sighed. “That man is determined to find answers—and I’m afraid he still thinks they’re here.” She told Reverend Mother about her discussion with Tom Green.
“I don’t know what’s more unsettling—that we’re suspects, or that we may have had an intruder.” Reverend Mother paused. “What worries me most is how the pressure of the investigation will affect the older sisters. Our monastery should be a place of peace and security to all of us.” She shook her head, her gaze on the rosary fastened to her cincture. “One thing you must do as soon as possible, child, is find out how that dog got in. It’s very dangerous to have an access point we don’t know about.”
“I’ll go over every inch of the grounds, inside and out. Maybe I can find something.”
“Have you heard anything more about when we can expect our new chaplain to arrive? I understood that he has been delayed.”
“They told Frances Williams it could be a few days, Mother,” she answered. “I asked her to remind the archdiocese that we desperately need a chaplain. I know that not using the chapel is very upsetting to everyone, and not having Mass is much worse, especially to Sister Clothilde and Sister Ignatius.”
Reverend Mother smiled. “Not anymore. It seems Sister Ignatius started one of her special novenas to St. Theresa of Lisieux. She has quite a devotion to the little saint. This time she asked for a sign that we would have a chaplain very soon.
And she got the sign she wanted this morning.”
“What was it? I remember when she asked for a fresh rose in the middle of winter, and then there was the time that the blue butterfly appeared in chapel.”
“Do you have to ask?” Reverend Mother gave her a patient, amused smile.
It took Sister a beat to figure it out. “A white dog!”
“There you have it. Praised be Jesus Christ, child.”
“Now and forever,” she answered.
Sister Agatha took a detour and stopped by the scriptorium. There she found Sister Bernarda hard at work. Sister Agatha told her about Sister Ignatius’s sign. “Can you believe it? Sister Iggy
always
gets answers! I wish my track record was half as good.”
“It’s no surprise that it isn’t. Sister Iggy believes with all her heart that she
will
get an answer. You only half expect results, so that’s what you get.”
Sister Agatha gave her an owlish blink, stunned. As usual, Sister Bernarda’s answer was right on target
Sister Agatha woke up the next morning to feel a familiar weight resting on her feet. Rex couldn’t have gotten out again—let alone into the monastery. Sister Bernarda and she had gone over every entrance and exit, making sure everything was secure. They’d only made one concession to the improved security—leaving the hall window with its broken screen open. The breeze that circulated down the hall and trickled into the rooms beyond offered the only respite from the unrelenting heat.
Sister Agatha tossed the covers back and turned on the light. The dog lay at the foot of her bed again, giving her a panting grin. He had a musty smell today, like he needed a bath.
“You’ve been sent to test me, haven’t you?” Sister Agatha said, then gave him a quick hug. He was a nuisance, but impossible not to like. “I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me how you got in?”
The dog laid his head back down on the bed and regarded her with big black eyes.
“Okay. I’ll figure it out for myself. Now we have to get going.”
She got ready for Matins and Lauds, put the dog outside, and saw Sister Clothilde come out to feed him some of the monastery’s oatmeal.
It was déjà vu all over again. After prayers outside, Sister Agatha studied her fellow nuns’ faces. By now everyone had seen the dog and they clearly welcomed his presence.
Enlisting Sister Bernarda’s help after breakfast, they started to inspect the grounds again. The broken screen at the end of the hall was sitting crosswise in the window, having come
“I don’t know what’s more unsettling—that we’re suspects, or that we may have had an intruder.” Reverend Mother paused. “What worries me most is how the pressure of the investigation will affect the older sisters. Our monastery should be a place of peace and security to all of us.” She shook her head, her gaze on the rosary fastened to her cincture. “One thing you must do as soon as possible, child, is find out how that dog got in. It’s very dangerous to have an access point we don’t know about.”
“I’ll go over every inch of the grounds, inside and out. Maybe I can find something.”
“Have you heard anything more about when we can expect our new chaplain to arrive? I understood that he has been delayed.”
“They told Frances Williams it could be a few days, Mother,” she answered. “I asked her to remind the archdiocese that we desperately need a chaplain. I know that not using the chapel is very upsetting to everyone, and not having Mass is much worse, especially to Sister Clothilde and Sister Ignatius.”
Reverend Mother smiled. “Not anymore. It seems Sister Ignatius started one of her special novenas to St. Theresa of Lisieux. She has quite a devotion to the little saint. This time she asked for a sign that we would have a chaplain very soon.
And she got the sign she wanted this morning.”
“What was it? I remember when she asked for a fresh rose in the middle of winter, and then there was the time that the blue butterfly appeared in chapel.”
“Do you have to ask?” Reverend Mother gave her a patient, amused smile.
It took Sister a beat to figure it out. “A white dog!”
“There you have it. Praised be Jesus Christ, child.”
“Now and forever,” she answered.
Sister Agatha took a detour and stopped by the scriptorium. There she found Sister Bernarda hard at work. Sister Agatha told her about Sister Ignatius’s sign. “Can you believe it? Sister Iggy
always
gets answers! I wish my track record was half as good.”
“It’s no surprise that it isn’t. Sister Iggy believes with all her heart that she
will
get an answer. You only half expect results, so that’s what you get.”
Sister Agatha gave her an owlish blink, stunned. As usual, Sister Bernarda’s answer was right on target
Sister Agatha woke up the next morning to feel a familiar weight resting on her feet. Rex couldn’t have gotten out again—let alone into the monastery. Sister Bernarda and she had gone over every entrance and exit, making sure everything was secure. They’d only made one concession to the improved security—leaving the hall window with its broken screen open. The breeze that circulated down the hall and trickled into the rooms beyond offered the only respite from the unrelenting heat.
Sister Agatha tossed the covers back and turned on the light. The dog lay at the foot of her bed again, giving her a panting grin. He had a musty smell today, like he needed a bath.
“You’ve been sent to test me, haven’t you?” Sister Agatha said, then gave him a quick hug. He was a nuisance, but impossible not to like. “I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me how you got in?”
The dog laid his head back down on the bed and regarded her with big black eyes.
“Okay. I’ll figure it out for myself. Now we have to get going.”
She got ready for Matins and Lauds, put the dog outside, and saw Sister Clothilde come out to feed him some of the monastery’s oatmeal.
It was déjà vu all over again. After prayers outside, Sister Agatha studied her fellow nuns’ faces. By now everyone had seen the dog and they clearly welcomed his presence.
Enlisting Sister Bernarda’s help after breakfast, they started to inspect the grounds again. The broken screen at the end of the hall was sitting crosswise in the window, having come
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