for a few moments. Finally, Ted said, "Cotten, you still there?"
"I'm here."
"Hang on, kiddo. You might have actually come up with something in that pretty little head of yours. Listen to this. There's a third castle. It's called Wolf Castle, located in the mountains of Transnistria, just across the border with Moldova. It was built by Vlad Tepes III, aka Dracula. Seems that Vlad would torture his enemies, cut off their heads, and then he would..."
"Would what?" she asked.
"He got his surname,Tepes, from his favorite method of killing.Tepes
53
meansThe Impaler."
THE CROSS
John realized that his crucifix and chain were missing as he rubbed his neck—the same crucifix given to him by his grandfather on the day of John's ordination into the priesthood. He never took the crucifix off.
"No bite marks?" Father Burns whispered, staring at John from across the table.
"Apparently not," John answered, "but it appears I've lost something." He stood and called to the guard to take him back to his room.
***
On his hands and knees, John searched under the bed in his room for his cross and chain. He had already thrown off the blanket and mattress.
"Lose something?"
John looked up to see General Borodin standing in the doorway. He had been so preoccupied with searching for the cross that he hadn't heard the man enter.
"Yes," John said as he stood and brushed off his hands. "I've misplaced my crucifix and chain. I hoped it might have come off during the night and fallen to the floor."
The General glanced around the room. "It's said that strange things happen when darkness falls upon this place."
He moved about the room as if he were a hotel manager checking to see if housekeeping had done a good job. He touched the chair and slid his hand across the headboard carvings of winged demons. "How can you sleep beneath such grotesque images?"
John returned the mattress to the bed frame and decided to take advantage of Borodin's visit. "I don't believe you fully understand the position you're in with our abduction. We are diplomats protected by international protocol. Holding us against our will is a violation of—"
"I'm well aware of the situation." Borodin folded his arms. "The international condemnation of our actions is of no importance to me. We are opportunists, here to collect a large sum of money in exchange for your freedom. If your pope decides not to pay, you will be executed like your friends."
"Killing those men accomplished nothing."
"It sent a clear message that if our demands are not met, the same thing will happen to you and the others. The Vatican has received a photo of the two dead men. A picture is worth a thousand words, wouldn't you say? Everyone
54
needs motivating, Cardinal Tyler. Without proper incentive, there is hesitation, doubt, and miscalculation. We want to expedite this exchange as quickly as possible. Giving them good reason to meet our demands lowers the chances of any kind of interference or foolhardy rescue mission—although I would find it hard to believe there would be such an attempt."
"Have they responded to your demands?"
"It is only a matter of time." He walked to the door, paused, and turned back to John. "Legend says that Count Dracula was not fond of the Christian cross. Perhaps it was his ghost who took your crucifix."
LOBBY MEETING
"Hello, Ms. Stone."
Cotten looked up to see a tall, well-dressed man in a business suit approach her table. She sat on an L-shaped couch in the lobby of the LeoGrand Hotel near the business center of Chisinau, having arrived from Rome on Air Moldova that morning. It was the same hotel where John, Roberti, and the others stayed before disappearing. "Ambassador Russell?" Cotten stood and extended her hand.
"Sorry I'm late."
The U.S. Ambassador to Moldova was well over six feet tall, with a slender face and pale complexion, mud-colored hair with an extreme comb-over, and horn-rimmed glasses. Cotten estimated he was in
"I'm here."
"Hang on, kiddo. You might have actually come up with something in that pretty little head of yours. Listen to this. There's a third castle. It's called Wolf Castle, located in the mountains of Transnistria, just across the border with Moldova. It was built by Vlad Tepes III, aka Dracula. Seems that Vlad would torture his enemies, cut off their heads, and then he would..."
"Would what?" she asked.
"He got his surname,Tepes, from his favorite method of killing.Tepes
53
meansThe Impaler."
THE CROSS
John realized that his crucifix and chain were missing as he rubbed his neck—the same crucifix given to him by his grandfather on the day of John's ordination into the priesthood. He never took the crucifix off.
"No bite marks?" Father Burns whispered, staring at John from across the table.
"Apparently not," John answered, "but it appears I've lost something." He stood and called to the guard to take him back to his room.
***
On his hands and knees, John searched under the bed in his room for his cross and chain. He had already thrown off the blanket and mattress.
"Lose something?"
John looked up to see General Borodin standing in the doorway. He had been so preoccupied with searching for the cross that he hadn't heard the man enter.
"Yes," John said as he stood and brushed off his hands. "I've misplaced my crucifix and chain. I hoped it might have come off during the night and fallen to the floor."
The General glanced around the room. "It's said that strange things happen when darkness falls upon this place."
He moved about the room as if he were a hotel manager checking to see if housekeeping had done a good job. He touched the chair and slid his hand across the headboard carvings of winged demons. "How can you sleep beneath such grotesque images?"
John returned the mattress to the bed frame and decided to take advantage of Borodin's visit. "I don't believe you fully understand the position you're in with our abduction. We are diplomats protected by international protocol. Holding us against our will is a violation of—"
"I'm well aware of the situation." Borodin folded his arms. "The international condemnation of our actions is of no importance to me. We are opportunists, here to collect a large sum of money in exchange for your freedom. If your pope decides not to pay, you will be executed like your friends."
"Killing those men accomplished nothing."
"It sent a clear message that if our demands are not met, the same thing will happen to you and the others. The Vatican has received a photo of the two dead men. A picture is worth a thousand words, wouldn't you say? Everyone
54
needs motivating, Cardinal Tyler. Without proper incentive, there is hesitation, doubt, and miscalculation. We want to expedite this exchange as quickly as possible. Giving them good reason to meet our demands lowers the chances of any kind of interference or foolhardy rescue mission—although I would find it hard to believe there would be such an attempt."
"Have they responded to your demands?"
"It is only a matter of time." He walked to the door, paused, and turned back to John. "Legend says that Count Dracula was not fond of the Christian cross. Perhaps it was his ghost who took your crucifix."
LOBBY MEETING
"Hello, Ms. Stone."
Cotten looked up to see a tall, well-dressed man in a business suit approach her table. She sat on an L-shaped couch in the lobby of the LeoGrand Hotel near the business center of Chisinau, having arrived from Rome on Air Moldova that morning. It was the same hotel where John, Roberti, and the others stayed before disappearing. "Ambassador Russell?" Cotten stood and extended her hand.
"Sorry I'm late."
The U.S. Ambassador to Moldova was well over six feet tall, with a slender face and pale complexion, mud-colored hair with an extreme comb-over, and horn-rimmed glasses. Cotten estimated he was in
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