“A priest?”
“Yes. In Orvieto. He’s in the hospital, very ill. I’m afraid the Italian authorities won’t be able to communicate with him.”
“I’ll pass that on. Thank you, Commander.”
Two minutes later, General Hilliard was on the line to Janus.
“I’ve heard from Commander Bellamy again. The latest witness is a priest. A Father Patrini in Orvieto.”
“Take care of it.”
FLASH MESSAGE
TOP SECRET ULTRA
NSA TO DEPUTY DIRECTOR SIFAR
EYES ONLY
COPY ONE OF (ONE) COPIES
SUBJECT: OPERATION DOOMSDAY
5. FATHER PATRINI—ORVIETO
END OF MESSAGE
The headquarters of SIFAR is on Via della Pineta, on the southernmost outskirts of Rome, in an area surrounded by farmhouses. The only thing that would cause a passerby to give a second glance at the innocent, industrial-looking stone buildings occupying two square blocks would be the high wall surrounding the complex, topped by barbed wire, with security posts at each corner. Hidden in a military compound, it is one of the most secretive security agencies in the world, and one of the least known. There are signs outside the compound reading: Vietate Passare Oltre i Limiti.
Inside a Spartan office on the first floor of the main building, Colonel Francesco Cesar was studying the flash message he had just received. The colonel was a man in his early fifties with a muscular body, topped by a pitted, bulldog face. He read the message for the third time.
So, Operation Doomsday is finally happening. E una bella fregatura. It is good that we have prepared for this, Cesar thought. He looked down at the cable again. A priest.
It was after midnight when the nun walked past the desk of the night-duty nurses at the little hospital in Orvieto.
“I guess she’s going to see Signora Fillipi,” said Nurse Tomasino.
“Either her or old man Rigano. They’re both on their last legs.” The nun glided silently round the corner and walked directly into the priest’s room. He was sleeping peacefully, his hands gathered almost as if in prayer, on his chest. A wedge of moonlight sliced through the blinds, casting a golden band across the priest’s face.
The nun removed a small box from beneath her habit. Carefully, she took out a beautiful cut-glass rosary and placed it in the old priest’s hands. As she adjusted the beads, she drew one of them quickly across his thumb. A thin line of blood appeared. The nun took a tiny bottle from the box and, with an eye dropper, delicately squeezed three drops into the open cut.
It took only a few minutes for the deadly, fast-acting poison to work. The nun sighed as she made the sign of the cross over the dead man. She left as silently as she had come in.
FLASH MESSAGE
TOP SECRET ULTRA
SIFAR TO DEPUTY DIRECTOR NSA
EYES ONLY
COPY ONE OF (ONE) COPIES
SUBJECT: OPERATION DOOMSDAY
5. FATHER PATRINI—ORVIETO—TERMINATED
END OF MESSAGE
Chapter Twenty-six
Frank Johnson was recruited because he had been a Green Beret in Vietnam and was known among his comrades as the Killing Machine. He loved to kill. He was motivated and highly intelligent.
“He’s perfect for us,” Janus said. “Approach him carefully. I don’t want to lose him.”
The first meeting took place in an army barracks. A captain was talking to Frank Johnson.
“Don’t you worry about our government?” the captain asked. “It’s being run by a bunch of bleeding hearts who are giving the store away. This country needs nuclear power, but the damned politicians are stopping us from building new plants. We depend on the damn Arabs for oil, but will the government let us do our own offshore drilling? Oh, no. They’re more worried about the fish than they are about us. Does that make sense to you?”
“I see your point,” Frank Johnson said.
“I knew you would, because you’re intelligent.” He was watching Johnson’s face as he spoke. “If Congress won’t do anything to save our country, then it’s up to some of us to do something.”
Frank Johnson looked puzzled. “Some of us?”
“Yeah.” Enough for now, the captain thought. “We’ll talk about it later.”
The next conversation was more specific. “There’s a group of patriots, Frank, who are interested in protecting our world. They’re pretty high-powered gentlemen. They’ve formed a committee. The committee may have to bend a few laws to get its work done, but in the end, it will be worth it. Are you interested?”