Gabriel Il Profeta

By James D. Johnson

Gabriel il Profeta was raised in the Vatican ever since he was a young boy and was mentored and educated by priests, scholars and has attended numerous colleges. But this information isn't available to anyone except the Pope. All of Gabriel's information is inside the "Book of Secrets" and explains all his hidden talents. The committee of Cardinals that oversee all paranormal investigations have no knowledge of Gabriel's attributes and talents, and Cardinal Leonetti wants to get a hold of that book.

When an exorcism takes the wrong turn and the family of the possessed child describe Gabriel as "God's Reaper", Cardinal Leonetti and the committee want answers. The Pope intervenes and suspends Gabriel indefinitely and orders him to leave the Vatican and Italy (for his own good). The Pope instructed Gabriel not to conduct any business on behalf of the church during his suspension. Gabriel eludes the Swiss Guards while enroute to the airport and manages to flee Italy incognito.

Gabriel eventually ends up in Jarden, Montana, a small town in the middle of nowhere to sit out his suspension. Gabriel immediately has an encounter with a young boy (Willie) at the local diner and a malevolent spirit that's haunting the boy. Willie tells Gabriel about other spirits at his house and at school that have been tormenting him. Gabriel vowed to help Willie and his mother even though he had been instructed by the Pope not to involve himself with ghosts or demons.

Everywhere Gabriel turns someone needs his talents and tries to keep his activity hidden with the help of the local priest (Father McDunnough), who is an old friend. Gabriel helps an older couple with a problem in their basement, a friend's mother at the nursing home and a paranormal investigations team at the old Montana State School. All the while Cardinal Leonetti has his "Sicario's" feverishly looking for Gabriel, even though the Pope has instructed them to leave him alone.

Gabriel's intention is to return to the Vatican and face Cardinal Leonetti and the committee, but Cardinal Leonetti and the demons are intent on that not happening. Gabriel has an "uncanny" knack of changing the lives of the people he encounters, and inflicting pain on the non-living!

Gabriel begins his long journey back to the Vatican and concludes with a showdown between Cardinal Leonetti, the committee and himself. Gabriel discovers that Cardinal Leonetti has been scheming with a dark entity who is very insistent on finding out if Gabriel is "Living" or "Non-Living"!

Gabriel battles it out with the demon "Nazzar" in the Cardinal's Chambers within the Vatican, as the committee, Cardinal Leonetti and the Pope witness Gabriel's skills and attributes come forth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 30, 2024
• ISBN: 9798892210058

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

About the Author

cover.jpg

Gabriel Il Profeta

James D. Johnson

Copyright © 2024 James D. Johnson

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2024

ISBN 979-8-89221-004-1 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89221-005-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter 1

As Gabriel walked down the hallway within the walls at the Vatican, which he had walked down thousands of times, he stopped and wondered what had prompted his meeting with the pope. As he approached the office door, he was met by Vatican security and was asked what business he had with the pope.

He showed the guards his credentials and said, I have been summoned to meet with the pope, and started to enter as one of the guards grabbed his arm.

Just as he was about to address the guard, the outer office door opened, and the archbishop motioned the guards to allow him to pass. As he walked into the office, he remembered all the times he had played in this very office when he was a child. The archbishop was not a friend to him and hadn't been for several years. As he stood there looking around the room, the archbishop was thumbing through a large binder, looking up at him every other second or so with a very disgusted look on his face.

The private door to the pope's personal office then opened, and the archbishop motioned for him to enter. When he entered the room, he saw His Holiness sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace with a blank look on his face. He wanted to run up and hug him as he had done to so many popes as a young boy. He continued toward the pope as his attention was diverted to the other chair in front of the fireplace, where Cardinal Leonetti was sitting.

The pope looked up at him, and he immediately knelt and grabbed the pope's hand and kissed the ring on his hand ever so gently.

The pope's eyes told him what he wanted to hear, but the cardinal quickly lamented, The reason why you were called here on such short notice was to address your actions regarding last month's incident during the…intervention.

