He found Josh dressed and toweling his hair dry. “The last shower I took was in Oklahoma,” Josh said. “You have no idea how good this feels. I just wish I’d brought my clean clothes down with me, but I’m going to change into them as soon as we get back to the Villa Jovis.”
As they walked back up the mountain, Giuseppe asked Josh about his own homeland. Josh explained how he had grown up moving every few years, and described the scorching, flat plains of North Central Texas, the rolling prairies and granite heights of eastern Oklahoma, and the beautiful Ouachita Mountains that straddled the border between Oklahoma and Arkansas. Rossini had visited the northern states a few times, but never the southeast, and the two of them talked about fishing, fossils, and artifacts all the way up the side of the mountain.
Isabella had gotten on her cell phone right after Josh and Giuseppe began their walk down the mountain. Dr. Guioccini had answered in person. “Marvelous work on translating the document so quickly, Dr. Sforza.” he said. “Your team seems to be working well together, and the new discovery sounds very promising.”
“They are a first-rate group,” she replied. “I would like to get some security up here on the peak so that they can actually stay in greater comfort down in the village at night. I also think that it is time for us to go public. We have shut down Capri’s best known tourist attraction for three days now, and the longer we go, the more likely some curious tourists are to ignore the roadblock and come wandering right up into our excavation.”
“I have been talking this over with the Bureau’s Director,” said Guioccini. “I think you are quite right, but we will need to have both some physical security as well as perhaps some docents who can direct the curious away from the dig while, at the same time, explaining enough of what we are doing to satisfy their curiosity. We will discuss it this afternoon. Would three o’clock give you adequate time to prepare?”
“Yes, sir,” she said. “As I mentioned in my email this morning, we have hit a temporary lull in the excavation process that provides a window for us to meet with the board and share our findings. I am bringing Dr. Rossini over with me—as the discoverer, I think he deserves the honor of presenting the artifacts to Signor Castolfo. Dr. Apriceno is busily clearing the dust and debris from the chamber so that tomorrow we can finish our inventory of the contents and begin removing the remainder of the artifacts.”
“Everything sounds in order,” the chief archeologist said. “I shall look forward to seeing both of you in a few hours.”
When Isabella got off the phone, she was surprised to see a rotund figure in a black robe carefully descending the stairs toward the site. She had almost forgotten about the friars in the Church of Santa Maria Del Soccorso. The one descending the steps was probably the youngest man there, but he was still at least seventy, and huffed and puffed as he descended the staircase. Isabella walked quickly up to meet him. “Father, is something wrong?” she said.
“Not in the least, my child,” he responded. “But we were told three days ago that the ruins had been damaged by the earthquake, and we have seen helicopters come and go, and now there is a campsite and a trailer set up less than a kilometer from our church. We did not take a vow to renounce curiosity when we donned our robes, so my brothers delegated me to come down and see what it is you good people are up to in Tiberius’ old playground.”
Isabella laughed. The clerics from the old church were the last group she would have suspected to be the first intruders on her site. But, she thought, they would be the easiest to deal with. Their contact with the outside world was virtually nonexistent, and they were unlikely to have much interest in the artifacts besides a bit of natural, academic curiosity.
“The earthquake uncovered a small, hidden chamber in the Villa Jovis,” she said, unconsciously using the same words Rossini would speak to Chief Rosario in Capri village an hour later. “There are a few artifacts in there dating to the time of Tiberius Caesar, and we are excavating them for further study.”
“Fascinating,” said the old monk. “Tiberius was a sad, lost soul, you know. The ancients portrayed him as a monster, but I always thought that he was more afraid than evil.”
“I’ve always thought that the stories about him were exaggerated because he was so protective of his privacy,” said Isabella. “Even in our own time, those who live as recluses have all sorts of rumors made up about them.”
“A wise observation,” said the old monk. “I don’t suppose that I could take a peek at the things you’ve uncovered, could I?”
“Not yet,” said Isabella. “They are fragile and still being stabilized for study. But, before long, I promise that you and your brothers will receive a guided tour of the site.”
