Brian Sadler Archaeological Mysteries BoxSet

by Bill Thompson

  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.

  -----

  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 solicit 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.

  Saint John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was charged by our Saviour from the cross to care for the Lord’s mother as his own. And he did so. John took the Virgin Mary with him to Ephesus. At the appointed time Saint John hid the Most Holy Relics there for eternity. And there they would have stayed if it were not for this unrest in the land.

  Our mission comes from God our Father. The mission is not ours, but His. We will not fail.

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  The men who rode to Ephesus, who now transport the Most Holy Relics, dispatched an advance man, a rider on the fastest horse, to give us news of their progress. The relics are in Italy now, more than halfway to our stronghold here in Bruges. We believe they will arrive here in two months’ time. We have arranged a safe hiding place to put the Most Holy Relics until we can determine a final place for them to rest in peace for the remainder of time, until our Lord comes again.

  We have engaged the Rook, a small but swift boat, and twenty of our Templars are presently sailing across the waters to join the Voyager in Bristol. They will accompany him as he searches for the route to China. Their mission is to find an area sufficiently remote and uninhabited, to build a suitable vault for God’s sacred items, and to await the transport of the Most Holy Relics themselves.

  With reliance on God’s guidance our engineers have crafted a complex plan, a means to construct a hiding place that will withstand not only the ravages of nature and time, but the schemes of man as well. The men who travel with the Voyager will build this vault. With God’s grace it will hide the Most Holy Relics forever more.

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  We received word from Bristol that our ship the Rook sailed on the eighth day of May in the year of our Lord Fourteen Hundred Ninety Seven. The Rook accompanied the Voyager’s small ship Matthew and a crew of eighteen. It is fitting that the lead ship is named for one of our Lord’s most trusted and devoted Apostles. We the Knights Templars likewise have been entrusted with the Most Holy Relics. We expect the arrival of our men from Ephesus any day now and are ready to accept the burden of caring for the relics until they can be moved to their final resting place.

  We wish the Voyager, his crew of eighteen brave souls and our own twenty strong Templars God speed and safe travels to China, if that be where God leads them, or to another place God reveals to our men. We all offer much prayer that they will easily recognize the place God has chosen for His relics. We further pray that the construction of the hiding place will be accomplished with speed and accuracy.

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  A day of great celebration here in Bruges! The entourage arrived from Ephesus after five long months of journey across southern Europe and northwards to us. We welcomed them with open arms but no fanfare otherwise. The load they carry contains the Most Holy Relics. Our primary motive now is to move them to the safe place that we have arranged for their temporary safekeeping.

  The Bishop is aware only that some items of importance to the Church are being secreted in the crypts below the nave of the cathedral. He has no knowledge what they are and we have deliberately misled him about the exact whereabouts they will be laid. It is for his own good, as well as the safety of the items themselves, and we ask God’s forgiveness for the lies we have told this man of the church.

  There have been rumors in this city that our Order is bringing important items of the Church here for safekeeping. Despite our efforts we have been unable to stop word from being spread. It is unfortunate that we cannot tell the populace what the relics really are. We fear that the people believe we are bringing things of great monetary value – gold and silver, precious stones and ancient cups, perhaps even the Holy Grail. These are things people will steal and even kill for. But this is not what we protect.

  If they could only know the Most Holy Relics are far, far more valuable than mere silver or gold. They are the most precious things on Earth and we, the Knights Templars who are entrusted with their perpetual care, will not shirk in our duty to defend and protect them to the death.

  Those of our Order will guard the relics at all times while they rest here in Bruges. We pray to God for their safety and thank Him for their successful journey from Ephesus.

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  For these past four months we have ensured the safety of the Most Holy Relics. As far as the populace knows they lie safely beneath the nave of the cathedral, protected at every moment by one or another of our Templars.

  The truth about their whereabouts is the most closely guarded secret in our history. People in Ephesus think the relics are still there; our Templar brethren removed them and whisked them out of the city gates under cover of darkness. The citizenry here in Bruges believe we put something valuable in the cathedral crypt, now closely guarded by our own soldiers. How surprised the people, even the Bishop himself, would be to know the Most Holy Relics lie hidden in plain sight. At times the best hiding place is no hiding place at all.

  There has of course been no word from our hearty travelers on the Rook for these four months. We pray they found a suitable place to build the final resting place and today are hard at work constructing it according to the plans of the Templar engineers.

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  By God’s grace we received news today of our brethren and the Rook. One of our own was assigned to wait in Bristol until the Voyager’s ship Matthew returned from its trip to China. At last the Voyager has returned to Bristol. Our brother received news from the Voyager along with a letter embossed with a Templars seal. Our brother rode day and night to the coast of England. He boarded a ship and today arrived in Bruges carrying the letter from our brothers on the Rook.

  The two ships bearing the Voyager’s crew and our twenty brave men reached land after almost fifty days at sea. It did not appear to be China, the Voyager said. Perhaps it was a previously unknown land. While the Voyager explored the apparently uninhabited shoreline, several of our men took our small boat a few miles north and found a perfect place for the relics. It was as though God led them directly to an island not far from the mainland, with a small, protected bay. The location is remote but tranquil. It will meet our needs completely. Thanks be to God.

  Our brothers advised the Voyager they would create a Knights Templars settlement in this land and sailed the Rook north to the island. They commenced building rude shelters to house themselves during construction of the hiding place. Within a week they had begun to excavate a shaft, felling mighty oak trees as they needed the wood to shore up the sides of the pit they were creating.

  It was unfortunate that the Voyager chose to involve himself in things best left to our brothers. He and his men sailed the Matthew north to see where o
ur brethren had gone. They saw our settlement, the construction of the pit and its location. Going there was an unfortunate decision by this seafaring man. He has been of immense help to us. Now what he has seen is a liability. When the time is right we must deal with him.

  The secrets we protect are the most important things on Earth and we are charged by God to use any means to ensure their safety. For now the Voyager knows only that we are building a settlement. If he ever returns to this place we have settled, he must be dealt with in the harshest way. The secrets will be maintained and the hiding place secured forever.

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  I am Marco Cabreto, elected by my brothers to lead the Templars. Today, God willing, I along with six others of our Order shall sail with the Voyager back to the land where our men are constructing the secret place.

  A day ago we took the Most Holy Relics from their hiding place, the bookcase of my villa on the coast. They were on the shelf in plain sight and not a person gave them so much as a glance while they rested there.

  It is the twelfth of May in the year of our Lord Fourteen Hundred Ninety Eight. We have the box containing the relics and will transport them on the Voyager’s lead ship. For this trip he has a fleet of five sturdy ships and a crew of three hundred.

  On this voyage we have no need of our own ship, the Rook being already in the unknown land to which we sail, along with twenty of our brethren.

  We pray the grace and favor of God for smooth sailing and favorable winds as we transverse the great ocean. Protect our precious cargo and our brave men.