The Michelangelo Code

By Nazehran Jose Ahmad

When the chief prefect of archives is found mysteriously murdered in the Vatican Secret Archives, it unleashes a secret that has been safely buried for two thousand years. But a question arises from the dead: the victim was a follower of the long-lost religious group, the Cathars, a group of Medieval Christians who believes they were the heirs of the original teaching of Jesus.
A renowned Daily Telegraph journalist, Jessica Keith, is assigned to cover the mysterious murder. Something unexpected happens when she meets a British numerologist, Professor Aaron Barone at a seminar in the University of London. They suddenly become fugitives when another murder takes place at his home in Hampstead.
The church is trying to cover up the murder to keep their interests guarded. But the utmost of all secrets cannot be kept forever. Another secret is uncovered by the amateur art lover, Jacob Walmer. It lays embedded in the work of Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in The Last Judgment.
But it is not a discovery that the world wants to hear about. It is a secret that the church wants to bury forever, before it becomes a dark history in the modern Christian era.
How will Professor Aaron correlate to the mysterious murder? What about Jacobs attempt to solve the well-guarded puzzle in history? Will Jessica succeed in exposing the truth of her religion to the world?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496987457

Nazehran Jose Ahmad

Nasran Ahmad bin Hizam writes under his pen name of Nazehran Jose Ahmad. He was born in January 28, 1980 in Kelantan, Malaysia. Graduated from Mara University of Technology in 2005 and received Diploma in Office Management. He now lives in Johor Bahru, Johor. He is a Malaysian author with more than 10 years of writing experience, who had published eight publications in Malay, including three novels and five children books, which most of them were reprinted few times and received good comments from Malaysian readers. His works are Piala Kehidupan, Misi Ke Marikh, Kod Michelangelo,Si Duyung dengan Puyu, Duyung dan Nelayan Jahat,Duyung dan Putera Dalwis, Duyung dan Fargusa and Duyung dan Ratu Medula. One of his famous work is Kod Michelangelo that being published in Malay in 2011. He currently awaiting his first novel to be published internationally titled The Secret Lodge with an American publisher, Raider Publishing International.

Book preview

THE MICHELANGELO CODE

NAZEHRAN JOSE AHMAD

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AuthorHouse™ UK Ltd.

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© 2014 Nazehran Jose Ahmad. All rights reserved.

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Edited by: Chris Lannigan

Published by AuthorHouse 08/15/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8744-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-8745-7 (e)

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Contents

FACTS

PROLOGUE

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EPILOGUE

APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 2

FACTS

In 325 AD, the World Bishops Convention – better known as the First Council of Nicaea – was convened by orders of Constantine the Great to amend and copy the original Gospel scriptures. Choices were made to the four Gospels ascribed to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and to the writings of St. Paul – considered to be the author of many New Testament books.

Hundreds of Gospel and religious scriptures were branded as Apocrypha, which means hidden from the public eye and were destroyed. Some of these may have been written by Jesus’ apostles, not by disciples like Paul who never actually met Jesus. A number of these texts still exist, such as the Gospel of Barnabas, which is contemporaneous with the Koran and explicitly mention Muhammad SAW.

Modern day discoveries, like the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Qumran Scrolls) found in 1947, validated claims in the Koran that no nails ever touched Jesus Christ. Copies of ancient Greek Gospels that exist today are from the third or fourth century AD. The Dead Sea Scrolls on the other hand derive from the era of John the Baptist.

Scholars of Christian history admit that after the infamous Nicaea Council, St. Paul’s Cathedral, better known as Holy Trinity Church, had chosen four gospels as closely representing the doctrine found in all three hundred gospels. Others, including the Gospel of Barnabas, were instructed to be destroyed. They also ordered the destruction of all Gospels written in Hebrew. This practice continued until at least 1616 AD.

It is well documented that the Gospel of Barnabas was accepted as Canonical by churches in Alexandria until 325 AD. Pope Damasus (304-384 AD) issued a decree that the Gospel of Barnabas should not be read. Gelasius Caesarea who died in 395 AD supported this decree. Despite this, in 383 AD, Pope Damasus retrieved a copy of Gospel of Barnabas for personal use and kept it in his private library.

Numerous subsequent decrees also mentioned the Gospel of Barnabas – including the decree issued by western churches in 382 AD, Pope Innocent in 465 AD, Gelasian Decree in 496 AD and Pope Hormidas. It was also mentioned in the Stitchometry of Niceophorus.

