The Voynich Cypher

CHAPTER 41

Moody sat nursing a mineral water at a table in the back of a restaurant in Florence. The place didn’t open for two more hours, but he had an arrangement with the owners, as well as a key. The front door chimed, and Steven entered with Natalie on his arm. They peered through the gloom and saw him wave. Natalie showed no signs of having been shot a few short weeks before, and when she approached his table it was with her usual graceful stride. Moody stood and gave Natalie a kiss on the cheek before shaking Steven’s outstretched hand. He sat them down and offered them something to drink.

“I’d like some wine. Red. It’s been fifteen days since the surgery, and the doctor said I could have a glass after two weeks, so this is my big chance,” Natalie said.

Moody looked at Steven, and he nodded.

“You heard the lady. Make it two,” Steven said.

Moody moved across the floor to the wine cabinet near the bar and, after a few moments, returned with a ready-prepared decanter full of deep, dark Barolo. He selected three glasses, removed the cut-glass stopper, and poured them each a generous measure of wine. They toasted, and then Moody got down to business.

“We were reimbursed for all the expenses associated with the expedition, as expected.”

“Nice to hear they pay their bills on time,” Steven said.

“It looks like the hunt for you two stopped with Synthe’s bullet to the good doctor’s heart. As expected, Frank’s passing didn’t raise any stir.”

“People die all the time,” Natalie said.

“We also did a sweep of your offices and found surveillance equipment. Frank’s, no doubt. So your people are clean. It was the phone lines and modem that weren’t.”

“That’s a relief, although I never doubted it. I couldn’t see them turning on me.”

“Your buddy, Synthe, seems to have fixed things with the Roman police, by the way. My sources say that they dropped you two from their investigation. Something about that part of the file getting lost,” Moody said.

“It’s a flawed world,” Natalie observed.

“We are all cast of imperfect clay,” Steven agreed.

“I’ll drink to that,” Moody added, and they toasted again.

They savored the rich, dark wine, swirling it in the oversized glasses. It was the perfect temperature and opened up nicely, filling the room with its fragrant bouquet.

Natalie stood and excused herself to go to the bathroom. Once she was out of earshot, Moody leaned closer to Steven and spoke softly.

“We did the DNA analysis.”

“And?”

“Puts the age at two thousand years, give or take. But there was an anomaly on the rest.”

“Anomaly? What do you mean, anomaly?”

“I’m not sure how to say this, so I’ll just say it. The bone fragment was human, but it wasn’t. The DNA was very close, but it didn’t correspond to anything they’ve seen before. I had to get it classified as top secret to keep anyone from asking uncomfortable questions.”

Steven considered the news. Moody nodded.

“Holy shit.”

“Yup.”

“The world needs to know about this,” Steven said, still in shock.

“Not from me, it doesn’t. But I agree it deserves to know, for whatever that’s worth.”

Steven swirled his wine again and took another sip. He studied the light as it refracted through the glass, dancing off the ruby-rippled surface. Natalie emerged from the back and walked towards them, and Steven rubbed his face before putting his hand down flat on the table.

He fixed Moody with an intense gaze.

“Does it?”

Natalie and Steven ambled slowly down the sidewalk, enjoying the early evening warmth of the new Florentine summer. Hand in hand, they looked happy in the way that only new lovers do.

“The transfer to your account was confirmed today. Two million. I guess you can’t say I never did anything for you,” Steven said.

“I told you that you didn’t have to do that,” Natalie countered.

“It was mostly your fault I wound up with the money in the first place, and everything turned out okay, so what the hell…”

“Very gallant. But you’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”

Steven squeezed her hand. “Ingrate.”

“What have you done for me lately?” she asked, and stopped, tiptoeing to kiss him.

He looked deep into her incredible violet eyes and then grinned, thinking he could get lost in them forevermore. She smiled back.

He kissed her again and then whispered in her ear.

“Can you keep a secret?”