Chapter 30 38/39

38 So Randall couldn't help but lift up his round shovel and dig hard on the porous limestone hopefully. An hour passed, and every minute of that elapsed hour he had not stopped digging. At this moment, the little beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead, and then those beads of sweat merged into a trickle, rolling down along his cheeks.His arms, chest, shoulders, and even his spine began to ache. Panting constantly, he stopped and rested his hands on the handle of the spade, then took out his dirty handkerchief again and wiped the sweat from his brow and eyes. As Randall stood resting, he thought to himself: There are crazy people everywhere.Of course there might be someone working on the Second Resurrection in Amsterdam, Monti in Rome would be one, LeBlanc in heaven or hell, and he himself is the lunatic of lunatics.

What would his father in Oak City say if he saw him?What will Wheeler and Naomi say?And worst of all what would Angela say? They must have said with one voice: he is a madman, or else he is possessed by the devil. Yet he could not ignore the clues that LeBlanc had left--the fish that had been pierced by the spear in his hand, and the fish that had been pierced by the spear carved on the wall. After finding the evidence, his first thought was to get in touch with the Antiquities in Rome, and to explain everything and ask for their assistance.But on second thought, I had to give up.He feared that those people were in collusion with those in Amsterdam.They were different from himself, and they probably didn't want to know the truth at all, as long as it was profitable.Thinking of this, Randall realized for the first time why Leblanc regarded both the church and the government as his enemies.

So Randall's inner tentative decision was that he was going to do it alone, as LeBlanc had thought he would do. Since the impaled fish engraved on the catacomb wall invited him to dig, he continued to dig. Only then did Randall realize that these limestones are quite soft when wet.However, since some of the wooden stakes covering the tunnel were broken and some were removed, the sun's rays could shine on this wall for a while.And as the limestone dries out it becomes much harder.The reason why LeBlanc put the evidence here at the beginning may be that the wall has not yet hardened, and he did not expect the situation to change.And if the part Randall encountered at the beginning had been so hard, he wouldn't have had the courage to dig in.

Now, an hour later, he had dug a hole just below the wall.Except for some gravel fragments produced in this hole, there are still no results. What made him even more frustrated was that he was still not sure what he was looking for.Would LeBlanc's little evidence--a little piece of papyrus taken from James Papyrus No. 3--would be here?If so, he must have put that in some kind of container.But so far he had seen nothing but the fragments of rock. He stretched his muscles and bones, grabbed the wooden handle of the spade, and started digging again.There are more and more pieces of debris, and there seems to be less and less hope.

As he continued digging, as the minutes slipped away, he began to feel that his chief obstacle was not a lack of time but a lack of energy. One shovel in, one shovel out. Another shovel went in, and there was a sudden click. Is it a pebble?Damn it, if you touch a volcanic rock, it's all over.He knelt down with difficulty, trying to see through the hole what he had bumped into.It does look like a rock, but it's not.He began to squat down and lean forward, putting the spade aside, and digging the dirt around the object with his hands.Finally, he felt from his fingertips that it was a round object, and it was a man-made utensil, perhaps an ancient bottle or jar.But—perhaps not.

He picked up the shovel again and dug around the object.Whatever it is, get it out first. When he was almost dug, he moved it with his hands and finally hugged it out. It was a porcelain jar, about eight or nine inches high, about a foot in circumference, sealed with something dark, perhaps asphalt or something.Randall tried unsuccessfully to break the roof, so he cleaned it off before he saw a black band in the center.Apparently the can was taped in two halves. Randall took up the spade again, and he put the jar on the floor of the tunnel, and with the blade of the spade struck the center of the jar so hard that the jar fell apart, and half of it was broken by the shock.There was nothing else in the center of the jar, just a battered little wallet.

He picked up the wallet and held it carefully in his hand. After pulling the top open, there was a small silk bag inside.Opening the pouch again, the contents inside were finally revealed. As if hypnotized, he stared dazedly at the hard brown maple leaf, but it was the papyrus with Aramaic writing on it—that is, LeBlanc's precious forged evidence. Randall thought to himself, sure enough, I found it.At this moment his instinct told him that he should get out of here quickly, because he had been delayed here for an hour.However, his memory reminded him that the first part of the evidence was found, and the second part of the evidence must also be hidden here, so why not do it once and for all?

However, just as he put the piece of papyrus back into his wallet and put it away, picked up the round shovel, and continued digging with vigor, he seemed to vaguely hear someone talking.How can anyone come here?He thought I must be tired and dizzy, so he continued to dig. After a while, the voice became clearer again.He stopped digging again and looked up to listen.He wasn't dizzy, that's right, it was the voice of someone talking, and the speaker was a woman. Who is it?He must find out.But to get out and see, there was only one main exit, and instinct told him that might be inappropriate.And the tunnel was two feet above his head, and he couldn't even look at it from other places.

The woman's voice became more and more audible, and it was mixed with the voices of men and children.Randall thought badly, this was probably directed at him.In a hurry, he remembered that there was a fallen wooden stake in the tunnel ahead.Why not drag one to step on.At least he had to see what was going on. Randall quickly dragged a three-foot-long stake over and placed it on top of the excavated stone, so that when he stepped on the top of the stake, his head could just be exposed.So I see why. It turned out that among the three people, one was the child who lent him the spade—Sebastiano, a middle-aged woman, and another policeman in police uniform.Although the three people were still quite far away from here, they were coming in his direction.

Randall's thoughts changed sharply, and he already knew what was going on.Most likely, the woman was Sebastiano's mother, who questioned the child because of the missing spade.And after Sebastiano told the truth, she thought to herself, what if a stranger and a foreigner invaded the government's archaeological reserve without permission to dig?So he told the police.The police followed to see, maybe they were here to arrest him. After jumping off the stake, Randall pocketed the wallet with the papyrus and hurriedly put on his coat.Whether his guess was right or wrong, he couldn't dig any further.Meeting the police is always a hassle.

