The Seventh Diamond

By T.S. Williams

The beautiful Marvella Fonda, a New Yorker, an archaeologist, is a descendant of Jesus Christ, chosen by virtue of her birth and lineage to locate and retrieve the most powerful relic known to man—The Seventh Diamond. Her search will take her around the world and bring about a dramatic set of events that will cause her to be labeled as an international terrorist by the governments of the world. Plunged into a nightmare of terror, kidnapping, murder and betrayals, differentiating friends from enemies became an issue in her fight for survival. She became a marked woman with a slim to none chance to survive or clear her name when the governments of United States and Israel offered ten million dollars reward money on her being captured alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.S. Williams
• Release date: Dec 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9780983680727

Book preview

179

THE SEVENTH DIAMOND

T.S. Williams

New Age Publishing

Copyright © 2013 by T.S. Williams.

ISBN: 098368071X

ISBN-13: 978-0-983680710

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including, photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. For information address New Age Publishing. P.O. Box 390274, Snellville, GA 30039.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

THE SEVENTH DIAMOND

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

CHAPTER ONE

I truly wish to apologize beforehand to anyone that may find any aspect of my narrative offensive. I have considered all options and arrived at one conclusion: to tell the story as truthfully as I know how. For those of you that tried to convince me to leave out certain parts, I must say, I just cannot do that. I believe people have a right to know about the Seventh Diamond.

To the various governments that have sought the Seventh Diamond, read this narrative and find out why I refused to give it up. To those religious leaders that claim the Seventh Diamond is your given right to own, I beg to disagree. However, I hope by the time you finish reading this story, you will also come to understand my reason. Finally, to those wealthy collectors, organizations and governments, you know who you are; I do not want those countless millions you offered. I am not interested in your money or anything else you are offering. So, please, read these pages and you will also understand why your efforts have been and are going to be in vain.

***

For over three thousand years the existence of the Seventh Diamond had been a secret to only a few. The reason for this was because an elaborate plan was forged to make sure it remained hidden until the right person arose. To achieve a foolproof attempt at hiding it, eighteen out of the twenty people that transported the vast amount of treasure that included the Seventh Diamond martyred themselves. The last two remained alive until they created what is today known as the Copper scrolls and then followed their comrades to the grave. Surprisingly, the most intriguing thing these two did was the fact that they excluded from the Copper Scroll the one most important item in their hidden treasures—the Seventh Diamond.

If by this time you haven’t guessed who I am, then let me spare you the trouble. My name is Marvella Fonda, but friends and family call me Ella. My name Marvella has a Latin origin, it means wonderful. As for my nickname Ella, according to my parents, when I was about four years old, one of my playmates, a boy of about the same age, couldn’t pronounce my name and always ended up calling me Ella. And it sounded so beautiful the way he said it that, soon, everyone started calling me Ella. Anyway, you may have seen me on the news or read about me somewhere in the last few months. But if you haven’t, then I must assume you are either not from this planet or have been in seclusion from the media blitz that followed when the government of the United States branded me as an international terrorist.

This is my story for the last few months.

Remember I am not a seasoned writer so, at times, it is difficult for me to get all my thoughts straight and even more difficult to make them coherent on paper. I hope you will understand my plight and bear with me.

***

I’m in Washington, D.C at this moment, in a black Lincoln Navigator rolling down 6th Avenue, headed for the Capital. The minute we pulled up to the curb by the Capitol, the seat of this great country’s Senate and House of Representatives, the severity of my situation hit me. I have already languished in jail for eight months and just got released three months ago, and may be looking at going right back for refusing to testify.

I felt my mouth suddenly go dry as a chill ran down my spine. It was sheer willpower that forced me to stop myself from trembling. I was scared.

I glanced at the imposing building as I wondered what the special committee would expect to get out of me. I sure wasn’t about to tell them anything. My resolve is to plead the fifth to any question asked. I figured it is the safest way to go. It has been known that unscrupulous elements in the government could always twist one’s own words to trump up charges. I won’t put it pass them to cook up false charges against me, if I as much as uttered a sound. They have done it before and I’m certain they could do it again.

Honestly, if you ask me, I would say this hearing is nothing but a charade. It is another ploy by the powers-that-be, to get out of me the information that I alone in the whole world possess.

Many people do not believe everything they see or hear on TV, but what about the information that the government puts out?

