Read Apocalypsis 1.0 Signs for Free Online Page A

themselves for a long conclave. Perhaps enough time to track down John Paul III and convince him to sit for an interview. He looked at the Jaeger-LeCoultre that Ellen had given him as a gift shortly before her death. It was a little before two o’clock. He still had to draft an article about the finances of the Vatican and he decided that afterwards he would pay a visit to his friend Don Luigi in the Vatican. Maybe the well-informed Jesuit priest had some news for him.
    »Well, gorgeous?« said a familiar, honeyed voice behind him.
    Peter turned around and looked at the breathtakingly deep décolleté of a skin-tight scarlet red dress.
    »Loretta, hello. Nice to see you.«
    The red-haired woman in the red dress gave him a throaty laugh and kissed him on the mouth. »You are a miserable liar, darling, and that will never change.«
    Loretta Hooper was the Italy correspondent of the Washington Post and, like him, she was responsible for issues relating to the Vatican. They had known each other for several years and had even had a brief affair, which ended when Peter met Ellen. Unlike him, Loretta was systematically ignoring the Roman dress code. As usual, her dress was too tight, too red and the neckline was much too low for this time of day. Peter liked it.
    »No, Loretta, it’s true. I’m always happy to see you. Would you like a drink?«
    »Are you in the middle of something?«
    »Not at all.«
    »I’ve been watching you, Peter. You were about to hook up with that little Roman slut over there.«
    Peter ordered another two espressos with whipped cream to shut Loretta up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the young Roman woman had seen him with Loretta, and now she frowned and turned away.
    Thanks, Loretta, thank you very much!
    »What brings you here, Loretta?«
    »I thought it would be nice if we had drinks together. It’s been a while.«
    »I have nothing that could help you.«
    »And this is another lie, honey! What about this friend of yours, this priest?«
    »Don Luigi is very shy. He only talks to me.«
    With vigorous movements, Loretta stirred the whipped cream in her cup into the coffee until the mixture had turned into a creamy pulp, and then she drank the whole thing down in one gulp. » Bullshit . But who cares. I’ll tell you what I want. I want an interview with John Paul III.«
    »That’s what we all want.«
    »But you and I, darling, we’re the best. We’re the only people who are capable of finding him.«
    »He might not even be in Rome anymore.«
    Loretta gave him a suspicious look.
    »You know something!«
    »If I knew something, I would already have my interview.«
    »Where do you think he is?«
    »One thing’s for sure: he’s not in the Monastery of Monte Cassino, as the Vatican claims. But perhaps he’s not that far away either. Franz Laurenz loves the Latium and he’ll want to stay within calling distance of Rome. I would place my bet on a small and secretive little monastery less than sixty miles away. That’s what my gut tells me.«
    Loretta was beaming at him. »Exactly, honey! And you and I, as clever and cute as we are, we’ll find and interview him. We’ll share the work and share the glory.«
    Peter looked at Loretta, once again marveling at how fast she had grown out of the role of a little typist from rural Illinois to become what she truly was: a star journalist with a hunting instinct who would never give up. Never.
    »Come on, darling! Stop with the bedroom eyes, we’re just talking business.«
    »Well, do you have anything to offer, Loretta?«
    »Perhaps.«
    »No games. Tell me what you have, and maybe I’ll introduce you to Don Luigi.«
    »So, we have a deal?«
    Peter nodded. »We have a deal.«
    Loretta rummaged through her purse and placed a folded piece of paper onto the table. It showed the photocopy of a symbol shaped rather like a scribbled spiral.

    »Have you ever seen this before?«
    Damn, where did I see this before?
    »No idea. What is it?«
    »It’s one