for. Books and manuscripts. Some work lying around. But nothing a common thief could trade in for much return and certainly not for a human life."
The priest put his arm around Jack's shoulder and pulled him farther to the back. "We've got to think this assault through carefully. I told you the other day that the publicity in the paper had problems. Now the bubble's burst. I'm sure this murder is tied to what happened in the subway explosion. You're underestimating your standing with someone who hates Americans. My hunch is that this is another example of hostility toward Yanks. I think poor Father Raffello simply got caught in the backlash of an attack. It's hard to say, but think again. What have you got in there that's worth stealing?"
Jack ran his hands through his hair. "We've been doing research at the Vatican Library but haven't made any breakthroughs. Dov's been working on a copy of the Sarajevo Haggadah, but his research is not worth much money either. I just don't know. I'm left completely mystified."
"Hmm," Father Blake stroked his chin. "Of course, no one would know what you've got in those offices, but they'd probably guess a great deal. Most of the folks around here assume that Americans keep bucket loads of money under their beds at night. See what I mean? You're vulnerable. Even though we don't know for sure, it still doesn't negate my hunch. You've got to be careful, Jack. I believe these people will come after you."
"Hey, what's going on?" Heavy-set Tony Mattei hurried up the walkway. "I heard that there was a killing over here."
"Yes," Jack said. "The priest in charge of the church was killed last night.
"Heaven help us!" Mattei rolled his eyes. "Serious business indeed."
Father Blake eyed him suspiciously. "How'd you find out?"
"When a priest is down?" Mattei puckered his lips and looked like the question was nonsense. "This is Rome! You think the report of a murdered priest doesn't spread like a flooding river? Of course, I heard! The word is everywhere."
A detective standing over the body got up and came over to the three men. "I'm Alfredo Pino with the police. As best we can determine, the murder happened outside of your offices, and the doors remained locked. No evidence of a forced entry. We don't see any problem with you going back, but you will need to use the back door and stay away from the entry as well as out of this front area. An ambulance will be here shortly to pick up the body, and our investigation will be going on all day. If you find anything amiss inside, we want to know at once.
"Of course," Jack said. "We will call you immediately if anything turns up."
"Excellent." Alfredo Pino walked away.
"Looks like we can get in," Jack said to Father Blake and Tony Mattei. "See you gentlemen later."
Jack led Michelle and Dov to the back of the house, but getting inside proved to be arduous. Small tables, chairs, and boxes had been stored in the kitchen, and no one ever came in the back way. Dov Sharon pushed on the door while Michelle stared silently at the ground. Once the door had been pried open, Jack cleared a path through the junk into their working area.
"Come on in," he called out. "I think we can get our house in order."
For several minutes no one spoke while they turned on lights and cleared their desks. Watching Michelle out of the corner of his eye, Jack could clearly see that she was deeply disturbed, but didn't want to talk about it as usual. Periodically, he peered out the window to follow the progress of the police. Eventually, medics rolled in a gurney and hauled Father Raffello away. Only then did he break the silence hovering over their offices.
"Let's meet in the conference room and consider where our work has taken us this morning," he said. "I know it's going to be difficult to function normally."
Michelle and Dov walked mechanically into the adjacent room and laid their notepads on the gnarled old table without saying a word. No one spoke for what felt like an eternity.
"I
The priest put his arm around Jack's shoulder and pulled him farther to the back. "We've got to think this assault through carefully. I told you the other day that the publicity in the paper had problems. Now the bubble's burst. I'm sure this murder is tied to what happened in the subway explosion. You're underestimating your standing with someone who hates Americans. My hunch is that this is another example of hostility toward Yanks. I think poor Father Raffello simply got caught in the backlash of an attack. It's hard to say, but think again. What have you got in there that's worth stealing?"
Jack ran his hands through his hair. "We've been doing research at the Vatican Library but haven't made any breakthroughs. Dov's been working on a copy of the Sarajevo Haggadah, but his research is not worth much money either. I just don't know. I'm left completely mystified."
"Hmm," Father Blake stroked his chin. "Of course, no one would know what you've got in those offices, but they'd probably guess a great deal. Most of the folks around here assume that Americans keep bucket loads of money under their beds at night. See what I mean? You're vulnerable. Even though we don't know for sure, it still doesn't negate my hunch. You've got to be careful, Jack. I believe these people will come after you."
"Hey, what's going on?" Heavy-set Tony Mattei hurried up the walkway. "I heard that there was a killing over here."
"Yes," Jack said. "The priest in charge of the church was killed last night.
"Heaven help us!" Mattei rolled his eyes. "Serious business indeed."
Father Blake eyed him suspiciously. "How'd you find out?"
"When a priest is down?" Mattei puckered his lips and looked like the question was nonsense. "This is Rome! You think the report of a murdered priest doesn't spread like a flooding river? Of course, I heard! The word is everywhere."
A detective standing over the body got up and came over to the three men. "I'm Alfredo Pino with the police. As best we can determine, the murder happened outside of your offices, and the doors remained locked. No evidence of a forced entry. We don't see any problem with you going back, but you will need to use the back door and stay away from the entry as well as out of this front area. An ambulance will be here shortly to pick up the body, and our investigation will be going on all day. If you find anything amiss inside, we want to know at once.
"Of course," Jack said. "We will call you immediately if anything turns up."
"Excellent." Alfredo Pino walked away.
"Looks like we can get in," Jack said to Father Blake and Tony Mattei. "See you gentlemen later."
Jack led Michelle and Dov to the back of the house, but getting inside proved to be arduous. Small tables, chairs, and boxes had been stored in the kitchen, and no one ever came in the back way. Dov Sharon pushed on the door while Michelle stared silently at the ground. Once the door had been pried open, Jack cleared a path through the junk into their working area.
"Come on in," he called out. "I think we can get our house in order."
For several minutes no one spoke while they turned on lights and cleared their desks. Watching Michelle out of the corner of his eye, Jack could clearly see that she was deeply disturbed, but didn't want to talk about it as usual. Periodically, he peered out the window to follow the progress of the police. Eventually, medics rolled in a gurney and hauled Father Raffello away. Only then did he break the silence hovering over their offices.
"Let's meet in the conference room and consider where our work has taken us this morning," he said. "I know it's going to be difficult to function normally."
Michelle and Dov walked mechanically into the adjacent room and laid their notepads on the gnarled old table without saying a word. No one spoke for what felt like an eternity.
"I
Similar Books