What specific action are you talking about? Gabriel asked as he rose up off the floor.

You were specifically instructed to monitor and watch over the proceedings, and that was all, the cardinal replied.

You mean the exorcism, don't you, Cardinal Leonetti? Gabriel said in a soft voice.

The damage alone to the family's property, Your Holiness, is extensive, to say the least, and you scared the hell out of Father Anton and the family, added Cardinal Leonetti.

The cardinal looked at the pope and said, This will bring disgrace upon the church, Your Holiness, and the health of that young girl remains in question. The family wants answers, and this will surely get out of hand if the press ever gets ahold of it.

Gabriel walked over to Cardinal Leonetti and said, Father Anton did the best that he could considering the circumstances. His work was impeccable, and he had rid the girl of the demon that had possessed her until he showed up.

You have stated in your report that an entity known by you as Nazzar caused the girl's close call with death. Who is this entity? asked the cardinal.

The pope quickly asked Gabriel, What made you think the entity you and Father Anton encountered was Nazzar?

Gabriel turned to the pope and replied, I saw him, Your Holiness. I saw him as plain as day. He looked different this time, his moves and mannerisms were different, but it was definitely him.

The cardinal stated, It was you showboating. That's what it was! You are nothing but security, and you couldn't even secure the scene. All you had to do was make sure that Father Anton had what he needed, and you failed.

Gabriel turned to Cardinal Leonetti, stating, You are the cardinal in charge of these…interventions. It is you who disregarded my memo about my encounters with certain entities and how they had stated that they answer to a higher power. I even showed you the piece of paper that had been left at one of the exorcisms with the name ‘Nazzar' on it.

The pope stood up and addressed Gabriel, Cardinal Leonetti has a very hard job to manage here. He may not be as well learned about this Nazzar as you are, Gabriel, but he has the church's best interest at heart, and so should you.

Gabriel looked at the pope and stated, Your Holiness, all I need is time to investigate Nazzar further, then I can and will present to Cardinal Leonetti and you my findings. Your Holiness, I am almost positive that Nazzar is the devil's son.

Oh my lord, Your Holiness! What did he just say? This is absurd! screamed the cardinal.

The pope raised his hands and stated, Everyone quiet down here. Let's all be calm in our hearts and our heads.

Gabriel took a deep breath and stated, I can take care of this, Your Holiness. I can prove to you that it was the entity and not I that caused harm to that child. Father Anton can tell you the same thing. He was there and saw everything.

The cardinal looked at Gabriel and said, We have already deposed Father Anton, and we have all we need from him at this time.

Gabriel turned and looked at Cardinal Leonetti and asked, Why do you hate me so much sir? You look at me with disgust and anger in your eyes. Why am I your enemy?

Cardinal Leonetti sat down in the chair as he closed the binder he was holding. Gabriel could see the whites of his knuckles as the cardinal gripped the binder so tightly.

Cardinal Leonetti stated, You think you have all at the answers because you were raised in the Vatican. We, the cardinals, and our committee know very little about you, Gabriel. Who taught you? Who mentored you, and why do you continuously have the pope's ear?

Gabriel turned toward the pope as Cardinal Leonetti ranted on, Your Holiness, the committee would like to depose Gabriel ourselves, so we can get to the bottom of Gabriel's duties, training, and what occurred exactly on that night as well as a few other previous incidents.

The pope stood up and walked around the room, ending up back in front of the fireplace. Gabriel, I have come to a decision. I have decided to suspend you from your duties for a period of at least two years, and you have to leave the Vatican. It would probably be best for you to leave Italy as well. All of your credentials have been revoked, and your bank account has been frozen. I will, however, give you enough money to go wherever you desire, but you are forbidden to assist in any duties of the church, meaning you cannot involve yourself in any exorcisms or problems regarding entities, period.

Cardinal Leonetti sprang to his feet and said, Your Holiness, this is a decision that should be made by the committee. We should discuss this before any actions are taken by you.

