The Nostradamus File

CHAPTER FORTY

"How do we know which one is Pembroke?" Nick asked.

"The tombs are marked," Selena said. "We just read the signs."

They stood in the circular nave of Temple Church in London. It was three in the afternoon. Sunlight streamed through tall, stained glass windows, throwing spatters of rainbow light on the stone floor and across the silent effigies of the Templar knights.

Temple Church had two sections, the round nave and a larger, rectangular chancel, built a half century later. From the air, the building looked like a giant exclamation point laid down between Fleet Street and the Thames River, with the round Templar church forming the dot.

The building was a fine example of gothic architecture. The ceiling of the church was arched and groined. Arched alcoves completely circled the nave. The wall above the alcoves was decorated by a continuous row of stone faces that leered out with grotesque expressions. The eyes seemed to follow Nick around the room.

The nine effigies of Templar knights lay on the floor in the middle of the nave. A central, round tower rose above, supported by arches of stone and massive columns of dark marble. High overhead, the ceiling of the tower was made of closely fitted wood.

Each tomb was identified with a simple black sign etched in white. They found the one for William Marshal. The effigy was damaged with the passage of 900 years, the stone sword broken in several places. His face looked tired, worn. A line of white ran all around the carved slab.

"It's cemented down," Ronnie said. He kept his voice low. "No way it moves without making a lot of noise."

"We figured on that," Nick said. "The seal is probably not very thick, just enough to keep it in place."

"We might get in through that door." Ronnie nodded at a wooden door set in the west wall under a circular stained glass window. "It leads outside. We wouldn't have to come through the rest of the building."

"Looks solid. Built to withstand trouble."

"It's a door. We can get through it."

"Is it alarmed?"

They wandered over to the door. Nick couldn't see anything that would trigger an alarm.

"The lock doesn't look modern."

"The door is a replica," Selena said. "The church was bombed during the war. Everything that was made of wood burned. When it was restored they tried to make everything look like the original."

"The lock's not a problem," Ronnie said.

"I've seen enough. Let's go back to the hotel."

On the way out, Nick picked up a plan of the church and a few postcards with pictures of the nave.