I reported to the Sanhedrin every such incident and worked tirelessly to rally support for taking drastic action against these people. The religious leaders of Jerusalem had to put a stop to this. They absolutely had to.
41
Téléphone à Trois
PRESENT-DAY ROME
MQNDAY, MAY 12, 9:50 A.M.
Augie raced to the hotel cab stand, ready to run if he couldn’t get one. He had long taught seminary students that becoming a person of faith was no guarantee things would always go well for you. He said silently, Lord, Your Word says man is destined for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward, but You also promise You will be with me until the end. I just hope today isn’t it. Tell me what to do.
Augie wasn’t from a culture comfortable with God speaking audibly to His people. He had always believed he should trust God fully and follow his own conscience. But right now he would have appreciated specifics.
When his turn came he dove into the back seat and said, “Piazza Sant’Ignazio.”
The cabbie adjusted the mirror to look directly at Augie. “That is a polizia building. Lots of carabinieri right here.”
“Quickly, please.”
Augie’s phone began chirping with texts from Roger. “out just in time. heard elevator while heading 2 stairs. cop cars in front. escaped out the side. pick me up?”
“stay put,” Augie texted back. “back 2 u later.”
“Sof w/u?”
“cops got her.”
“where u?”
“art squad.”
“avoid. danger.”
“got 2 take chance. Later.”
The Art Squad was housed in an ornate four-story salmon-colored stucco building bearing two flags below the third-floor windows and directly above the entrance. “Beautiful, no?” the driver said. “Almost three hundred years old. Protected landmark. Cannot deliver you to door. Those plants in concrete vases are actually barricades.”
Augie got out across the street, where he found a shaded area with tables and chairs. Augie had calls he couldn’t make in front of anyone anyway, and he couldn’t just waltz into Art Squad headquarters. He set his empty bag on a wrought iron table and sat, careful not to look at the building as his face had to be known to authorities by now. He phoned Malfees Trikoupis.
“Dr. Knox!” the man exulted. “I was about to call you to arrange a meeting tonight. Good to hear your voice. Are you as excited as I am with Dimos’s conclusions? We are both going to enjoy a huge—.”
“So you haven’t heard …”
“All I heard was good news. He called after midnight last night and—.”
“Fokinos is dead, sir. And Sofia has been arrested.”
Trikoupis voice lost its ebullience. “What are you telling me?”
“Fokinos was assassinated in his hotel room, so the carabinieri wanted to talk with the woman who had arrived with him from Greece.”
“The man you are to meet with tonight can straighten this out right now.”
“Is he highly placed enough to help with something this big?”
“Of course. I’ll call and patch you in, and you’ll see. But you must not speak. I guarantee she will be free very soon.”
“Is this worth it, Mr. T.? Lying to your daughter, getting your employee killed ….”
“I had nothing to do with that! But listen to me, Augie, the fewer people involved, the more value this project has to those of us who remain.”
“Fokinos was here for you, sir, acting on your promise! His death isn’t even a nuisance to you?”
Trikoupis suddenly sounded like himself again, hardly agitated despite that his employee had been murdered and his daughter taken into custody. “Well, it’s both sad and an opportunity, August. Surely you can see that.”
“But if Dimos could be eliminated, Sofia could too!”
“I won’t let that happen. You’ll see. Give me your number so I can link the call.”
Oh, no, you don’t.
“You don’t need my number. I’ll just stay on while you patch in your guy.”
“You’ll be impressed.”
When the call was connected, Augie heard, “Malfees Trikoupis calling for Deputy Director Sardinia.”
“Good morning, sir! He’s out. Would you like the colonel?”
“No, I’ll try Aldo’s cell.”
Within seconds Augie heard Sardinia’s voice for the first time. It was clear he knew who was calling. “Hello, friend,” he said.
“Can you talk, Aldo?”
“Not really. How are you?”
“None too pleased at the moment. My daughter will not be collateral damage if you have any continued interest in our agreement.”
“You may rest assured of that.”
“It sounds as if the only way to stay alive is to be indispensable to this project.”
“I hope that’s clear,” Sardinia said.
“Just remember that I am both your buyer and seller. You don’t want to handle that from a government office.”
“Believe me, you are not in any danger.”
“Prove that by releasing my daughter with dispatch.”
“On my way there now. But until we take delivery, everything else is off the table.”
“It won’t be long, Aldo. The one with access to the merchandise will soon be family. And with one less person to cut in on the deal now, there will be more than enough to cover him. What are you doing about the South African?”
“The guide? It’s just a matter of time. We almost had him today.”
“And arresting him is not the goal, correct?”
The Art Squad deputy chief chuckled. “No, mere apprehension is not our aim.”
When Sardinia hung up, Augie said, “Was that for my benefit, Mr. T., discussing the assassination of Roger Michaels? That’s how you threaten me?”
“You’re a prudent man, Augie. You heard what you needed to hear. I trust you realize that were Sofia not so fond of you … Look on the positive side—you and she will be set for life. Don’t force me to do something that would break her heart.”
