No, they needed to attack. Right away. With lethal force.

Payne explained what he had in mind, and Dial looked at him like he was crazy. Meanwhile Jones nodded his head, impressed. Not only with Payne's idea but with the size of his nuts. Regrettably, Payne wouldn't know if he was stupid or courageous until he saw the outcome. Payne knew they only had one chance at the element of surprise. That meant they had to get through the door on their first attempt. Simply had to. And picking the lock was out of the question, since a guard was standing next to it. Not only might he hear them, but there was a chance that his ass was actually touching the mechanism that Jones would be working on, meaning the slightest vibration might lead to their deaths.

On the other hand, Payne wasn't quite sure if he had the strength to kick down the door. It was big and thick and sat on old iron hinges that looked like they were made by Leonardo da Vinci. Therefore, he had no idea what they could withstand. The same thing with the lock. Would it shatter like a modern one or could it withstand the force of a medieval battering ram?

Either way, Payne didn't want the entire success of this mission to ride on his right foot, so he decided to stack the deck in his favor. Instead of attacking the door alone, he told Jones to fire a round into the lock a split second before Payne's foot made contact with the wood, hoping the gunshot would weaken the bolt. Of course, if Jones fired too late or the bullet ricocheted back toward Payne, the odds were pretty good that he'd lose some toes.

Oh well, Payne joked, there was always a chance that they would grow back.

Without delay Jones positioned his gun while Payne measured his approach. He had room for three steps before he hit the door. Three strides that would determine everything. Dial stood behind Jones, ready to charge into the room and take out the guard by Boyd. Jones would get the one by Maria. And Payne would take out the one behind Benito. The fourth guard, the one by the door, was the wild card. Payne was hoping he would eliminate him on impact. If not, one of them would have to pull double duty. And the odds were pretty good it would be Payne. Not that he was complaining. Situations like this had always been his specialty.

Anyhow, since Dial was the one with the least to do, Payne put him in charge of counting.

Three. Jones pointed his weapon at the door lock.

Two. Payne anchored his foot against the back wall like it was a starting block.

One. He burst from his stance, ready to strike.

Jones fired his gun a split second before Payne made contact with the door. Metal groaned and wood cracked as the door slammed into the back of the fourth guard, knocking him to the floor. Somehow Payne kept his balance, allowing him to lead the charge into the room. Jones and Dial followed, bursting into the room with their weapons drawn.

Their attack was so precise that they were able to hit the guards before they knew what happened. Payne clubbed his target with an elbow and followed it with a knee to the chin, knocking him on top of the fourth guard who was sprawled unconscious on the floor. Partially because of the impact of the door. Partially because Jones's gunshot had gone right through the door lock and into the guard's ass.

Without delay, Payne grabbed both of the guards' guns, then checked on his team. Jones had eliminated his man with a kick to the throat then had gone after the old man in the chair. Dial, on the other hand, was struggling. He was playing martial arts patty-cake with his target until Payne clubbed the guard with the butt of his gun and threw him face-first against the wall.

Smiling, Dial gave Payne a look that said, My clients are normally dead when I show up My clients are normally dead when I show up.

Payne gave him a look that said, Mine aren't Mine aren't.

Meanwhile, Jones was all over Benito. He dislodged his weapon before wrapping his arm around Benito's neck and giving it a tug. One little squeeze, and the old man stopped fighting. No threats. No struggle. No bribes of any kind. In Jones's mind, it was kind of pathetic. He was expecting so much more from the notorious Benito Pelati.

'Kill him,' Maria begged from across the room. She was tied to her chair, staring at her father. The crazed look in her eyes told everyone she was serious.

She wanted Jones to snap Benito's neck like a wishbone. 'He killed my mother. He killed my brother. He deserves to die.'

'You're probably right, but '

'But what? Don't you get it? They will never never put him in jail. He knows too much about the Church! They put him in jail. He knows too much about the Church! They won't won't press charges against him. No one will press charges! He'll be freed like you were in Pamplona.' press charges against him. No one will press charges! He'll be freed like you were in Pamplona.'

Payne listened to the two of them as he searched the room, making sure there were no surprises. He found one, though, behind the desk. Dante was lying there in a puddle of blood.

'Maria,' Jones argued. 'I wish I could, but I can't. I just can't '

'Then let me do it! Just untie me. We'll say he died during the rescue. No one will know.'

'I'll know,' Dial said from across the room. 'And since I'm in charge, I'd have to stop you.'

'Besides,' Payne said as he checked Dante's pulse. 'You're wrong about your brother. He's still alive.'

The police arrived a few minutes later, giving Dial a chance to call the NCB officers at the airport. They informed him that one of the crucifixion crews had been caught and were spilling their guts about the other three teams. Dial figured with a little luck that all of them would be captured by daylight. And the whole crucifixion ordeal would be over.

