Chapter TenSteve claimed they had a little misunderstanding about their engagement, pointing out it might be the reason she fled but he knew exactly what made Lola ghost everyone. Back at the hospital it was 12:30PM and Jason had just arrived at the hospital with Daffodils and a card in between that boldly read "hospital gowns look horrible on you, can you permit a rescue?" She read and smiled and he dropped the flowers on the table, just beside the door.She got up and leaned back to the pillow after reading the card and reached out for a hug from Jason. He asked Emelia but was told by Lola that she went home to make something and prepare for her return as he had said earlier that he would be coming to drive her home. Hospital Halls are usually growded by noon, because it's when patients that are making progress in their recovery usually go for a walk around the hospital but from where Lola was admitted, it was different. Her ward was a private one that was separated from the hospi
Chapter eleven "father has never had a big meeting like the one he was in, and he has never met half of the men he saw, he guessed he had a lot to learn, like his father would always say."Mr Kelvin and Lola were busy skulking around the compound while Jason was still puzzled. The compound had a lot of space, enough that the air roamed Free. The villa being built in the mountains outside the city had a lot of trees surrounding it in the Dept of nature which made its surroundings calm and cozy. The leaves swung to any direction the air took them until they got stucked or stepped on by the walks of Lola and Mr Kelvin, the atmosphere was so comforting that it made Lola take deep breaths, Talking about how expensive the houses might be. Mr Kelvin walked behind Lola, encouraging her to take her time in appreciating her view. They got the water fountains at the center of the garden and Lola made her rest. The gardens were carved diligently in shapes and sizes that took Lola time to make s
Chapter Twelve Emelia was still trying to put together surprise decorations for her best friend Lola when Chris called. [Phone ringing][Chris] please tell me you've had some rest. She smiled and left for the balcony, leaving the balloons, lights and flowers on the floor and some floating around the Halls. If there's two people she would rather talk to, it would be Chris and Lola but she was disconnected, because service on the villa was out, to make anyone that visited to be in the moment. So when she heard from Chris it made her worries for Lola fizzle away for a while. He had a long call with Emelia that made her unaware of the little mouth-watering dish she hoped to make in the kitchen and the mess she had made of the kitchen trying to Make something from the fridge that was barely empty. She explained to Chris of Lola's condition and he sympathized with her, telling her she could stay as long as she wished to with Lola. They both talk about Chris's father, of his insistence
Chapter ThirteenWith the late hours that Jason finally found Lola and Mr Kelvin, He ordered the she be taken home safely after shuttling on their conversation how Lola should get more acquainted with his father.The road was dark and foggy, with the environment that surrounded the villa, one could barely see what's in front of him. Mr Kelvin suggests that they go back, telling Lola the villa has so many rooms which she could pick and that it was not such a good idea that she rejected Jason's offer that she stays over for the night. But she still maintained her decision to go home and advised Mr Kelvin to slow down to avoid hitting something. Trying to make her smile a little, Mr Kelvin asked if she enjoyed the villa so much. Why not stay for the night and maybe tomorrow morning they would call her friend and inform her of how she was Kidnapped. She smiled as Mr Kelvin saw through the mirror and asked how Jimmy was doing. "He's been busy being the good boy that he is" "yes, the little
Chapter fourteenWhen Lola called Emelia she had already dozed off in sleep from waiting on the couch. But she got up as soon as she heard her phone ring, explaining how insanely worried she has been giving that her phone hasn't been Connecting since she left the hospital, trying one of her friendly jokes she asked Emelia if she was truly worried, How did she still manag to sleep peacefully or better still called the police. Emelia haven't just woken up Asked that she be home as soon as possible so she could go meet up with Chris, something she thought would make her run home like her life depended on it. She got up from the couch noticing how dark it has been, and how the food she ordered might have gone cold, she went straight to the dining table, dropped her phone as she carried the food to microwave in the kitchen, as if she knew Lola would come back late and ordered for a nice meal that tastes even better when leftover. She got out of the kitchen and reached for the remote at the
Chapter fifteen "That film is a disgrace, Where were the Nigerians?" Jason raised his eyebrows, somewhat taken aback but not entirely, as he knew where Ike we likely to go with this, Sir Belok having relatives and connections in Nigeria have had experience and understand the west Africa and Nigeria than most Nigerians in the room and now had a tendency to interpret British pronouncements on Africa as racist, or at best patronizing. Jason found sir Belok's reaction extreme and performative but he was getting used to him now as he stands more on the spotlight, the more he Saw Sir Belok's point of view. Had it not been Sir Belok's suspicious behavior with his father he might have nodded in agreement. "And I don't mean showing photographs of Nigerians, as in some anthropological study of Africans and their natural habitat," Sir Beloks continued. "I mean why aren't Nigerians directing these films? Or at very least why aren't they narrating them? And why do most film-makers always
