Berger almost seemed to consider the statement for a moment. He tilted his head back and then lowered it again, maintaining eye contact with his rival. "No, I don't think so. The pope has lost his way. The church, too, has lost its way. They accept anything, anyone. They've become too tolerant. We lose members around the world every day. Why? Because people are tired of the soft stance the church has taken on too many issues."
"You mean like its founder?"
"You forget, old friend, the Kingdom of Heaven must be forged through the blood of the wicked. You know as well as I do that to provide peace, true and lasting peace, there must be war first."
Wagner shook his head dejectedly. "Then you are truly lost. You are beyond redemption."
"Funny," Berger countered. "I was just thinking the same thing about you."
"Then I guess we are at an impasse."
"I suppose so."
Berger turned his attention back to Tommy. "I don't wish to kill your friend—not yet, anyway." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He tapped on the screen, and then an image appeared. It only rang twice before the recipient answered. It was Bodmer, who then turned the phone's camera so that it showed a man tied to a chair with layer upon layer of duct tape. His mouth was likewise sealed shut with the silvery tape. His head hung low, chin almost touching his chest. He appeared to be tired, maybe even sleeping. It was hard to tell, but Tommy could see that Sean's chest was rising and falling in a slow rhythm. He was still alive.
Where he was, however, was more difficult to discern. From the looks of it, he was in some kind of construction zone, surrounded by scaffolds, tools, paints, and huge drop cloths. Most of the area beyond the immediate field of view was dark, the only illumination coming from a couple of candles placed in the middle of the floor.
"You see?" Berger asked. "He's alive and well. You tell us where the ring is, and I give you Sean's location."
"I suppose you're just going to let us waltz in there and pick him up without a fight." Tommy sounded skeptical.
"Of course not. I will have my men positioned there. You will have to fight your way through to get to him, which I don't think you'll be able to do, not with just the three of you. Still, he is there, and you are free to try. Now, the ring. Where is it?"
"Where is Sean?"
Berger's lips creased. "Still forcing the stalemate? I've given you the proof you seek. You've given me nothing. Perhaps you don't know where the ring is. If that's the case, I see no reason to keep your friend Sean alive any longer." He had started to raise the phone to his face to give the order to execute Sean when Wagner stopped him. "I will go with you to where the ring is hidden."
The unexpected volunteering caught Tommy, Adriana, and Berger off guard.
"You would be my hostage?" Berger asked.
"Yes. If it means saving Sean and any other innocents from your madness."
Berger ignored the last barb. "Very well, Bertrand. You will be my prisoner. If Thomas is lying about the location, he knows what I will do to you." He turned back to Tommy. "Tell me where the ring is, and I will give you Sean's location. You have five seconds, or I kill him. I've lived my entire life without the ring. I will find another lead. I doubt you will find another Sean."
Tommy knew he was right. It was the checkmate play that Berger had in his back pocket. He'd kept it there, waiting for Tommy to go through the entire scenario before showing his hand.
Tommy had hoped it wouldn't come to that. He knew there was nothing as powerful when it came to bargaining chips. He was going to have to trust that this madman wasn't lying, that Berger was going to give him Sean's true location.
"As a man of God, I hope you wouldn't lie to me," Tommy groused.
"As a man of God, you shouldn't stand against me."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Sometimes, even the men who profess to serve the Almighty still make bad decisions, do the wrong things for the right reasons."
"I'm sorry," Berger said abruptly, cutting off Tommy's thoughts. "We were in the middle of counting down your friend's execution. I believe I said five seconds. That was at least a minute ago. Commander, if you will?"
Bodmer set down the phone so Tommy and Adriana could see what was about to happen.
"No, don't do this," Tommy insisted.
Adriana said nothing, though she was clearly suppressing a million emotions. She'd seen Sean in predicaments before, always able to get himself out. Now, however, was different. He didn't appear to have a way to get free.
Bodmer appeared on the screen, standing directly behind Sean with a shiny dagger. The metal glinted in the flickering candlelight as the killer held the weapon with the point nearly touching the back of Sean's skull. Bodmer's intention was clear. He was going to shove the tip of the blade through the base of Sean's neck, and up into the back of the skull where it would kill him instantly.
He'd wanted to make Sean suffer, for his death to take a long time, but an execution like this would get his friends' attention, and it wasn't like time was on Berger's side.
Tommy sensed the man was growing apprehensive, as if afraid of something. Was it being exposed, out in the open in such a public space? Or was it something else?
"Stop!" Tommy shouted. "Tell him to stop."
"Three." Berger said, skipping five and four.
"Stop, I said."
"Two."
"It's here! Okay? The name we were missing from the list. There was a gap. It's Berthier. The ring is hidden in the tomb of Berthier."
"One."
"He just told you where it is!" Adriana insisted, stepping forward with her pistol showing just under her waistband. "You kill him. You die. Understand?"
Berger's lips cracked on the left side of his face. "You would die, as well," he said, motioning to the men who were now emerging from their hiding spots.
"If you kill Sean, I have nothing left to live for," Adriana said. "That happens, and killing you will be the only thing I care about. I'll die satisfied."