In 478 AD, during the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Zeno, the tomb of Barnabas was discovered and a copy of the Gospel of Barnabas was found with his body. (Acia Sanctorum Borland Junii Tom II, pp. 422 and 450, Antwerp, 1698.) The infamous Vulgate Bible was apparently based on this Gospel.

Among the early Christians was a man by the name of Irenaeus. According to the book, Jesus, Prophet of Islam by Muhammad Ata’ Ur-Rahim, Irenaeus made numerous references to the Gospel of Barnabas in his writings. During the 16th century, a close friend of Pope Sextus (1585-1590 AD), Fra Marino became very interested in Irenaeus’ scriptures. One day, he was invited to visit the Pope for lunch, after which the Pope promptly fell asleep. Marino seized the opportunity to take a closer look at the books and manuscripts in the Pope’s library and discovered the Italian translation of the Gospel of Barnabas. Marino quickly concealed his discovery and left the Vatican with the gospel still in his possession.

This gospel subsequently changed hands on many occasions until it fell into the hands of ‘someone important and famous’ in Amsterdam who maintained a high regard for the gospel during his lifetime. After his death, it came into the possession of J.E. Cramer, advisor to the King of Prussia. In 1713, Cramer presented it to a known book connoisseur, Prince Eugene of Savoy. In 1783, the contents of the Prince’s library, including the Gospel of Barnabas, were transferred to the Hofbibliothek in Vienna.

The prominence attached to the Gospel of Barnabas saved it from the fate that befell other gospels. Most copies of the Gospel have high tendencies to disappear without ever being recovered. This is certainly what happened to a Spanish copy, which disappeared mysteriously from the College Library in England at about the same time.

In 1907, an English translation of the Gospel of Barnabas by Lonsdale and Laura Ragg was published by the Clarindon Press. Even though they denied the authenticity of this Gospel, these copies also mysteriously disappeared from the market. Only two survived. One was kept in the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. while another was held by the British Museum. New prints were made from these copies and these are still available to this day.

There were attempts to deny the authenticity of the Gospel of Barnabas after it was smuggled out of the Vatican and distributed to the public. The Gospel was found to be very supportive of the Koran but this was undermined by allegations that Marino had discovered a fake Gospel written by Moslems who had later hidden it in the Vatican.

(Source: The Dead Sea Scroll, the Gospel of Barnabas, and the New Testament by MA Yuseff.)

PROLOGUE

BRITISH MUSEUM,

LONDON, ENGLAND.

Professor Aaron Barone had just finished his research at the British Museum. Tidying up the clutter on the table assigned to him, he noted that visiting hours had already ended, and that the museum was virtually empty. This was his third consecutive night in the Reading Room. Walking down the corridor towards the exit, he picked up speed. Glancing at his watch, he realised how late it was. He had to get home.

Reaching the museum’s main entrance, he acknowledged the security guard making his rounds.

Hi Ronnie. Night shift, again? Aaron teased, clutching his bag.

As usual. And you, professor, working ’til late? Wouldn’t it be easier if you came during the day? You’d avoid all of the bureaucracy, he added while pulling out a bunch of keys from his pocket.

I’m a busy man; with lectures during the day, I don’t have enough time to do research. Even at night, my time is limited, Aaron explained, edging closer to the door, which Ronnie duly opened.

See you later! said Aaron.

Yeah, see you later. Take care, professor! he added with a smile. Aaron smiled back at him even though he was already outside.

Aaron looked quickly up at the night sky. A storm was brewing. Not wanting to waste time, he ran down the stairs. It started to rain, forcing him to make dash towards his car, parked in Montague Street.

Almost soaking wet, he checked his car keys. Before he had managed to open the car door, someone caught his arm. His heart stood still. An old man dressed in a robe typical of a Christian priest, thrust a wooden antique box towards him, shaking with fear.

Dear friend, help me, help me! the man begged.

How may I help you? asked Aaron, baffled.

Please take this… take this box and keep it for me. They are chasing me! he gasped urgently.

Who’s chasing you? Aaron asked, blinking through the heavy downpour.

I don’t have time to explain everything. Take the box and keep it safe. Start your engine and get out of here. Quick!

