“This does not look good.” Michael moaned. “Unfortunately, that’s my rent-a-car up there.”
About fifty feet ahead, a tan Fiat van with its blinkers flashing was parked by the curb. Immediately behind it was a blue-and-white police car with its blue light flashing. The heads of two officers were silhouetted in the front seat.
“What should we do?” Daniel asked urgently. “What about renting another?”
“I don’t think the rent-a-car concessions are open yet,” Michael retorted. “It would take too long.”
“What about a taxi?” Stephanie offered. “We have to get away from this airport. We could rent a car in town.”
“That’s a thought,” Michael said. He looked at the empty taxi line. “The problem is, there won’t be taxis down here until the first flight arrives, and I don’t know when that will be. For us to get a cab, we’d have to go back upstairs, which I hardly feel is a good idea. I think we have to risk taking my car. These are Vigli Urbani, or municipal traffic police. I doubt they are specifically looking for us, at least not yet. They’re probably waiting for a tow truck.”
“What will you say?”
“I’m not sure,” Michael admitted. “There’s no time to be particularly creative. I’ll just try to take advantage of my status as a priest.” He took a breath to fortify himself. “Come on! When we get to the car, just get in. I’ll do the talking.”
“I don’t like this,” Stephanie said.
“Nor do I,” Michael admitted. He urged everyone forward. “But I think it is our best shot. In a few minutes, every security person here at the airport is going to be searching for all of us high and low. Monsignor Mansoni caught sight of me.”
“You two know each other?” Stephanie asked.
“Let’s say we are acquaintances,” Michael responded.
There was no more talking as the group walked quickly and deliberately toward the Fiat Ulysse. Michael went around behind the police car to pass on the driver’s side. When he got to the Fiat, he keyed it open and slid in behind the wheel as if he hadn’t even noticed the police car. Stephanie and Daniel arrived at the passenger side and immediately climbed into the backseat.
“Padre!” one of the policeman yelled. He’d alighted from his car when he’d caught sight of Michael getting into the Fiat. The second policeman stayed in the car.
Michael had not yet closed the car door when the policeman called. He climbed back out of the car and stood up.
Daniel and Stephanie watched from inside. The policeman walked up to Michael. He was dressed in a two-tone blue uniform with a white belt and a white holster. He was a slightly built fellow who spoke in a rapid staccato fashion, as did Michael. The conversation was accompanied by lots of gesticulations culminating in the policeman pointing ahead and then making sweeping motions with his hand. At that point, Michael climbed back into the car and started the engine. A moment later, the Fiat emerged from beneath the departure ramp and headed for the airport exit.
“What happened?” Stephanie questioned nervously. She looked out the back window to make sure they were not being followed.
“Luckily, he was mildly cowed by my being a priest.”
“What did you say?” Daniel asked.
“I just apologized and said it was an emergency. Then I asked where the nearest hospital was, which apparently he bought. From then on, all he was doing was giving me directions.”
“You speak fluent Italian?” Stephanie asked.
“It’s not too bad. I went to the seminary in Rome.”
As soon as he could, Michael left the main thoroughfare to drive along a small country road. After driving a short distance, they were in a rural setting.
“Where are we going?” Daniel asked. He looked out the window with obvious concern.
“We are going to stay off the autostradas,” Michael said. “It will be safer. To tell you the truth, I don’t know the extent to which they will search for you people. But I just don’t want to risk going through the tollbooths.”
When an opportunity presented itself, Michael pulled off onto the shoulder and stopped the car. With the engine running, he got out of the car and disappeared for a few minutes into the darkness of the bushes. The sun had yet to come up, but it was light.
“What’s going on?” Stephanie asked.
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Daniel said. “But if I had to guess, I’d say he’s relieving himself.”
Michael reappeared and climbed back into the car. “Sorry,” he said, without further explanation. He leaned across and got several maps out of the glove compartment.
“I’m going to need a copilot,” he said. “Are either one of you good at reading a map?”
Daniel and Stephanie exchanged glances.
“She’s probably better than I,” Daniel admitted.
Michael unfolded one of the maps. He looked over his shoulder at Stephanie. “How about coming up here in the front seat. I really am going to need help until we get beyond Cuneo.”
Stephanie shrugged, got out from the backseat, and came around to get in the front.
“This is where we are,” Michael said, after turning on the interior light and pointing to a spot on the map northeast of Turin. “And this is where we are going.” He moved his finger down to the base of the map and plunked it down on the coast of the Mediterranean.
“Nice, France?” Stephanie questioned.
“Yes. That’s the closest major airport outside of Italy if we go south, which I recommend, since we can travel on minor roads. We could head north to Geneva, but that would require going on major roads, including a major border crossing. I think south is safer and therefore better. Do you both agree?”
Daniel and Stephanie shrugged. “I suppose,” Daniel remarked.
