Silence descended over the three shocked men as Acerbi’s mind seemed to drift. He was looking through the window at the twisted, shadowed branches of the trees across the road. Suddenly, he jerked forward and brought his face close to the glass, as if he were trying to see through the early morning mist, looking for something hidden in the distance, waiting for him to lower his guard.
Leo was beginning to wonder if the old man was as insane as his son.
“Eduardo,” Leo waited. “Eduardo … I don’t understand. Did you just say you saw your son?”
Acerbi leaned back from the window without answering. His expression remained vacant as he wandered over to the stove and turned on the burner to boil more water for tea. With the darkness outside now gone, their Israeli protectors were in danger of being exposed.
Was Acerbi stalling for time? Was that the reason he kept looking out the window?
As if he could read their thoughts, Acerbi suddenly switched off the fire on the stove and sat down at the table.
“I apologize for insisting that our meeting take place here. I know you are pressed for time, but you must realize that this has been very difficult for me. As a father, I have come to the realization that I must betray my own son to those who will end his life and send his soul to where it must go.”
Lev nodded sympathetically. He could see the pain in the old man’s eyes.
“Please,” Acerbi continued. “There is more you must know before I tell you of my meeting with my son. Cathar society is divided into two general categories, the Perfecti, or Perfects, and the Credentes, or Believers. Although Cathars in general reject the idea of the priesthood, the Perfecti function in some ways as the clergy in our faith. The path to entering the ranks of the Perfecti is through a ritual known as the consolamentum, a rite that grants redemption and liberation from this world and bestows upon the recipient the baptism of the Holy Spirit, absolution, and ordination all at the same time. The ritual consists of the laying on of hands, which symbolizes the transfer of the Holy Spirit in the manner believed to have been passed down in unbroken succession from the time of Jesus Christ. After the laying on of hands, the new Perfectus undertakes a life dedicated to following the example of Christ and the Apostles through an ascetic life of simplicity, frugality, purity and prayer. Above all, the Perfecti are dedicated to helping others find their way out of a dark land ruled by a dark lord, to a realm of light which they believe is mankind’s first source and ultimate end.”
Eduardo paused for a moment to let his lesson sink in. “I tell you all this because last week a ceremony was held at a secret location a few hundred miles from here in the French Alps. The Acerbi clan and their followers came together to witness Rene’s ordination into their inner circle in a ceremony that mimicked the sacred rite of a true Cathar consolamentum. Even though their little show resembled a real Cathar ceremony, the entire affair was an abhorrent and deviant excursion away from the true beliefs of the Cathars. It was dedicated instead to a god of darkness who lies in wait for us all if we shy away from the light. They had evidently gone to great lengths to copy everything down to the last detail … even to the disgusting extreme of calling their leaders Perfecti.”
The old man glanced over at Leo. “Think how you would feel, Cardinal, if a group suddenly started calling themselves Catholics and began mimicking your sacred Mass and calling their leaders cardinals. Then imagine that that same group was dedicated to Satan instead of God, and that they were hijacking your religion so that they could use it to deceive. To an outsider, it would be impossible to differentiate between the two, and in the end it would destroy the true church.”
“Eduardo, please, if you don’t mind,” Lev said, watching the sun rise higher in the sky.
“I’m coming to the part you are waiting to hear, Professor. It was at this secret gathering of the Acerbi clan that I saw my son.”
Lev let the cigar droop at the corner of his mouth. “How? I mean, appearing in front of a group of people who believed you died almost forty years ago. Wasn’t that a little risky?”
“My days on this earth are rapidly coming to a close, Professor. The fear of death is not what motivates me to remain in hiding. I remain here to protect others.”
Eduardo’s eyes were suddenly blazing. He was growing weary at having to divulge sacred Cathar beliefs and explain his actions to these outsiders. It went against everything he believed in … like an old Cold War CIA officer who was being told by his superiors to cooperate with the KGB. Although he had obviously mellowed over the years, it was becoming obvious that this former captain of industry was not enjoying his present task and that his patience was wearing thin. The look in the old man’s eyes gave warning to Lev that he should tread lightly.
“In answer to your question, Professor, I never spoke to anyone. In fact, they didn’t even know I was there. My identity was concealed by the fact that I was dressed in the hooded white robes of their leader.”
