“Paul and Nestor are the same person. A true chameleon, if you will.” He looked at him gravely. “You tried to kill me.”

“No, Holy Father,” he contradicted him, but without much conviction.

“Sit down,” he invited him. “Sit down and listen to a story.”

Paul Marcinkus accepted Karol Wojtyla’s request and sat down, while the pope got up and walked around the desk until he stopped behind the American, who felt threatened.

“About two years ago I received a mysterious phone call that led to an even more mysterious visit. Someone wished to discuss subjects of interest to me. Perhaps you’ve heard of this person. He calls himself JC. At the time I thought he might be comparing himself to Jesus Christ, but I don’t think he had that grand pretension. I don’t believe he has the same beliefs we do.”

“I’ve never heard of him, Your Holiness,” Marcinkus denied, without turning toward the Pole.

“No? Well, look, he knows you very well. He told me about your adventures in Masonry…”

“I can explain, Your Holiness.” He turned to the pope, alarmed.

“You can? Belonging to a Masonic lodge results in direct excommunication without the right of explanations. Do you know anything about that, Nestor, 124, of the Loggia of Rome?”

Nestor… Paul hid his face in his hands.

“You can’t believe just any person who appears so suddenly, Your Holiness. Many people wish us ill.”

“You know something? You’re right. That’s exactly what I told your friend.”

He raised his voice. “He’s not my friend.”

“And he was ready to prove what he’d said. Days later something was entrusted to me in a pretty packet that contained so many things that, even today, with the years that have passed, all of the ramifications and operations described have still not been analyzed.”

Marcinkus sank into his chair.

“That was the reason for removing you from the IWR last year, which, I confess, I thought would be enough to see you go voluntarily. I was deceived. You didn’t feel affected by these things. Therefore I’m going to summarize what came in the packet in one single statement. You’re a criminal.”

The American took his hands from his face and got up, stung by the insult.

“How dare you call me that!”

“I’m not the one calling you that, Paul. It’s in the evidence. You can’t contradict the facts.” Wojtyla remained firm and certain.

“Evidence. Evidence. Don’t throw evidence in my face,” he spoke proudly. “I’ve given a lot to the Holy See. You’ve lost nothing.” He disregarded completely the courtesy the pope deserves.

“Do I need to remind you how much your speculations at the Ambrosiano in the eighties cost us? Your absolution in ’eighty-four was less than peaceful and even less well explained.”

Marcinkus stared at him with hate in his eyes.

“I knew that sooner or later you’d throw that in my face. I admitted the error when it happened.”

“And why don’t you admit it now?”

“The Holy Father is popular all over the world. The most popular pope in history. Who do you think makes that possible? Who finances your trips, the luxury in which you live?” he asked angrily.

“The faithful,” Wojtyla replied.

“Don’t make me laugh,” Marcinkus joked with a sour smile. “It’s thanks to people like me who wisely administer the goods of the Church over the centuries. The Holy Father wouldn’t exist without me. I’m the true pope of all this. And if you intend to prosecute me, something can always happen,” he threatened.

The pope walked around the desk and picked up the piece of paper with the seal. He sighed deeply.

“Effective immediately, the archbishop is removed from all the functions that occupy the Holy See. He will return to his archdiocese, from which he will not return again.”

“You can’t do that to me,” he shouted.

Wojtyla ignored his tone.

“You’ll be taken by helicopter directly to the Fiumicino airport, where you’ll continue on a flight that will take you to the United States.”

“You’re playing with fire.”

“The press will be told of your voluntary retirement because of fatigue and homesickness. It’s my wish that this case be closed immediately without scandal. The proof will be deposited in the Secret Archives of the Vatican without more investigation. If this decision doesn’t please you, I’ll be happy to hand you over to the Italian authorities, who are eager to charge you. The choice is yours,” Wojtyla concluded peremptorily, turning his back.

Marcinkus let himself sink in the chair. Tears of rage welled up in his eyes and ran down his face. He sat there for several minutes, breathing in the oppressive silence. He had come to Rome in 1950 and had never left. Living in the United States was unthinkable, like a prison sentence. He decided to get up and walk toward the office door. He opened it and remained without moving, defeated, old.

Karol Wojtyla looked out at the plaza, hidden by the white curtains.

“Ten o’clock tonight at the heliport. Don’t be late.”

66

Istanbul had as much movement at night as during the day. Life swirled through the streets and alleys, allied to the nocturnal mysteries that fill this enigmatic city.

The group led by the old man with the cane, whose handle formed the gold head of a lion, mingled with the thousands of tourists who crammed the tourist spots. An old man with a married couple and another man-they could easily pass for close family members, if it was in their interest to create that image.

They passed through the Hippodrome, whose obelisks still survived, although the amphitheater that seated a hundred thousand people had to be imagined. They went into Hagia Sophia, the cathedral converted into a mosque and then into a museum, where emperors and sultans were once crowned. It served Greeks and Ottomans, survived Constantinople, and remained a symbol of the city and Turkey. They dined at Cati in Beyoglu, at a table next to a window with views of the Bosporus. They began with corbasi, yogurt soup, with vegetables; then, as the main course, had hunkar begendili köfte, meatballs with eggplant puree, mixed with cheese, and a variety of kebabs.

Raul and Elizabeth had many questions, but didn’t ask any. They were astonished at the way JC delighted over the food he was serving.

“Turkish Palace cooking,” he said. “Delicious.”

The couple scarcely tasted the food. They picked at it more out of courtesy and sympathy than hunger, even though they hadn’t eaten well for days.

The cripple maintained his cool pose. He ate, but not like a savage. He was always the same. Polite, silent, he ate to survive, no other reason, and looked around from time to time to assure himself of the old man’s safety. That was his only preoccupation; everything else was secondary.

“What time is our meeting?” the old man asked him.

“He’ll call us as soon as he arrives.”

“Tell him to come here.”

“All right.”

The cripple got up and left with his cell phone in his hand. A private call away from the chaos of the restaurant.

“Who’s coming?” Elizabeth asked.

“Another friend?” Raul added.

“An ally… I hope,” he replied, not paying attention, bringing a meat-ball to his mouth. “Hmm… delicious.”

“How can you live like this?” Elizabeth asked, scandalized.

“How do you mean, my dear?”

“Like this.” She didn’t know how to explain it. “Walking a tightrope.”

“Don’t be fooled, Mrs. Monteiro. Politicians are the ones who live on a tightrope. Presidents, prime ministers, senators, representatives walk a tightrope. They know that living at the will of the electorate is thankless. No matter what they do the public is never grateful. That’s why they sell themselves to corporations and lobbies. In short, they take care of their future. People like you also walk a tightrope. I don’t.”