He searched her eyes for truth. "You carry a defiance unlike any I've seen in a woman. Or a man, for that matter. I wonder…who trained you?"
"My father. He taught me about people like you, cowards who stand behind hostages. I will end you, Lucien."
His smile broadened.
"He is in Notre-Dame Cathedral, though I don't know if you will be able to make it there in time."
"What?" Tommy suddenly seemed worried.
"Commander Bodmer," Berger spoke into the phone. The man reappeared on the screen a moment later. "Burn it."
A sudden flick of the man's wrist caught Adriana's attention.
Wagner and Tommy also saw it but didn't realize what had happened until it was too late.
The searing white light pierced their vision and caused the three to grab at their eyes. The painful flash only lasted a couple of seconds, but the damage it rendered took minutes to overcome as their eyes struggled to adjust to the dark city night.
Adriana was the first to recover her vision and looked around, careful not to brandish her weapon. The flash-bang device had already drawn the attention of far too many people. Some were pointing in her direction, and she knew that some form of authority would be making their way over soon, if for nothing more than to ask questions. It was an unaffordable delay.
Tommy stood at about the same time as Wagner. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to locate Berger, but the man was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did he go?" Tommy asked with deep concern in his voice.
"To get the ring would be my guess," Adriana said. She turned to Wagner. "Go to the tomb of Louis Alexandre Berthier. Do what you can. When we find Sean, we will head that way."
Wagner nodded, apparently having the same idea.
He took off and ran down the street before blending into the crowd. Adriana watched him disappear and then scanned their surroundings for any more of Berger's men. There was no sign of them anywhere.
"Come on," Adriana said. "We have to
get to the cathedral."
39
NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL - PARIS
Sean had been sitting motionless in the chair. He was surrounded by construction materials—plastic tarps, tools, and scaffolds. He was glad Berger's men hadn't knocked him out again before bringing him to Notre-Dame.
Bodmer had been the one in charge of securing the location amid the renovations that had been going on for the last several months. The place was in disarray, and with so many construction workers moving in and out of the building, it was easy enough to slip in and up to one of the higher levels. Bodmer and three other knights set Sean down in a wooden chair, though this time they didn't use as much adhesive to bind him to the seat. The tape was still wrapped tightly around his body, and he found that any movement at all took an exhausting effort, but it was also necessary as he was losing circulation in his wrists and ankles. His shoulders, too, were tightening from the lack of movement.
Then there was the other issue.
He really needed to relieve himself, but he knew there was no way Bodmer was going to allow that to happen in a civilized manner.
The man had been watching him like a very annoying hawk for the last hour, barely taking his eyes away to even blink. Sean knew that something was going down, and soon.
Berger had gone, Sean assumed to meet Tommy and Adriana. He didn't like the idea, and concern for his friend and his wife overwhelmed any worries he might have harbored for his own well-being.
Luckily, he hoped, he had a plan. It was just a question of time.
The men who'd abducted him had taken everything from him. They removed his money clip, his phone, and his weapons—everything except one small item.
The wedding band on his left ring finger was still there. The thick groom's band was made from silver and had a harder upper edge that wrapped around the entire loop. It was engraved with Celtic knots, a symbol of his Irish heritage, along with a single Templar cross engraved in the center of the knots. That one was for personal reasons, reasons he'd never shared with anyone but his wife and Tommy. Even the kids didn't know the reason behind it.
Part of it was spiritual, a reminder to him of his Christian upbringing and the values he'd learned as a young person. The other purpose of the cross was to grant him access to a secret archive in Washington, a place few knew existed.
Now, however, none of that mattered. The ring had a different purpose, and Sean needed that purpose to work faster.
One of the few body parts he'd been able to move during his captivity was his ring finger. He'd managed to bend his left thumb over to where he could wiggle the object back and forth in a wobbling motion. Sean started the process while still in the abandoned office building and continued during the ride to the cathedral in the back of Bodmer's SUV. He'd been manipulating the ring for over an hour and wasn't sure how much progress he'd made since his hands were behind his back. Though at one point he was pretty sure he felt something give way. The tiniest sliver opened in the duct tape, and he felt the ring poke through it.
Bodmer was still watching him but couldn't see the subtle movement within the silvery mummy wrapping.
Sean doubled his efforts, doing his best not to move his body. If he rocked back and forth, Bodmer would realize something was up. Sean was only going to get one shot at this. The only reason he was still alive was because Berger needed information from Tommy and the others. He hoped that his friend hadn't given up the secret—if they had in fact figured it out. Knowing Tommy and Adriana, they likely had already reached a solution and retrieved the ring.
Maybe that was just being naïvely hopeful.
Sean felt his finger punch through the tape as the slit he'd created widened. He jammed another finger through and felt the adhesive give with a barely audible tear. Sean froze for a moment, glancing across the room at Bodmer with disinterest, doing his best to look calm.
Bodmer had finally taken his eyes off Sean and was busily preparing something with rags and…then he realized what the man was doing. He was dousing rags with paint thinner. They were going to burn down the cathedral with him in it.
