The Secret Cardinal

54

‘Have you learned anything?’ Donoher asked upon his return to the workroom.

Grin was standing by the imaging chamber studying several hundred miles of mountainous terrain.

‘In his latest message, Nolan is playing seven degrees of trivial separation. The first line reads MISTY MOUNTAIN HOP 111, which I’ve taken literally as he’s crossing the mountains on the first of November. But ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ is also a song on Led Zeppelin’s fourth album. In the second line, ZOSO is the graphic symbol representing Jimmy Page, the lead guitarist for Led Zeppelin. This symbol first appears in the record sleeve of the aforementioned fourth album.’

‘So Nolan is pointing you to this particular recording.’

‘More like beating me over the head with it. Zeppelin’s fourth album is a fan favorite and considered by many to be their best. Personally, I prefer Physical Graffiti, but that’s just me. In telling me ZOSO BEST 41, I read not only that album number four is number one — the best — but also that I should look at the fourth song on side one. That’s tough to do in the CD age, but I’m old enough to own a copy of the album on vinyl, and the fourth song on side one is “Stairway to Heaven”. It’s a classic.’

‘Okay What does it mean?’

‘The name “Stairway to Heaven” was coined by the fourth-century Indian poet Kalidasa to describe the Himalayas,’ Grin explained. ‘Display view one.’

The hologram in the imaging chamber dissolved and was instantly replaced with a view of a significantly larger piece of real estate.

‘The Himalayas are approximately eighteen hundred miles in length, running from Afghanistan in the west to India’s Arunachal Pradesh in the east.’

‘That doesn’t narrow it down much.’

‘No, it doesn’t. When most people consider the term Stairway to Heaven in relation to the Himalayas, they think of Tibet and Nepal.’

‘That’s where Nolan intends to cross?’ Donoher asked.

‘No. The BATs are designed for low-level flying, so I’m not sure if they can handle that kind of altitude. Even if they could, our people would probably need bottled oxygen. And then there’s the weather — it’s a little late in the season to be crossing the Himalayas on foot or in a motorized kite. I kicked this scenario around a dozen different ways, and what really made me reject it is that this clue is too straightforward. It’s not like Nolan. That’s why I had to dig deeper, and I finally figured it out. Do you know the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High?’

‘Should I?’

‘Only if you enjoy well-written comedy interspersed with teen angst and adolescent coming-of-age trauma, all set in the early eighties.’

‘Not exactly at the top of my list,’ Donoher replied. ‘Please continue.’

‘This movie featured what was, in my humble opinion, one of Sean Penn’s best performances, though after my recent stint in a cassock, I have a newfound appreciation for his later work in Were No Angels. But I digress.’

‘You most certainly do,’ Donoher agreed, tempering his impatience. ‘How does this film fit in with Nolan’s message?’

‘In Fast Times, the dweeb nicknamed Rat seeks dating advice from the cool guy Damone. Among the pearls of wisdom Damone has to offer is the suggestion that side one of Led Zeppelin’s fourth album is the best make-out music ever recorded. This gets us back to ZOSO BEST 41.’

‘But that’s the album that pointed you to the entire Himalayan range?’

‘Yes, but that’s not the clue. Rat took Damone’s advice but, being a dweeb, got it wrong. During his ill-fated date with the ingenue Stacy — portrayed by the fetching Jennifer Jason Leigh — Rat played the wrong side of the wrong album.’

‘This is going somewhere?’

‘This reference forces me to acknowledge Nolan’s genius. The album Rat used wasn’t Zeppelin’s fourth album but Physical Graffiti. And the song heard playing during the date is not the make-out classic ‘Stairway to Heaven’ but the far superior ‘Kashmir.’ Nolan is heading for Kashmir.’

‘Can you show me where?’ Donoher asked.

Grin nodded. ‘Display previous view.’

The hologram dissolved and then reformed to display a three-dimensional view of the troubled Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Black lines snaked through the mountainous region, defining the internationally recognized borders. Thinner, dashed lines identified militarized lines of control around disputed territory encroached upon by Pakistan and China. Starting high in the glaciers of western Tibet, the Indus flowed northwest through Kashmir and into Pakistan.

‘What you’re looking at is an area roughly the size of Michigan,’ Grin explained, ‘and where it abuts China is about as long as the shoreline from Toledo to Mackinaw City. Biggest difference, aside from the lack of fudge, is obviously the terrain. Where China touches Kashmir is a region called Ladakh.’

‘Where do you think he’ll cross?’

‘A couple of large valleys run diagonally from Tibet through Ladakh — the Indus runs down the middle of the larger one. If I had to guess, I think he’d let the geography lead him out of China.’

‘Is there any place nearby where we can land an aircraft?’

‘At Leh,’ Grin answered. ‘It’s the heart of Ladakh and the only commercial airport.’

‘Once they’re across the border, they’ll be in India, but illegally and without documentation,’ Donoher mused, ‘and with the exception of Nolan, all looking very much like Chinese soldiers.’

‘Or asylum seekers. Do you think India would send Yin back?’

‘I doubt it — India and China are not the best of neighbors — but by the same token we don’t want the Indians tossing our people in jail either. We need to place somebody in Kashmir to help smooth things over once they arrive. And we probably need a friendly word through the back channel from Washington to tilt the situation in our favor.’

‘Barnett?’

Donoher nodded. ‘Please ask Sister Deborah to set up a video conference with him in an hour. In the meantime, I need to enlist Cardinal Velu for some help.’