Blood and Coins

By David Kesting

'Blood and Coins' is actually two novels in one.

The first part of the book chronicles the journey of a certain box over a period of time covering nearly two millennia of history.

Surrounding the fate of this box are the stories of a fallen priest, a disgraced French naval officer and the martyred leader of a super power.

The second part of 'Blood and Coins' tells of private investigator Sid Ericson's journey to an island.

This is Ericson's second trip to the tiny isle out in the Pacific Ocean. The return visit will change Ericson's life forever.

At the very end of 'Blood and Coins' the reader will be jolted by a new twist that will take Sid Ericson from the island into a new and unimaginable world.

'Blood and Coins' is the sequel to 'Tracking the Minotaur', also available on this site.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Kesting
• Release date: Dec 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536529326

Book preview

BLOOD AND COINS

BY DAVID KESTING

TEXT COPYRIGHT © 2016 DAVID KESTING

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents, historical or otherwise are the result of the author’s imagination or are being used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

This book was originally entitled ‘The J and J Box’. It was published under that title and a second time, within a double volume called ‘The Holm Island Chronicles’.

I thought it was important to republish the book under this more appropriate title for several reasons.

First, it answers many questions and ties up loose ends raised in the very first Sid Ericson mystery called ‘Tracking the Minotaur’.

That novel is now available from the same booksellers who are carrying this volume.

Secondly, it gives a glint into Sid Ericson’s early life. It relates details about the path Ericson took towards becoming a private investigator.

‘Blood and Coins’ is a very long novel and I make no apologies for it. It is really two novels in one. The first part chronicles the travels of a certain box containing blood and coins.

It also tells the story of a fallen priest, a disgraced French naval officer and a martyred leader, who were all drawn to a lonely island out in the Pacific Ocean.

The last half of the novel tells of private investigator Sid Ericson’s second journey to the same island. After that visit, Ericson was a changed man forever.

At the very end of ‘Blood and Coins’ the reader will be jolted by a new twist that will take Ericson into an unimaginable new world.

Enjoy.

David Kesting

TABLE OF CONTENTS

JERUSALEM: 33 AD

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

PARIS: 1865

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

THE ISLAND OF NO NAME: 1865

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

EUROPE: 1940-1942

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

PANAMA CANAL ZONE: 1942

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

GERMANY: 1945

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 43

SWITZERLAND: 1945

CHAPTER 44

CHAPTER 45

CHAPTER 46

CHAPTER 47

CHAPTER 48

CHAPTER 49

EUROPEAN THEATER: 1945\1946

CHAPTER 50

CHAPTER 51

CHAPTER 52

CHAPTER 53

CHAPTER 54

KOREAN PENINSULA: 1950- 1962

CHAPTER 55

CHAPTER 56

CHAPTER 57

CHAPTER 58

CHAPTER 59

WASHINGTON, D.C.: 1962

CHAPTER 60

CHAPTER 61

CHAPTER 62

BAGHDAD: 2003

CHAPTER 63

CHAPTER 64

CHAPTER 65

CHAPTER 66

CHAPTER 67

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND- PRESENT DAY

CHAPTER 68

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA- PRESENT DAY

CHAPTER 69

CHAPTER 70

CHAPTER 71

CHAPTER 72

CHAPTER 73

CHAPTER 74

CHAPTER 75

CHAPTER 76

CHAPTER 77

CHAPTER 78

DRAKE’S POINT

CHAPTER 79

CHAPTER 80

CHAPTER 81

CHAPTER 82

CHAPTER 83

CHAPTER 84

CHAPTER 85

BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA

CHAPTER 86

PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO

CHAPTER 87

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

CHAPTER 88

CHAPTER 89

CHAPTER 90

CHAPTER 91

CHAPTER 92

CHAPTER 93

CHAPTER 94

HOLM ISLAND

CHAPTER 95

CHAPTER 96

CHAPTER 97

CHAPTER 98

CHAPTER 99

CALIFORNIA

CHAPTER 100

CHAPTER 101

CHAPTER 102

CHAPTER 103

CHAPTER 104

CHAPTER 105

CHAPTER 106

CHAPTER 107

CHAPTER 108

CHAPTER 109

HOLM ISLAND

CHAPTER 110

CHAPTER 111

CHAPTER 112

CHAPTER 113

CHAPTER 114

CHAPTER 115

CHAPTER 116

ETHIOPIA

CHAPTER 117

CHAPTER 118

CHAPTER 119

DRAKE’S POINT

CHAPTER 120

CHAPTER 121

CHAPTER 122

CHAPTER 123

CHAPTER 124

CHAPTER 125

CHAPTER 126

CHAPTER 127

JERUSALEM: 33 AD

JOHN 18:13- and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.

CHAPTER 1

The priest made his way along the narrow streets. People bowed and gave way to let him pass, pulling their curious children aside.

In the marketplace, the priest accepted large samples of the fruits, cooked meats, and vegetables offered by the vendors. These merchants refused payment for the items. They instead bowed in reverence to the priest.

These same vendors would flog a child for stealing one fig and demand that a man’s hand be cut off if he sought to steal a dish of dates in order to feed his starving family.

