An unseasonable Mediterranean storm had kissed the coast during the night, leaving a treasure trove of debris up and down the beach for early morning beachcombers. Now that the storm had passed, the rolling dark clouds had been replaced by bright sunlight, and behind the villa, the sun’s rays were bouncing off the pool, reflecting against the white stucco walls of the grand house. If it weren’t for the heavy military presence, the entire scene would have been the perfect setting for a picture in a travel brochure.
Opening his eyes, Leo looked around the white-shuttered guest room and pulled the quilted comforter up next to his chin. During the storm, he had tossed and turned for over an hour before sleep finally came. Now, instead of jumping out of bed as was his habit, all he wanted to do was roll back over and close his eyes again. His dreams hadn’t been all that pleasant, but he feared the real nightmare still lay ahead. He needed a shower and some strong Italian roast coffee.
When it was finally evident that he was not going back to sleep, he made his way into the bathroom and stepped through the green-tinted glass doors of the shower. Feeling the cool tiles against his bare feet, he adjusted the water temperature to just below scalding. Rivulets of soap circled down into the drain as he lathered up and let the hot water massage his stiff muscles. Age was beginning to creep up on him, and although the typical youthful angst involved in searching out the meaning of life was something he was glad to leave behind, it would be nice to just hop out of bed in the morning without groaning.
When he was finished, he turned off the water but remained standing on the wet tiles, holding on to the handle and staring straight ahead. It wasn’t just the aching muscles he was feeling-it was fear. He had never felt fear like this before. It grabbed at his stomach and made the hairs on his arms reach out, as if they were testing the air for an invisible threat blowing on the wind.
Shaking the water from his hair, he stepped out and dried off before dressing in a pair of white shorts and a black polo shirt that he found hanging in the closet, a remnant of his last visit. Winding his way down the grand stairway to the first floor of the villa, he followed the sound of voices until he found himself standing outside next to the poolside bar, where everyone had gathered for breakfast. Lev had just finished swimming laps and was sitting on a bar stool, dripping wet in a pair of bright orange swimming trunks with a towel draped over his tanned shoulders.
“Good morning, Cardinal. That was quite some storm we had last night.”
“I had a hard time getting to sleep, but it wasn’t the storm that kept me awake.”
“I believe we all had a problem sleeping last night, Leo.”
“Where’s Zamir? I thought we had a meeting with him this morning.”
“He’s on his way. He had some last minute business to finish back on King Saul Boulevard.”
“King Saul Boulevard?”
“That’s the street in Tel Aviv where Mossad headquarters is located. I guess I never showed you the place.”
“Probably a hassle getting through all the security anyway,” Leo said.
“Actually, anyone can just walk right in … at least on the first floor. The entrance to one of the world’s premier intelligence gathering organizations is located in a shabby-looking bank lobby behind a plain door next to a potted plant by the elevators.” Lev smiled. “What are you having for breakfast?”
“Just some toast and eggs … and a strong cup of coffee. You wouldn’t happen to have any Italian roast, would you?”
Lev glanced over at the cook behind the counter. The man looked up and winked, indicating that he had heard Leo’s request.
Leo pulled up a bar stool and looked out over the dunes at the sea beyond.
“No laps today, Cardinal?”
“Not today. I’m just not up to it.”
“A quick swim might do you some good.” Lev had gotten used to seeing Leo swim laps every morning if there was a pool available. After suffering two concussions on his high school boxing team, Leo had switched to swimming in college. The discovery of a new sport at Georgetown University had also coincided with the discovery of another new passion-a love for the academic life, especially history.
“Maybe later. Right now I just want to relax and have a hot cup of coffee.”
“Suit yourself, Cardinal.”
Leo was in the process of taking his first sip when a large hand slapped him on the back. “Good morning, Cardinal.” It was Alon. “No swimming today?”
“Maybe after breakfast.” Leo forced a tight smiled as he looked back over his shoulder at the big man standing behind him.
“That’s not good for you, Leo. You need to swim first.”
“I’m beginning to feel like I’m surrounded by a bunch of Jewish mothers.”
“You forget, we’re Christians, but our Jewish heritage compels us to tell you what’s good for you and what’s not good for you. You need to swim.”
For the first time in days, Leo laughed out loud. He loved the fact that his friends knew how to talk to him. When they saw he was feeling down, they goaded him into action, a tactic they had used ever since they noticed his tendency to moodiness after he had become a cardinal.
The muffled throb of an approaching chopper prompted the group to look up. A strange looking dark gray helicopter was hovering just above the villa.
“That thing sure is quiet,” Leo said. “I thought it was much further away.”
“Top secret,” Lev said. “It’s one of our new stealth helicopters. Gabriella told me she just got checked out in it last week, so she’s showing off for Nava and her new boss.”
“Who’s her new boss?”
“Danny Zamir. That’s his new ride.”
Leo yawned. “And I was having so much fun just sitting here with nothing to do.”
As the chopper continued its quiet descent, Leo turned to see John and Ariella walking from the beach across a rickety boardwalk that crossed the dunes. They were accompanied by a small brown dog who began to whine and ran straight to Leo as soon as he saw him.
“Camp!”
The little dog leapt into Leo’s arms and began licking his face, reviving memories of the year before, when they had rescued the half-starved animal at a roadside park next to the Dead Sea. They had named him Camp after their camp in the Negev Desert. Leo felt the dog’s fat little belly as he held him in his arms. “If I didn’t know better, I would say that someone’s eating more than his fair share of food around here.”
“He makes the rounds to all the houses on the compound when we’re gone,” Ariella said. She took Camp’s furry face in her hands and kissed him on the nose. “Who can resist those big brown eyes?”
Just then, they heard men’s voices as Danny Zamir walked around the side of the villa followed by the ever present entourage of casually dressed intelligence types and a few men in military uniforms.
“Good morning, everyone. I trust you are all rested.”
“Good morning, Danny,” Lev said, scowling. “Let’s skip the formalities. Want some breakfast?”
Zamir smiled at Lev as he retrieved a cup of coffee from the bar. “I’m glad to see you’re in such a good mood this morning, Professor.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t sleep last night … the storm.”
“Well, I’m afraid there’s a bigger storm coming, my friends.” Zamir looked for a response but received only blank stares in return. “I hate to break it to you like this, but I’m sending all of you straight back into the teeth of the tiger.”
“We’re going back to France?” Alon asked.
“Yes … tonight.”
Lev’s scowl grew deeper. “I was under the impression that we were all international fugitives.”
“We’re working on that. For obvious reasons, you won’t be returning on the Carmela. We’re flying you in on a military jet … a Boeing C-17 Globemaster.”
“That means we’re either landing at a good-sized airport or a military base,” Alon said.
“Neither. You’ll be landing on a private strip at the base of the Pyrenees near the city of Toulouse. From there you’ll be taken to a safe house on the outskirts of the ancient town of Foix.”
Lev ran his towel through his hair and laid it on the bar. “Foix? What’s in Foix?”
“It’s an ancient Cathar stronghold. That’s where you’ll be meeting with our contact, the man who fled from the Acerbi family years ago … the man who, hopefully, still has some connections inside the family and will be able answer some of our questions.”
“He doesn’t have all the answers,” a voice said.
Looking back over his shoulder, Zamir saw Dr. Diaz standing behind him.
“Good morning, Dr. Diaz.”
“Good morning. I’m afraid the professor was right when he said we didn’t have time for formalities. I need to look at that virus … and I need to do it soon.”