John Lyman - The Secret Chapel

“Did you know the expedition that discovered his bones was led by an old friend and mentor of mine?” Morelli said. “His name was Father Gilberto Bianchi, a Jesuit archaeologist who was in charge of the digging at the time. You met him once, Leo. He was one hundred years old when he died last year.”

Leo remembered him. He had seemed more like a grizzled old caretaker than a priest. Morelli, however, had practically worshiped the man. Bianchi had not only introduced him to the area under the Vatican, but had tutored him for years in the fine art of biblical archaeology.

The three men continued to stare at the altar until Morelli finally motioned them forward. Leo and John followed behind until they angled off to the right and stopped in front of one of the four main pillars supporting Michelangelo’s dome. Morelli then circled the pillar until he came to a small stairway that led below to a darkened bronze door.

“Beyond that door at the bottom of the stairs is the Vatican grotto, a huge crypt where the remains of many of the Catholic Church’s royalty are located, including ninety-one popes.”

“Are we allowed down there?” Leo asked.

“Yes, the main area is open to everyone. They have daily tours for the public, but they use a different entrance.”

The trio descended the stairs and Morelli opened the door to reveal the grotto. Leo was surprised. He had imagined a dark, cave-like area, but instead, subdued lighting highlighted tall stucco arches that met a curved, white ceiling. Long hallways branched out from the area under the altar, where niches carved into the walls contained sarcophagus-like tombs of popes and others who would spend eternity beneath the largest church in the world.

Walking through the sanctified space, the men arrived at the entrance to a long hallway trailing off to their right. Morelli looked around to see if anyone was watching and stepped over a chain with a “do not enter” sign attached. Scanning the area once more, he gestured for the other two men to follow. Leo looked around nervously before jumping over the chain behind John and following Morelli down the unlit hallway to its end, where they encountered a thick wooden door with medieval-looking metal hinges.

Leo stared at the door. “What’s behind there?”

“Another crypt, one not open to the public,” Morelli answered.

The door was locked, as they all knew it would be. John looked around before reaching inside his robe and producing a small crowbar.

Leo was horrified. “You can’t be serious. A crowbar? You’re actually thinking of breaking into a locked area of the Vatican with a crowbar?”

Morelli chuckled to himself as he pulled a key from his pocket. “Of course not. That’s for later.” John grinned at Leo who was still staring in disbelief at the crowbar. Morelli unlocked the door, and the three stepped into the second crypt, closing the door behind them.

Morelli studied their surroundings. “It’s down here to the right.”

“Just what are we looking for, Anthony?” Leo asked.

“The tomb of a Swedish queen who converted to Catholicism over two hundred years ago. Lev called me from Israel this morning after we left the cafe and told me that he found her name encoded in the Bible. According to the code, the seal is beneath her tomb.”

Leo was incredulous. “How can we possibly look beneath her tomb?”

“These tombs are really stone caskets similar to Egyptian sarcophagi, but luckily for us, they are much smaller and lighter. We only need to move one away from the wall to see the floor underneath.”

Leo marveled at the sight of so many popes in their stone vaults lining the walls. “I never imagined this place was so extensive.”

“Even people who have worked in the Vatican their entire lives have never seen this area. This crypt is open only to cardinals and researchers with special permission. I happen to be a researcher with special permission, hence the key.”

“I wasn’t even going to ask you about the key. I’m just thankful we aren’t all going to jail.”

“Well, I’m not going to jail, but you and John don’t have special permission. I’ve heard the food in Italian jails is excellent though.”

Before Leo had a chance to respond or bolt for the door, they reached the tomb Father Morelli was looking for. John sprang into action and placed the flat end of the crowbar between the wall and the stone tomb. He then began to inch it away from the wall, and with the help of the other two, the tomb began to move, slowly revealing the floor beneath.

“Careful you don’t chip the marble, John,” Morelli warned. He was starting to feel some guilt at disturbing the final resting place of a queen.

“I’ll do my best, Father. This thing is heavier than it looks.”

After about twenty minutes of slow work, the heavy marble tomb was far enough away from the wall to observe the surface of the floor that had been covered for over two hundred years.

“No seal,” breathed John, wiping the sweat from his face.

All three men stared at the blank floor.

“Maybe the seal is on the bottom of the tomb, Anthony,” Leo ventured.

“It’s possible, but we can’t just turn this thing on its side.” Morelli had visions of the tomb breaking open and a two-hundred-year-old queen rolling out onto the floor.

Leo studied the tomb and floor around it. “Maybe we can get a block of wood or something to use as a pivot point and pry an edge up enough to shine a light underneath. That way we can visualize the bottom.”

John emptied the contents of his backpack on the floor and let out a sigh. “I forgot to bring a flashlight.”

Leo proudly withdrew the small flashlight he had purchased that morning at the sporting goods store.

Morelli looked surprised. “Well done, my friend. I forgot you once worked in a mine.”

John was grinning from ear to ear. “Now, where are you going to find a block of wood, MacGyver?”

Laughing out loud at the MacGyver remark, Leo looked around. “There are two other types of people who have permission to be down here: janitors and maintenance people.” Leo headed off down the line of tombs until he came to a small door. He turned the knob, and the unlocked door opened easily. It was a janitor’s closet. Inspecting the contents inside, he found a large push broom with a thick wooden head. He unscrewed it from the handle and returned to the tomb.

“This should work.”

Morelli winked at John. “Now you know why I like this man so much. He possesses a very practical mind.”

Using the wooden broom head as a pivot point, Anthony and John placed all their weight on the opposite end of the crowbar, slowly lifting the edge of the tomb six inches off the floor. Leo then placed his head on the floor and peered underneath with the flashlight.

“Do you see anything?” Morelli grunted.

“Not that I can tell. I’m pretty sure there’s no seal here.”

“Are you sure? Not even a mark? Something?”

“Nothing,” Leo replied. “The bottom is smooth polished marble, just like the top. There’s nothing here.”

Morelli and John strained as they lowered the tomb and sat on the floor. Their breathing was labored and their clothes were beginning to stick to them.

Now what?

Leo wiped the sweat from his brow. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to try Italian jailhouse cuisine. Let’s move this thing back against the wall and get out of here.”

Morelli barely hid his disappointment as the three men moved the tomb back into position against the wall. They were just starting for the exit when they heard voices echoing in the distance.

“Are you sure you saw them come down here?” It was the voice of Cardinal Lundahl.