Read Online Templar 09 - Secret of the Templars by Paul Christopher - Free Book Online

colleagues during the war. I was also a friend of Rodrigues.”
    Holliday was stunned. “You knew Rodrigues? How did that come to pass?”
    â€œIt’s too complicated of a story to go into now. Let’s just say we were brothers together and that I know he gave you the notebook.”
    The old man looked at his watch. “Just about time to close up,” he said. He bolted up the door, then turned out the lights in the windows. He turned around and smiled. “The two of you look terribly tired. Now, come. I’ll make us a cup of my special espresso and we can talk all about it.”
    Lazarus had filled Holliday in about Peck on the way to his store. Peck was the second son of the Duke of Rutland, a so-called insurance heir. If his elder brother, Thomas, had died before him, Peck would have inherited everything. As it was, Thomas had lived and inherited everything instead. He had sunk millions into Rutland Abbey for the sake of appearances, and in the end was forced to sell everything. Rutland Abbey was now owned by the National Trust, which ran five-shilling tours on weekends.
    Peck, on the other hand, had met a rich Italian countess at one of his brother’s lavish summer weekends in the country. They’d fallen in love, decided to marry, and with nothing left to keep him in England, Peck moved to Rome, where he had been ever since. His dearest wife had beenthe light of his life for the better part of forty years. When she died, he inherited her entire fortune and opened his store. During those four decades of life with her, he had become the world’s leading expert on ecclesiastical documents, especially those regarding the Vatican. He also had what was perhaps the largest collection of Renaissance and eighteenth-century technical books.
    Holliday and Lazarus settled into the old leather chairs while the old man brewed them three cups of dark espresso spiked with an exotic plum brandy.
    â€œI know you wouldn’t come to visit an old man simply out of friendship. So you must have a question.”
    â€œWe both have questions,” said Lazarus.
    â€œYou go first,” Peck said.
    â€œWhat can you tell me about this?” Lazarus said, reaching into his jacket pocket and handing a small image Nardi had given them on their trip to Tuscany.
    Saxon Peck stared at the postcard-sized photograph and smiled. “I can tell you just about everything there is to know about it,” said Peck. “The title is
Three Men Talking in Front of a House
, by David Teniers the Younger. The painting is Flemish. It was originally owned by H. L. Larsen, and in 1943 it was auctioned by Van Marle andBignell to E. Gopel, Den Haag, who were dealers. That same year it mysteriously was gifted to Herr A. Hitler and turned up in the Führermuseum in Linz. Later, it was taken out of Germany by an SS colonel named Rheinhard Huff. It eventually wound up in the Vatican and was last seen on the wall of the cardinal secretary of state’s office. The man’s name is Ruffino, I believe.”
    â€œWhat do you mean, ‘last seen’?” Holliday asked.
    â€œOn a visit by the present bishop of Linz to Ruffino’s office, the prelate commented that he’d last seen the painting in the Führermuseum during the war. Knowing the powers of such rumors, Ruffino immediately had the painting taken down, and within two or three weeks had replaced it with a second-rate copy. The bishop of Linz took the responsibility of not being able to know the difference between the real thing and a cheap copy.”
    â€œNardi made it sound as though the train had been a big secret,” said Lazarus.
    â€œFor the most part, it was,” said the white-haired old man. “It wasn’t until the fall of Rome that our intelligence people got wind of the story. Even then we didn’t know the details.” Lord Peck paused. “All we do know is that anumber of paintings and other artworks