Without asking any more questions, Aaron took the antique box and started the car’s engine. It sat on the passenger seat, as mysterious as its dispatcher. As he drove away, he caught sight of the ‘priest’ in his side view mirror.

Out of nowhere, he saw a car screech to a halt at a sharp angle. Three shots were fired and the poor old priest slumped to the ground, the rain washing his blood into the gutter.

Aaron caught his breath. He was still in shock, trying to fathom what was really happening. What was so important about that wooden box that people were willing to kill for it?

As if confirming his suspicions, the unknown car turned towards him. His engine roared as he stepped on the accelerator, his steering became increasingly erratic as the chasing car inched closer. His tyres screeched as he swerved into Russell Street, narrowly avoiding colliding with the cars in front of him. Some stopped to a halt, diagonally, while others piled into each other.

There was yet more screeching from his tyres as Aaron spun his car right, turning into Bury Place. He had managed to get away from the traffic and now set about losing the car that was tailing him – still in hot pursuit but at quite a distance by the time he drove into Theobald’s Road, narrowly avoiding two cars that immediately collided into each other.

The driver of the chasing car cursed Aaron from a distance, still failing to catch up with him. Furious, he barged aside the two cars that were blocking his way only to find that Aaron was already on the other side of the corner. Before he managed to give chase again, a truck smashed violently into his rear. The car was dragged fifty metres into Boswell Street before exploding into smithereens. Up ahead, Aaron jerked to a halt. It had never entered his mind that this frenetic chase would end in such tragedy.

He glanced back at the inferno through his rear-view mirror. People were flocking to the scene, but it was already too late. The conflagration consumed everything despite the heavy rain. Both drivers died instantly.

Though he had got away scratch-free, Aaron still felt that his life was in danger. Still feeling the adrenaline rush, he started his car and sped away from the scene. His destination: Hampstead.

Back home, he started to think about what happened. The whole incident was baffling. The wooden antique box with the symbol of an eye in an inverted triangle engraved on the lid, glared back at him. The TV news was covering the strange murder of a priest in Montague Street near the British Museum. The fatal collision involving the car and truck in Boswell Street followed soon after. He was worried and confused. His concern deepened as he wondered who else might be coming after him.

All of this wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t accepted the wooden box from the priest. He took a closer look, trying to determine its contents. Unable to satisfy his curiosity, he took the box upstairs and locked it in a drawer.

1

ONE YEAR LATER…

WATERLOO STATION,

LONDON, ENGLAND.

This morning, London awoke to two sensational headlines. The first reported an amateur art enthusiast, Jacob Walmer, had discovered some form of code concealed in the drawings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The front-page headline: Amateur Artist Finds Coded Messages in Michelangelo’s Famous Ceiling. It went on to explain that he had only discovered the secret codes and had yet to decipher their meaning. The second story was just as startling, claiming that Jesus’ status as Son of God was being challenged by Bishops from the Anglican Church. Shock Survey of Anglican Bishops screamed the Daily Telegraph headline. The same stories ran in most other major newspapers.

And not only in London. At newsstands across the globe, papers flew off the rack like confetti. The story caught the attention of one person in particular – Jessica Keith, a well-known reporter for The Daily Telegraph. Sipping her coffee, she moved through the south entrance of Waterloo Station on her way to work. All around her, commuters hurtled through the morning rush hour heading towards the bus station as she took stock of the story:

SHOCK SURVEY OF ANGLICAN BISHOPS

LONDON: More than half of England’s Anglican bishops say Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was God, according to survey published today.

The poll of 31 of England’s 39 bishops shows that many of them think that Christ’s miracles, the virgin birth and the resurrection might not have happened exactly as described in the Bible.

Only 11 of the bishops insisted that Christians must regard Christ as both God and man, while 19 said it was sufficient to regard Jesus as God’s supreme agent. One declined to give a definite opinion.

The poll was carried out by LTV’s weekly religious show, Credo.

Although the news was carried in her own paper, she wasn’t the reporter who had broken the story. And if it were up to her, she would have dug deeper into why these claims that Jesus was not Son of God were being made centuries after people had stopped discussing about it.

It rang true that truth shall prevail, no matter how hard attempts to wipe it from history. More appropriately, Godsend religion would never change or could be challenged. If the teachings seem to follow trends like what’s happening now, surely there were elements of rewriting in the original doctrines which didn’t come from God, because God never make mistakes and His teachings would be perfect, which would only mean mistakes came from humans themselves as to err is human.

