The Serpent's Disciple Read online

  “Nelli, when you brought up the idea on the plane, I had already thought about the possibility that we could run into Mary Ellen at the Vatican. I never really explained why we separated to anyone. Mary Ellen and her family were devastated, as you know, by the sexual abuse accusations made against Devlin and the Church’s decision to excommunicate him. He swore it was not true. She became obsessed with clearing his name. She would get leads and then hit a dead end. This happened over and over. Time kept ticking by and we were growing more and more distant. I threw myself into my work as you know.

  “I’m so sorry Anthony, everyone always wondered what happened. We figured when you wanted to talk about it you would.”

  “Time does heal. I guess it’s time to be a grown-up. Mary Ellen was never able to clear her brother’s name. I’m sure that has been difficult for her to accept.”

  Nelli rested her hand on Anthony’s, “Are you saying I can call Mary Ellen and tell her we would like to stop by her office tomorrow?”

  “Yes Nelli, you can call and tell her we will stop by after our meeting with Cardinal Rossini.”

  Nelli squeezed his hand, “I know you won’t regret it.”

  As Anthony looked down he visualized the mark of the stigmata beneath the hand that was now resting on his.

  CHAPTER 25

  Mary Ellen could do without another morning like today, first that disturbing card and then the surprise phone call from Nelli. She decided to walk home after work to unwind and clear her head. It was a perfect evening for a walk along the beautiful tree-lined avenue—Lungotevere Tor di Nona, which ran along the Tiber River.

  She had been lucky finding the apartment at Lungotevere Tor di Nona 3. The owner had just finished making the upper floor into an apartment when Mary Ellen was searching for a place to live. The timing couldn’t have been better and a week later she moved in. Located right in the heart of the eternal city, it was just around the corner from Piazza Navona. Also close by were the Museo Napoleonico, the Pantheon, and it was only fifty meters from Castel Sant’ Angelo, and of course in walking distance to Vatican City.

  After getting home, she changed clothes and warmed up some leftovers from the night before. Then she sat down with the file Father Roberto had sent on her brother’s case and started reading.

  A boat going by on the Tiber blew its whistle and startled her. Glancing at the clock, she couldn’t believe the time, she had been reading for almost two hours. Reading through the police reports and the witness statements, red flags were popping up everywhere. None of the evidence gathered pertaining to the allegations had been substantiated. There was no objective evidence. Leads had not been followed up on. The whole case was based on hearsay.

  The investigator, a Father Gallo, seemed to be leading the witnesses against her brother with his questions. She was noticing a pattern, it was subtle but it was there.

  An order called the Legion of Christ was mentioned in some of the statements. She would look into that more.

  Tomorrow she would request files of other cases against priests and compare the evidence. Something was terribly wrong and she intended to get some answers. Everything in the file was too precise, too organized. It was as if a checklist had been made up, of what was needed to bring a judgment of excommunication against her brother, and then someone gathered the necessary documents. Her thoughts were running wild. She had to call Devlin.

  “Where the hell is it?” She rummaged through her purse. Then she remembered she’d put the phone in the pocket of her jacket.

  “Devlin pick up, please be home.”

  “Hello Mary, how is my dear sister tonight?”

  “Thank goodness you answered.”

  “Is something wrong? Are you all right Mary Ellen?”

  “Devlin, I know you have tried to put this behind you.”

  “Mary Ellen, let’s not go there.”

  “Devlin, I have to talk to you about this. I just received information I’ve never seen before.”

  “Mary Ellen please, the accusations made about me were hard enough, especially since I was innocent, but I was still excommunicated by the Church.”

  “I know Devlin but this file has reports and testimonies that I hadn’t seen before. Something is not right Devlin. It’s very subtle but it’s as if you were set up. Before the archbishop called you into his office, to inform you that a charge of sexual misconduct had been reported against you to the Italian police, you were hearing and seeing things that were concerning you. I need you to write down what you heard and saw that made you uneasy. Would you please do that for me?”

  “I don’t know Mary Ellen. I don’t know if I can go through all that again.”

  “Just think about it overnight. We can talk more about it tomorrow. You’ll never believe who I got a call from today, Nelli Andruccioli, Anthony’s sister.”

  “You’re kidding! How did it go?”

  “It brought back a lot of feelings I have tried to put behind me, not unlike you, dear brother.

  I told you that I had heard Anthony’s father Alberto had died not too long ago.

  They decided to visit Pesaro, where he was born, but first they plan to stop in Rome.

  Anthony has an appointment tomorrow at the Vatican. His firm has been hired to consult on a project.

  Nelli asked if they could stop by my office.”

  “So will they be stopping by to see you?”

  “He doesn’t know Nelli contacted me. She is supposed to call me tonight and let me know if Anthony will agree to it.”

  “So how would you feel about seeing Anthony again?”

  “It’s been a long time but I decided it’s time to put the past behind.”

  “I’ll talk with you tomorrow and find out what happened,” said Devlin. “I’ll say a prayer for you tonight.”