About this time Father MacDonald came out of the lab and spied them. He called out a greeting and came over to visit with his fellow cleric. Within a few moments they were chatting like old friends, and Isabella repaired to her tent to see if she could make herself a bit more presentable before heading out to the mainland. When she came out, the friar was almost out of sight, slowly climbing the steps back to his church, and the Scottish priest was waiting for her.
“What a delightful old man.” he said. “Turns out that he knew my old divinity professor at the Tuscany Seminary. We really should go spend an hour or so visiting with them while we are engaged in this project. They don’t receive many visitors, and would be delighted of our company.”
Some time later, she saw that Rossini and Parker were making their way up the trail from town. They were enjoying an animated conversation, laughing and chatting like old friends. She felt a bit better about warming to Parker as quickly as she had, since Giuseppe was a very shrewd judge of character and had come to like the American as quickly as she had. They saw her standing by the tent and quickly crossed over to talk. “I’ve made arrangements for dinner to be served at my house this evening,” said Rossini. “After we leave, they can go down and eat, then discuss who will return to spend the night up here at the site—assuming security can guard the place long enough for them to have a decent supper and clean up a bit.”
“Dr. Guioccini is sending three professional security guards out in the helo that is picking us up,” she replied. “That will make our job much easier, although I would like to have at least one of us spend each night up here. You and I, old friend, will have a decent dinner and an evening in Naples, and return in the morning.”
Josh had ducked into his tent to put on clean clothes, and when he came out Isabella asked him to gather the whole team together for a quick consultation. Dr. Apriceno came out of the chamber, coated with chalky stone dust and wearing a white painter’s mask. When she lowered it, she was smiling. “I’m over halfway to the back of the chamber now,” she said. “If I keep it up at this pace, the place will be ready for further examination by tomorrow morning.”
“Good,” said Isabella. “Giuseppe and I should be back by then. In the meantime, I am leaving Father MacDonald in charge. Security should be here shortly to watch the site for us; all three of you can go down to Dr. Rossini’s house for supper and a shower, and I will leave it to you to decide who shall return to the site to spend the night. I am planning on returning around nine AM. Duncan, I want you and Josh to go ahead and remove the lamp from the niche above the entryway and get it photographed and cataloged this afternoon. Anything else Dr. Apriceno uncovers will be left undisturbed in the chamber until Dr. Rossini and I return. We have gotten off to a great start.”
The team was still standing in a loose circle, talking, when the sounds of the chopper intruded on their conversation. The Italian army helicopter landed on the level above the chamber, exactly where it had the day before, and Isabella and Giuseppe climbed the steps to meet it. Three figures in khaki climbed out of the chopper and conferred briefly with Dr. Sforza before heading for the stairs. She and Rossini boarded the helo, and it lifted off and aimed for Naples, disappearing over the horizon in a matter of moments.
An hour and a
half later, in the impressively decorated conference room of the National Archeological Museum in Naples, Dr. Sforza presented the finds at Villa Jovis to the six members of the Board of Antiquities who were in attendance, including their president, Benito Castolfo. She had edited the video clips and interspersed them with some of the best still shots. Dr. Rossini did an excellent presentation, describing the discovery of the chamber and the preliminary investigations with the wit and humor that had made him a favorite lecturer at several different universities. He had held forth for a half hour, and then Isabella stood and gave a more detailed description of the items removed. The photographs of the Tiberius manuscript elicited whistles of amazement and much murmuring among the board members, and the images of the leather coin purse and the horse effigy key also sparked lively discussion.
“In closing, gentlemen,” Isabella said, “I don’t think anyone can question the incredible significance of this find. The fact that we have an unopened wooden box or cabinet that is even now being cleaned of overburden, indicates that we may not have even uncovered the tip of the iceberg. However, the very public nature of the location and the small size of the chamber caused Dr. Guioccini and me to decide that the best way to preserve these items and curate them properly is to remove them from the chamber as quickly as possible and study them in a controlled, laboratory environment. I imagine that, by the end of the week, we will have all the artifacts cleared from the chamber. What I would ask of the board at this point is, are we ready to make any kind of public pronouncement yet? We have closed Capri’s premiere historical tourist attraction to the public for three days now. According to the police chief at Capri village, several inquiries have already been made as to when Villa Jovis will be reopening. Would it be better to say nothing and press on with the work, or issue a non-specific statement about our excavations and the reason for the closing?”
