Free The Bible of Clay by Julia Navarro Page A

Alfred and Signore Brown have been communicating with each other for years, through letters sent by intermediaries, and that Alfred's answer will be picked up in Amman.
    "Husseini is to have breakfast tomorrow with Picot; afterward, if there have been no changes to their plans, he and his wife will be flying to Amman. They have a reservation on Royal Jordanian Airlines at three. You need to decide whether I should send my men on that plane or leave it at this and close the case now."
    "No, follow them, wherever they go," Cipriani ordered, lighting a pipeful of tobacco. "Send a good team—it doesn't matter how many men you have to send, I want to know everything about this Alfred: whether he's Clara Tannenberg's grandfather, as we surmise he is, where he lives, who he lives with, what he does for a living. We need photos—it's important that you get photos and, if possible, video surveillance of him. We want to know everything, Luca."
    "It's going to cost you a fortune."
    "Don't worry about our fortune," Mercedes interjected. "And try not to lose sight of them."
    "Do whatever you have to, Luca, but stay with them." The grave tone of Carlo Cipriani's voice made its intended impression on the president of Security Investigations.
    "I may have to hire people on the ground there," Marini told them.
    "Whatever you have to do. And now, my friend, if you don't mind, we'd like to read your report in detail. . . ."
    "Yes, of course. If you need any further help tonight, don't hesitate to call. I'll be at home."
    Carlo walked with Marini to the door, while Mercedes, champing at the bit, tore open the envelope and began to read.
    "The suit and expensive wristwatch don't hide what he is," she murmured.
    "Mercedes, stop—no need to air your prejudices here," Hans Hausser scolded her.
    "Prejudices? He's a nouveau riche in a tailored suit, that's all. A tight-tailored suit, as a matter of fact."
    "He's also resourceful," said Carlo as he returned to them. "And he was a good cop. He spent years in Sicily battling the Mafia; a lot of his men were killed, and some of his friends. Finally, his wife gave him an ultimatum—either he left the police or she left him. So he took early retirement and opened this business, which has made him rich."
    "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear," Mercedes insisted.
    "Mercedes! That's a terrible thing to say!" Hans' tone was reproachful.
    "Enough about Luca," Carlo broke in. "He's good at his job, and that's what's important. Let's see what's in the report."
    Luca Marini had made four copies, one for each of them. They sat in silence, poring over the details that had been gathered about Clara Tannenberg and her husband, Ahmed Husseini.
    Mercedes was the first to break the silence. Her voice was grave and tinged with emotion.
    "It's him. We've found him."
    "Yes." Carlo nodded. "I think so too. But I wonder why he's decided to surface after all these years."
    "It hasn't been voluntary," Bruno Miiller said.
    "I think it has been," Carlo replied. "Why would his granddaughter take part in this conference and ask for international aid for her excavation? It's put the spotlight on her, and her name is Tannenberg."
    "But that need not have been his intention," Hausser countered.
    "Why not?" asked Mercedes. "How can we know what his intention was in exposing his granddaughter?"
    "According to this report, Ahmed Husseini says that Alfred Tannenberg adores his granddaughter," Miiller answered. "So there must have been some powerful reason for letting her come into the open. He's been invisible for over sixty years, I presume in hiding, underground somewhere."
    "Yes, there has to be some reason behind these events now," said Carlo, "but what's most intriguing to me is his relationship with this Robert Brown, to all appearances an extremely well-respected American who moves in the highest circles, a personal friend of almost all the big players in the Bush administration, the president of an internationally