He climbed up the half of the wooden stake again, and jumped out with both hands on the tunnel.Since the three people including the policeman were walking towards the entrance of the tunnel, there was still time for him to run from this side. Although Randall was exhausted from digging, he still had to run like hell.His target was the fruit stand by the side of the road, because he knew Lupo, the taxi driver, might still be there. After he rushed all the way down the slope, the fruit stand was already in sight, and the thin Italian who was always grinning with his teeth was chatting with the fruit stand owner there.The car is parked nearby. "Lupo!" Randall shouted from afar. The taxi driver quickly turned around and greeted him with a smile. "I want to ride in your car," Randall said breathlessly. "To the station?" Lupo said, his eyes fixed strangely on Randall, who was bewildered. "No." Randall pulled him to the side of the car. "I'm going straight to Rome. The sooner the better. I'll even pay you for the fuel and your return trip. Can you go faster?" "No problem," Lupo hastily opened the rear door. "We'll be there as soon as you close your eyes. Did you have a good time here today, sir?" Finally, he safely returned to his room at Jinhua Hotel. When passing the information desk, he told the counter clerk to help him book the latest flight to Paris.Then I made another phone call to Professor Aubert in Paris.As a result, Professor Aubert was away, and his secretary wrote down the appointment of Randall's visit around dinner today. Now, he is back in the room.He still had time for one more phone call and a shower before checking out. Make another call. Assuming that the piece of papyrus in the wallet is authentic after Obert's inspection, who should check the Aramaic text on it?Before going through these two formalities, he was not sure whether the papyrus had been taken from the real manuscript by LeBlanc, or whether it was a forgery by him. However, who is the other call to? In his kindness, he would have called Wheeler or Deckhard in Amsterdam and asked them to bring in Dr. Jeffries or Dr. Knight for an examination.But then I thought about it, although this is a simple and easy way, but it doesn't work, so I had to give up this idea. Because, unless people like Wheeler and Deckhard wanted to be self-destructive or masochistic, they weren't interested in LeBlanc's evidence of falsification.Not only are they unreliable, but neither are Jeffries and Dr. Knight, for the former is hopeful that the success of the International New Testament will send him to the position of President of the World Church of Christ in Geneva, and the latter for the new book. The Bible had restored his hearing, and he would never have believed that the Gospel of James was a forgery.Therefore, in "The Second Resurrection", Randall really couldn't find reliable people, and it was indeed too risky to deal with those people. What he wants to find is someone who is as suspicious as he is, and who also seeks the truth objectively. There is only one such person besides him. Randall picked up the phone and asked for the international call station. "I want to make a most urgent call to Amsterdam. I don't know the number. It's in a church in Amsterdam. I want to speak to Pastor Frumi there." "Mr. Randall, please hang up the phone and answer it after I call you." So after Randall hung up the phone, he hurriedly packed his things, and he put the small wallet into the suitcase with special care. The phone rang, and he quickly grabbed it. That's the hotel operator. "Sir, we have connected you to Amsterdam, please speak now." The voice on the phone was very clear. Randall instinctively lowered his voice, and said into the intercom: "Is it Pastor Frumi? I'm Randall. I'm in Rome now." "Yes, the operator is calling from Rome." The Dutch pastor's voice was as kind as ever, and very attentive. "It's great that you haven't forgotten me. I thought you ignored me." "I haven't forgotten you. I believed what you said, but I've got to find out for myself. LeBlanc, I've found it." "Really? Did you meet him?" "We talked face to face for a long time, and he told me more than he told Plummer. I can't go into details now because I'm going to get on a plane later. All I can tell you is that LeBlanc and I have talked Deal done." "Did he bring you something?" "It can be said that it is left to me. This will be discussed after we meet. In fact, the evidence he forged is now with me." Frumi breathed in surprise. "Fantastic! Fabulous. Is it the missing part of the papyrus?" "Exactly. There's some Aramaic writing on it. I'll take it to Paris right away. I'll take a flight this afternoon and arrive in Paris at five o'clock. After I get off the plane, I'll go straight to Professor Aubert's laboratory. I'd like to invite him." Examine this papyrus." "Aubert is not important to me," said Frumi, "but I can understand how important he is to you. Of course, he will verify that the papyri are real. That is not a problem, but The problem is what LeBlanc wrote on the papyrus." "That's why I called you," Randall said. "Do you know anyone we can count on?"