Crescent Dawn (Dirk Pitt 21)

He then stepped to the third panel, where Summer stood with a pleased expression on her face. It depicted a crowned woman in profile pointing toward the upper corner of the fresco. Her finger was pointing at a towering green mountain capped by a pair of crosses. The geological features of Stavrovouni were clearly visible in the hilltop rendering.

“Helena?” Dirk said.

“It has to be,” Summer replied. “Now, look at the bottom.”

Dirk peered closely at the lower portion of the fresco, observing a section of faded blue that represented the sea. The image of three ships on the water was barely visible beneath Helena’s profile. Crude in representation, each ship was the same approximate size, and was powered by both sail and oars. With the proper perspective, Dirk could see that two of the ships appeared to be pursuing the third vessel. Studying the faded plaster, he pointed to the two chase craft.

“This one appears to be sinking by the stern,” he said, “while the other one is turning out to sea.”

“Look at the sail on the lead ship,” Summer said.

Straining his eyes, Dirk could just see a faint symbol on the ship’s sail. It appeared to be an “X” with a high-legged “P” written over its center.

“It’s the Chi-Rho monogram that was used by Constantine,” she explained. “It was the divine symbol that supposedly came to him in a dream before his victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. He used it on his battle standard and as an emblem of his rule.”

“Then the picture is either Helena arriving in Cyprus with an escort . . .” he said.

“Or it is Plautius’s galley fleeing two Cypriot pirate ships,” she said, completing his thought.

A chip in the fresco obscured the path of the galley, but the continuation of a shoreline along the bottom indicated that it was headed toward land. Slightly above the horizon was another small image, of a nude woman emerging from the sea, a pair of dolphins at her side.

/> “The meaning of that is lost on me,” Summer said as Dirk examined the image.

Just then, the dour monk walked by, having escorted a pair of French tourists through the church. Dirk hailed him and inquired about the frescoes.

“Yes, they are very old,” the monk said. “The archaeologists believe they date to the Byzantine Age. Some have claimed that these walls were part of the original church, but nobody knows for sure.”

“This last fresco,” Summer asked, “is it an image of Helena?”

“Yes,” the monk confirmed. “She’s arrived by sea and envisions the church here on Stavrovouni.”

“Do you know what this figure is?” she asked, pointing to the nude woman.

“That would be Aphrodite. You see, the monastery here was built on the ruins of a temple to Aphrodite. The artist must have been paying homage to the site before Helena commissioned the church to be built here.”

She thanked the monk, then watched him shuffle back to the monastery door.

“Well, we were close,” she said. “Now we know there were two pirate ships, anyway.”

“The image makes it appear that the Roman vessel was still afloat after battling the pirates. It was heading somewhere,” Dirk muttered, staring at the image until his eyes turned blurry. He finally stepped away from the panel and joined Summer in heading toward the exit.

“I guess we got all we can from here,” he said. “By the way, did you talk to Ridley Bannister?”

“Ridley who?” she asked as they descended the stairway to the parking lot.

“Ridley Bannister, the British archaeologist. He said he knew you.”

Receiving a blank look, Dirk proceeded to describe his encounter in the monastery.

“I never saw him,” she said. Then the wheels of suspicion began to turn in her head. “What does he look like?”

“Thin, medium build, sandy hair. I suppose women might find him handsome.”

Summer suddenly froze on the steps. “Did you notice if he was wearing a ring?”

Dirk thought a moment. “Yes, I think so. On his right ring finger. I noticed it when we shook hands. It was solid gold with a funny design, like something out of the Middle Ages.”

Summer’s face turned flush with anger. “That’s the guy who stole the Manifest from Julie and me at gunpoint. He said his name was Baker.”