Eduardo stopped to cough some red-tinged sputum into his napkin once again before continuing. “In every ceremony, there is one leader and twelve Perfecti … an obvious reference to the twelve apostles. The leader wears white, while the remaining twelve Perfecti wear the traditional blue robes. On the night of their ceremony, there were only eleven men dressed in blue robes, because one of them had recently died, thus creating an opening for Rene to be ordained as the twelfth member of the circle, an essential step to becoming the eventual leader. In the Acerbi clan, the twelve men they refer to as Perfecti are really more like a board of directors than a representation of the twelve apostles, and their leader is more like a CEO. In fact, he is a CEO in real life.”
“What happened to him?” Alon asked. “How did you keep the real leader from showing up so you could take his place?”
“Let’s just say he was incapacitated for the evening. It was a simple matter of intercepting him before he made it to the ceremony, allowing me to slip in at the last moment dressed in his white robes.”
“And you were able to approach Rene without raising suspicion?” Leo asked.
“During the ceremony, the leader lays his hands on the one who is about to become a new Perfecti. That’s when I slipped a copy of the scrolls to Rene, but we never spoke. However, despite my better judgment, I couldn’t resist looking into my son’s eyes. I was searching for something … anything … a clue. I wanted to see what kind of man he had become. That’s when I suddenly realized that Rene had somehow recognized me after all these years. I never imagined that looking into the eyes of a child I had once loved would send chills up my spine, but that’s exactly what happened before I turned and quickly left the stage.”
“And the two of you never spoke?” Leo asked.
“After I looked into his cold, black eyes, I knew there was nothing for me to say. As far as my son is concerned, I’m sure he was too shocked to speak. Seeing me must have shaken him deeply. I can only imagine the emotions he must have felt. From now on, Gentlemen, we must proceed with caution. Rene’s guard is up, but he’s off balance. I’m afraid he’s now capable of anything. Although it may seem hopeless at this stage of the game, I still find myself hoping that the words within the scrolls will have some effect on him. I’ve seen their message of love change men … they changed me, but I’m deeply afraid that what I saw in my son’s eyes was something no words will ever change.”
A sudden knock followed by the sound of the front door opening downstairs caused everyone except for Eduardo to jump. Seconds later, boots could be heard pounding up the stairs.
“Excuse us, sir,” Ben said to Lev. “But our time here is up. We need to start heading back.”
“We need a few more minutes, Ben.”
“I have my orders, Professor. I can give you five more minutes … no longer.”
“Thank you. We’ll be right down.”
The Israeli soldiers disappeared back down the stairwell and out the front door.
“Ok, Eduardo. It’s now or never. What’s your plan?”
“Like I said, Professor, the only way to get to Rene now is through his religion.”
“Explain.”
“Following Rene’s induction as one of the Perfecti, their current leader suddenly stepped down for health reasons. They must now convene another consolamentum to elect a new leader, which will no doubt be Rene. I believe that this is the final step before his plan goes into full effect. Only after Rene takes his place at the head of their religion will he be in complete control of the Acerbi clan and all of their followers.”
“So how does this help us?” Leo asked.
“That’s it!” Alon slapped his hand on the table. “I think I get it now.”
Eduardo’s eyes narrowed. “Very good, Mr. Lavi. I had a feeling you would be the first to understand. A man who possesses knowledge of tactics would be quick to see my point.”
“We’re running out of time here, Alon,” Lev said.
“Mr. Acerbi is telling us where we’ll be able to find his son … at the next ceremony.”
“And you know when and where this next meeting will take place?” Lev asked.
“I do.”
Lev paused for a moment, hoping that they were placing their trust in the right hands. “Then I take it they’ll be meeting at the same location where they held their last ceremony.”
“No, I’m afraid not, Professor. In fact, it’s the polar opposite of the peaceful glen where they last came together.”
Lev’s heart sank. “Rene is leaving Europe?”
“The ceremony will take place in one of the most volatile regions of the world, and that, Gentlemen, is where you must go.”
“Afghanistan?” Alon asked.
Eduardo smiled. “No, Gentlemen … I’m afraid it’s much worse. They’re meeting in Mexico. Rene has purchased a large ranch in the desert outside the border city of Juarez, where he’s surrounded himself with rings of security.”
“Mexico!” Expressions of total bewilderment crossed the faces of all three men.
“When?”
“I’m afraid you and your people don’t have much time, Professor.” Acerbi resumed his gaze out the window. “The ceremony is four days from now.”