—he sensed that this was the first time he called "we"— — "He is capable enough to tell us whether those Aramaic texts are true or false." "Mr. Randall, I have told you before," interrupted the priest, "that there are very few Aramaic people who can match me. Especially in this delicate situation, I think You just have to trust me." "Of course I can trust you." Randall said while feeling relieved. "I was thinking just now that you would definitely help, and now there is one more thing. LeBlanc said that he had other tricks on his forged evidence, that is, he wrote a sentence on the papyrus with the invisible ink of the ancient secret recipe, No one else can reveal that invisible ink." Frumi laughed. "This guy is really smart. Did he show you a way to reveal handwriting?" "No," said Randall, "do you know any ancient secret recipes of this kind?" "Never mind, that will always work out. Thank you very much, you have finally obtained the evidence we have always suspected. Congratulations, we can expose this deception. I will leave for Paris immediately, at the airport Waiting for you. You said 5 o'clock, didn't you? I'll be there on time. You know, we can't afford to delay any longer. Did you know that your publishers have moved up the announcement date to Friday this week ?” "I knew that," Randall said, "except I don't believe there's going to be another announcement day, because I've got the stuff here that'll take care of everything on Tuesday. Well, we'll meet at five o'clock." Let's talk again." Randall was not relieved until the plane landed on the rain-washed runway of Paris Airport. What he had been through in Italy was disturbing and frightening.That was all behind him now, because his plane had landed on French soil.The meaning of France is freedom, and for the first time in recent days, he feels free and carefree. He picked up his precious suitcase, which he always kept by his side, and filed off the plane with the other passengers. In a few minutes, he would see his faithful ally Frumi, and the two would go to Professor Oberth's laboratory together.Armed with this weapon, their allied armies could launch an offensive against the superior superstitious army. Randall is eager to go through the various immigration procedures as soon as possible. Although there are quite a lot of passengers, he believes that it will not take too much time. While queuing up for passport inspection, Randall stretched his neck and searched around to see if there was a tall figure of Flumini, but there were too many people waiting, and no one had seen it yet. Now that he had gone to the front of that counter, there was a bored policeman sitting there.Randall temporarily put down the suitcase, took out the green American passport from the pocket of the suit, and handed it over.The policeman turned over a page or two of his passport to compare his appearance, then flipped through the row of red mysterious cards in front of him, then looked at him again, and then nodded and returned the passport to him. At the same time, he raised his hand and told him to go to the customs.After this was done, the policeman stood up and left, which immediately aroused the protests of the passengers in line. Randall walked towards the nearest customs counter with a suitcase in one hand and a list of customs declaration items in the other.And as he was walking, he was still looking to see if there was Pastor Frumi in the crowd. When Randall handed the customs declaration to the official in an attempt to expedite the process, the official seemed oblivious and was talking to another colleague.Finally, the official turned around, took the customs declaration form, and looked up at him. "Sir, do you have anything else to declare downstairs?" "Nothing else, just this one in my hand. I'm going out this time for a short time, so I don't have anything to take with me." He didn't like to make such nervous explanations for himself, but no matter where he was Customs officers, they can make you feel like a crime even if you don't have the slightest irregularity. "These are all portable things," he added, holding the suitcase a little higher. "Did you not exceed the entry limit of 125 francs? Didn't you