Robert Walker - Final Edge

Lucas outlined all that had occurred, the story causing Portsmith to gasp more than once. He brought the horror of the Post-it Ripper back to her doorstep, explaining that the package sent to his home had Our Lady as its return address.

"Such cruelty in mankind," she muttered. "But to think anyone here could possibly have anything to do with such horrors, no. No, it must be a ruse," she instantly suggested, her right hand holding down her left on the desk before them. "It can't possibly have anything to do with our home here."

"There's another connection to here," Lucas added, "two, in fact. One, my landlord, who took the parcel, said it was delivered by a young woman dressed in a Catholic school uniform. Two, your convent school is not far from where I live."

"It's impossible," she automatically replied. "Only a handful of our girls are considered trustworthy enough to go beyond the gates of Our Lady, and none of our girls could possibly involve herself in such a soulless crime." The mother's hackles rose up now, the hair on her neck alert, her very skin bristling, her eyes and ears like those of a hunting dog alerting on a kill. She gritted her teeth behind a firmly set jaw and searched Lucas's face, and then Meredyth's, for some sign that they must know they were in the wrong place and wasting not only their time but hers.

"From an investigative standpoint, Mother Elizabeth," replied Lucas, "it's good news that you can narrow down the number of young ladies here who enjoy the freedom to come and go."

"It'll save us a great deal of time," agreed Meredyth.

"I'm not so sure I should simply turn my girls over to be interrogated by police. Should I call in Carver?"

"Carver?"

"The convent lawyer."

"That will only complicate things," Lucas replied.

"For you perhaps."

Meredyth waved her hands. "We only want to speak to the children to determine if one among them delivered the package, possibly for money, Mother Elizabeth. We don't think the girl in question knew what was in the parcel."

"I still think I should call Mr. Carver. I am not well versed in any law other than ecclesiastical law. And while his expertise is property and investments, I know his first question to me will be did you two display a warrant to question my girls, minors most of them." She lifted her phone, making Lucas groan. She glared at him. "I am a simple woman and need guidance."

Lucas looked her firmly in the eyes. "Carver will only cost you more hours, Mother Elizabeth, and isn't time your most valuable commodity, aside from your flock here, I mean? If we have to go and come back with a court order, it'll only mean more disruption of your schedule here."

Mother Elizabeth had only to punch her speed dial for Carver. She held the phone in a moment of silence, her eyes closed as if in prayer. Finally, she calmly placed the phone back on its cradle. "All right, but you realize if one or more of the girls refuse to talk to you, she has the sanctuary of these walls, and therefore the right of refusal. If you have a problem with that, then perhaps I should call Carver."

Lucas opened his palms to her. "Refusing to talk to police? We get that all the time, Mother. It's called the Fourth Amendment."

"Sanctuary predates the U.S. Constitution, Detective."

Meredyth grabbed him and huddled heads with him, whispering, "Don't try to match wits with this woman."

Meredyth then straightened in her seat and addressed the mother superior. "We accept any conditions necessary to speak to the girls," Meredyth added.

"All right, Dr. Sanger, Detective."

"But before you begin piling on more conditions, ma'am," Lucas said, "I want you to know what we have. Fact, a twenty-eight-year-old young woman, abducted and brutally murdered, her head severed with an ax, two"-he held up his fingers-"two whacks with a dull blade, and some fiend sent her head in a UPS box to us. If one of your girls can give us a description of the man who she acted for, then we may stop this satanic individual from harming his next victim, who quite possibly could be one of your girls, if she's spending time with him."

Meredyth added, "The Lourdes woman's family deserves some closure, Mother Superior. Surely, you can understand our need to act quickly before another part of this woman is mailed to someone, perhaps her mother and father."

The mother superior relaxed her gaze and relented. "Well…I suspect our Mr. Carver has enough on his plate. All right. I'll have the trustworthy girls we allow to interface with the community called up to my office, and you may speak with them, but I must be present during any…inquisitioning."

"In-what?" asked Lucas.

"During interrogations, Lucas," explained Meredyth.

"Your presence could make them hesitant to talk freely," Lucas pointed out.

"Those are my terms. Take them or…or we call in Mr. Carver, and you can deal with him."

"No, no. Your being present actually may spur the truth from your girls, I suspect," said Lucas.

"Are there any other girls who you suspect capable of finding their way off the grounds other than your trustees?" asked Meredyth.

"None. We run a very taut ship here. Now, I'll have Sister Audrey call each of the girls to come out of their classes. There's a room to your left where you can question each."

"I'd also like to examine your records," added Meredyth, who had stiffened somewhat in her seat, her eyes roaming about the convent office. "I'm particularly interested in newborns turned over to your care in 1984."

"And the significance of that year has to do with your case?" she asked, her forehead creasing below the line of her habit.

"A third connection to the convent orphanage. Mother Superior," said Lucas.

"I was involved as an intern at the time with Child and Family Protective Services-it was called then, placing children in the care of various orphanages in and around Harris County and Houston, including yours." Meredyth took a deep breath. "We may be far off here, but there may be some connection between the killer's interest in your convent and my short association with your orphanage, Mother Elizabeth."

"That was some twenty years ago, and I was not here in 1984," she thoughtfully replied, "and those records will be difficult to access."

"But you have them?" asked Lucas.

"In the basement, yes. Along with anything and everything stored there since before my time here." She made a tsk-tsk noise with her dentures, her wrinkled face puckering. Lucas guessed her age at somewhere between sixty- nine and seven-five.

Mother Elizabeth then pressed the button on what appeared an ancient intercom system, spoke to her aide, Sister Audrey, and asked her to round up the six girls she had in mind. "Anyone else you know who may have had any dealings outside the gates in the past week, send them along as well, Sister Audrey, dear."

A voice like a clanging cowbell came back over the intercom, "But Mother Superior, that will disrupt a number of classes."

"Just arrange it, Sister."

"Right away, Mother Superior."

"Would you care for coffee and a roll while you wait?" asked Mother Elizabeth, pointing to an um beside which lay an array of pastries, cups, saucers, and napkins. "All prepared here on the premises. I have made the school here completely self-sufficient, save for a few necessities we require. You must stay long enough to inspect our gardens in the courtyard, our dining facilities, the sleeping quarters, and the classrooms. We teach all the subjects, including the arts, music, Latin, and Greek, but we also teach self- sufficiency-self-reliance as well as a reliance on God."

"I'm not sure we have that much time this trip out," said Meredyth, "but perhaps next visit."

From somewhere in one of the buildings, the sound of stringed instruments wafted up to them, muffled with the occasional strident chord.