“I’m not sure that what they think they want is on ‘God’s earth.’ Alex, what you and Lucy have found is a document which they believe is the key that opens the door to salvation. They are convinced that, with the help of whatever it is these papers will lead them to—some kind of Ark of the Covenant—they will be able to talk to the angels to establish the moment and the precise details of the coming of the Rapture—or that the conversation has already been recorded by Dee’s own hand some four hundred years ago. According to Calvin, there is a theory that Dee buried it because it was too hot to handle. He buried a lot of things, apparently. They got you to hand over the pages you had by abducting Lucy; now they’ve discovered they have only part of the puzzle. They want the next installment, whatever it is, even if you don’t know where to look. And they won’t wait.”

Lucy had sat silently, considering the implications of what Alex had asked, as well as what Simon was saying, but now her mind fixed fully on Simon’s words. “Sorry, Simon, I’m lost. What are you talking about? And who? ‘Rapture’?”

Grace understood Lucy’s confusion. She was fully aware that Simon’s mind—normally well able to absorb information and communicate it smoothly—was out of control with anxiety. She had noticed he was changing lanes at high speed and driving erratically.

“You and I have been talking about this since you saw Calvin, but why don’t you just rewind and tell them what you’ve learned? And could you slow down a shade? He’s a bit dislocated,” she explained to Alex and Lucy.

“Quite right, Gracie. Sorry. The people who are interested in you and your ancestor, Alex, are theological fundamentalists—although it’s a bad word to use, as it embraces too much. For our purposes, let’s understand that Calvin’s friends are only a handful among many for whom religious authority is absolute and admits no criticism. They expect that specific demands and dictates derived from scripture should be not only publicly recognized, but legally enforced. They’re obsessed with combating the erosion of religion and its proper role in our society, as they see it. They are Christian, of course, not Muslim; and their rather unforgiving and unchristian morality permeates all thought, all aspects of their outlook on the world. They teach Creationism, vilify Darwin, insist that all religious truth is revealed and unified. They are interested above all in the Apocalypse, so their interpretation of history reassesses all defining moments as an aspect of the cosmic struggle. Jesus is neither the Lamb of God nor the Prince of Peace for them; he is a bloodthirsty Messiah looking for revenge.”

Grace suddenly interrupted him. “It is entirely male-led, by the way.”