The American nodded. “You have been most generous. I have also made substantial use of my own employer’s resources as well.”

The cardinal nodded. Unexpectedly, he smiled. “God will reward us in his own time.”

The American tried, unsuccessfully, to keep his sigh of relief to himself.

After a moment, the cardinal continued. “You have been good about not asking questions, about not probing too deeply.”

“Thank you. I really don’t want to pry into things that aren’t my business. Actually, I’m better off not knowing most things.…”

Braun nodded. “But I have been thinking that knowing more about the substance may help you in your quest, may spark some creative thoughts.”

“If that is your judgment,” the American replied tentatively. “By all means.”

“Have you wondered all these months what is inside the box you seek?” The cardinal asked. “How its contents could possibly prove the authenticity of Sophia’s shroud and her genuineness as Messiah? After all, we’re talking about something that’s nearly seventeen hundred years old Wars, the Crusades, the disruptions… how can you prove something of this import beyond even a reasonable doubt?”

The American nodded. “I have wondered and I have also decided that perhaps I was better off not knowing,” he said.

Braun smiled. “Perhaps as a member of the church and as a faithful man, you are better off not knowing. But as a soldier of God, I think perhaps the details may help you in your search.”

The American’s eyes held the cardinal’s gaze for a long moment and then he nodded reluctantly.

“The history is entwined with the proof,” Braun began, “so let me start in 310 A.D., when Sophia was born in a small Anatolian hamlet into a family of merchants, apparently as the illegitimate offspring of the merchant’s eldest daughter. The circumstances surrounding the birth are not clear. The family tried to keep the birth of the illegitimate daughter a secret, and succeeded for more than thirteen years. The girl was never allowed outside of the fairly comfortable family residence, and never brought in contact with any of the household workers. The obvious explanation for the secrecy was to avoid the shame of the unmarried birth. But from a diary kept by the girl’s mother, we know the real reason had to do with paranormal occurrences that had taken place as early as the middle of the gestation period.

“The girl’s mother, apparently, had begun a series of prophecies during her pregnancy, all of which dealt with mundane workaday life situations, and some of which involved her father’s business. All of the prophecies came true.

“Then after the birth of Sophia, people who bathed or held the infant were given fleeting powers of prophecy. The fact that Sophia was not put to death for being not only illegitimate but also possessed by demons is an indication that the family may have known more about Sophia’s birth than they dared to put into writing.”

“More?” the American asked. “Such as?”

“Perhaps they had some message or indication of the baby girl’s divine origins.” He looked hesitantly at the American. “But that’s just speculation. I’d like to stick here with what can be proven.” The American nodded.