Free The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes Page B

gloves, mask, and lab coat. "Please direct any activity through me. I can be reached by using the intercom," he pointed to the small control panel near the entryway, "or dial extension two-one-one-four on the phone." Donovan looked at his watch-- 6:12. "Well, it's late. Why don't we call it a day and you can both start fresh tomorrow morning. Say around eight o'clock?"
    The two scientists agreed.
    "Dr. Hennesey, have you had a chance to see the basilica since you've arrived?" the priest inquired.
    "No."
    "You can't stay in Vatican City without seeing firsthand its heart and soul," he insisted. "Nothing else compares. Many say its like stepping into Heaven itself."
    "He's right," Bersei agreed.
    "Would you like to see it now?"
    Her eyes lit up. "If you have time, I'd love that."
    "Visiting hours are just winding down, so it shouldn't be too crowded. Giovanni, would you like to join us?"
    "Sorry, but I must get home to my wife," he humbly declined. "She's making osso bucco for dinner." Bersei leaned closer to Charlotte and whispered loud enough for Donovan to hear, "You're in good hands. He's the best tour guide in the Vatican. No one knows this place better."

    14.
    Outside the Vatican Museum, the sun was low over western Rome. Cypress trees swayed in a gentle breeze. Ambling beside Father Donovan, Charlotte breathed in the garden's fragrant smell that seemed to capture the complex aroma of a bouquet of flowers.
    "Tell me, Dr. Hennesey," Donovan said, "now that you've seen the relic, are you comfortable with this project?"
    "I have to admit that it's not at all what I would have expected." That was an understatement. Human bones didn't seem like the typical acquisition for the Vatican Museum. And a librarian wasn't exactly the person she would expect to handle their procurement. "I'm pleasantly surprised, though," she added. "Should be very exciting."
    "It will be exciting for us all," Donovan promised. Nearing the rear of the basilica, he gazed up at it, reverently. "In the first century, this place where Vatican City now stands was the Vatican Circus, later called Nero's Circus. It was a forum where the emperor Nero held chariot races. Ironic, since he's best known for his persecution of early Christians."
    "He blamed them for the fire that burned down Rome in 64 AD. And in 67 AD, he crucified St. Peter to entertain the crowds."
    Donovan was impressed. "You're a Christian then, or just a good historian?"
    "There was a time when I was very good at both."
    "I see." The priest could see that religion was a touchy subject, but ventured to say, "You know, back in Ireland we had a saying: 'I believe in the sun when it's not shining, I believe in love even when I feel it not, I believe in God even when he is silent.'" He glanced over at Charlotte and saw that she was smiling. Thankfully, it looked like he had not offended her. "Sometimes the things we really cherish just need to be remembered."
    Climbing a set of wide marble steps that accessed the rear of the basilica, Donovan led her to one of the largest bronze doors she'd ever seen. He produced a keycard and slid it through the reader on the doorframe. There was a metallic thunk as an electromechanical lock turned. With hardly any effort, the priest opened the huge door and motioned her inside.
    "We're going in through here?"
    "Of course. One of the benefits of being a guest of the papacy."
    With all her media appearances, Charlotte had grown somewhat accustomed to VIP treatment. But nothing compared to this. Crossing through the arched entry, she instantly felt like she was being transported to another world.
    Emerging from the entry grotto, Charlotte was blown away by the basilica's cavernous marble nave. On the plane, she remembered reading in her Fodor's that the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris could easily fit inside this grand basilica. But standing inside it completely distorted her spatial senses.
    Her eyes were immediately drawn upward to Michelangelo's grand coffered