CS 01 The Grail Conspiracy by Lynn Sholes Read Free Book Online Page A

interesting reading.' He set his cup down and said, "So, Ms. Stone-"
    "Please, just Cotten." She picked up one of his business cards.
"You even give out your cell phone number? That's pretty trusting and generous." She put the card in her wallet. "And should I call you,
Doctor, or Reverend, or Father?"

    "How about John?" She appeared to be trying so hard to be
proper. Maybe conversing with a priest made her uneasy, he thought.
"I have enough students calling me doctor, and I'm currently on a
leave-of-absence from the priesthood. So Father is optional."
    "I didn't know you could take a leave from your vows."
    "Not the vows, just the duties. And, yes, under special circumstances, you can."
    "All right ... John." She flipped her hair off her neck and rolled
her eyes. "God, calling you by your first name feels disrespectful. Oh,
I shouldn't have said it like that-the God thing. But calling you John
is like calling my sixth grade teacher by his first name."
    She was stumbling all over her words, and he wished he could
help her relax. But he did find the blush in her cheeks and flushing
rising up her neck was part of her charm. She had a way about her, a
genuineness, if that was a word, that he found pleasing.
    "Well, I'm not your sixth grade teacher," he said. "And besides,
you'll make me feel like an old man if you don't call me John."
    Cotten took a deep breath. "Okay, let me start again. John, I'm
doing background for a news feature. The topic is religious legends,
things like Noah's Ark, the Holy Grail, that sort of thing."
    Her voice sounded less flustered-more professional.
    "That's my field," he said. "Biblical history."
    "I know. I ran across interviews in our archives that referred to
Dr. Gabriel Archer and his expertise in those areas. One of the clips
featured you. Since you were so close by, I wanted to talk to you in
person. So..." Cotten turned palms up. "Here I am."
    "I'm glad you came. I knew Archer pretty well at one time. He's
quite a character."
    "Do you know if he studied languages?"

    That seemed an odd question, he thought. "Sure. Greek, Hebrew,
Aramaic-a lot of ancient tongues, and of course Latin. Scholars in
his field have to have extensive knowledge of those languages."
    "Oh, sure," Cotten said. "Of course."
    "He loves to get involved with religious myths and legends. And
the man can quote scripture with the best of them."
    "I saw some evidence of that in the tapes I watched." She cleared
her throat and pushed back her hair. "Do you know if he had brothers or sisters? A twin, maybe?"
    The conversation was getting even more peculiar, John thought.
"I believe Archer was an only child. I never heard him mention
brothers or sisters-as a matter of fact I don't recall him ever saying
anything about family or his childhood."
    Cotten's brows dipped.
    "He is passionate about his work, though. His enthusiasm is ...
commendable," John said.
    "You sound like you're being kind when you use the word
enthusiasm."
    "I think his zeal has ended up damaging his credibility."
    "How? Seems like that would be a good quality."
    John took another sip of his coffee. "Is your background piece
specifically on Archer?"
    "No, but I thought he was interesting and maybe I could start
with some of his quests and accomplishments."
    "I see. And you're right. It would seem that his zeal should be an
admirable quality."
    "But?"
    "It's sad, really, because he's a brilliant man. I studied under
Archer and worked with him a couple of times in the field."
    "Brilliant but eccentric?"

    "To the point some might call him an obsessed fanatic. When he
discovered an ancient plate in Jerusalem while excavating the tomb of
a Crusader, Archer became convinced it would lead him to the Holy
Grail. But he wouldn't let anyone else look at it, wouldn't even allow
others to authenticate it. I suppose after so much ridicule, he was
paranoid that someone might steal his find and claim it, leaving him
with nothing but a