Moffat's Secret

by J. C. Williams

  “I had to turn my phone off. I was on an investigation, a stakeout, and then an interrogation. Sorry. In London? Where are you?”

  “The Altoona Hotel.”

  “I know where it is. I’ll be right over. It will give me a break from this little flat. Can I bring my toothbrush?”

  “I don’t know, Sandy. It’s been a rough couple days. A long flight. Jet lag. You understand.”

  Her turn to be dumbfounded.

  “Gotcha back,” he laughed.

  “You’ll pay for that,” she promised.

  ------

  They made love twice. The first time was lust. Clothes flying, bodies flailing, and limbs twisting in a passionate release. The second time was tender and slow, learning each other’s needs and pleasures.

  They lay curled, Sandy’s head on Chad’s shoulder, tenderly stroking his chest. The only sound was their breathing.

  “Tell me about Mexico,” she said.

  “Hard liquor and hot women,” he joked, receiving a poke in the ribs for his lame effort at humor.

  He told her about all of it, including the push from atop the structure in Calakmul.

  “What do you conclude?” she asked.

  “For whatever reason the tablets were considered sacred and moved around. Perhaps to Teotihuacan in 600. Where to in the 700s when they had troubles, I don’t know. Perhaps to Chichen Itza, perhaps to obscurity in northern Mexico. I doubt that they were returned to Europe or Israel at that time. It was the beginning of Islam, the beginnings of city-states in Europe. It was not a stable period. I feel I need to focus on finding the locator stone. I made progress on that as well.”

  He filled her in on solving the coordinates.

  “Stonehenge, huh,” she repeated. “Have you been there?”

  “No. Have you?”

  “Several times,” she answered. “Do you think the tablets are there?”

  “Stonehenge has been so well researched, I can’t believe that the tablets could have been hidden there all this time. However, I think it more likely that the locator stone was taken to Stonehenge. But, again, I think the excavations there would have turned it up. Maybe Stonehenge was just the first stop.”

  She asked, “Do you think the locator stone is kept up to date with the change of tablet location? Who would do that?”

  “I don’t know. The same conspiratorial group that moves them? This entire quest borders on the unbelievable.”

  What’s the next step, Chad?”

  “Your comment about the Templars when we were in Lyon has me thinking. I need to learn more. If they moved the locator stone, where would they take it? Assuming that Stonehenge was just a brief stop.”

  “I might be able to help you with that,” she said excitedly as she whipped the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her.

  “I have to call someone. Why don’t you order us room service? You’ll need some more energy,” she said seductively.

  She made her call and ten minutes later her phone buzzed. She made a note and proceeded triumphantly back to bed, where Chad lay wearing his briefs.

  Sandy threw a piece of paper at him.

  “You have an appointment tomorrow with Jason Michaels.”

  “Michaels, the archeologist and historian?”

  “You know him?” she asked.

  “No. I know of him. He is world renowned, and is an expert on Stonehenge. Did you know that? Do you know him?” Chad asked incredulously.

  “No. My aunt does. She teaches at the College of London. I just asked her if she knew someone knowledgeable about history from 100 to 1500 CE. She set it up.”

  “Wow. This is great. Hey, I have something for you. From Mexico.”

  “Oh boy,” she said excitedly.

  Chad stopped halfway out of bed. “Are we at the jewelry stage of our relationship?” He paused. “Maybe not. I’ll hold on to it.” He rolled back over.

  “Cough it up Archer boy,” she said poking him in the ribs and pushing him out of bed.

  He unzipped a side pocket of his backpack and reached in. He withdrew his phone and stared at it.

  “What’s wrong,” she asked.

  “I think someone on the plane took my phone and then put it back in the wrong side pocket.” Images of the hooded men in Jerusalem flashed before him.

  Chapter 84

  Archer entered an office that was more like a cave created by stacks of books, papers, and takeout boxes. Chad wondered how old the food boxes were. They would make a fine home for mice. Food. Housing. Warmth. No need to leave the place.

  “Take a seat if you can find one,” Michaels joked. “I know it’s a mess. People marvel that my excavations are so neat, organized, and tight, yet my office looks like this. I think I bottle up my inner self at the digs, and then let it go when I am here.

  “I’ve seen that before,” Chad said understandingly. “Thanks for meeting with me.”

  “My pleasure. Doc mentioned you in his Christmas card a few years ago. He was proud that one of his students, one of his brightest students, was teaching.”

  “You knew Doc?” Chad asked surprised.

  “We worked a brief time together. At Stonehenge. Funny story that is.”

  “You’ll have to tell me. I am collecting stories for a biography about Doc. When was that?”

  “Twenty years ago.”

  Chad appraised Jason Michaels. He was a beefy, bear of a man. His long brown hair was wild. He wore a full beard and mustache, untrimmed. A broad smile and warm dark brown eyes made Michaels instantly likable.

  “What can I help you with, Chad?” Jason asked.

  Chad had thought about this question, thought about the entire conversation, what to say and not to say. He couldn’t just ask if Jason had seen any evidence at Stonehenge left by the Templars about a sacred artifact. He also did not want to lie. He decided on a part-truth.