It may sound absurd, but for the last eighteen months of my twenty-four years existence, I have always trusted this government. In fact, my trust for whatever the government says became even stronger after the September 11th, 2001, attack on the Twin Towers in New York. I truly believed the government was beyond reproach and that the information they disseminated was nothing but the truth. I wasn’t swayed from my conviction even after it was revealed that the government lied to get us into the Iraqi war.

But all that changed when I was labeled as an international terrorists and al-Qaida operative. To tell you the extent of how far the government was willing to go in making up stories, they said I was conspiring and in cohort with al-Qaida operatives to attack and undermine the interest of the United States abroad. For this reason, they placed a price tag on my head to the tune of ten million dollars. Given that kind of money, you know your guess is as good as mine—the posse came out: law enforcement officers and ordinary folks from around the world crawled out of the woodworks hoping to nab me.

It was the beginning of the greatest manhunt ever known. Amazingly, I survived it, but a lot of innocent people died. May their souls rest in peace!

My survival was not by accident but by the help of a mysterious religious group called the Essene and through high-profile negotiations initiated by my parents, family and friends. These negotiations enabled me to surrender myself to the authorities with a promise that justice must be allowed to take its course. Miraculously, justice took its course after eight months of my detention as an enemy combatant at a secluded, high security secret prison. In court, the judge took one look at the evidence the government presented and tossed it out. My immediate release was ordered.

The truth was that I was never connected to anyone remotely linked to terrorism or al-Qaida, for that matter. For obvious reasons, the government tagged me with that label to get me into their custody. Their goal was to hold me and attempt to get the information I had concerning the whereabouts of the immeasurable wealth mentioned in the Copper Scroll. But above all, they were certainly more interested in the Seventh Diamond that I found.

Now, the United States government wasn’t the only one interested in what I found—the Israelis, the Russians, the British, the Chinese and the Saudis are just a few of the governments that wanted a claim to my find. There were also other organizations such as the Catholic Church (the Vatican), the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church and a whole horde of other parties vying to possess it.

Anyway, supposedly, my release and the unraveling of the government’s case brought about a public outcry against the government’s actions. People felt it was unbecoming of the government to use faulty intelligence to tag and prosecute innocent American citizens as terrorists, and for misleading the public. As you well know, politicians are like leaves that go with which ever direction the wind blows. Next, I was being subpoenaed to testify before a congressional committee that was trying to investigate and stop the abuse of Americans’ rights by the government. Initially, I refused to appear, but was advised that I could be cited for contempt and thrown in jail. So, here I am at Capitol Hill to plead the fifth.

A swamp of reporters surrounded the vehicle.

Are you ready? Dan Peterson inquired.

I nodded. But inside, I knew, I was hardly ready for any of this.

Drew and I will step out first and then you, alright? he said.

Alright, I answered.

Oh, remember what I said earlier. Don’t answer any question, okay?

I won’t.

If there is any talking to be done let me do it, he continued.

That’s fine. There is something sneaky about Dan. I don’t trust him for a minute.

Good, good. So before we step out have you reconsidered what I said at the hotel?

You said so many things. Please, be more specific?

Well, I was referring to the fact that as your lawyer it would only be proper for you to inform me of the whereabouts of the Seventh Diamond.

I smiled, sheepishly. He must take me for a damn fool or something. There is nothing to reconsider. I told you I don’t know.

You do know you can trust me with anything as your lawyer, right? I’m obligated by law to protect anything you say to me under the attorney-client privilege.

I know that. Besides, you’ve said so countless times, already. I wondered for the umpteenth time where my parents found this clown?

I just want to mention that one more time.

Alright. Can we go, now?

Sure.

I stepped out of the vehicle to join Dan and Drew. And like fleas the newsmongers were all over us, jostling and fighting for access to me.

I shielded my eyes from the flashing lights of the cameras and ignored the microphones thrust at me. On TV, it always looks like a piece of cake when celebrities walk through a battery of cameras, but in reality, it’s another thing, altogether. And it sure was made more difficult given that I was sandwiched between Dan Peterson and Drew Bassinger, his secretary.

I want them all to go away—Dan Peterson, the cameras, television crews and every other reporter trying to get an exclusive interview. At that moment, all I wanted was to crawl into bed with my poodle, Nancy, and go to sleep.

It is truly ironic that some people unsuccessfully strive for the attention of the media all their life, yet, I, whom, by no means sought such attention, is now caught in the glare of the media world.

