Shroud of the Healer

  That scream. Matt felt his stomach lurch. It had definitely sounded like Zoé.

  He turned to his captor. "My girlfriend is in the village. She'll tell you who I am. I came to see where the visions had been."

  "Keep you hands on top of your head, monsieur. I am armed and believe me, this gun is not a vision."

  The man stood back. After being temporarily blinded by the flare Matt knew that he could never attempt to run. He wondered how long his captor had been watching him by the wire.

  The dim shape of clouds broke through the blackness. His eyesight was returning to normal. It might be possible to make a run down the hill, down to the road, and all the way to the village. But why bother?

  "I'm on holiday," he explained. "I'm English."

  "Turn to your right and start walking."

  Matt felt more concerned for Zoé than he did for himself. He could still hear the scream being repeated in his head. He kept his hands high as he set off in front of the armed guard towards the steel entry gates and the security lodge.

  *

  LOUVIERS WAITED outside the examination room where his men had brought the badly injured female. The nurses were ready, but a doctor was needed before further action could be taken. There were obvious injuries to the woman's legs and arms; but more seriously, she had received a critical head injury.

  The telephone rang and the team jumped at the unexpected noise. Louviers looked for someone to answer it, but the two nurses were busy attaching a drip to the woman.

  He picked up the phone. "Louviers here ... Dr. Kappa? There has been a major accident ... The emergency room. I'm there now ... I'd appreciate your presence here. Thank you."

  He replaced the phone and turned to the wheeled stretcher, the gurney, that held the body of the woman. Perhaps his men had been rather hasty in dragging her up the hill, but all suspicious persons had to be treated as potential terrorists.

  "Dr. Kappa is on his way," he explained to the team.

  "Increase the oxygen," the nurse shouted to her colleague who was adjusting the valve on the side of the black high-pressure cylinder. "We're putting her on the life support system immediately." She lowered her voice. "I wouldn't give much for her chances."

  Louviers watched the nurse punch the intravenous tube into the woman's lower arm. The heart monitor blipped an irregular beat but at least it kept going. Perhaps that was good.

  Captain Boué's voice came over the radio. "All's quiet outside the perimeter fence, Major. We have the IR and image intensifiers on three-sixty duty. Apart from the bats not even a rabbit has poked its nose out. We're monitoring the whole spectrum and have picked up no suspicious transmissions."

  "Have you sent anyone down to Tourvillon?"

  "Two men have just got back. There's an old English Mini car in the village square. So the suspect is probably telling the truth about his identity."

  "Has he said why he was at the wire?"

  "He denies trying to get in, but he keeps asking about the woman. We're not letting him near her. He's hysterical. Wants to know if she's his girlfriend."

  "And is she?"

  "Doubtful. He speaks good French but he's definitely English. The woman was delirious when we picked her up. Muttering away in perfect French."

  Louviers turned again to look at the pathetic figure on the stretcher, with a blue plastic tube rammed down her throat so the life support machine could ventilate her lungs. The trace on the pulse oximeter looked faint. She had tubes in her arms and wires stuck all over her chest. The nurse was probably right when she said she wouldn't give much for the woman's chances.

  He strode to the door and looked up the corridor. "How much longer is Dr. Kappa going to be?"

  Chapter Forty

  Clinic of the Little Sisters of Tourvillon

  "AND WHERE is the ... Italian Sister, Stephen?" The Pope's voice faltered but he sounded fully conscious.

  "You seem to be better for your short sleep, Holiness."

  "Stephen, as an American citizen I had expected you to follow the example of young George Washington and tell the truth."

  Valdieri shook his head but could not hide a smile. "If you ever catch me chopping down trees in the Vatican I shall remember what you said."

  The Holy Father's sedative had worn off rather quickly, but since he was mentally alert there was no point in glossing over the security implications.

  "There was a small problem in the area below the clinic." Valdieri didn't want to make the situation sound over-dramatic. "Some people were walking on the hillside and one of them has been involved in a serious accident."

  "A small problem? A serious accident? That sounds rather contradictory. Are you telling me the truth, Archbishop?"

  "Holiness!"

