The Brotherhood Of The Holy Shroud

16

THE LAWN AND GARDEN OF THE GEORGIAN-style mansion were awash in light. A breeze off the bay cooled the exclusive Boston neighborhood, as local police and Secret Service agents competed to guarantee the security of the guests at the dinner party. The President of the United States and his wife were among those invited, as were the Secretaries of Treasury and Defense, a number of influential senators and representatives from across the political spectrum, the CEOs of various American and European multinationals, a dozen or so bankers, and a sprinkling of doctors, scientists, white-shoe lawyers, and stars from the academic world.

The occasion for the gathering was Mary Stuart's fiftieth birthday, which her husband, James, had wanted to celebrate with all their friends. The truth was, thought Mary, there were more acquaintances than friends present that evening. She would never hurt James by telling him that she would have preferred that he surprise her with a trip to Italy, with no fixed itinerary, no social engagements. Just the two of them, wandering through Tuscany, as they had done on their honeymoon thirty years ago. But that would never have occurred to James. They were, in fact, traveling to Rome the week after next, but that was primarily for business, with a few days of tightly scheduled social and cultural engagements shoehorned in.

A tall man skillfully maneuvered his way toward her through the crowd. She smiled with genuine pleasure. "Umberto!"

"Mary, my love, happy birthday."

"I'm so glad to see you and honored that you came!"

"I'm the one who's honored to be invited. Here, something for you. I hope you like it."

He held out a small box wrapped in shiny white paper.

"Oh, Umberto, you shouldn't have… May I open it?"

"Of course. You must open it immediately," he said, smiling.

Mary was transfixed by the figure that nestled within the tissue paper inside the box.

"It's a figure from the second century b.c. A lady as beautiful and charming as you."

"Umberto, it's beautiful. Thank you, thank you so much. I'm overwhelmed." Mary felt an arm slip around her waist as her husband joined them, and she held up the box for him to see. The two men shook hands warmly.

"What incredible surprise have you brought my wife this time, Umberto? Oh, how wonderful! But not fair-now my humble offering pales into insignificance!"

"James, stop this second. You know I adore these. He gave me this ring and these earrings, Umberto. They're the most perfect pearls I've ever seen."

"They're the most perfect pearls there are, my dear. All right, go put this glorious lady somewhere safe while I get Umberto a drink."

Steel-fabricating plants, pharmaceutical laboratories, technology interests, and a vast range of other businesses made James Stuart, at sixty-two, one of the wealthiest and most influential men in the world. He and D'Alaqua continued to chat as they moved together back into the throng.

Ten minutes later, James Stuart had left Umberto D'Alaqua with the President and other guests while he himself went from group to group, making sure conversations, drinks, and hors d'oeuvres all continued to flow smoothly.

As the evening progressed and glittering groups drifted together and swirled apart, no one paid much attention to the seven men talking together off to one side, changing the subject whenever someone else approached, to the crisis in Iraq, the latest summit at Davos, any of the multitude of other issues that naturally would be of concern to such men. For the moment, though, they were undisturbed.

"Marco Valoni has asked the Minister of Culture to let the prisoner in Turin out of jail," said one of the men in impeccable English, despite the fact that his native language was Italian. 'And the Minister of Culture has taken the matter to the Minister of the Interior, who has agreed to the idea. The idea came from one of Valoni's colleagues, Dottoressa Galloni, an art history expert, who finally came to the obvious conclusion that only he can lead them to anything worthwhile. She's also convinced Valoni that they should investigate COCSA, from top to bottom."

"That's unfortunate. Is there any way to have her removed from the case?" a tall, thin man, the oldest among them, asked.

"We could always exert pressure. Or COCSA could protest to the Vatican and let the Church press the Italian government to keep hands off. Or we could act direcdy through the Minister of Finance, who is surely none too happy that one of the country's most important corporations is being dragged into this and put under a microscope, all because of a fire that had no major consequences. We've arranged to replace the damaged artworks with pieces of equal or greater significance. But in my opinion we should hold off on doing anything about the dottoressa just yet."

The older man's eyes were fixed on the speaker. He had made his points impassively, but there was a subde quality in his tone of voice that sharpened his senior's attention. He decided to press harder, to see the reaction.

"We could also make her simply disappear. We can't afford a talented investigator on this case digging too deep."

Another in the group spoke up, his accent French-inflected.

"No, that seems unnecessary. An overreaction. We shouldn't do anything for the moment. Let her proceed. We can always head her off later or get rid of her one way or the other."

