“That’s for sure. I would like to learn to shoot sometime, though,” Amanda said.
“Let’s just hope you don’t get your first lesson here in Geneva.”
Amanda walked back over to the window and stared out at the lake for a moment before turning back toward Carmen. “What do you think we’re going to find here?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to find all of our answers at the cathedral, assuming that’s the place your father was referring to. Zane believes we will. I’m just not that convinced.”
“At this point it seems likely that’s where he was directing me.”
“Perhaps. But it doesn’t mean it’s our last stop.” Carmen frowned. “Did your father ever mention a man named Alexander Mironov?”
“Not that I remember. Why?”
“He is the CEO of the organization your father worked for. I did some Internet research last night, and it seems he’s a very interesting man.”
“Oh?” Amanda sat down in a chair, her curiosity now piqued. “How so?”
“Well, for one thing, he’s deeply involved in transhumanism.”
“I’ve heard of transhumanism but don’t know much about it. Is it a bad thing?”
“His brand of it could be. It’s a broad movement, but at the core of their beliefs is the notion that the condition of man can be improved through the use of technology.”
“Hard to see anything wrong with that.”
“On the surface, you’re right. But when I began to dig deeper I saw there were some beliefs and goals that many would find disturbing. Essentially they believe they can bring eternal life to the human condition through the fusing of the human mind and soul with robotics and nanotechnology. They want to transform man into a new organism. One person called it ‘the next logical step in enhanced natural selection.’”
Amanda frowned. “So basically, they’re trying to play God.”
“Esattamente! That’s exactly what they’re trying to do. And without thinking through the moral or ethical implications. They’re moving ahead, working in the shadows without consulting the public at large. It seems fraught with danger if you ask me.”
“Do you think this might have something to do with why they killed my father?”
The Italian shrugged. “I guess we’re just going to have to keep following the trail until we find out.”
As Carmen finished her sentence, there was a tap on the door. She walked over, looked through the peephole, and then opened up.
“Bonsoir, mesdames,” Zane announced as he walked into the room.
Carmen closed the door behind him. “Bonsoir. You must be Monsieur Creep from the lobby.”
“Boy, word travels fast in this place.”
“Actually we were just talking about you,” said Amanda.
“Good or bad?”
“Well… I just learned some unsettling things.”
Carmen clicked a magazine into Zane’s Glock and handed it to him. “I told Amanda you couldn’t hit Lake Geneva even if you were firing from one of the cruise boats.”
“So, first I have Nigel book this hotel for personal reasons, and now I can’t shoot straight. You picked a hell of a partner, Carmen.”
“Oh, I think you’ll do.” She patted his shoulder as she walked by.
“So, we’re going over to the cathedral after dinner?” Amanda asked.
“I know it’s a bit early, but I’d like to look things over in advance,” Zane explained. “Your father wanted us there at ten o’clock, and I assume that means something is going to happen right about that time. That being the case, I don’t want to walk in blind. I want to know everything about this place — how we get in, how we get out, what else is around there.”
“It would have been nice to get over there while it was still light out,” Carmen added.
“Agreed, although perhaps we’ll have a little more cover now that it’s dark. The thing that concerns me is that we’re going to be pressed for time. In fact, the more I think about it, we may even need to split up.”
Amanda frowned. “I’m not sure I like that idea.”
“You and Carmen will be together,” Zane reassured her, and Amanda relaxed. “We have no idea what is going to happen at ten, so we need to be watching all sides of this place.”
“Zane, I checked the Internet, and St. Pierre will be closed by ten tonight,” Carmen said as she walked over to the window.
“I noticed that as well. Amanda’s father didn’t tell us a.m. or p.m., so we need to be there for both. My guess is that he meant ten in the morning, since that’s when the cathedral will be open, but I’m also mindful that Vienna didn’t pan out exactly as we had expected.”
Carmen parted the curtains and looked out the window. After staring down at the street for a moment, she frowned and looked back at Zane. “I think we’re going to have an interesting evening.”
“How so?”
“We’re getting hit with a bad storm. Correction, we’re getting hit with a blizzard.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Wow. Just, wow,” Amanda said as she looked up at the front of the St. Pierre Cathedral, whose columned front was illuminated by a series of lights under the portico. She and Carmen were standing in the square while Zane went up to check the three massive wooden doors at the entrance.
The snow and the wind had picked up during the cab ride over, so Carmen leaned closer to her. “What did you say?”
“I just can’t believe how beautiful the cathedral is. European architecture is not my area of expertise, but it appears to be a combination of Romanesque and Gothic.”
“I can see the Romanesque part. Not sure I’d know Gothic if I saw it.”
“Look to your right at the addition. Think Paris.”
“Got it,” Carmen said, nodding. “I hate to say this, but I’m from Florence, and well… call me unimpressed.”
As Carmen finished her sentence, Zane returned, hands in pockets. “Nothing. No self-respecting priest would be out in this mess.”
“What now?” Amanda asked.
“Well, unfortunately we don’t have much time.” He looked at his phone. “If conditions were better, I’d say we should walk the square and see what else is here.”
Just as he spoke, Carmen spotted a couple coming toward them, arm in arm. As they passed, the man gave the woman a kiss on the cheek, his romantic inclinations apparently not dampened by the weather. Carmen continued to watch them as they walked across the square and turned right at the next street.
“Let’s go ahead and set up,” Zane said. “It’s still more likely that Ian meant ten o’clock in the morning, but we need to make sure we don’t miss anything tonight. It's possible that they hold some sort of service at ten o’clock. And if that’s the case, we need to be in that service.”
It was decided that they would take up positions at the front and the rear of the cathedral. Zane insisted they remain hidden, on the off chance that the thugs had been able to follow them to Geneva.
After briefly scanning the area, Carmen decided that she and Amanda would stand behind a large tree that stood on the opposite side of the square, and from there they would watch the front entrance. Zane would then cover the rear of the cathedral on his own.
As soon as he confirmed that the other two were settled behind the tree, Zane walked around the side of the ancient structure. He passed a couple more groups of people trying to scamper their way home, but none looked suspicious. When he arrived at the rear, he stopped and looked for a place to hide. The area was mostly dark, with the only illumination coming from a lantern hanging over a small door at the back entrance. He found a group of trees about twenty yards away that weren’t overly large but would give him some cover and maybe even shelter from the snow.