Dr. Vincent Sinisi spoke up from the end of the table. He was in charge of the Bureau of Antiquities’ Public Relations Department, so this was his bailiwick. Forty years old, handsome, and jolly, he was a favorite of the Italian media and a legendary ladies’ man. “You raise a good question, Dr. Sforza. We certainly want to preserve the integrity of such a significant historical discovery, but at the same time, tourism is an enormous part of Italy’s annual income. Handled properly, we can keep the site secured for the moment, and also guarantee a huge upturn in tourism when it is reopened. I think at this point, a carefully worded press release is in order. Let the people know something has been found, just don’t tell them what. Let them know it is potentially very significant, and that we are very much on the job. Leave them wanting more. And then, when all the artifacts have been removed from the chamber, you, Dr. Sforza, will need to give a press conference with all the members of your team and announce the full scope of your discoveries.”
Isabella frowned. She had never really dealt with the media before, and was not so sure that she wanted to. “Are you sure that is really necessary, sir?” she asked. “I would prefer to work in anonymity as long as I can.”
Sinisi laughed. “Your days of anonymity ended when you uncovered the Tiberius manuscript,” he said. “You are going to be the best-known archeologist since Howard Carter—Italy’s own Lara Croft! If this chamber produces more historical treasures, dear girl, they may be selling Isabella Sforza action figures in the stores next year!”
Isabella blushed deeply—she knew about the gun-wielding, buxom video game icon he referred to, and resented the implication. But deep down, the idea of being the best-known archeologist since Howard Carter was awfully appealing. Her professional ambitions were at last being realized. “I doubt that, Dr. Sinisi,” she said finally. “But if you think a press conference is necessary, I will do one.”
RECENT EARTHQUAKE UNCOVERS ANCIENT “CHAMBER OF SECRETS”
(AP) The earthquake which struck the isle of Capri on Sunday, off the Italian coast, may have revealed an archeological treasure, according to the Italian Bureau of Antiquities. The damage that the trembler inflicted on an ancient Roman ruin known as the Villa Jovis tore open a small, hidden chamber which historians believe has been sealed since the time of the Emperor Tiberius, who ruled Rome from 14 to 37 AD. Excavations at the site are ongoing, and several significant artifacts have already been recovered which date the site to the first century. The Villa Jovis, a popular tourist attraction, will be closed to the public until further notice. Italian authorities have promised a full press conference next week, at which some of the discoveries from the ancient chamber will be revealed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
That evening, Isabella and Giuseppe enjoyed an exquisite Chinese meal at one of Naples’ few oriental restaurants. In between the sizzling rice soup, pot stickers, and the main course, they discussed the dig—and their team members.
“Professor MacDonald likes to hide beneath that Scottish burr and his humble parish priest routine,” said Isabella. “But he has impressed me with his technical skills. He certainly knows how to handle ancient documents.”
“I’ve worked with Duncan on several digs,” said Rossini. “He is a consummate professional when there is work to be done, but he is as fun-loving a soul as a priest can be. Understand, he takes his faith and his vows seriously, but he doesn’t let them interfere with his enjoyment of life. If there is such a thing as ‘the joy of the Lord’ that Scripture talks about, he is full of it.”
“Dr. Apriceno is a pleasant soul as well,” Isabella continued. “A bit brusque at first, but she is a walking encyclopedia of paleobotany, and seems to enjoy her work a great deal. I had a chance to talk to her early this morning, and we hit it off right away. She reminds me of my mother’s oldest sister—a bit gruff on first acquaintance, but as kind-hearted as you could want to meet.”
