Andreas wondered how many countless tourists and pilgrims over the centuries had wondered what Saint John saw from his place in this cave. Andreas crouched down between the two silver-collared niches and leaned over so his head was close to the ground in front of the fencing. Still clutching the cross in his right hand, he looked back toward the window. He saw sky. He stayed in that position for about a minute, thinking about nothing but what it must have been like. ‘Better get up,’ he said aloud, and pushed off from the floor with his free hand. He got up so quickly that for an instant he felt dizzy and stumbled back toward the cave wall. Instinctively, he reached out with his right hand to catch himself, driving the cross into the stone and dropping it to the floor in the process.
Andreas resisted an immediate urge to curse. That’s all I need to do, commit the sacrilege of destroying a cross — in this place of all places and with a baby on the way. Lila would be a nervous wreck if she knew. He bowed his head. ‘God forgive me,’ he said and crossed himself three times. He picked up the cross from the cave floor and kissed it. He noticed that the bottom part of the longer leg gave way under the pressure of his lips. It had separated from the rest of the cross somewhere beneath the lanyard wrap.
‘I can’t believe I broke a cross in the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse. And not just any cross, the stolen cross of a holy man during the time of his funeral.’ This was something he never could tell Lila. Instinctively, he tried to fix it, get the longer leg back in place under the lanyard.
Andreas knew he was standing in the place of Revelation, and perhaps that’s why he wasn’t so surprised when the thought hit him. He stopped trying to fix the cross. Instead, he slowly wiggled the longer leg, carefully separating it from the lanyard and glue, then with a firm tug, pulled it away from the rest of the cross. He looked at the broken piece, poked at it a couple times, and broke into a smile almost as wide as when Lila told him she was pregnant.
‘You wily old bas…’ Andreas didn’t finish his curse, but still crossed himself as he shouted, ‘It wasn’t just the envelope, you were trying to get him this!’ and held up to the light a tiny USB flash drive — a computer storage device small enough to conceal a million envelopes of information within the body of a hollow cross.
9
The funeral had ended over an hour before, but it took until now for the abbot to retreat from all those wanting his ear and escape to his office. He needed time to be alone with his thoughts. No such luck. Waiting for him in a chair across from his desk was Patmos’ police captain. He rose as the abbot entered but did not kiss his hand.
‘Your words touched everyone, Your Holiness.’
‘Thank you.’ He didn’t know whether to believe him but hoped he meant it. ‘Vassilis was a special soul. I tried to do him justice.’
‘I knew him practically all my life. He will be missed by everyone.’
The abbot nodded. ‘So, what is on your mind?’ He knew there was something.
‘It’s that cop, Kaldis, from Athens. Someone saw him on the island during the funeral.’
‘I didn’t see him.’
‘No, that’s just it. He was on the island but not for the funeral, and left before it was over.’
‘Any idea why?’
‘No. I was hoping you might have one. You see, he and I didn’t get off on exactly the right foot, and I don’t want to give him any reason to be more… perturbed with me than he already is.’
The abbot took the captain’s effort to avoid a harsher word as a sign of respect. ‘Why would you think I possibly could be cause for him being “perturbed” with you?’
‘I’m just asking if you can think of any possible reason that might be lurking out there.’ He waved his right hand in the air. ‘As farfetched as that may seem.’
Now the abbot sensed the captain was patronizing him. His temper flared. ‘I think you forget who you’re talking to.’
The captain shrugged. ‘Sorry, no offense intended, Your Holiness. But let’s be frank, your truly wonderful eulogy left out a few things. Like the fact Kalogeros Vassilis was murdered in the middle of our town square after ranting like a wild man for weeks about Russians trying to destroy the church.’
The abbot’s face tightened. ‘How I chose to memorialize one of my monks is absolutely none of your concern.’
The captain nodded. ‘True, but it makes me wonder if there might not be a few things you do know that could help with the investigation of his murder. And if you do, and Kaldis finds out you’ve been withholding them, I don’t want to be pushed up any higher on his shit list because of you.’ This time he made no effort to choose a gentler word.
The abbot stared at him. ‘I am more concerned with how I am recorded in God’s book. If I have erred, my mistake will be judged by the Lord, not you.’
The captain leaned over the desk. ‘I mean no disrespect, but if something goes wrong, don’t come to me this time looking for backup. If God is your judge, get his army to bail you out, not mine. If you’re hiding something, you’re not getting any further help from me. I stonewalled that cop once because you asked me to help keep the monastery from being drawn into a mess unnecessarily. Well, whatever mess is percolating out there is certainly not of my making, and if it’s yours or you’re making it yours for God knows what reason, good luck. Last chance, are you going to tell me what you’re hiding or not?’
The abbot stood up. ‘ Kalo Paska, my son.’
The captain stood up. ‘Then so be it. And Good Easter to you too, Your Holiness.’
When Andreas walked into his office Kouros was sitting on the couch next to the window, reading.
‘Maggie finished the transcript. Interesting stuff. There’s a note-’
‘Can’t wait to see what’s on this.’ He held up the flash drive. ‘I found it inside that cheap cross Vassilis bought the day before his murder.’
‘Amazing. What’s on it?’
‘Don’t know. Didn’t dare do anything with it until one of our computer guys tells me if it’s booby-trapped to delete something if the wrong person tries accessing it. Maggie!’ He didn’t bother with the intercom.
The door swung open before he’d reached the other side of his desk.
‘You rang?’
‘Get one of our computer geniuses up here. I need to know what’s on this flash drive, and tell him it might be tricky. Could be booby-trapped. And make sure it’s somebody with a top-level security clearance who can keep his mouth shut.’
She nodded. ‘Right away. I assume that means your morning helicopter jaunt to Patmos was successful?’
He nodded yes.
‘I’m glad to hear that. Anything else you need from me?’
‘Maggie, please, I’m in no mood to chit-chat. Just get that computer guru up here now. Please.’
She didn’t seem the least bit offended at his brusqueness, just smiled and winked at Kouros as she closed the door behind her.
Kouros burst out laughing.
‘What so funny? Doesn’t she get how important this is?’
Kouros laughed again. ‘Oh, I’m sure she gets it, Chief, and — may I speak freely?’
Andreas waved him to continue.
‘She’s got your number, too.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’
Kouros leaned forward and slid a piece of paper across the desk toward Andreas. ‘This was clipped to the transcript.’ It was in Maggie’s handwriting:
In case you’re interested, I know who the mystery man is on the tape. Just ask. I don’t dare put it in writing.
Andreas stared at Kouros. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about this before?’
He smiled. ‘I tried, but you cut me off, then launched into Maggie before either of us could tell you.’
‘Bastard, both of you are bastards. Maggie, get in here.’
Five seconds later, ‘You rang again, master?’