The Minoan Cipher

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Abby awakened to discover Hawkins gone. A note on his pillow said he would call her later. Hawkins was right when he warned of the danger of bringing emotions on a mission. Abby hadn’t reached the high levels of the Navy by being a worrywart. The best way to take her mind off Hawkins was to throw herself at a problem.

She called Captain Santiago and said she wanted to see his brother again. He called her back a few minutes later. Francisco would love to talk to her. Miguel was on his way to the hotel to give her a ride to the chapel. She quickly got dressed and was ready when Miguel knocked on her door. When they arrived at the chapel, Miguel stayed with the car. Abby went in to see Father Francisco and found him sweeping the main aisle.

He gave her a broad smile. “Blessed are those who clean up after others,” he said. “As you can see, I serve St. Vincent as his janitor as well as his gardener.” He put the broom aside, brushed his hands, and said, “My brother told me you wanted to talk more about the deed of penance.”

“Yes. I’m wondering if I missed something hidden in the bureaucratic language.”

“That’s possible. The deed deliberately disguises what essentially was a vast killing machine, and was intended to divert people from the monstrous evil of the enterprise.”

“One clause stood out. Something about the property being cleansed of demons before it could be transferred.”

“I agree. It is a curious phrase. Let’s take another look at it.”

He led the way into the musty-smelling library, unlocked a desk drawer and pulled out the Spanish copy of the deed. Placing the document on a reading table, he ran his index finger down the text. “Here it is. Actually, several references describe the property as being ‘unclean’ or ‘unholy.’ ”

“What exactly does it mean?”

“When I translated this section, I thought it referred to the fact that the property had been owned by a heretic, who the church could claim was unholy.”

“That seems like a logical supposition,” Abby said.

“But now that I have given it further thought, I have my doubts. As you recall, the owner, Fernandez, was tossed into prison and later burned at the stake. Fire was seen as the ultimate cure for heresy. The lucky sinner was cleansed of all their sins. ‘Relaxed,’ as they said. So there would be no need for additional cleansing, as suggested in the deed. Then there’s the section about the work crews.”

“The ones who built the castle?”

“Correct. This line that says a priest was delegated to accompany the work crews. The Inquisition had spies everywhere. I took it to mean they were sending along someone to keep an eye out for heretics. What it actually said is that the priest would ‘go before’ the crews to cleanse. It was, in fact, an exorcism of the property.”

“Exorcism has to do with demons, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. Certain priests could sweep out demons the same way I swept dirt from the chapel floor. When I first read this, I translated it as old demons. Now that I look at it, I see that it could mean, ‘Old Gods.’ Pagan gods, in other words.”

“I don’t get it,” Abby said. “Does that mean that the owner of the land was a pagan?”

“Highly unlikely. Under the Inquisition you could be accused of heresy for simply taking a bath or cooking the wrong type of food. Someone who worshiped pagan gods might just as well hand the executioners a box of matches.”

“So if it wasn’t the owner who was pagan; it was the property itself?”

“That’s what I’m thinking. The plains of La Mancha have been inhabited by humans since long before the country of Spain ever existed. Roman ruins abound. It’s not uncommon for newer settlements to be built over old ones. The castle may have been built on pagan ruins.”

Abby pointed to the page of pictographs that had been found with the deed. “This is old Minoan script. Is it possible that the ruins were Minoan?”

“The Minoans were very active in Spain for trading and mining. It wouldn’t be out of the question.”

“That could explain the castle’s name, Castillo de Cuernos.”

“Castle of the Horns? How so? I thought that had to do with cattle.”

“That may be true, but the bull was sacred in Minoan religion. The altar used for Minoan religious ceremonies was called the Horns of Consecration. Is it possible that the castle was built over a Minoan temple?”

“Yes, of course! That would explain it. The Inquisitors were happy to take property and convey it to favored individuals. The Salazars, in this case. But the purity of the Inquisition could be challenged if the property were pagan, thus heretical and unclean.”

“It would be like a real estate agent in our country getting in trouble for selling a contaminated house lot.”

“Your American agent could merely lose his license. During the Inquisition a mistake like that could cost someone their life.”

Questions whirled in Abby’s mind. Did the Salazars acquire the land in spite of the pagan contamination or because of it? Why would the Salazars be interested in a lost civilization? Especially at a time when the world had forgotten the civilization that had once flourished on Crete.

She couldn’t wait to tell Matt what she had discovered. But Abby was not one to jump to conclusions. She had built her successful career as a logistics expert on her ability to analyze complex situations and use her findings to carry out complicated tasks. She sat down at the table and motioned for Father Francisco to do the same.

“If you don’t mind,” she said. “Let’s go over this again.”