The Serpent's Disciple Page 9

  “Yes, good morning Carlotta.”

  Her assistant stood in front of her but seemed unusually quiet.

  “I was hoping to be here before you.”

  “I didn’t finish some things yesterday before leaving to meet with my friends, so I decided to come in early.”

  “Have you heard the news?” Carlotta asked nervously.

  “From the look on your face, I’m sure I haven’t heard what you’re about to tell me.”

  “I hate to be the one to tell you . . . Father Roberto is dead.”

  Mary Ellen gasped, “But I just talked to him. There must be some mistake. He can’t be dead. Are you sure?”

  “Yes Ms. O’Farrell the guard at the front gate just told me.”

  “How did he die?” Mary Ellen felt sick to her stomach.

  “That’s the strange thing. They’re not saying. When I came in this morning, I noticed an increase in security. He was such a nice young priest. At least we know he is with our Lord now.”

  Mary Ellen looked down trying to collect her thoughts. Inadvertently her eyes fell upon the file that she grabbed from her mailbox this morning. The handwriting on the envelope was Father Roberto’s. She didn’t know why but she suddenly felt terrified. She didn’t want to show Carlotta she was alarmed.

  “Yes Carlotta, to lose such a young soul as Father Roberto is a great loss. Please send my condolences to his family today, would you please, and find out when the funeral will be.”

  Carlotta nodded and then turned to leave, closing the door silently behind her. Mary Ellen stared at the file. As she started to open it her hands began to shake and the tears began to fall. Could it be because of her he was dead? She should have never asked him to help her.

  Trying to gain her composure, she looked at the top sheet of paper. There in front of her was a handwritten outline with names, dates, and reference numbers. Flipping through some of the other materials there were copies of e-mails, photos, documents, and more, much more.

  She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. It could be the proof she needed to prove her brother’s innocence. Mary Ellen picked up the phone to call Father Roberto to thank him. Her hand froze in midair.

  Outside the walls of the Vatican, Shim’on, one of two Guardians that had been sent to protect Mary Ellen, was on the phone with Cephas. The equipment that was set up in Mary Ellen’s office was working splendidly. They already knew about Father Roberto from their source inside the Vatican but had listened in as Mary Ellen was told about the priest’s death.

  “Her assistant just informed her about Father Roberto,” said Shim’on. “She was shocked when she heard the news. She also received a file that seems to have upset her.”

  “We need to see what’s in that file, Shim’on,” demanded Cephas. “See what you can do about that. Tau’ma should be at his destination by now. I will follow up with you later.”

  Back in her office, Mary Ellen gently placed the phone down. “Relax, think what your next move should be,” she told herself. “You need to figure out a plan.” Her thoughts were scattered; she needed to focus. About to send e-mails to Devlin, Cardinal McKenna, and Anthony, she stopped herself. What if someone is watching me or has hacked into my computer? She was becoming paranoid. She didn’t even feel safe inside the Vatican. Grabbing a note pad she began writing down a list of things to do.

  1. Have Carlotta make an appointment with Cardinal McKenna

  2. Call Dev, meet somewhere private

  3. Call Anthony

  4. Look into the investigation of sexual allegations by the Church and any connection to the LC.

  Then she buzzed Carlotta.

  “Yes Ms. O’Farrell.”

  “Please set up an appointment with Cardinal McKenna. Ask if it would be possible to meet with him this morning. Express it is of some urgency.”

  “Of course, can I say what it’s about?”

  “Just tell him I have some something of interest to discuss with him.”

  “I will do that immediately.”

  Next Mary Ellen called Devlin using her cell phone. It went into voice mail.

  “Dev, it’s me. Call me ASAP.”

  Then she opted to send a text message to Anthony thinking he might respond quicker than listening to a voice message. She desperately wanted to talk with someone she could trust. There was one more person she could try, Nelli. She prayed she would answer her phone.

  CHAPTER 37

  The human race works so hard at trying to figure out what life is all about, Peter thought to himself. The answers have always been right in front of them. All they have to do is follow the script; it’s not as if it’s a hidden secret.

  The fact is the Bible has sold more copies than any other book in history, but there was this thing called free will. Peter learned early that temptation was a powerful weapon. The story of Adam and Eve, plus numerous examples throughout the Old Testament further substantiated what he already knew, that if you find a person’s weaknesses they were yours to control.

  The Lord’s Prayer even addresses this: Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. A prayer every Catholic and Christian recites asking for the strength to choose good over evil.

  Peter had studied the Bible. He had read it for very different reasons than most people. It was the ultimate training manual of how to build his army of souls and become the final successor to the papal seat and the leader of the New World Order.

  There was a fine line between good and evil. In his mind he visualized a person teetering on a fence. On the right side was the Holy Spirit with an outstretched hand saying Come with me and put your trust in the Lord. On the left was the serpent holding out an apple hissing, Come with me and pick from the tree of knowledge; it will give you all you desire. Everyone knows how that ended.

