotlines this book required from time to time. Greg’s way of looking at things complements mine, and his help on every book has been invaluable.

  Yale Lewis, my friend and attorney before he retired (not from our friendship, thankfully) brought a great eye for detail, and his constant rereading and “processing” of material helped me r
eshape it for the better.

  My friend of forty-plus years, Kathleen Costello, was always there on a moment’s notice, pushing me toward the light of better grammar, plotting, and scheming. And to my other lifelong friends Renee Bell and Karen Flannery for their trendy fashion advice (not for me; for the characters).

  I owe thanks to my Launch Team, that hardy band of early readers who helped to reshape the final version into what it has become, and especially to Ron Moore, whose proficiencies across a wide range of expert areas clarified many salient points.

  And to my esteemed editor, Sandra Haven, without whose seasoned wisdom and unvarnished feedback I would be at a loss for just the right words, and more.

  Finally, I wish to thank all the readers of my work, whose incredibly positive reviews and ongoing encouragement make writing these historical adventures all the more worthwhile.

  GM