  “Thank you Devlin but remember to think about the other matter we spoke about too.”

  “I will Mary Ellen. Goodnight, remember I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Mary Ellen had forgotten to tell him about the strange card she received. She must remember to tell him tomorrow. It was getting late and Nelli had not called yet. Mary Ellen came to the conclusion that Nelli couldn’t get Anthony to agree to stop by her office. Oh well, she would try and contact Nelli in a few weeks and see how their visit to Pesaro went.

  Getting into bed she jotted down a few notes concerning her brother’s file and questions she wanted answers to. Her cell phone rang. No name or number was showing up.

  “Hello?”

  “Mary Ellen, its Nelli. Have I called too late?”

  “No, it’s fine Nelli. I was just writing down some things I needed to do tomorrow.” Her heart started to beat faster in anticipation of what Nelli would say next.

  “Anthony and I would like to stop by tomorrow. His appointment with Bishop Rossini is at ten o’clock. Would eleven-thirty work for you?”

  Mary Ellen was speechless. Had she heard Nelli correctly?

  “Mary Ellen? Are you still there?”

  “Yes Nelli, I’m sorry, that would be just fine. I will alert my assistant that you will be stopping by. I’m looking forward to seeing you Nelli and please tell Anthony it will be nice to see him again too.”

  “I’m excited to see you too, Mary Ellen. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight Nelli.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Thomas looked around the table. Each man here enjoyed great power and with that came a life of luxury and prestige. They had been asked to do unspeakable acts along the way to get to this point within the P2 organization. They were all in too deep now to turn back. If they had second thoughts, they knew the consequences of what would happen to them, but could they live with what their loved ones would go through because of a moment of weakness?

  The decision to add Cardinal Cavallari this late in the plan was done on purpose. Thirty years ago P2 had almost been destroyed by Pope John Paul I. The Grand Master had gotten close to achieving his dream
of a one-world religion but a list of names the Pope was going to expose of all the P2 members in the Vatican made the elimination of Pope John Paul I necessary. The newest Grand Master was not going to allow any chance of that happening again. This time nothing would go wrong. Like the symbol of their secret society, the cobra silently and slowly seeks out its victim, and then waits patiently until the time is right to strike.

  Thomas cleared his throat to get the men’s attention.

  “You’re all aware gentlemen of how close we are to our final goal. What happens in the next week will change the course of the world, as we know it. Everything is in place. You have been given a specific time to call in. At that time you will be given your final series of instructions. After executing those instructions, you will return here as the final transfer of power takes place. In the first weeks of transition you are to set up your new departments worldwide. Within six months the New World Order will be in full operation with our leader at its helm.”

  The sixty-five-year-old Cardinal Cavallari spoke for the first time.

  “As the newest member here today I want to thank you for your warm acceptance.”

  Vingenzo broke in, “We are honored to have you as part of the group. Together we will have a hand in reshaping the world. The Vatican and Banca Nazionale del Lavoro have a long history and we look forward to the continuation of that relationship.” Vingenzo leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands on his lap.

  “Thank you, Vingenzo. I have no reason to think the relationship will not be a rewarding one. With our help, may I add, the time is right to fulfill the dream of P2 and the Grand Master. The Catholic Church is in uncertain times. I believe it is the right time to initiate the plan for one worldwide religion.”

  Sitting across the table from the cardinal, Silvio spoke next.

  “Each of our roles is essential to bring about this historic event. I have worked with other world leaders and most of them realize that a global government is the way of the future. There are a few that have not accepted this idea but when the time comes, they will not have a choice except to come on board. If they refuse to join us, they will be replaced.

  “Even though we will have the privately signed pledges of all the major world government leaders, religion is the underlying factor that creates unrest throughout the world.

  “A perfect example is what we are witnessing in the Middle East. Once those governments are under the Naj Hannah’s control he will institute the new world religion.

  “With the Vatican becoming the seat of power for both religion and government combined, the future holds unimaginable possibilities! Under our new leader the world will be unrecognizable as we know it now.”

  The four others silently nodded their heads in agreement.

  Thomas also knew this would be the last time he would ever see these men again. After they had fulfilled their roles they would no longer be of use to P2. A drawing had already taken place among the inner circle of which five disciples would get the honor of eliminating the five men that sat before him this afternoon.

  Thomas remained quiet letting the men exchange thoughts and settling in before they got down to the serious business of today’s final meeting. He wondered how Peter was feeling seeing his dream being so close to completion.

  Miles away Peter Romanus listened and observed the men in the room. He had been able to bribe someone in the U.S. Department of Defense to get the prototype of a new device they were working on that monitors vital signs of an individual at distances up to one hundred feet. The scancorders, devices no larger than a PDA had been installed in each chair and were working superbly.

  CHAPTER 27

  Mary Ellen woke up before her alarm went off. It was still dark outside. She laid there going over yesterday’s events. This was ridiculous, she knew she wouldn’t go back to sleep. She might as well get up. After making coffee she went out on the patio.

