I’m going to Ethiopia.
Chapter 31
After being dropped off by another taxi about two miles away, at another church, Carter and Jayden had walked here, to the church that Ethiopians claim is the housing place for the Ark of the Covenant.
“Kinda looks like any of the other church in this town,” Jayden observed from behind polarized sunglasses. Before them stood a weathered stone edifice, ornately carved with arches and latticework on the windows, with a large dome on top, itself topped with a towering ornate cross. A trickle of people, a mix of tourists and locals, moved in and out through the holy house’s entrance.
“It does, and inside, no doubt we’ll find the requisite replica of the ark.”
“So you already doubt they have the real ark?” Jayden smiled.
Carter shook his head. “Supposedly the real ark is in there.” He pointed to a smaller concrete building some distance away on the same property that was surrounded by a metal fence painted with the colors of the Ethiopian flag, green, yellow and red. “That’s the Chapel of the Tablet.”
Jayden glanced over at the other building, which had no people coming or going from it. “The tablet? Meaning, the stone tablets that the Ten Commandments are chiseled on?”
“Yep. Thing is, no one’s allowed in there.”
Jayden laughed softly. “Gee, I wonder why not? Could it be because they don’t really have the Ark of the Covenant in there? I mean, has anyone ever seen it?”
Carter held his hands up while gazing at the chapel outbuilding. “No. It’s guarded by a monk appointed for life who is supposedly trained to kill with his bare hands anyone who tries to enter without permission.”
Jayden nodded slowly. “Let me guess. We’re going to have to deal with this guy to get in there, aren’t we?”
Carter looked back to the main church. “Let’s go in there first. See what it’s all about, act like tourists, get the feel of the place.”
They walked up to the entrance and climbed the few broad, stone steps, milling in with the light foot traffic as they filed through the front doors. Sure enough, the inside of this church, although considerably larger than the other one they had visited, was a lot like it in both décor and interior setup. Rows of long, wooden pews in the middle, spacious aisles on the sides, artwork and historic murals on the walls, with a central stage-like setting up front. This was covered in Persian rugs, and on a pedestal in the middle of it all was another life-sized replica of the Ark of the Covenant.
While they strolled leisurely up to the representative ark, Jayden commented how there were a few curtained-off doorways behind the stage and on either side of the church. Carter nodded, but replied in a low voice that they probably wouldn’t find much of interest there. But he knew that as a former SEAL, Jayden had been well-trained to identify and monitor all possible ingress and egress options when inside a building.
They waited their turn among a small gaggle of onlookers to walk up to the ark and stand in front of it. Around them, some people stood in place murmuring words of prayer. Carter and Jayden stayed a respectful amount of time and then strolled away and back into the pews. They took a seat off to the side of one of them near the front.
“It’s going to raise our profile a little,” Carter began, “but I think it’s worth it for us to get a look at the Chapel of the Tablet in daylight.”
Jayden nodded. “I saw a few people walking up to the fence that surrounds it and taking pictures from there. Anyone can do that much, at least.”
“Yeah. I’d really like to get in there, though.”
“How hard can it be?” Jayden wondered. “One guard? Is he even armed? I mean come on, if they were really guarding a priceless treasure, wouldn’t it be more like a Fort Knox around here?”
“Only one way to find out,” Carter said, standing from the pew.
They stood in front of the colorful metal fence topped with razor wire and stared through it at the Chapel of the Tablet. The chapel was an unassuming stone, blocky building but for a small dome on top with an ornate cross atop that. The side they faced featured no doors, only windows overlain with heavy iron grates. There wasn’t much to see.
“Let’s take a walk around the outside,” Carter suggested.
They sauntered around the perimeter as if they were tourists chalking off yet another landmark from their To See list, pausing now and then to point out some architectural feature. But in reality the two operators were taking careful mental notes of the entire structure and property, noting all exits, potential exits and other features of possible strategic or tactical interest.
When they had made their way all the way around, they confirmed that there was only one traditional entry point, a doorway covered with a red tapestry, set at the top of a few narrow stone steps. As they stared at the building, pondering how they would gain entrance, a man, presumably an employee, exited from the front and only door.
Carter looked at Jayden. “Should we just ask him if we can have a look?”
Jayden appeared doubtful. “You know what the answer’s going to be, and it would call attention to us. He might remember us later.”
“True, but on the other hand, maybe we get lucky, or maybe he could be persuaded.”
“Your call.”
Carter had a feeling about the man as he observed him, that he was in a congenial mood, whistling as he walked. He turned to Jayden. “Why use brute force when you can just sweet-talk your way in, right? I think it’s worth a try.”
They walked over to the front of the fence, where the employee — he didn’t look like a guard, but more like he performed a custodial or maintenance role, with a large key ring full of keys and a tool belt on. Taking a quick look around, Carter was satisfied that no one else was within earshot of the conversation that was about to take place.
“Excuse me, sir?” he called over to the man through the fence. An African in his fifties, he glanced over at them but did not stop walking as he strode up to the only gate in the fence, which was locked. He removed a key from his ring while Carter and Jayden walked over to him outside the fence.
“I’m sorry, but the Chapel is closed to the public,” he said in good English, barely looking up at them. “The church is that building, there.”
“Yes, we know,” Carter said. “We were just wondering if you could tell us, is the Ark of the Covenant really inside there?”
The man clicked open the gate, apparently in no fear of the strangers whatsoever even though they were inquiring as to off-limits areas. Evidently it was something he was used to from casual visitors. He barely batted an eye as he answered, “Of course it is!”
“Can we please see it, just for a second?” Carter asked.
“No, I’m sorry but it is closed to the public at all times, and under professional guard twenty-four-seven. Only the Guardian of the Ark can decide to let anyone see it.”
“Could you introduce us to the Guardian?” Carter asked.
The gatekeeper shook his head, still smiling as if he’d answered all of these questions many times before. “No, he only meets with religious leaders. I myself am forbidden to see it, and I have worked here for years! Perhaps if you were the Pope I might be able to arrange a meeting, otherwise, I am sorry.” He pulled open the gate and stepped outside of it, next to Carter and Jayden.