Nun of That (A Deadly Habit Cozy Mystery, Book 1) by Morgana Best Page B
Authors: Morgana Best
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“It’s because those nuns are men; they’re the Shadow Gang, hiding out at the convent.”
The sergeant rolled his eyes. “And how did you see a nun facing the stall? It was the women’s bathroom, I take it?”
This was the part I’d been dreading. “Er, yes,” I said. I looked at Adam and he nodded in encouragement. “I knew she was a man, so I followed her into the bathroom. I looked under the stall door, and she was using the restroom standing up.”
Sergeant Barnes crossed his arms and drew himself up to his full height. “There are laws against being a peeping tom,” he said.
“But, but…” I spluttered.
Adam came to my rescue. “Sergeant, those nuns are men. They beat that other team easily, and Rose saw one of them using the bathroom like a man. You know that Dave the pawnbroker was murdered; we suspect he was their fence.”
Sergeant Barnes held up his hand for silence. “Now look here,” he said, “You’re obviously Protestants, but that’s no excuse to slander those poor nuns. I don’t have time to listen to your crackpot theories, you got me?”
“But -” Adam started to say, but the man pointed at the front door.
“No buts,” he said. “Get out of here before I get angry.”
“But they all have hairy legs!” I protested as I was ushered unceremoniously out the door.
Chapter Fifteen .
Adam had told me that the morning tea in the parish hall at eleven, right after Mass, was the best time to talk to the priest, so we sat through the Mass, which had started at ten. I had never been to Mass before, and found it all quite confusing. I followed Adam’s lead, which was just as well, as everyone seemed to know automatically when to stand, when to sit, and when to kneel.
I was taken aback by the grandeur of the cathedral. For one thing, it was huge, significantly bigger than any church I had ever entered. The long, center aisle featured the most beautiful and intricate mosaic, and was flanked by rich, red carpet, which seemed to be reflected in the mellow tones of the magnificent, wooden pews. The stained glass windows were breathtaking.
The roof was high, and lined with wood, contrasting with the white and gray stone archways. It was a building I would have expected to see in Europe rather than in Australia.
The time sped by, and soon we were in the parish hall, standing in front of the priest. After Adam had introduced us, he said, “We’ve been to see Sister Maria of St. Leonard. I was surprised to hear that Sister Bertrand left Australia so suddenly; none of the locals knew anything about it.”
The priest smiled, both at Adam and one of the ladies who had just brought him a cup of tea. The priest opened his mouth to speak, but the lady got in first. “Oh yes, Sister Bertrand was so excited that her order was sending her on the pilgrimage.” With that, she hurried away.
“I must say, I myself was surprised when I received a letter from the Australian Provincial Office telling me that the Order of the Sisters of Temperance was going to send Sister Bertrand on a pilgrimage,” the priest said, “and that Sister Maria of St. Leonard was coming with a group of novice nuns on retreat.”
This was not what I had expected. The letter from the Australian Provincial Office had to be fake.
“Do the Sisters of Temperance have their headquarters in Rome?” Adam asked the priest.
He nodded. “Yes, and provincial offices in each country.”
Adam shot a look at me before turning to the priest. “I didn’t think any nuns wore traditional garb these days.”
The priest nodded, and sipped his tea. “After the second Vatican Council, many of the religious orders chose to wear what they wanted. It’s so lovely to see the nuns in more traditional habit. The novices with Sister Maria, as part of the retreat and preparation for taking Holy Orders, are adopting the practices of early nuns with their austere traditions, so they can see what life was like back
The sergeant rolled his eyes. “And how did you see a nun facing the stall? It was the women’s bathroom, I take it?”
This was the part I’d been dreading. “Er, yes,” I said. I looked at Adam and he nodded in encouragement. “I knew she was a man, so I followed her into the bathroom. I looked under the stall door, and she was using the restroom standing up.”
Sergeant Barnes crossed his arms and drew himself up to his full height. “There are laws against being a peeping tom,” he said.
“But, but…” I spluttered.
Adam came to my rescue. “Sergeant, those nuns are men. They beat that other team easily, and Rose saw one of them using the bathroom like a man. You know that Dave the pawnbroker was murdered; we suspect he was their fence.”
Sergeant Barnes held up his hand for silence. “Now look here,” he said, “You’re obviously Protestants, but that’s no excuse to slander those poor nuns. I don’t have time to listen to your crackpot theories, you got me?”
“But -” Adam started to say, but the man pointed at the front door.
“No buts,” he said. “Get out of here before I get angry.”
“But they all have hairy legs!” I protested as I was ushered unceremoniously out the door.
Chapter Fifteen .
Adam had told me that the morning tea in the parish hall at eleven, right after Mass, was the best time to talk to the priest, so we sat through the Mass, which had started at ten. I had never been to Mass before, and found it all quite confusing. I followed Adam’s lead, which was just as well, as everyone seemed to know automatically when to stand, when to sit, and when to kneel.
I was taken aback by the grandeur of the cathedral. For one thing, it was huge, significantly bigger than any church I had ever entered. The long, center aisle featured the most beautiful and intricate mosaic, and was flanked by rich, red carpet, which seemed to be reflected in the mellow tones of the magnificent, wooden pews. The stained glass windows were breathtaking.
The roof was high, and lined with wood, contrasting with the white and gray stone archways. It was a building I would have expected to see in Europe rather than in Australia.
The time sped by, and soon we were in the parish hall, standing in front of the priest. After Adam had introduced us, he said, “We’ve been to see Sister Maria of St. Leonard. I was surprised to hear that Sister Bertrand left Australia so suddenly; none of the locals knew anything about it.”
The priest smiled, both at Adam and one of the ladies who had just brought him a cup of tea. The priest opened his mouth to speak, but the lady got in first. “Oh yes, Sister Bertrand was so excited that her order was sending her on the pilgrimage.” With that, she hurried away.
“I must say, I myself was surprised when I received a letter from the Australian Provincial Office telling me that the Order of the Sisters of Temperance was going to send Sister Bertrand on a pilgrimage,” the priest said, “and that Sister Maria of St. Leonard was coming with a group of novice nuns on retreat.”
This was not what I had expected. The letter from the Australian Provincial Office had to be fake.
“Do the Sisters of Temperance have their headquarters in Rome?” Adam asked the priest.
He nodded. “Yes, and provincial offices in each country.”
Adam shot a look at me before turning to the priest. “I didn’t think any nuns wore traditional garb these days.”
The priest nodded, and sipped his tea. “After the second Vatican Council, many of the religious orders chose to wear what they wanted. It’s so lovely to see the nuns in more traditional habit. The novices with Sister Maria, as part of the retreat and preparation for taking Holy Orders, are adopting the practices of early nuns with their austere traditions, so they can see what life was like back
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