"I agree," seconded the Italian. "It would be a mistake to move too fast or to interfere with her work-or her. That would just inflame Valoni and confirm that there 15 something more to be found, and that would mean that he and the rest of his team would never give up on the case, even if they were ordered to. Dottoressa Galloni is somewhat of a risk; she's intelligent, perhaps exceptionally so. But we have to run that risk. Let's not forget that we have a major advantage- we know exactly what they're doing and thinking."

"Our informer is safe? No suspicions?"

'About one of the people that Valoni trusts the most? Certainly not."

"Very well. What else do we have?" the older man asked, scanning the group.

A man who looked like an English aristocrat spoke next.

"Zafarin arrived in Urfa two days ago. I don't have any news yet about Addaio's reaction. Another of the group, Rasit, has arrived in Istanbul, and the third one, Dermisat, is supposed to arrive today."

"Good, then they're all safe. Now the problem is Addaio's, not ours. We need to consider how to deal with the one in the Turin jail, though."

"Something could happen to him before he gets out of prison. That would be the safest thing," the Englishman suggested. "If he gets out he'll lead them to Addaio."

"It would be the most prudent thing, I agree," said a second Frenchman.

"Could we do it?" the older man asked.

"Of course. We have connections inside the jail. But we'd have to arrange it carefully. If anything happens to his prize, Valoni will never accept the official report."

"He can rage and turn blue, but he'll have to accept it. Without that angle, his case is finished, at least for the moment," the older man retorted. "But let's continue to observe. I don't want to give them anything else to grab hold of just now."

"What about the shroud?" asked another of the men.

"It's still in the bank. When the repair, work in the cathedral is completed, it will be returned to the chapel for exhibit. The cardinal wants to celebrate a thanksgiving Mass in honor of the shroud's being saved once again."

"Gentlemen… hatching a deal over here, are we? Cornering the aluminum market?"

"No, Mr. President, but that's not a bad idea!"

They all laughed as the President of the United States, accompanied by James Stuart, joined them. The remainder of their discussion would have to wait.

"Mary, that man over there, who is he?" Lisa Barry had flown in for her sister's birthday the night before, along with Mary and James's daughter, Gina, who was staying with Lisa and John in Rome.

"One of our best friends, Umberto D'Alaqua. Don't you remember him?"

"Oh, yes, now that you mention his name I do. He's as impressive as ever, isn't he? Mce-looking."

"Forget it. He's a confirmed bachelor. It's a shame, because he's not just gorgeous, he's an incredibly lovely man. Thoughtful and kind each time we see him."

"I heard something about him not long ago… what was it…" Lisa began.

Then it came to her. The report on the fire in the Turin Cathedral that Marco had sent John talked about a corporation, COCSA, and its owner, D'Alaqua. Umberto D'Alaqua. She stopped in mid-sentence. She couldn't say anything to Mary about that. John would never forgive her.

"He gave me a ceramic figure from the second century b.c. It's stunning-I'll show you later," Mary promised. She linked her arm in Lisa's. "Let me take you over."

The two sisters approached D'Alaqua.

"Umberto, you remember my sister, Lisa."

"Of course I do. So nice to see you."

"It was so long ago, when Mary last visited…"

"Yes, Mary-you don't come to Italy as often as you should. Lisa, I think I remember that you live in Rome. Is that right?"

"Yes, it feels like home now. I'm not sure I could live anywhere else."

"Gina is in Rome with Lisa, Umberto, working on her doctorate at the university. And she'll be joining Lisa's group at the excavation in Herculaneum."

'Ah! Now I remember-you're an archaeologist!" D'Alaqua's enthusiasm was obvious.

Mary answered for her. "Yes, and Gina has inherited her aunt's passion for digging in the sand."

"I can't imagine a more exciting job than studying the past." Lisa smiled. 'And Umberto, I think I remember that you're no stranger to archaeology."

'Absolutely. I try to escape to work a dig myself at least once or twice a year."

"Umberto's foundation finances excavations," Mary added.

As they launched into an animated conversation about their mutual fascination with the past, James came up and, to Lisa's dismay, took D'Alaqua off to another group. She could have talked to him all night. John wouldn't believe her when she told him she'd been chatting with this man who'd turned up in Marco Valoni's report. Even Marco would be surprised. She laughed to herself, thinking what a good idea it had been to accept James's invitation to surprise her sister on her birthday. She'd have to put a dinner party together for the Stuarts when they came to Rome, she thought. She'd mention it to her niece; the two of them would make a list of people to invite. Lisa had several names in mind already.