Death Never Sleeps (38 page)
Michael sat, fixated. “Jesus. How is this all possible?”
“And, Michael—this is even stranger—somehow, the two come together.”
Michael noticed that Alex was beginning to close his eyes, and like a fatigued driver, seemingly catch himself and perk up.
“Michael, I’m getting a bit tired.”
“Okay, maybe all these questions put a strain on you. Can you just hold on another few minutes? I need to understand some things, like how much danger Samantha and I are really in right now.”
“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry—although a few amphetamines wouldn’t hurt right now.”
“Alex, what troubles me is that it’s clear these guys were just hired guns. The person who employed them is obviously still out there,” Michael said, watching Alex’s face and looking for a reaction, a sign that everything would be okay.
But Alex looked somber. “Joseph Sharkey is behind everything. You and I both understand that. Sharkey is hiding in Rome; I’ve tracked him. He’s got a problem now though. He hired these Russians without the knowledge of his hosts—his protectors—and when they find out about it, they’re going to be pissed as hell. They’re going to come down on him like a ton of bricks.
“These people don’t like messy scenes in places where rich people like you hang out. Their style is more like, you know, poison pills or a switchblade through the side of the heart where you have to search for the entry wound—murders that look like natural causes or accidents. Things that don’t generate publicity.”
Michael listened, amazed again at Alex’s knowledge. “So what does this mean for me?”
“It means you’re safe for now. His protectors couldn’t afford to let Sharkey ever be caught and arrested; he knows too much. Plus they owed him a favor, so they took him in. But they’ll put a lid on him now; he won’t be able to do a thing.”
“Alex, who are these people? Who’s hiding Sharkey?”
Alex hesitated and seemed momentarily uncertain. “I know their names and where they work. The names won’t mean anything to you, but where they work will.”
“For Christ’s sake, Alex, where are they?”
Alex laughed, his dark sarcastic laugh. “You’re close on that one. They’re inside the Vatican.”
“You’re kidding. This can’t be good for me. And what was the big
favor
they owed him that would cause them to get in bed with him at all?”
“Years ago, Sharkey took care of a big problem for the Church in the Bronx. Some kids were about to testify against a priest who molested them. Sharkey had them killed in a car accident. That’s why the Church—or at least some big shots there—have been doing his bidding and are now protecting him.”
“The Catholic Church?”
“Yeah, some monsignor and a cardinal. And it may go higher than that.”
“How can it go any higher? You mean God?”
“Well, maybe not that high, but possibly the pope. At least it’s possible that he may have some knowledge of all this, unless they’re keeping it from him.”
Michael was speechless. But more than ever, he was feeling the stirring of a new emotion. Something he hadn’t really experienced since his immersion into his brother’s world. Michael was angry.
“You mean to tell me that a cardinal inside the Vatican walls is helping a guy like Sharkey simply to return a dirty favor that he did for them?”
“It looks like Sharkey went to them after your kidnapping was botched and the cops had all the evidence they needed to put him away forever. So Sharkey called in a favor with this cardinal and the monsignor, who were the ones involved in covering up the problem in the Bronx. Maybe they really felt obligated to help him. More likely, they were worried that a desperate Sharkey would trade information on what he did for the Church in return for some kind of leniency and, in the process, implicate them. They would have had a fuckin’ mess on their hands.”
“I can’t believe this, Alex.”
“Michael, I’ve just forwarded a confidential document that I’ve captured. It’s a transcript of an electronically recorded conversation within the Vatican. It looks like someone is bugging the rooms there. So, sign out with me and then check your e-mail.”
“Alex, this is all so unbelievable. I don’t understand how you find out all of this.”
“Michael, stop trying to understand everything that goes on here.”
“Alex, when you say ‘here,’ where exactly do you mean?”
Alex gave him a comforting, relaxed smile, and said, “Just read your e-mail—and have a safe trip home.”
Michael clicked out of the program and logged onto his personal Internet account. He checked his inbox and noticed the name of the sender of the most recent message, delivered just two minutes ago. It was
[email protected]
,
his brother’s old e-mail account. He clicked on the message and watched as it appeared on his screen. It was an excerpt of a recorded and translated conversation. The initial notes indicated that the conversation between Monsignor Dominick Petrucceli and Cardinal Angelo Lovallo occurred yesterday:
“My son, you are troubled.”
“Yes, my Father. This American is evil. He has no redeeming qualities. He has no conscience, no moral direction whatsoever. And yet, we are in debt to him. It is disturbing. It causes me to question—”
“Your faith? Dominick, do not question your faith. After all, we are all mortals, imperfect. You and I, in doing God’s work and trying to protect our Church, have erred. Each misstep leading to another. Now is the time, however, to reverse our course and permanently eliminate the cancer of which we have spoken and been heretofore unable to contain.”
“What do you mean, my Father?”
“Jesus said if the vine is to grow, it must be trimmed. Joseph Sharkey must be transferred from his hotel to an apartment here within our Vatican walls. A secure apartment.”
“Secure, Father?”
“Yes, Dominick. Secure. One from which he will never leave.”
