The Serpent's Disciple Read online

  “The beloved Saint Anthony wrote about the return of the serpent. This false prophet would promise to end the chaos and bring peace and security back to the world, promises that would not be kept.

  “When the time came Our Lord would dispatch His Chosen One, the Keeper of the Key and will be the only one able to unlock the words that the Lord told Saint Anthony to write down in a book. For the time would come when His words would need to be read to rebuild His kingdom on earth.”

  Right after the Pope finished speaking Bishop Moretti from the Synod spoke next. “We have a spreading cancer within the church that must be cut out before it takes over completely.”

  The gravity of the situation hit McKenna hard as he listened to the bishop.

  Bishop Moretti continued, “Father Roberto, may God welcome him into His kingdom, and you Cardinal McKenna must have touched upon information that could expose this evil we are facing. We have been sent a warning.”

  Pope Benedict raised his hand for silence.

  “In my prayers the Lord has spoken to me. A false prophet is here and has created a large army to do his bidding. Evil needs many souls to wage its war. If we trust in Our Lord evil can never win. Many times throughout the scriptures the church and its followers have been tested. Many times mankind chose to follow the false prophet and many times God struck down the disbelievers and rebuilt his kingdom here on earth. We are entering turbulent times I am afraid.”

  Pope Benedict then nodded to Bishop Moretti to continue.

  “Cardinal McKenna, we are giving you total authority and full access to Vatican City. A private security detail has been assigned to you 24/7. You are the only other person that will have knowledge of what the church is facing at this time. The other would have been Father Roberto, but he is now with our Father in Heaven. We are putting the future of the Vatican in your hands. Find the serpent and where it lives.”

  CHAPTER 40

  As they drove Nelli took out the Frommer’s travel guidebook and read out loud to Anthony some of the background information on where their father was born.

  “It says that Pesaro is located in the region known as Marche. The travel brochures call it the new Tuscany. Did you know that Anthony?”

  “Actually I did. The city of Urbino is the star of this region. It’s the birthplace of Raffaello Sanzio, better known as the artist Raphael.”

  Nelli continued reading, “In Medieval times Pesaro formed part of the Pentapolis. It was one of the five major seaports of the Adriatic during that period. So, Dad’s birthplace was a pretty important seaport at one time.” Nelli kept reading, “It’s now a destination for Italians to take their families on vacation and also for tourists.”

  Nelli studied the terrain as they drove along E 78, “It looks like most of the countryside is made up of farmland and hills.”

  Anthony pointed out the window to his left.

  “Up there are the Apennine Mountains. The villa we’ll be staying at is inland a couple miles from the water. I thought it would be nicer to experience the area more as someone living here than with all the vacationers and tourists. We’ll stay on A 14 all the way to Pesaro. It’s an easier route; otherwise you’re winding through mountain roads that can be a little treacherous.”

  “How long before we get there?”

  “Another half hour at the most,” answered Anthony.

  Nelli quietly watched the scenery pass by trying to picture their father as a young boy traveling the same roads they were now driving on. They passed signs to various small towns. The next one coming up said Arezzo. When Nelli read the name she felt an overwhelming presence of evil being near. As the sign faded in the distance so did the feeling that had come over her. She turned to look at Anthony. He was staring ahead and watching the road as he drove.

  Anthony was mentally going through a checklist in his mind. He knew Cephas would be tracking their location on GPS. Two Guardians would be doing a sweep of the villa before they arrived and checking the surveillance security equipment that had been installed.

  Upon taking the oath to protect the Keeper of the Key, each Guardian had been implanted with a tracking device. Nelli was unaware of the tracking device that had been placed in the cross she wore around her neck.

  “Nelli, keep your eyes open for the exit, Strada Ghetto di Lame,” said Anthony.

  A marker was coming up. It had a symbol that looked like a castle with an arrow pointing to the west. As they got closer it read Gradara.

  “Anthony, look I remember reading about that castle. It belonged to the House of Sforza for a period of time. Lord Sforza was the one that commissioned Bellini to do the painting Coronation of the Virgin for his private chapel in the castle …. ”

  “Known as the Madonna delle Grazie,” Anthony finished Nelli’s sentence.

  “That’s right. We have to visit the castle while we are here Anthony.”

  “We will Nelli. First let’s find the exit for the villa. Later we will figure out what our next move should be. We need to call Mary Ellen and find out what the latest news is from the Vatican.”

  They hadn’t been paying attention to the road signs. Nelli suddenly pointed out the window at a sign they just passed.

  “Isn’t that the exit we wanted?”

  Anthony slowed down to pull off the road. Looking to see if it was clear to make a U-turn he waited for a car to pass. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that it pulled off onto the shoulder further down the road. He memorized the license plate and make and model of the car, and then watched to see if they were being followed. He would call Cephas when they got to the villa and have him trace the car.

  Nelli grabbed the map and directions for the villa from in-between the seats.

  “We’re looking for Via Trebbiantico road. It should be about two miles.”

  As they drove inland it became more rural and the road curved through hilly terrain. They thought they must have gone too far. They were about ready to turn around when Nelli saw a stone arch just ahead.

  “There it is Anthony.”

