Sign of the Cross(38)

God, she thought, I hope nothing happened to him.

She walked forward, desperate for a sign that he was OK, a scrap of paper that said I’ll be back soon or an envelope with her name on it. Instead, she saw something she wasn’t expecting, a scene that confused her even more. Dr Boyd was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room. His knees were pulled to his chest and his eyes were glazed, fixated on the far wall.

‘Dr Boyd? Are you all right?’

A blink. A wince. Then a shudder. His entire body trembled as he tried to answer, as if the words he was searching for required every ounce of strength that he could produce. Finally, he managed to whisper three words, ‘Christ is dead.’

‘What do you mean?’ she asked, confused.

‘Our discovery will kill Christ. It will murder the Church.’

‘What are you talking about? How does one murder the Church? The Church can’t be murdered. It’s an institution, not a person. Tell me what’s wrong. What’s going on?’

‘Trust me, you don’t want to know what I’ve learned.’

‘Of course I do. I risked my life for that scroll. In fact I’m still risking my life for that scroll.’ She held up the local newspaper and showed it to him. ‘We’re wanted for murder. You and me. The authorities are blaming us for the deaths of three dozen people.’ Actually, Maria’s name wasn’t mentioned, but she figured a little white lie might work to her advantage. ‘Now, unless I’m mistaken, an accusation like that means I’m entitled to full disclosure.’

With trembling hands, Boyd grabbed the paper and read the headline. ‘Oh my God. This can’t be! They control the police. They control the media. They’re not going to stop!’

‘What are you talking about? Who isn’t going to stop?’

‘Them! They must’ve known about the scroll! That’s the only thing that makes sense! They knew it was in there! They knew it all along.’

‘Who knew? What are you talking about?’

‘Don’t you see? They weren’t trying to take the scroll. They were trying to protect it. That’s the only thing that makes sense. They must’ve known it was in there!’

‘Professore, you aren’t making any sense. We found the Catacombs. If someone had known about it, they would’ve taken credit for it long ago.’

‘That’s where you’re wrong! This isn’t the type of discovery that anyone wants to make.’

‘What are you talking about? The discovery of the Catacombs is a major find!’

‘You’re not listening to me. I’m not talking about the Catacombs. I’m talking about the scroll. The scroll is what’s important now. The scroll is the key to everything.’

‘It’s more important than the Catacombs? How is that possible?’

Boyd blinked a few times, trying to come up with an analogy that she would understand. ‘The Catacombs were but a chest. The scroll was the treasure within.’

‘The scroll is the treasure?’

‘Yes. It was the key to the entire site.’

‘The frescoes, the graves, the stone chests? They aren’t important?’

Boyd shook his head. ‘Not compared to the scroll.’

Confused, Maria tried to absorb what she’d been told. Unfortunately, her lack of sleep made the information impossible to comprehend.

We killed Christ. We killed the Church. The Catacombs aren’t important. The scroll is the real treasure. What did any of that mean?

When she’d left Boyd a few hours before, he claimed he’d be able to translate the document without any difficulty. Now he was like this. What could’ve turned him from a cocky professional to a whimpering zombie in such a short amount of time? Oh dear, she worried, maybe Boyd was having a mental breakdown. Maybe the helicopter, the avalanche, and the bus had finally gotten to him. Maybe he finally realized that their lives were in danger, unless…

It dawned on her that she didn’t know what the scroll said. She’d left Boyd with the scroll, and when she returned he was wailing about its importance, claiming it was the key to everything. Everything. Could it be the key to his outburst as well? Was that possible?

‘What did it say?’ she demanded. ‘If it’s that important, I have to know what it says.’

Boyd lowered his eyes. ‘I can’t tell you, my dear. I just can’t. It wouldn’t be right.’

‘What? After all we’ve been through, you owe me that and more.’

‘Don’t put me in this position,’ he pleaded. ‘I’m not trying to be the bad guy. I’m trying to save you. I really am. I’m trying to distance you from further danger –’