Sometimes, I feel so compelled to use the Seventh Diamond’s immense powers to make everything go away. The only reason I’m not succumbing to using it is because I know it wasn’t meant to be used for trifling headaches such as the one I was experiencing. I have come too far to let my distractors prevent me from using it to achieve its ultimate purpose—to continue the work that Jesus Christ started—heal and spread love to all humanity.

It would be very selfish of me to use it for personal gains or for frivolous reasons. In fact, that was one major reason I refused to bring back the dead. I feel if I bring one dead person back then I must bring back every dead person and that’s not good. Can you imagine the pandemonium that would follow if the dead were to rise and try to reclaim their worldly possessions and previous social statuses? It would be one big messy can of worms no one should have opened. I say, let the dead stay dead.

***

We are inside the capitol and walking down a massive hallway. I saw a few congressmen and senators that I recognized. In fact, I saw the senator from Arizona with a group of people. And for some strange reason, the few seconds our parties crossed paths, we made eye contact and I got a nod from him. I forgot his name. I think he is a Republican, but I am not too sure about his party. I am talking about the one always on the Sunday morning political talk-shows, with the undying support for the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars. Anyway, a nod from such an important person was like a reward for whatever I may endure during the next few hours with the lawmakers.

I felt my spirit rising. And for a brief moment, I got carried away by my surrounding. I began to wonder what it would be like to run for a congressional seat or better yet, a senatorial one. I pictured myself in front of microphones in odd and remote places of my state, giving speeches and asking people to vote for me. The beauty about the human mind was that it could make everything possible. It made my political daydreaming end in me winning an election for the senate. And as I was about to extend my thoughts into the things I would do as an elected official, reality knocked in the form of a female and a male that approached us.

My good spirit evaporated.

One look at the female told me this was a woman that has ambition written all over her. And I would bet my last dime she didn’t get where she was by brains alone. She wasn’t going to fool me with that classy lady look that she achieved by having her hair in a neat bun, studded earrings, no makeup, spectacles and a designer suit. In contrast to her looks, her eyes held no smile and were steely cold.

As for her companion, he was about six feet tall, cropped hair. Although, he does not have a uniform on, I could tell from his rigid structure that he was someone from the service.

Mr. Peterson, I’m Constance Price of the Justice Department. And this is Inspector Sam Grisham of the Capitol Police, she said, introducing herself and her companion.

"How may I help you, ma’am? Dan asked.

There is a change of plan. Please, if I may have a word with you in private for a minute.

Dan glanced at me. Do you mind?

Go ahead, I replied.

He left.

It was kind of awkward standing there next to Drew. She is probably in her late-twenties or early-thirties, but with her appearance one would think she was much older. It was clear from her hair style which was in a rolling bang, plaid suit, and platform shoes that resembled something from a different age that she completely missed the fashion train. I wasn’t a fashion expert or anything like that, but I swear, I could transform her. Given her petite body shape and symmetry it won’t be difficult to find the right clothes and accessories to complement and turn her into a stunning beauty.

I wanted to say something to her, but instead we both stared at each other in silence. I bet she was hoping I would start a conversation. I could have because I needed a friend to talk to. But she wasn’t a friend. So, instead, for whatever reason, I channeled my mind away and began to stare at the floor and the shoes of those walking by. I saw that a man that walked by had the wrong color of shoes on. Another guy needed to have his shoes retired. The heels were worn, causing him to have a galloping gait. I loved the high heels a female had on. I could see myself accessorizing around it. Somehow, I followed her frame up. I would not wear the skirt she had on. Yeah, I would do away with her blouse, too. I would keep that beaded necklace she had. She has one of those faces with character but nothing more. You know, it was one of those faces that don’t threaten other females. That’s exactly my problem. Other women are uncomfortable with my looks. Somehow, this has contributed to why most of my friends are of the opposite sex. Come to think of it, until a few months ago, I had only one close female friend. We grew up together and we were like sisters. Well, that’s another story altogether and I will get to her later. Anyway, right now, I realized, I needed a confidant and a friend, preferably a female. Everyone ought to have one of those. I made a conscious decision to do this despite my experience with the last one.

It was another ten minutes or so, before Dan, Constance Price and Inspector Sam Grisham returned.

One look at Dan’s face told me he thinks he has good news to deliver. I waited for him to do so.

