“ ‘Vainglorious goals’!” Shawn shouted. “So you believe you are the only one on a mission here! Well, screw you. This ossuary fell out of the blue into my hands. How do I know it isn’t the Lord himself involved, knowing I was someone who would instantly see the power of its truth and be able to use it constructively?”

“You don’t know it is the truth,” James countered. “That’s the point!”

“And that’s why I’m investigating,” Shawn said. “When I finish with the scrolls—”

“What language are they written in?”

“Aramaic,” Shawn blurted.

James’s heart fell. He’d had a sudden hope that Simon’s scrolls would be in an inappropriate language, to help him discredit them, but Aramaic would have been Simon’s native tongue.

“When I finish with the scrolls and Sana finishes with her work—”

“How is Sana’s work going to help or deny the authenticity of the bones?” James interjected irritably.

“I have no idea,” Shawn said. “I don’t totally understand what she does, but it’s indicative of our wish to properly investigate the contents of the ossuary to the limits of our abilities.”

“In spite of whom you may injure in the process?”

“I see it more in terms of whom we might help, and I include in that the Church itself.”

“Do you honestly believe that you may have been selected by Jesus Christ to help guide his Church? Is that what I’m hearing?”

Shawn spread his hands as if exposing himself. “It’s possible,” he said, but it came out as “ossible,” as he was unable to pronounce the p.

James let his head fall forward until his chin hit his chest. “This is worse than I imagined.”

“How so?” Shawn asked. He wasn’t so drunk not to notice a true change in his friend’s demeanor.

“I’m beginning to fear for your eternal soul,” James said. “Either that or your mental health.”

“Hey, you’re going overboard,” Shawn said. “I feel fine. Perfectly fine. I’ve never felt better. This ossuary and its contents are the most fascinating subject of my career.”

Sana suddenly reappeared from the kitchen bearing a candle-covered chocolate cake and singing “Happy Birthday.” Shawn and Jack joined in the singing as Sana placed the cake on the side table next to James’s chair. As they finished the birthday ditty, they all clapped.

Self-consciously James slipped forward in his chair, causing the bruise-like discolorations on his cheeks to darken. Taking in a big lungful of air, he blew out all the candles in one large sustained puff amid further applause.

As per usual, he didn’t let on what he’d wished, if he’d wished; but if he did, Jack had a good idea what it had been.

Chapter 24

24

9:23 P.M., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2008
NEW YORK CITY