buy anything, receive gifts or acquire valuables in Italy above that?" "Everything is the same as what I filled out on my customs declaration form," Randall said with a hint of impatience in his tone. "I just have a few things that go with me." "Is there nothing else to declare at the customs?" The official still insisted. "No more." Randall's impatience increased. "You have seen my customs declaration, and I have made it clear. Are you going to make me swear?" "Okay, okay," said the customs officer, and got to his feet.Called: "Morris!" He stepped out of the counter and waited for another young customs officer to take his place, then walked to his side, "please come with me, sir." Randall followed the official out of the exit and through the crowd in a daze.At this time Randall was searching for Frumi again, wanting to ask him for help to quickly end this deliberate difficulty, but still did not see Frumi. The official beckoned to Randall, who hurried after him, burning with rage at the thought of the delay.Suddenly, he noticed that another officer had also come and sandwiched him. It turned out that this person was the policeman who was impatiently checking his passport. "Hey, what are you doing?" Randall protested. "Let's go downstairs," said the customs officer nonchalantly. "This is just a formality." "What procedure?" "Routine baggage check." "Why not here?" "That would hinder traffic. We have a special room in the luggage area." He led the way to the escalator first. "Please, sir." Randall couldn't help but stared at the customs officer with slight hesitation, and then looked at the policeman following him, thinking that it would be better not to resist.As he climbed the escalator with his suitcase, he had a premonition that what hadn't happened in Italy was finally delayed in France. Randall protested again as they made their way across the crowded first-floor lobby of the airport building toward a baggage-checking room. "Guys, I think you must be mistaken!" The official didn't answer, and went straight to an empty room where plainclothes guards stood at the door. "Now, can you tell me why you brought me here?" Randall pressed. "Put your case on the table," said the customs officer quietly. "Sir, you open it for inspection," After putting down the suitcase, Randall reached into his pocket for the keys. "I told you a long time ago that there is no other good declaration." He insisted. "Open it, please." As the customs agent approached Randall to watch him open the box, the policeman backed away a little.Randall opened the lid of the box. "It's all here. Go check it out yourself." The customs officer quickly walked to the table and inspected the box very skillfully and expertly. He also kept pressing the inside of the box with his hands to see if there were any devices such as interlayers or hidden bags.After rummaging through shirts, shorts, and pajamas, he looked through a few more folders, and finally found something at the bottom. It was LeBlanc's gray leather wallet. "Sir, what is this?" "A cheap souvenir from Rome." Randall hurried and tried to pretend he didn't care. "It's of no use to anyone but me. It's a facsimile of a Bible manuscript. I like collecting things like that." The customs officer didn't seem to listen to his explanation at all.At this moment, he had already opened the wallet and took out the piece of papyrus from inside.He stared at Randall and said: "Sir, we have received a notice from the Italian government that you have illegally taken their national treasure from Italy. According to Italian law, you have to pay a heavy fine. But... ..." While listening attentively, Randall felt an indescribable strangeness.How does anyone in Italy know what's in his suitcase? "However, the concern of the Italian government is not the concern of the French government," he continued in fluent English. "Our concern is that you hide something of great value in the trunk. Sir, this behavior shall be punished according to the law..." "I have nothing to hide!" Randall yelled angrily, "I don't need to declare, because there is nothing worth declaring!" "The Italian government has a different view," said the inspector calmly. "A different opinion? There's no other opinion, and what do they know about this papyrus? I'm the only one who knows. Tell you, that papyrus in this wallet is worth nothing in money terms." , it's a counterfeit, a forgery, an attempt to pass off the original. It's useless to anyone but me. As far as it's concerned, it doesn't cost a dime." The official shrugged. "That will have to wait and see, sir. There are plenty of experts on the subject, and we've got in touch with one to give him some