Read Online Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva - Free Book Online
Authors: Daniel Silva
Tags: thriller
Ads: Link
over?”
“If I had to guess, the request will be on my desk by tomorrow. If we refuse, we’ll be accused of
engaging in a cover-up. The press will spin wild theories about dark forces at play behind the walls of the
Vatican. Which brings us back to the photographs of you inside the Basilica at the time of Ostrovsky’s
death.”
“What about them?”
“Dropping the prints into the pontifical shredder is only a temporary solution. As you might expect,
the images are stored permanently in the memory of our computers. And don’t even think about asking me
to delete them. I won’t countenance the destruction of evidence- not with the Italians about to take over the
case.”
“No one is going to recognize me from those images, Luigi. There’s only one way the Italians will
find out I was here.”
“Don’t worry, Gabriel. Your secret is safe with us. Three people know of your involvement: the
Holy Father, myself, and the Vigilanza detective who’s leading our investigation. I’ve sworn him to
secrecy and he’s agreed to remain silent. He’s what we Italians call an uomo di fiducia: a man of trust.
He used to work for the Polizia di Stato.”
“If it’s all right with you, Luigi, I’d like to have a brief word with the inspector.”
“About what?”
“It’s possible the security cameras in the Basilica picked up someone other than me.”
“Who?”
“The man who killed Boris Ostrovsky, of course.”
9 VATICAN CITY
Gabriel did not require an escort to find the Vatican Central Security Office. Unfortunately, he knew
the way. It was there, shortly before the attack on St. Peter’s Basilica, that he had engaged in a frantic
search for evidence of an al-Qaeda infiltrator at the Vatican. Had he been able to start a few minutes
sooner, he might have prevented the deadliest single act of Islamic terrorism since 9/11.
Ispettore Mateo Cassani, a trim figure in a well-cut dark suit, was waiting in the reception foyer. He
regarded Gabriel with a pair of weary, bloodshot eyes, then extended his hand. “Welcome back, Signore.
Come with me, please.”
They headed down a narrow corridor and paused briefly in an open doorway. Inside, two uniformed
Vigilanza officers were seated before a wall of video monitors. Gabriel quickly scanned the images: St.
Anne’s Gate, the Arch of Bells, St. Peter’s Square, the San Damaso Courtyard, the Vatican Gardens, the
interior of the Basilica.
“This is our main observation room. It also serves as our command center in times of crisis, such as
the morning of the attack. Everything is recorded and stored digitally. For all eternity,” he added with a
tired smile. “Just like the Holy Mother Church.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Don’t worry, Signore. I know who you are, and I know exactly what you did the day those terrorists
attacked this place. The Church lost four cardinals and eight bishops in a matter of seconds. And if it
wasn’t for you, we might have lost a pope as well.”
They left the observation room and entered a cramped office overlooking the darkened Belvedere
Courtyard. Cassani sat down before a desktop computer and invited Gabriel to look over his shoulder.
“Monsignor Donati told me you wanted to see every image we had of the dead Russian.”
Gabriel nodded. The detective clicked the mouse and the first image appeared, a wide-angle shot of
St. Peter’s Square, taken from a camera mounted atop the left flank of the Colonnade. The shot advanced
at the rate of one frame per second. When the time code in the bottom left portion of the screen reached
15:47:23, Cassani clicked the PAUSE icon and pointed to the top right-hand corner.
“There’s Signore Ostrovsky. He enters the square alone and makes his way directly to the security
checkpoint outside the Basilica.” Cassani glanced at Gabriel. “It’s almost as if he was intending to meet
someone inside.”
“Can you set the shot in motion?” Gabriel asked.
The
“If I had to guess, the request will be on my desk by tomorrow. If we refuse, we’ll be accused of
engaging in a cover-up. The press will spin wild theories about dark forces at play behind the walls of the
Vatican. Which brings us back to the photographs of you inside the Basilica at the time of Ostrovsky’s
death.”
“What about them?”
“Dropping the prints into the pontifical shredder is only a temporary solution. As you might expect,
the images are stored permanently in the memory of our computers. And don’t even think about asking me
to delete them. I won’t countenance the destruction of evidence- not with the Italians about to take over the
case.”
“No one is going to recognize me from those images, Luigi. There’s only one way the Italians will
find out I was here.”
“Don’t worry, Gabriel. Your secret is safe with us. Three people know of your involvement: the
Holy Father, myself, and the Vigilanza detective who’s leading our investigation. I’ve sworn him to
secrecy and he’s agreed to remain silent. He’s what we Italians call an uomo di fiducia: a man of trust.
He used to work for the Polizia di Stato.”
“If it’s all right with you, Luigi, I’d like to have a brief word with the inspector.”
“About what?”
“It’s possible the security cameras in the Basilica picked up someone other than me.”
“Who?”
“The man who killed Boris Ostrovsky, of course.”
9 VATICAN CITY
Gabriel did not require an escort to find the Vatican Central Security Office. Unfortunately, he knew
the way. It was there, shortly before the attack on St. Peter’s Basilica, that he had engaged in a frantic
search for evidence of an al-Qaeda infiltrator at the Vatican. Had he been able to start a few minutes
sooner, he might have prevented the deadliest single act of Islamic terrorism since 9/11.
Ispettore Mateo Cassani, a trim figure in a well-cut dark suit, was waiting in the reception foyer. He
regarded Gabriel with a pair of weary, bloodshot eyes, then extended his hand. “Welcome back, Signore.
Come with me, please.”
They headed down a narrow corridor and paused briefly in an open doorway. Inside, two uniformed
Vigilanza officers were seated before a wall of video monitors. Gabriel quickly scanned the images: St.
Anne’s Gate, the Arch of Bells, St. Peter’s Square, the San Damaso Courtyard, the Vatican Gardens, the
interior of the Basilica.
“This is our main observation room. It also serves as our command center in times of crisis, such as
the morning of the attack. Everything is recorded and stored digitally. For all eternity,” he added with a
tired smile. “Just like the Holy Mother Church.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Don’t worry, Signore. I know who you are, and I know exactly what you did the day those terrorists
attacked this place. The Church lost four cardinals and eight bishops in a matter of seconds. And if it
wasn’t for you, we might have lost a pope as well.”
They left the observation room and entered a cramped office overlooking the darkened Belvedere
Courtyard. Cassani sat down before a desktop computer and invited Gabriel to look over his shoulder.
“Monsignor Donati told me you wanted to see every image we had of the dead Russian.”
Gabriel nodded. The detective clicked the mouse and the first image appeared, a wide-angle shot of
St. Peter’s Square, taken from a camera mounted atop the left flank of the Colonnade. The shot advanced
at the rate of one frame per second. When the time code in the bottom left portion of the screen reached
15:47:23, Cassani clicked the PAUSE icon and pointed to the top right-hand corner.
“There’s Signore Ostrovsky. He enters the square alone and makes his way directly to the security
checkpoint outside the Basilica.” Cassani glanced at Gabriel. “It’s almost as if he was intending to meet
someone inside.”
“Can you set the shot in motion?” Gabriel asked.
The
Similar Books