After the priest passed by, all could not help but turn and stare in the direction of the skullcap shaped hill called Golgotha outside the walls of Jerusalem. 

The priests of the Second Temple were seen with a weighted mixture of fear and new respect after the events of a few days ago that took place on that hill.

A Roman execution had been performed on Golgotha. A triple crucifixion. One of the crucified men had been branded as a heretic by the priests of the Second Temple. 

Annas held his head high and took in the new respect of the people in the marketplace. Taking one man’s life was worth the results achieved from his death, he thought to himself. And after all, it was the Romans who had executed him, not the priests of the temple. 

Annas turned into a long narrow alleyway and then made his way down more streets until he reached the open spaces where the land was tilled and crops grown.

Annas, the former high priest of the Jerusalem Temple, and father-in-law of the present high priest, Caiaphas, walked slowly through an orchard of fig trees.

The trees before him were always ripe with figs ready to pick. These particular fig trees were of a wondrous kind, whose fruit, both old and new, grew together and so the trees bore figs year round.

On this day, no one was in the orchard picking the figs, nor had anyone entered for several days. Not since before the execution of that very same heretic.

Annas enjoyed the loneliness of the orchard. The sky was dark, as it had been since the day that the Romans had carried out the wishes of the council, acting as their proxy.

A wind blew through the orchard, shaking the fig trees that grew low to the ground. Annas reached down to pick a ripe fig off a nearby branch.

A man suddenly leaped from between the closely planted fig trees and grabbed the fine robe of the priest. Annas straightened up in surprise and turned to the man.

The priest’s shock turned to recognition. Annas was face to face with Judas Iscariot. He stepped back, away from Judas, against the branches of the fig tree.

Judas. I assumed that you had left Jerusalem, at least for a time.

Judas Iscariot was sweaty and dirty, and smelled of wine. He had obviously not washed for days.

His hair and clothes were filled with shavings of wood, leaves and small stones. He evidently had been living out of doors.

His eyes were red and glassy from lack of sleep, but more so from misery.

Here, cried Judas, Hold the fruit that was borne from the seeds of treachery.

A bag was thrust into the hand of the priest. Annas held up the bag that Judas had forced upon him. It was the weave of the temple. He shook it in the face of Judas Iscariot.

Is the bag getting empty from paying the wine sellers? We will not give you anymore, said the priest. 

Judas Iscariot laughed in a mad sort of way and then breathed hard as if he had no more air in his lungs. He became still and looked into the priest’s eyes for what seemed a long time.

I have not spent any of that silver, he said finally. I want to return all of it to the temple.

You earned it, said the priest.

The man grinned slightly and looked at the ground.

I have earned something to be sure, said Judas in a low voice.

And what would that be Judas? asked the priest.

Suddenly a dagger was at the priest’s throat.

You will take the silver and return it to your son-in-law, Caiaphas. Coins that he no doubt received from the money lenders who are now back doing business on the temple steps.

The priest could see that Judas was serious. Annas nodded. The knife went down to the Judas’s side. The priest’s authority and position took hold again. Annas spoke with a renewed confidence.

I don’t want the coins back Judas. Do with them as you wish, but do not try to return the thirty pieces of silver to the temple.

Why not? asked Judas. Is it because it the bag contains blood money?

Off with you Judas or I will have you brought before the Sanhedrin for heresy.

Heresy! screamed Judas in a high voice. "What I have done. Whom I have betrayed. The act cannot be described in so simple a term as heresy.

Bring me before the Sanhedrin, continued Judas. The high council will hear of recent events retold. Do you think the people will stand quietly by as I speak? Can you trust the Roman soldiers of Pontius Pilate to protect you?

Very well, replied Annas. I will take back the coins if it will relieve your conscience.

Judas Iscariot began to laugh hysterically. Relieve my conscience? Only one action will accomplish that, Annas.

Judas turned from the high priest and ran off through the orchard of fig trees. Annas watched him flee. Judas Iscariot turned around many times as he ran, as if someone was chasing after him.

Annas opened the bag and took out a coin. It was a Tyrian shekel, newly minted, with a shine still on it. The likeness of the Phoenician god Melqart was on one side and a roman eagle on the other.

The coins were truly blood money, as Judas had anointed them, thought Annas. This silver cannot be returned to the temple treasury.

Annas began walking, carrying the bag of silver in his hand. The confrontation with Judas bore heavily on his mind. He walked with his head bowed, deep in thought.

He found himself after a time in the Valley of Hinnom, before a piece of land composed of rich clay. There was a strong red color in the soil. It was once used by potters, as the land was no good for planting or the grazing of animals.

Annas held up the bag of coins. We will buy this land as a burial ground for foreigners he suddenly decided, using these very coins.

Annas took the bag and lay it down on the rich red soil. He pressed the bag into the red clay so the bottom became soiled with a reddish color. He then raised the bag up to the darkened sky to examine his work.

Now we will know these coins from the others in the treasury, he thought to himself, as they will remain in this bag stained in red clay.

CHAPTER 2

Micah stood at the edge of the marketplace gnawing on a succulent piece of lamb. It had been recently cooked over an open-air, wood charcoal brazier.