  Like the serpent, Peter Romanus was the wolf in sheep’s clothing, making false promises to those who followed him. He couldn’t believe his good fortune. It was as if destiny, without realizing it had created all this chaos just for his benefit.

  Peter, an only child, was raised in a Catholic household and attended parochial schools. After graduating from high school, he continued with his education, receiving several degrees from some of the most prestigious universities in the world. His parents had always hoped he might have a calling to the priesthood but eventually they gave up on that dream. They watched, as their son became this charismatic individual who people turned to for leadership. They came to accept his destiny had already been written.

  His parents passed from this earth more than twenty years ago. It was better that way. They would have never been able to live with the man their son had evolved into.

  As a young man Peter joined the Masonic Order of Freemasonry in Italy known as the Grande Orient or the GOI. It was recognized by the mainstream Freemasonry UGLE (United Grand Lodge of England) and the U.S. Grand Lodges, but the Lodge’s freethinking was being replaced by a leftist approach that worried the Masons.

  Peter was assigned the task of reorganizing the Lodge. Being given this responsibility he was able to obtain a list of “sleeping members”—members no longer invited to take part in Masonic rituals.

  Within two years Peter conceived the idea of secretly forming a “shadow society” within the Lodge and declared himself the Grand Master whose members reported to him and him alone. Even the freemasons were unaware that this covert organization existed. From the start it was illegal. It was not registered and only Peter knew the names of the members. He gave it the name P2, after the nineteenth century Lodge “Propaganda Due.”

  Under his leadership P2 became the most powerful, political, and violent secret organization in Italy, with its long arms reaching into Europe, the United States, and South America.

  He had become the leader of thousands and controlled, or should one say influenced the lives of many powerful men and women around the world. Peter was aware it had become known as the executive branch of the Illuminati and soon he would oc
cupy the final seat of power in the Vatican. His plan had come together; better than he could have ever dreamt.

  Taking control of world governments had been simple but tempting the faithful to turn away from their beliefs had been more difficult. Creating mistrust among them had been his greatest challenge.

  Lives meant little to Peter Romanus. They were a means to an end. If he could tempt the Chosen Ones called to become priests, bishops, and cardinals, his power was proving to be as great as God’s.

  The world will be looking for a new leader. He would promise to bring back peace and security to the world, but he had no intention of keeping those promises. He intended to create a one-world religion and a one-world government with a cashless society.

  The New World Order would have sovereign authority over all religion, oversee all governments, and regulate the world’s finances. His dream finally realized.

  CHAPTER 38

  Anthony and Nelli decided to stop for a cup of coffee in a small village just outside of Ancona. Anthony would check in with the other Guardians and get updates on any new developments.

  Checking his phone he noticed there were two new messages. The first one was from Cephas: “Must talk call ASAP.” The second was from Mary Ellen: “Please call me.” He must have shown his concern as he read them because Nelli noticed the change in his facial expression.

  “What’s wrong Anthony?”

  “Nothing, why?”

  “You look worried about something.”

  “Just a couple text messages came through I hadn’t noticed; one’s actually from Mary Ellen. I wonder why she called. We said we would call her when we got to Pesaro.”

  Nelli was a little curious too but didn’t think too much of it.

  “I need to call the one person back first, and then we’ll try calling Mary Ellen. Go ahead and order a couple espressos and something to eat. I’m going to stretch my legs a little and make my call.”

  He wanted to have privacy when he called Cephas but not get too far away from his sister. Cephas picked up on the second ring.

  “Tau’ma, finally, Ya’agov called me, a priest was found dead in the stacks of the Vatican library, a Father Roberto. The Vatican is reporting it was from natural causes, but Ya’agov said he was murdered. There is heightened security everywhere inside the Vatican and it is rumored the Pope is leaving to go to an undisclosed location for a few days. He also said there is a video, showing someone wearing the garments of a cardinal in the mail center after hours. But the person deliberately keeps his face hidden from the cameras.”

  “When was the priest found?” Anthony was trying to piece together a timetable.

  “His body was found around five a.m.”

  “Was anything left behind?”

  “I don’t know anything else at the moment, but I will find out more as soon as I can without causing suspicion.”

  Cephas told Anthony that he had also taken pictures of the mail room with his phone and was sending them to all the others to study.

  “Let’s tighten up the surveillance on Mary Ellen, too. Have the cameras and listening devices been installed in her home and office?”

  “Yes, it’s all been taken care of. We have live feed 24/7.”

  “I got a text message from Mary Ellen to call her,” continued Anthony. “I wonder if she knows about Father Roberto. Let me know immediately what you find out. We should be in Pesaro by eleven o’clock. Cephas, Nelli knows about us, she made the connection in the car this morning. This vacation has now turned into a search to find a box once belonging to

  Saint Anthony. Whoever this Antichrist is, believes his power is as great as God’s. The battle has begun.” Anthony headed back to the table.

  “Did you get everything taken care of?” asked Nelli. But she could see he was troubled.

  “Yes, now let’s make that call to Mary Ellen.”

