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FORTY - TWO
DE ROQUEFORT STOPPED OUTSIDE THE CHURCH ODD THAT HIS targets had fled inside But noto personally tend to Mark Nelle His patience was at an end He’d taken the precaution of consulting with his officers before leaving the abbey He wasn’t going to repeat the former master’s mistakes His tenure would at least carry the appearance of a democracy Thankfully, yesterday’s escape and the two shootings had galvanized the brotherhood onto a singular path All agreed that the former seneschal and his ally must be returned for punishment
And he intended to deliver
He surveyed the street
The croas growing A warht out the tours He turned to the brother standing beside him "Go inside and assess the situation"
A nod and the raphy Only one way in and out The stained-glass ere all fixed, so they would have to shatter one to escape He saw no policemen, which was nor of money The commercialization sickened him If it was his decision, all tours of the abbey would be stopped He realized the bishop would question that move, but he’d already decided to li the brothers’ need for more solitude That the bishop would understand He fully intended on restoringbeen abandoned, rituals that once separated the Teious orders And for that he would need the abbey’s gates locked far more than they were open
The brother he’d sent inside exited the church and walked his way
"They’re not there," the man said as he drew close
"What do you mean?"
"I searched the nave, the sacristy, the confessionals They’re not inside"
He did not want to hear that "There’s no other exit"
"Master, they’re not there"
His gaze locked on the church His mind swirled with possibilities
Then the ansas clear
"Come," he said "I know precisely where they are"
STEPHANIE WAS LISTENING TO ROYCE CLARIDON, NOT AS A WIFE and mother on a overne and counterespionage So was out of place Claridon’s sudden appearance was too convenient She knew little about Rayh to realize that either Claridon had been allowed to escape or, worse, the prickly little ue with the enemy Either way she had to watch what she said Geoffrey, too, had apparently sensed so precious little to the Frenchman’s many questions--too many inquiries for a man who’d just survived a life-and-death experience
"Was the woenieur mentioned in the letter to Ernst Scoville?" she asked
"I would assume A she-devil"
"She may have saved us all"
"How? She interfered, as she did with Lars"
"You’re alive right now thanks to her interference"
"No, madame I am alive because they want information"
"What I wonder is why you’re even here," Geoffrey said fro from de Roquefort is not easy"
"You did"
"And hoould you know that?"
"They spoke of you and Mark Apparently there was shooting Brothers were hurt They’re angry"
"Did theyto kill us?"
A moment of uneasy silence passed
"Royce," Stephanie said "What else ht they be after?"
"I only know that two books arefrom their archive There was a o that you possessed no clue as to why they wanted Madame Nelle’s son" Suspicion laced Geoffrey’s declaration
"And I don’t But I know they want the two lanced at Geoffrey and saw not a hint of acquiescence in the younger man’s expression If indeed he and Mark possessed the books de Roquefort sought, no admission came from his eyes
"Yesterday," Claridon said, "you showed me Lars’s journal and the book--"
"Which de Roquefort has"
"No Cassiopeia Vitt stole both froht"
Another new piece of information Claridon knew an awful lot for a nored
"So de Roquefort needs to find her," she made clear "As we do"
"It seems, madame, that one of the books Mark took froram De Roquefort wants that book back"
"Is this more of what you overheard?"
Claridon nodded "Oui They believedOne of their ram and recorded it in the book"
"We have no books," Geoffrey said
"What do you mean?" Astonishment filled the man’s face
"We have no books We left the abbey in a great rush and took nothing with us"
Claridon came to his feet "You’re a liar"
"Bold words Can you prove the allegation?"
"You’re a man of the Order A warrior of Christ A Te"
"And what prevents you?" Geoffrey asked
"I don’t lie I’ve been through a difficult ordeal I hid in an asylu a prisoner of the Templars Do you knohat they planned to do to me? Grease my feet and hold them before a hot brazier Cook my skin from the bone"
"We have no books De Roquefort is chasing a shadow"
"But that’s not so Twoyour escape, and both said Mark carried a rucksack"
She perked at the information
"And hoould you know that?" Geoffrey asked
DE ROQUEFORT ENTERED THE CHURCH, FOLLOWED BY THE brother who’d just been inside He walked down the center aisle and entered the sacristy He had to give Mark Nelle credit Fe about the church’s secret room It was not part of any tour, and only Rennes purists would have any inkling the concealed space existed He’d often thought it curious that the domain’s operators did not exploit Sauniere’s addition to the church’s architecture--secret roos about the church, the town, and the story that defied explanation
"When you came in before, was the entrance to this room open?"