Chapter sixteenIt was a perfect day for walking. The paths were a rustling carpet of golden leaves, and air hung heavy with the smell of dry brush and bonfires. Lola and Tayo were walking in the direction of the Meadows and talking. They spoke at length about culture, she being eager to hear of how the West African society had been instrumental in their business development, and he wanting to know what most English people (not just the moguls) thought about cultural imperialism. She found his question challenging and felt torn between reality and her own idealism. "You know, America is less racist than England, which inspires hope" "That's encouraging, really" Jason acknowledged but things are not that bad in England, especially this young generation, and I have hope in British" Lola raised her eyebrows, wondering if he was being polite, but he seemed not to have noticed her skepticism, he had gone to talk about some of the encouraging interactions he had experienced with th
Chapter seventeenThe next day, Lola took the train to her grandparents for the holidays. She slept through the journey but woke up as the train Drew into wall reef and passengers with luggage began bumping their way down the aisles. She waited for the others to get off before retrieving her two cases - dragging them down the steps and over the gap onto the platform where her grandparents were waiting. They looked older and shorter than Lola remembered, each wearing tan clothing, grandfather's was open at the front. Grandmother's buttoned to the chin. Grandmother's hands were clasped around her handbag as though grasping a horse's reins - fingers curled tightly around leather, hands drawn back, close to the waist - while Grandfather kept his arms folded over his chest in order to keep glancing at his watch, eager to get home. Traffic was slow around wall reef, but then it was a quick run through Fortress and Baldwin Hill into Lentil View. "It's really lovely to be back," Lola
Jason was receiving an award for his book that he'd published and Jimmy was in the city, so he did the best thing he could before running off to Florence. It has been a long time since he'd been around but the event that had unfolded recently had taught him to spend more time with family. Encaenia took place in the Sheldonian - a long and rambling ceremony conducted in Latin for six distinguished persons though, in Lola's mind, this was a celebration mainly for Jason. At last, he was receiving the recognition he deserved. After the ceremony, she stood and watched him with pride as he mingled with guests. She had met Jason briefly before the ceremony and they had hugged, but hardly spoken; too many people and not enough time. She thought at first that it was perhaps the way it should be, with no time for sentimentalism, but no, she decided that it was not the way it should be. They needed more time. "Do you know all these people?" Malik whispered."No." Lola shook her head, even tho
Night had fallen over Shekina. Jimmy stood alone on the porch of the fieldstone house enjoying the sounds of laughter and reunion drifting through the screened door behind him. The mug of coffee in his hand had granted him hazy reprieve from his mounting exhaustion, and yet he sensed the reprieve would be fleeting. The fatigue in his body went to the core. "You slipped out quietly," a voice behind said.He turned. McEwan's grandmother emerged, her silver hair shimmering in the night. Jimmy gave a tired smile. "I thought I'd give your family some time together." Through the window, he could see McEwan talking with her brother. Sophie's grandmother came beside him. "Mr. Jim, when I first heard of Esquibel's murder, I was terrified for McEwan's sake. Seeing her standing in my doorway tonight was the greatest relief of my life. I cannot thank you enough."Jimmy had no idea how to respond. Although he had offered to give McEwan and her grandmother time to talk in private, she had asked
"Davis?" McEwan was standing outside the car, looking back at him. "Are you coming?" She was holding the rosewood box, which captain Romano had returned to them. Inside, both cryptex had been reassembled and nested as they had been found. The verse was locked safely at its core - minus the shattered vessel of vinegar.Making their way up the long gravel path, Jimmy and McEwan passed the famous west Wall of the chapel. Casual visitors assumed this oddly protruding wall was a section of the chapel that had not been finished. The truth, Jimmy recalled, was far more intriguing. Shekina chapel's entrance was more modest than Jimmy expected. The small wooden door had two iron hinges. The chapel would be closing soon, and as Jimmy pulled open the door, a warm puff of air escaped, as if the ancient edifice were having a weary sigh at the end of a long day. Entering with McEwan, Jimmy felt his eyes reaching across the famous sanctuary and taking it all in. Although he had read accounts of She
