Ed McBain - Vespers

"Why would I do that?”

"I have no idea. Did you?”

"No.”

"What was your relationship with Father Michael?”

"I wasn't having an affair with him, if we're back to that.”

"Was there ever anything between you that went beyond a strictly business relationship?”

“Yes," she said, surprising him.

"In what way?" he asked.

"I found him extremely attractive. And I suppose.., if I'm to be perfectly honest with myself... I suppose I flirted with him on occasion.”

"Flirted how?”

"Well, the walk.., you know.”

"What walk?”

"Well, you know how women walk when want to attract attention.”

"Uh-huh.”

"And eye contact, I guess. And an oc show of leg, like that. Well, you know how flirt.”

“Are you Catholic?" he asked.

"No.”

"So you found it perfectly okay, I guess, to with a priest.”

“You sound angry," she said, and smiled at "No, I'm not angry, I'm simply trying to...”

"But you sound angry.”

"It was okay to flirt with a priest, is that right? walk, the eye contact, the occasional show of isn't that what you called it, all that?

That was perfectly okay.”

"Oh, come on, we've all had that fantasy, we? Nuns? Priests? What do you think The Birds was all about, if not wanting to go to bed a priest?

Didn't you read The Thorn Birds?”

“No," he said.

"Or see the miniseries?”

"No." .

"Only everybody in the entire worm saw miniseries.”

"But not me. Was that your fantasy? Wanting to go to bed with Father Michael?”

"I thought about it, yes.”

"And apparently acted on it.”

"Acting's a pretty good word for it, actually.

Because in many ways it was almost like playing Meggie in The Thorn Birds. Or Sadie Thompson in Rain, do you know Rain? I did it in class last year.

You have to try all sorts of parts, you know, if you want to stretch your natural talent. These women involved with priests are very interesting. Or the Bette Davis character in Of Human Bondage, do you know that one? He's not a priest, of course, he's a cripple, but that's sort of the same thing, isn't it? Not that I'm suggesting a priest is a cripple, but only that he's a person handicapped by his vows, who can't give vent to his natural instincts or desires, his urges really, because he's bound by these vows he's made, he's handicapped in that way.., well, he is sort of crippled, actually. So it was.., well, very interesting.

To be playing this sort of part, and to... well... observe his reactions. It made the job more interesting. I mean, the job was very boring, you know. This made it interesting.”

“Sure," Hawes said.

Actresses, he thought.

"But it never went beyond that," he said.

"Never.”

"You never...”

“Well," she said, and hesitated.

He waited.

"I could see he was interested, you know.”

"Uh-huh.”

"I mean.., he was aware of me, let's put it way.”

"Uh-huh.”

"Watching me, you know.”

"Uh-huh.”

"Aware of me.”

She sipped at her drink, and then loo] thoughtfully into her glass, as if searching for under the lime and the ice cubes.

"I have to admit," she said, and again "If he'd made the slightest move.., if he'd that single step beyond.., you know.., looking. might have gone all the way. Because, I'll tell the truth, I'm being perfectly honest with you, scared to death of sex these days. Because of I haven't been to bed with anyone in the past I'm telling you the absolute truth.

And I thou and maybe this is why I started it, the-flirting, know... I thought at least this would be safe.

with a priest would be completely safe.”

She looked up into his face.

Her eyes met his.

"I don't know," she said, "do you think terrible?”

"Yes," he said.

But that didn't mean she'd killed him.

"I'll just get the check," he said.

Abigail Finch was a beautiful blonde woman wearing yellow tights, a black leotard top, and high-heeled black leather pumps that added a good three inches to her already substantial height. When she let Carella into her Calm's Point apartment at seven o'clock that evening, she explained that she'd just come in from exercise class when he called, and hadn't had time to change. Except for your shoes, he thought, but did not say.

Miss. Finch... "Please call me Abby," she said at once... had to have been at least forty (her son was, after all, in his twenties) but she looked no older than thirty-two or -three. Proud of her carefully honed appearance, she walked ahead of him into the living room, offered him a seat, asked if he'd like something to drink, and then turned to face him on the sofa, her knees touching his briefly before she repositioned herself, folding her long legs under her, placing her hands demurely in her lap. There was incense burning somewhere in the room, and Miss. Finch herself Abby was wearing a perfume thick with insinuation. Carella felt as if he'd inadvertently dropped into a whorehouse in Singapore. He decided he'd better get to the point fast and get the hell out of here. That was exactly how threatened he felt.

"It was good of you to see me, Miss. Finch," he said. "I'll try not to...”

“Abby," she said. "Please.”

I'll try not to take up too much of your time,, said. "It's our understanding...”

"Are you sure you wouldn't like a drink?”

Leaning toward him, placing one hand li A toucher, he thought.

"Thank you, no," he said, "I'm still officially duty.”

"Would you mind if I had one?”

"Not at all," he said.

She swiveled off the sofa, moved like a dancer a bar with a dropleaf front, opened it, looked over her shoulder like Betty Grable in the World War II poster, smiled, and said, soft?”

“Nothing, thank you," he said.

She poured something dark into a short dropped several ice cubes into it, and came back the sofa.

"To the good life," she said, and smile mysteriously, as if she'd made a joke he could neve,! hope to understand.

"Miss. Finch," he said, "it's our...”

“Abby," she said, and raised her eyebrows " reprimand.

"Abby, yes," he said. "It's our understanding tha you went to see Father Michael to ask.for his1 assistance in...”

"Yes, in March sometime. Toward the end o March. Because I'd learned that my son was fooling around with witchcraft...”

"Well, not witchcraft, certainly...”

"The same thing, isn't it? Devil worship? Worse, in fact.”

And smiled again, mysteriously.

"And you wanted his help, you wanted him to tall “

to your son... "Well, yes, would you want your son involved in such stuff?. I went to see Father Michael because Bornless was so close to St. Catherine's. And I thought if Andrew got a call from a priest.., he was raised as a Catholic, you know.., it might carry some weight.”

"How'd you find out your son was attending services.., if that's what they're called...”

“Masses," she said. "I guess. I forget who told me.

It was someone I ran into, she said did I know my son was involved in Satanism? A woman who knew both me and Andrew.”

"But why did you care?”

"I'm sorry?”

"You and your son are estranged, why'd you care what he was doing?”

"My son worshipping the Devil?" she said, looking astonished. "How would you like to have that going around town? That your faggot son is also involved in Satanism?”

"You mean.., well, I'm not sure what you mean.

Were you afraid this would reflect upon you in way?”

"Of course it would. God knows I'm not a Catholic anymore, but a person can't just forget upbringing entirely, can she?”

And smiled mysteriously again, as if mocking own words.

"So you went to see Father Michael..." said.