“Wow,” John said, looking relieved. “You just described what I’m going through right now. I think about meeting the right woman, getting married, having kids, all of it. I just hope I make the right decision this summer before I enter seminary in the fall.”
“You’ll find your way, John. Whatever you decide, priest or no priest, you have a good heart. If you want to be a husband and father, I know you’ll be one of the best. If you become a priest, you’ll be a great one.”
“Lunch,” a twenty-something girl shouted at the two from the dunes. She had long brown hair and was wearing a white blouse and skintight khaki shorts. She giggled at John before turning her back and running off toward the villa.
John shot Leo a glance and moaned. “See what I mean?”
Leo smiled. He knew the struggle this young man would face in the months ahead would be difficult. It was possible the Church would lose another promising candidate for the priesthood due to its antiquated views of marriage and priests. For now, Leo just wanted an answer to the question of why they were here, and so far, no one seemed to have one.
Beers in hand, they retreated from the beach across a rickety boardwalk that ran through the dunes toward the villa. In the distance, Leo noticed the sun’s reflection glinting off something nestled in the dunes farther down the beach. He shielded his eyes with his hands and peered out over the sea swept landscape. Nothing moved. Whatever he had seen was now gone, and the burning heat from the sun-baked boardwalk against his bare feet made him step up his pace. The sound of laughter coming from the villa, along with the aroma of meat cooking on an outdoor grill, put an end to Leo’s thoughts about the shining object in the distance as he headed toward the promise of a delicious meal.
Arriving by the pool, Leo and John stopped and stared at a long buffet table piled high with food. There were bowls nestled in ice and filled with Jerusalem salad, a delicious concoction that included olives, feta, pomegranate, and za’atar, a seasoning of hyssop and sesame seeds sprinkled with kosher salt. Wide platters ringed with lime wedges held grilled tilapia, known locally as Saint Peter’s fish.
There were mounds of pita bread next to bowls of hummus, olive oil, minced garlic, and freshly picked lemons from the groves around the villa. Shashlik, spiced ground meat on skewers, along with kebabs of cubed lamb and beef, sizzled on the grill nearby, while dishes of pickled vegetables and baba ghanoush were spaced throughout the buffet next to heaps of freshly picked fruit.
Under big yellow umbrellas, Israeli and French wines populated linen-covered tables, while ice-filled metal tubs holding Cokes and bottles of water were stationed nearby on the stone patio floor. People of all ages were lounging beside the pool, enjoying the feast and the comfortable familiarity of being surrounded by friends who were more like family. The atmosphere had the feel of a holiday to it.
“I think we must have died at the beach and this is heaven,” John said.
Leo nodded in agreement as they piled as much food on their plates as room allowed and fell into some poolside lounge chairs. Reaching for a bottle of cold water, Leo noticed Lev standing next to the villa talking to a group of exceptionally fit-looking men. Judging by their appearance, the priest took them for military types.
Lev soon spotted Leo and John by the pool and grinned while raising his glass of wine in a gesture of welcome. Leo and John responded by lifting their bottles of water in a return salute, their mouths too full to grin. Squinting in the late afternoon sun, Leo continued to study the group around Lev. Could this be the Bible Code Team Morelli had talked about? His question was about to be answered, because the men, led by Lev, were now walking in their direction.
Several hundred yards away, behind a sand dune to the north, two men with binoculars and cameras packed up their equipment. They walked back to their car parked along the road and sat inside, staring at the villa. The men exchanged glances before looking around to make sure no one was watching as the driver started the engine and pulled out onto the roadway. Slowly, they drove past the villa as the passenger reached for his cell phone and punched in a preprogrammed number.
Chapter 15
Leo and John sat happily munching away by the pool while Lev and the three fit-looking men approached them. Two of the men appeared to be in their late twenties or early thirties, while the third appeared to be at least in his fifties. Setting their plates aside, Leo and John stood to meet the group.
“Are you feeling rested, my friends?” Lev asked. “Is the food to your liking?”
“The food is excellent, Lev. I’ve never seen such a spectacular feast put together in a private home. I feel like a guest at an exclusive resort. We can’t thank you enough for your generous hospitality.”
“How about you, John? Did you get enough to eat?”
Red as a lobster from too much sun, John stood next to Leo holding a skewer of meat in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. “This is probably one of the best meals I’ve ever had. My folks back on our ranch in New Mexico used to put on some real parties with lots of Mexican food and barbecue, but nothing like this.”
“Well, this is a special occasion,” Lev said, winking at the men around him. Let’s go inside, and I’ll start the introductions.” Lev studied John’s deepening red color. “You two need to get out of the sun.”
The group filed into the villa and entered a cavernous room with a red-tiled floor and a man-sized iron chandelier hanging from the center of a thirty-foot high ceiling. The walls were painted the color of desert sand and lined with artwork, while Persian carpets and white fabric sofas took up the center of the room, giving the space a modern Mid-Eastern flavor. Floor-to-ceiling windows at one end opened up the space to a panoramic view of the sea, while on opposite sides of the room, two wide hallways led away from the great room into separate parts of the villa.
As the men gathered around on sofas, the holiday mood took on a distinctly more business-like tone when Lev stood and faced Leo and John for a moment before speaking. “I want to start off by saying that everyone here is very grateful that you two made it to Israel safely. Those of us involved with the Bible code have been extremely impressed with both of you, especially your involvement in the discovery of the ancient chapel and your ability to shake off your pursuers and make it to Israel without being stopped. I’m sure we’ll all get to know one another much better in the days ahead, but before we get to the matter of why we’ve all been called together at this exact time and place, I want to introduce you to the team Father Morelli was working with for the past year.”
The stoic-looking men sitting across from Leo and John smiled in their direction. “Shalom,” they all said in unison.
“Don’t let their casual looks give you a false impression,” Lev said. “Most are experts in their chosen fields, and all of them have devoted the past year of their lives to the study of the code in the Bible.”
The man seated next to Lev stood and seized Leo’s hand in a vice-like grip. Leo returned the squeeze, causing the man to smile. “I heard you were once a boxer, Father. You still have a good grip.”
“This is Moshe Ze?ev,” Lev said. “Our chief of security.”
“Pleased to meet you, Moshe.” Leo watched as John winced in the clutches of the man’s iron handshake. At fifty-five years of age, Moshe was the oldest and most colorful member of the three. He was wearing a bright blue fly-fishing shirt, lime-green shorts, and flip-flops. The long, thin muscles of a runner made it obvious that he still kept himself in shape, and his tanned head was completely shaved. His only facial hair was a thick handlebar moustache that he twirled at the ends. Leo knew Moshe’s name was, of course, synonymous with the man who delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt-Moses.