He worked his fingers in the slit and continued tearing it until he felt the tape break free on the top. His wrists broke away and his fingers immediately began to tingle as blood began to flow unrestricted once again.
Sean checked his warden again. Then he stole a glance at the two guards standing by the door, knowing the third was just beyond on the other side. He thought it odd to place one man outside and two inside with Bodmer. Perhaps they were still concerned Sean might find a way to escape.
He didn't want to disappoint.
His fingers gripped the bottom edge of the tape that was wrapped around his back and began ripping it. He moved carefully, deliberately, stopping when Bodmer appeared to check on him, then began again.
The tape tore easily enough considering the awkward way he was forced to work. Sean knew he wouldn't be able to get it all the way to the top, but that was something he could handle. Once the tear in the adhesive was high enough, he could pull it off like a shirt, a task made far easier now that his hands were free. Facing Bodmer, Sean knew the commander wouldn't be able to see what he'd done unless he walked around behind the chair.
Sean got a little too aggressive and ripped the tape louder than intended. Bodmer's head snapped around to find Sean staring down at his lap, a despondent look on his face.
Bodmer grinned devilishly. "Why so glum, Sean? You'll be dead soon, and you're going to burn in one of the most famous cathedrals in the world."
"I figured you were going to set the place on fire," Sean said. He wasn't lying. The second he'd seen what Bodmer was up to, he knew. "I just gotta ask..."
"Why? Why are we burning down this icon to Christianity? You know why, Sean. This entire journey has been why."
"Oh, I see. You can't get to the Vatican, so you're going to tear down another symbol of the church. Got it."
"We can get to the Vatican," Bodmer said. "Who do you think killed Jarllson? How do you think that happened? I am the Vatican." His teeth flashed like a wolf’s as he spoke. "It will belong to us the moment Lucien puts on the ring of the Baptist."
"Gotcha," Sean said with a nod that covered up his shoulder movements as he continued working the tear in the tape up toward the middle of his back. "So, what does that mean for you? Do you get to be like a second-in-command, or is there an assistant job you're gunning for? Honestly, I didn't know the pope had that kind of position. Or is what you're looking for…a little more intimate?" Sean let the insult hang for a moment.
Bodmer snarled and began to stalk toward Sean when the phone on a small worktable started vibrating. Bodmer's eyes flashed a warning blaze, and then he turned back, strode over to the phone, and picked it up. He pressed the green button and held the phone away from his face.
Sean listened to the conversation while he moved his hands faster. He halted when Bodmer turned his attention to him and pointed the camera his way. Sean knew he was being put on display for his friends' benefit. They likely wanted to know if he was still alive. It was smart on their part since Sean knew they were probably involved in some kind of negotiation with Berger.
It was obvious to Sean how everything was playing out. The grand master would demand the location of the ring, which Sean figured his friends were able to determine on their own. Why else would they have a meeting with Berger? Unless they were trying to trick him and give him a false location.
Bodmer turned the phone away and walked back to the table, finishing his conversation with Berger. Sean felt the tape break free at his back just as he heard the grand master give the order to burn it.
Sean knew what that meant. This wasn't just some small arson job. They were going to take down a symbol of the church; the church that Berger was convinced had wronged him and his order so long ago. It wasn't just an international icon, a place that was visited by millions of tourists every year. Notre-Dame was a display of culture and architecture from a tim
e long ago. As important a site as it was, it belonged to the entire world, not just to a group of religious fanatics. These guys were going to burn it down. The arrogance, Sean thought.
He did his best to keep the tape from sagging as Bodmer strode back to where he sat and started drenching the floor around the chair with turpentine.
"I don't want to tell you how to do your job," Sean said, "but you should be careful with that, you know. With all the candles burning in here, only a matter of time until those fumes catch fire."
"That's the plan," Bodmer said. "And you're going to go up in flames with this beacon of betrayal."
Sean snorted a genuine laugh. "Beacon of betrayal? How long have you been sitting on that one? Seriously, that's what you came up with?"
"We'll see how funny you think it is when your skin is melting off your body."
"Eek," Sean said. "That's a grisly thing to think about."
Bodmer said nothing. Instead, he walked over to the worktable and picked up the knife and pistol he'd left there. He shoved the knife back in a sheath and holstered the pistol before turning to a collection of four candles on the table's surface. He picked up one of the candle holders before pivoting around to face Sean.
"You see, Sean, nothing can get in our way. We are going to destroy this temple of lies, as well as the one in Rome. We will rebuild the church as it was meant to be, and we will root out dissent and apostasy to put the rightful rulers in place."
"You being the rightful rulers—the Knights of the Teutonic Order."
"Exactly. Soon, the world will see what the church and the governments of the world did to us, and to them. They will see the pope for what he really is, and when we are done all will kneel before the true leader of the church and the ring he bears on his finger."
"So, a sort of kiss-the-ring kind of deal. Sounds like you guys are Mafia or something." Sean smirked at his own humor.
"Funny," Bodmer growled.
The Napoleon Affair Page 32
