Book of JUDAS

Chapter Twenty-Two-3

“How did you know?” asked Anna quietly, shaking her head.

“Actually I’ve known this day might come for quite some time now,” he replied somewhat insouciantly, looking down at the artefact.

Suddenly, the doors behind them were flung open again and in came Philip, escorted by two burly security guards.

“We found him coming up the back staircase and…” said one of the guards before Grainger silenced him with an impatient wave of his hand.

“Leave him – and you can all go now,” he commanded abruptly.

The senior security officer stared at him for a second making sure the order was real before turning around and instructing his men to leave. The large double doors were pulled closed behind them leaving Philip and Simon exchanging surprised glances while Anna’s amazement was evident from her face.

“Hallo, Philip,” said Grainger.

“I don’t understand,” he replied. “How do you know me?”

“I’ve known of all three of you for quite some time,” he said smiling benignly. “Come with me. I’d like to show you something.”

Theodore Grainger, carrying the second arkheynia in his hand, led them towards a narrow recess in the Exhibit Room. The walls were covered in photographs, many in black and white, depicting him with various dignitaries in a multitude of international settings.

“Do you see that picture there?” he asked invitingly, pointing at an old photograph hanging above their heads on the wall.

All three of them instantly looked up at the worn and frayed image, mounted in a thin black frame. It depicted two middle-aged men smiling at the camera. In the background there was what looked like a Bedouin camp with camels tethered together and the faces of the two men were partially obscured by the Arab headdresses they were both wearing to protect themselves from the heat and dust of the desert.

It took Philip and Simon a moment to identify their grandfather – he was obviously a lot younger at the time but closer scrutiny confirmed that it was definitely him.

“I don’t believe it!” muttered Simon under his breath.

Standing on Sir Lawrence Trenchard’s right hand side, Anna recognised the youthful, smiling face of Theodore Grainger himself.

“Yes, once upon a time I was very good friends with your grandfather,” said Grainger looking nostalgically at the black and white picture. It had been taken some time after Sir Lawrence’s discovery of the Judas Scrolls at Qumran.

“Once?” repeated Philip quizzically.

“Yes, once upon a time we were inseparable but then I’m afraid a terrible, terrible tragedy happened − a terrible accident from which there was no turning back!”

They noticed his face contort with the bitter agony of the distant memory. What could it be? thought Philip. What could be so bad that it would completely destroy their relationship?

“What happened?” asked Anna softly. As she listened to him relive the events as they unfolded many years ago her feelings towards Grainger began to thaw.

“There’s no easy way to say this – I’m responsible for the death of your parents!” said Grainger remorsefully, looking directly into the faces of Philip and Simon.

Emotionless, the brothers stood there blankly staring back at him. They were stunned by the revelation. Anna, searching for their reaction, immediately stretched out her arm to clutch Simon’s hand. The terrifying memories of the night their grandfather had pulled them from their beds when they were only seven and eight years old came flooding back.

“What do you mean?” asked Philip, shaking his head in bewilderment.

“I mean that your grandfather blamed me for their murder!” he said with regret.

“They were murdered!” stuttered Simon. All our lives Grandfather had been shielding us from the truth, he thought.

“You need to explain,” said Philip angrily, the suppressed emotion rapidly welling up inside him.

In the faded, grey light of the Exhibit Room recess, Theodore Grainger suddenly appeared much older than his years. His shoulders slumped as he slowly and deliberately began to recount the events surrounding the death of their parents.

“Your grandfather trusted me…” he sighed. “He trusted me with his life and when he made that discovery in Qumran all those years ago, he let me in on the secret. I never actually saw the scrolls themselves although I do confess, I’d have loved to have done so.”

“When your grandfather told me about the role of the Vatican and their sworn intention to recover the scrolls and destroy the Book of Judas I simply didn’t believe him,” he reminisced.

“In this modern age, I just could not believe that the Church, Christianity and the Catholic religion was capable of murderous, evil acts to support its continued existence − the church I was familiar with preached about family values, strong ethics and peaceful virtues but how wrong could I be!” he said, gritting his teeth with frustration and shaking his head in disbelief. Even now it still seemed absurd and ridiculous to suggest there could be so much immorality in the fabric of Christianity.

“At the time we were friends, your grandfather was fearful for his life – he hadn’t been back in England long since the discovery and he knew that they’d eventually come looking for him. I should have believed him and I should have trusted him totally…” he muttered ruefully.

“As it happened,” he continued, “through my own fieldwork work in Jordan, I’d built up a relationship with some senior members of the Vatican’s archaeological team − I decided in my wisdom, and unbeknown to your grandfather, to call one of them and find out what was going on. When I called him and asked about the Judas Scrolls he became excited and gave me a number in Rome to call. I didn’t attach any great importance to it, and called the number. I was put through to an officer in the Swiss Guard who asked me how I knew about the Judas Scrolls and I told him I was with Sir Lawrence in England. At this point I was foolishly insisting that I speak to someone senior in the Pope’s administration, someone that could put an end to this nonsense that my good friend was suffering − they told me that one of the senior Cardinals would speak to me directly that evening and could I give them a telephone number that he could contact me on…”

Grainger looked up, the cigar he had been holding had gone out a long time ago but, agitated, he kept rolling it around his fingers while his other hand kept a tight grip of the second arkheynia. Riveted to his every word, Simon and Philip urged him to continue.

“Normally we’d have been staying at Tudor Hall but I knew we had plans to be at your parents’ that evening so I gave the Vatican official their telephone number − the housemaid appeared not long after and told me that the engagement with your parents had been cancelled. Later, that night at Tudor Hall after your grandfather returned late from a meeting, he was very uptight − he was anxious for us both to leave the house and seek refuge somewhere else the very next morning.”