The taste of the meat was enhanced because of what it cost him, which was exactly nothing. The young boy had stolen the lamb from a vendor moments earlier.

The young theft was so fast that the meat vendor had only sensed a movement out of the corner of his eye. A rock had first hit the cart of another vendor across the marketplace drawing his attention. When the vendor turned back to his meats, several pieces were missing as if they had disappeared into thin air.

The hungry eleven year old had to stop from gulping down the food. Eating quickly was a habit of his lifestyle, but he was in no danger now. This was a safe spot to eat and observe the marketplace.

Micah chewed the lamb slowly, as he glanced from one food stand to the next, deciding what would be next on the menu for his dinner. It was the biggest market day of the week, making this his biggest meal of the week.

There was a sudden noise behind him. Micah instantly went down in a defensive position. He was low and hidden behind a vendor’s inventory, ready to take off like a jackrabbit if necessary. Micah could take care of himself on the streets of Jerusalem.

Several men were moving into the dark recesses between two buildings. Micah worked his way closer to the two men. He observed them by peeking between a stack of woven baskets.

The boy recognized both men. One was a moneychanger who did business on the temple grounds. The other was a fat, old man who owned much land in Judea. He did not know their names but by sight only, having observed their business dealings with others in the market square.

The moneychanger was dressed in fine garments. He and his kind had recently been allowed to return to the temple grounds and do business again. The landowner, though rich, if not richer than the moneychanger, was dressed shabbily.

He had a reputation of not liking to spend his money, only buying something if it seemed a good deal. For him that is, though perhaps not for the other party in the transaction.

Why were they talking in this dark, secluded place, wondered Micah? They usually do business in the open on market days, or near the steps of the temple itself.

Micah watched as the two men went into an extended series of negotiations, probably over an item for sale. Perhaps it was a parcel of land, thought the boy. What would the moneychanger want with a piece of land, Micah asked himself.

He was no doubt going to sell it to another man for a quick profit. The buyer was already lined up, decided the boy. Micah knew this man’s reputation. The moneychanger would not buy land unless its resale to a third party was prearranged, with a tidy commission attached.

The argument over the sale became extended so Micah relaxed his body and sat in a more comfortable position. He watched the two men closely and listened to their back and forth conversation, the tone of their words and their gestures too.

Micah was a student of the streets. He looked, listened and learned. He did not intent to remain just a thief of meat and fruit and vegetables. One day he would be a moneylender on the temple grounds or even a rich landowner.

The landowner and the moneychanger suddenly relaxed. They smiled at each other and now exchanged friendly gestures. The sale was evidently concluded with an agreed upon price.

The moneylender reached inside his robes, brought out a bag, and jingled it in the air in front of the landowner. He handed the bag of coins to the landowner.

A sudden argument broke out. The landowner became very angry. He held the bag in the air and pointed to its bottom.

Micah was confused. The landowner had not had time to count the coins.

Micah considered this and was impressed with the landowner if he was capable of knowing the amount of coins in a closed bag just by its weight.

The moneychanger put up his hands, with his fingers together and placed them on his chest. He moved closer to the landowner and spoke in his ear.

The landowner stepped back suddenly became meek and bowed his head at the moneychanger, who smiled like a man who had just gained the upper hand.

The landowner backed away from the moneychanger. He gave a gesture of farewell and left the alley. Micah was hot on his trail.

He wanted that bag of coins. It would be his biggest score yet. Time to move up, thought the boy. I will buy my food instead of stealing it.

The landowner walked about the marketplace, sampling the items of food. Micah followed close behind. As the landowner reached over for a piece of meat being offered to him, Micah rushed the booth. He grabbed for the meat, pushing hard against the landowner.

The fat man grunted in astonishment. The meat vendor cried thief! in a loud voice, but did not move from his place to try to capture the boy.

He knew the tricks of the marketplace. These little urchins worked in packs. Chase after one and others would descend like vultures onto his booth.

The young thief pushed against the landowner again and then kicked him in his shin. The fat man screamed in pain and fell heavily to the ground.

The boy ran off into a crowd of people that had gathered to watch this drama unfold. Not one of them tried to stop the thief for that would mean talking with the Roman soldiers.

CHAPTER 3

Micah ran quickly to one of the poorer neighborhoods of Jerusalem. He was headed for the house of his mother. As he reached her street, the boy came upon Roman soldiers walking about in groups of threes and fours.

This did not faze the street urchin since there were always soldiers around. They walked up and down the dirty, narrow street, gawking at the women who stood at the doorways of the houses with the red sashes during the day and the red lamps lit at night.

The soldiers had been arriving in greater numbers than usual after the recent executions up on the hill. Three men had been put to death on the crosses. Micah actually knew the thief Barabbas, who had escaped death so that the preacher with the strange look in his eyes could take his place.

There was a red sash on his mother’s doorway and it was tied in a knot, which meant she had a customer. Micah stole away to a place at the back of her house.

It was not wise to hang around the street. The soldiers would grab at him in order to drag him away to an empty house and do those things to him he’d heard the other boys talk about.

His mother had urged him to do these things for money. It was what had driven off his older brother. His two sisters had been forced into the trade by his mother. She had sold them off to a proprietor of a large house of prostitution for training in the ways of such women.

