get back to that police car. Get Angelo to call for back up. Bossano you’re with me.”
“I think I should stay with you.”
“Mr Dennis this is no time for heroics. Allow us, the police, to do our job,” Bauer said breaking into a run. Bossano following closely behind. Dennis watched them until they got to the church wall and began to move along it using the wall as cover, Bauer remembering there was a small wooden door near the rear, then he sprinted back to Angelo.
“We’ve just heard gunshots from inside the church,” Dennis said to the startled Italian policeman, “Bauer’s orders are for you to stay here, call for back up and to give me your gun.”
“Give you my gun? Bauer said this?”
“Yes,” Dennis said holding his hand out for the weapon.
Angelo stared into the Englishman’s eyes.
“You are sure of this. Are you a policeman?”
“Sort of,” Dennis lied, “In London,” he added.
Angelo pondered over this for a moment. Then not taking his eyes of Dennis he reached down to his belt, unclipped his holster and offered his gun.
“Are you familiar with this weapon?”
“Kind of,” Dennis said taking the Beretta.
“Look. You push this, point and shoot. Understood?”
“Sure. Point and shoot,” Dennis said. He began trotting backwards, “Call for back up.” then he turned and sprinted for the church. He moved silently to the small wooden door that Bauer and Bossano had disappeared through, pressed down gently on the latch and moved inside the church with the Beretta held ready in front of him. He closed the door as quietly as he could but as the metal latch connected with its counterpart it gave a small click which sounded deafening to him inside the empty church. At the foot of the stairs Bauer spun around and pointed his gun straight at Dennis who froze. Then Bauer raised his eyebrows and lowered his gun. Dennis moved silently across the rows of pews then stopped and tiptoed to the high altar. The bodies of three priests, blood staining their white robes, lay flat on their backs in front of the altar. Shot dead without mercy as they prayed to their God. Blood had splattered the altar, defiling it. Apalled Dennis made his way across the church. At the main doors was another dead priest. Bauer and Bossano waited at the foot of the stairs that led up, they waited for Dennis. Bauer saw the Beretta in the journalists hand.
“What are you doing here?” he mouthed silently.
“You need me,” Dennis whispered back.
The sound of smashing glass came down to them from the rooms above.
Bauer put his finger to his lips and then pointed up the stairs. They moved silently up, the Inspector taking the lead. At the top they stepped over the body of a monk, blood trickling from his mouth. Bauer bent down and placed two fingers to the man’s jugular. He waited for a few moments and then moved on, hugging the wall. Now they could hear movement and the sound of more glass smashing coming from the holy relics chapel on the left. Suddenly a man in black military fatigues came out of the chapel carrying a black holdall.
“Stop Police!” Bauer shouted.
The man dropped the holdall and went for the machine gun across his chest. Wasting no time Bauer dropped him with two shots to the chest. He kicked the man’s hands away from the machine gun. A burst of bullets from the relics rooms splattered off the far wall sending Bauer diving for cover. He, Dennis and Bossano crashed into the shroud room. More bullets sprayed the far wall accompanied with shouting. Dennis couldn’t hear what was being said but thought it sounded eastern European, maybe Russian. Bauer pointed his gun around the corner and fired back. Then amidst another burst of machine gun fire he realised the intruders were on the move. The muzzle of a machine gun appeared at the door and another burst of bullets sprayed the shroud room. The three of them dived for the floor. Dennis put his hands over his head as glass splintered around him and plaster rained down from the walls. The person firing the gun was retreating. They could hear them moving along the corridor and down the stairs.
Bauer and Bossano got to their feet and followed once again hugging the walls. Dennis stuck his head into the relics chapel. All cabinets holding relics had been smashed, the treasures within looted. He gave pursuit quickly catching the other two. They got