  “I’m doing research about sacred objects that may have been moved between Mexico and Europe or the middle-east. In my research, I learned of the local lore in Mexico about visits from across the Atlantic before the Spanish arrived. I wonder if it could have been the Knights Templar. There has always been speculation as to what happened to the Knight Templar’s large fleet that disappeared when they were purged sometime around 1300 CE. Could they have sailed to Mexico two hundred years before Cortes landed? I have heard theories, myths, and conjectures about the Templars. I wanted to talk with someone who has studied them, separating fact from fiction. I thought it had been established they moved artifacts from Jerusalem to Scotland. So what is true? What do you think?”

  There, Chad thought. That’s close as he could get to the absolute truth.

  Jason responded, “That’s a tall order and encompasses a long period of time. I’ll try to give you a summary of the Knights Templar, starting a couple hundred years earlier than when you asked. We need this view as background to what happened to their fleet. The world picture in 1100 CE was very regionalized. China was probably the most advanced civilization in the world. They began binding printed papers into books as early as 1000 CE. However, China was isolated by distance from the countries and cultures in Europe. There was trade being established between China and the West, overland through the mid-east, but it was not yet well established. China, like nearly all areas of the world at that time, was going through war or upheaval. Countries and religions were fragmented by various families, factions, or cities. The Maya empire was in decline. The Catholic Church was centralizing their organization, yet at the same time the great east-west schism occurred, resulting eventually in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Muslim world was fulfilling their commitment to carry its beliefs from the area of Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan into India, across Asia Minor, northern Africa, and into Europe. It was the Golden Age of Islam, a time when the Arab culture was much more advanced than Europe – scientifically, economically, and culturally. However, France, England, and Spain, in their self appointed importance, felt that they were the most civilized
of cultures. It was an arrogance that carried forward for a thousand years, surpassed only by America as it developed and grew to its current size. No offense intended.”

  “None taken. A lot of change then? Instability.”

  “Yes. In 1095 the Byzantine Emperor obtained military help from the Roman Catholic Church against Turkey, an aggressive country that had converted to Islam three hundred years earlier. The Pope sent crusaders to secure safe routes to the sacred sites in the Holy Land for pilgrims. As with many wars at that time, religious differences were used, and purposely fanned. Those reasons were used as cover for political intentions and resource acquisition.”

  “Sounds familiar,” Chad agreed with Michaels.

  “Right. Well. Jerusalem had been captured from the Muslims by the Christians in 1099. The Knights Templar came into existence as a protector of pilgrims both physically and financially. They acted as a bank, taking money in Europe and guaranteeing payment in the Holy Lands. They took up residence in the old Temple of Solomon. It was rumored that they discovered hidden treasures, including the ark and the tablets that contained the Ten Commandments. To protect them from the instability of the region, they chose to move their discoveries to a more stable place.”

  “It would make sense,” Chad said. “They would have thought France or Spain or England would be more stable, wouldn’t they?”

  “Probably, not Spain at that time. It was in Muslim hands since the middle of the eighth century. You left out Germany. It was powerful, and Christian, at that time.”

  “What about Italy?” Chad asked. “I would think the center of the Catholic world would be a logical place.”

  “Italy, throughout the centuries, was constantly under attack. Byzantines. Hungarians. Germans. By 1100 south Italy was indeed in the firm protective hands of the Papal States. The north was also evolving into strong city-states. Just off its coast, Sicily changed hands often, including belonging to the Muslims at one point. So, Italy was not a good choice, except for Rome. However, the key reason that the Templars did not move treasures to Rome was that they liked their independence from central authority. They were becoming a powerful, rich, and independent force.”

  “Okay, then, I can see that they rescue the religious treasures and take them to France or England.” Chad was satisfied.

  “Maybe eventually, but not right away, not for a hundred years or so. More importantly, were those treasures really in Jerusalem at that time? Artifacts could have been moved at an earlier time in history. Jerusalem and Israel were under siege and threat throughout their history, but particularly in 600 BCE. It was rumored that the treasures stored in the Tabernacle were removed at that time.”

  Chad felt excited that Jason went quickly to this incident. “To where?”

  “No evidence. Hidden locally, perhaps. Taken to a safer or stronger country at that time. Greece, maybe. Or taken to a more distant land and hidden.”

  “As far away as India or China?”

  “It was possible. As I mentioned there was overland trade with India and China. But not likely by sea. Sailing in the Mediterranean, on rivers, and lakes had been mastered but ocean sailing was still experimental. The Phoenicians made it through the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and around Africa. They reportedly made it to England by keeping land in sight. Open ocean navigation lacked the knowledge and tools needed until much later, closer to 1000 CE or even 1400 CE.”

  “Got it. So, if the treasures were moved in 600 BCE, it was most likely hidden locally or in Greece or some island around the Mediterranean.” Either destination might fit the scroll accounts and the reason for the port at Haifa. “You said that eventually the Templars may have moved items to northern Europe, but not right away?”

