The Last Judgment (47 page)

Will led Dr. al-Qasr through questioning that established, in precise detail, the convoluted system of logic and ancient historical research used by the pair to recalculate the “true date of appearing” of the last Caliph. Khalid's journals had laid it all out.

In them it was explained how the ancient Egyptians, in their calendars, would exclude five days per year. Those days were considered to be yielded up to the first five of the Egyptian gods—Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, and Nut.

The ancient Egyptians also excluded, every third year, a sixth day—in honor of the god Thoth. But the Knights decided not to deduct that day because, in their thinking, Thoth, the god of wisdom, secrets, and writings, was actually the pre-incarnation of the Caliph al-Hakim.

“Therefore, the Knights figured the appearing of the Caliph–messiah would be calculated by starting with the year 2021, then subtracting five days multiplied by a thousand years—or in other words, a total deduction of five thousand days.”

“And that date just happened to fall around the same date that Gilead Amahn landed in Cairo from the United States?”

“As it turns out, that is correct.”

“In any of Khalid's journals, is Gilead Amahn ever discussed?”

“Well—not directly.”

“His name does appear on one document?”

“Yes.”

“We'll return to that in a moment,” Will noted. “Now these date calculations you mentioned appear to be very complex, requiring a great deal of historical knowledge. Do Khalid's journals ever indicate that anyone other than he and Louis Lorraine ever discussed those calculations?”

“No.”

“Now Scott Magnit, a member of the Knights, has testified for the prosecution that he was told, by Lorraine and Khalid, the date that had been calculated for the appearing of the Caliph–messiah. And he then tried to paint Gilead Amahn as the impersonator of the messiah by saying that Gilead knew the exact date to present himself in Cairo because Magnit had divulged that date to him when the two had met at a Bible study in Jerusalem last year. Now Dr. al-Qasr, in all of the records and writings of Khalid, coupled with your knowledge of the Knights, is there anything to suggest that Scott Magnit was ever privy to the secret doctrine dealing with the date of the appearing of the last Caliph?”

“I saw nothing to that effect. Khalid's papers only suggest that the date was known to him and to Louis Lorraine.”

“Would the date of that predicted appearing have been a critical element of their secret cult?”

“It would have been of utmost importance—very tightly guarded information.”

“Scott Magnit also described the initiation ritual of the group—fasting in the desert. Was this group quick to accept people into leadership?”

“Clearly not,” the witness said with assurance. “In fact, they would screen people for months before they would let them know that the group was something other than a ‘nondenominational Bible-study group,' which is how they would usually introduce themselves to new members. But from my research, only four members ever made it into the inner circle of leadership. Scott
Magnit—and he was a little on the outside of the circle—along with the taxi driver who drove the accused over to the Golden Gate after the bombing…but he was slightly below Magnit in authority. And then there were Lorraine and Khalid—they were at the top.”

“What are the odds that Gilead would have received entrée into the inner circle of the Knights in just a matter of weeks…as the prosecution would have us believe?”

“The odds would be heavily against that,” al-Qasr replied.

“Lastly, you said that Gilead's name did appear on one of Khalid's papers. Which one was that?”

“It was a photocopy of an image of an ancient Egyptian mural, typical of those found etched on the walls of the tombs of the pharaohs. We Egyptologists call it the
psychostasia—
the weighing of the conscience of the dead. You Westerners would probably refer to it as the last judgment. The Egyptians believed that, after death, the heart of the deceased, along with all of its good deeds is balanced on the great scales of justice—against the weight of a feather. If it fails, the person goes into condemnation and destruction. If it passes the test, the deceased enters paradise.”

“And this particular mural is of an ancient Egyptian named Ani—he died, and this picture represents his last judgment?”

“Yes. The characters in the mural are well-known figures in ancient religion. Off to the right side of the great balance scales we see the man with the head of a hawk, called Thoth—he is writing down the results of the divine weighing process.”

“Did Khalid write down a note underneath that figure?”

“He did. He wrote the name ‘Louis Lorraine.' ”

“And what is the figure crouching underneath the center post of the great scales—the one that looks like a man with the head of a jackal?”

“That is Anubis, the mythological character who is actually doing the weighing of the heart.”

“What did Khalid write on the picture under Anubis?”

“He wrote his own name—Yossin Ali Khalid.”

“And where is Gilead's name mentioned on this picture?”

With that, Will clicked on the computer, and an enlarged image of the mural appeared on the screen of the courtroom.

“Khalid jotted Gilead's name,” al-Qasr was raising his voice slightly to emphasize the importance of the point, “underneath the oblong container sitting in the tray of the balance scale—the jar containing the heart of the deceased.”

“Based on your expertise in understanding the theology of the Knights of the Temple Mount and your review of this document, what is your opinion as to the religious significance of the placement of Gilead's name on this picture?”

“It seems clear that Gilead Amahn was considered a person who would be put to the ultimate test—weighed in the balance. That if he were the true Caliph–messiah, he would survive the test. If not—he would be destroyed. But it is clear that Khalid was not convinced himself that Gilead was the messiah they were looking for—the outcome had not yet been determined. Gilead's heart, so to speak, had not yet been weighed. It was about to be weighed.”

“And would Khalid's notes written on that picture, suggest that Gilead was a decision-maker within the Knights of the Temple Mount?”

“To the contrary—they would suggest that Gilead was the one about whom decisions were being made. And that Khalid and Lorraine were the decision-makers in charge of that process.”