Later one of his sisters had been stoned to death by a mob as the priests from the temple looked on approvingly. She had been caught in the house of a married man of importance.

His mother had merely shrugged. Foolish girl, the man should have been made to come to her place. Any man would, no matter how important or wealthy. They always go where the honey is.

The man was not punished and was even respected more by his circle of friends, who gave him winks and nods and jabs in the side.

His dead sister had been a beauty as his mother had been once. The other sister, also a beauty, but not as fine, had married well. She had snared a rich old man who did not care about the talk concerning his new young bride.

They had eventually left for another region so they could be man and wife. She had done well. The ultimate said his mother wistfully. She had never been able to achieve such a fine ending.

The bitch does not even send me a coin or two, his mother had said afterwards. "I taught her everything I know on how to please a man and perhaps snare him.

I even sent to her to the house in order learn about all types of men and their tastes. I did her old man first and allowed him to have her for no fee. I baited the trap and she got all the rewards.

His sister was just fourteen at the time.

All her children were a result of her livelihood. If Micah had not been such a good thief, his mother would have beaten him and forced him into such a life.

Micah had a strange bond with his mother. He could not leave her. It certainly wasn’t because of the poor shelter, or the rancid food. He could have lived a better life, alone on the streets.

He heard rustlings inside his mother’s house, then arguing and a loud slap. The strings of beads at her door way moved together and made the sounds of someone violently pushing them apart.

His mother was lying on a stack of pillows. She was holding the side of her mouth. A weld was forming on her cheek.

Bastard Roman, she shouted to the swinging beads. It is not my fault that you could not finish the deed. I am not a magician.

I have something that will ease your pain, said Micah, entering the room.

He threw the bag of coins on the pillows. They clanked together even on the soft landing. His mother looked over at the bag.

What is the red stain on the bottom of the bag? she asked.

Micah shrugged. Who cares, mother? It is the contents of the bag that will interest you.

Micah fell onto the pillows beside his mother and attempted to kiss her. She moved away from him. She got up and went over to a basin. His mother dipped a cloth into the fetid water and then placed the damp cloth on her cheek.

She turned to Micah. Well, show me what you have brought in this stained bag.

He lifted the coin bag and turned it upside down. Bright silver coins fell onto the pillows. First just one, and then another, and then there was a deluge of coins.

His mother rushed back over to the bed. She picked up the coins, one by one and placed them in the palm of her hand, all that would fit.

She suddenly let them drop back onto the cushions. Micah’s mother then picked up only one, holding it up to what light there was in the room.

Micah was confused at the furrow in her brow and her tight lips. Her cheeks became redder than the bruise caused by the slap of the Roman soldier.

CHAPTER 4

Where did you steal these coins, Micah? asked his mother.

One of the temple money lenders and the old landowner were conducting a sale of some kind in a dark recess off the market square. I happened upon them and saw the bag of coins exchanged. I knew where the old man placed them in the folds of his garment.

How did you get the bag away from him?

Micah with no shortness of pride told his mother in bragging tones how he lifted the coin bag from the old landowner.

Describe this landowner and this moneychanger in detail, commanded his mother in a harsh tone.

Micah now felt that he might have made a terrible mistake. His mouth became suddenly dry and the words forced themselves from his throat.

You little fool! shouted his mother as he finished.

What have I done?

You have signed both our death warrants, no less, replied his mother.

How so? asked the boy.

The moneychanger’s name is Simon. He is a secret representative of the high priests in delicate matters of commerce. Things they dare not touch in public.

How do you know this?

"Do you think that I only service Roman soldiers? I have other customers too, so my knowledge casts a wide net. I know, Micah.

"And these particular coins are freshly minted shekels with the pagan god on the surface. They are purer in silver than the Roman coins. The shekels are used to pay the temple taxes to the high priests.

We are in trouble. They will trace you to this house. The next Roman soldiers that enter will be on official business.

His mother walked about the small room and then flopped down on the bed of cushions.

Why didn’t you wait for the old moneychanger to be alone on his walk and strike him from behind? You are strong enough to trip him up and then attack him on the ground. Are acts of violence beneath you?

I did not figure to stay in Jerusalem. I was going to split the bag of coins with you and leave for other parts of the Roman Empire. Maybe even Rome itself.

Little fool! Was I to stay here with these coins of the temple, and spend them in the marketplace?

We both leave immediately, said Micah. The silver will allow us to travel far.

"This bag of silver is our death warrant, one piece at a time. Word will spread. The power of the Temple and the Romans combined would catch up with us before we are out of Judea.

On the other hand we cannot just wait here for the soldiers to arrest us. Perhaps it will be a mob whipped to a religious frenzy by the temple priests. Our own neighbors will drag us out into the street and stone us to death like what befell your sister.

We must make a run for it, said Micah.

No. There is another way. You will return the coins to the priests.

I would be nailed to a cross like the man Yeshua.

"Idiot. You will return the coins without the priests even knowing of your deed. Once they are back in their possession, I will start an outrageous rumor that the priests themselves had you attack the landowner in order to retrieve their coins.