  He turned right onto a gravel road lined with cypress trees as far as the eye could see. In the distance a beautiful country home sat all alone at the top of a hill. It was two stories and surrounded by gardens, with fountains, ponds, and stone statues. It looked like a picture from a post card. As Anthony pulled into the crushed stone circle drive in front of the villa, off to the right was a beautiful loggia with a panoramic view of the Adriatic.

  The front door of the villa opened and a man came out and waved to them. Anthony knew him as Mattithyahu (Hebrew for Matthew), but to Nelli he would be Matthew the rental agent here in Pesaro.

  “Ciao, welcome to Pesaro and your home for the next couple weeks. You must be Signorina Andruccioli and you must be Anthony who I spoke with on the phone. I hope the directions were clear for you. I’ll grab your luggage, then give you a tour of the villa and introduce you to your housekeeper and cook Franco.”

  Anthony knew Franco was handpicked by Mattithyahu and told that Anthony and Nelli were relatives of a cardinal from the Vatican and were here on holiday.

  Nelli followed Matthew through the front door. The interior was as lovely as the outside with terra-cotta tiles on the floor and beamed ceilings. The walls were sandstone done in neutral tones of beige and off white. They took a quick walk through and placed their luggage upstairs in the bedrooms.

  Franco had prepared a light lunch for them on the loggia. Nelli asked Matthew to join them. For the next hour they relaxed and enjoyed the food and conversation.

  “Well I must be on my way.” Matthew pushed his chair back and stood up, giving them the keys and said to call if they had any questions. He also reinforced Franco would be a good source of information.

  Anthony and Nelli decided to unpack and meet back on the loggia at six o’clock. They would call Mary Ellen and then go into town for dinner.

  CHAPTER 41

  Devlin O’Farrell began running to deal with the stress aft
er the Church took away his right to be a priest. Before heading out that morning he did a little work on the computer and sent out some e-mails. During his run he thought about his conversation with his sister. He started to run faster thinking, I should have just left things as they were.

  He had finally come to terms with everything that had happened, and now Mary Ellen wanted to reopen that door again.

  When she asked him to consider her request he was just going to let it drop and not respond. He hoped she would get the message to let that door stay closed but what was this new information she said she had received?

  Did she have proof showing that he had not done what they had accused him of? His mind replayed that day when the letter from the Vatican came of the decision to excommunicate him. His world had shattered around him. It had taken a long time for him to rebuild his life and now Nelli wanted him to go back and relive it all over again.

  He didn’t want to revisit the past but he wondered was there something he’d missed that could have proved his innocence. Thinking back to just before the accusations against him took place, he tried to remember anything that might now seem strange.

  Back at the apartment, after a five-mile run, he headed to the fridge to get some water and glanced at his cell phone. There were a couple messages from Mary Ellen.

  “Well, Devlin, she must have received your e-mail.”

  About to call Mary Ellen back he stopped himself, “What have you started?” Realizing it was too late now, he had reopened the door to the past. He hit call, begging for it to go into voice mail.

  “Devlin, where have you been?”

  “Hello to you too Mary Ellen, you must have gotten my e-mail.”

  “Yes, thanks for sending me that address.”

  He was taken back with her comment. What was she talking about?

  Mary Ellen kept talking not giving her brother any time to reply.

  “Can you meet me for dinner around six o’clock? I thought we could meet at the place where I knocked that glass of red wine all over that new skirt I had just bought.”

  What in the world was going on? This wasn’t like Mary Ellen. She sounded okay,

  but he sensed fear in her voice; he played along.

  “Sure, you were really ticked if I remember correctly. I’ll see you at six.”

  “Remember six o’clock and don’t be late Devlin.”

  Devlin realized there was nothing he could do at the moment to find out what was going on with his sister. He would just have to wait until tonight.

  CHAPTER 42

  Nelli was looking forward to finally getting settled in one location and not feeling like she was living out of her suitcase. Her bedroom was beautifully done in earth tones similar to the downstairs foyer. It was spacious with a magnificent Tuscan style four-poster bed made out of carved olive wood. The floor was covered with a large tapestry area rug done in beiges, burgundies, and dark greens. Her hotel room in Rome had a balcony; here she had a terrace all to herself.

  She started unpacking; as she did she wondered what Larry was doing right now. It would be evening back in Michigan. After she got most of her things put away she looked for her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Walking out onto the terrace she punched in Larry’s number. As she waited for the connection her eye caught something off to her left. In the corner sitting on the ledge was a statue of an angel with her hands folded in prayer. It almost felt like it was going to speak to her.

  The phone began ringing. On the fourth ring she was ready to leave a message but then an out of breath Larry answered.

  “Nelli, finally I was going to call you in another hour if you hadn’t called. Where are you? Are you in Pesaro yet?”

  “We’re at the villa. We got here a few hours ago. It’s beautiful. I just finished unpacking and I’m standing out on the terrace outside my bedroom overlooking a small garden with a fountain. The villa is inland up in the hills of Pesaro a mile or two from the Adriatic. You would love it here Larry.”

  “Sounds beautiful, your own terrace, hey, now if I was there I could stand outside your balcony and serenade you.”

