making a mistake. I think we should announce the kidnapping,’ said Sforza.
Legnano bolted up from his chair. ‘We agreed not to, cardinal.’
‘People are already questioning the Castel Gandolfo story,’ said Sforza. ‘There’s bound to be a leak, and we will be seen, once again, as hiding the truth.’
‘Cardinal, may I remind you of St. Thomas Aquinas’ wise words,’ said Legnano. ‘When two moral principles oppose each other, find in your heart the greater one and apply it. Our greater responsibility here is to protect the Pope by helping the police.’
An uneasy silence permeated the room.
Undeterred, Sforza continued, ‘What if the Holy Father dies and we haven’t told the world about his abduction?’
‘Please, Monsignor, let’s not panic,’ said Legnano. ‘If we can buy another day for the police, we increase our chances of finding him, hopefully alive.’
At that moment, Cardinal Signorelli entered the room.
‘Ah, cardinal,’ said Legnano. ‘We are debating whether or not we should reconsider disclosure. What do you think?’
‘Absolutely not. We must give the police every opportunity to findHis Holiness,’ said Signorelli.
‘Any other votes for disclosure? None? The matter is settled,’ said Legnano. ‘We will announce only the theft of the helicopter. Cardinal Signorelli, please prepare the press release accordingly. It’s 11.55 a.m. Let’s reconvene at 1 p.m. and review the draft.’
The Cardinals were preparing to leave when Archbishop Ferris, Cardinal Signorelli’s assistant, suddenly burst into the room. ‘Monsignori, I have a reporter from Corriere Della Sera on the line. He says he’s received information from a credible source that the Pope has been kidnapped. He’s asking us to confirm or deny.’
Chapter 7
Sicily, 10.30 a.m.
The morning’s rays were shining through the villa’s angled porch windows and reflecting off the wall mirror, illuminating the dining room with their harsh light and casting a reflection on the video monitor encased into one of the walls. Sitting at the head of the table, Vespoli ordered Paola to close the shutters. While they waited for the videoconference to begin, the men sitting around the table conversed in hushed tones, acutely aware of the importance of the impending moment. Suddenly the video screen came to life. A dark human outline appeared on the screen and an electronically-altered voice spoke. ‘Messieurs, bonjour. I’m pleased to announce that Alpha phase was successfully completed yesterday, without incident. Beta phase has begun, and our guest is well. I spoke with him after breakfast yesterday and he asked the anticipated questions.’
‘Does he suspect—’ asked Vespoli.
‘Do not interrupt,’ said the voice. ‘As I foresaw, the Vatican chose not to divulge, trying to buy time. This morning, we forced their hand. Gamma phase has started. It will run concurrently with Beta. Meanwhile I have news from Gstaad. All is on schedule and I will be leaving for Switzerland to see for myself. Any questions?’
‘What about the doctor? Shouldn’t we get rid of him?’ said Vespoli.
‘He stays healthy,’ said the voice.
‘But he can identify any one of us.’
‘We will deal with that later. In the meantime, Vespoli, take good care of our guests, à bientôt.’ The video screen went blank.
Dulac was downing a quick lunch at the Hotel Dante when the news of the Pope’s kidnapping hit the streets. Legnano called and summoned him back to the Vatican immediately. As Dulac’s taxi driver punched incessantly at his horn, trying to weave through the traffic on Via Della Conziliatione leading to St.Peter’s Square, Dulac’s cell rang.
‘It’s me,’ said Karen. ‘I just heard the news on France 2 TV.’
‘I couldn’t phone you. All hell is about to break loose. Up till now, we were all on a mum’s-the-word, need-to-know only basis.’
‘I understand.’
‘They’re preparing a press conference and a
Legnano bolted up from his chair. ‘We agreed not to, cardinal.’
‘People are already questioning the Castel Gandolfo story,’ said Sforza. ‘There’s bound to be a leak, and we will be seen, once again, as hiding the truth.’
‘Cardinal, may I remind you of St. Thomas Aquinas’ wise words,’ said Legnano. ‘When two moral principles oppose each other, find in your heart the greater one and apply it. Our greater responsibility here is to protect the Pope by helping the police.’
An uneasy silence permeated the room.
Undeterred, Sforza continued, ‘What if the Holy Father dies and we haven’t told the world about his abduction?’
‘Please, Monsignor, let’s not panic,’ said Legnano. ‘If we can buy another day for the police, we increase our chances of finding him, hopefully alive.’
At that moment, Cardinal Signorelli entered the room.
‘Ah, cardinal,’ said Legnano. ‘We are debating whether or not we should reconsider disclosure. What do you think?’
‘Absolutely not. We must give the police every opportunity to findHis Holiness,’ said Signorelli.
‘Any other votes for disclosure? None? The matter is settled,’ said Legnano. ‘We will announce only the theft of the helicopter. Cardinal Signorelli, please prepare the press release accordingly. It’s 11.55 a.m. Let’s reconvene at 1 p.m. and review the draft.’
The Cardinals were preparing to leave when Archbishop Ferris, Cardinal Signorelli’s assistant, suddenly burst into the room. ‘Monsignori, I have a reporter from Corriere Della Sera on the line. He says he’s received information from a credible source that the Pope has been kidnapped. He’s asking us to confirm or deny.’
Chapter 7
Sicily, 10.30 a.m.
The morning’s rays were shining through the villa’s angled porch windows and reflecting off the wall mirror, illuminating the dining room with their harsh light and casting a reflection on the video monitor encased into one of the walls. Sitting at the head of the table, Vespoli ordered Paola to close the shutters. While they waited for the videoconference to begin, the men sitting around the table conversed in hushed tones, acutely aware of the importance of the impending moment. Suddenly the video screen came to life. A dark human outline appeared on the screen and an electronically-altered voice spoke. ‘Messieurs, bonjour. I’m pleased to announce that Alpha phase was successfully completed yesterday, without incident. Beta phase has begun, and our guest is well. I spoke with him after breakfast yesterday and he asked the anticipated questions.’
‘Does he suspect—’ asked Vespoli.
‘Do not interrupt,’ said the voice. ‘As I foresaw, the Vatican chose not to divulge, trying to buy time. This morning, we forced their hand. Gamma phase has started. It will run concurrently with Beta. Meanwhile I have news from Gstaad. All is on schedule and I will be leaving for Switzerland to see for myself. Any questions?’
‘What about the doctor? Shouldn’t we get rid of him?’ said Vespoli.
‘He stays healthy,’ said the voice.
‘But he can identify any one of us.’
‘We will deal with that later. In the meantime, Vespoli, take good care of our guests, à bientôt.’ The video screen went blank.
Dulac was downing a quick lunch at the Hotel Dante when the news of the Pope’s kidnapping hit the streets. Legnano called and summoned him back to the Vatican immediately. As Dulac’s taxi driver punched incessantly at his horn, trying to weave through the traffic on Via Della Conziliatione leading to St.Peter’s Square, Dulac’s cell rang.
‘It’s me,’ said Karen. ‘I just heard the news on France 2 TV.’
‘I couldn’t phone you. All hell is about to break loose. Up till now, we were all on a mum’s-the-word, need-to-know only basis.’
‘I understand.’
‘They’re preparing a press conference and a
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