Free Christ Clone by David McLeod Page B

known that several years earlier the Spear of Christ was relocated to the Vatican City from a museum in Austria, they were among the very few people who were aware that only a copy had been put on public display; ironically, the spear had been moved and copied for security reasons.
    After confirming they had the correct prize they rewrapped and rehoused the spear, snapped the catch on the box and slipped it into taller man's backpack. The men retraced their steps and slipped out into the darkness.
    ***
    Having wrapped up his story for the next day's edition, the reporter turned to his blog. He had done some investigation in the course of his work for the newspaper into a mysterious disappearance, and was developing some theories of his own through the blog.
    The Guarini Chapel, planned by Father Guarino Guarini and completed by Duke Vittorio Amedeo II, nestles between
Turin's Cathedral and the Royal Palace. The chapel is a black marble rotunda with a central dome supported by eight columns. At the chapel's heart is an imposing and magnificent altar, a work of art by Antonio Bertola. The altar's core is black marble with bronze friezes. It sits high above, on steps protected by a gilded wooden balustrade.
Surrounding the altar are four angels holding emblems of the Passion and four silver lamps. The focal point is a reliquary, encased in enamelled and jewelled silver, protected by four iron grilles. Inside the reliquary lies the
Shroud of Turin.
    For a number of years the well-publicized and contentious
Shroud of Turin has been kept in isolation. It was closely guarded and had not been on display for fear of attack and, more importantly, due to concern about degradation as a result of air pollution and UV exposure. There had been numerous tests done on this shroud, including carbon dating and DNA analysis. Overall, the tests were inconclusive, and the mystery surrounding it since its appearance in 1578 has filled books ever since and occupied theorists worldwide.
    Nobody seems to know when that isolation was broken, because the break-in and removal of the shroud was so clinically accomplished there were virtually no traces of the crime. Had it not been for the call from the Vatican, the disappearance of this artefact might have remained undiscovered for years. Its disappearance was as mysterious as its arrival.
    Since the reporter had no further supporting evidence to corroborate his theory about the theft of the Shroud, he finished typing his blog and left work for the evening.
    ***
    Searching for their prize, the thieves read the web page.
    The Israel Museum in Jerusalem was founded in 1965.
It replaced smaller and less frequented museums from all around the country — consolidating and uniting their treasures. With its collections ranging from prehistoric archaeology through to contemporary art, and with a dynamic roster of temporary exhibitions, publications, and educational activities, it is — from a tourist's point of view — a fantastic place to visit. It is the leading cultural institution in Israel, and one of the largest encyclopaedic museums in the world.
    Its terraced complex, comprising nearly fifty thousand square metres, has a six-acre sculpture garden within its twenty-acre campus. It has several museums contained in one area, with collections coming from within Israel and from abroad. It boasts extensive holdings of the world's pre-eminent collection of the archaeology of the Holy Land
— including artefacts from the Crucifixion. It houses the world's most comprehensive collections of Judaica, and the ethnology of the Jewish people throughout the world.
Fine art holdings, ranging from Old Masters in European art to international contemporary art, are located in its vast gallery.
    There it was, highlighted on the screen: The pre-eminent collection of the archaeology of the Holy Land.
    The mission to liberate the nail used in the Crucifixion was set in motion.

9
L OS A NGELES
    Mrs Salinas gripped her