Stealing God (26 page)

They walked on. There were still plenty of tourists about, everything was as normal as it could be. It was Rome on a beautiful spring evening.

‘So what do you think we should do?'

‘We go on. What else is there? The way I look at it, it has to be something big, a suicide bomber in a vest or a car bomb would be just another atrocity, nasty but not unique.'

‘So you think it has to be big, bigger than anything before?'

‘Maybe.'

‘How big?'

‘No idea.'

‘You think your plane idea will be the way they do it?'

‘No, hiring a plane shows them and gets recorded. Then they'd have to load it with explosives. It's too risky. I also doubt if an unidentified aircraft can just swan over central Rome and the Vatican. But it has to be big enough to do the job. How do you get something really big close enough to the target? How do you get, say a lorry-load of high explosives right next to St Peter's?'

‘You don't. You can't.'

‘That's right and if you're not close, not in Vatican Square, just nearby, what do you get? You blow up some shops and offices and kill bystanders? That's bad, very bad, but it's still not the Vatican and that has to be the target.'

Ricci could tell from the way Jimmy spoke his mind had got to where he wanted it to go.

‘Then how?'

‘If it was a small nuclear device.' Ricci was too stunned to say anything. It had moved from fantasy to nightmare. ‘It would do the job. If the Vatican stood it would still be contaminated, it would be finished, and the pope would die, maybe not straight away, but he'd still die.'

‘Christ, and so would others, how many others?' Ricci's mind baulked at what it saw. ‘No. No one would do that.'

‘Some people would do anything and that way it works. It's about the only way it works.'

‘Christ, you think that's it?'

‘I don't know, do I? I'm as much in the dark as you and all I have to go on is what we've been told. It's far-fetched, almost impossible, but so was what happened in the States. No one could hijack all those planes and navigate them into Manhattan and to the Pentagon. But they did.'

‘Christ.'

‘If I'm right the safest way would be to bring it in is by sea. Road or air have to be too risky. That means that Anna may not be picking up a team. They might be coming in by themselves and she's gone to pick up the bomb. If she has then she'll have gone to a port and it will be one near Rome. She'll use the same name so long as she thinks it's safe.'

Ricci didn't say anything for a moment, he was trying to think it through, to spot some fatal flaw, something, anything, that made it wrong, that made the whole idea impossible. But nothing came. It could happen the way Jimmy had figured it. This wasn't dead cardinals, this might be real, as real as Anna Schwarz.

‘And you think it would come in by sea?'

‘Who would try to bring that sort of kit in by road or air?'

‘So the best line of enquiry is to check hotels in ports, starting with those ports nearest to Rome.'

‘Yes.'

They walked and talked until they came to the Swiss Guards at the security fence. There they went through the usual routine and were admitted.

When they arrived at the rector's office door Ricci knocked. A man's voice answered. They went in. From behind the desk the bland monsignor who liked to live modestly and, when asked, thought that only three cardinals to his knowledge may have been murdered, smiled at them. He gestured to two chairs at the desk.

‘Come in and sit down, please.'

‘I was told we were getting a briefing from the team who's looking for Anna Schwarz.'

‘And so you are, Inspector, so you are. The minister asked for an up-to-the-minute report and I have been asked to deliver its contents to you.' They sat down. The monsignor picked up a sheet of paper from the desk. ‘I was told you would only want relevant information. Needless to say I was not the one who decided what was and what was not relevant.' He looked at the paper and began to read. ‘A woman calling herself Anna Bruck hired a red Fiat Punto from Hertz Rent-a-Car at their Rome central office four days ago using the address of her apartment in Rome and a current European driving licence. This afternoon at seventeen fifteen the car was located by Hertz at their Florence airport office. It is now being examined but first reports say there were no fingerprints nor any other traces in the car to make an initial forensic confirmation that the woman who hired the car was actually Anna Schwarz. Descriptions from Hertz in Rome were vague, a young woman of about the right age, about the right height, who wore dark glasses and a yellow headscarf. Her hair may have been blonde. The staff concerned were shown a photo of Anna Schwarz but were unable to confirm it was the woman they dealt with, it may have been. The car was left at the Florence airport office with the papers and keys in it. No one saw who returned the car. No further trace of the woman known as Anna Bruck has been found and no female of the name Bruck or Schwarz flew out of Florence after the car was returned. Enquiries are continuing.'