advice after research. We have nothing to do with you, sir, until you've been authenticated." Things will be confiscated." After finishing speaking, he took the small wallet and walked outside. "Wait! Where are you taking that?" Randall asked. The official turned half-turned at the door. "This is our business, you have nothing to do with it." For his unreasonable behavior, the rising anger in Randall's heart has reached an uncontrollable level.How can this valuable evidence debunking forgery fall into the hands of stupid bureaucrats? "No!" he snapped, then rushed forward and grabbed the officer by the arm and turned him around. "Fuck, no, you can't take this away!" He reached for the wallet, and the officer tried to push him away, but Randall hit him to the throat with his lower arm, Take back the wallet. The official was dazed by his blow, and after taking two steps back, he shouted angrily: "Come here, some people will deal with him!" All of a sudden, the policeman inside the room and the two plainclothes officers outside came up and surrounded him, and finally knocked him down to the ground after a series of fist and kick fights.Randall felt the pain unbearably, and vaguely he heard the official say, "He's done. He won't be in any more trouble." Then two men came and lifted him off the floor.He opened his eyes dimly, only to see that the official had already taken his wallet and stepped into the outdoor aisle. Randall's eyes followed him, and he saw another figure in the distance, a tall figure in a black cassock. He couldn't help being overjoyed, thinking that the pastor had finally arrived. "Frumi!" Randall yelled, "Frumi, I'm here!" But the Dutch priest didn't seem to notice his shouting, while the official who took his wallet was talking face to face with him.He saw Frumi nodding, listening, nodding again, and finally walking away with the official again. "Please wait a moment. Let me go, I have to see him." Randall shouted and struggled desperately. "Frumi is waiting for me. I invited him." "Really?" said the policeman amusedly. "I don't believe it. Because we hired him." Randall stared at the policeman in bewilderment, "I don't understand what you're talking about. I have to go see him." When he tried to break free, he felt a pain in his wrist being cut by metal.Only then did he realize that he was handcuffed. "Please let go, I must go to see him." He begged. The official nodded in agreement. "Mr. Randall, you will see him tomorrow. But now you have been arrested for bringing valuables into the country. Also, you have committed an obstruction charge for assaulting an official, so we must lock you up." "But my papyrus," protested Randall. "The value of that papyrus and your future will be decided in court tomorrow." ------------------ 39 Finally, I made it to the next morning, and this morning in Paris, looking through the tall windows of the detention center, was so gloomy and disgusting. Randall sat on the edge of the straw mattress on the cot, buttoning his new shirt, and thought bitterly that at least—at least he wasn't being treated like a normal prisoner. Although he was locked up in this isolated detention room almost all night, at this time, he was fully awake and regained his vitality.He tried to analyze what happened, and guessed what unexpected changes he would encounter next. Still confused, he was arrested on charges of smuggling precious cultural relics and beating public servants.Tucked into a van called a police car in French, he was led around the corner until finally led into a labyrinth of buildings called Patty Paquette.Then, in a brightly lit room, he was briefly interrogated by a man who claimed to be the chief prosecutor—a deputy prosecutor, according to a translator.Then came the formal charges, in which he was charged with "obstruction of official duties."That, the interpreter explained, meant rough behavior towards a public official in the performance of his duties and an attempt to illegally bring undeclared valuables into France.Later, the Deputy Public Prosecutor signed the formal detention papers and sent his husband to the detention center to await the prosecution's prosecution in court. Due to some special situation—what kind of special situation?Randall didn't know—the Secretary of the Interior decided his case had to be heard expeditiously.He will be brought before a pre-trial court for a full hearing tomorrow morning.Until then, he can only stay in the detention center.Before being imprisoned, he was entitled to a lawyer for his trial the next day.Should he call a lawyer himself or entrust a friend to do it? Randall weighed it. He didn't know any lawyers in Paris.He had but