The Soul of the Matter (35 page)

Dan, realizing just how precarious everything truly was, said, “Stephen asked me to set up the same computer security for Viktor's work.” He left out the real reason he had found and copied the files. “We hadn't finished copying the files over before the explosion. I'll give you whatever I got,” Dan said. In fact he had copied all the files but would turn over only the fusion information, and hang on to rest of Viktor's files. That would be tricky, since he wasn't certain of the contents of the various data directories. The imaging technology, if it existed, sounded too dangerous to give even to the US.

“Where are the files?” Evans asked.

“On different cloud servers. But there's a condition.”

“You're in no position to negotiate. What I told you was true. I'm
the reason you're not in a bad situation, partially because I think you can do more free than in custody. You might even be good bait,” Evans said, only partially in jest.

“I appreciate what you've done. But here's the deal. I give you Stephen's files; I get to travel to Italy to meet with Father Michael. When I return, I'll give you access to Viktor's files. I'm still after treatment for Ava Bishop. Sam Abrams said something about ‘another' before he died, and I have reason to believe that Father Michael may know something about the source of the treatment. And, if what you say about Stephen is right, then Father Michael may know something that will be beneficial to both of us with regard to Stephen's work and what you described as his espionage with Viktor. I would think you would want to learn as much as possible about that.”

“I don't like it, even though I understand your concern for the girl and do want to know more about Stephen's activities,” Evans replied.

“Liking it has nothing to do with anything. It's your only option, since if I can't continue looking, I don't care where I am. And I don't much like turning over such powerful technology, so none of us will be happy, not that feelings matter here.”

“It will have to be under my strict supervision, with no more ‘bathroom breaks.' ”

“I expected nothing less,” Dan said. “And Trish Alighieri comes along to evaluate any medical treatments we may find.”

“You're operating well out of your league. This time, you could get burned badly.” Evans's tone left Dan wondering whether he was talking about the deal he had just struck, traveling to Father Michael, Trish, or all three.

“Get me access to a secure computer, and I'll get you Stephen's files right away. I have to be in Milan by ten a.m. tomorrow.”

“If you go down, don't bring others with you—especially me,” Evans said.

“I wonder how this will end for us. Will we get to enjoy our retirements?”

“Let's try while keeping anyone else from dying,” Evans answered.

“People always die,” Dan said. “Usually the wrong ones.”

Chapter 67

M
ILAN,
I
TALY

D
AY 16

S
ATURDAY
, 9 A.M.

A
fter giving Viktor's fusion files to Evans, and an uncomfortable flight on a military aircraft, Dan and Trish were crossing the expanse of Milan's Piazza del Duomo, headed toward the massive cathedral, Duomo di Milano.

A handful of US government agents were sprinkled about, keeping an eye on them, attempting to blend in with the myriad tourists always about, even early in the day.

Before leaving, Dan had told Evans that he had arranged to meet Father Michael in front of the cathedral's main doors. Now there, with no sign of Father Michael, a none-too-happy-to-be-up-at-3-a.m.-US-Eastern-time Agent Evans said, via the earpiece Dan was wearing, “He reconfirmed the time and location with you?”

“Yes, we agreed to meet right in front of the doors at nine” Dan replied.

“You better not be trying to pull anything on us,” Evans said.

In fact, that was exactly what Dan intended to do. He needed to continue his search for Stephen's passcodes and Ava's treatment unencumbered by US agents, so he had worked out a plan with Father Michael.

Fifteen minutes later, Father Michael was still nowhere to be found, despite the efforts of Evans's agents. After watching a guided tour of twenty people enter the cathedral, Dan looked at Trish and
said to Evans, “I was sure I said in front of the main doors. But maybe he thinks it was in front of them,
inside
the church.”

“I don't like it. Don't go anywhere until an agent is with you,” Evans said.

Nodding to one who was thirty feet away, Dan replied, “One is just behind me. I'm going in now in case Father Michael's inside, wondering where we are.”

“Move slow, and don't stray from the door,” Evans directed Dan.

“Got it,” Dan replied as he and Trish entered the church. Mouthing
Let's go
to Trish, Dan grabbed her left elbow and guided her toward the tour group as it rounded the back, right side of the cathedral.

Trish, looking confused and alarmed, whispered in Dan's ear that didn't have an earpiece, “What's going on?”

Dan covered the microphone hidden in his shirt with his hand and whispered back, “We need to ditch these guys.”

