The Lucifer Code by Michael Cordy Read Free Book Online Page B

old professor at Cambridge used to say, the best time to start anything important is now'
    *
    Cape Town, South Africa
    Sister Constance had rarely experienced physical fear during her fifty-five years. She felt it now, though, standing on a thirty-foot fishing sloop at dead of night, as the crew threw into the sea a bloody mix of meat and entrails. In the moonlight she could see the ocean come alive with fins cutting through the dark water. She had thought shark fishing was illegal but didn't have the courage to ask the crew if this was true. Pulling her scarlet robes tight around her shoulders she shivered, although the air was warm, tasting salt on her lips from the waves crashing against the anchored boat.
    The moon sat full and plump over the distant silhouette of Table Mountain, and she wondered when the Monsignor would come. Each time she had asked the unshaven captain he'd said, 'Soon.'
    She could understand why Monsignor Diageo had insisted they meet away from the Red Ark. But why here? She clutched the enamelled red crucifix that hung around her neck, glanced up at the clear night and crossed herself. 'The Monsignor must have his reasons,' she heard herself say aloud, her voice uneven.
    Sister Constance had lived a sheltered existence within the Church, a life free of questioning and doubt. Her most traumatic decision had been to follow her headstrong friend, Mother Giovanna Bellini, from the Catholic Church to the new Church of the Soul Truth. But even that had been relatively painless: she had swapped one set of reassuring rules for another. She used to joke that the only real difference was the colour of the robes.
    But when Mother Giovanna had called her two days ago and told her about the experiments, Sister Constance had suspected that the Church of the Soul Truth was very different indeed. And yesterday when she had tried unsuccessfully to contact her friend, she had felt concerned. After wrestling with her conscience she had broken her promise to keep Mother Giovanna's secret and had approached Monsignor Diageo on the top deck of the Red Ark to ask if the Red Pope had known of Giovanna's discovery. Clearly shocked, the Monsignor had thanked her for coming forward but refused to discuss this 'threat to everything the Holy Father holds sacred' on the Red Ark.
    He had given her clear instructions to board the Marie Louise in the harbour then wait for him. The taciturn crew had helped her on board, then ignored her while they took the boat down the coast and went about their business.
    Two of the crew passed her, dragging what looked like a cow's rear leg. Grunting, they hefted it overboard, and within seconds the sea was boiling with activity as the frenzied sharks fed off the bounty. Another crew member, holding a boat-hook, prodded the bobbing meat, laughing as the sharks tore it apart. The scene disgusted and frightened her, and she sighed audibly when she heard the putt-putt-putt of another vessel approaching. Sister Constance hurried to the stern where her relief turned to joy when the bloodied boat-hook pulled the other vessel alongside and she recognized the man's distinctive face.
    'Monsignor Diageo, thank the Lord,' she said. 'Why did we have to meet here?'
    'These are sensitive matters, Sister Constance. Have you spoken to anyone else about what Mother Giovanna told you?'
    'No, of course not.'
    He looked at her closely. Are you sure?'
    'Yes.'
    He gave a satisfied nod. She leant towards him, waiting to be transferred to his boat. 'Does the Holy Father know what the scientists are doing?' she asked. 'Did Mother Giovanna tell him they're killing the patients?'
    Diageo looked tired. 'He knows,' he said wearily. He turned his head away but Sister Constance caught a look in his eye that brought her anxiety flooding back. 'He's always known,' he said. Then he whispered, 'I'm sorry.'
    Stunned, struggling to absorb the significance of his words, she watched him gaze at the crew, who were still throwing bait to