Shepherd One (31 page)

“Perhaps he didn’t. Maybe he manipulated the facts to hide
the truth. The Church, after all, is not without its secrets.”

The president shook his head. “But for what reason? I mean,
we know he was on board that plane. Where the hell could he have gone? The
moment Shepherd One landed we were all over her like a pack of dogs on a
three-legged cat.”

Nobody had an answer.

In the background the rotors of Marine One were beginning to
spin, the revolutions picking up into blinding speed. It was time to go back
home.

From that moment no one mentioned Father Kimball, nor did
they speak of the self-proclaimed soldier and personal valet of Pope Pius XIII.
Obviously the man never existed. 

For the president, for them all, the mystery as to who
Father Kimball really was would remain just that, a mystery.

EPILOGUE

Three days after Shepherd One landed
safely at Denver International Airport, the news talked about nothing else. The
focus, of course, was on the terrorists’ capability to bypass all security
measures and commandeer the jumbo jet. And, of course, the justification from
airport officials was that Shepherd One and its staff was not considered a
faction of ‘hostile intent.’ Congressmen and senators from all over the nation
were up-in-arms and called for a dog-and-pony-show Hearing. Obviously somebody
at TSA and the regulatory system had to be held accountable, right? And senators
would have to yell into their mikes from their seated stations in examination
of TSA principals, who would get dressed down with stern reprimands. And of
course they would appear humble and on the defense, pointing the accusing
finger at standing regulations. Just another political exercise in futility,
which Kimball had seen many times before while he sat inside the terminal of
the Hartsfield-International Airport staring up at a TV screen watching CNN as
he waited for his flight.

It was amazing how much the media altered the story based on
assumptions, he thought. They weren’t even close to the truth. Perhaps fiction
was far more interesting.

When Shepherd One landed he saw the federal agents board the
plane, which prompted him to seek shelter below. After getting to the cargo
bay, he then worked his way to the level below that one, which was an area not
much larger than a crawlspace, and worked his way aft. Reaching the hatch, he
lowered himself to the tarmac and escaped into the darkness. It was really
quite simple since the area had been cordoned off, giving him a wide area to
roam while under the cover of night.

Now, three days later and trying to look less conspicuous by
discarding the cleric’s shirt and Roman collar, Kimball made his way east. With
the aid of Cardinal Bonasero Vessucci he was able to catch a flight to Rome under the name and false ID of John Antonucci.

And Kimball held no regrets for his decision to abscond from
the States for a second time.

He was going home to the Vatican where he belonged.

For Kimball Hayden is more than a soldier.

He is a Knight.

He is a Vatican Knight.

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