  The Holy Father took a deep breath. "Do I have to remind you, Stephen, that you must speak with me frankly? I would rather be surrounded by nurses than by soldiers armed to the teeth. However, if there is a danger to our welfare, I can accept the soldiers."

  Valdieri noticed the energy in the eyes. It seemed that already the site was having a beneficial effect. Another Lourdes? The possibilities were exciting.

  "To be honest, Holiness, there was some initial anxiety, so to be on the safe side we must accept the soldiers for a little longer."

  "And the Italian Sister? Allow Sister Angela to come to me, Stephen."

  Valdieri was quick to offer an explanation. "Sister Angela is ... frail, Holiness. Frail both in body and mind. Of course she wishes to meet with you. Indeed, she is most anxious to do so, but she has received no instruction in nursing."

  "The presence of the Italian Sister is all I ask tonight."

  "You call her the Italian Sister, Holiness, yet she was born here in Avignon. She leaned to speak Italian while working in a Rome hospital as an orderly."

  "You do not understand, Stephen." The Pope yawned discretely and seemed surprised that he should have yawned at all. "I wish to talk with the Sister about her time spent in Rome, about happier days when I enjoyed good health."

  "It is late, Holiness." Valdieri pointed to the small gilt clock on the shelf to the left of the bed. "The Sisters have retired now. Perhaps in the morning."

  "Then I will talk with Dr. Bernetti. I believe the clinic's neurosurgeon is Italian. You have lived in Rome for some time, but you are not a true Italian."

  "Is it so obvious?"

  "You speak Italian with an American accent."

  "I ... I didn't realize."

  "Take it as a compliment if you like." The Holy Father seemed in remarkably good form. "I have always valued your experience of cosmopolitan living."

  "Dr. Kappa insists on attending to you personally, however. Dr. Kappa has achieved the most amazing results in advanced surgical techniques."

  "You mean his patients remain alive?"

  Valdieri laughed. "They certainly live long enough to sing his praises."

  The Pope lay back against his high pillow. "Then I look forward to meeting him in the morning. But I would like to see Dr. Bernetti tonight."

  "Holiness, it is not possible." Valdieri tried to sound both firm and sympathetic. It would be better to change the subject. "The College of Cardinals send their best wishes. The official announcement of your visit here will not be made for some days. Your privacy is guaranteed."

  The slight shrug of the Holy Father's shoulders was probably a comment on the cardinals' own desire for privacy. He had often said that news of ill health, anyone's ill health, ought to be a matter for sharing within the Church for prayer.

  "In your view, Stephen, is Dr. Kappa a good man?"

  "Yes ... indeed." Valdieri could have kicked himself for allowing the slight hesitation. "A good man, Holiness."

  "But?"

  "I do not think there are any buts. I am sure he is the best man to attend to your condition."

  "That is reassuring." That was it. No further questions on the man who would hold the Holy Father's life in his hands. But the hesitation would be
stored away, perhaps to cause unnecessary anxiety when there ought to be complete trust in the healer. Valdieri clenched his fists. Absolute trust? Absolute trust in a senior member of the Knights of the Holy Succession? Complete trust in the enemy?

  The Holy Father looked up suddenly. "And the people on the hillside tonight?"

  "I do not understand, Holiness."

  "One has met with a serious accident, you say? The operating facilities are certain to be needed."

  "Holiness, nothing will stand in the way of your needs."

  The Pope struggled to sit upright again. "You do not understand me, Stephen. I cannot possibly receive priority."

  "Holiness!" Valdieri shook his head slowly. "The woman has received a severe head injury, as well as superficial wounds to her arms and legs. There will be emergency surgery tonight, but it is most unlikely the operating facilities will still be required for her tomorrow. Dr. Kappa is not expecting the patient to survive."

  *

  LOUVIERS ALLOWED Matt to go to the emergency room to confirm Zoé's identity. The guard who accompanied him held him back in the doorway, but it was close enough to see Zoé with tubes running from her side and arm to various bags. Between the dressings he could make out the white scalp where they had shaved her head. He ran forward before the guard could stop him. "You're going to get better," he whispered as he leaned over the inert body and kissed Zoé's forehead. "I love you."

