Zane was about to bring it up when Stegmann spoke to the men. “Give me a sitrep.”
A dark-haired guard crouched in the aisle pointed toward the bottom shelf. “We think it started here.”
Stegmann stepped closer and lowered to one knee, his eyes fixed on the blackened books and shelving.
“Light the bottom, and let it ignite everything above,” Zane pointed out. “A quick way to create chaos.”
Stegmann nodded in agreement.
“Thankfully, the sprinklers did their job, thwarting whoever did this,” one of the other guards said.
“I’m not so sure they were thwarted,” Zane said.
Stegmann looked back at him with a frown. “What do you mean?”
“If someone was trying to burn the place down, they’d never do it by starting a fire here.” Zane nodded at one of the sprinklers directly overhead. “Assuming the fire-protection system was in good working order, they had to know a paper fire would be put out within a few minutes.”
“What are you suggesting?” Stegmann asked.
“I’m suggesting this was a distraction.”
Stegmann seemed to understand where he was going. “We need to find out where the relic is—”
“Sir.” A guard approached and held a radio toward Stegmann. “Hauptmann Auer would like to speak to you. He’s calling from the vault.”
Zane’s gut pinched. They were about to get more bad news.
Stegmann took the radio. “Auer?”
A choppy voice spoke on the other end. “Three of us came down to check on Hannes. He was late in checking out and didn’t respond to our calls.” There was a brief pause before he continued, his voice cracking with emotion. “Sir, we have a man down.”
Stegmann frowned. “Hannes?”
“Yes, sir.”
Stegmann stared into space, trying to make sense of it all. A moment later, he seemed seized with a thought. “Have you found anyone else? I was told Father Cortesi was there with one of the couriers.”
“Not yet, but we’re searching now.”
“Let me know if you find anything.”
Auer spoke again. “Sir, there is something else.”
“What is it?”
“Hannes… his uniform is missing.”
The pieces of the puzzle were slowly being snapped into place. Even though they hadn’t found his body yet, Zane had no doubt Father Cortesi was dead. The courier had used the father for access to the vault, then killed both he and Hannes. He then used the guard’s uniform to cover his escape.
After signing off, Stegmann told the guards to search the entire complex, including the grounds outside. They were to look for an impostor wearing the regular duty uniform of the Swiss Guard. He reminded them the man was armed and dangerous.
After the men left, Stegmann turned to Zane. “Let’s assume he got what he wanted. Why come up here and set this fire?”
“It was meant to be a distraction. From his standpoint, the biggest hurdle was going to be getting out through the security checkpoint. No one would recognize him from a distance, but if he was able to get out of the building…” A memory flashed in Zane’s mind: a Swiss guard escorting a nun to the curb. Zane had expected the man to remain with the nun or re-enter the building, but instead he’d simply walked out into the parking lot. Zane tried to picture the man’s face then remembered he’d been looking down. He’d gotten a general impression of his features, but that was it.
He looked at Stegmann. “Shut down all the exits now.”
“There are guards at every—”
“No, shut them down completely. Close the gates. Don’t let anyone out under any circumstances. No vehicles. No foot traffic. No one can leave.”
Stegmann frowned deeply. “You saw him?”
“He was walking out into the courtyard. And if we don’t stop him in the next couple of minutes, we may lose him forever.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Dante — the man posing as Fabio Pinelli — strode across the parking lot with confidence. Look like you’re supposed to be here. Five more minutes and this will all be over.
So far, he couldn’t be more pleased with how things had played out. The plan had worked to near perfection. After he’d set the fire, smoke had filled the library, triggering sprinklers and alarms. Less than a minute later, chaos reigned throughout the building. People streamed down stairs and rushed toward the exits. Others had bent over coughing, unable to move in the suffocating haze.
There had only been one hiccup along the way. As he crossed the entrance hall, he noticed two guards coming toward him. If they had seen his face, he would’ve been forced to fight his way out. Fortunately, fate had smiled down on him. Just as the guards drew near, several nuns emerged from a nearby stairwell. One of them looked like she was about to keel over, so he had come alongside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and helping her through the exit.
After emerging outside, he had seen two men running toward him. One wore a suit and had a look of authority. He was just the kind of man Dante wanted to avoid. The other was a civilian — a tall, athletic-looking man with long hair. Thankfully, neither had seen his face.
An ear-splitting thump pulsated overhead, drawing Dante back to the present. He looked up. A helicopter swept through the night sky, its searchlight panning from one side of the courtyard to the other.
The search was already on.
A minute later, he arrived at the van. After climbing in, he moved to the back and placed the satchel in a metal cabinet. Now that the relic was secure, he removed the bulky blue uniform of the Swiss Guard, completing the transformation back to courier.
After climbing back into the front seat, he drove through the tunnel. As he emerged on the other side, two fire trucks whisked past him, sirens wailing. He stopped the van and looked toward St. Anne’s Gate. The iron gate was open, but the guards buzzed around it like bees. They were probably waiting for more fire trucks to pass through. That might mean it was his last chance to get out before they sealed things off.
Reaching into his pocket, he removed the pistol he’d taken from the guard. He chambered a round then placed it between the seat and the center console. While he preferred to slip away without a fight, he wouldn’t hesitate to use the weapon if necessary.
He put the van in gear and drove forward. One of the guards saw him coming and stepped into the road. He was clutching a semi-automatic weapon, and his face was etched with a hard scowl. They weren’t playing games.
The guard held up a hand. “Halt!”
Dante brought the van to a stop and took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to hit the panic button. He reminded himself they weren’t looking for a courier, at least not yet, so it was likely they’d let him out. If not, he’d leave by force. Either way, he’d be fine.
The guard approached the driver’s side window. “Turn the vehicle around. No one is allowed to leave.”
Dante shifted the van into park. “What’s going on? I just dropped something off and need to be at my next delivery.”
“It will have to wait.”
“It can’t.”
The guard’s scowl deepened. “Didn’t you hear me? I said no one is leaving. Now back up and turn around.”
“You can’t keep me here against my will.”
His suspicions now aroused, the guard’s eyes scanned the dash and the front seat. “I need to see your identification.”
Dante glanced toward the Swiss Guards standing near the gate. Most were looking in his direction. They seemed to sense something was wrong. Some gripped their rifles tightly.
“Now!” the guard shouted.