then gave up the idea of ​​finding the American embassy.To him, the incident was too embarrassing and difficult to understand - he didn't want his plight to be known to the self-righteous people in the country who would spread rumors about him before they knew the truth .He thought of his friend Sam Hussey from Bole Street.Sam was sure to find him a competent lawyer.However, he immediately thought that those "enthusiasts" who were in the same office with Sam might learn of his embarrassing situation and arbitrarily fabricate his situation to make it appear in the newspapers and make him unable to step down.He also inquired that his case might be delayed for three to four days in order to get a lawyer.This made him make up his mind, since 48 hours later was the promotional time for the "Second Resurrection", he didn't want to postpone his interrogation.So don't hire a lawyer, just defend yourself. After the lawyer's matter was decided, Randall was taken to the police station.He was ushered into the anthropometric section of the police station, where he was fingerprinted and photographed—frontally and in profile.Afterwards, he was questioned again about whether he had a criminal record and what he had done at the airport. After these procedures were completed, Randall was led by two police officers through the prosecutor's office compound, and was finally escorted back to the detention center attached to the police station.He has been kept in this cell - alone, with no other prisoners - very uncomfortable.He remembered, however, that he had suffered from it before for drunken disturbances. In these little cells, with their barred windows and clanking iron doors with a hole through which the guards could look in, there was a canvas with straw mats, a washbasin filled with cold water, and a A flush toilet that just flushes itself every 15 minutes - that sort of thing.Randall also got some newspapers, as well as his pipe and a lighter that was long overdue, and a pouch of tobacco to enjoy.His interest, however, was entirely in this opportunity of reflection—he had to figure out a way to find Froomi and Oberth before the International New Testament was announced publicly, and to tell them that the forgery had been found, so that Make them public. Last night he had been unable to think, because the whole day in the detention center from Ostia Antica to Rome to Paris was too much.At the same time, because of excessive fatigue and those ghostly images constantly dangling in front of his eyes, he could neither think nor fall asleep.Wheeler and the other publishers, Angela and Froome, and old Robert LeBlanc was always on his mind.At certain times, he occasionally fell asleep only to be awakened by the constant shadows, but he managed to sleep through. Now, on a new morning, the guards were kind to him.Apparently, his case was a bit special--and it might have been a benefit of extra tips--in addition to the usual prison breakfast of black coffee and bread, the guards brought him fruit juice and two eggs.Also, from Randall's suitcase, he brought razors, shaving towels, a comb, a clean change of underwear, socks, a shirt, and a clean tie.When Randall was dressed, he could finally think. He tried to remember what he had been told was waiting for him in the morning?Is it an interrogation, or a hearing?He can't remember.Things were messy last night.He remembered hearing the deputy public prosecutor say that there was another questioning before he was taken to the examining court.What the hell are you asking?He remembered that there had been talk of some kind of interrogation procedure, with a magistrate presiding over him and witnesses being cross-examined, and who had Randall asked?There were charges for his assault, and the public disturbances he caused, but those were minor.Importantly, he smuggled undeclared national treasures from Italy to France.He remembered loudly arguing that it was not a treasure at all, but a forgery!It's a bunch of worthless stuff—forgery, fakes.Naturally, the witnesses in this regard must have been experts in the authenticity and value of manuscript fragments. What puzzled Randall the most was Froomi's role in it.The Dutch priest showed up at the airport as promised, and he was there to assist Randall.However, those stupid customs officials insisted that Frumi was invited by the French customs, which did not make sense to Randall. Who is the other most insidious and threatening mystery who denounced him to the French customs? It was obvious that someone had set a trap, but who would have known he had the papyri?Of course, the boy and his mother knew about it, as well as the Italian policeman in Ostia Antica.But