You won’t believe this, he said. The special committee meeting is cancelled. But you are asked to meet with a group of interested parties.

What are they interested in?

I guess they are interested in meeting you.

Why? I asked.

Why what?

Why would I want to meet with this group?

He hesitated as his face grew tight with a frown. I could see he never expected me to ask that question. I believe they want to ask you a few questions.

I don’t think so.

Constance Price stepped forward. Miss. Fonda, it might be in your own best interest if you were to meet with this group. They could certainly make life a lot easier for you. Or, alternatively, a lot more difficult for you.

I see. The threat in her tone was not lost on me.

Do you?

I certainly do. But tell me this…have you any idea what is it they want from me? I asked as if I didn’t already know.

I don’t.

I do. I was quiet for a moment. Alright, I’m going to meet with them.

You are? The rigid features of her face vanished, revealing a beautiful smile.

You should smile more often. It’s good for you, I said to her. I know the people I’m up against. It was ludicrous of me to think they would give up, easily. I realized until they got what they wanted they would keep trying.

***

I stepped into a large room with five men and two women seated behind a long table draped in white cover. And about fifteen feet in front of the table was a lone chair. I didn’t need anyone to tell me it was meant for me.

As I approached, I noticed each person behind the table, except for the one at the center, had a pad in front of them on which they were jotting down notes.

I walked up and took my seat, realizing I did not know any of these people. I began to think maybe I was wrong in thinking this was another meeting to cajole me into revealing the whereabouts of my secret. Nevertheless, I was flinching inside with fear.

The man at the center of the table spoke. "I’m Jonathan Hewitt. It was nice of you to agree to meet with us, Miss. Fonda. I’m from Homeland Security and here on behalf of the United States government.

I nodded.

He continued. My colleagues will each introduce themselves and then we ask that we be allowed to ask you a few questions.

I said nothing. After all, it turned out I was right about this group.

I’m Moshe Levi. I represent the interest of the Israeli government. The man on the right of Hewitt said.

Next to Levi is one of the women. I’m Petra Musa from the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. I’m sitting in for the Jordanian government.

The last on that side is the other female. Sara Giovanni. I’m here on behalf of the Italian government and the Vatican.

The man on the left of Hewitt introduced himself. I’m Boris Kuznetsova of the Russian government.

The man next to him introduced himself as. Cheng Lin. I’m affiliated with the United Nations.

And the last of the group is Bernard Hutton. Here on the behalf of the British government.

I was not surprised by the governments represented, but was surprised by the fact that they’ve decided to put their individual differences aside to work as a unit. Nonetheless, I was not about to divulge any information to them regardless of their makeup.

Miss. Fonda, you have nothing to fear, Petra Musa said. She must have read the fear on my face.

Yeah, right. I’ve nothing to fear, but fear itself. And this group is what I consider fear itself. I hear you, I replied, outwardly.

Miss. Fonda you probably guessed why you’re here? Hewitt asked.

I nodded.

Well, let me say that the bodies represented here feel we should work together to protect humanity and place our individual interests aside. We consider what you’ve got in your possession a force greater than the atomic bomb or any nuclear weapon. You have in your disposal the greatest force on earth. And such force ought not to be in the possession of any one person or government, don’t you think?

I said nothing.

In any case, we invited you here to ask that you join us to protect mankind from the perils that may be eminent if the Seventh Diamond were to fall into the wrong hands.

I remained mute.

The governments are willing and prepared to build a maximum security facility to house the Seventh Diamond. This will be a place where it would be safe from any unscrupulous person or government. Or alternatively, you could name a safe museum of your choice anywhere in the world and we will beef security to it. What do you say?

Suddenly, something someone told me years ago came to mind. He said, to feign cooperation, if one wasn’t under oath, it was safer to answer questions as evasively as possible and to make sure no meaningful information is given. I decided to follow this advice. I think it is a good idea. But that is dependent on you finding the Seventh Diamond.

I believe you do have the Seventh Diamond in your possession, right?

I don’t have it, sir. I wasn’t about to tell him or anyone else anything. They could all go to hell!

Please, if I may ask. If you don’t have it, who does?

I don’t know.

Where you ever in possession of it at any given time?

No.

Please, Miss. Fonda, we know you’re lying, Sara Giovanni said. We have evidence as to your being in possession of it when you left Masada and went into hiding at Khirbet Qumran.

