Free The Templar's Code by C. M. Palov Page B

the Inquisition finally found the Templars in their New World hideaway.”
    “Since we can’t verify that this mass grave even exists, maybe we shouldn’t jump to premature conclusions. Or make sweeping generalizations.”
    “When the Age of Exploration began in the fifteenth century, I suspect that the church fathers in Rome belatedly realized the Templars had escaped to America in 1307,” Caedmon conjectured, ignoring her suggestion to put on the brakes.
    “Maybe the Narragansett Indians attacked the settlement.”
    “The Indian custom was to leave the bodies to rot where they fell. They wouldn’t have dug a burial pit nor razed the settlement to the ground. And the Maltese and Jesuit relics uncovered by Dr. Lovett point to an entirely different villain. In the early sixteenth century, the Jesuits took over the Inquisition. However, as ordained priests, they could spill no blood.”
    “Let me guess. . . . They contracted the Knights of Malta to do their wet work.”
    “The Maltese knights giving new meaning to the phrase ‘submit or die.’ ”
    She shook her head, still trying to make sense of the centuries-old massacre. “This is what I don’t get—why kill the Templars’ descendants? They committed no wrongdoing.”
    “One of the more onerous edicts of the Inquisition was to sear the offspring with the heretic’s brand.”
    Shuddering, Edie switched on the digital voice recorder.
    According to Tonto Sinclair, Yawgoog faded from the scene when the white colonists arrived. Although, and this is key, right before his stage exit, Yawgoog made the Narragansett the custodians of his vast treasure. Soon thereafter, colonial land grabs and King Philip’s War pretty much wiped out the tribe, who have only recently made a come-back. Which means Tonto Sinclair may be the only Narragansett Indian who’s ever heard of Yawgoog’s treasure.
    My gut feeling is that the treasure is stashed in Yawgoog’s subterranean hideaway. But the Arcadia Management Area comprises some seventeen thousand acres. The cave could be anywhere. The only clue I have is the carved Templar boulder, which I’m convinced is an encrypted signpost. I also found some weird primitive writing on one of the foundation stones that I excavated, although I doubt the inscription has anything to do with the treasure. Kinda hard to read a signpost that’s buried underground.
    Even though I’ve only found six gold coins, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re talking about the largest treasure in the world. I am so close. I even defaulted on my student loans so I’d have the cash to fund the search. But I’ve hit a roadblock. I need someone who can decipher the damned Templar carving. I’m going to D.C. to see if I can interest Caedmon Aisquith in the job. The guy’s a real academic renegade. I read his book Isis Revealed , and according to his bio, not only is he currently working on a book about the Templars, but he’s also interested in the Ark of the Covenant. While the Templars didn’t leave an inventory list, it’s possible the relic was part of the cache. Since I need a man with Caedmon Aisquith’s skills set, I’ll use the Ark as my calling card. God, I hope he’ll agree to help. If he does, I’ll give him a decent cut of the action. Of course, any number of folks would love to elbow me out of the way. We are, after all, talking about a shitload of money. I can’t be too safe. No one knows about my wilderness crash pad. Or so I thought until I caught someone prowling around. Said he was a hiker who lost his way, but . . . this guy did not look like a trailblazer. Unless we’re talking the Strip in Vegas. A real Rico Suave decked out in tight cargo pants. That’s why I’ve got the artifacts and all of my research notes well hidden at the cottage.
    If someone is listening to this, shit, it means the fucker finally caught up to me. Just so we’re clear, I’m not paranoid. I am being stalked. But there’s too much at stake to