'And what about me?' Boyd demanded. His left eye was swollen shut. Gauze covered the gash in his forehead. 'When will I get my reputation back?'

Dial grimaced. 'That one might take a little longer. I'm working on it, though.'

'I should bloody well hope so,' Boyd said, only half kidding. 'So what are you waiting for? Go work on it. I've got things to do and people to meet. I'm a busy man, Mr Dial.'

Laughing, Dial gave him a mock salute and headed for the dining room.

'Good guy,' Payne said to Jones, who nodded in full agreement. 'Thank God he's gone.'

Payne still didn't know what had happened during the last few hours and was dying to be debriefed, not only about the laughing man but about the Pelati family. The last time they'd seen Dante he was loading Boyd and Maria onto a chopper. Now she was begging a doctor to save her brother's life as they loaded him into an ambulance.

Obviously, they'd missed something important.

The house was abuzz with activity, so they went out by the pool where Dr Boyd filled them in on everything from the shooting to Dante's hatred of his father. He also told them about his prior chat with Dante, which pissed Payne and Jones off until they realized that it occurred way before the events at Orvieto and had little bearing on their safety. In Boyd's mind he didn't know whose side Dante was on until they'd reached the house, so he kept that information to himself.

'Wait a second!' Jones blurted. 'You're telling me we weren't weren't in danger at the quarry? Come on, I don't buy that for a second. His guards did in danger at the quarry? Come on, I don't buy that for a second. His guards did not not want us to leave that mountain.' want us to leave that mountain.'

Payne agreed. 'He's right, Doc. I've got bruises all over my body to prove it.'

Boyd frowned, not wanting to talk about injuries, not with his face looking like that that. 'The guards worked for Benito, not for Dante. That forced him to keep up his ruse.'

Jones scratched his head. 'If that's the case, why did Dante bring you two here? For safety's sake, you'd think this is the last place he'd want to bring you.'

'If he survives, you can ask him yourself. In the meantime, there are more important things to worry about.' Payne turned toward Boyd. 'What did you find out about the laughing man?'

'The who?' Boyd chuckled at his little joke. 'Ah yes, the mysterious laughing man. It seems that his identity wasn't so mysterious after all.'

74

Nick Dial was tempted to leave the crime scene and drive back to the airport. It pained him to think that one of his suspects was being interrogated by someone other than himself. After all, he was the one who cracked the geographic relevance to the crucifixions, so he wanted to be present for the fireworks. Nothing gave him greater satisfaction than getting a criminal to talk.

With that in mind, he knew the opportunity to speak with Benito Pelati was one he couldn't miss. No attorneys were present, and the local cops were too concerned with collecting evidence to be worried about a simple interview. In their minds Dial had made the bust, so he should should get the first crack at Pelati. In fact, they even offered to watch the door as he did. get the first crack at Pelati. In fact, they even offered to watch the door as he did.

Pelati looked like royalty as he entered the back room. His clothes were flawless, and his stride was unrushed. His chin was high in the air as though he was about to address the peasants from the palace balcony. His hands were cuffed yet hidden by the fabric of his jacket, so they did little to shatter the illusion that Pelati strived to maintain. He was a national icon and expected to be treated as such.

The moment Dial saw him enter the room he knew their conversation was going to be pointless. In his mind he knew there was no way he was going to get anything from Pelati. He tried anyway, asking question after question about Pelati's family, the crucifixions, and anything else he could think of. But Pelati didn't flinch. He just sat there, unimpressed, like he was half disappointed that Dial was the best cop that Interpol could scrounge up.

Thankfully, a knock on the door changed everything. Dial was tempted to ignore it until he heard the door squeak open behind him. 'What is it?' he growled. 'I'm busy here.'

'Sir,' a cop whispered, 'there's a Cardinal Rose to see you. He says it's urgent.'

Dial smiled, realizing he'd get to thank the cardinal in person for warning him about the blackmail attempt on the Church. He also knew that Rose might have additional information that he could use when he questioned Pelati. 'Yeah, that's fine. Send him back.'

Though they had never met, Rose wasn't difficult to spot. Not only was he dressed like a cardinal, wearing a scarlet robe and a red biretta on his head, but his gait was all Texas. He strolled down the hall like a sheriff heading to a gunfight. If the circumstances had been different, Dial would've lifted the cardinal's garb to see if he was wearing spurs.

'Joe, I'm Nick Dial. It's a pleasure to meet you.' The two shook hands just around the corner from the interrogation room. 'So what's up? I was told you had something urgent to discuss.'

Rose nodded. 'I was given another update on Benito Pelati that I thought would help. But if now's a bad time, I can always come back.'

'Nonsense. I wouldn't think of sending you away. Besides, I'm talking to Benito right now, and he keeps bringing up something that puzzles me. The guy will barely say a word to me, but when he does, he keeps alluding to some secret. I've pressed him, but nothing gives.'

'This secret, has he given you any hints?'