  “With your voice, that could be interesting.” Nelli started to laugh.

  “Are you saying I can’t sing? Seriously, how are you?”

  She hesitated, “I’m fine Larry.” She didn’t want to get into the events of the last couple days especially over the phone.

  “You sound a little unsure about that Nelli.”

  “No really, I’m fine. By the way, going to see Mary Ellen went really well.”

  “That’s great. I’m happy to hear that.”

  “I think I’m going to try and take a little nap before Anthony and I go into Pesaro. We thought we’d look around the area and find a place to eat for dinner.”

  “Okay, I miss you Nelli.”

  “I miss you too. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Have a good sleep.”

  “You too, bye.”

  Nelli set the phone down and took a moment to enjoy the view from the terrace. She was glad that for the next couple weeks, they would be tucked away up in the hills of Pesaro, away from the activity of staying at a hotel in town.

  A small gust of wind caused her to push back a few strands of hair that had fallen across her face, as she did she thought she detected the scent of a man’s aftershave cologne. Not any aftershave but the one her father always wore. She turned around to see if ….

  “Dad?”

  “Yes, Antonella, I’ve been waiting for you. Much has happened since our last visit. You now know Anthony is your Guardian and I see you have accepted your destiny.”

  “Yes, a lot has happened and I’m happy it’s Anthony.”

  “You sensed the presence of evil today, do not fear it but use it to guide you. Keep nothing from your brother. Trust your instincts and stay strong in your beliefs. It is when we start to question our faith that evil will tempt the soul to turn away from its beliefs and follow the false prophet. You are the Chosen One my dear Antonella and the false prophet will not want you to succeed in your quest. Remember you are not alone on this journey. All that have gone before are around you. Evil cannot win the pure of heart. The Holy Spirit will guide you. Believe in the true prophet. Only in that can we defeat evil. Bless you, my daughter. I will always be right here beside you.”

  Then it felt as if the wings of an angel brushed against her cheek and the scent from her father’s aftershave was no longer present. As she stood there, she realized the visits no longer frightened her. Everything had changed. She wasn’t alone any longer; she had an invisible wall of all the souls of the past Keepers of the Key surrounding her.

  As she started to head back into the bedroom she glanced at the little angel sitting there looking at her, “Well my new friend, I think I’ll get a quick shower and put some fresh clothes on before its time for me to meet up with Anthony.”

  CHAPTER 43

  The Diovan had worked perfectly. Cardinal Franco Cavallari’s induced vertigo attack happened as planned but had Thomas and the others believed it.

  He knew P2 had done their homework on him. A history of vertigo had been slipped into his medical records, along with newly diagnosed high blood pressure. Neither was life threatening but the severity of the vertigo attack could put someone out of commission for days. Unfortunately there was no magical pill for it.

  He had done extensive reading on vertigo and talked with others on the pretense he also had the condition, learning the terms people used and how they described their attacks. He researched side effects of medicines that could cause the same symptoms. One in particular met his needs. When taken in the right dosage it would create a controlled attack. No one would be suspicious of the pills he took assuming they were for his high blood pressure.

  Towards the end of the meeting he refilled his glass with more water and pulled out his pillbox. The others glanced at him. He raised the pill between his fingers and mouthed “blood pressure pill” and smiled. Now he just needed to wa
it. Having tested his reaction time, he knew within an hour to an hour and a half he would feel the effects from the medicine. He didn’t look forward to it but it would get him out of the evening’s activities and hopefully back to the Vatican. In a short while he would start to feel dizzy and nauseated. Even though the side effects from the medicine wouldn’t last long, he would continue to act out the symptoms.

  The meeting had finally ended and Thomas had left the room.

  General D’Amoto stood abruptly, “Well men I don’t know about you but after a long day discussing the takeover of the world, I plan to enjoy the evening to the fullest. I will see everyone back here at nine.” He headed towards the door. The other four stood up. Silvio and Angelo were in a deep discussion.

  The cardinal started to feel nauseated. He noticed Silvio and Angelo were heading over in his direction.

  “The meeting went well, don’t you think?” Silvio said to all the others. They all acknowledged their agreement.

  Peter Romanus was still watching from his villa in Arezzo. Even though the multiparameter monitoring screens were no longer tracking each of the men’s vital signs, Peter continued to observe and listen to their conversations. Automated numeric readouts were being printed out and would be looked at for any subtle increases in heart and pulse rate.

  Taking a sip of cognac Peter watched as the men walked towards the stairs. Suddenly Cardinal Cavallari grabbed the baluster.

  “Are you feeling all right Franco?” Vingenzo asked looking a little concerned.

  “I’m fine Vingenzo. I just felt a little light headed for a moment.”

  Cavallari knew that very shortly he would have what would look like to the others an attack of vertigo. As he reached the door to his bedroom he noticed a slip of paper sticking out from beneath the door. He bent down to pick it up. His world spun out of control. His hands found the wall and his body fell against it as he slid down and hit the floor.

  Vingenzo had just turned at the end of the hallway and was almost to his room when he heard the crash. Walking back to look down the hallway he saw the cardinal slumped against the wall.