Money, documents. Shit, I won’t even make it to the Italian border – look at me!«
He glanced down at himself. Since his arrest he had only been wearing a pair of light cotton pants and a shirt, which had once been white. Now his clothes were wrinkled and dirty and stained with sweat, blood and vomit.
Don Luigi pointed at some clothes on one of the chairs. »The sisters were so kind as to get some things from your hotel.«
»But isn’t the hotel under surveillance?«
»Yes, but who pays attention to two Carmelite nuns? Don’t worry, Peter, no one followed them. They searched your room, though. Your laptop and your iPad were gone.«
Peter drank his cappuccino and took a hearty bite from the cream filled croissant. The strong coffee helped him think.
»I need to get to Clairvaux.«
Don Luigi shook his head.
»Forget about Clairvaux. I googled the abbey; it no longer exists. The only thing that’s left is a museum. The monastery was dissolved in 1791, and in 1808 it was converted into a prison. Today it is one of the most state-of-the-art high security prisons in France.«
Don Luigi handed Peter the printout of a satellite photo of the abbey that he had found on the internet. The picture showed a number of smaller buildings around a yard with green areas, which corresponded to the layout of the former abbey. Behind this were several building complexes that took up most of the rest of the area. Peter could easily make out the silhouettes of watchtowers, cell blocks and divided yards. Walls everywhere.
»Shit. And the museum?«
»I got the museum’s director out of bed. She assured me that they have no handwritten documents in their museum. Philip IV dismantled the Order of the Knights Templar in 1307. Jacques de Molay and other Grand Masters of the Order were charged with heresy and sodomy and burned at the stake. The surviving Templars dispersed all over the world. Clairvaux Abbey was a major center for the Templars. The knights who lived there fled with whatever moveable property they could carry.«
»Including the legendary treasure of the Templars.«
»Well, it is unlikely that there was much of a treasure except for the documents. But I am convinced that the original prophecy of Malachy was one of them.«
»Where did the Templars flee to, Padre?«
Don Luigi made a vague gesture.
»There are several legends about that. According to one of them, a fleet with the skull and crossbones emblem of the Templars on its sails left the port of La Rochelle under the command of Antonio Zeno, bound for America. This was about ninety years after the end of the Order of the Temple. In 1558, a descendant of Antonio Zeno published an alleged map of the journey. According to that, the Templars even discovered America – long before Columbus did. But these are all conspiracy theories that you can find all over the internet.«
»Do you have any idea, Padre?«
Don Luigi shook his head sadly. Peter thought for a while.
Finally he said, »Where is the computer?«
In the office of the Carmelite nuns, Peter found two computers with fast internet connections. He had just opened a browser when Maria entered the room.
»I just heard.« She sat down in front of the other computer immediately. »So what is it we’re looking for?«
»Anything to do with the Templars,« Peter explained to her. »Any clue as to where they might have hidden the documents, even if it sounds crazy as hell. Check every nutty forum about conspiracy theories. Scream if you find something interesting.«
»Oui, mon general,« Maria replied and saluted.
Peter grinned at her. »Do you want me to explain to you how to use the computer?«
»You can go to hell if you like. Ready, set – go!«
Peter’s knowledge about the Knights Templar was rudimentary at best. The brief research that he conducted brought his knowledge at least to a level where he might have survived the first round of a game show. After a good half-hour, he shared the results with
He glanced down at himself. Since his arrest he had only been wearing a pair of light cotton pants and a shirt, which had once been white. Now his clothes were wrinkled and dirty and stained with sweat, blood and vomit.
Don Luigi pointed at some clothes on one of the chairs. »The sisters were so kind as to get some things from your hotel.«
»But isn’t the hotel under surveillance?«
»Yes, but who pays attention to two Carmelite nuns? Don’t worry, Peter, no one followed them. They searched your room, though. Your laptop and your iPad were gone.«
Peter drank his cappuccino and took a hearty bite from the cream filled croissant. The strong coffee helped him think.
»I need to get to Clairvaux.«
Don Luigi shook his head.
»Forget about Clairvaux. I googled the abbey; it no longer exists. The only thing that’s left is a museum. The monastery was dissolved in 1791, and in 1808 it was converted into a prison. Today it is one of the most state-of-the-art high security prisons in France.«
Don Luigi handed Peter the printout of a satellite photo of the abbey that he had found on the internet. The picture showed a number of smaller buildings around a yard with green areas, which corresponded to the layout of the former abbey. Behind this were several building complexes that took up most of the rest of the area. Peter could easily make out the silhouettes of watchtowers, cell blocks and divided yards. Walls everywhere.
»Shit. And the museum?«
»I got the museum’s director out of bed. She assured me that they have no handwritten documents in their museum. Philip IV dismantled the Order of the Knights Templar in 1307. Jacques de Molay and other Grand Masters of the Order were charged with heresy and sodomy and burned at the stake. The surviving Templars dispersed all over the world. Clairvaux Abbey was a major center for the Templars. The knights who lived there fled with whatever moveable property they could carry.«
»Including the legendary treasure of the Templars.«
»Well, it is unlikely that there was much of a treasure except for the documents. But I am convinced that the original prophecy of Malachy was one of them.«
»Where did the Templars flee to, Padre?«
Don Luigi made a vague gesture.
»There are several legends about that. According to one of them, a fleet with the skull and crossbones emblem of the Templars on its sails left the port of La Rochelle under the command of Antonio Zeno, bound for America. This was about ninety years after the end of the Order of the Temple. In 1558, a descendant of Antonio Zeno published an alleged map of the journey. According to that, the Templars even discovered America – long before Columbus did. But these are all conspiracy theories that you can find all over the internet.«
»Do you have any idea, Padre?«
Don Luigi shook his head sadly. Peter thought for a while.
Finally he said, »Where is the computer?«
In the office of the Carmelite nuns, Peter found two computers with fast internet connections. He had just opened a browser when Maria entered the room.
»I just heard.« She sat down in front of the other computer immediately. »So what is it we’re looking for?«
»Anything to do with the Templars,« Peter explained to her. »Any clue as to where they might have hidden the documents, even if it sounds crazy as hell. Check every nutty forum about conspiracy theories. Scream if you find something interesting.«
»Oui, mon general,« Maria replied and saluted.
Peter grinned at her. »Do you want me to explain to you how to use the computer?«
»You can go to hell if you like. Ready, set – go!«
Peter’s knowledge about the Knights Templar was rudimentary at best. The brief research that he conducted brought his knowledge at least to a level where he might have survived the first round of a game show. After a good half-hour, he shared the results with
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