Destiny

FORTY-SEVEN

Marcus walked through the narrow streets of the Old City, the sidewalk merchants sitting by Persian rugs and trays of jewelry. Rainbow colors of scarves and shawls hung at eye-level from walls and clotheslines strung between the aged storefronts. Some of the barkers waved tourists over to them with smiles and body language that suggested they had the lowest prices.

Marcus thought about his last conversation with Bahir. ‘It has been said, prophesied perhaps, that whoever has the spear, if he understands its secrets, its power for good or evil, he may have the destiny of the world in his hands. This would make it one of the most valuable artifacts on the face of earth.’ Marcus called Alicia and said, “As a scientist, there was always a clear line between science and religion. One is data driven, the other spiritual. But now I’m seeing how factors of religion — the unseen, can feed the science.”

“Sometimes the lines can get blurred,” she said.

“But can they corroborate each other? You’d mentioned your father is a military scholar, right? General Patton is his specialty?”

“Yes, Dad’s maybe one of the best. Why?”

“If Patton’s forces found the spear that was used to stab Christ, if they removed it from Hitler…what became of it? It was called the Spear of Destiny. The legend is that the spear holds some kind of power for whoever possesses it. A dozen of the world’s most prominent or dominant rulers are said to have possessed the spear at one time. Hitler may be the last one…unless General Patton found it. Alicia, I think this spear holds the key to a code I found between Newton and the Bible. If Patton found it, did he return it…or keep it? I know this sounds crazy coming from a guy who has studied science all his life…but the spear allegedly has as much of a curse as it may have power. If its claimed owner loses it…he or she soon dies. Did Patton have it in his possession before his death?”

“I don’t know if my dad has that information, but I’ll ask him. It could take his mind off the cancer. I’ll do some research, too. Speaking of research, I found information that points to another odd thing about General Patton after the war.”

“What’s that?”

“He apparently acquired, maybe stole, documents known as the Nuremberg Laws.”

“What are they about?”

“Essentially, they were the dictator’s constitution, drawn up by Hitler and his henchmen, that set into motion the process that would lead to the extermination of more than six million people in Europe. The laws consisted of three decrees. One was the law for the safeguard of German blood and what they called German honor. This called for the prohibition of marriage or sex between Aryans and Jews. The next was known as the Reich’s Citizen Law, which defined a citizen of the German Reich as one of German blood. The third was called the Reich’s Flag Law, and that defined the flag of the Nazi state. Why Patton had these original papers is anyone’s guess. They were papers the prosecutors in the Nuremburg Trials needed to use against many of the Nazis criminals. Prosecutors had to resort to using copies of the originals.”

“What’d Patton do with the originals?”

“He donated them to the Huntington Library in California about a month before he was killed. This same library has the rare Gutenberg Bible. I found out it was printed about 1450 in Mannheim, Germany. The text is in Latin.”

Marcus was silent for a moment.

“Paul, are you there?”

“Patton died in Mannheim, Germany. You mentioned that David Marcus played a big role in the Nuremberg Trials, helping to choose who would face charges and the penalties available to the court under war crimes against humanity.”

“Yes. What’s all that noise in the background?”

“I’m at the Western Wall. People are praying…some are chanting. Alicia, something happened that I want you to know about.”

“What?”

Marcus described Layla Koury, the conversations, and said, “She’s probably working as an agent out of Tehran. I told her she could deliver a no thank you to her director. It was then she mentioned the two Americans being held, and suggested if I cooperated they wouldn’t be convicted and risk a death sentence.”

“Dear God!”

“The question is this: did Layla Koury know of my connection to you, or is it a coincidence that she mentioned the two Americans being held by Iran?”

“I don’t know.”

“It wouldn’t be that hard for that information to be available. Tehran can quickly trace most family and public information connections to your niece Brandi and her boyfriend, Adam. But do the Iranians know you and I have talked…or that I’ve asked Secretary Hanover to intercede?”

“I wish I knew. What do we do now? How do I tell my sister? Bill Gray has to know. Maybe the president can do something.”

“Let’s sit on this a little while—”

“Sit on it! Why, Paul? They might execute my niece!”

“Not yet, they won’t. It’s too high profile. And they want something from me.”

“Why don’t you want me to say something to —?”

“The less we say to anyone right now, the better. Trust me here, Alicia. I have a feeling that the road paved to the capture of your niece was actually planned years ago.”