With widening eyes, Trish mouthed, “Are you sure you know what you're doing?”

Dan shook his head “no” as the agent who had been closest to them outside entered the cathedral and looked around for them. Dan's earpiece crackled as Evans said, “Where the hell are you?”

“I think I see him sitting in a pew on the middle of the left side. And that's not a way to talk to someone inside a church,” Dan answered.

“Never mind that. Don't go anywhere until my agents are in place,” Evans commanded.

Continuing to hide behind the tour group, Dan noticed the petite nun standing a little further up the right side. As two more of Evans's agents entered the cathedral searching for them, Dan and Trish followed the nun through a small doorway hidden behind a large column.

Closing and locking the door behind them, the nun descended steps and beckoned for them to follow. They were now in the crypts below the cathedral's main floor.

Evans voice bellowed in Dan's ear, “Whatever you're up to, cut it out. The guys accompanying you have strict orders, from up on high,
to do
anything
needed to secure your physical whereabouts. Even you shouldn't mess with orders like that.”

“I know what I'm doing,” Dan said as he removed the earpiece, microphone, and transmitter, dumping all into the basin of holy water carved in the wall next to him.

After passing the crypts, they ducked into a short, narrow tunnel that ended at an iron door. Using a skeleton key, the nun opened the door and motioned for them to go outside.

A black Mercedes, with a man dressed as a priest in the driver's seat, was right by the door waiting for them.

Dan held the door open for Trish, then turned to the Nun and said, “Thank you.”

In reply, she said, “God bless you on your journeys. The car will take you to Father Michael in Bergamo, as arranged.”

They were now on their own, in a foreign country not known for its national security, under the guidance and protection of someone known as a Vatican fixer, whatever that meant. And they were doing all this knowing that a man going by the name Galileo had been recently tortured to death.

It would be a cosmic irony if Dan's undoing came from putting his faith in someone associated with a church for the first time since he was a naïve kid.

Chapter 68

B
ERGAMO

10:30 A.M.

A
scending the last of the steep streets, the warm day already growing hotter, Dan and Trish approached the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in the historic Città Alta, the upper town of Bergamo, nestled in the foothills of the Alps. The area straddled the past and present. More than a few of the stone edifices in the Città Alta had been constructed nearly a thousand years earlier. In the center of the vehicle-less streets, blue rectangular stone slabs formed a path bordered by strips of small, rounded rocks embedded in gray mortar. Pedestrians ambled at a pace suited to the age in which the streets had first been laid.

Focused solely on the present, with a mind on humanity's, and their own, fragile prospects, Dan and Trish moved rapidly.

Dan's feeling of being stalked had returned in Milan and was intensifying now. Torn between fitting in and looking out for pursuers, he took quick glances, as though he was just a sightseer admiring his surroundings. No one appeared to be a threat. But, as dangerous as Sergei was, Dan felt a presence that was more ominous than anything Sergei posed. All around, the air seemed to thicken, and his breathing felt labored.

Trish continued along without apparent concern.

Together they covered the remaining distance to the basilica's entrance and slipped by the tourists who were slowly passing through the large open door.

Within, an abundance of natural light, airy and joyful, illuminated the many ornate tapestries, finely carved sculptures, intricate woodwork, vivid paintings, and frescoes. The atmosphere seemed almost worthy of what the church's builders had aspired to glorify.

For a brief moment, the church's beauty nearly made Dan forget why they were there. Seeing the look of wonder on Trish's face, he saw that the basilica had the same effect on her. The sense of being stalked had been pushed to the back of his mind, but then he remembered that, as of an hour ago, they were major international fugitives on an urgent mission. There was no time to admire human handiwork. They were on an accelerating train already moving too fast for its rickety tracks.

Refocused, Dan looked around. With a slight movement of his wrist, he motioned for Trish to come with him as he walked over to four short rows of pews in the open center of the basilica. The pews were empty, save for Father Michael, kneeling, apparently in prayer.

Dan glanced around, and then sat down to the left of him while Trish sat down on his right.

Father Michael sat up and said, “Everything go well?”

Dan answered, “Yes. Thank you for getting us out of Milan. Do you have the pouch?”

With a small nod, Father Michael stood up and walked slowly to the organ console on his right, lifted the corner of the red leather covering closest to the altar, and retrieved a brown, foam-rubber pouch. Returning to the pew, he handed it to Dan, saying, “I could pay a high price for this. I'm still an American citizen and don't want to have to depend on my Vatican diplomatic status.”