The brother shook his head and whispered, "Closed, Master"
He gently shut the door "Allow no one to enter"
He approached the cupboard and withdrew his gun He’d never actually seen the secret chah accounts froated Rennes to know that a concealed room existed If he recalled correctly, the release ht corner of the cupboard
He reached up and located a metal lever
He knew that once he yanked down, the two men on the other side would be alerted and he had to assume they were armed Malone certainly could handle himself and Mark Nelle had proven he was not a man to underestimate
"Prepare yourself," he said
The brother withdrew a short-barreled automatic and aimed at the cupboard He popped the latch and quickly stepped back, gun pointed, waiting for ould happen next
The cupboard inched open, then stopped
He stayed at the far right edge and, with his foot, pivoted the door wide open
The secret room was empty
MALONE STOOD CLOSE TO MARK INSIDE THE CONFESSIONAL They’d waited inside the hidden rooh a tiny Judas hole strategically placed in the cupboard Mark had watched as one of the brothers entered the sacristy, saw the room empty, and left They’d waited a fewfro no other brothers inside, they’d quickly hustled to the confessional and stepped inside just as de Roquefort and the brother returned
Mark had correctly surmised that de Roquefort would know of the secret rooe with anyone unless absolutely necessary When they’d spotted de Roquefort waiting outside, sending another brother inside to investigate, they’d lingered only long enough to buy a couple of e locations, since once the scout returned and reported they werede Roquefort would i After all, there was only one way in and out of the church
"Know your enemy and know yourself," Mark whispered as de Roquefort and his minion entered the sacristy
Malone smiled "Sun Tzu was a wise man"
The door to the sacristy closed
"We’ll give it a few seconds, then we’re out of here," Mark said
"Could be more men outside"
"I’ot nine shots"
"Let’s don’t start a shootout, unless there’s no other choice"
The sacristy door stayed closed
"We need to go," Malone said
They exited the confessional, turned right, and headed for the door
STEPHANIE SLOWLY CAME TO HER FEET, STEPPED CLOSE TO GEOFFREY, and calrip She then whirled, cocked the ha the barrel to Claridon’s skull "You slimy little scum You’re with them"
Claridon’s eyes ide "No, madame I swear I am not"
"Open his shirt," she said
Geoffrey ripped away the buttons, exposing a microphone taped to the thin chest
"Come Quick I need help," Claridon screamed
Geoffrey slammed his fist into Claridon’s jaw and sent the iun in hand, and spotted through thea short-hair running toward the front door
A kick and the door swung open
Geoffrey was ready
He’d positioned himself to the left of the entrance and, as the man burst inside, Geoffrey spun the attacker around Stephanie saw a gun in the short-hair’s hand, but Geoffrey deftly kept the barrel pointed down, pivoted on his heel, and kicked theno time to react, he delivered another kick to the abdoht a yelp When the one from him, Geoffrey propelled him to the floor with a blow to the spine
"They teach you that at the abbey?" she asked, impressed
"That and et out of here"
"Hold one second"
Geoffrey darted from the kitchen back toward the bedrooht We have books and I can’t leave without them"
She noticed an earpiece on theto Claridon, and is surely in communication with others"
"De Roquefort is here," Geoffrey said with conviction
She grabbed her world phone from the kitchen counter "We need to find Mark and Cotton"
Geoffrey approached the open front door and carefully peered in both directions "You’d think more brothers would be here by now"
She stepped up behind him "Could be they’re occupied at the church We’ll head there following the outer wall, through the car park, staying off the un back to him "You watch my back"
He smiled "With pleasure, madame"
DE ROQUEFORT STARED INTO THE EMPTY SECRET ROOM WHERE were they? There was simply no other place to hide within the church
He slammed the cupboard back into place
The other brother surely saw the moment of confusion that had passed across his face when they’d discovered the hiding place bare He washed any doubt from his eyes
"Where are they, Master?" the brother asked
Considering the answer, he stepped to the stained-glassand gazed out through one of the clear segarden beloas still busy with visitors Then he saw Mark Nelle and Cotton Malone rush into the garden and turn toward the ce toward the sacristy door
MARK THOUGHT THE TRICK WITH THE SECRET ROOM MIGHT BUY the de Roquefort had brought only a s outside--one on thethe alley to the car park, and a final one positioned outside the Villa Bethanie, preventing the tree garden fro an escape route De Roquefort had apparently not thought the cemetery a threat since it alled with a fifteen-hundred-foot drop on the other side
But that was precisely where Mark was headed
He now thanked heaven for the ht explorations he and his father had once perfor the cemetery after dark, but that was the best time, his father would say So they’dto ly inexplicable behavior On a few forays they’d been interrupted, so they’d ih the skull-and-crossbones gate
Tiood use