“And I think we need to go back to the monastery and talk to the nuns a second time. If nothing else, we need to warn them about Father Gareth. I know you’re probably tired of me dragging you all around the city, and you just want to do your job in peace and—”
Laying his hand on Felipe’s arm, the other man stilled and slowly turned to meet his gaze. Oliver didn’t often stare into people’s eyes, but Felipe’s were the warmest brown he had ever seen. They made him think of acorns and tawny owls and coffee. Things that were warm and full of life. Oliver forced himself to stare, to commit them to memory, as he traced his hand along Felipe’s cheek. He wanted more days like today. He wanted more breakfasts in bed. He wanted more days where he woke up at Felipe’s side and went to bed in his arms. He wanted more time. Oliver kissed him gently. When Felipe leaned toward him like a magnet, Oliver kissed him again, tongue skimming his lip.
Pulling back, he twined his fingers between Felipe’s and let his forehead rest against his. “I’ll go.”
“You don’t have to, Oliver. We can go tomorrow.”
“There could be a more pressing corpse in here tomorrow. Let’s go now.”
Felipe exhaled the tension in his shoulders, but the hints of it still remained at the edges. Oliver could feel it, too. They had less than five days to figure this out, and every day it managed to get more complicated. Less than five days before he lost Felipe Galvan forever. After they caught the killer, Oliver would recover from all the extra stress and outings. He could hold out a few more days if it meant more time at Felipe Galvan’s side.
***
Standing outside thegates of the Corpus Christi Monastery, Oliver watched Felipe scan the road for any sign of the priest. Unlike the church, which sat in the middle of a prosperous neighborhood, the monastery felt far from the world, even if only a small plot of land and a thick copse of trees separated them. At the clank of the lock sliding back, Oliver and Felipe straightened. Two of the younger nuns stood on the other side, staring at the men with wide eyes.
“You’re from the Paranormal Society,” the redheaded one said. Or Oliver assumed she was a redhead based on her brows and complexion.
Felipe nodded. “I’m Inspector Galvan, and this is Dr. Barlow. We were hoping we could speak to Sister Mary Margaret.”
The brown-browed sister behind her shook her head, but the redhead didn’t notice. “Yes, right this way.”
Oliver was relieved to see the redheaded nun slide the bolt home behind them, but as they walked toward the monastery, he thought he caught a hint of orange blossoms. He sniffed the air to find nothing more than the faint scent of future snow. Leading them through the foyer and past the common rooms, the sisters brought them down a whitewashed hall to Sister Mary Margaret’s office.
“She asked us to bring you to her right away if you returned,” the redheaded nun explained before knocking on the door and disappearing inside. When she returned, she motioned for them to go in.
Sister Mary Margaret set her work aside, steeling herself as she greeted each of them in turn. She looked older now than she did the first time they came. In the span of days, it appeared as though the lines around her mouth had deepened. Burying a sister under such circumstances must have taken a toll. “Gentlemen, how may I help you?”
Oliver’s gaze flickered to Felipe as he flipped open his notebook to give his hands something to do as he spoke. “We have some information about Sister Mary Agnes’s death. What I’m about to say must stay in this office.”
Frowning, the sister nodded.
“We have confirmed your suspicion that Sister Mary Agnes was a victim of foul play, and that her death wasn’t a random crime of opportunity.” Felipe paused at the sister’s shudder, but she motioned for him to go on, though her expression remained grim. “There was a second murder with the same method of execution and ties to the case. While we don’t know the motive yet, we believe the perpetrator is someone with the ability to manipulate air or telekinesis. Do you know of anyone within your circle or Sister Mary Agnes’s that might have that ability?”
“Heavens no. Abilities of any sort aren’t exactly common in this line of work, Inspector Galvan.”
Felipe nodded but shot Oliver a look. “We also believe the murders are tied to another case we’re working on. Have you heard of theClausum LibrumorThe Locked Book?”
“No, I’ve never heard of it. What does it have to do with her death?”
“We aren’t sure yet. Did Sister Mary Agnes ever discuss Avalon or Saint Brendan’s Isle?”
“No, but she might have discussed something like that with the younger sisters. I’m not one for fanciful tales, but they are.”
“Would you mind if we talked to those closest to Sister Mary Agnes again? We have a few more questions in light of recent developments.”
The older nun sighed and took off her glasses to clean them with a handkerchief. “Let me find Sisters Mary Elizabeth and Mary Ignatius. They couldn’t have gotten far.”
When Sister Mary Margaret stepped out, Felipe tapped his pencil against his notepad in a steady tattoo. Oliver worried his lip. The halo of dark circles grew under Felipe’s eyes, but he wasn’t sure if it was from poor sleep or something else. The frantic rhythm of the pencil was making Oliver’s brain itch, but instead of stilling Felipe’s hand as he would like, Oliver said, “At least the nuns seem willing to cooperate.”
“They’re the only ones so far.”
“Are we going to warn them about Father Gareth?”
“I don’t know yet. Let’s see how this goes. We don’t know who might be in his pocket.”
As the last word slipped out, the office door opened to reveal the two nuns who had let them in. In the light of the office, Oliver realized the dark-browed one was the woman who had been crying in her room when they came to examine Sister Mary Agnes’s body. She must have been Sister Mary Elizabeth. The other sister, Mary Ignatius, must have been there as well, though he didn’t remember seeing her during the first trip.
“I will be right outside in the common room if you need me,” Sister Mary Margaret said as she closed the door on them.