The monsignor put the sheet of paper on the desk and sat back. Ricci looked at Jimmy.

‘Now what?'

‘If she picked up what we think was coming she took it to Florence airport and handed it over some time this afternoon before taking the car back to the Hertz office. That means that whoever took delivery probably came into Florence by air, hired a car or van, met her, and took delivery. Once that happened her part was finished. They won't find her now.'

‘So our package is on its way to Rome?'

‘Yes, or it's already here.'

Ricci felt a cold sweat forming on his brow. He had thought Jimmy was wrong, had forced the thing further than it could reasonably go. Now it looked increasingly as if he was right. Or was he letting himself be sucked into his mad movie idea? Either way Anna had sat tight until her team was due then gone to Florence and handed over whatever she had collected for them. It could be anything, any sort of bomb, but if Jimmy was right it could start World War Three, setting Islam against the West and probably with America shouting “charge”.

The monsignor waited patiently until Jimmy spoke.

‘Can you get a message to the officer in charge of this investigation?'

The monsignor pulled out a phone and began to key in a number.

‘What is your message?'

He finished dialling and held the phone to his ear.

‘Get the car checked for any signs of radioactivity. If it's there then check for anyone who flew into Florence today and rented a car or van. Tell him it's terrorist-related and it's as bad as it sounds. That he should take whatever action he thinks fit.'

Somebody answered the monsignor's phone.

‘Hello. Yes it is, I have a message which is to be passed to the officer leading the search for Anna Schwarz. He is to check the car she used, the one she left at Florence airport, for radioactivity and if he finds any he is to cross-check the names on passenger arrivals with car or van rentals at the airport.' He listened for a second, then looked across at Jimmy. ‘How long before?'

‘Up to six hours, that should be enough, but if they turn up nothing then keep going to twenty-four hours.'

The monsignor passed on the answer.

‘If there is radioactivity present in the car the threat is real and present and whatever action thought fit should be taken.' He held the mobile away from his mouth and looked across again. ‘Anything else?'

‘If he finds any likely matches among the rentals the vehicle and its contents will be headed for Rome or will already be in Rome.' He looked at his watch and turned to Ricci. ‘How long to drive here from Florence?'

‘From the airport it would be three to four hours depending on how fast you drove and where in Rome you wanted to get to.'

Jimmy worked out the timing. They got the bomb before five p.m., it was now eight-thirty.

‘If the radioactivity test is positive they should start turning Rome inside out.'

The monsignor passed on the message then looked back.

‘I'd like to know the outcome of the test as soon as they have it.'

‘Do you have a number they can reach you on?'

Ricci gave the monsignor a number and turned to Jimmy.

‘It's the mobile I gave you.'

The monsignor gave the number then slipped his mobile inside his jacket.

‘Is there anything further, gentlemen?' They couldn't think of anything. ‘In that case I will wish you good evening.' He stood up, picked up the paper from the desk, put it into an inside pocket, and went to the door. He looked at his watch. ‘I'm meeting friends, drinks and
Il Trovatore
. I'll just make the interval.' He smiled and left, pulling the door shut behind him.

‘Who the hell was that?'

‘He's my monsignor, a man who thinks to live modestly is to live well.'

‘Look, stop playing fucking games. Who the bloody hell is he?'

‘He's the one McBride sent to give me the information on the other cardinals, the one who confirmed the link between them and Cheng, that they would be important in a conclave. He also dropped me the bit about Cheng being pope material. He was very helpful and had everything ready at his fingertips just like he did tonight, everything we wanted, ready to hand to show us we're right.'