You will disappear after placing the coins inside the temple. Here are some old Roman coins. Now leave my house forever. Wait until dark and then sneak onto the temple grounds and then to the inside of the temple itself.

Micah took the Roman coins from his mother. He then picked up the bag of silver shekels. He left by the back way but not before looking back at his mother for the last time.

She saw his hesitation and shouted, Go!

CHAPTER 5

Micah waited until after midnight before sneaking onto the temple grounds. He made his way into the temple itself where his mother had commanded that he leave the coins. It was dangerous just being on the grounds. The risk of being caught so deep inside the sacred temple meant sure death.

Micah understood his mother’s plan. If the coins were placed on one of the most holy of objects deep inside the temple, perhaps only the highest priests would find the bag.

It would be turned over to the priests who had decided to purchase the land, using the moneychanger as a front. These high priests would be silent over the return of the coins.

Micah crept into a room of magnificence. It contained the sacred scrolls. There was a sound. Men were coming. Micah rushed from the room.

Suddenly the floor beneath him shifted in a strange way. It was like when the merchants unraveled the long rugs in the market square with a flourish. The floor’s movement was like the ripple in the merchant’s rug moving down from one end to the other.

He stood still, shaking with fear. The movement did not repeat itself, much to the freighted boy’s relief. Micah took a few tentative steps. I must get out of this cursed place, he thought.

He could not find an exit. Micah was getting confused. The rippling of the floor had made him lose his sense of direction.

Now the sounds of many people were heard moving fast about the temple. There were shouts of panic and screams of fear. From out of this mass of voices, one thing was repeated over and over again, ‘Save the Scrolls’.

The boy moved silently through the temple. Some priests were kneeling on the floor of the temple, praying and groaning, too frightened to move. Others were screaming and running in all directions.

I have to get out of here, thought Micah. They will make me the scapegoat for this movement of the earth. I will be sent before the priests for a trial and then stoned in the square of the temple grounds or maybe crucified up on the hill.

Micah rushed down a hallway and then through other rooms. He was deep in the temple building now. It grew darker, rooms were lit by weak lamps, and the air was stale.

The earth moved violently beneath his feet. No ripple this time. More like the ground beneath was about to split apart.

Suddenly a priest appeared before Micah. It seemed as if the man had come out of a wall with no opening. This priest’s face was a mask of fear.

A second priest appeared from out of the wall, chasing after the first. He shouted for him to return, saying that they must guard the holiest of the holy.

How did these men come out of a wall of solid stone, wondered Micah? Are these men the most powerful of all the priests? The ones who are never seen in public? Perhaps they are the living dead that the old men in the market square say rest in the deepest parts of the temple.

There might be a secret exit from this place behind this opening in the wall, thought Micah in desperation. He moved to where he saw the men come out. The wall was open a crack. Micah moved it open a bit more so that he could fit his slender frame through the opening.

The earth went wild with a fury of which the boy had never previously felt. He was lifted up and thrown to the floor of the room in which he had just entered. The wall closed in on itself. It was sealed, flush against the wall, preventing exit. I am trapped figured Micah. I will die here.

The room was dimly lit. Micah attempted to rise up from the floor. As if anticipating the move, the ground beneath him seemed to burst in a fit of energy.

Micah was thrown across a wide expanse of tiles. He looked around the room from where he lay. Strange, he thought to himself, the room is not damaged. The walls are upright and the floor is smooth, the tiles have not cracked or buckled.  

The boy got up and turned in a circle. It was a large clean and completely empty room. There was nothing inside. No statues, religious artifacts, pedestals, or even chairs or platforms. The floor consisted of large square titles, two by three feet, which gleaned even in this shadowy room.

Why keep an empty room behind a secret wall? Why did the second priest say that they must guard the holiest of the holy?

The smoke in the lamps moved. An air source was making the smoke float. What was the source of the air? Airs meant getting to the outside and perhaps an escape from this place.

Micah walked around in the dimly lit room. The earth became violent again. When he moved to a certain tile, the earth became calm. When he moved onto another, the earth turned violent.

Micah looked around the room at these tiles. Are they magic? Is that why this room has nothing in it? The tiles themselves are the reason for this secret chamber. What sort of magic could come out from clay tiles?

He turned in a circle again, afraid to move from the safe tile he was standing on. Then he noticed that an entire edge of one of the other tiles had risen up from the floor.

Micah overcame his fear and moved over to this loose tile, thinking that it may be his path to escape. The earth responded under his feet as he took just one step. He scampered back to his safe tile.

I cannot stay here forever, he thought. The priests would be returning soon through the wall. Micah gathered his courage and then rushed for the uplifted tile. He raised the edge of the tile with all his might.

It lifted upwards on a hinge. Beneath the tile, stone steps led to a room down below. Air came up into the room of tiles from this opening.

Escape at last! Micah rushed down the stone stairs. After moving down a few of the steps, the earth below him exploded in a wrath of violent movement.

Micah tumbled and fell down the rest of the stairs, hitting his head hard on a stone surface. Micah lay on the floor of this sub-chamber for some time before he regained a bit of consciousness.