You see, that’s the kind of false evidence that the authorities hold unto and claim to be true. The God honest truth was that I was never in Khirbet Qumran. Any reasonable person would’ve known a sophisticated woman like me wouldn’t seek hiding in such a mountainous desert region with hardly anything but caves. Bedouins may seek shelter in such places, but definitely not a New York girl, like me. What’s wrong with her? I thought, as I muttered under my breath, Whatever.

Cheng Lin spoke. Miss. Fonda, you went missing for thirteen days in Khirbet Qumran. And when you next surfaced it was in Aqaba. Please, could you fill us in on your whereabouts for those thirteen days?

I see he is trying to retrace my steps I didn’t know I was missing for thirteen days.

How could you not?

I just didn’t. Besides, how could I be missing when I’m with myself every day?

You mean you don’t know what happened to you in those thirteen days?

No. I knew where I was. And if I recall correctly, I had no obligation to inform anyone about my whereabouts. That’s what I mean.

Oh, I see. Please, could you, at least, tell us how you got from Qumran to Aqaba?

I don’t understand your question. I feigned ignorance.

I’m interested in the mode of transportation. Did you get from Qumran to Aqaba by camel, car or airplane?

How about let me say this. I was never in Khirbet Qumran. Ever.

So where were you?

I really don’t know. Everything about that time is still so blurry. All I can tell you is that one day I was in Jerusalem, and next I was in Aqaba, sir.

Is there anything you can remember about that time that could shed some light on those thirteen days?

I stroked my chin and was silent for a brief moment. I’m sorry. I can’t remember anything, I said at last, acting like I gave the question a long hard thought.

Thank you, he said.

I nodded. It was becoming apparently clear to them that they were on a futile quest, trying to get information out of me.

Hutton spoke. Miss. Fonda, correct me if I’m wrong. You left Aqaba and went to Jerusalem, only to return to Aqaba two days later. What was your purpose for visiting Jerusalem?

Their information was wrong, again. I never visited Aqaba, then returned to Jerusalem and then went back to Aqaba. Most of my stay in Israel was in Jerusalem and when I left for Aqaba, I never returned to Jerusalem or Israel, for that matter. I visited the Hebrew University and the Rockefeller Museum. I bet you already know the purpose of my visit?

Surprisingly, I don’t. Why did you visit these institutions?

I wanted to broaden my information base on the Dead Sea scrolls.

And what did you find?

Nothing much. The usual stuff.

At the Hebrew University you met with Dr. Ben Barak?

Yes.

And at the Rockefeller Museum you met with Professor Yitzhak Weizmann?

Yes.

Where you aware that both men were found murdered a few minutes after your visit to them?

That’s what I heard.

Do you think there is a connection between your visits and their deaths?

What are you implying?

You tell me. Do you think there is a relationship between your visit and their deaths, Miss. Fonda?

How do I know? I thought the report said that the causes of their deaths were inconclusive and that there is the likelihood that the deaths were either accidents or suicides. Besides, they were alive when I met and left them.

Their deaths have been ruled as murders and the investigation is ongoing. Do you care to tell us what your conversation with them was?

I told you already. Our conversations were centered on the Dead Sea scrolls.

Boris Kuznetsova cleared his throat, and then spoke. It is obvious that Miss. Fonda has very little to contribute. I suggest she be excused.

Is there anyone that disagrees with this? Hewitt asked.

There was no disagreement from his colleagues.

Thank you, Miss. Fonda. We’ve no further questions for you. You are excused.

I got up and without as much as a backward glance, I walked out.

***

Three weeks had gone by since my visit to the Capitol. Surprisingly, I was yet to write anything worthwhile. I just couldn’t decide what to write. I realized it was one thing having the story burning inside my head and another thing altogether to try to transfer the thoughts to paper. Now I understand why everyone isn’t a writer. It is much more difficult than just saying I have a story I want to write about.

Anyway, to facilitate a better understanding of my story, I feel I should begin by giving you, the background information on the key elements. By this, I mean, I will give the historical facts about the Seventh Diamond, and the treasures that I found.

CHAPTER TWO

I was never known to reflect a lot, but these days it seems that’s all I do. Given my situation, I hope you would understand. I wasn’t any longer in a prison cell, yet I was still a prisoner. I couldn’t step out of the house without someone shadowing me, watching my every move. It was driving me crazy, but what could I do? They won’t go away unless I give them what they seek.

The truth is that I have been under prying eyes from the day I came into this