Free The Guardian by Robbie Cheuvront and Erik Reed Page B

and pulled an envelope from a slot hidden in the back of the desktop. He handed it to Anna.
    “This is from your grandfather. He told me someday he would try to come for it. He said, however, that if something happened to him and he didn’t return, he explicitly forbade me to give it to anyone other than you.”
    Anna took the envelope. It was light. There couldn’t be more than a single sheet of paper inside. She looked at Father Vin with anticipation. “Should we open it here?” She asked.
    “I think you should,” Father Ruiz said. “Your grandfather told me to burn it after you read it.”
    Anna opened the envelope and pulled the piece of paper out. She unfolded it and began to read out loud.
    Dear Anna
,
    I am sorry you are reading this instead of me telling you personally. I hope before you see this we have already been united. Unfortunately, you reading this means that I have fallen short of the task and have returned home to our Father. If we haven’t talked yet, Father Vin will have explained everything. Either way, you now know what is going on.
    What you seek is not here. It has been hidden for protection. I never carried it with me. Too dangerous. It’s also too dangerous for me just to tell you where it is. You are going to have to do a little detective work. You have always had a brilliant mind. (Fortunately, you take after your grandmother!) I have the utmost confidence that you will be able to find it.
    When your grandmother and I got married, it was a surprise to her where we held the ceremony. She was so excited. The place where we said our vows, she said, reminded her of her own grandmother.
    Go there. There is a basement. In that basement there is a stone wall. Study the wall carefully. What you seek you will find.
    I love you with all of my heart,
Your Grandpa, Thomas Riley
    “I have no idea what in the world he is talking about here.” Anna looked defeated. She hung her head and handed the paper to Father Vin.
    Father Vin studied the note for a long time. Father Ruiz and Anna watched him intently, hoping that he could make something of it.
    “I think I have an idea.” Father Vin stood and grabbed his hat. He handed the letter back to Father Ruiz. He shook the man’s hand enthusiastically, with great joy. “Thank you! Thank you, so much, Father Ruiz. You have been most helpful.” He turned his attention back to Anna. “Come, Anna. We have to get to the plane. Immediately!”

CHAPTER 14
Rome
    B rothers, it’s good to see all of you.” Cardinal Wickham greeted the rest of the brothers as they each took their seats. All eight chairs at the antique table were now filled.
    Cardinal Wickham rarely called a meeting of the Brotherhood in the middle of the day. Today was different. He had been thinking a lot these past several hours. For too long he’d sat at the head of this table scheming and plotting, unfortunately to no avail.
    The members of the council each took his seat. The pleasantries were over. It was time to get down to business. Cardinal Wickham opened a manila envelope that was lying in front of him on the table and passed out a paper-clipped stack of papers to each person. “What we have here is the answer to our problem.” He held the top sheet of his packet, a photo, up for all to see. “This,” he said, wiggling the photo, “is Anna Riley.” A few eyebrows shot up. “Good. Now that I have your complete attention, let’s begin.”
    He spent the next ten minutes updating everybody on the whereabouts of Anna Riley and Father Vincent Marcella. He assured them that everything had been going smoothly—a lie—and he should have access to the scroll very soon.
    “How do we know she has it?” one priest asked.
    “Because she’s Thomas’s granddaughter,” Cardinal Wickham explained. “And she’s running all over the place with Marcella. If she doesn’t have it now, she will.”
    “But what if she doesn’t? What if this is just Vin’s way of throwing us off?”