  “Correct. The Templars originated in France in the early 1100s. They lasted as an official organization until 1309. They became very powerful by banking, by lending, and by selling religious favors. They owned a large amount of property. France and Germany were strongholds for them. However, they remained in the mid-East and Palestine area in-between the Crusades. They even established their headquarters on Cyprus for a while. They owned it once. It was also where their leader was summoned from when the Pope decided to disband the order.”

  “Cyprus then could be a place for their treasure to be hidden?” Chad asked, though the locator stone referenced Stonehenge, not Cyprus or France.

  “Possible. France was a logical choice, but it was in disarray as well. England and France had been fighting for some time. The lands of Normandy were the main point of contention. In fact, King Phillip of France owed the Knights Templar a huge debt. He had borrowed much to finance his war. He had reason to abolish their order and erase his debt.”

  “What I know about the Templars is they were disbanded, arrested, tortured, and dispersed.” Chad said.

  “It’s what most people think. The leaders certainly were arrested and tortured. Though, eventually the Church reinstated them. However, in the meantime, they dispersed. Some were assigned to other orders. Some were merged with a rival order, like the Knights Hospitallers or the Order of Hospitallers. We have to realize that other groups could see the success of the Templars and imitated them. In Portugal the members just changed their name to the Knights of Christ.”

  “Would they go anywhere else?” Chad still did not see an England or Stonehenge connection.

  “Switzerland and Scotland had been excommunicated. Both places could be destinations for the Knights. All three were at odds with the Catholic Church. Switzerland is interesting. It had not been formed as a country or a state until 1291. Before that it changed hands often. France. Germany. Rome. The people of Switzerland wanted their independence and declared it. The fighting was intense in the early 1300s. The tide turned for them when a group of fierce well-organized fighters came out of the mountains to assist.”

  “Fierce fighters like those in the Knights Templar?” Chad questioned.

  “Could be. Think about it. It’s one thing to fight hard. It’s another to be a well-run organization to maintain that independence. Organization and money.”

  “Like the Knights Templars?” Chad said more than questioned.

  Michaels raised an eyebrow and asked, “Have you wondered why Switzerland is, and has been, so strong in banking? And have you noticed the Swiss flag, the cross of red? How similar that is to that of the Templars?”

  Chapter 85

  “You could start conspiracy theories, Jason.” Archer said.

  Jason laughed. “They are out there already. I don’t need to start them.”

  “Scotland, you said,” Chad questioned. “Is this the Rosslyn Chapel mystery popularized by the Da Vinci Code?”

  “Not really. That was built two hundred years after the Templar disbandment in 1309. However, it’s logical for me that Scotland was a destination.”

  “I like logic,” Chad smiled.

  “Robert de Bruce of Scotland was fighting England for independence. Under pressure, the Pope sided with England. He excommunicated Robert. Templars and their treasure would be safe in Scotland. In addition, since Scotland was fighting England, France’s arch enemy, and the French Templars had been fighting the English, it seems logical to go to Scotland.”

  “Common enemies aside, Scotland does not sound like such a stable place to take a treasure,” Chad ventured.

  “Perhaps not. It was regionally ruled at that time. There were many small bands or families acting independently. It was hard for a leader to bring them all together as one force. England appeared all along to be the eventual victor in that fight. On the other hand, the Scottish highlands are remote. It would be a good place to hide things.”

  “Have you totally dismissed England as a possible destination?” Chad asked.

  “No. Actually, it would be a good choice. That would be if you, or the French Templars, could philosophically get past the Anglo-Franco conflicts. It is far removed from the threat of an Islamic war. It is an island. Europe would be hard pressed to in
vade it. France had tried. It was a rising civilization, a good combination of industry and agriculture. The Magna Carta was signed nearly one hundred years earlier, granting rights to nobles and in turn peasants. It was progressive.”

  “Stability?” Chad questioned. “Solid as the monoliths of Stonehenge?” He waited for a reaction. None.

  “I suppose you could consider it stable or well down that road. England was moving toward stability by being unstable where the monarchy is concerned. A weakening monarchy, separation of church and state, independent scientific research, establishment of universities, and the start of guilds. All those things we have today were in their infancy then.”

  The two scholars pondered the information.

  Jason spoke first. “Back to your original question about the Templar’s fleet. They were good sailors. They navigated around the Mediterranean Sea and up the western coast of Europe. Getting to England or Scotland would not have been a problem. I also think they were working on the sea route to India and China, avoiding the overland route through Muslim countries.”

  Chad asked, “Could they have managed their way to the Americas?”

  “I suppose it was possible. As you said the fleet disappeared. We know the Vikings had sailed to the Americas, to Nova Scotia, nearly two hundred years earlier.”

  Chad added some information. “I looked at the currents in the Atlantic Ocean. It leads from North Africa, to the Caribbean, up the coast of North America, and then to England. They could sail out of the Mediterranean and then follow that current looping a little south near Africa and then over to the Caribbean. I think its possible and probable. I can imagine they stopped in Mexico and took away valuables and treasures. Maybe they traded for gold.”

  “You may be right. The currents come close to Nova Scotia and Oak Island, fitting another myth about the Templars. Chad, you mentioned Stonehenge, in a reference to a stable solid location. It has its own secrets, we know. You may not know I had an excavation there for five years.”