Jessica was well known in her line of work for being outspoken on her sensational discoveries. But behind that confident exterior, something was bothering her soul – a silent voice screaming inside. A voice she hid so well from public, waiting for the right time to be exposed.

Before the news broke, ever since childhood, Jessica had long doubted the trinity concept in Christianity, that Jesus was the Son of God. Continuing her studies in Criminal Law in University of London, her doubts intensified through Muslim friends from the same campus. They believed that Jesus is God’s Prophet as told in the Koran. She was amazed to know that her doubts were explained thoroughly by Islam long time ago.

After graduation, despite her law degree, she pursued her interest in journalism and joined The Daily Telegraph’s crime desk, her inquisitive nature put to good use for the benefit of the public. Exposing the truth would be her utmost priority.

Jessica was determined to expose the real truth behind the Jesus theory that made the headlines. She felt duty bound to defend the dignity of her religion as well as her ethics as a journalist. If the claims were false, she would continue to fight for her religion’s truth. But if the claims were true, she would have to believe and support the truth. Like a lawyer, she needed solid evidence that proved Jesus isn’t Son of God, as had been preached by her religion for such a very long time.

Her first step in collecting evidence was to visit the University of London. As one of the university’s alumni, she was invited to attend a talk by a reputable speaker, Professor Aaron Barone. She hoped she would find her answer from Professor Barone, a devout Muslim, when she met him there.

Jessica threw the newspaper and her polystyrene cup into the nearest bin. Weaving through the rush hour crowd, she made her way to the ticket counter. Her watch was spared a glance.

Victoria Embankment please, Jessica asked. Coins and ticket were exchanged. Thank you, she said with a smile before leaving the counter.

2

In the Sistine Chapel, Jacob Walmer was busy with his camera trying to capture a close-up of the Michelangelo drawings in the panels on the chapel’s ceiling. He fired his flash, admiring the view.

Meanwhile another camera was at work in another place altogether, covering the heated debate between Bishop Patriae and the host of LTV’s religious show, Credo, Adam Pettigrew, concerning the shocking outcome of the survey published earlier today.

Adam: The survey shows the differences among Christians regarding the most fundamental issue in any religion. So, now, who is God?

Bishop Patriae: We are still disputing that central issue. In this survey, approximately 61% of Anglican bishops said that Christians were not obliged to believe that Jesus was God, while just over 35% said they had to view Jesus as both God and man.

Back home in his studio’s darkroom, Jacob was keeping one eye on the show’s rerun while developing the photos had taken earlier in the Chapel. The Creation of Adam started to surface on the photo as he immersed it in the developer. He picked up the photo and clipped the corner to the hanging wires to let it dry.

As he took his time arranging the developed pictures on the walls of his living room, the TV blared out Bishop Patriae’s speech.

This is even testified to by Jesus himself in John 17:3, ‘And life eternal, that they might know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent’.

The first photo he assembled was from the Punishment of Haman. Next came the Jeremiah until the panel of David and Goliath. He continued until he had finished assembling all of the eleven panels, interlaced with the arched and the square panel.

Jacob started on the Jonah, including the nine panels that were cited from the Book of Genesis until the eleven panels were completed on the second sequence when he matched them with the Zechariah. Finally, the pictures from Moses and the Brazen Serpent were put up along with the rest of the nine panels. When he finished with the panel of Judith and Holofernes, there they were: the completed chart of Michelangelo ceiling drawing on his living room wall. He had good cause to be satisfied with his work. Now it was time to decipher the codes behind the magnificent drawing.

Only today when true religious freedom, scientific knowledge and archeological discoveries have come together in the study of the Bible and other ancient documents, have Christians started to see the truth.

Bishop Patriae’s voice faded into silence.

3

PAPAL OFFICE

VATICAN CITY

10.27 A.M.

Camerlengo Fadeletto Liguori had just climbed the stairs to the office of Pope Thomas V. He threw a glance at the Swiss guards, clad in orange-blue striped uniform, guarding the stairs. He entered the chamber as the giant door was pushed open by one of the guards outside. He stopped as he caught sight of Pope Thomas V leaning comfortably in a chair, deep in conversation with Cardinal Giacopetti Fusconi.

Your Holiness, Your Eminence. Pardon me, he bowed a little, as a sign of respect. Did Your Holiness read the news today?"