“And what about the young American?” asked Rossini. “You and he seemed to be deep in conversation when Duncan and I walked into the trailer this morning.”
Isabella blushed slightly. “He is a very intriguing young man,” she said. “I’ve never met anyone quite like him. I don’t know a lot about the Evangelical movement, but he is nothing like what I expected when I heard he was a Baptist from the American South. I expected someone much more—”
“Fanatical?” Rossini supplied a word.
“Exactly! They have been painted as being a bunch of primitive-thinking, incurious drones by everyone I’ve talked to. That’s what he and I were talking about. He said that most of the people who create stereotypes about evangelical Christians have never actually gotten to know one. Of course, he may be the exception to the rule, and ninety percent of Evangelicals may fit the stereotype. But I am not going to believe everything I hear about them from now on, I can tell you that,” Isabella finished.
“A wise position, to be sure,” said Rossini. “But that still doesn’t tell me how you feel about Dr. Parker personally. I have seen how you have been looking at him, my dear. Now, out with it.”
She turned even deeper red. “You don’t miss much, do you, Giuseppe?” she finally said. “If you must know, I find him very attractive. You know that ever since I lost Marc I have buried myself in work. He—it—I was hurt so badly that I thought I could never find another person that would make me feel the way he did. But when I look at Josh—or when I catch him looking at me, with those dark eyes that seem to drink in my every word and every movement— I find myself feeling things I haven’t felt in a long time. But is it really romantic interest? Or am I just finally coming out of my shell enough to feel what most women feel when a handsome, kind man takes an interest in them? I am very conflicted right now, and I don’t like it much.”
Giuseppe looked at her with a warm smile. “Well, dear girl, you deserve to be happy. I think Parker is a young man of good character and warm heart, and if things happen to work out between you, no one will be happier than I.”
She regarded him quietly for a moment. “That means more than you can know,” she finally said. “But I’ve not even known t
he man for forty-eight hours yet. So let’s not crack the champagne bottles too soon.”
After dinner, she dropped Giuseppe off at the Ambassador Suites, just down the block from her own rather plain apartment. She wondered how easy it would be to go to sleep with all that was going on, but to her surprise, she nodded off almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. There was a faint smile playing around her lips as the light of the full moon shone through the window and illuminated her face, but she never knew it.
After Isabella and Giuseppe had left the Isle of Capri, Josh and Father MacDonald had spoken for a while to the three newly arrived security guards—Lucien Rigatorre, Cesare Giovanni, and Ibrahim al-Ghazi. Lucien and Cesare were native Italians, and Ibrahim was a third-generation Arab immigrant. MacDonald explained their duties and showed them where they could set up their tent. All three were very professional and courteous, but none seemed particularly interested in the ongoing work of the team. Their job was to protect the site from intruders and curious tourists, and that was something they took very seriously.
After getting them situated, the two archeologists returned to the chamber. Dr. Apriceno was still busy at work, but shut off the small, high-powered HEPA vacuum when she saw them enter. Both looked at the near end of the chamber in amazement. With the centuries of stone dust removed, they saw the polished marble floor and smoke-stained masonry clearly for the first time. There were a few additional bits of graffiti scattered here and there on the walls, but so far no other objects had been uncovered by the removal of the dust. All that seemed to remain coated with the thick, choking layer was the back wall and the cabinet that leaned against it.
Simone Apriceno looked like a cross between a giant dust bunny and an exceptionally busy chimney sweep. She was coated with the dust of centuries, except where her brown eyes glittered from behind the goggles she wore. She motioned to them, and they all stepped out into the sunlight for a moment. Off came the mask and goggles, but their outline remained visible in the dust and grime that coated the rest of her face. “It’s getting very close,” she said. “I’ll need to go very, very slowly around the cabinet and back wall—I think there is something propped against the wall next to the cabinet, but the accumulation is so thick I can’t tell for sure. It will be late this evening before I get the last of the dust removed, but by tomorrow morning, we should be able to finish studying the chamber itself and the objects in it.”
The Testimonium Page 10