The pope looked at Cardinal Leonetti and said, And yet the decision has already been made by me, Cardinal Leonetti. This decision is well within my parameter, and it is final, without discussion.

The pope then looked at Gabriel while placing his hands on his shoulders and said, If the church is alerted that you are active in any way, I will take the appropriate measures.

The pope sat back down in his chair in front of the fireplace and said, Gabriel, you will be escorted to your room. Your clothes and personal belongings have already been packed. You will be driven to the airport, and your passage will be taken care of there.

Gabriel walked toward His Holiness just as the Swiss Guards entered the room and stood beside him.

Are these your wishes, My Holiness?

Without looking at Gabriel, the pope said, These are the wishes of the church, my son.

Gabriel was escorted out of the pope's office and into the hallway, where an additional four Swiss Guards were waiting.

The Swiss Guards were instructed by Cardinal Leonetti, Do not let him out of your sight, do you hear me? Take him to the van and drive him to the airport without delay.

Gabriel asked, What about my personal effects?

The cardinal instructed the Swiss Guards to pick up Gabriel's belongings and take them to the van. The cardinal instructed the Swiss Guards to speak to no one and to contact him if anything went awry. The guards rushed Gabriel down the hallway, through several small passageways and flights of steps, as they exited the Vatican and placed him into the van. The van drove away from the Vatican at a high rate of speed and traveled through the streets of Rome toward the airport.

Gabriel asked the head guard, Can we stop for a moment and get me a cup of coffee before we get to the airport?

The head guard replied, You can get your coffee at the airport.

Gabriel said, Look, I've been up all day long and haven't had any water in several hours. All I want is a good cup of coffee before I have to leave my motherland. Is that too much to ask?

The guards looked at each other, and the head guard then said, I will get you a cup of coffee, but no one else leaves the van.

Gabriel looked around the van and saw his bag in the back of the van, just behind the seat up against the back door.

He looked at the guard sitting beside him and said, You know I don't have my passport or those items that are essential for me to get through the airport or customs for that matter.

The guard replied, We put all of those items in your bag, along with the small amount of money you had on the desk in your room.

Gabriel stated, But what about my bathroom stuff, toothpaste, shampoo, and my razor?

The guard grabbed Gabriel by the neck and told him, Shut up! Enough of this. You can figure that out when you get to the airport or wherever you're going. The guard then released his hold on Gabriel as the van stopped in front of a small coffee shop.

The guard jumped out of the van and entered the coffee shop. Gabriel then looked at the guard beside him and, with one swift strike to the guard's throat, disabled him immediately. Gabriel grabbed the seat belt and wrapped it around the driver's neck and with another strike to the side of the neck, took him out as well. Gabriel jumped over the back seat, grabbed his bag, opened the back door, and down the street he ran as fast as he could. The guard in the coffee shop was returning to the van when he noticed something was wrong. He dropped the coffee cup and began assessing the other guards' conditions. The head guard looked down the street both ways but didn't see any sign of Gabriel anywhere, so he called Cardinal Leonetti immediately on his cell phone and advised him of what had just occurred.

I specifically told you not to stop anywhere! He paused. Go directly to the airport and look for him there. If you find him, bring him back to me immediately. Are we clear? asked Cardinal Leonetti.

The guard, still tending to the other guards, told the cardinal that he understood. Meanwhile, Gabriel had traveled a couple of blocks when he hailed a cab and asked the driver to take him to the airport. He instructed the driver to drop him off outside of the airport near a small bridge approximately one-half kilometer from the international travel area.

Gabriel walked the rest of the way to the airport and entered, being careful of any and all cameras that could track his whereabouts. He made his way into the bathroom and entered a stall and shut the door. Gabriel placed his bag on the toilet seat and opened his bag. The guards appeared to have just thrown his clothing in his bag without folding them. Gabriel emptied his bag of the clothing and made access to the bottom of the bag that had a secret compartment. In the bottom of the bag, in the secret compartment, were facial hair products, mustaches, sideburns, glasses, hair coloring etc. Gabriel began to work his magic and upon exiting the bathroom stall, looked like a totally different person. Gabriel had also located one his fake passports he kept in his bag along with credentials to match each passport.

