Steve Berry: The Columbus Affair: A Novel

They’d said little since leaving Jamaica, and nothing after the women left the house. What was there to say? That was the thing about the truth. It silenced everything to the contrary.

“I lied to Mother,” she said. “You were right in Vienna. I’m a hypocrite. I knew how she felt about Judaism. How you converted for her. But I did it anyway, then lied right to her face, up until the day she died.”

He understood her agony.

“What’s worse,” she said, “my converting made what you did in leaving the Temple so unnecessary. The thing Mother didn’t want to happen, did. All the battles between you and your father came to nothing. He died before either of you could resolve anything. And it’s all my fault.”

She sobbed and he allowed her to release the pain.

“I wasn’t the best husband or father,” he said. “I was selfish. I was an adulterer. A liar. I made a ton of mistakes. And I could have patched things with Abiram, and you, but I didn’t. It’s not all your fault.”

“You saved my life in Jamaica. You dove into the water after me. You got me across the lake. You kept Simon from killing me.”

“As I recall, you saved mine, too.” She’d told him how she’d aimed a light in Rócha’s face and yelled.

“You’re not a lying reporter.”

Her statement carried the tone of a declaration.

“You’re a journalist. A Pulitzer Prize winner. You deserve all that you earned. Did you mean what you said to them? You don’t want anyone to know the truth about you?”

“It’s not important anymore that people know that. You know. That’s all I care about.”

He meant every word.

“And what about the Temple treasure?” she asked.

“Only you and I know what’s in that cave and how to get it. True, there are other ways across that lake. But it’s sat safe for sixty years, and I think the Maroons will keep it safe for sixty more. How about you and I decide what to do when things calm down.”

She nodded through her tears.

“We’ll be the Levite,” he said. “Together.”

His grandfather had involved Berlinger, now he would include Alle. He’d already decided to make peace with his religion. He was born a Jew to Jewish parents, and a Jew he would always be.

He’d already spoken to Inna and told her what happened. There’d be a story at some point about Zachariah Simon, his plans, and the dangers of fanaticism. Whether the Temple treasure would be included remained to be seen. He’d write the story himself and give it to her. She hadn’t liked that idea, insisting that his byline appear. But he was a ghostwriter, and that he would remain. In the end, she’d understood and respected his wish. He liked Inna. Maybe he’d visit her again one day.

Interesting.

He’d finally started thinking about the future again.

“How about this,” he said to Alle. “We both made a ton of mistakes, let’s call it even and start over.”

More tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’d really like that.”

He extended his hand. “Tom Sagan.”

She managed a smile and accepted his handshake. “Alle Beck—”

She caught herself.

“Alle Sagan.”

He shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Alle Sagan.”

One last thing to do.

He turned to the graves and bent down.

For two decades he’d built a barrier to protect his emotions, one he’d thought insurmountable. The last five days had showed him the foolishness of his ways. In the end what mattered was family. And all he had left was Alle. He now had a second chance with her. But none existed with the man lying beneath his feet. For twenty years he’d called him Abiram, old man, anything and everything except what he deserved. So much bad had passed between them but, in the end, he’d been loved. And trusted. Of that there was no doubt.

He was going to be all right.

That much he now knew.

Alle stood behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He caressed the marker’s smooth granite and hoped that maybe, just maybe, his words could be heard.

“I love you, Dad.”

WRITER’S NOTE

THIS NOVEL TOOK ELIZABETH AND ME ON INTRIGUING JOURNEYS, one to Jamaica, another to Prague. Vienna and Mount Dora, Florida, were locales visited in the past.

Now it’s time to separate fact from fiction.

Columbus was indeed marooned on Jamaica for over a year (prologue, chapter 7) and made use of a lunar eclipse to trick the Taino natives into supplying his crew with food (chapter 35). Eighty-seven men sailed with Columbus on his first voyage in 1492, and not a single priest was among them. But a Hebrew translator, Luis de Torres, was part of that first contingent. De Torres’ background as a converso , provided in chapter 17, is accurate, as is the fact that he stayed in the New World and was probably the first European to sample tobacco. His involvement as a Levite with the Temple treasure is my addition—but the notion that the first words that Europeans spoke in the New World may have been Hebrew is entirely possible (chapter 17).

The legend of a lost Jamaican gold mine connected to Columbus is one often repeated. Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean , by Edward Kritzler, deals with this intriguing myth. The coded information quoted in chapter 35 (which supposedly leads to the mine) came from documents cited in Kritzler’s book. The story of the Cohen brothers, a deed to 420 acres of land, the lawsuit between the brothers, and Abraham Cohen’s swindling of Charles II (chapters 10, 19, and 20) is also from Kritzler’s book. The Santa María , Columbus’ flagship, did run aground in December 1492 off the coast of Haiti. The ship was lost, but its cargo was salvaged and brought ashore. Three mysterious crates being included within that cache was my invention. Crates from Panama loaded with gold and hidden by Columbus in 1504 during his year marooned on Jamaica (chapter 7) are noted in several historical accounts, but whether they actually existed is hard to say. For an interesting prequel to The Columbus Affair , check out my short story “The Admiral’s Mark.”

The Taino (chapter 28) presence on Jamaica, 7,000 years before the Europeans, is true, as is the fact that by 1650 they were wiped out. Calling them Arawaks is incorrect, though their language is known by that term. Gold was not precious to the Tainos (chapter 28), but whether they possessed a mine shown to Columbus, nobody knows. Little remains today of the Tainos except for some artifacts, their caves, and legends (chapter 24).

The Maroons are a fascinating group of people. Their history and sociology are accurately portrayed (chapters 3, 19, 24), and their propensity for secrets is real (chapter 68). How slaves made it to the New World (chapter 28) is accurately related, as is the fact that Jamaica, situated at the end of the trade route, received the toughest of the lot (chapter 19). Charles Town exists, as does the Maroon museum there (chapters 24 and 25). Grandy Nanny is a part of both Maroon and Jamaican history. How she looked, who she was, and whether she even actually lived are matters of debate (chapters 3, 68). An image of her currently appears on the Jamaican $500 note, known locally as a “Nanny.” Abengs (chapter 71) were used by Maroons to communicate over long distances, their wail terrifying British soldiers. Maroon war tactics, as described throughout, were implemented to great success. Duppies (chapter 28) are a part of Jamaican folklore. The tales Béne’s mother tells about Martha Brae and the golden table (chapter 50) are still told. Both the Tainos and Maroons sometimes buried their dead in caves, but the crypt in chapter 62 is wholly imaginary. Interestingly, there are many striking similarities between Maroon religious beliefs and Judaism (chapter 74).