  She lay without moving.

  He began to cry. "Zoé, I'll help you find another job where you'll be happy. Will you marry me?" It was a crazy reaction, but deep down he knew he meant it. It was a question he should have asked months ago.

  For a moment it seemed that she stirred, but maybe it was his imagination.

  "Mr. Rider?"

  He turned to see a man wearing a bloodstained green gown removing his surgical gloves.

  "I'm Dr. Kappa." The man put out a hand, then withdrew it quickly. "Didn't we meet earlier today in Mr. Clarkson's office?"

  Matt was glad not to be shaking hands. He'd not expected this man to be involved with Zoé. "I came with Alain Corbin," he said quietly.

  Kappa nodded as though understanding something that had been bothering him. "And the patient is the woman who was with you?"

  Matt nodded.

  "Yes, it makes sense now. And you claim she's your girlfriend?"

  "She's Zoé Champanelle. Yes, she's my girlfriend, and we're going to get married."

  "Perhaps." Kappa rubbed his chin. "Yes, for the moment let's say you know each other." He pulled Matt into the outer room. "Please, Mr. Rider, it is urgent that we speak in private."

  Matt wavered. Somehow he had to keep Kappa away from Zoé. Suddenly his inner thoughts exploded. "I want my girlfriend moved to a hospital in Avignon!"

  Kappa looked surprised. "We have the best facilities here, Mr. Rider. The very best."

  "I want her moved."

  "The patient is in no condition to go anywhere. I have instructed my staff to carry out a PET scan and..."

  "What's that?" Matt asked sharply.

  "PET? Positron Emission Tomography. We inject the brain with a radioactive solution and use a scanner to build up a three dimensional image of the brain. Believe me, any damage will be immediately evident."

  "Brain damage?" Matt looked at Zoé lying deathly still on the stretcher.

  "Mr. Rider, this woman fell from a considerable height onto hard ground. I have already relieved some pressure under the fracture on the side of her head, and reduced the internal bleeding. My team will now carry out further tests."

  "But not an operation?"

  Kappa looked Matt directly in the eyes. "I intend to operate as soon as this woman has been stabilized."

  "Don't you need a consent form?"

  "Can you get someone from her family here within the hour?"

  "Zoé's parents are on holiday in Italy. You needn't think I'm going to sign anything."

  "Unless you are related, your signature would be worthless. The patient comes under my control now."

  "No!"

  Kappa looked astonished at the response. "Mr. Rider, you're in shock. I intend to have you injected with a harmless sedative."

  "Not a sedative!" Matt stood with his back against the wall.

  "You're getting in my way, Mr. Rider."

  Matt looked around, his mind in confusion. Through the open door Zoé lay on the trolley connected to tubes while two nurses attended to her drips and oxygen supply. Kappa stood silently in his bloodstained gown. The room seemed unreal.

  "Mr. Rider?" Kappa closed the door to the recovery room.

  Matt ignored the surgeon. Kappa must know who had planted the bugs. He'd seen Zoé messing with the computer. Kappa's priority must be to protect K7.

  Alain Corbin might be able to help, but Alain was asleep at his home.

  The Mother Superior would never be part of a plot to kill anyone, and she might even be nursing the Pope at this moment. He marched forward and pushed open the door to the recovery room.

  "I want to see the Pope." It was an outrageous statement. The two nurses by Zoé's side looked up quickly.

  "You don't know what you've just said." Kappa came forward and gripped his shoulder. "You claim this woman is your girlfriend. I think you're afraid she'll tell us about your plans if she recovers. The GIGN were right, you are terrorists." Kappa pushed Matt against the wall and called one of the guards.

  Matt struggled to get one last glimpse of Zoé on the life-support trolley.

  A PET scan? Was there really such a thing?

  If this was a holy site he could try calling for a priest. Perhaps a sympathetic man of God would take a message to the outside world. The window was slightly open. He let his legs drop from under him. The sudden movement surprised the guard and he released his hold.