  There was a slight breeze and the air felt cool against her skin. Dawn approached as the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon. Glancing at the skyline she could make out the top of St. Peter’s Basilica slowly taking shape. It was a beautiful view, one she never grew tired of. Everything was so peaceful at this time of the day. It almost seemed as if yesterday was all a dream and when she got to her office today, it would be just a regular day of appointments, meetings, and phone calls.

  She watched as a large barge was slowly making its way down the Tiber. Lights in a few windows were starting to come on, people getting up to start a new day. She got a little more coffee and headed into the bathroom to take a shower.

  Across the river Cardinal McKenna had also awoken early. His meeting yesterday with Pope Benedict had been quite disturbing. As is always the case, there are Swiss Guards stationed at the entrance to the Pope’s apartment twenty-four hours a day when he is in residency.

  When Cardinal McKenna had arrived at the door to the papal apartment, one of the guards unexpectedly stepped in front of him, “I am sorry cardinal but I must ask to see your identification. It will then be necessary for me to search you.”

  McKenna was surprised by the request but nodded that he understood. Finishing, the guard stepped to the side and knocked twice on the door. It was opened from inside by another Swiss guard. Upon entering, the door closed silently behind him.

  McKenna had thought the meeting was going to be just between himself and Pope Benedict, but Bishop Moretti from the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Conti from the Tribunals, and Commander Crevelli of the Swiss Guard were also present. They were all seated except for Commander Crevelli who stood at attention next to the Pope. Pope Benedict smiled warmly at Cardinal McKenna.

  “Please be seated, Donovan.”

  Crevelli then handed the cardinal a folder saying, “Open it please. Have you ever seen this before, Cardinal McKenna?”

  As McKenna looked inside he was horrified by what he saw. Closing the folder, he quickly handed it back to the Commander.

  Rifling through the papers on his lap, he found the envelope he had received a short while ago. As he pulled out the card, his hand began to shake.

  “This was delivered to my office this morning. What does it mean? Do you know who sent them?” The folder he was handed contained an identical card to the one he had received.

  “I regret to have to tell you this but it was found lying next to the body of Father Roberto.”

  Donovan suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

  “What are you saying?”

  “Early this morning Father Roberto’s body, what was left of it, was discovered in the archives by another priest.”

  This can’t be happening thought McKenna, Father Roberto can’t be dead; he had just received the file from him this morning. Donovan’s head was spinning.

  “Who would do this and why?” looking at the commander for answers.

  “That’s what we are going to find out. Whoever did this wanted to send a warning. Now with you having received the same card, we must find out what you and Father Roberto accidently uncovered that someone does not want known.”

  CHAPTER 28

  Father Roberto had come to Vatican City two years earlier. Ever since he was twelve years old he wanted to be a priest but he also had an interest in science, especially the study of epistemology or the theory of knowledge. He felt very blessed, ordained eight years ago; he had also been able to get a doctorate in science and was brought to Rome to work in the Pontifical Academy of Sciences under the Prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives, Sergio Pagano. It was a dream that came true for him.

  He had taken a personal interest in the development of the crippling affect the allegations of sexual misconduct by clergy was having on the Church. On his own time, he had been investigating the evidence on the accusations, the history of the victims, backgrounds of the clergy accused, and actions the Church had taken.

  Every religion has dealt with some of the same issues. The sins of man can be found everywhere and unfortunately that includes
the Catholic Church. There’s always a pattern if you look deep enough and Father Roberto was starting to see one that worried him.

  The scope of the allegations was growing faster and wider than could be justified by a rational explanation. He felt in his bones that there was some kind of outside force that was feeding on these events. He had always struggled between the study of epistemology and critical thinking, which occurs whenever one must figure out what to believe or what to do.

  The Vatican faced some very serious issues and no one knew where it all might lead. Maybe if he very carefully pieced together all the information he was gathering he could find some answers to explain the evil that was taking place within the Church. He wasn’t unwilling to consider that there could be a conspiracy to bring down the Church. Could Satan’s disciples be behind this destructive path that so many of his fellow brethren had risked going down?

  There was something about the order of the Legion of Christ that troubled him. The founder of the order, a Father Marcil, was of great interest to him. Roberto had been looking into his circle of friends and the obscure events that followed many of their meetings. He started inquiring and requesting documents on the background of a few of the individuals, who always seemed to be present at the gatherings. He was told that whatever he needed to know about them could be found through public records or press releases. Responding that he had already done that, he was then told his request would be passed on and someone would get back to him. Funny thing was no one ever got back to him. It seemed these individuals were being protected from prying eyes.

  Then there was the personal request from Ms. O’Farrell, for any information he came across that might give some insight into her brother’s case, since she knew he was doing research on the sexual scandal that was tearing the Church apart.

  Father Roberto was surprised at the judgment by the tribunal to excommunicate Devlin O’Farrell, based on the information he was uncovering. There was no solid evidence against him and there was again a connection to the Legion of Christ.