“What if I don’t know where the manuscript is?”
Trikoupis laughed. “Michaels would not have pleaded with you to come to Rome if not to confide in you.”
“In case you’re wrong, you might want to slow Sardinia down before he eliminates the last hope for finding the memoir.”
“I am impressed, Augie. That’s a creative maneuver to protect your friend. I wish I had a friend I cared about that much.”
“I wish you had a daughter you cared about that much.”
“Insults are beneath you. Now let me tell you what happens next. At eight this evening Deputy Director Sardinia will meet with you, and you will be as cooperative as possible.You know the reward, as well as the alternative. Will you do that for me? For Sofia?”
“It appears I have no choice.”
“Now we’re back to understanding each another. He will come to the Terrazzo.”
“What?”
“You think he doesn’t know where you’re registered?”
Augie fought to keep his composure. The only thing keeping him alive was that Sardinia and Trikoupis believed he either had the ancient memoir or knew where it was.
“All right, but I do have one condition.”
This is not your meeting, Augie.”
“Hear me out. I’ll tell Mr. Sardinia everything I know, but only if you are also there.”
“You want me in Rome? Impossible. I—.”
Click.
42
The Stoning
FIRST-CENTURY JERUSALEM
FROM PAUL’S MEMOIR
I had long been an early riser, but now I began waking before dawn every day and rarely going to bed before midnight. I was filled with purpose. The acts of the Jesus followers flew in the face of everything I had ever been taught. These people were enemies of God, enemies of His law, blasphemers, deserving the ultimate punishment.
I hound
ed Nathanael daily until I wore him down, persuading him to personally seek a private audience for me with the high priest, Caiaphas. When it was granted, I pleaded with Caiaphas to extend to me the authority of the
Sanhedrin itself. “As long as these men proclaim a dead man the Messiah, I won’t rest until they are brought to justice. What deliverer would be put to death in such a vile manner? You did right by having them beaten for disobedience, but it didn’t stop them. Their blasphemy has escalated.”
Caiaphas was strangely quiet, but I sensed he was impressed with my zeal. “I would have to discuss this with my father-in-law,” he said, referring to the Roman-deposed Annas, whom everyone knew was the real high priest. “It would be most unusual to confer upon you authority above your station, but you have been so fervent in your service to this body that I sometimes consider you already a member. Tell me, are you aware that your views are shared by the Synagogue of Freedmen?”
I certainly was aware. Many of the Grecian Jews of that uniquely passionate congregation hailed from my home province of Cilicia, and I never let an opportunity pass without identifying myself as being a Roman citizen from Tarsus, so they knew well that we were fellow countrymen. Despite that these men were Greek, they considered me a compatriot.
“Frankly,” I told Caiaphas, “I like the way those men think. They agree the council must take an unequivocal stand against these apostates to stop the daily increase in their number.”
“The Freedmen are particularly incensed by the effectiveness of one of the new leaders,” Caiaphas said. “You know of whom I speak?”
“Of course. The Freedmen have failed in their every effort to shout down the one the rabble-rousers boast is full of faith and power.”
“Stephen,” Caiaphas said. “He is cunning and an effective speaker.”
“Able to perform miracles, signs, and wonders, according to his cohorts.”
“I thought the death of Jesus would put an end to this nonsense,” Caiaphas said. “Now I wonder how much the life of this Stephen is worth to their cause.”
“The Freedmen have all manner of evidence against him.”
“We need more,” Caiaphas said. “We need grounds to stone the man for gross impiety.”
“Rome will not permit us to kill him,” I said.
“How will they know whether that was our intention? Perhaps we can show that we afforded him every courtesy, allowed him to say whatever he wanted—as long as he respected our authority.”
Allowing such a powerful speaker access to the ears of the council seemed risky, but I was for anything that might bring one of these men to face the wrath of the Sanhedrin. I told Caiaphas it was a brilliant idea. He asked me to come back the next morning to meet with him and his father-in-law, Annas.
I barely slept.
Annas was nothing like Gamaliel or even Caiaphas. Here was a man of action, eager to thumb his nose at Rome. Sure, in the past that had cost him his official title, but the joke was on them because, to this day, nothing happened within the Sanhedrin that Annas had not either instigated or at least approved.
“Saul,” he said, “you are just the man we need to lead this effort. Work with the Freedmen, talk to every witness. Compile the evidence against Stephen and give us what we need to finally extinguish this dangerous movement.”
In years past I might have reveled in this opportunity to shine in the eyes of the council, but by now my intellect and skills were well known. Already the toughest tasks often fell to me.
This time I would embrace duty for the purest of motives. No one felt as strongly as I did that this new sect was at enmity with Almighty God Himself. The fisherman Peter may have been their leader, but Stephen was quickly becoming their hero. The time had come to show him, and all who admired him, who really wielded the spiritual power in Jerusalem.