The mist had settled low as Amorth limped into a quiet hollow out of sight. Kneeling on the wet grass, he could feel a warm stream of blood flowing from the bullet wound below his ribs. Still, he managed.The fog made it look like heaven here.Raising his bloody hands, he prayed, but most importantly he prayed for his mentor… Myositis… that he would not fade with the sands of time. The fog was swirling around him now, and Amorth felt so light that he was sure the wisps would carry him away. Closing his eyes, he said a final prayer.His pains at last began to fade, and he knew Myositis was right. It was late afternoon when the London sun broke through and the city began to dry. Andrie Romano felt weary as he emerged from the interrogation room and hailed a cab. Sir Albert Rodriguez had noisily proclaimed his innocence, and yet from his loose ranting about the Archstone, secret documents, and mysterious brotherhood, Roman suspected the sly historian was setting the stage for his lawye
Myositis's body had endured many kinds of pain, and yet the searing heat of the bullet wound in his chest felt profoundly foreign to him. Deep and grave. Not a wound of the flesh… but closer to the soul. He opened his eyes, trying to see, but the rain on his face buried his vision. He could feel powerful arms holding him, carrying his limp body like a rag doll, his black cassock flapping. Lifting a weary arm, he mopped his eyes and saw the man holding him was Amorth. He was struggling down a sidewalk, shouting for a hospital, his voice a heart-rending wail of agony. His red eyes were focused dead ahead, tears streaming down his face. "My son," Myositis whispered, "you're hurt." Amorth glanced down, his visage contorted in anguish. "I am sorry sorry, Father." He seemed almost too pained to speak. "No," Myositis replied. "It is I who am sorry. This is my fault. I was too eager. Too fearful. You and I were deceived." Myositis was unconscious when the doors of St Luke's hospital hiss
Jimmy and McEwan moved slowly down the north aisle, keeping the shadows behind the ample pillars that separated it from the open nave. Despite having traveled more than halfway down the nave, they still had no clear view of the tomb. The sarcophagus was recessed in a niche, obscured from this oblique angle."At least there's nobody over there," McEwan whispered.Jimmy nodded, relieved. The entire section of the nave near Klaus' tomb was deserted. "I'll go over," he whispered. "You should stay hidden just in case someone-"McEwan had already stepped from the shadows and was headed across the open floor."-is watching," Jimmy sighed, hurrying to join her.Crossing the massive nave on a diagonal, Jimmy and McEwan remained silent as the elaborate sepulcher revealed itself in Tantalus increments… a black-marble sarcophagus… a reclining statue of Klaus… two winged boys… a huge pyramid… and… an enormous orb."Did you know about that?" McEwan said, sounding startled.Jimmy shook his head, als
Jimmy had not gotten his eyes off the computer screen since the search began. He was starting to get worried.Anita Istredd was in the adjoining room, preparing hot drinks. Jimmy and Sophie had inquired unwisely if there might be some coffee brewing alongside the tea Istredd had offered, and from the sound of the microwave beeps in the next room, Jimmy suspected their request was about to be rewarded with instant Nescafe.Finally, the computer pinged happily."Sounds like you got another," Istredd called from the next room. "What does it say?"Jimmy looked at the screen, disappointed.They sat patiently in front of the screen and waited through two more dubious returns. When the computer pinged again, nothing interesting happened.Istredd peeked back in the doorway, holding a packet of instant coffee. "You don't want the full text," Istredd called. "Click on the hypertext title. The computer will display your keyword hits along with mono prelogs and triple post logs for context."Jim
Copus peccate's headquarter in London is a modest brick building. Amorth had never been here, but he felt a rising sense of refuge and asylum as he approached the building on foot. Despite the rain, Beardsley had dropped him off a short distance away in order to keep the limousine off the main Streets. Amorth didn't mind the walk. The rain was cleansing.At Beardsley's suggestion, Amorth had wiped down his gun and dispose of it through the sewer grate. He was glad to get rid of it. He felt lighter. His legs still ache from being bound all the time, but he had endured far greater pain. He wondered, though, about Rodriguez, who Beardsley had left bound in the back of the limousine. The Briton certainly had to be feeling pain by now."What will you do with him?" Amorth had asked Beardsley as they drove over here.Beardsley had shrugged. "That is a decision the Teacher would make." There was an odd finality in his tone.Now, as Amorth approached the building, the rain began to fall harder
Jimmy still felt shaken as he and McEwan came from the rain and entered the library. The primary research room was as Rodriguez had described it - a dramatic octagonal chamber dominated by an enormous round table with twelve flat-screen computer workstations. On the far side of the room, a reference librarian was just pouring a pot of tea and settling in for the day of work. "Good morning," she said in a beautiful British accent, leaving the tea and walking over. "May I help you?""Thank you, yes please," Jimmy replied. "My name is-""Jimmy Davis." She gave a pleasant smile. "I know who you are."For instance, he feared Romano had put him on English television as well, but the librarian's smile suggested otherwise. Jimmy had not gotten used to these moments of unexpected celebrity. Then again, if anyone on earth were going to recognize his face, it would be a Librium in a religious studies reference facility."Anita Istredd," the librarian said, offering her hand. She had a friend