The Prodigal Nun by Aimée Thurlo Read Free Book Online Page B

prayer.
    Hearing the door behind her open, Sister Agatha turned her head and saw a tall, slender deputy standing there, billed uniform cap in hand. A glance at his name tag told her whohe was, and she went to meet him. He’d chosen to remain in the foyer instead of entering the chapel.
    “Would you like to come in, Deputy Bennett?” she asked him.
    He shook his head. “Not while I’m armed. I’m not Catholic, but any church deserves that courtesy. Do you have a moment, Sister Agatha? I’d like to speak with you.”
    Sister Agatha nodded, but as she started to lead the way back outside, he stopped her.
    “Not out front, Sister. Those reporters won’t give us a moment’s peace.”
    Sister Agatha nodded, then led him out the small side entrance of the chapel. That door, mostly hidden by evergreens, was seldom used. It had been part of the old framework—when the monastery had been nothing more than a big farmhouse with outbuildings.
    Once outside, she moved into the shadows and faced him. Behind him she could see the corner of the chapel, and beyond, the parking lot. If any reporters came close enough to listen, she’d spot them. “What can I do for you, Deputy Bennett?”
    “Sheriff Green is working this case personally, but I’ll be following it closely, too. I know that my mother-in-law came here every Sunday for Mass. Did she ever speak to you about any enemies she may have made?”
    Sister Agatha hesitated. “I’m not sure if I should answer your questions, Deputy. As you said yourself, this is Sheriff Green’s case.”
    Just for a second she saw anger flash in his eyes; then his expression became one of polite neutrality. “Sister Agatha, my mother-in-law could be a very difficult woman, but she deserves justice. I owe it to my family to help the sheriff any way I can, though, obviously, I can’t officially work the case.”
    He started to say more, then, hearing voices, turned and saw Louis and Evelyn coming down the steps of the chapel’s main entrance. “I better go,” he said and hurried over to meet them.
    As Sister Agatha walked to the front of the chapel, Sheriff Green approached. Some of the reporters were now hovering around the victim’s family, but Sister Agatha’s friend Chuck Moody had already left.
    “Louis has an iron-clad alibi,” Tom said quietly. “We checked with the casino, and the people there remember him. Of course, he could have hired a professional to kill her. The silencer isn’t a tool used by amateurs.”
    “What’s the motive?”
    “Jealousy or infidelity? Maybe Jane was having an affair. I’ve found nothing to indicate that yet, but you never know.”
    “Judging from Louis’s reaction and Jane’s devoutness, I really doubt that, Tom. Tell me, what was stolen from the cars on the lot? I never heard.”
    “Two women are missing their garage door openers. That’s it,” Tom said.
    “Considering everything, that’s not too bad.”
    “I’m going to catch whoever did this,” Tom said with quiet confidence.
    “I know you will. We have faith in you and your deputies, and God’s on your side. Don’t doubt that for a minute.”
    “Is your faith really that strong?” he asked, his eyes probing hers.
    She nodded. “It’s why I became a nun. I may fail God, but He’ll never fail me.”
    Sister Agatha spent most of the night awake in her cell, one of the monastery’s small, simple bedrooms. She’d wanted tostay somewhat alert to Pax, who was outside, guarding the grounds.
    Sister Agatha occupied her time thinking, reconstructing the events, particularly her last, brief conversation with Jane. Her failure to help a person who’d reached out to her was like a heavy yoke around her heart. She’d prayed for forgiveness, but she needed to do more—like help the sheriff find the killer before he struck again. If someone else died, the weight of her own guilt would consume her.
    It was almost four thirty in the morning, time for the Maria bell to ring telling