His eyes were bleary and weak as he tried desperately to find an exit to safety, even if he had to crawl. The boy was unable to move. The fall had slowed down the motor senses in his brain. He had suffered a serve blow to his head. His mind was damaged. It was shutting down. Micah was dying.

Micah managed to raise his head one last time. He saw gold and then was able to focus on the gold and saw that it was a box. It was the last thing he would ever gaze upon before he closed his eyes forever.

CHAPTER 6

Caiaphas and Annas looked down at the body of the dead boy. Caiaphas had sent for his father-in-law to consult with him because of the seriousness of this transgression.

The most holy of places in the temple had been violated and worse the young intruder had gotten down into the cave of the sacred treasures.

One of these treasures was the Ark of the Covenant, containing the smashed tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. Another was Aaron’s rod. There was also the first Torah scroll as written by Moses.

These, and other holy objects, had been successfully hidden from the invading Babylonians, the Romans, and the Pharaohs. Now a small boy had managed to invade this most sacred of rooms.

Fortunately, he was dead, but where had he gotten his information? Did they send a small boy, quick and lean, to scout his way inside the temple using directions to this cave?

Caiaphas angrily turned to the two priests, not young men but considered novices in the hierarchy. They were named Aaron and Phinehas.

You two were given the most important of tasks, he said in anger. You were to guard the holy of holies and the entrance to the cave. You failed miserably in both cases.

Why did you leave your posts? asked Annas.

Because of the shaking of the earth, said Aaron.

We thought the temple of going to come down upon us, added Phinehas.

All the more reason to stay in the room, answered Caiaphas. It would have been your honor to die in such a place.

Annas put his hand on the shoulder of Caiaphas. The investigation and punishment of these two will come later. First the boy must be identified and his accomplices found out.

Do you think it was the followers of the heretic?

Perhaps, answered his father-in-law. We might investigate quickly.

Should we press the Romans to arrest those people who still honor the heretic even after his execution? They could be held on trumped up charges to hide their real crime, said Caiaphas.

A good idea, but only if we can control the situation ourselves. Perhaps by simply making the leaders of the movement disappear. Further public executions by the authority Rome would be unwise. We must not be too dependant on the Romans, cautioned Annas. The help with the heretic cost us much in favors owed to Pontius Pilate.

This urchin’s body must be removed immediately from this sacred spot, said Caiaphas.

I agree, replied Annas.

Caiaphas turned to the two disgraced priests. Drag this dog out of this sacred chamber!

Wait, I don’t want the filth from his body and his clothes to soil this hollowed place, said Annas.

Bring a rug from the temple, said Caiaphas. It will also serve to cloak the boy’s removal.

Aaron and Phinehas rushed from the room and soon returned with a rug from another part of the temple grounds. They lay the rug down on the floor by the body of the dead boy. It was a fine rug but not especially valuable one.

At least these fools chose that well enough, thought Caiaphas. He was angry over the fact that this incident had occurred during his term as High Priest.

He knew what Annas was thinking. This would have never occurred while he held the same position before being forced out by the Romans.

Aaron and Phinehas knelt down and each grabbed the boy under his armpits and started to drag him over to the rug. The ground immediately began to shake violently.

Stop! shouted Annas as the ground continued to shake. Return the boy’s body back to the position where it was first discovered.

What do you comprehend, Annas? asked his son-in-law.

I believe the movement of our young intruder caused the earth to become angry and turbulent.

But how could this insignificant child have influence over the earth?

That is something we must find out and very quickly, replied Annas. You two, remove the rags from his body.

The priests knelt down by the boy and hesitantly began removing this demon’s garments. For now in their minds, he was from the other side, something to be feared and added to the prayers that protected men from the underworld.

A coin bag fell out from Micah’s garments. Aaron and Phinehas jumped up and away from this devil’s apprentice. They could only imagine the black magic and potions that were contained in the tightly wound bag.

Annas on the other hand stood over the boy’s body and then went to his knees, holding out an arm to Caiaphas so to steady him as he went to the floor.

He reached for the bag, not out of curiosity or some new found courage. Annas already knew what was contained in this bag with a red stain on its bottom. He had put the stain there from the red clay of the potter’s field.

He opened the bag and let the silver coins flow into his open hand. When the hand became filled with the coins, he carefully handed the coin bag to Caiaphas. Annas then put both his hands together in a cupped position so that the rest of the coins could fit.

Thirty, he said quietly, as if only to himself as the last coin fell into his hands.

Was the boy here to pay a temple tax for someone and got frightened and then lost when the earth began to shake? asked Caiaphas.

No, replied Annas, still on his knees, gazing intently at the boy. He was a messenger.

What could be the message? asked Caiaphas.

It is the sender of the message that I fear more than his message, for I think I know what this bag of coins is trying to tell us. We have been given notice.

Given notice of what?

That one god really does control the balance between good and evil.

CHAPTER 7

This is the blood money that was paid to Judas. He forced it back on me in an orchard of fig trees, Annas said, confiding his actions to Caiaphas.

I arranged for these silver coins to be used to buy a burial ground for foreigners. I soiled the bottom of this bag with the clay in the earth. I did not want its silver mixed back in with the temple treasury.

A wise decision, said Caiaphas, tactfully approving of Annas’ move, even though it had been done without the approval of the council.

