‘Yes.’
‘That certainly takes some getting used to.’
‘It does.’
Then Father Gabriel smiled. ‘But I’m not surprised to find out Lucifer decided to go into politics. Though it could have been worse.’
‘Worse?’
‘He could have become a televangelist. If I’d had to guess, that’s what I would have put my money on.’
In spite of the situation, Lourds laughed.
Father Gabriel joined him, and then asked, ‘How can I help you, Thomas?’
‘I need a place to stay where I can work,’ Lourds said. ‘Somewhere safe.’
Father Gabriel nodded. ‘Of course.’
‘Enough room for my road companions.’
‘One of them is a woman?’
‘Two, actually.’
‘Including the young redhead over there by that tree looking as though she’s innocently hanging about?’
Cleena cursed, eliciting a smile from Lourds. She made an obnoxious gesture at the priest.
‘Ah, a young woman of genteel breeding, I see.’ Father Gabriel chuckled. ‘I take it you’re in constant communication with her.’
‘Yes.’
‘Two women are harder to manage than one,’ Father Gabriel said. Lourds knew the double entendre was intentional.
‘You said this man was like a father to you?’ Cleena asked.
‘Yes,’ Lourds answered.
‘No wonder you have the morals of an alley cat.’
‘I meant father as in priest.’
Cleena came to a halt and looked shocked. ‘You just let me flip off a priest?’
‘It’s not as if you asked my permission or gave me any advance warning about what you were going to do.’
‘You are an idiot!’
‘I’m not the one that flipped off the priest.’
Father Gabriel waved to Cleena. Embarrassed, the young redhead waved back.
‘She doesn’t look like a linguist,’ the priest said.
‘Thankfully she doesn’t look like a gunrunner either,’ Lourds replied.
‘I so hate you right now,’ Cleena said.
‘She probably hasn’t been to confession in a long time either,’ Lourds said.
Cleena poured pure invective into his ear.
‘Besides sleeping quarters and a safe place where you can work,’ Father Gabriel asked, ‘is there anything else you need?’
‘Books,’ Lourds said. ‘I’m going to need some of those special books the Vatican keeps locked away. I’ve got to break this language, and it’s going to be even more difficult because it’s been broken into four parts.’
‘Done.’ Father Gabriel stood. ‘Did you drive?’
‘We took a cab.’
‘You are putting your life in God’s hands.’ Father Gabriel started walking away. ‘Come along, Thomas. You can ride with me. I’ll make a few phone calls and everything should be arranged by the time we get where we’re going.’ He looked over his shoulder to where Cleena trailed after them. ‘Your impertinent little friend can ride along as well, as long as she promises not to make a spectacle of herself.’
Cleena waited until Father Gabriel was looking away, then flipped Lourds off.
‘God saw that,’ the priest said.
Tired and frustrated, Lourds entered the large kitchen where Father Gabriel was managing several pots on the stove. Lourds knew from earlier inspection that they contained a selection of pastas and vegetables. The priest had even managed to bake some bread and the warm, yeasty smell pervaded the large loft he had secured for them.
The loft had six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a massive kitchen and dining room and a large common area. Lourds couldn’t imagine the size of the family that lived there. He also couldn’t imagine where they could’ve gone. When he’d asked Father Gabriel about it, the old priest had simply waved the question away.
‘Some people have old sins that just won’t go away,’ Father Gabriel said. ‘Every now and again, I’ll give those people a chance to do something good. This is simply one of those times.’
Maybe the accommodations were simple, but Lourds was struggling with the intricate puzzle of the final language. He filched one of the rolls that had just come out of the oven, then had to juggle it in both hands because it was so hot. When it had finally cooled down enough, he broke it open and slathered it with cream cheese.
Father Gabriel mopped at his sweaty brow with a shirt sleeve. ‘Progress?’
‘A little, maybe. I don’t know. I’ve been at this so long that I can’t tell up from down any more.’
‘Of course you can. You’re the finest student I’ve ever had. I’ll take your failure personally.’
‘You could help, you know.’
Father Gabriel stirred one of the pots, then reached for the next spoon. ‘No, I don’t think so. You surpassed my meagre abilities a long time ago. If I tried to help you, I’d just embarrass myself and distract you.’
Lourds ate some of the roll; it was delicious. ‘I can’t help feeling I need a fresh pair of eyes on this.’
‘It’ll come. Just give it time.’
‘We don’t have time.’
Lourds glanced at the television over in the corner of the kitchen. The unrest in Saudi Arabia continued as Prince Khalid made war along his borders. Shia warriors had started slipping across the borders to shore up the rebellions spreading throughout the country. To make matters worse, private security services hired by American and European corporations also continued to filter into the country to secure valuable assets. The images on the television showed death and disaster, smoke, machine-gun fire and explosions. Helicopters and planes dropped from the sky as they were hit by enemy fire. Tanks exploded on the streets. Soldiers fought with and taunted one another.
‘Even if you hadn’t told me Lucifer was involved with this,’ Father Gabriel said softly, ‘I would have seen his hand in it.’
‘Where’s the vice-president?’ Lourds asked.
‘Still there in King Abdullah Financial City. It looks like Webster is going to get the troops he’s been asking for.’
‘What troops?’
‘Webster has asked for a military operation into the country.’
‘On Saudi Arabian soil?’
‘Yes.’
‘There’s not much chance of that starting an international incident, is there?’ Lourds asked sarcastically.
‘Surely not.’
‘Oh. Sarcasm.’
‘Yes. However the comment isn’t without merit and truth. As it turns out, Webster’s quite the organizer. He’s already got several European and American corporations backing everything he’s doing over there.’
‘They’re all afraid of losing their money,’ Lourds said.
‘Given all the recent economic frustrations, I can see why people want to hold on to what they have and are willing to take the extra-legal step to maintain it.’
‘This isn’t just extra-legal. The Saudis won’t tolerate it. The Middle East will be up in arms for generations to come.’
‘If we last that long,’ Father Gabriel agreed. ‘And by that, I mean the world.’
‘And no one sees this?’
‘Of course someone sees this. But the people who have the muscle to make these things happen – politicians, big businessmen and even religious figures – all believe what Webster has to say: if a stand isn’t taken in the Middle East, a Western world stand, then they’re going to lose everything they know.’
‘That’s foolish.’
‘Do you really think so?’
Lourds didn’t reply.
Father Gabriel looked at Lourds. ‘These are frightening times, Thomas. Money isn’t what it used to be. Jobs aren’t always there. Security is a half-remembered memory. This – this is something that’s been building for a long time.’ He glanced at the television. ‘And it’s coming home to roost.’
Lourds woke at the desk where he’d been working non-stop for three days. He just managed to halt a teetering stack of books before they fell over and scattered across the floor.
You’ve got to get some sleep, he told himself. But he knew that trying would be worthless. As soon as he went to sleep, he’d be awake again. Just like now.