Camerlengo Fadeletto, who also acted as secretary to the Pope, was holding a copy of the Italian Daily News. Indagine di scossa del Vescovo Anglicano and Jacob ha trovato alcuni messaggi codificati nel soffitto famoso del Michelangelo screamed the headlines.

Yes, I did, Pope Thomas V replied.

The Pope, born Augustine Gordon, was the first ever American to be appointed as the Holy Father replacing Pope Thomas IV who passed on the previous year.

His calm manner and soft-spoken ways tended to make most people feel at ease. As Vicar of Christ, the religion’s principle and church’s hereditary leader, from one generation to another, he represented one billion Christians across the globe.

So what does Your Holiness think about this matter? Our church is once again under threat. How do we deal with it? Camerlengo Fadeletto pleaded, bowing even further down towards the Pope.

Be calm, Fadeletto. There is nothing to be worried about.

Pope Thomas V exuded calm and reason in the face of what was a very intense confrontation. The other cardinals in the room looked at each other, puzzled.

Your Holiness, with all due respect, our secret is on the brink of being discovered. Our power and status as priests might be challenged. We should be more sensitive to this issue, in order that it doesn’t become a real threat to all we stand for, Camerlengo Fadeletto breathed heavily. The outburst didn’t alter Pope Thomas’ demeanour.

I understand your concerns very well Fadeletto. I share them and we were discussing what to do before you arrived. We will have to take measures, carefully planned initiatives, to save our faith. Some secrets should remain secrets, Pope Thomas V replied.

We need to start monitoring Jacob before he manages to break Michelangelo’s secret code on the Sistine ceiling. It’s too dangerous to risk allowing him to decode it, urged Camerlengo Fadeletto.

Yes, I agree. We need to save what needs saving, said Pope Thomas, glancing at the view of St Peter’s Square just outside his office’s window.

Fadeletto edged closer and grabbed the newspaper on the Pope’s table.

We should have taken care of this matter long ago your Holiness. May God help us all.

With a short, respectful bow, Fadeletto turned his back on the Pope and made his way out.

4

Jessica was on her way to St Paul’s Church in Brighton to pray. This time around her prayers would be different. She wanted some help in dealing with the sudden turn of events in her faith. She clenched her hands tightly in front of the huge crucified form of Jesus and started praying.

Jesus, I’m not here to ask for your forgiveness. I came because I want answers. Please show me the right path. What happened to the religion I had so much faith in? How have people suddenly changed their beliefs? Why do they no longer address you as the Son of God?

Jessica knelt in front of the statue. The serene surroundings brought her back to her past. She was lost in the depth of her memories. The statues in most churches confused her. Her soul felt lost. Abandoned.

In the past she used to go to church and confess her problems. These usually centered on her father and the abuse he showered on her mother. He fought her practically every night, angry that his wife wouldn’t give him money to gamble with. Sometimes, Jessica would often intervene in order to protect her mother, only to find herself on the receiving end of similar abuse.

One cold winter night in her hometown, Leicester, tragedy struck. Arriving home from university, Jessica found her parents fighting violently, their voices echoing throughout the neighbourhood.

Give me the bloody money, or I’ll break your piggy-bank upstairs! Don’t push me! bellowed her father.

That’s bloody stealing! If you set your foot on those stairs, I’ll call the police! her mother screamed.

Jessica closed the front door and removed her muffler, putting it on one of the coat hooks in the hallway. She put textbooks on the coffee table and sighed. Though she was practically immune to her parents’ constant fighting, tonight’s debacle was more intense than usual. Her father looked as though he had lost his mind. She knew she had to stop them from harming each other by any means possible.

Stop! Just Stop! Can you two stop fighting? I’m really tired of all this! Jessica screamed. She started on her father who was making his way towards the stairs.

Dad, you’re good-for-nothing! If you live just to leech money off of mum, you’re better off dead! You’re useless! Jessica cried.

Her father ignored her completely, intent on going upstairs. Seeing her husband’s willful indifference, Jessica’s mother reached for the phone and dialed 999. She had had enough of her abusive husband.

Her father, realising what his wife was about to do, made his way into the kitchen. He tried to grab the phone but her mother wouldn’t let go. He got even angrier and started choking his wife, the phone slipping from her hands,.

Overpowering his wife, he pushed her down onto the floor, without relinquishing his grip on her throat.