  Matt rolled away and jumped to his feet. Before the guard could reach him he pushed the window wide and yelled into the darkness of the Tourvillon countryside.

  "A priest! I want to see a priest!"

  *

  SISTER ANGELA heard a man cry out. There had been such comings and goings in the grounds. Soldiers running backwards and forwards in the darkness, but these soldiers were angels, good men. They were not like the enemy who had come to Tourvillon in the war, come to hurt and destroy.

  "Sister Angela, you must go back to bed. Straight away, please."

  She turned to see the Mother Superior standing in the pool of light that shone from the hallway. All around her the other Sisters lay in their makeshift beds, sleeping under the thin sheets.

  "Yes, Reverend Mother." Obedience was an important element of religious life, but sometimes it was difficult to do the bidding of a younger woman. First Tourvillon, then Rome, and back to Tourvillon. Life was hard and the discipline strict. "I only wanted to see the angels in the garden."

  "There are no angels, Sister Angela."

  "You are wrong, Reverend Mother. They are here to guard the Holy Father."

  Sister Angela returned to her temporary bed. A sudden thought excited her. As a teenager she used to roam through the gardens late at night, before she was admitted to the Order as a Sister. Those were times when she visited the village secretly.

  Tonight she would go for a walk, speak to the soldiers, and find out what the commotion was about. Perhaps she would even see the Pope in his room. What would the Holy Father be doing? Reading? Writing? Maybe ... She felt herself blush. No Sister should allow such thoughts to enter her mind, but she must warn the Holy Father of what she had heard.

  She slid from her bed and put on her white habit, then made her way carefully between the sleeping Sisters to the window, feeling for the security of the rosary at her side. The garden of the Little Sisters of Tourvillon was always an exciting place after dark.

  *

  MATT LOOKED at Major Louviers of the GIGN, trying to sum him up as a possible ally. He tried to see everyone here as a possible ally, but everyone failed to come up to expectations.


  "Tell me what you were trying to achieve, Monsieur Rider."

  What could he say? That he wanted to investigate Leanne Corbin's death? That the Knights of the Holy Succession were totally corrupt? That Dr. Kappa wanted to kill Zoé?

  "I need your help, Major Louviers."

  "Then help me first, monsieur. We were watching you on our night vision systems. We saw you crouching by the wire. We saw the woman climb the rock by the electricity line. She was going to interfere with the wires. It is all on tape. Tell me why she did it."

  Suddenly he knew. "The black kites! She wanted to see them close up."

  Louviers held out a black plastic box with two wires. He said nothing.

  Matt nodded. "I told Zoé to put it in the car. She wasn't going to use it."

  Louviers threw the phone bug onto the table. "And the other devices we found?"

  "Only two," said Matt. "I think the batteries wee no good. It was ... a sort of joke."

  "A joke, monsieur?"

  "I am a..." Should he say what he did for a living? No, not yet. "I'm English."

  "You speak good French."

  "My girlfriend is French."

  "And you decided to bug the Clinic of the Little Sisters of Tourvillon with les micros that do not work? I think you have come to harm the Holy Father."

  "I want to see a priest."

  "There are no priests."

  "Where is Alain Corbin?"

  "Alain Corbin? Ah yes, it is all a mystery. A nurse dies, and within two days her husband is up here with an English couple trying to bug the clinic that treated her."

  Matt made up his mind. This man would hear him out. "Major Louviers, I have good reason to..."

  A GIGN man opened the door. "We've picked up that batty Sister Angela in the grounds again."

  "Then tuck her back in bed, Jacques."

  The man hesitated as though taking the instruction literally. "I'm not sure I should do that, Major."

  "Then let the Mother Superior do it."

  "No, Major, there's something else. She still insists the Holy Father's life is in danger."

  "She's nothing but a nuisance." Louviers sounded irate. "Make sure they lock her in her room. That's all." The dismissal was brisk. Matt watched Louviers turn back to him. "You were going to say something, monsieur."

  Matt sat forward in the chair and rested his head in his hands. Sister Angela knew this place was corrupt, and they thought she was crazy. What notice would they take of him? "Zoé isn't just a girlfriend -- I've asked her to marry me."