The Vatican Knights

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Unlocking the sedan and opening the door, Judas was met by the faint odor of body rot. As he descended the levels of the garage, he decided on his route to the Tidal Basin, the path of least resistance. He wanted to scope the area to see if it was heavy with law enforcement.

He paid the garage fee and drove west, then north, making sure he kept below the posted speed limit and used his blinker at every turn. Driving along South Capitol Street to Independence Avenue, he turned east, then north, passing the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. After making a single pass and sighting no one, he moved south to Independence, then west to the Tidal Basin.

The time was now 2:17 a.m.

Judas drove to the Basin and parked the vehicle right at the water’s edge.

After placing the vehicle in PARK, he moved quickly to the rear of the sedan, opened the trunk, and pulled the governor’s body to the ground. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Judas feverishly peeled away the plastic wrap that covered the governor. As he pulled back the plastic, his nostrils were assaulted by the stench of death. Disgusted, he tossed the materials back into the trunk.

Standing over the exposed body, Judas hardly recognized the man. The governor’s pajamas stretched too tight across his flesh, the methane gas build-up beneath the tissues bloating the body. The fluid in his skull provided pressure so great that the eyes bulged fantastically from their orbital sockets. And his skin, having marbled, held the purple arterial lines of lividity, marking the regions where the blood had ceased to circulate. To Judas, the governor didn’t even come close to resembling the person he was when he was alive.

Cupping his gloved hands beneath the governor’s arms, Judas dragged him to the edge of the Tidal Basin and set him sailing across the water, the body floating dreamily across the surface from the gases still trapped in his lungs and tissue.

After checking the area thoroughly for anything he may have left behind, Judas got into the vehicle and worked his way northbound.

Yahweh sat at the upper echelon of the American political pecking order, one of the most powerful men in the world. In the light of day, he was beloved by the people, devoted to his country, and willing to fight for the cause of justice. But in the darkness he was corrupt and vile, willing to do anything necessary to achieve his own aims, even if that meant bypassing the laws he was sworn to protect and killing innocent people.

As far as Yahweh was concerned, the pope was a pawn in his scheme — a man whose death would usher out the ways of old and serve as a new beginning. Regrettably, he saw no other way.

Yahweh was a man who catered to the public and reveled in their cheer. He found no excitement in the obscurity of clandestine meetings. But Team Leader insisted that all matters pertaining to the cause be discussed in a sterilized environment, free of any type of surveillance. A federal limo in constant motion apparently fit the bill.

Yahweh’s chauffer drove his black Fleetwood to the front of the M Street garage and stopped. The limo’s door opened in invitation, and Team Leader stepped inside, taking a seat opposite Yahweh in the darkness.

“Is it done?” asked Yahweh.

Team Leader nodded. “Judas is dealing with the governor’s body as we speak.”

“Good.” Yahweh’s voice remained impassive. “And was it quick?”

“What?”

“The killing.”

“Of course.”

“Did you look in his eyes before you killed him?”

“I did.”

“And what did you see?”

Team Leader leaned forward. “I saw in him what I have seen in the eyes of all men,” he said. “I saw a man who was terrified of dying — someone who didn’t believe in anything beyond the moment of his pathetic life.”

Yahweh nodded, then turned to view the passing terrain outside the window.

While the limo continued through the empty streets, a moment of silence passed between them before Yahweh spoke again. “I do believe you have something for me.”

Team Leader reached into the inner pocket of his combat fatigues and produced the videotape. “When will the proper authorities get this?”

Yahweh took the tape and held it close. “After I view this for myself and after they find the governor’s body. I’ll distribute the tape to a CNN affiliate. And then the world will cry like frightened children, knowing there is no hope for the Holy One.”

Team Leader tried to look through the tinted windows, but could only see the faintly glowing orbs of the street lamps as they passed. “And the world will finally be divided.”

Yahweh leaned forward. “When you return to the holding ground, I want you to kill off the members of the Holy See quickly, at least one a day. Build the world into a fast and furious frenzy. Let them know the end is near.”

“You need to be patient.”

“Patience is a virtue I can’t afford. Get it done.”

Although Team Leader couldn’t see the man’s eyes, he knew Yahweh was measuring him.

The limo continued on.