The Shroud of Heaven by Sean Ellis

feeling foolish for his eager promise.
     
    She chuckled through the pain. “You are more right than you’ll ever know. Alas, this will likely be our only meeting.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “The timing of this crisis is unfortunate for you, Pierre. It would have been a great privilege to offer you a seat at our table, but now I must implore you to forget everything.”
    “Forget?”
    “Trust no one, Pierre. If someone tries to persuade you that the danger has passed, then you will know that the enemy is close at hand. Only in ignorance will you find safety.”
    Chiron sighed, comprehending the wisdom of her strategy, but nevertheless felt a pang of loss. So close . “And the tests? The atomic tests?”
    Her eyes darted sideways, then fixed his stare once more. “The tests must proceed as I described.”
    He nodded earnestly. “It will be so, madame. And will you be safe?”
    “I’ll manage.” She looked aside once more, her gaze shifting to the open doorframe behind Chiron. “There is one more thing, Pierre. A personal favor.”
    “Name it.”
    “Soon, you will cross paths with a young man. He is very special to me.”
    “I will welcome him as I would my own son.” Even as he spoke the words, the irony of the statement rang in Chiron’s ears.
    “Thank you, Pierre. But he must never know of this conversation, nor anything about the group. He will find those answers in due time.”
    “How will I recognize this young man?”
    “Oh, I don’t believe you will have any difficulty. Your rendezvous will seem like an act of fate.”
    “Are you injured?” shouted a voice in French. “What happened?”
    He turned and saw the man he had earlier spied now drawing even with the wreck of the limousine. The newcomer wore casual clothes, a navy blue polo shirt with khaki chinos, but Chiron saw none of the expected accouterments of a devotee; no gold chain around his neck, no crucifix. The man was a tourist, marking this place off a list in a guidebook rather than seeking a blessing from the Divine. Somehow, the scientist found that encouraging. The young man was the vanguard of a small army of Good Samaritans, leaving their devotions at the grotto in order to render assistance to the victims of the accident.
    Chiron did not know how to answer the latter question, so he addressed the former. “Yes. For God’s sake, call the medics.” He then turned back to the woman. “Everything is going to be fine…”
    The words died on his lips. The woman was gone.
    Chiron pulled himself across the seat and thrust his head through the opposite doorway, but there was no sign of his host. She had vanished as completely as the assassin before her. Only the crimson-tipped umbrella remained to give evidence that the encounter was not merely a delusion. Stunned by the disappearing act, he fell back into the seat, a wave of nausea creeping over him.
    The tourist stuck his head inside and made eye contact with Pierre. "Help is on the way. I'm going to check on the driver."
    The man then splashed into the shallow water surrounding the front end of the vehicle and forced open the driver’s door. Chiron found himself wondering if the chauffeur had likewise evaporated, but a shocked exhalation from the young rescuer affirmed that such was not the case.
    The young man reappeared before Chiron, his eyes now accusatory. “That man has been shot, murdered. What happened here?”
    Chiron opened his mouth to reply without really knowing what he was going to say. He stared back at the tourist, trying to formulate a plausible fiction to conceal a truth he barely understood. “I’ll wait for the gendarmes to arrive before I tell the story,” he said finally, forcing his eyes away from the young man.
    He could feel the young man’s eyes boring into him. There was a familiar fire in that gaze, yet it wasn’t until he looked away that recognition dawned.
    It was convenient…
    I should have seen it right away , thought Chiron.
    He looked