Dan opened the pouch that he had given the priest in Cambridge so that it could be transported to Father Michael without being searched by Evans. He verified that the encrypted tablet was still inside. He said, “Let's make sure all of us come out of this in good shape. How about telling me,
this time,
everything you know about Stephen and his work? It's a question I've been asked a lot of times, and I'd like to know myself.”

“I have done what I have done because you told me that you were in grave danger and had information about Stephen's work and death
that could shake the foundation of humanity, including the Church. With words like these, you owe me an explanation before I go any further,” Father Michael replied.

Dan said, “Right before Stephen died, he left me a message saying that if anything happened to him, I should watch out for someone going by the name of Galileo. He would provide important information about Stephen's work. Galileo contacted us in Seattle. His real name was Sam Abrams, and he had worked with Stephen. Before we could talk, we found him tied up and tortured in my motel room. Dying, he told us to find an ‘other.' I think that's you. Why else would Stephen have chosen the code name Galileo? His research was a threat to the Church's existence and power.”

“Absolutely not. The Church knows nothing of Stephen's work. What little I knew, I did not, nor could have, opposed,” Father Michael said emphatically.

“If you are not the ‘other,' then why does a page in Stephen's journals refer to you?”

“I'm not anybody's ‘other.' And I don't know anything about Stephen's journals, so I can't comment on anything in them. But now that you mention it, as we agreed, I get to see them. Only then will I know if I have anything of value for you.”

“Do you mean you need to see them before you know if you can tell me what you already know, or you need to take a look in case you find something worth telling me?”

“Let me see and then I'll know,” Father Michael replied firmly.

With things at an impasse, Trish leaned across Father Michael and grabbed his and Dan's hands. A moment of silence ensued before she released them and said, “We don't have time for distrust and conflict. We're all on the same team. Stephen's team.”

Turning toward Father Michael, Trish quickly recapped all that had happened to them, what Dan had told her about his meeting with Agent Evans, the images Dan had been shown, and the grave threats they posed.

While Trish was speaking, Dan watched Father Michael's expressions and body language. Whether it was from years of hearing confessions or well-developed guile, Father Michael registered the
reactions of someone hearing shocking things for the first time. If he knew more than he had let on, it wasn't outwardly apparent.

After Trish finished speaking, Dan waited a moment for Father Michael to think about what he'd heard and then said, “Now you know why I was reluctant to talk about this. Things are headed in a bad direction. I need to know if Stephen was honest with me. Did he discover the fantastic things he said he did, or was it all a ruse to cover up espionage and use me to protect his materials?”

With a troubled sigh, Father Michael said, “I have no reason to doubt Stephen's integrity, though I can't say what he discovered. I am not a scientist. But if what you two have said about his work is true, you, Dan, may soon bear the extraordinary responsibility of being the only one with access to Stephen's discoveries, the only one who will get to decide what to do with them. That would make you the only one who can use them to prevent the catastrophes that appear headed humanity's way. Are you prepared to be the caretaker of all of this, by yourself?”

Startled, Dan replied gravely, “No one can be prepared for that. But I am not going to give it up. Though I don't know why Stephen gave it to me, I will honor the judgment of the only person who knew the truth.”

“What made it Stephen's to give and withhold?” Father Michael exclaimed.

“Something he saw led him to think that.”

Turning back to Trish, but speaking to Dan, Father Michael said, “I'm glad to see that despite your oft-practiced desire to go it alone, Stephen was smart enough to provide you with someone with the wisdom, compassion, and strength to help guide you, in spite of yourself.”

Now looking at Dan, Father Michael added, “I see by the look of surprise on your face that the thought hadn't occurred to you. There's probably a lot more to Trish than you see.”

Though Dan did know there was much to be discovered about Trish, he ignored what seemed a reference to his shortcomings. “You still haven't said anything about Stephen's work. Did he tell you the passcodes he used to encrypt it? Without them, I can't access his research, and Ava, and many, many more, may be doomed.”

Solemnly, Father Michael replied, “The last time I spoke with Stephen was early May. He was very excited and deeply troubled. We talked about the implications of his genetics work; you already know them. This was all before you helped him with computer security.”

“Is that it? Was there anything else? Anything that sounded like it could be a passcode?”

“There are two things that I am able to say,” Father Michael answered, pausing long enough for an unfathomable idea to occur to Dan. “Stephen told me that if the time ever came, I was to help you in every way possible.”

“
Possible
meaning everything outside of the confessional?” Dan asked.

