Iris Johansen - Bonnie

He suddenly went still. “Not a bad one.”

She quickly shook her head. “I was joking.”

“I’m not. We get what we want. If Father Barnabas is telling the truth about his devotion to his vows, then his soul and conscience would be clear. He couldn’t blame himself.”

“How do you know? He might feel as if he should be able to resist the drug.”

“He’s a priest, not a saint.” He paused. “And he might not be doing a good job at being either one.”

“No, Gallo,” she said firmly.

“Catherine would agree with me.”

Eve knew he was probably right. “Then you won’t ask her, will you?”

He was silent. “It would be the most efficient way to handle it.”

“Gallo.”

“I’ll think about it.” He looked at her. “If you can suggest another way that we can get what we need from him.”

“He seemed confident he could reach Danner. We keep close to him and follow him.”

“But he said he didn’t know for certain where my uncle was.”

“Then he might be expecting Danner to come to confession. We just have to be patient for a little while.”

“With the emphasis on little,” he said. “I’ll play it your way for now, but if it appears to be going nowhere, I’ll call Catherine and ask if Hu Chang has given her anything that would be-”

“No.”

He smiled faintly. “I may not have to call her or do anything at all. When I talked to her on the phone, she said she and Quinn would be on their way here. She’ll analyze the situation and make her own decision.”

Eve should have expected that to happen. “You told her that we had a lead on Donnelly.”

He nodded. “They had already found out that Donnelly had become a priest at that college in Valdosta and taken the name of Father Barnabas. We just combined info and came up with this church as a reasonable meeting place. Quinn is going to be very suspicious. He isn’t going to be any more inclined to understanding the priest’s reluctance than I am.”

No, three warriors with a practical mentality about getting what they want. She might be fighting this battle alone. There was a certain logic to their argument, and she was tempted to go along with their reasoning.

But she had promised Bonnie that she would be careful with Father Barnabas. In her daughter’s eyes, that would include the possible disturbance of the priest’s conscience.

“Then I’ll have to explain my point of view.” She met Gallo’s eyes. “We have to find another way. There has been enough hurt to the innocents. I’m just as eager as you to find Danner, and we will.” She added crisply, “Now what’s the most efficient way for surveillance of Father Barnabas?”

He frowned. “I don’t like-” He broke off. “The most practical method is observation and maybe to bug his car.”

“And how can we do that? Where can we get the equipment?”

“We can call Quinn and get him to contact the local police and get them to help.” He shook his head. “But that would probably mean dealing with red tape. It would be quicker to get the equipment ourselves from one of those local spy-and-surveillance stores you see in some of the malls.”

“They can’t be that popular. Do you think they’d have a store here in Rome?”

He shook his head. “I’ll check on the Internet, but a small town would probably not be worrying too much about spying on nannies or checking to see if their kids are on drugs. But they’d have them in Chattanooga, and that’s right next door.”

“Then go get what we need.”

“You think our good priest is lying about knowing where my uncle is right now?”

“No. It’s hard to judge, but I don’t think he lied to me. But I don’t want to take a chance that he might make a good guess. Do you?”

He slowly shook his head. “We’re getting too close. Let’s go.”

She shook her head. “No, you go. I’ll stay here.” She held up her hand to stop him as he opened his lips to protest. “Observation, remember? One of us has to keep an eye on Father Barnabas.”

“And who would keep an eye on you?”

“Do you actually think Father Barnabas is going to attack me in this church?” She gave him a steady glance. “It’s not likely. He told me he had an appointment with a young couple who are going to be married. You’ll probably be back before he’s even finished with them.”

He didn’t move. “And you won’t try to follow him if he takes off?”

“I won’t do it without calling you.”

“And what if my uncle decides to show up for confession?”

“Then I’ll have to play it by ear.” She smiled faintly. “So stop borrowing trouble and get back here so that you don’t have anything to worry about.”

He hesitated, then turned on his heel and strode toward the door. “It shouldn’t take me more than a couple hours. Stay here.”

She didn’t answer.

He glanced back over his shoulder at her. “I don’t like this,” he muttered.

Then he was gone.

She was relieved that he had actually left her. The suggestion she had made was reasonable, but Gallo was very protective.

It must be because her argument about the safety of the sanctuary was reasonable and the time involved so little.

She did feel safe here.

She gazed around the sanctuary.

Peace. Beauty. Stained-glass windows depicting St. Francis and the animals. The crucifix over the altar.

She was not a Catholic, but there were many things she liked about the religion. The confessionals. Releasing guilt and pain by voicing them could only be healthy, both physically and mentally.

The idea that worshippers had followed the same rituals for centuries.

And the soothing silence of this sanctuary that closed out the present and brought back the past.

She sank down in the pew to the left of the aisle and closed her eyes.

Memories were flooding back to her.

Not bitter but gentle, precious memories.

Bonnie that moment in the hospital when Eve had first seen her.

Bonnie singing her special songs with Eve before she went to bed.

Joe holding Eve, smiling at her, tilting his head thoughtfully as he listened to something she said.

“Are you waiting for Father Barnabas? You did find him, didn’t you?” She looked around to see Father Dominic coming down the aisle. “You and Mr. Gallo seemed to be very intent on talking to him.”

“I found him.”

The priest’s brows rose. “Not a satisfactory meeting? It doesn’t surprise me. He’s pretty well rejected the life he led before he entered the seminary, but he’s very protective about his former patients. He can be very stubborn.”

“Yes, he can. But so can I. Where is he? He told me he had an appointment with a young couple.”

Father Dominic nodded. “He should be done now. I saw their car leaving about ten minutes ago. He’s probably still in the office.”

“And where is that?”

He nodded at a door to the right of the altar. He shook his head. “I know you must be in distress, but you’d be wise to accept Father Barnabas’s decision,” he said gently. “He won’t change his mind.”

“Thank you, I know you only want to be kind.” She headed for the door. She smiled over her shoulder. “And maybe also to protect a fellow priest from having to deal with an annoying person from his past. I’m not going to cause him any trouble… at the moment.”

The priest chuckled. “Father Barnabas can handle trouble. It’s what we’re taught to do in the seminary.”

“And what I was taught growing up on the streets. So we have that in common.”

“Though I doubt you’d handle it in the same way. You won’t talk to me instead? I can’t help you with information, but I’m a good listener.”