'I wish. It'd make my job a helluva lot easier... Oops. Sorry about that.'

Rose ignored the profanity. Most Texans swore, too. 'Have you asked his family? Maybe they know something. I've never met the man, so I'm not sure what I can tell you.'

'Actually, I think his son knew. That's the reason Benito put two in his chest. To keep him from telling anyone else.'

Rose made the sign of the cross for Dante. 'Did he?'

'Did he, what?'

'Tell anyone else. One of the cops told me there were several witnesses to the shooting.'

Dial nodded. 'His bodyguards were nearby, but none of them spoke English. I get the feeling that was one of the requirements for his staff. It allowed him to conduct his business in private.'

'Smart man. That's the best way to do it. No fear of listening ears.'

'Speaking of smart, why do I get the feeling that you're aware of the secret? That's why you're here, isn't it?'

Rose shrugged. 'Perhaps. God works in mysterious ways.'

Glory hallelujah! Dial thought to himself. 'Tell me, is it something about the Church? Is that what the blackmail was about? He learned something about the Church and decided to make a few bucks for himself.' Dial thought to himself. 'Tell me, is it something about the Church? Is that what the blackmail was about? He learned something about the Church and decided to make a few bucks for himself.'

'Nick, listen, my hands are tied on this one. I can't talk about it. I really can't.'

Dial couldn't keep from smiling. 'But...'

Rose laughed. 'But I figure if I get him to talk about it without actually mentioning it...' I figure if I get him to talk about it without actually mentioning it...'

'Then I'll get everything I need, and you'll have a clean conscience.'

He nodded. 'Yeah, something like that.'

Dial looked at his watch and knew that he was running out of time. Pelati's lawyers would arrive any minute. 'Fine. But we've got to make this quick.'

Rose put his right hand in the air. 'Don't worry, I will be.'

Still smiling, Dial went in first, followed by Rose, who closed the door behind them. Rose had seen Pelati at the Vatican several times but had never spoken to him, mostly because the two had nothing in common. Rose was willing to give everything he had to the Church without expecting anything in return, whereas Pelati was the complete opposite. This mansion was proof of that. Rose was a giver. Pelati was a taker. It would stay that way until the end.

Pelati watched the duo enter the room and seemed to come to life. His eyes focused on the man in red who was staring at him. 'Tell me, Mr Dial, who's your friend?'

'This is Cardinal Joseph Rose from the Vatican. He came to talk to me about your case, and I decided to let him join us.'

'Oh? Why is that? Wasn't I good enough company for you?'

'Actually, you have it backward. I didn't think I was good enough company for you. You see, you kept talking about something that I knew nothing about, so I decided to bring in an expert, someone who could help me understand.'

Pelati grinned at the thought. 'This man is an expert? On what? Christ? Christ?'

'No,' Rose interrupted. 'I'm an expert on secrets.'

'Secrets?' He gasped with mock fear. 'Any secret in particular? Mine, Mine, perhaps?' perhaps?'

Rose nodded, taking a step closer.

'Oh good! Then this shall be fun. Please pull up a seat, Your Eminence. I'd love to hear what you know about me and my secret.'

Rose shook his head. 'The chair won't be necessary. I promised Nick that I'd be brief, and I intend to keep my word.'

'Suit yourself, Your Eminence... I admire a man who can keep his word.'

Rose moved closer. 'Actually, that's the thing about secrets that has always bothered me. People never keep their word, meaning a secret is never a secret for very long.'

Pelati nodded, all too familiar with the subject. 'Cardinal Rose, if I may be so bold, why are you telling me this? Are you trying to convince me that you know know my family's secret? Is that what you're trying to do?' my family's secret? Is that what you're trying to do?'

'On the contrary, I wanted you to know that the exact opposite is true. You are alone alone in this. No one knows your entire secret but you. Do you hear me? in this. No one knows your entire secret but you. Do you hear me? Not a single soul. Not a single soul.'

Pelati frowned. It wasn't what he was expecting. 'And you came here to tell me that that?'

Rose smiled in the face of evil. He'd been sent here by the Supreme Council to protect the Church, and he intended to finish the job. 'No, I came here because I wanted to see the look in your eyes when I told you this...' Pulling a pistol from the folds of his robe, he said, 'Your secret dies today.'

Before Dial could react, Rose shoved the gun against Pelati's head and fired. A thunderous roar filled the room, followed by the splash of blood and brains against the wall.

Instinctively, Dial lunged for Rose's weapon, but the Cardinal was too quick to be stopped. Backing away to the far corner of the room, Rose pushed the hot barrel against his own temple and ordered Dial to stay put.

'Don't do it!' Dial screamed. 'Please don't!'

'I have to, Nick. It has has to end this way.' to end this way.'

'Why?' he demanded as a wave of cops burst through the door. 'Tell me why!'

Rose smiled knowingly and tightened his grip on the trigger. 'Because Christ is my savior.'