He removed a key from his bag and went to a storage box within the airport. Gabriel opened the storage box and retrieved a cloth bag from inside. He quickly checked its contents; all the money he had been saving was still inside (close to $200,000). Inside the bag was also a credit card (in a fictitious name) with all the limits that Gabriel would need to navigate the globe.

Gabriel then sat down and began to map out just where he would go. It had been years since he had traveled by plane that much, and the Vatican usually set up his itinerary. But Gabriel knew that it would have to be somewhere that the church would never think of, somewhere he had never been before. Gabriel had been inside the airport for over an hour now, and he knew that the guards would be looking for him. So after having considered several options, Gabriel decided on a flight to Chicago, Illinois, which was due to start boarding within the hour. Gabriel made it through customs without an issue, purchased his ticket, and boarded his flight a little after 11:00 p.m. Rome time.

Gabriel began looking at the map he had purchased in the airport shortly after the plane took off. Chicago, Illinois. Hmm, he had never been so deep into the United States. What would he say to customs officials in Chicago when he landed? Was he there for a vacation, work (running from the Vatican)? What accent should he use? He was fluent in twenty-two languages. The name on his passport identified him as James Caskieben from Aberdeenshire in Scotland, although he had at least five other fake passports and names he could use. Gabriel also had at least ten or more driver's licenses from various states throughout the United States and provinces in Canada.

Gabriel had never been on such a long flight in all his life, but after almost eleven hours of flying, he landed in Chicago at a little after 4:00 a.m. He needed to get his makeup off and some fresh clothes on after he cleared customs. Then he would decide just where he would go from there. Gabriel's Scottish accent worked like a charm, and he made it through customs without a problem.

He asked a police officer outside O'Hare airport Where can I find a nice hotel and some good Scottish whiskey?

The officer gave him directions and hailed a cab for him.

Meanwhile, the Vatican was jumping and full of turmoil as the cardinal's committee was convened and Cardinal Leonetti told the members what had occurred the night before.

Cardinal Leonetti advised the committee, I have alerted all of our contacts on at least five other continents to be on the lookout for Gabriel and have sent out a directive to all of the cardinals to be aware of Gabriel and his deceptive practices. I have further instructed all of them to contact our security number in their areas if they come across Gabriel or if he happens to visit a church in their respective diocese.

The committee's meeting was interrupted by a knock on the door. The chamber guard opened the door, and the pope entered the room. The cardinals all rose to their feet as the pope walked around to where Cardinal Leonetti was standing.

The pope instructed, Please, everyone, have a seat. I will not be long. I am aware that this meeting is about Gabriel and why he had been asked to leave the Vatican. I am also aware that Gabriel made quite an exit whenever he left Rome and hasn't come up on your radar since. I know that it has probably rubbed some of you the wrong way—he looked around the table at the cardinals—that I made the decision that I made. I have known Gabriel for a long time, and the Vatican has spent a lot of money on Gabriel's education and training.

Cardinal Leonetti stood up and asked, What kind of training are we talking about, Your Holiness? It appears that only you know of this training because I haven't been able to find a single notation on Gabriel in any of the files, much less an amount that has been spent on his education.

The pope turned to Cardinal Leonetti and replied, The secret file for Gabriel is here in the Vatican but can only be accessed by myself. So when I want you to know something about Gabriel, I will tell you. Now whatever Cardinal Leonetti has told you about what he's doing to locate Gabriel…disregard it. I suspended Gabriel for two years or for however long I deem necessary, and that is my decision. Now some of you here today have heard the rumors over the years of a Sacred Book held only by the pope while he is in charge of the church. I will neither deny nor confirm that such a book exists, because if I did, I would be violating the rules of the Sacred Book. This matter is being monitored by myself and my office. Should any additional assistance be needed, I will contact Cardinal Leonetti and ask for the committee's advice. Now I will leave you to your matters, and may the Lord watch over each and every one of you. Blessed be the name of the Lord. The pope exited the meeting room with a grin on his face.