Michael continued to stare at the transcript, embedded inside Alex’s e-mail. Without warning, however, the transcript and the entire e-mail disappeared. Seconds later, his computer shut down, the screen going black. He immediately switched it on again and waited until his Internet connection was restored. He logged into his e-mail account, but Alex’s message was gone. He clicked onto “deleted” mail and then “trash,” but the e-mail had vanished.
Michael at last felt a sense of relief as he prepared to shut down the laptop and go to bed. Feeling secure now that Sharkey was contained far away, Michael looked forward to the morning when he and Samantha would board the Air France flight from Nice to JFK, as safe as any other passenger.
Although the desire for sleep was finally pulling at him, Michael continued to stare at the blank screen, unwilling to hit the “shut down” key, wondering about the miracle that had brought his brother back to him and into his life as never before.
Amazed yet unsettled, Michael wondered about the future and about Alex Nicholas. He thought about his brother’s growing capacity to reason and to utilize the powerful resources and interconnections of the Internet. He tried to make some sense of where Alex’s resurrection fit within the context of his—or anyone’s—religion or spirituality.
But, most of all, he wondered where this strange miracle was headed.
Without any answers but content with the present moment, Michael finally turned off his computer and went to bed.
Chapter 68
F
ifty thousand feet above the Atlantic Ocean, it all began to crystallize for Michael.
Just because Sharkey is being held in the Church’s custody doesn’t mean I’m safe, does it?
Michael asked himself. He knew it was a rhetorical question.
Although these priests don’t like Sharkey and may either never let him out or even kill him, that doesn’t mean they still don’t need to do something about me. I know too much. So does Samantha. Eventually, they’ll wipe us all out.
He sipped his glass of chardonnay, watched Samantha quietly absorbed in her Sudoku, and thought more about his situation. He recalled some of his most challenging corporate turnaround roles. There was a predictable pattern to how he had approached them. Unlike the traditional wisdom, he had not started out with guns blazing from day one. His style was to spend an initial period of time carefully assessing his situation and then finally developing a plan and moving forward.
Michael realized he had approached Alex’s business and the threats it had presented in much the same way. He had taken the necessary actions to stabilize the business while protecting himself and his family.
Now, he knew, it was time to move out from under the defensive position he had maintained. It was time to fight, to take the initiative, to root out the threats and eliminate his enemies, particularly if those enemies were bad people.
Michael opened up his laptop and began to type a memo to be sent as soon as he arrived home this afternoon:
Memorandum to: Richard Perkins
From: Michael Nicholas
Date: July 20, 2010
RE: Business expansion into Italy
Richard, I believe that the global economic crisis has opened up an opportunity to aggressively expand Gibraltar Financial’s market position in Europe. Although we already have significant market share in France and the United Kingdom, the changing political conditions occurring now in Italy provide us with a window of opportunity to expand rapidly in that country.
I will have our analysts prepare a detailed preliminary analysis for your review. In the interim, I will make plans to travel to Rome in order to meet with senior political and business leaders there.
In addition, I will need to have introductions to senior Vatican officials, perhaps beginning with the head of the Vatican Bank. Before proceeding with any business initiatives in Italy, we will need to ensure that we have the blessing of the appropriate Church officials. I understand that at least one member of our board is well connected inside the Vatican. Any assistance you could provide in opening those doors would be appreciated.
Michael
He then pulled out his BlackBerry and, after disabling the WiFi feature, typed a message to Karen DiNardo that would be sent as soon as he hit the ground:
Karen,
I expect to travel to Rome shortly for a series of business meetings designed to allow us to expand into Italy. There are two key Church officials there whom I will ultimately need to build a relationship with in order to secure their support. Please (discreetly) research these two Vatican officials for me: Cardinal Angelo Lovallo and Monsignor Dominick Petrucceli.
I will need to know everything about them, including their backgrounds, precise duties within the Church, and most importantly, their personal habits, interests, and exactly where they actually reside. Be sure to include their photographs in your report.
Please keep this confidential.
Thanks,
Michael
Satisfied, he switched off his BlackBerry, adjusted his seat to the fully reclined position, and pulled up the soft down comforter. For the first time since last November, Michael Nicholas knew he would sleep soundly.
Coming Soon, the sequel:
Death Logs In
.
For previews of upcoming books by
E.J. Simon and more information
about the author, visit
Author’s Note
Death Never Sleeps
is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents described in this novel are the product of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, businesses, events, or places is purely coincidental.
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to my editor, Debra Ginsberg, an accomplished and successful author in her own right, for her extensive critique and her incredibly insightful suggestions and ideas.
In addition, I am grateful to my friends and family members, who were kind enough to read the early manuscript drafts and offer their constructive observations and support; to my beautiful daughter, who was continually asking for more pages to read; to Reba Hilbert for her proofreading and marketing copy expertise; to the dedicated professionals at Writer’s Relief, who have tirelessly assisted in the marketing of the manuscript; and to Hilary Oran, who believed in this story and was instrumental in setting me on the correct course at a critical juncture in its development.
About the Author