Jessica lost control. She grabbed a kitchen knife and, as if possessed by the devil, stabbed viciously at her father who screamed in pain.

She pulled out the bloodied knife from her father’s body. He looked back at his daughter for the last time, before collapsing to the floor, a thick puddle of blood seeping from his wound.

Her mother was astonished to see her husband, no longer breathing, dead on the floor. Jessica shivered in horror, dropping the knife, the harsh reality started to sink in. She wailed and wept not knowing what to do. She was a murderer!

Oh God! What have you done, Jessica? her mother cried, trying to get up, her hands rubbing her swollen neck.

Mum, help me! I’ve killed dad, I’m a killer! Jessica wailed, tears streaming down her face. She slumped down, trying to regain her composure.

Her mother came and hugged her beloved daughter. As a mother, she had to find the best solution. She couldn’t let her daughter go to jail, just like that. If it wasn’t for Jessica, she might well be lying dead on the floor.

Jessica, don’t worry. Everything is going to be all right. I’ll make sure you won’t go to jail for this, her mother said, stroking her head. She kissed her daughter’s head underneath her white woolly hat, holding her hand tightly.

Suddenly an idea popped in her mother’s head. Of course! There was only one way to save her daughter from going to jail.

Jessica, get rid of your leather gloves!

Her mother stared at the gloves, her fathers’ blood seeping through the leather. Jessica stopped crying as her mother’s intentions dawned upon her.

Don’t waste time. You have to destroy those gloves. We have to do something, her mother continued hurriedly.

What? Mum, no, please don’t do this! I can’t let you go to jail. I’ve lost dad, I don’t want to lose you too, sobbed Jessica.

Jessica, it’s okay. I don’t blame you for helping me. Don’t feel guilty for what you have done. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead by now, her mother explained.

Jessica got up. The plan was executed in silence. She felt nervous, but her mother insisted that this was the only way for Jessica to continue her studies and have a chance at a better life.

Jessica threw her leather gloves onto the living room fire while her mother deliberately left her prints all over the knife that Jessica had used to stab her father.

When the police finally arrived, her mother was arrested as the prime suspect for the murder of her father.

At the trial, witness testimonies and evidence from the crime scene all counted against her mother. After the jury had delivered its verdict her mother was sentenced to death for the murder of husband. The verdict shattered Jessica’s world. She had thought that the worst punishment to her mother would face would be life imprisonment.

In the courtroom Jessica pleaded with the judge for her mother’s life. In desperation, she even told the judge what really happened that night, but it was already too late. The verdict and sentence were final.

Before her mother was hanged, she prayed a thousand times to Jesus Christ. But the statue stayed as silent as ever. She just couldn’t understand why Jesus wouldn’t help save her mother.

Jessica wasn’t there on the fateful day when her mother was hanged. She went to church instead praying for a miracle from Jesus. Jessica never stopped blaming herself for switching places with her mother. She shuddered at the thought of her mother fell through the gallows. Her mother’s death left her orphaned and an aunt, her mother’s sister, became her guardian.

After the incident, she blamed Jesus for not helping her. She even went to church to seek forgiveness, but she soon became convinced that her sins were not forgiven when she discovered the priest’s own dark secret.

A few days after confession, she went looking for the priest in one of the rooms in the church and was shocked to discover him with a naked nun, together on the bed. Numb with disbelief, she turned and ran.

During the following Sunday’s service, she stared at the priest, confused. After his sermon, Jessica watched as the priest forgave the sins of everyone who were there. She thought, ‘How could someone who commits sins forgave the sins of others?’ Disgusted, she hurriedly got up and left, never to return.

She hadn’t been to church since. Until this visit to St Paul’s in Brighton.

This was also why she decided to be a journalist. She wanted to expose the truth behind lies and deception. Lies trapped her in her loss, made her suffer beyond redemption.

The flashbacks stopped reeling in her head. The tears continued to pour down her cheeks.

After finishing her prayers with the sign of the cross, she turned away, walking past the endless rows of pews on either side, heading for the exit.

5

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

BLOOMSBURY, CENTRAL LONDON.

Professor Aaron had also made an amazing discovery that shook the world of Islam. As part of his studies on the miracles of Koran twenty years previously, he had stumbled upon a stunning secret. Yet, he never thought that he would be the one to mark his name in history for breaking the secret codes in the