Free The Traitor (The Carnivia Trilogy) by Jonathan Holt Page B

but was interested to hear the archivist’s view.
    He nodded. “A black lodge that existed from about 1960 to 1980. Over two hundred government officials, military leaders, journalists and businessmen were listed as members. The Grand Master fled abroad and was charged in absentia with conspiracy against the state. But the truth is, no one really knows what P2’s purpose or political agenda was, even today.”
    “Do you have any knowledge of a black lodge like that operating here in Venice?”
    Father Calergi’s expression gave nothing away. “Such a thing is always possible. But if so, it has no contact with any of the lodges I know of.”
    She took out one of the cards she’d found in Cassandre’s desk. “Does this look like the card of an official lodge to you?”
    Father Calergi examined the card, visibly surprised, then shook his head. “‘De la Fidelité’ was the name of an ancient Venetian lodge, long since vanished. They must have resurrected the name to lend themselves an air of authenticity. ‘Third Degree’ is a reference to Cassandre’s status – it means he was a fully fledged master Mason, a member of the innermost circle. Cards like these were once an important part of a Mason’s paraphernalia – when visiting another lodge, he would hand one to the Tyler, the official guarding the door, to prove his bona fides. But this symbol isn’t Masonic, or not specifically.”
    “I have a feeling I’ve seen it before. But I can’t recall where.”
    “A few years back it was banned – it had been appropriated by some unpleasant far-right thugs for their own purposes. It’s sometimes referred to as ‘Odin’s Cross’. But long before that, it was known as the carità , and it was the symbol of the oldest of Venice’s scuole grandi . You can still see it today, carved into the side of the Accademia, which occupies their former headquarters.”
    “Why would a present-day lodge adopt an ancient Venetian symbol as their emblem?”
    Father Calergi looked troubled. “I don’t know. But given that the symbol has political associations now, it’s surely worrying.”
    Once again she thought she caught a flash of fear in the archivist’s eyes as he turned back to his books and cabinets. And once again she was left with a sense that the person she was speaking to wasn’t telling her everything. The message that had been left on the sands of the Lido had done its work too well for that.

11
    “ G ATE OPENS IN approximately twenty minutes,” the check-in clerk said, sliding Holly’s boarding pass and passport across the counter. “Have a great flight to Italy, Second Lieutenant.”
    Holly nodded her thanks. The last time she’d made this journey in uniform, the clerk at JFK had added a fulsome thank you “for the amazing job you guys do to keep America safe”. That had been during the so-called Surge, when people were feeling more optimistic about the war on terror. Since the long, slow withdrawal from Afghanistan – a defeat only loosely masquerading as a victory – ordinary civilians hadn’t been quite so supportive. Or perhaps it was the revelations of whistleblowers like Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden that had eaten away at their certainties.
    On the other hand, serving military still got to use Delta’s First Class lounge free of charge. She found herself a space among the businessmen tapping at their laptops and pulled out her father’s memorandum again. She’d read the three double-spaced pages more than a dozen times now, googling every reference. It was hard going in places: her father had been writing for an audience familiar with the shadowy codenames, military acronyms and long-dismantled committees that he referred to. It was also clear that Andreotti’s announcement to the Italian parliament about the existence of the Gladio network had taken NATO’s military intelligence by surprise: her father described a state of near panic as they scrambled to roll up the