The server arrived with a chilled glass of the wine he had enjoyed last night in Monaco. Dominic came out of his reverie and returned to the present – a magnificent day on the French Riviera, a glass of perfect wine and a book of secrets to decode. Life was good.
Chapter Forty
Dallas
Every day brought changes for Nicole, some more pronounced than others. She opened her eyes often and glanced around the room, apparently processing where she was and who was there.
On the morning of the fourth day she had looked at Brian and whispered, “Why?”
“Why did this happen? Is that what you’re asking?”
She didn’t move her head but her eyes locked expectantly on his. Brian couched his answer carefully; the doctor had told them not to say anything that could upset her.
“The brakes failed on your car, Nicole. That’s all we know. It wasn’t your fault.”
Nicole seemed to be thinking for a moment, then her eyes closed and she was gone again.
Brian worked on business matters and translation of the manuscript from Nicole’s apartment each morning. It helped that he was an early riser. Every morning at five, eleven am in London, he spoke with Cory Spencer. Things were going well at Bijan Rarities and Cory handled most routine matters himself.
Brian had missed Arthur Borland’s funeral and he regretted he couldn’t have been there for Carissa but she completely understood. As long as Nicole was in critical condition it was senseless to fly to London for an hour-long memorial. He had spoken to Carissa several times since he’d been in Dallas. There was no further information from the police about Arthur’s death but she was hopeful Brian’s continuing look into his activities might provide an answer.
Each morning following his call to London Brian fixed an egg and toast, grabbed a second cup of coffee and worked on the manuscript until nine am when he drove to the hospital. His materials were strewn about Nicole’s computer table and he used her Mac for translation and research.
The first morning he’d started by going through the pages to determine exactly how to begin. Unbeknownst to him, Brian was at a decided disadvantage to Dominic Cardinal Conti. The journal entries were sometimes written in Latin, sometimes in French or even in English. The latter was medieval – it looked to Brian like Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales – and from his single-semester attempt at French in high school he thought those words looked ancient as well. Conti, on the other hand, was fluent in Latin and had a good working knowledge of medieval French and English. It took Brian a frustratingly long time to read even one entry. The dates themselves seemed the only things easy to read. The first entry was in 1475 and the last was in 1699.
Brian saw that every so often there appeared a page with nothing but tiny symbols. He passed quickly over those – his goal now was to get an overview of the entire project. The last few pages were entries like a diary, followed by a final group of symbol-covered pages. Last of all was a sheet that looked different from the others. In a way it was like them, in other ways not. He examined it closely and then flipped back to one of the pages of symbols. This last page appeared to be an answer sheet – a decoder. It was covered with symbols that also appeared throughout the book. Next to each symbol was either a letter of the alphabet or a medieval French word. If the symbol pages were in code maybe this page was the solution.
He had started on page one but the process was far more difficult than he had anticipated. He was working from a scanned copy and some of the script was faded. Compounding the problem were the three ancient languages – a few Latin words, then an abrupt switch to medieval French or English. After an hour and half a page of translation he got a gist of what he had before him. This was a journal with chronological entries – a diary. It was interesting but there had to be more than this.
He flipped over until he came to the first full page of symbols. He used the sheet he hoped would break the code, applying it to each symbol. After he’d done a few words he stopped and translated what he had written. He saw a familiar name – Jesus. Strange, he thought. The words were part of the New Testament account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
He stopped. What’s this all about? Who went to this much trouble to encode bible verses? And why am I suffering through decoding them? Suddenly Brian had an idea that might simplify this project a thousand-fold.
Brian quit working on the manuscript and composed an email to Jeffrey Montfort. He had a complicated request that he hoped the bookish librarian could fulfill. Brian wanted a computer program that allowed a person to enter random series of words in one of three old languages and get an English translation back. Brian explained that absent such a program it might take a year to translate the book. He wasn’t sure what it said but someone had killed to get it. He might not have a lot of time.
Brian sat in the ICU waiting room in the afternoon and checked his mail. He was pleased to see that Jeffrey was hot on the chase to solve Brian’s dilemma. The librarian would contact a friend, one of the Monument Club’s members who ran the computer sciences department at Cambridge University.
At seven the next morning Brian had finished his call to London and was seated at Nicole’s desk, the manuscript copy in front of him. He skipped the journal entries for now, hoping Jeffrey could alleviate the slow progress of translating. Instead he was working his way down the page of coded symbols, one by one. He compared every single symbol with the decoder sheet and then wrote the letter or word on a notepad. His phone rang – it was a call from London.
“Good early morning to you!” The librarian sounded exuberant and Brian hoped it was because he had good news.
“And to you, Jeffrey. What have you learned?”