The Synagogue of Freedmen needed little encouragement to find men to swear that Stephen had decreed that the risen Jesus would destroy our temple and even change the customs passed down from Moses. They volunteered to testify that Stephen never ceased blaspheming against our holy place and the Law.
A few days later the Freedmen seized Stephen and brought him before the council. As the witnesses recited their serious charges, something very strange happened. Stephen’s face began to glow like the midday sun! I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Of what kind of sorcery was this man capable?
Caiaphas seemed transfixed, squinting into the strange visage of the accused. Annas whispered in his ear, and Caiaphas said, “This is your opportunity to tell us whether these charges are true.”
Had not Annas and Caiaphas planned to defend themselves before Rome by allowing Stephen to speak for as long as he wished, I would not have been able to tolerate the length of his speech. It went on for so long that I began to circulate among the brethren, asking how they could put up with this impudence.
Stephen retold the story of Abraham and the covenant, then went on to describe Isaac, Jacob, the twelve patriarchs, the selling of Joseph into slavery, Moses, the burning bush, the commandments, and even up to King David.
“How dare he?” I said as I mingled among the council. “Will you have him lecture you on your own history?”
But it grew worse! After this long recitation, he insulted the Sanhedrin members. “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears!” he said. “You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”
I leapt to my feet. “How dare he?” I cried. “For how much longer will you abide this?”
The Sanhedrin members scowled and pulled their robes about them, but Stephen would not stop. “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, whom you have betrayed and murdered …”
“You are betrayers and murderers?” I shouted.
The members gnashed their teeth at Stephen and rose up as one. As they rushed at him, he gazed up as if he could see something other than the ceiling. “Look!” he said. “I see the heavens open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
“Blasphemer!” I screamed, and the council cried out, covering their ears, then surrounding Stephen and dragging him out. I ran ahead, leading them to a plain strewn with hundreds of rocks. “Stay away from any pit, and use no stones large enough to crush him! This must not look like an execution, but merely a punishment gone awry!”
As the men forced Stephen into an open area where he could not hide, I took their cloaks and pointed them to the piles of rocks. Nearly seventy men of all ages began throwing them at Stephen. It didn’t take long for the weapons to find their mark. As first one, then another stone thudded into his belly and chest, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
He knelt and cried, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”
Soon he lay in the dirt, a pool of blood under his head. When it was clear he was dead, I raised both fists, then began shaking hands with each of the men. We had done a righteous thing. It had been a great day.
That night I slept soundly for the first time in months.
43
Exposed
PRESENT-DAY ROME
MONDAY, MAY 12, 11:00 A.M.
Augie knew exactly what Trikoupis would do. So eager to learn where the priceless memoir was, he would immediately call Sardinia and instruct him to get word to Sofia that her father would be joining them. Since Sofia no longer had a phone, and Augie was protecting his own number, having Sardinia tell his daughter would be the only way he could get word to Augie that he was honoring the demand to show up.
This was it. All the principals would be in place. And if Augie could talk him into it, Roger would be there too. He turned and faced the Art Squad headquarters and texted Roger, “b @ r suite 2nite @ 8.”
“u suicidal?”
“I came here 4 u, Rog.”
“2 keep me alive, not get me killed.”
“if u trust me, b there.”
“need 2 talk. will call.”
“don’t. busy till then.”
Augie’s phone rang. “I’m calling from a pay phone,” Sofia said, “and I’ve got to hurry in case I’m being followed. I met Sardinia. Smooth and charming, not like the ones who started in on me. Right in the middle of questioning me he takes a call and tells me I’m free to go if I’ll give you a message. ‘Your wish has been granted.’ Mean anything to you?”
“It does. Just tell me nobody hurt you.”
“They just tried to intimidate me. For all I know they released me to be murdered.”
“You know I never would have abandoned you—.”
“No, I was afraid you’d follow me into their trap. Glad you didn’t. Where did you go?”
Augie told her and said he planned to meet with Colonel Emmanuel as soon as he got off the phone, “while I know Sardinia is out of the office.”
“Please don’t, love,” she said. “They’ll arrest you on the spot.”
“That’s a risk I have to take. You just need to find somewhere to lie low until eight tonight and then meet Roger and me at the suite.”
“No! They’ve been tracking us. They knew I’d switched hotels and that Roger is there. They’ve probably already found him.”
“He got out just in time.”
“Augie, please, just find out who Roger used for his new ID, get yourself a disguise and a forged passport, and get out of Italy. I’ll try to meet you in the States.”
“Sofia, do you trust me?”
“I’m not coming back to the hotel.”
“You think I’d put you in harm’s way for even one second?”
“No, but—.”
“Then I’ll see you at eight. Stay safe. I love you” “Augie—.”
As he stepped past the potted plants, Augie saw a sniper behind a fence on the roof. He was barking into a walkie-talkie. When Augie reached the entrance, he stood with his back to the wall, punching a number into his phone. A guard emerged. “Stato prego il vostro business, sir. Non posso avere te vagabondaggio qui.”
I, Saul Page 25