“All right,” Michael said. “Here’s the route.” He again used his finger as he spoke. “We’ll drive through Turin on our way to Cuneo. From there, we go over the Colle di Tenda. Once we cross the border, which is unmanned, we will stay in France, even though the main road south goes back into Italy. At Menton, on the coast, we can get on the toll road, which will take us in short order to Nice. That section will be the quickest part. As far as timing is concerned, I’d say the whole trip will take us five or six hours, but it’s just a guess. Is this acceptable?”
Daniel and Stephanie again shrugged after glancing at each other. They were both so befuddled by the events that they hardly knew what to say. It was difficult even to think, much less talk.
Michael looked from one to the other. “I’ll take the silence as a yes. I can understand your bewilderment; it’s been an unexpected morning, to say the least. So first let’s get through Turin. Hopefully, we can beat the worst of the traffic.” He opened the second map, which was a plan of Turin and the immediate environs. He showed Stephanie where they were and where they wanted to go. She nodded.
“It shouldn’t be difficult,” Michael said. “One thing the Italians are good at is signage. First we follow signs for Centro Citta, and then we follow signs for route S-twenty heading south. Okay?”
Stephanie nodded again.
“Let’s do it!” Michael said. He settled back behind the steering wheel and put the car in gear.
At first the traffic was not bad, but as they got closer to the city, it got worse, and the worse it got, the more time the driving took, and the more time the driving took, the worse the traffic became, in a self-fulfilling prophecy. Just before they reached the city center, the day dawned clear and bright with a pale blue sky. They rode in silence, save for occasional directions from Stephanie, who attentively followed their progress on the map and pointed out appropriate signs. Daniel didn’t say a word. He was at least pleased that Michael was a prudent and defensive driver.
It was almost nine A.M. by the time they broke free, heading south on S20 to leave the Turin rush-hour traffic behind. By then, Stephanie and Daniel had had time to relax a degree and collect their thoughts, which centered mostly on th
eir driver and their abandoned luggage.
Stephanie carefully folded both maps and put them on the dashboard. From then on, the route was clear. She eyed Michael’s hollow-cheeked, hawklike profile, the stubble on his face, and his mat of disarrayed red hair. “Perhaps this is a good time to ask who you are,” she said.
“I’m just a simple priest at heart,” Michael said. He smiled weakly. He knew the questions would come, and he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to say.
“I think we deserve to know more,” Stephanie said.
“My name is Michael Maloney. My present affiliation is with the Archbishop of New York, but I happen to be in Italy on church-related business.”
“How did you know our names?” Daniel asked from the backseat.
“I’m sure both of you are intensely curious,” Michael said. “And for good reason. But the fact of the matter is, I would rather not get into the details of my participation. It would be best for all concerned. Would it be possible for you to accept that I have been able to save you from the major inconvenience of being arrested without your questioning me? I’m asking it as a favor. Perhaps you can just attribute my help as a bit of divine intervention, for which I was merely the Good Lord’s servant.”
Stephanie shot a glance back at Daniel before refocusing on Michael. “It’s interesting you used the term divine intervention. It’s a coincidence, since we heard that specific phrase in association with what brought us to Italy, namely to get the sample of the Shroud of Turin.”
“Oh?” Michael questioned vaguely. He tried to think of a way to turn the conversation away from sensitive areas, but nothing came to mind.
“Why were we going to be arrested?” Daniel asked. “That shouldn’t have anything to do with your participation.”
“Because it was learned you are biomedical scientists. That was an unexpected and unwelcome surprise. Presently, the church does not want any more scientific testing concerning the shroud’s authenticity, and because of your backgrounds, there is the legitimate worry that that is what you intend to do. At first, the church merely wanted the sample of the shroud returned, but when that seemed not to be feasible, they wanted it confiscated.”
“That explains a few things,” Stephanie said. “Except why you decided to help us. Are you confident we are not going to test the sample?”
“I’d rather not get into that. Please!”
“How did you know we were going to London when we were checking in for a flight to Paris?” Daniel strained forward to hear. Michael’s voice didn’t carry well into the backseat.
“That is a question I’d be too embarrassed to answer.” Michael’s face reddened as he recalled hiding behind the curtain in the hotel room. “I beg of you. Can you just let it go? Accept what I have done as a favor: merely a friend helping a couple of fellow Americans in need.”
They drove in silence for a few miles. Finally, Stephanie spoke up. “Well, thank you for helping us. And for whatever it’s worth, we are not at all interested in testing the shroud’s authenticity.”
“I will convey that to the proper church authorities. I’m certain they will be relieved to hear it.”
“What about our luggage?” Stephanie asked. “Is there a chance you can help us retrieve it?”
“I will be happy to do my best in that regard, and I am optimistic I will be successful, especially knowing for certain you have no intention of testing the shroud. If all goes well, I will have your belongings forwarded to your home in Massachusetts.”
“We’re not going to be home for a month,” Daniel said.
“I will leave my card with you,” Michael said. “As soon as you have an address, you can call me.”
“We have an address already,” Daniel said.
“I have a question,” Stephanie said. “From now on, will we be personae non grata in Italy?”
“As with the luggage issue, I am confident that I will be able, as they say, to have your slates wiped clean. You won’t have any trouble visiting Italy in the future, if that is your concern.”