Grainger snorted and gave an ironic shake of the head as he recalled the conversation.

“This is when I told Lawrence of the earlier conversation I’d had with the Vatican and that I’d soon sort out this ridiculous nightmare for him…”

Philip began to see the writing on the wall. He winced as Grainger revealed the final truth about their parents.

“Your grandfather went berserk; he couldn’t understand why I didn’t believe him − I just couldn’t accept that the clergy and the Vatican were capable of ordering cold-blooded killings.”

Grainger looked across at Anna and shook his head sadly.

“In his rage, Sir Lawrence told me what happened to your father − I’m very sorry.”

Anna remained speechless although she thought he looked sincere with the remark.

“It must have been approaching midnight. Your grandfather grabbed his coat, raced to the car and set off for your parent’s house − but as you know he was too late!”

“What happened?” demanded Simon.

“I wasn’t there myself,” replied Grainger, “but I understand that agents of the Vatican had broken in and murdered your parents before ransacking the house looking for the scrolls − maybe your grandfather’s arrival scared them off, I don’t know, but he returned later that night with both of you.”

Philip turned around and paced back and forwards along the recess wall, thoughts running through his mind as the last pieces of the jigsaw from that unbearable night were finally put in place.

“Your grandfather was distraught,” Grainger continued. “I thought he was going to kill me he was so mad but in the end he simply asked me to leave and never return − he told me that he never wanted to see me as long as I lived. It was a very difficult time for me. I was disgusted with myself for what I’d done − I understood… How could he ever forgive me or how could I ever expect to be forgiven. After that he obviously somehow managed to make a deal with the Vatican and as time went on I did attempt a reconciliation but it was totally futile − I think he hated me with a passion − he told me that every time he thought of me all he could see were the faces of his dead family!”

In the background outside the Exhibit Room, they could hear the bangs and whizzes as the fireworks display began in the garden for the guests’ entertainment, the rockets’ explosions illuminating the midnight sky and showering the alcove in flickering multi-coloured light. Outside, the revellers shrieked in delight as the party overflowed into the lawn.

Grainger ignored the noise.

“You know I even offered him this.” Grainger held up the second arkheynia, the red tip extending from his fist on the spindly fragment of bone.

“It was me that found that it − I knew your grandfather wanted them and I too researched night and day to discover their location, hoping that this peace offering could be the key that could bring us together again… But it wasn’t − he refused to accept anything from me!”

Simon and Philip now knew the real story. Their grandfather had tried to protect them with the story about the car crash. Philip’s initial rush of anger had subsided; there was nothing to be gained by pushing Grainger any further, and there was nothing that he could do to bring their dead mother and father back.

“Take this,” he said, handing the second arkheynia to Simon.

“Learn from me, there are centuries of fear that has built up behind the Book of Judas, and the power mongers at the Vatican will do anything to preserve their situation. Please don’t do what I did; don’t underestimate the danger your lives are in,” he warned coldly.

“Now go!” he shouted and waved for them to leave. “The guards won’t touch you.”

They didn’t need to be asked twice – and they quickly followed Simon towards the double doors with Grainger standing motionless with his back to them, his head lowered towards the ground.

Just as Simon turned the door handle, Grainger shouted.

“Anna!”

They all stopped in their tracks and looked back one last time.

“Anna!” he implored again.

“I just wanted to do what’s right,” he pleaded, seeking her forgiveness or belated exoneration for his unilateral act of stupidity that led to the death of Simon and Philip’s parents.

For a few seconds, she gazed intently across the room searching out the emotion behind his expression.

“I know,” she whispered softly. She felt pity for his tormented soul and granted him some comfort with a warm, meaningful smile.

“Come on, let’s go,” barked Philip and they rushed through the double doors, leaving Theodore Grainger alone with his thoughts in the exhibition chamber.

“Have you got it safe?” he asked Simon as they rushed down the main staircase.

“Yes, it’s safe,” he replied patting his jacket.

Anna felt relieved as she was being dragged along by Simon, her free hand clutching the straps of her shoes and drawing up the hem of her dress so she could run freely. At the foot of the steps they ran through the hall and passed surprised guests as they rushed out through the main entrance where the host had so graciously met them earlier on.

“That explains everything,” said Philip, glancing at Simon as they broke into the midnight air. Learning the truth about their parents had come as one hell of a shock.

Outside, the firework display was still in full flow, and with the noise of rockets exploding into colour above them followed by the applause and cooing of the excited crowd, they raced past to the where the BMW was parked.

Wasting no time, Philip started the car and they sped down the drive and out into the rich metropolis of Westchester.

“Well we’ve got it,” said Simon although his flat tone reflected the manner in which they had achieved it.

“We have got to leave; we’ve got to get the next flight out of here,” stated Philip firmly.

“I believe we’re in more danger now than ever before,” he added.

“Absolutely, let’s just go,” agreed Anna.

It was just after midnight and the traffic on the roads had eased. Philip kept his foot down and they made good time back to the apartment block opposite Central Park.

“We need to find out what time the next flights to Europe and on to Cairo are,” pointed out Simon as they exited the elevator on the top floor and walked down the corridor to Heather’s penthouse suite.

“Let’s hope Heather’s ready to go,” said Philip, pushing the key into the lock and opening the front door.

Immediately on stepping inside the apartment he sensed something was wrong.

“Heather,” he shouted and Simon noticed the sound of panic in his voice. The only light on’s the one on the side table in the lounge – that’s not like Heather at all! thought Philip, stepping hurriedly inside.

“Heather,” he yelled loudly again. But there was no reply.

As he rushed into the hall, he saw there was a note on the table below the lamp. Anna and Simon watched agonisingly as he raced over to get it.

“Oh my God!” he shrieked, his hands shaking.

“The Satanica − they’ve got Heather!” he cried.