“First let me say the man I contacted has impeccable credentials and has helped the British Government with some extremely sensitive computer issues. He won’t tell me specifics but I know he’s highly regarded by MI6 – you know, our version of the CIA? So secrets are old hat to this chap. I said all that to say this. I took the liberty of emailing a copy of the manuscript to him. Listen to this, Brian. Cambridge’s computers not only can do the translating for us, he took a look at the symbol pages and the decoder sheet at the end. His computer can decode those too!”
“Incredible! Great job, Jeffrey!” Brian said. He meant it. This was too good to be true. He had only a tiny spark of concern that yet another person might be privy to the manuscript’s secrets, but the man sounded legit and the time tradeoff was definitely worth the risk.
“And listen to this. The programs to make this happen already exist. He just has to tweak a couple and bam! This project will be done before you know it. Day after tomorrow, in fact!”
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Nicole’s condition was improving. It was slow, but it was progress. For the first time her primary physician gave the family an optimistic forecast – he said Nicole was on the way to recovery and upgraded her condition from critical to guarded. Up to this point Brian could tell each of the doctor’s updates had been carefully phrased. He had used terms like “she has a long way to go” and “she’s not out of the woods yet.” Today was a major shift and cause for relief among Nicole’s family and Brian.
If things continued to improve with Nicole he needed to go back to London for a few days soon. There were several routine issues that required his attention and would be better handled in person than by email or phone. He also wanted to meet the Cardinal and get the manuscript that had suddenly changed from a throwaway piece of junk to a mysterious document that was the cause of a bombing.
Brian called the Vatican number and reached Cardinal Conti’s secretary who advised the Cardinal was vacationing in the south of France but was scheduled to return next week. He left a message for the cleric to call at his convenience.
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On the sixth day of Nicole’s hospitalization the primary doctor removed her ventilator. Although her breathing was still labored, prolonged use of a vent can cause pneumonia or other complicati
ons, the physician advised. ICU nurses would monitor her vital signs closely. Without the help of the ventilator she took very shallow breaths, hardly enough to move her chest. Watching as she slept Brian thought several times her breathing had stopped. Each time that happened he frantically looked at a monitor by her bed to confirm things were all right.
The internist reported that Nicole’s chest and abdomen appeared bruised but otherwise good. No surgery was necessary. Her progress would be slow but she should have a full recovery in time.
Two days later she was awake for several minutes in the afternoon. Sitting by her side Brian said, “I’m going to Europe for a few days, sweetie. I need to take care of some things and then I’ll come right back. Your mom and dad will be here just like they have been. Do you understand, Nicole?”
She slowly mouthed, “Going.” And she cried. So did he. He kissed her forehead gently and stayed beside her until she fell asleep. Then he walked out, feeling as though he’d just beaten a puppy.
In the waiting room Brian talked to Nicole’s mother. He’d mentioned earlier that he needed to go to London soon but wasn’t leaving until it was a good time. “I’m sorry to take off right now but I have a few critical things to handle. Then I promise I’ll be right back here to help.”
“Go on, Brian. She’s improving – that’s good news for everyone. There’s not much you can do here but offer moral support. You have a company to run. Her father and l can handle it. One or the other of us will be with her every day. Take whatever time you need.”
Chapter Forty-One
His vacation on the Riviera drawing to a close, Cardinal Conti was almost finished decoding the mysterious pages of symbols. He had steadfastly resisted reading bits and pieces as he went along. Dominic wanted to read the entire thing at one time, to digest what these Templars had considered so secret.
Conti owed Brian Sadler a phone call. The cleric saw nothing to be gained by delaying the handoff of the original manuscript, so Conti returned his call. He and Brian agreed that Brian would be in Rome the day after tomorrow. They would meet in Conti’s office in the Vatican Bank where Brian would take possession of the Crane brothers’ manuscript minus, thanks to the Cardinal, the encoded pages.
The appointment fit perfectly into Brian’s schedule; he could go to Rome first, pick up the volume then return to London to spend several days at the gallery. He called Jeffrey Montfort to let him know he was coming back.
“Good afternoon, Brian!” Jeffrey said enthusiastically. “I’m sure you’re calling to inquire where the translated document is. Well, I’m pleased to report it’s being sent to me by email this afternoon. It will be in your hands before I leave the Club tonight. Good news, don’t you think?”
“That’s wonderful, Jeffrey. I can’t wait to see it. And I was also calling to let you know I’m coming back to London in a couple of days. I have to go to Rome first. I’m going to pick up the original manuscript from the Cardinal who apparently got it from John Spedino, the mobster.”
“Oh really? What’s the Cardinal’s name?”
“It’s Dominic Conti. He’s head of the Vatican Bank. That’s where he and I are going to meet in a couple of days.”