Now how should we proceed? he asked.

Take the boy’s body away. He is no longer important. Use the rug as planned. Stash his corpse somewhere on the temple grounds until everyone calms down. After that remove his remains and bury them in an unmarked grave.

We must choose the spot wisely, added Caiaphas. Far away from Jerusalem.

I know the spot, said Annas. Bury him in the potter’s field.

Annas carefully lifted the bag that contained the thirty pieces of silver above the boy as his body was dragged to the rug and wrapped in it.

The earth rumbled as the bag was raised just a few inches. Annas quickly lowered it and then carefully placed it on the floor of the cave where he thought it had been hidden in the boy’s clothing.

Annas stood up slowly, for he was old and his muscles not used to being in such positions. Both the former head priest and his successor, Caiaphas, looked down at the red stained bag.

We cannot leave it here. This evil bag of coins should not remain with the holy relics of our religion, said Caiaphas.

Annas’ head shot up, he stared intently at his son-in-law. He then smiled grimly. Caiaphas stepped back from the old man. Annas’ change of expression unnerved the high priest.

That is it. You have unraveled the mystery.

I don’t understand?

You said it yourself, Caiaphas. Evil. This bag of coins represents the evil in man. Betrayal, envy, lust, and want of money.

Annas then turned and pointed to the Ark of the Covenant. This which holds the word of God is the representative of all that is good and pure. The words proclaiming how God wishes us to live our lives.

Agreed, said Caiaphas.

So when they come close together there is a conflict, represented by the movement of the earth.

Yes, said Caiaphas. I see. No damage was caused in this room, for the fight between good and evil is at this level which is beyond us.

True, replied Annas. And I believe that this confrontation was never meant to be. That urchin came into the temple and then in this holy place by mistake. He inadvertently set in motion a collision of good and evil. We must correct it.

How?

By removing these coins of betrayal. They are causing the violent reaction within the earth when kept in close proximity with the Ark. It may even grow more powerful and bring the temple down as David brought the walls of Jericho tumbling in pieces to the earth.

How do we shield the good from the evil long enough to remove the coins? asked Caiaphas.

You have it wrong. We will put a shield over the evil represented by the coins instead. Afterwards, we will remove them from this sacred place. We will take the coins and the evil they are imbedded with far from this land.

How and where to? shrugged Caiaphas.

I think I have the answered to both of those riddles.

Annas drew himself closer to Caiaphas. Do you still have the cross that bore the body of the heretic?

Yes. As you recommended, I had one of the moneychangers buy it from the Romans. You were afraid that the followers of the heretic would steal it in the night and use it as a symbol of the courage of Jesus.

And I still believe that it could have happened. Where is the cross now? You haven’t had it destroyed?

No. The cross was taken to a farm for storage. We plan to destroy it in secret, after weeks or perhaps months have passed. By then, the death of Jesus will surely be forgotten. The disposal of the cross is a very tricky thing to handle.

Why? asked Annas.

"If we had burned the cross right away, the heretic’s believers might have grabbed the embers, perceiving them as some sort of a symbol.

Tossing the cross down a deep hole, or hiding it in a cave was out of the question, continued Caiaphas. Should the believers in the words of Jesus discover the location of one or the other of these choices, they might proclaim the place as sacred and hold pilgrimages.

You acted correctly, said Annas Let the matter of his life and his death fade in the minds of the people. The public execution had a backlash that I did not foresee. The heretic seems more powerful in death than in life.

Not to worry, replied Caiaphas. Memories fade and once you are dead, you stay dead. That is the one certainty of this world.

Perhaps, answered his father-in-law. "Go to where the cross is stored. Detach the left and right horizontal sections of the cross, where the heretic’s hands were nailed to the wood.

"As this was being done to Jesus, his followers contend that he spoke the words of forgiveness. This makes the horizontal bar the most potent part of the cross in their minds.

Find the whereabouts of the blind carpenter, commanded Annas. He is called Uriah. Bring him to the farm. Have him construct a box large enough to hold the coins inside the bag....wait.

Annas went to the floor on his knees. He lifted the bag and turned it upside down, letting the coins spill out onto the surface of the cave. He then drew away the bag.

Annas became upright, again with the help of his son-in-law. He carefully walked a few feet towards the stone steps. The earth remained calm. There were no temblors.

"You see, Caiaphas, it is the coins alone. Burn the bag yourself. Go fetch Uriah and take him to where the cross is located. Instruct the carpenter to construct a box of wood from the part of the cross that held the hands of Jesus in place.

"Uriah is to fashion a hidden cavity for the coins to be stored in. On the bottom side of the wooden plate that hides the coins, he is to add the words in Hebrew from the tablets contained in the Ark.

"On the upside of the plate, where all can see once the lid is open, these same words will be translated into simple pictures so that the most ignorant of men can conceive of their meaning.

"Make the top and bottom from the horizontal piece of the ‘T’ shaped cross. Those sections on either side where the heretic’s wrists were nailed to the wood. Make the actual nail holes the center piece of the top and bottom of the wood case.

Its lid is to fit tight on the box, but install no lock. On the top side of the box put this symbol. Annas traced a bent cross on the palm of his hand. Do you see how the left and right sides are at an angle?