Father Michael did not answer.

Trish asked, “You mean, if Stephen told you something in confession, no matter how terrible, that you could prevent by telling people or acting on it, you couldn't do it?”

Dan answered, “That's right. Even if Stephen had confessed to espionage, discussed the passcodes, or described mass murder he was about to commit, a priest cannot break the seal of the confession without triggering automatic excommunication. So when Father Michael here says he doesn't know anything else, it doesn't mean he doesn't know anything else. Only that he can't acknowledge it if he does. And they call that a sacrament!”

“You know the Church considers the state of the soul more important than anything corporeal. The seal of confession is needed for absolving penitents of sins they would not otherwise confess. What is more important? Temporary suffering or the eternal disposition of the soul?” Father Michael replied.

The thought that Father Michael might actually have and know everything Dan sought, but couldn't acknowledge it, couldn't steer him in the right direction or even give him the smallest hint, was too much to handle. Rage boiled within him. His vision narrowed on Father Michael, to the exclusion of everything else. A firm, cool grip on Dan's right wrist pulled him in another direction. For the first time in a long time, he sought to turn away from Trish's gaze, but then awareness of her goodness took over. Looking down at his arm, he saw that
Trish's left hand held his arm firmly, then slowly released its grip. A sense of peace descended upon him.

Now calm, Dan said quietly to Father Michael, “Stephen said that he had found the human soul, had proof of its existence, that it was part of each and every moment of our lives, and that without it we could not be present to each other.”

“He told me something similar,” Father Michael said.

“I could use the proof he spoke of,” Dan said

“Then keep looking. Who knows what you may find?” Father Michael said.

After another pause, during which Dan thought about what it would mean to always feel, if it existed, the presence of his soul, he said, “What's the other thing you can share with us? Were you able to help with my other request? Does that fall under the umbrella of helping me in every way possible?”

“Yes it does, and I have,” Father Michael said.

Before he could say more, a man dressed as a Franciscan brother approached Father Michael. A startled look crossed Father Michael's face, and he stood up in an alarmed posture. Sensing something amiss, Dan moved quickly, placing himself between the approaching Franciscan and Father Michael. The Franciscan's right hand began to move from the fold of his cassock. Immediately, Dan took a step forward and prepared to strike. Before Dan did anything, Father Michael grabbed Dan's right shoulder and said, “It's all right. Brother Cletus is a member of my staff.”

After motioning Brother Cletus toward a nearby pulpit, a pensive Father Michael spoke quietly with him for a few minutes, after which Brother Cletus hurried off.

Returning slowly to the pews, Father Michael, obviously disturbed, said, “A member of my organization has been acting suspiciously. There is a lot of unusual activity in the lower city. We may not have much time.”

“We better get a move on it,” Dan said.

“In fifteen minutes, after it's cleared out, we'll walk a short way to the Colleoni Chapel. There are items stashed there that may help answer some of your questions.”

“What are they?”

“Relax. You'll know soon enough. Now may I see the journals?”

Removing the tablet from the brown pouch, Dan handed it to Father Michael, saying, “There is too much to go through now. I've highlighted the pages and sections that will interest you the most. They pertain to implications of Stephen's work on human origin and existence.”

Father Michael sat down and began to skim the scanned journal pages, while Trish, drawn by the artistry around her, walked around, not straying far.

Ten minutes later, Father Michael handed the tablet back to Dan and said, “I understand our predicament better. And there is more. But we should not discuss that here.” Spying Trish studying a fresco to their right, he added, “Most interesting that's the one capturing her attention.”

“Why's that?” Dan asked.

“Come and see,” Father Michael said as he walked toward the fresco. It depicted a structure based on a tree. Floors of a dwelling branched off the trunk. Within the floors, separate rooms held people.

Reaching Trish, Father Michael asked, “What fascinates you so much?”

Trish responded slowly, as though things were gradually coming to her. “The center structure is meant to look like a tree. Within the tree are different representations of what seems like Jesus, Mary, and some others. Around the tree, people are holding up numbered pages. And the image is incomplete. Something is missing at the top.”

Father Michael responded, “It's interesting that you said ‘the image
is
incomplete.' Something
is
missing. You didn't say
seems,
you spoke as though you
knew
. How did you
know
the top of the fresco had been painted over? Have you seen this before?”

“Never. It just feels that way to me.”

Dan took pictures of the fresco with his tablet, though he felt like he was missing something important. “What is it? What's so odd?”