Apocalypsis 1.09 Wearily Electors Read Online Free PDF Page B

want?« He placed some documents onto the table. »Read.«
    Menendez did not touch the papers and cast only a brief glance at them. He recognized that it was the transcript of a conversation and saw his name.
    Crowley gave him a thin smile. »Well, then I will explain it to you. I am representing an international group who is interested in a quick change in the leadership of the Church. And this is where our interests converge.«
    Crowley waited for the restaurant owner to uncork and pour the wine, hastily, as Menendez was making an annoyed gesture with his hand to hurry up.
    »What kind of group is this?«
    Crowley waved dismissively. »All that matters is: as soon as John Paul III is dead, you can become Pope.«
    Crowley took a small sip of the heavy red wine and watched, unfazed, as Menendez’s face turned pale.
    »Dead?« the Cardinal repeated in a creaking voice.
    »An accident, an assassination attempt by a fanatic; the life of a Pope can be very dangerous.«
    This was the moment when Menendez came back to his senses. A thought flashed through his mind, the thought that he was walking right into a trap, like the last imbecile in the world. It was an almost comforting thought that this Crowley person might just be an investigative journalist or one of Laurenz’s snitches, who was taping this absurd conversation with a hidden camera only to use the footage later to publicly discredit him. Or to blackmail him.
    Crowley seemed to be reading his mind.
    »Cardinal, you know better than that. You know very well who I am.«
    Menendez turned ashen and rose from his chair. »This conversation is over.«
    »Sit down!« Crowley hissed at him, tapping on the documents in front of Menendez. »These papers contain the transcript of a confidential discussion among the leadership of Opus Dei, during which you, Cardinal, are elaborating on exactly this point.«
    Menendez began to feel nauseous. »These were just… hypotheses.«
    »Which are enough to get you excommunicated. Not to mention criminal prosecution.«
    »It has absolutely no evidentiary value.«
    »It doesn’t need any. And you know that, Cardinal. It would be more than enough if the press got their hands on it. And trust me, there will be confessions to confirm the authenticity of this conversation.«
    »You are insane!«
    Crowley took another sip of his wine. »I am offering you the chance of a lifetime. You will be the next pope.«
    Menendez moaned. »And what is the price?«
    Crowley leaned back in his chair. »Loyalty. Absolute loyalty.«

LXVIII
    May 16, 2011, Cologne
    T he western part of Germany was in the grip of a fierce storm, which was unusual for this time of year. Trees were snapped like matches and freshly sown spring flowers were wrenched from front yards. On its approach, the Cessna Citation got caught between two cold fronts and was tossed around violently. Yet the pilot landed the plane safely on Runway 14R at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Again, there were no problems during the checks in the General Aviation Terminal, which was separate from the Main Terminal. A young Japanese man in a dark suit, who introduced himself as Akiro, was expecting Peter and Maria and led them to a rental car, which was waiting in front of the building.
    »You know the way?« he asked.
    The way. Didn’t you lose it a long time ago?
    »Of course.« Peter hesitated. There was something that he had to know.
    »May I ask you a question, Akiro?«
    »Please, go ahead.«
    »Haruki, the man who gave his life for me in Montpellier…«
    »Sir, you don’t have to feel guilty about that,« Akiro said in a stiff voice. »It’s our job.«
    »Do you happen to know whether he has a family?«
    »None of us has a family.«
    »What will happen with his body?«
    »His remains are already on their way to Japan. The company made all the necessary arrangements.«
    The company.
    Peter could guess which company Akiro was talking about, but the question that remained was why Nakashima Industries had an