Cardinal Leonetti watched the pope exit the room and immediately told the committee, Everything will remain as I said before, that is all. He exited the meeting room quickly.

Gabriel had just awakened, and the clock said it was 10:00 p.m. Chicago time. It appeared that he had slept for about fourteen hours straight. So he got out of bed and took another shower just because it felt good. He went back to sleep and awoke the next day at 7:00 a.m., got dressed, and stepped out of the hotel to buy himself a new cell phone and get some breakfast. He figured it would be better to trash the phone he had purchased at the airport in Rome just in case the Vatican tried to track him by his cell phone. Gabriel located a cell phone store and purchased a new phone that would serve his needs. He then set out to find a costume store so he could replenish items to help him disguise his looks in order to remain unrecognizable to anyone with ties to the Vatican.

Gabriel was careful to watch for closed-circuit cameras as they too could track his whereabouts. He clearly found out that Chicago was well covered with cameras on the streets and within the stores.

Gabriel knew that this was not the place where he could remain very long if he was trying to stay off the Vatican's radar. Gabriel returned to the hotel and pulled out the map from his bag and began looking for a place that would best suit his situation. As he looked through the map of the United States, he began checking the states with the smallest populations. He didn't want the climate to be too hot, so he looked at the states in the northern sections and looked up the particulars on his phone. He also checked for small to midsize cities that had Catholic churches; Gabriel could not do without access to the church.

Gabriel spent the better part of the afternoon and evening searching for an area he could settle in for at least the duration of his suspension. He was very thorough and weighed his options carefully; he needed a goal. Gabriel then wondered how he would get to where he was going. Should he fly, drive, or go by train or by bus? After checking all the options, he decided to travel by bus and head west and began to map out how to get there without alerting anyone to his whereabouts. Gabriel lay down for bed and planned to get up bright and early in order to get to the bus station by at least 6:00 a.m.

Gabriel woke up around 3:30 a.m. and quickly made his way down to the hotel's office area. The attendant was in the break room drinking coffee and chatting it up with one of the cleaning ladies. Gabriel picked the lock on the door and entered the office.

He accessed the hotel's computer and quickly found the files that held its information regarding recent persons who had checked in within the past three days. Gabriel deleted the file that showed him checking in and the room in which he had stayed. He then accessed the hotel's video and deleted all the videos for the past three days and programmed the cameras to turn back on within the next five minutes. He then exited the office, laid his key card on the desk, and left the property.

He hailed a cab and told the driver, Take me to the bus station, please.

The cabdriver was quick and had Gabriel at the bus station within ten minutes. Gabriel knew that the bus station would have closed-captioned video cameras, so he altered his appearance ever so slightly and purchased a ticket to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The bus was scheduled to leave at 7:00 a.m., with numerous stops along the way. Gabriel had never ridden on a bus before, so this was all new to him. He sat down in a seat next to the window and rested his head against the window. The bus ride lasted almost fifteen hours, with a stop in Minneapolis, where he changed to another bus. Gabriel arrived in Sioux Falls at approximately 9:00 p.m. Gabriel had enjoyed seeing this new land and all the lakes and trees.

Gabriel purchased another bus ticket to Belle Fourche, South Dakota, for the next morning. He sat down in the bus station and began looking at his map to see what sights might be along the way. Gabriel saw sights named Badlands and Deadwood. Why would someone give these places such names? As Gabriel sat, he began to feel a disturbance rising up from his lower gastrointestinal region. He quickly checked his memory; he had not used the bathroom in over two days. He grabbed his bag and walked rapidly toward the restroom. Gabriel thought to himself that the food he had been eating was nothing like the superb meals that were served at the Vatican. He was going to have to watch what he ate because this was sheer torture he was experiencing.

Gabriel exited the stall and quickly washed his hands. He had single-handedly emptied out the whole bathroom; no one was in there but himself. He exited the restroom to find several men sitting there waiting for him to come out so they could convey their disgust with him. He apologized simply by