  “Anthony,” said Nelli, not sure what to say, “While you were on the phone Mary Ellen called me.”

  Anthony instinctively knew Mary Ellen had told Nelli about Father Roberto.

  “You already know don’t you Anthony?” said Nelli, “that’s what your text message and phone call were about.”

  “Yes Nelli, what else did Mary Ellen tell you?”

  “Not too much. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it on the phone. I told her we would call her after we got to Pesaro. I could tell by her voice she’s scared Anthony. Can we get one of the Guardians to protect her?”

  He could see Nelli was saddened by the news but he sensed she was not the least concerned about her own welfare, which made him even more determined to protect his sister.

  “It’s already been taken care of.”

  “One more thing, there was a file from Father Roberto waiting for her when she got to the office this morning. She said it contains information pertaining to her brother’s case. There are copies of bank deposit slips and a list of names and other documents in the file. There’s also mention several times of an order called the Legion of Christ. Mary Ellen said she had a feeling this was a harbinger of more to come.”

  As Anthony listened to what his sister was telling him, he silently asked God to welcome the soul of Father Roberto into his kingdom. Then he asked for the strength and wisdom he would need in this war against man’s soul.

  Anthony could feel Nelli’s eyes on him, waiting for a response.

  “We know our enemy has no soul. Father Roberto is the first soldier to die in this battle. Let’s get back on the road; we should reach Pesaro in an hour.”

  As they got in the car, a black Mercedes with tinted windows passed by, going a little too fast. It swerved as Anthony started to open the door on the driver’s side. Glancing at the car as it sped past him Anthony made a mental note of the license plate.

  CHAPTER 39

  In his office on the second floor of the Papal Palace, Cardinal Donovan McKenna sat at his desk. He was going over the events of the last twenty-four hours in his head.

  First the mysterious card delivered to him with the embossed head of a cobra, followed by his meeting with the Holy Father and the other officials of the Vatican. Then learning of the death of Father Roberto and the discovery of yet another card with the same drawing as the one he had received. On top of everything else the Vatican had a new problem on their hands.

  That morning Mediaset broadcasting released information leaked to them surrounding a Father Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legion of Christ Order. McKenna reread the news release from the Internet.

  This morning it was reported that a Father Maciel has fathered at least one child, breaking his vows of celibacy as an ordained priest in the Roman Catholic Church.

  There are now other questions concerning the order of the Legion of Christ that he founded in 1942. We have sources reporting that Pope Benedict XVI is aware of these latest developments and with the growing scandal of sexual allegations, we can only wonder if this will be the ruin of the Catholic Church as we know it.

  We have also received an unsubstantiated report that a young priest was found dead early this morning inside Vatican City. The name is not being released and not much information is being given concerning his death.

  We will continue to look into the latest developments surrounding the Vatican and the Holy See and update the public as soon as we learn more.

  It was always known that the TV news network owned by media mogul Angelo Acciaiolio was far left politically. They had a socialist view of the world and what it should be. The Vatican being a Sovereign State was protected from their reporters’ eyes and ears but somehow they found out about Father Roberto.

  Lately a lot of their featured stories were centered on the opinions of their talking heads spieling socialistic views to world problems that seemed to be escalating daily. One of their solutions was the restructuring of religion and government into one ruling body.

  Now this, as he gently ran his hand over his name on the front of the envelope. As he did he said
a prayer for Father Roberto’s soul. McKenna recognized the handwriting immediately. Were these the last thoughts and words of a young priest so full of life and promise?

  Pulling the file from the envelope and flipping it open, a handwritten outline on the first sheet of paper stared up at him. After that were copies of documents, reports, and photos. There were notations, words circled, references, and links to dates and names.

  “What did you uncover Roberto?” Donovan whispered under his breath.

  As he flipped through the file one of the pages jumped out at him. At the top were the words Legion of Christ (LC). Under that was a breakdown of the organizational structure of the Order with notations and question marks throughout the page. That’s the second time in one day. He continued to leaf through more pages and came to the last sheet. He felt flushed and his heart started to race. He slammed the file shut.

  “It can’t be the same.”

  McKenna slowly opened the file again to the last page. At the top of the sheet of paper was the drawing of the head of a cobra. Beneath it were the words Antichrist/Naj Hannah. Underneath that, in Father Roberto’s handwriting was what looked like a genealogy chart for a family tree. He recognized a few names but the others were unfamiliar to him. He jumped when the phone on his desk rang. It was his assistant Robert calling.

  “Yes Robert.”

  “I’m sorry to disturb you; Ms. O’Farrell from the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences is requesting an appointment. Her assistant expressed there is some urgency to the meeting and that she must speak to you privately.

  “Can we find some time in my schedule this morning?”

  “I already checked and the first possible time would be tomorrow morning at nine-thirty. Would like me to set up the appointment?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  As the prefect of the CDF the present scandals fell under his watch. In the meeting with Pope Benedict, McKenna remembered what the Pope recounted of the prophecy of Saint Anthony to all in the room.