“Thank you,” Tommy said.
They waited until the priest disappeared back into the art room. Once he was gone, they moved forward with a quiet apprehension that was half nerves, half reverence.
“Do you have any idea how valuable all this is?” Tommy asked in a whisper.
“A lot,” Sean said.
“That doesn’t even come close to what it’s all worth. Some of those pieces we just passed are each worth millions. I bet there are some thieves who’d kill to get into this place.”
As they drew closer to the alcove where Totti said the sculpture rested, they slowed their pace until the front of the statue came into view.
Just as Totti suggested, the sculpture looked almost exactly like the one in Saint Peter’s Square. While the one on display to the public was bigger in every way, this one was no tiny piece.
Saint Paul towered over the room, looking out at several other vases and works of art scattered through the area, protected by glass cases.
They stopped in front of the huge sculpture and stared up for nearly a minute before anyone said anything.
“So what are we looking for?” Sean asked.
Tommy held up the key he’d put back in his pocket earlier. “Look for a keyhole.”
Similar images to the ones on the outside statue adorned the sides of the base. The same papal emblem that seemed to be everywhere was on the front and sides.
“A keyhole?” June asked.
“I don’t know why,” Tommy said. “Just call it a gut feeling. But I think this key I found in that guy’s pocket has some connection to the location of the sword.”
He stood close to the statue and leaned in as far as he could without touching it. A velvet rope blocked visitors from entering the alcove, but that didn’t keep Tommy from sticking his head over it.
The four scanned every inch of the sculpted stone for several minutes without any luck. They switched places and went over every curve and crevice in detail. Still nothing.
Sean twisted his head around and looked back into the main display area. Cameras pointed down from the corners in the room. Their angles suggested the lenses focused more on the things protected in glass cases. That made sense considering there was almost no way a potential thief could steal the massive sculpture in the alcove.
He returned his attention to the cavity and examined the archway. It had no sensors or security system that he could see. If the big statue was sitting on a pressure pad of some kind, that wouldn’t affect him going in and having a look at the back. At least Sean hoped it wouldn’t.
“Hey, guys,” he said. “Do me a favor. The three of you stand side by side right here with your legs close together.”
Tommy looked at him like he was crazy. “What?”
“Just do it,” Sean said. “You stand next to the corner of this archway here. June, you stand next to him, then Adriana. I’m going to make it look like I’m taking picture with my phone.”
“Okay…” June said.
Adriana caught on to his scheme. “Ah. You want us to block the cameras’ view so you can sneak in there and get a closer look.”
Then the other two realized his plan.
“You sure they don’t have some other kind of security measures here for that?” Tommy asked, his voice full of doubt.
“Not that I can tell. Of course, there might be some kind of new thing in here I’ve never heard of before. I’m a little rusty since I haven’t been in the spy game for a while.”
“Rusty?” Tommy gasped. “That’s not what I want to hear when you’re about to trespass in the Vatican Library.”
“Relax, Schultzie. It’ll be fine. If I set off an alarm, we’ll just tell our friend Father Totti that I fell over the rope by accident.”
“Oh, so now we’re lying to a priest?”
“Would you prefer it if I actually fell over the rope?”
“A little.”
June glanced at Adriana. “Seriously, are they always like this?”
Adriana nodded. “You get used to it after a while.”
Tommy and the two women pressed together. June picked up his arm and put it around her waist to further the impression that they were getting a picture taken.
No one bothered to question whether that was allowed or not, though all four had the impression it wasn’t.
Having his arm around her waist sent chills up the back of Tommy’s neck, but he didn’t let on. Instead, he stayed focused on his friend who cautiously slid under the velvet rope.
Everyone held their breath until Sean was safely on the other side. When no alarms sounded, they all exhaled and watched as Sean slipped around the left side of the statue base and shimmied his way between it and the wall.
The space was narrow, pretty much ruling Tommy out of the task. And Sean wasn’t about to ask one of the women to do it. If they got arrested, he would take full responsibility and tell the authorities his friends had nothing to do with it.
He moved sideways to the back of the wall and then shuffled behind the sculpture, disappearing from view.
“See anything back there?” Tommy hissed.
“Not yet. I just got here. Gimme a second.”
Footsteps echoed through the museum. Everyone froze, too afraid to turn around and look.
“Sean,” Adriana whispered. “Stay back there. Someone’s coming.”
He didn’t respond.
The other three did their best to look casual, as if they were just normal tourists admiring an impressive work of art.
A priest suddenly appeared in the doorway. He wore a black suit with the white collar as is common for many men of the cloth. This priest was much younger than Father Totti, with thick black hair atop a tanned youthful face. The pleasant smile was there, though. And he nodded politely at the three visitors as he passed by and hung a right down the next aisle. He turned at the next corner and disappeared. A minute later, the sound of his shiny black shoes clicking on the marble floor faded.
“Hurry up back there,” Tommy said. “That was a close one.”
“No need to hurry,” Sean said. “I found it.”
“You what?”
“I found the keyhole.”
Sean reappeared around the corner of the statue base and shuffled back toward the front. When he was close enough, he reached out his hand with the palm up.
“Quick, give me the key.”
Tommy felt through his pockets and found the little skeleton key. He gripped it tight as he carefully stretched his hand out and pressed it into Sean’s palm.
“Don’t drop it,” Tommy said.
“Thanks, Captain Obvious.”
Sean shimmied his feet toward the rear of the alcove and worked his way back around the corner.
Tommy started to hunch over, but June tapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t look like you’re trying to keep a lookout,” she said.
That’s exactly what he was trying to do. If the previous priest or another priest/librarian came through and found them still standing at the statue, they might think something suspicious was going on.
“Look casual,” June said in response to Tommy’s questioning expression.
He tried to loosen up his posture, shoved his hands in his pockets, and even started to lean on the wall.
“Don’t overdo it,” she said.
“I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong here,” he said.
“Just try to look natural.”
He adjusted his stance again. As he was about to ask if it was better, they heard something click behind the sculpture. The sound of stone grinding on stone came next, followed by a quiet metal clink.
Tommy fought the urge to ask what Sean had found and continued trying not to look like a thief.
A minute later, Sean reappeared from behind the statue and shuffled quickly back to the front of the alcove. The other three got back in their positions to hide Sean from camera view, not that they were sure it would matter now.