“Dominic Conti. I saw something about him recently during my research. At the moment I can’t recall what it was. If I locate something I’ll call before your meeting. It’s day after tomorrow, you said?”
“Right. Then hopefully I can see you on Friday. I’ll fly to London Thursday after I get the book. I need to go to the gallery Friday morning. Can we get together around 1:30?”
That meeting was set and Brian finalized his travel plans.
He stayed close to Nicole’s bedside until Wednesday. She was awake more and more. Although she spoke only a word or two they all thought she could comprehend what they said to her. That afternoon he kissed her goodbye and went to DFW Airport. He made a connection in Chicago and arrived in Rome on Thursday, the day of his meeting.
He had received a voicemail from Jeffrey Montfort while he was on the plane. In a cab from the airport to central Rome he listened to it. “Brian, I remembered what I’d seen about Dominic Conti. You probably think the Knights Templars Order is part of the Masonic Lodge. But there’s a different set of Templars. These are directly descended from the ancient and original ones. They’re part of the Catholic Church and Conti’s head of the secret order. I was looking online at some routine notes handed from Pope Benedict to the new pontiff. They were appointments to this board and that committee within the Church. Dominic Cardinal Conti’s name showed up as being appointed head of the ‘Order.’ I thought that was a bit cryptic – I googled it and found out that’s the name the Church uses for the Knights Templars. Pretty simple detective work!” Brian had to smile at the librarian’s delight in having known what Brian needed.
Jeffrey ended the voicemail by saying, “Few people are aware of the Catholic Templars. Feel free to use the information I’ve given you if you need it. See you Friday!”
Part Two
The Coded Symbols of the Knights Templars Diaries
“Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdelene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdelene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together; and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulchre.
And he stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying, yet he went not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes but wrapped together in a place by itself.
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O Lord, hear our prayer. By the grace of God our Father and his Son Jesus the Christ our Lord we have been appointed defenders and guardians of the faith. Let our words and deeds be pleasing to Him and through His holy guidance may we steadfastly continue our mission, guarding the secret with which we have been entrusted for these three hundred sixty-seven years.
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Carrying on the tradition of our forefathers, Pauvres Chevaliers du Temple, we the Templars risen from the ashes of our brethren like the Phoenix, do pledge to uphold the secrets given to us, to be faithful stewards of the wealth and treasure amassed and hidden by our forebears and to continue the good works of the Order.
We have willingly assumed the responsibility to maintain the precious objects, religious artifacts, silver and gold we have been given through the grace of God our Father. As the ancients have written in the Bible, “Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established. And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.” We the sixteen who lead the Templars are humbled by the mighty weight of the responsibility God has laid upon us.
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Today we find ourselves challenged. As stewards of the secrets we, the sixteen leaders of our Order, no longer can guarantee the safety of the Most Holy Relics. Since we were entrusted with their care in the year of our Lord 1129 it has been our privilege and duty to protect the location and integrity of these sacred items. And we have done so without fail. Today unrest in the land where they lie creates fear and mistrust in the hearts of the people. They now see us as their enemies and loathe us, the very ones they should trust the most.
The future of our mission is at risk. The relics themselves are at risk.
We the sixteen have voted to s
olicit the help of our Venetian friend the Voyager. Although not a member of our Order, he has been of assistance before. More importantly, he now has the blessing of England’s monarch. We must engage him quickly. We must move the relics. Time is short and the Voyager is our only answer. An envoy is being dispatched to Bristol tomorrow to seek his help.
Let us pray for success.
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The Most Holy Relics have rested in their vault far to the East for more than one thousand four hundred years. It is after much prayer and deliberation that the leaders make the difficult decision to move them from their sacred vault. We shall send an envoy of our most trusted Templars to remove the relics and bring them to the West.
The journey will be fraught with difficulty. We are concerned that unrest in the land where they lie could cause harm to the relics themselves or to the trusted Templars who will bear them to safety. We have faced challenges many times in our history. Our founders were burned to death for what they believed. We will not falter; we will not be afraid; we will not waver. For God is with us. And if He is with us, no man can be against us.
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We have learned good news from our Templars who traveled to England. The Voyager has agreed to help us. In eight months’ time he shall sail, charting a new westward passage to China. And we shall sail with him.
By now the men who went to Ephesus have retrieved the Most Holy Relics and, God willing, they are making their way back to us. They travel under heavy guard. There are more than twenty, strong fighting men all, and we pray fervently for safe travels and a journey free from strife. We know, however, that may not be possible. There are those who would take the relics by force, heathen unbelievers who would delight in their destruction. There are others who want the relics for their own designs. They want to be the owners of these sacred items, to hold them, pray to them, venerate them.
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