Yes, answered Caiaphas.

This symbol is from far away lands, said his father-in-law. It will cause the box to be traced to those places and not here.

I do not understand your reasoning, but I will do as you say.

Stay over the blind carpenter, Uriah, he who works by feel, touch and scent. When he is done, bring the box here. If Jesus was really close to God, I believe the box will shield the evil contained in the coins and allow us to transport them to another place.

You actually believe Jesus communicated with God.

Annas smiled grimly. After this display of power, I will take no chances.

How far away can we take this evil and feel safe that it will not return?

You should socialize more with the Roman officers, Caiaphas. The high ranking ones only, of course. They love to talk about themselves and their conquests.

You have heard of a place from these brave men where the coins may be taken?

"Yes. They tell tales of a place far to the northwest, with deep forests so filled with tall trees that even the sunlight cannot reach the ground. Savages live in this place. These men are so cruel that even the Romans fear them. Fear means respect.

The newly constructed box will be transported to this forsaken land by the two priests who allowed the boy to enter into this sacred place.

We must arrange their journey carefully, said Caiaphas.

Yes, replied Annas. I will pay the Romans to arrange them passage over the wide sea. On the other side of the water, there will be a journey deep into the forests by the two priests under the protection of the soldiers. The priests will carry the box with them at all times.

But not as priests of the Second Temple, offered Caiaphas.

No. They will dress as wealthy merchants. Have the wooden box placed within a gold and jeweled chest. The story will be that it is a gift for another merchant who does business across the sea.

Will they be commanded to bury it in these deep forests?

"No, the Romans tell of the strange deities these savage people with golden hair worship. They have outside places of worship in the forest, open to the weather and allowing for nonbelievers to access.

The two priests will leave the protection of the Roman legions. They will wander alone until they find one of these sites. The box will be left as an offering.

What reason will we give to the council for sending the priests of the Temple to this forsaken place? asked Caiaphas.

It will be addressed as their penance for leaving this place unguarded. Yes, punishment and penance, said the former high priest. We will be sending them into the wilderness like that of Moses’ punishment by the Pharaoh. Only instead of a desert, it will be a tree filled, dangerous place with long-haired wild men. They will resume their duties, when and if they ever return.

It will all be done as you wish, replied his son-in-law, Caiaphas.

CHAPTER 8

Caiaphas and Annas walked through the outskirts of Jerusalem. It was days later. They were much troubled by the rumors spreading like a wild fire amongst the people. The heretic had risen from the dead!

His followers must have stolen the corpse of Jesus and spread the rumors of his resurrection, said Annas. It is the only way to keep their sect and the teachings of Jesus alive in the minds of the people.

It is already working, replied Caiaphas. Unless we produce his remains the legend of the resurrection will grow, embellished by stories spread by his disciples in far lands.

It was Joseph of Arimathea who gave over his tomb to Jesus.

Yes, replied Caiaphas. He went to Pilate and asked for the body after the crucifixion. Joseph is a wealthy and powerful man.

It was the three Marys who discovered that the tomb was open and who then subsequently proclaimed that Jesus had risen?

Yes, answered his son-in-law. It was Mary, his mother, Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany.

If the corpse of Jesus isn’t produced for the people to view, then the three women cannot be brought to trial for heresy.

Especially with the backing of this tale by a man like Joseph of Arimathea, who has the ear of the Roman governor, replied Caiaphas.

Then we must get rid of all the rumormongers, said Annas.

How?

Pontius Pilate cannot like this talk of the resurrection of the man he ordered executed any more than we do. It stirs up the masses and makes them unruly. They will question Roman law and those who administer it.

True.

I will propose to Pilate that the followers of Jesus be exiled, announced Annas. He will make a Roman ship available to us. We will offer him payment for his troubles.

Agreed, said Caiaphas.

"You will hurry the carpenter along with the completion of the box. Destroy the rest of the cross of Jesus immediately. We will send the box and the two priests on their voyage to the far reaches of the Roman Empire.

The followers of Jesus will be on the same ship. However, they will not survive their trip into exile. You will bribe the captain of the guards on the ship. He will set the disciples of Jesus adrift in an unseaworthy boat in the middle of the large sea during the voyage to the provinces in the north.

It will solve the two delicate problems which we now face.

Yes, replied Annas, but in a strange tone of voice. He had stopped walking. His eyes were fixed straight ahead.

Caiaphas walked a few paces back to where Annas stood, seemingly rooted to the ground. He followed Annas’ stare. His father-in-law was looking towards a grove of brightly colored leafy trees.

What bothers you Annas?

There should be an orchard of fig trees before us, he replied.

Annas then began walking as if stiff legged towards the grove of trees. Caiaphas followed, worried over the sudden change in his father-in-law.

They entered the grove. Both men noticed a queer thing about these trees. The blossoms and leaves of the trees did not move with the sudden gusts of wind that streamed through the grove.

Annas touched a blossom and instantly drew back his hand.

It is prickly and hard, he said.

Yes, replied Caiaphas, after gingerly touching a blossom.

Look about this grove, said Annas. "The fig trees that grew here with zest have all died from a lack