‘And?'

‘And what?'

Ricci rubbed a hand across his forehead. Jimmy thought he looked worse. The strain was really beginning to show, or the headaches, probably both.

‘You OK?'

‘No I'm not OK. I've still got a bloody headache and my back hurts.'

‘You should take something.'

‘I am taking something, aspirin. Look, stop fucking me around, will you? We tell that guy to pass on a message that something radioactive could be on its way to Rome, that it's terrorist-related and as bad as it can be and he doesn't bat an eye. Then when he's finished he tells us he's off to drinks and the opera. No shock, no questions, no nothing? That makes no sense.'

‘It doesn't, does it? But somehow I'm not altogether surprised.'

Ricci got up angrily and began to walk around the small office.

‘For Christ sake stop being cryptic and give me a straight answer and I don't want to hear any more of that movie shit. My family live in Rome, for God's sake: parents and a sister. What should I do if those guys you're so sure are coming set off their bomb before they can be picked up?'

‘What do you think you should do? They're your family.'

Ricci slumped back down into his chair. He was tired and his head felt like someone was driving a spike into it.

‘Headache bad?'

‘Never mind my headache. Why do you think he wasn't interested in a nuclear bomb about to arrive here in Rome?'

Jimmy gave a shrug. Ricci asked too many dumb questions to answer them all.

‘He knows something that we don't; also I think he was trying to make a point.'

‘What point?'

‘That he doesn't like me.' There was no more outburst, the headache and frustration combined to silence Ricci. He leaned forward with his head in his hands. ‘You should see a doctor.'

Ricci ignored him so Jimmy sat back and waited.

The monsignor didn't like him and he guessed the monsignor was the kind of man who let people know when he didn't like them. But in Jimmy's case he couldn't do much about it because he was under orders to help. So the drinks and opera with friends could have been an “up yours”, which would become clear later. And he did it because he knew something they didn't. If he really didn't care about the bomb was it because he knew there was no bomb? If that was the case then what was the whole fucking game about? He could see why Ricci had a headache. This whole shambles almost gave him one.

Ricci sat up again. He looked dreadful but he was ready to get going again.

‘How long before we hear? You think less than an hour?'

‘The police have the car, all they need to do is get something to test with. They'll start looking for names from flights and rentals straight away, not wait for results. I don't know how many vans get rented from the airport or cars big enough to carry some sort of crate but I hope it's not so many. Once they start checking names from rentals against passenger lists they should turn up something fairly soon and that gives them the type of vehicle and registration. After that it shouldn't be too difficult.'

‘So, shall we wait here?'

‘No, I need some air. They've got the mobile number so it doesn't matter where we wait and this dump depresses me.'

Jimmy looked round. It was a dump, and yet from the outside it was what the tourists wanted the Vatican to look like. It was just as well that they never got into the place. The inside would have been a real disappointment. It was like the Catholic Church really. What you saw from the outside was impressive, but it wasn't what you got if you came inside.

Ricci was standing by the door waiting.

‘Well, are you coming?'

‘Sorry, I was thinking about something.'

‘You think too much, you know that? You spend too much time in your own head. No wonder you think they show bloody films there. Come on, I need a drink.' Jimmy stood up, there it was again. People had been telling him that almost from day one but he wouldn't listen. Well, now he'd listened and it all made sense. He joined Ricci, switched off the office light, and walked towards the stairs. ‘I'll leave my car at your place and get a taxi home. I'll pick the car up tomorrow.'

‘If there is a tomorrow.'

‘No, you're wrong, it's all too weird. There'll be a tomorrow, there's always a tomorrow. You're good, Jimmy, very good, but I think you're wrong on this. Dead wrong.'

No I'm not, thought Jimmy. I was wrong, but now I think I'm right. In fact I know I'm right.