Will rested, and Zayed hastened to the podium. He looked confident.

“In the original mural Ani was having his heart weighed by the gods. Who was Ani in ancient Egyptian history?”

“He was the chancellor for a pharaoh. He was in charge of the revenues for the temples at Thebes and Abydos. Lived around 1500 BCE. Give me a minute and I can try to remember the precise date of his death…”

“Don't bother,” Zayed said with a smile. “The point is, the accused, Hassan Gilead Amahn, was associated with the ancient person of Ani, as indicated by Khalid. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“The inner circle of the Knights of the Temple Mount linked Gilead with Ani?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“And Ani was a ‘chancellor,' a high-ranking ruler in the court of the pharaoh?”

“That is true.”

“So the inner circle of the Knights must have considered the accused part of their leadership structure—right?”

Dr. al-Qasr saw the dire implications of the question.

“I am afraid that would be a logical deduction from the picture, yes.”

Zayed did a little wave with his hands and left the podium. Will had anticipated the question and the witness's answer. It had been a calculated risk. But the expressions on the faces of the three judges indicated that his ploy in having al-Qasr refer to the picture might have backfired. In the next few minutes he was about to find out.

“In the picture, the character Anubis, who is crouching under the scales,” Will began, “he is reaching up and touching something in the center of the scales. What is he doing?”

“He is manipulating the adjusting screw at the center of the balance scales.”

“What happens if the adjustment is set improperly?”

“You get a false balance.”

“And Yossin Ali Khalid is the one in this picture doing the adjusting—determining, in effect, the outcome?”

“Yes. That would be correct.”

“The part played by Khalid in the picture indicates he is the one who can tip the scales—make the heart of Gilead Amahn come out looking one way or another. In other words, Khalid had the power to create the illusion that Gilead was even the reincarnation of the last Caliph, the promised messiah of the Knights' secret theology—and without Gilead even knowing it. Doesn't this picture, through Khalid's own notes, show us that?”

But there was no way that the prosecutor would let that stand, and he jumped up and objected that the question assumed a knowledge of the state of mind of Khalid, and also improperly sought an opinion as to the ultimate issues in the case.

Mustafa granted the objection. Judges Lee and Verdexler, in their silence, concurred.

Zayed returned for a short re-cross.

“Are you a Muslim?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Are you a good Muslim?”

Before Will could raise an objection, Zayed clarified.

“By that I mean—have you, in your scholarly writings, criticized some of the muftis and other teachers of Islam regarding the importance of Muslims retaining complete control of the Noble Sanctuary—regarding certain rulings of the Waqf, the Muslim Trust that has authority over the so-called Temple Mount. And as a result, you have been barred from the Noble Sanctuary and have been excluded from certain Islamic conferences—all of that is true?”

Al-Qasr, visibly uncomfortable, was trying to manage a smile.

“Yes…all of what you say is correct. But there are other Islamic scholars who have taken up my side of this…”

“You have been called an infidel by many Islamic leaders?”

“Yes. I am no infidel…but they have called me that.”

“And so, having been called an infidel, an enemy to Islam, you take up the defense of Hassan Gilead Amahn, accused of conspiring to destroy the holy place and holy people of Islam?”

The witness was no longer smiling. He glanced down and answered in a quiet voice, nearly inaudible.

“I have been called as a witness for the defense. That much is true…”

Will tried to read the faces of the judges, but only one of them was obvious.

Judge Mustafa was visibly scowling at al-Qasr as he walked out of the witness booth.

65

I
N THE JUDGMENT OF
W
ILL
C
HAMBERS
and Nigel Newhouse, Dr. al-Qasr's testimony had been close to a zero-sum game. On one hand, they were thankful that his expert opinions had likely raised more questions in the minds of the judges about Scott Magnit's credibility and about whether Gilead had actually been an unwitting pawn in Yossin Ali Khalid's barbaric theology of destruction. Yet they also realized his testimony was less than compelling—particularly because he had admitted that Khalid's jottings on the ancient Egyptian picture could be interpreted as proof that Gilead was within the leadership circle of the Knights.

The two attorneys, joined by Tiny, discussed that and other issues over a carry-out Italian dinner they ate in their temporary office. Mira had been barred from their meetings—and for his part, Tiny had no doubt that Will's deductions were correct—that Mira had been recruited by Mullburn to spy on Gilead's defense team. But Nigel was less sure, wondering what the billionaire had to gain by such an audacious act of legal espionage.

Will's only explanation was that Mullburn wanted to find out how close they were getting to the golden vein underneath all those layers of rock and soil—to the buried “mother lode”—the evidence that Mullburn had personally orchestrated the bombings to create massive instability in the peace negotiations. Then, Will contended, Mullburn could step in as a supposedly neutral “mediator.” What no one else understood, Will continued, was
that Mullburn alone possessed the politically damaging information he would try to use to blackmail Israel.

“Information…like what?” Nigel asked, taking a few last bites of his
rigatoni al profumo di mare.

“He had Orville Putrie break in to the Mossad computer logs. There were surveillance records showing that Israeli intelligence was keeping an eye on the Knights prior to the bombings.”

“A bit politically embarrassing, perhaps,” Nigel remarked, “but not enough to force major concessions from Israel in return for Mullburn's keeping it quiet.”

“That's why he needed to up the ante,” Will continued. “He had Putrie add some incriminating text, making it look like the Mossad was deliberately standing down in order to permit the Knights to attack the Mount.”