even if they found out he had taken something from the ditch they wouldn't know what it was, much less who he was.Lupo - the taxi driver who drove him from Ostia Antica to Rome - would not have known who he was or what he was carrying.He made an emergency call to Oberth and said he was going to see him last night.It was impossible, however, for Oberth to guess the reason for this meeting.Finally, he thought of Frumi.Randall had called him from Rome and he knew all about it.However, Frumi is the only one who has a correct understanding of the "Second Resurrection" plan, and he has absolutely no reason to betray him.In fact, if there is evidence that the manuscript is a forgery, Randall is tantamount to giving Flumine the weapon to destroy the "Second Resurrection" plan, and at the same time improve his reputation and status. There isn't a single explanation that makes sense, just one. If Robert LeBlanc's death was not an accident but a deliberate murder, then those who learned of LeBlanc's work for him must also have figured out what Randall was doing with Ostia Antica in Rome. It was a possibility, meaningless and clueless, because he didn't know the faces and names of these people at all. dead end. He fastened his tie, and the cell door opened with a rattling sound. 一个身材魁梧，头戴圆顶军帽身着海军蓝制服，看上去像是圣?克莱车校出来的年轻人轻捷地跨了进来。 “睡得还好吗，兰德尔先生？我是巴黎保安警察队的监察员巴沃，我奉命送你去法院。审问将在一小时后开始，到时证人都会出场，你会有足够的机会为你自己申辩。” 兰德尔从床上下来，穿上他的西装上衣。“我要求弗鲁米牧师为我作证。他在那些出席的证人中吗？” “极有可能，先生。” 兰德尔舒了一口气。“感谢上帝……好的，监察员，我准备好了，咱们走吧。” 他们被召集到法院第四层一间不大的房子里。 在走进法院大楼里时，兰德尔看到在楼梯入口处刻着这样一行字：自由、平等、博爱。他的信心增强了。 够公平的，他想。 现在，当兰德尔僵硬地站在背对着一堵墙的被告席上时，他发现自随便得令人吃惊的开场步骤之后已过了22分钟。他知道很快就该他发言了。他一点也不紧张，心情平静，觉得很有把握。当他被叫到时，他只需说明最基本的一点即由意大利带到法国的那些手稿残片是伪造的，根本不值钱。当他的观点得到专家们和弗鲁米牧师的支持之后，他就会被证明无罪。弗鲁米牧师的出庭作证只不过是表示法律程序的公平。当弗鲁米和专家们宣布手稿是假的后，兰德尔知道，法庭除了因他妨碍公务而罚点钱外，对他毫无办法，会还给他自由的。 兰德尔再次从眼角把那些证人看了一遍。当他刚一踏进这间屋子里时，他就一点也不奇怪那些人的出场。他们的生命。名声以及以美元、英镑、里拉、马克计的财产都悬系在这次审判的结果上了。 共有5排凳子。第一排，坐着木雕石刻的惠勒、戴克哈德、方丹、杨和盖达5位发行人。在他们的后面坐着神情严肃而专注的弗鲁米，奥伯特和赫尔德林。在第三排只坐了一个人——嘴唇紧闭，毫无表情的内奥米。最早的几个证人说完证词之后就离开了房子。 听证席上一个外人也没有，没有记者，也没有逗留的旁听者。这完全是一次秘密审讯。首席法官在刚一开庭就和颜悦色地说，这件案子的审理过程之所以不公开，是“由所讨论的议题所决定的”。 他不知道是谁做了安排让这次审讯保密。一定是与梵蒂冈以及世界教会组织有密切联系的出版商们。不管怎么说，法兰西是按教会的要求行事的。而且，出席的有方丹先生和他的有影响的朋友里卡迪阁下也在。这些人不仅涉足宗教界，也插手政界，他们在这种场合是举足轻重的。他们想让这事秘密进行，他们的愿望达到了。 兰德尔并不在意，因为他有弗鲁米牧师，有了弗鲁米，公众很快就会知道真相。 兰德尔一边听着证人们的证词，一边把在此之前发生的事重新过了一遍。 首席法官——他叫勒克莱尔——走进会议厅，在正对着证人席和观众席的两张尺码过大的钢制桌中的一张后面坐了下来。出人意料，他并没有按传统习惯穿一件带白色护胸的黑色制服，而是穿着普通便衣。他有着典型的公务员或小官僚的样子。毫无生气，萎靡不振的神情，头发直竖像丝网状的假发，声音尖锐得令人不安。 他让那些必要的步骤依次进行。书记官用法语和英语大声宣读了对兰德尔的起诉草案。首席法官不耐烦地说，为了节省时间只用英语就行了。这可能是因为在座的人都懂英语。整个听证会用英语进行，接下来他进行得很快，仿佛时间就是金钱，仿佛他不想失去一个早早吃午餐的机会。 第一个陈述证词是机场的检查护照的官员。他描述了被告的恶劣行为。第二个作证的是一个参与抓获他的便衣警察。他们俩分别将抓获兰德尔的前后经过交代了。 第三个证人是机场警察官奎拉斯，他作证说他从罗马的宪兵总部那里得到消息，说有一个叫史蒂夫?兰德尔的美国人非法得到了一件基督教奉为珍宝的古文物。该人未经允许便从罗马带走了那件物品并试图把它带进巴黎。奎拉斯准备好了一张粉红卡片——上面描述了通缉犯的特征——当兰德尔过关卡时，奎拉斯没收了装有手稿残片的皮革袋，并参加了治服这个倔强的来访者的过程。当他把粉红卡片出示作证之后，就和前两个证人一块退了下去。 下一个证人的脸对于兰德尔是陌生的，他是弗尔南多?图拉博士，原先是奥斯蒂亚?安蒂卡地区的主管人，最近升迁为罗马古物管理委员会的委员。他是一个黑黝黝的、眼睛贼溜溜的、胡子像自行车把手一样的意大利人。从看到他的第一眼起兰德尔就对他没好感，而且他也的确有理由：按安杰拉的描述，就是这个人从一开始就干扰并诽谤她的父亲。 图拉博士以前从未见过被告，他昨天才得知兰德尔先生。这位美国先生，在未经过政府部门的允许下用某种手段弄到了一片手稿残片——这个残片本来是6年前蒙蒂教授与图拉特博士共同挖掘的詹姆斯福音的手稿上的。被告将这件意大利国宝弄了出来——图拉博士不清楚兰德尔先生是怎么弄到这片珍贵的残片的——是偷来的或是幸运地找到的，但不论是哪一种情况他都触犯了法律。 图拉博士首先宣读了意大利的考古法。“根据所有的地下宝藏都是国家财产这一原则，凡在意大利境内发掘出的文物属于国家。只有在教育部批准下才能对考古物品进行挖掘，在没有执照的情况下不能任意挖掘文物。 “被告严重侵犯了上述法律的最后一条原则。更为严重的是，他没有上报他的发现，而且把文物带出意大利国境。意大利政府希望拿回这物品并将它送交《国际新约》发行机构。该组织租借了包括这一碎片在内的所有蒙蒂教授发现的史料，并打算出《新约》的新版本。” 这是这个一丝不苟的图拉博士的证词，现在已快结束他的作证了。 蓦地，兰德尔发觉图拉博士正在撤离证人席，司法长官叫着他的名字。 “兰德尔先生，现在该你陈述了。问你的职业。” “纽约兰德尔集团公司经理。” “你为什么去罗马？” “呢，说来话长，尊敬的阁下。” “请尽量简短地陈述，先生。”勒克莱尔法官平淡地说，一点幽默感也没有。“尽量直截了当地说你昨天在机场的经过。” 兰德尔一时感到不知所措。这无异于把一座高山化为一个土丘，但他必须试试。他必须尽可能地讲清楚，以便弗鲁米牧师出场。“所有这一切都是从美国宗教图书发行人惠勒先生邀请我参加一次会谈开始的。”他瞄了一眼惠勒，后者正集中精力地盯着他的鞋尖，装着没听到他的名字被提到。“惠勒先生希望我在出版一本新版的《圣经》中出把力。他是一个国际性宗教书籍出版机构的代表——出版商们都在这间屋里——这机构准备出版一本根据某个惊人的考古发现而整理的《新约》修订版。如果你想知道这件考古工作的内容的话……” “没有必要，”勒克莱尔法官说。“我已经有了方丹先生总结的关于《国际新约》内容的书面报告。” 哦，兰德尔心想，我们敬爱的法官已从“第二次复活”的有关人士那得到消息了。 “你受雇来宣传这本新《圣经》？”法官问。 “不错，法官。” “你相信它是真的？” “以前相信，先生。” “你现在还认为《国际新约》加上去的那些东西是真的吗？” “不，先生，恰恰相反。我认为加进去的内容是伪造的，正如我昨天由罗马带进来的那只皮夹里装的东西是假的一样。” 法官掏出一块手绢，大声地擤了擤鼻子。“很好，先生。你怎么得知它是假的呢？” “如果允许我解释……” “请解释，但是不要说到与本案无关的事上去。” 有多少事情兰德尔想说出来——许许多多的疑团，无数次巧合——而他知道这些并不能作为证据，不能对他的辩护有任何用处。他搜索着记忆想找出确凿无疑的事实出来，然而那些事实却不见了，他吃惊并且尴尬地发现，可以用来辩护的事实竞少得可怜。 “哦，法官，简单地说，在罗马我的旅馆里，我和已经承认是詹姆斯福音书和彼得罗纳斯手稿的伪造者罗伯特?莱布朗会了面。他一……” “你怎么碰上他的？” “最初是通过弗鲁米牧师。” “弗鲁米牧师和这个所谓的伪造者见面了吗？” “不能确切地说见面了，尊贵的阁下。” “到底是见了还是没见？” “弗鲁米告诉我说他们见面了，可是莱布朗没去见他。他的确通过一个朋友得知此人。” “而你本人见到这个伪造者了？” “是的，通过在蒙蒂教授家中找到的文献中的线索，我找到了莱布朗。我说服莱布朗告诉我他怎样假造詹姆斯福音书和彼得罗纳斯的手稿。他对我说他领导策划和准备这场骗局已经很多年了。他是个无与伦比的圣经学者，并是个制造赝品的天才。他把他制作这件赝品的每一个步骤都告诉了我。我确信他说的是真话。” “那么你就是从这位莱布朗先生手里拿到了从你手提箱中搜出的残片？”法官问。 "No." “你没拿到？他没有卖给你吗？” “他打算卖，我也打算买的，这样就可以向那些出版商们证明他们的新福音不过是伪造品，他们也就不敢推出他们的《国际新约》了。