priest paused, overwhelming the officers with the information. He sipped some fresh water and continued, “Larry speculated that in 1795 when Captain George Vancouver returned to England, interrupted his trip remaining on Oak Island, where a mysterious pit was found thereafter.” Cops observed the reverend nervously consulting notes and papers, as if he had previously studied them.
“The puzzling crater was an old booby-trap conundrum, protecting its precious contents from looters and ransacking. It was accurately built in leveled hard surfaces, and was approximately 666 feet from the Atlantic coastline, had a depth of more than 166 feet, but flooded when they tried to dig further. It was connected to the ocean by a complex system of tunnels, as a secret water seal.”
The police were trying not to lose track of this unusual information, thinking of Larry as a visionary. The inspector glanced at his colleagues, wearing an antagonizing look. He then questioned the priest: “What about those theories you were mentioning before! The BC law enforcement needs every piece of solid information. We rely on facts and not mere considerations.” The reverend faked a calm and sober expression, continuing: “Among the many theories suggested by scholars, Larry sustained the most possible of all, that indeed the Knights Templar may have been in the New World a century before Christopher Columbus arrived. It all began in October, Friday the 13 of the year 1307, when the king of France, Philip the Fair, ordered to disband all the Templar order in his realm, accusing them of heresy, idolatry, corruption and sodomy. As…”
The officer sharply interrupted: “Wait a moment please! I am losing it. Are we going back to the fourteenth century, here? Do we need to be schooled once again, Father?” The priest started losing his marbles: “You told me police needed all the information, and that is all I have here!” “Ok, Father, at least try to slow your pace, please.”
The priest paused a brief moment, and then continued: “The king, with the pope’s consent (Clement V), was eager to steal the notorious treasure of the order, although the Templar managed to escape with their fortunes. As is well known, they possessed a large fleet on the port of Rochelle in the southwest of France, where after passing Brittany and England, the Templar proceeded to Scotland, joining the cause of Robert the Bruce trying to overcome the English.”
The cop puffed, affirming, “Money, always about money and gold; sacred and the profane in every part of society!” He frowned, donning his cassock, and concluding, “Larry consulted several parchments concerning the detection of various stone plates, retrieved from the pit. Symbols and cryptic ciphers were engraved on the tables, as were opposite triangles, circles, wind roses and numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 17, 20…in sequence). The parson was researching in a counterclockwise rotary system, positioning back in time his watch hands, beginning from nowadays to the fourteenth century, in an intertwined codification maneuver of lines, numbers, geometric figures, constellations, and Biblical references.
The latter noticed Larry’s remark on the symbol of the reddish Templar cross (the equal-armed cruciform was a lavish symbol of honor and décor in a harmonic balance). It is claimed that the locals of Oak Island still tell tales of white men coming from over the seas, dressed in their traditional customs. Mesotti was reading, weaving his meaty lips.
“The locals adopted the Templar’s emblem, painting on their skin a red cross. The treasure con- cealed inside the cursed pit could be that of King Solomon’s Temple. Three people found the pit in 1795, while six died in time researching the riches. The doomed legend said that when seven had died and only one tree would have remained on the island, the Templar secret would finally be revealed.” Kevin paused, whispering profoundly, “I shouldn’t be reading this. If it is a curse I could die! Better let the recording run.”
Although Kevin was a practical dude, he was a little bit superstitious, as all Italians are. His blood was cold, deciding to play the recorder and let the reverend talk about it. The voice appeared distorted, as if someone was relenting and accelerating the electronic device, making Mesotti’s face very serious about this old Friday the Thirteenth malediction.
The recorder played again, “Jacques de Molay, last grand master of the Knights Templar, before being burned at the stake put a curse on the pope and king of France. A few months later, they both died in baffling circumstances. Larry spent three weeks on the island, mesmerized by this fantastic discovery that enlightened his mind and heart, researching the truth shrouded in the centuries by the Vatican. From that day on the cleric’s life was devoted to the historical facts of truth.”
Kevin stopped the recorder, suspecting that perhaps Larry Murphy was overshadowed by the ordained powerful embossed seal of the clergy, which obliged him to accomplish his secret mission in a trustworthy, vowed fidelity. He could have been the eyewitnesses of an earthshaking enciphered hidden truth; a concealed treasure…valuable historical contents. As the inspector was speculating about the Toronto police report, he looked doubt- ful, furrowing his brow. “What was he looking for, up the North Shore?” Mumbled Kevin in an inaudible, feeble voice. “I cannot see any connec- tion between the Oak Island mystery and Vancouver, except the expedition and the aboriginal people!” Kevin appeared frustrated, framed in a sense of foreboding. He lunged toward the whiteboard, observing all the symbols and numbers. “Did Larry try to leave a pivotal encrypted message on the board for everyone to know? Or was it just a mere personal query, a sole purpose?” The detective smiled inwardly, retreating on his desk.
The bureau of investigation was still far away from the truth, and the chief of police’s homicide squad secretary went to see Kevin Mesotti. His car hummed smoothly, while parking in the yard building. A long conversation took place in the detective’s office, confronting a man he seldom worked with. “Our Homicide Special Squad pretends a most efficient connection between the diverse Police Departments of the North Shore with the VPD. We do not like personal investigation in this province. We know you received some materials from Toronto that you should have sent to all the other headquarters,” the secretary asserted in a serious fashion, “I am responsible for liaising with all the teams here, and even if your district is the one in charge of the investigation, we are now the pivotal source. Next time we won’t be so nice!” The two men argued until the secretary left the office, nodding apprehensively, and shutting with a robust thud the door behind him.
On the board Kevin was observing the number 1 (only divisible by itself, independent of any other numerals, yet the basis for them all. In the Bible it symbolizes the unity and domination, the oneness of the only God.
It represents the unity between God the father and Jesus his son, sacrificed for our sins in the name of Christianity), The number 2 (which conveys the meaning of a union, Christ and the church, the Old Testament and New Testament)
Mesotti’s face was a furious one: “Those youth without experience think they can teach you how to investigate. They do not even know where to begin. I am 55 and demand respect. I will talk to my chief and clarify this incident. For few papers they get mad, unbelievable.”
The center of investigation was soon reorganized in downtown Vancouver, where a wide ordered room was staged specifically for this case. Kevin said to his chief, “So from now on we have to show up every morn- ing at the new office, is it true?” The chief replied, in a mandatory way, “Yes, make sure to be on time, I do not like the high echelon calling me and complaining about my man efficiency. You must follow the provincial homicide…they are officially in charge of the case and we have to corroborate by all means. Every major detective will represent his branch and district, assisted by an agent.”
CHAPTER XII
Whispering Scrolls
Archivum Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum, the Seal of the Vatican Secret Archive, the central repository in the Vatican City for all of the acts promulgated by the Holy See, is owned by the pope as sovereign of the Vatican City until his death or resignation, when it is passed onto his successor.
Laura knew a lot about the Vatican and was explaining to Claudio how difficult it was to obtain permission to read or study historical documents. The secret archives contained about eighty-six kilometers of shelving and thousands of books and documents;