Stephanie turned and looked back at Daniel. “I suppose I can live without knowing the gory details. What about you?”
“I suppose so,” Daniel said. “But I would like to know who it was who managed to get into our hotel room.”
“I certainly don’t want to talk about that,” Michael responded quickly, “which is not to suggest that I know anything in particular.”
“Then just tell me this: Was he or she a member of the church or a professional hireling or part of the hotel staff?”
“I can’t say,” Michael added. “I’m sorry.”
Once Daniel and Stephanie resigned themselves to the fact that Michael was not going to be forthcoming about the whys and wherefores of his helpful intervention, and once it was apparent to them that the Italian authorities had indeed been evaded by the Fiat’s passing into France, they relaxed and enjoyed the drive. The scenery was spectacular as they rose up into the snow-covered Alps and passed through the ski village of Limone Piemonte.
On the French side of the pass, they descended the craggy Gorge de Saorge on a road literally cut out of the side of the canyon’s sheer rock walls. At the French town of Sospel, they stopped for a bite of lunch. By the time they pulled into the Nice airport, it was after two in the afternoon.
Michael gave them his card and took the address of the Ocean Club in Nassau, where Daniel had made a reservation. He shook each of their hands, promised to look into the baggage issue the moment he got back to Turin, and then drove off.
Daniel and Stephanie watched the Fiat until it disappeared from sight before turning to each other.
Stephanie shook her head in amazement. “What a weird experience!”
Daniel nodded. “That’s an understatement.”
A quick, derisive laugh escaped from Stephanie’s lips. “I don’t mean to be cruel but I can’t help but remember how you gloated yesterday morning how easy it had been to get the shroud sample and how you thought it was a harbinger of things to come in terms of treating Butler. Do you want to take that back?”
“Maybe I was a little premature.” Daniel admitted. “Yet things turned out okay. We’re certainly going to lose a day or maybe two, but otherwise it should all be smooth sailing from here.”
“I can only hope,” Stephanie said. She hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. “Let’s get inside and see about connections to London. That’s going to be the first test.”
They walked into the terminal and looked up at the flight schedules displayed on a monster electronic board. Almost simultaneously, their eyes spotted a British Airways nonstop flight to London at three-fifty P.M.
“See what I mean,” Daniel said happily. “Now that could hardly be more convenient.”
fourteen
3:55 P.M., Thursday, February 28, 2002
“Holy crap!” Daniel shouted. “What the hell are you doing? You’re going to have us killed!”
Daniel was straining against his seat belt with his hand on the back of the bench front seat of the taxi, which happened to be a vintage black Cadillac. Daniel and Stephanie had just arrived on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. Passport control and customs had been a mere formality since they had no luggage. What little clothing and toiletries Stephanie and Daniel had bought on their forced thirty-six-hour stay in London had been conveniently packed in a third carry-on bag. They had been the first of the people on their flight out of the terminal and had taken the first cab in the taxi line.
“My God!” Daniel moaned as the oncoming car swept past them on the right. His head swiveled around to watch the car recede into the distance.
Alarmed by the outburst, the taxi driver was eyeing his fares in his rearview mirror. “Hey, man! What’s the matter?” he asked urgently.
Daniel swung back around to face forward, fearing more oncoming traffic. The color had drained from his face. The car that they passed had been the first they had encountered on the narrow two-lane road leading
from the airport. As usual, Daniel had been nervously watching out the front window and had seen the car approach. Daniel had progressively stiffened as the driver, who had been carrying on a welcoming monologue as if he were a member of the island’s chamber of commerce, began drifting to the left. Daniel had assumed the driver would notice his error and move over to the right. But he didn’t. At the moment Daniel estimated it was too late for them to get over to the right to avoid an accident, he’d yelled in desperation.
“Daniel, calm down!” Stephanie soothed. She put a restraining hand on his tensed thigh. “Everything is okay. Obviously, they drive on the left here in Nassau.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” Daniel demanded.
“I didn’t know, at least not until we passed the oncoming car. But it makes sense. It was a British colony for centuries.”
“Then how come the steering wheel is on the left, like normal cars?”
Stephanie could tell Daniel was in no mood to be placated. Instead, she changed the subject. “I can’t get over the color of the ocean from the plane when we flew over the Bahamas. It must be because it’s shallow. I’ve never seen such bright aquamarine or such deep sapphire.”
Daniel merely grunted. He was preoccupied with another car approaching. Stephanie switched her attention outside and rolled down the window, despite the car’s air-conditioning. Coming from the dead of winter, the silky, tropical air and the lushness of the flora was startling, particularly the brilliant scarlet and luminous purple bougainvillea that seemed to be creeping over every wall. The tiny towns and buildings they were passing seemed reminiscent of New England, except for their vibrant tropical hues set off to full effect by the relentless Bahamian sun. The people they passed, whose skin color ranged from pale white to deep mahogany brown, appeared relaxed. Even from a distance, their smiles and laughter were apparent. Stephanie sensed it was a happy place, and she hoped it was an auspicious sign of what she and Daniel were there to accomplish.