然而，有人阻止了莱布朗把这件赝品——即你们的警察从我这里搜走的那件东西——交到我的手上。” “有人阻止了他？他怎么被阻止了？” “他被杀了，在他要把东西送出来的那天，在一场所谓'事故'中丧了命。” 勒克莱尔法官皱着眉头望着兰德尔。“你是说，这位莱布朗已经死了，不能到场为你作证了？” “恐怕不能了。莱布朗已经死了。” “这么说我们只能听你一个人作证？” “另外有证据的，尊贵的阁下。你还有莱布朗说的伪造品——在机场你的官员把它没收了。你瞧，先生，死人也能说话的。因为，即使莱布朗死了，他也可以以某种说话方式，引导我找到证据。” 兰德尔仔细描述了他在莱布朗的遗物中发现的线索对他的启发并将他引向奥斯蒂亚?安蒂卡蒙蒂的发掘地的事一五一十地讲了。 “当我挖出了莱布朗所说的东西后，我必须确认它的确是赝品。”兰德尔作结论道，“我从罗马给奥伯特教授的办公室打了个电话约了见面的事。我想请他为这个残片做放射性碳测试。接着，我给弗鲁米牧师打了电话，请求他在对这份用阿拉米文写的文稿——以及莱布朗用隐形墨水加上的文字作出鉴定。我认为，毫无疑问，这是一场骗局。然而我知道我还得有专家学者方面的证词，才能说服出版商们那份残稿是假的，应该弃之不用。因而，很自然我离开了罗马，带着这东西到了巴黎。我知道它根本不是什么国家珍宝。它除以能停止所谓的'第二次复活'方案外毫无价值。当机场的官员试图没收这一证据时，我本能地想夺回它。我并非有意殴打官员，我只是想保留一小片能使公众免于受骗，使出版商不致于犯下严重错误的证据。” “你说完了，先生？” "yes." “你在被告席上等着。我们将继续听最后两位证人的陈述。”他研究一下旁边的一小条纸，便抬起头来。“亨利?奥伯特教授，你到前面来好吗？” 奥伯特教授，头发梳得光光的，搽着香脂，穿着过于考究的衣服，十分引人注目地坐在了证人席上。他硬挺挺地走过兰德尔，看也没看他一眼。现在，他正准备读他那份写好的报告。 他的证词是最短的，不到一分钟就说完了，在兰德尔看来，法庭传他也没什么奇怪。 “一般的放射性碳测试需要一周到两周时间完成。由于采用最新改进的计算仪器，我和我的助手们连夜工作，终于在14个小时内将昨天傍晚法院提供给我们的手稿残片上的极微小的一部分进行了测试，结果已出来了。” 他展开一张黄色的打字机打的文稿开始念道： “根据从该片纸草纸上取下的样品，在放射性碳日期检验器上所显示的结果表明，该纸草纸为公元62年左右的产品。从科学的角度来讲，该纸草纸是真的。 签名：亨利?奥伯特 司法长官看起来很关注他的讲话。“那么，被告带进我国的碎片肯定是真的。” “绝对是真的。”奥伯特举起一只手指。“我必须加上一点，我只检查这一小块碎片的年代。对于整片文稿的真伪，我不能确定。这一点将由弗鲁米牧师来解释。” “谢谢你，教授。” 奥伯特转身回到了他的第二排的座位上。弗鲁米站起身来，在通道里等着。 法官传呼他。“如果弗鲁米牧师能出席本次听证会并最后一个陈述证词，本院将深感荣幸。” 兰德尔急切地注视着这位显要的荷兰神职人员大踏步地走向证人席。他想与弗鲁米的目光对视一下，然而只看到这位神学家的冷淡的脸部侧面。 弗鲁米站在证人席上，威严地穿着他那件没有任何装饰的黑袍袈裟，脸朝着法官。 勒克莱尔法官立即开始了询问。“弗鲁米牧师，据被告所言，他曾从罗马打电话给你，说想得到你关于第三号文稿失落的一部分碎片的意见——被告宣称那是仿制品——有这事吗？” "some." “你还应法国海关当局通过卢浮宫特别实验室的邀请，对这件碎片的价值进行了鉴定，是这样吗？” “是，不错。” 法官看上去很高兴。“那么你作的决定将使原、被告都满意。” 弗鲁米神情倔傲地笑了笑。“我不能相信我的判断能使双方都满意，我只能满足一方。” 法官也笑了。“我该怎么说，在这件事上你出示了你的证明作出了你的判断后，被告、原告双方都没有什么可说的了。” "It seems so." “那么，我就不必对你作为一个研究阿拉米语的学者以及基督教和罗马史文专家的资格进行考询。你研究了从兰德尔先生那没收来的手稿碎片了吗？” “是的。整个晚上以及今天早晨我很仔细地检查了这个东西。我对照着《国际新约》所有人提供的整套蒙蒂手稿，对碎片的内容进行了研究。我也根据奥伯特?莱布朗先生以及被告史蒂夫?兰德尔所提供的消息，对阿拉米语文稿以及文稿上写的隐形的文字和图画——是用按一种古罗马秘方配出的墨水写的——以此证明福音是莱布朗自己写的——一事进行了检查。” 勒克莱尔法官弯向证人。“弗鲁米牧师，你是否对该文稿碎片的价值作一个肯定性的判断？” “是的。我有这种能力，而且我已下了判断。” 弗鲁米，这位上帝的追随着，戏剧性地停了一会儿，才用他宏亮的声音宣称：“我只得出一个结论。依鄙人拙见，被告昨天从意大利带出来的文稿碎片不是赝品——而是出自詹姆斯?耶稣的兄弟之手，是不容置疑的一件珍品，它不仅是意大利的国宝，也是全人类的财富，是3000年来基督教叙事史中最伟大的发现中的一部分。我向《国际新约》的所有人祝贺，祝贺他们终于可以把这部分还原到那份天才写就的文稿并将其奉献给世界！” 说完这些话，弗鲁米没有等法官的回答便径直走到出版商们的座位那儿去，那些人都站起来，热烈欢迎他凯旋归来。 弗鲁米的宣布对史蒂夫?兰德尔无异于一次手榴弹爆炸。他倒退着，被击碎般，因事情出乎意料的转变而说不出话。 当弗鲁米从他身边经过时，兰德尔真想大声斥骂：“弗鲁米，你这个阴险的，两面三刀，肮脏的婊子养的。” 可是他一个字、一个音都发不出。他跌靠在墙上——仿佛被一根看不见的矛刺穿了。 在一片混乱当中，他几乎不知道后来又发生了什么。 勒克莱尔法官又说话了：“如果再没有人陈述证词，法院就要作出最后裁决了。原、被告双方，你们还有什么要说的话吗？” 一只手举了起来。是乔治?L?惠勒在他的同事围着弗鲁米之时，他挥舞着手臂，想要引起大家的注意。他请求讲话。“尊贵的阁下，在做出最后判决之前，我要求和被告单独谈一下。” “允许你的请求，惠勒先生。法庭允许你和被告人单独谈话。”他把小槌用力地敲了三下。“现在休会，30分钟后再次开庭，对该案作最后判决。” “他妈的，”乔治?L?惠勒咆哮道。“我真不知道我干嘛还要为你操心。” “你为我操心，”兰德尔平静地说，“是因为你想让你的《国际新约》以不容置疑的姿态出现在世人面前，而我则代表了某种缺点和潜在的异议。这一点你不想看到，所以你想拉拢我。” 他们俩人单独在听证室隔壁的一间休息室里，房子里没有窗户，听证室和休息室的门都紧闭着。 兰德尔先生坐在这间狭小屋子的一只挺直的椅子上，两腿疲倦地向前伸着，不停地抽着烟袋。他对弗鲁米的激愤已经消退，他又回到以前常有的那种对任何人都不相信的冷漠态度。 他继续注视着这个美国出版商在他面前来回地走来走去。虽然他觉得惠勒倒尽了胃口，但他也对他无不另眼相看。不管怎么说，这个肤浅的、油腔滑调的《圣经》的掮客，在某种程度上把比他聪明、有权势得多的对头弗鲁米也收买和拉拢了过去。兰德尔遗憾地想到，他以前怎样低估了这个商业小丑。兰德尔以前没想到惠勒精于骗术和巫术。他猜想惠勒还有什么要诅咒他，否则，这个脾气暴躁的家伙为什么要私下见他？ 惠勒停止了踱步，在兰德尔面前站住。 “这么说你就是这么想的，”他说，“我找你谈话是为了说服你转变观念，这样我们就不会有持不同意见者了，是不是？你真是了不起，史蒂夫，虽然你看起来智力很高，脑瓜很灵，可是你还是他妈的大笨蛋一个。听着，你的反对对我来说算不了什么，你的呼喊就和一只大池塘里的小青蛙的微弱的聒噪差不多，没人能听见。你对我和你谈话的动机的猜测百分之百错误。想到你对我们工作的破坏，我应该让你自作自受才对。可是我做不到，就因为一件事——你还是一个聪明的家伙——我都有点喜欢你了，父亲对于儿子的那种感情，我开始喜欢你了。对于我所喜爱和信任的人，我不能让他陷在泥滩里。另外，我毫不隐瞒地承认这一点，我是一个商人，并为此自豪。我能用上你，不仅仅是为了宣传的典礼——那肯定是没问题的。现在，世界上的每一个角落里的电台。电视台和报纸都在提醒公众注意将在星期五播出的重大消息。这部分工作已经开始了。不过我从未忘记提醒自己我们的售书运动，只有在后天官方的宣布典礼完成后才能开始。我希望你能加入到这个运动中来，因为对于这项方案没有几个人能像你知道的那么多，你知道我们所追求的目标是什么，你对我们会有很大帮助。我这样和你谈话，是指望一件事，即你已得到了教训。” “什么教训，乔治？”兰德尔毫无感情地问道。 “即对詹姆斯和彼得罗纳斯手稿的真伪意见上你完全错了，而我们是对的。并且，作为一个男子汉，你将有勇气承认错误，并加入到我们的行列来。听我说，史蒂夫，如果一个像弗鲁米这样的要人，这样一个有名望的教会人士和学者都能转过弯，承认错误——他原来是对此事最怀疑的一个——加入到支持我们的队伍中来，那么我看不出为什么你不能这样。” “弗鲁米，”兰德尔说着，重新点燃了他的烟袋。“我正要问你弗鲁米的事。你们怎么把他拉下水的？” 惠勒挺直身子，有些愤怒。“你就是不开窍，史蒂夫。每一个人都是坏蛋。” “我没说每一个人。” “当然不。你把你自己排除在外。”他用一只指头戳着兰德尔。“别再自作聪明了，听我的吧。没有人，没有任何一个人能用钱收买像弗鲁米那样真正的人。他最后是凭着自己的良心作出最后判断而加入到我们的行动中来的，他确实如此。在此之前，当他以傲慢的态度对待我们，试图想扰乱我们的时候，他都一直没有理解我们干的工作的意义，也没有对我们手中拥有的重要资料进行仔细研究。然而当他上我们这来，我们给他看那份东西的时候——因为这已是宣告日子的前一天晚上，我们觉得能给他看了——他立刻就不再站在反对和对抗的那一方了。他明白我们掌握的是珍品，真正的基督。人类将由《国际新约》接受他——我们的主，并由此受益。弗鲁米立刻放弃了他原有的主张。他想站在天使和圣灵的一方，就像几分钟前，他在那间法兰西大法庭上一样。” “这么说现在他全心全意支持你了。”兰德尔说。 “全心全意，史蒂夫。当福音向地球四方传播的时候，他会在阿姆斯特丹，和我们站在一个司令台上。像他那样一个重要人物能承认错误转变思想可并不容易，史蒂夫。不过，正如我说过而且一再重复过的，像弗鲁米这样有勇气承认错误的人才是英雄。戴克哈德和我们所有其他人都理解这对于弗鲁米来说有多么困难，我们也以我们自己的方式表达了对他的宽恕。说实话，为了向你证明我们并非是你所认为的那样，是邪恶的人，我可以告诉你我们迁就了弗鲁米。” “迁就？”兰德尔说“怎么回事，乔治？” “也就是说有头脑的人有消除他们之间的分歧的办法，结成了一个坚强的同盟。既然弗鲁米打算支持我们，我们也会支持他。我们已不再支持杰弗里斯作为候选人，我们转而改为支持弗鲁米，让他成为下一届基督教会的理事长。” “我明白了。”兰德尔说。 He gets it.他把烟灰敲掉——弹到他身旁的一只烟灰缸里。是的，他明白了。He understood everything. “那么杰弗里斯呢？”兰德尔问，“你们拿他怎么办？” “我们会给他另一个位置，让他当基督教总会的主席。” “那么荣耀的职位，你是说他不在乎成为一个傀儡了？” “史蒂夫，杰弗里斯博士和我们不这么看。我们并不只考虑自己的虚荣心。我们有一个共同的目标，那就是团结一致，作出一点小小牺牲不足为怪。重要的是，弗鲁米站在我们这一边了，我们团结起来了。” “你们的确团结起来了。”兰德尔说，尽量压制着语气中的刻薄。