Il Pane Della Vita

by Coralie Hughes Jensen

  “I believe you’re going to have to fight your bishop. You can’t just leave in the middle of an investigation. I don’t think I can put the clues together by myself.”

  “Before we head down, Sister, you should stop and make sure your sneakers are tied tight,” said the monk at the trailhead. “You don’t want your feet to slide forward and smash your toes into the front of the shoe.”

  “Thanks. Do you think this will be faster?”

  “No. We zigzag down the mountain so it’s longer than you think. Your legs are probably still tired from this morning so we’re going to have to take it slowly.”

  An hour later, Sister Angela was yearning for a bench.

  “Don’t worry. A few minutes farther, and I’ll show you our oasis.”

  On the next switchback, Salvatore took her hand and pulled her off into the trees. She could hear the rushing water in the distance.

  “It’s a waterfall,” Brother Salvatore said. “There’s also a pond where we can sit and soak our feet.”

  Sure enough, five minutes later, they came upon a pond with stones, and a line of large-leaf shrubs grew around the perimeter.

  “How beautiful,” said the tired nun, removing her shoes and sitting down on one of the flat stones.” The water was icy, and at first, she jerked her foot out. “It’s perfect,” she said, easing her toes back in.

  Salvatore pulled off his robe and shoes. Underneath he wore a shirt and jeans. He rolled up his pant legs and slowly waded into the water. “Don’t try this, Sister. The stones underneath the surface are slippery.”

  “Do you do this every time you walk to the top?”

  “No, but quite often. Who do you think the niece is?”

  “How should I know? I don’t even know who Brother Pietro is.”

  “You are aware that he was probably Father Teo. Those pictures prove that he was there in Salvi, don’t they?”

  “Those show that the snapshots were probably the same man. But that’s all I learned. If he was such a good administrator at the parish level, why did he end up here?”

  “You think the woman with dark hair had something to do with it?”

  “She could have, I suppose. Something made someone decide he didn’t belong there. The fact that everything is still a secret makes me believe there’s something behind his move to the monastery. Perhaps the incident here is connected.”

  “It sounds like finding the niece is the key. No one else is going to reveal the eremita’s past. Why do these things have to be so complicated?”

  “If they were easy, Brother Salvatore, they wouldn’t need detectives like us. I’m not thankful for misdeeds, but I’m grateful for circuitous ones that make me look good when I solve them.”

  “And tortuous paths that either go up hill or down?” Salvatore suddenly lost his balance and sat down in the cold water.

  The nun snorted as she stifled a laugh. “At least you’ll be cool the rest of the way down.”

  “Yes. It’s a good thing I have my robe. I’m not sure wet denim is going to be comfortable walking in. Have you ever tried to go behind a waterfall?”

  “It looks like it’s just my height, but I don’t see an opening behind the falling water.” She looked at her watch. “We really have to get back. You don’t need one, but I need to shower. I need to talk to the chief detective.”

  “Maybe Morena will meet with us this time.”

  The nun wiped her feet on the dry rocks and began to put on her socks.

  “Don’t do that. We have to check out the waterfall. I’ll go first if you’re scared.” Brother Salvatore carefully climbed out of the water and toddled over to the side of the small waterfall. “What’s this?”

  “What do you mean?” asked the nun, trying to stand up.

  “I confess I’ve done this before, there’s a pile of stones over here that wasn’t here before.”

  “Where? I don’t see it.”

  “Up here on the bank of the stream above the waterfall.”

  The nun stood on her tiptoes and could just make out what he was talking about. She sat down again to don her shoes and socks.

  Brother Salvatore disappeared behind the steaming water and emerged seconds later on the other side. “Voila. Where’d you go?”

  Sister Angela had already made her way through the surrounding bushes and was hiking up the hill. “I’m up here checking out the pile of stones.”

  “Do you need help? Aren’t the stones too heavy?”

  “No, I can move them as long as I do one at a time. Oh my.”

  “What?”

  When Sister Angela did not answer, Salvatore quickly stepped back under the waterfall. When he reached the other side, he ran to slip his wet feet into his shoes, still trying to tug at the heels as he climbed the hill. “What did you find?”

  Sister Angela had already uncovered a foot and a hand.

  “That’s a sandal on his foot. That’s what we wear at the monastery.”

  “And he’s wearing a ring. Do the hermits wear rings?”

  “I don’t think they all do. Did Brother Pietro wear one?” asked Salvatore, busy tossing off stones perched on top of the pile. “There’s a dirty white cloth under here. I’m afraid the brother’s body may not have made it to heaven, Sister.”

  “You didn’t really believe that Brother Pietro would have physically ascended, did you?”

  “I guess I just wanted to believe that if one devoted his life to prayer for the Lord, one would be conveyed to heaven in a Ferrari.”

  “I have no doubt this brother’s spirit enjoyed his trip to heaven. His devotion probably got him on the express. But when you become a monk you vow to remain humble, don’t you? So why would you go out in a spectacular show of rockets and sparklers?

  “I guess you’re probably right. But a vow of that sort doesn’t mean you’re humble all the time. It takes a lifetime of commitment and failure—of taking a stand. It’s not supposed to be easy. I have to admit, Jesus actually went out without a lot of the pizzazz.”

  “Jesus is God’s son. We don’t even come close to that. The rest of us leave our bodies here and die with humiliation because death results in our losing our modesty. Our faith helps us to ignore the embarrassment because we see a bigger picture.”

  “Yeah, but it’s still nice to dream about being great.” Brother Salvatore slid a stone down the pile, revealing a face. “Yes, it’s brother Pietro.”

  The nun handed Salvatore another stone. “Let’s start covering him back up. We’re going to have to make it down and inform the chief detective to give him enough time to get a group up here before dark.”

  “Does this mean you don’t have to leave?”

  “I believe that will be up to the abbot. He’s going to have to try and convince Father Sergio that I’m still needed here because the monastery has an even greater problem than before. Now they need me to protect the Church’s reputation as the police investigate a murder.”

  Fifteen

  The Fizzle

  The nun sat in the empty chair in the abbot’s office. Brother Pascal asked her to sit there until the Father Rafaello returned. She had already repeated her prayers for his success three times, but would say them again if the abbot took too long. For good measure, she crossed her fingers and her ankles.

  Suddenly the door swung open, and Father Rafaello jaunted in, a wide smile on his face.

  Sister Angela relaxed. “Good news?”

  “Yes, you can stay to finish the investigation. I already called Morena.”

  “Was it easy? Did Father Sergio understand?”

  “I didn’t speak with the assistant, Sister. I talked directly to the archbishop. After all, he’s my archbishop too.”

  “Was he aware of what I was investigating to begin with?”

  “Yes, but he didn’t understand the complexity of the situation here. He asks that you copy him on future emails.”

  “So he realizes this is no longer a mission to find evidence for a
miracle.”

  “I’m not sure he was aware of the details of your mission. If he was, he didn’t reveal it. He knew that there was an explosion here and is anxious to find out how it happened. He was disturbed a brother was killed, but finding that the brother’s death was a homicide was a shock.” The abbot stopped to look in her direction. “He was aware of your gifts, Sister, and was glad you were on the case. He hopes your being here will help prevent another scandal.”

  “Did he mention anything about the improprieties of a nun working in this field?”

  The abbot smiled. “None whatsoever.”

  Sister Angela uncrossed her ankles and rubbed the pain from her knuckles before she stood up. Her delight, however, would be short lived. The hard work of solving the murder would now begin.

  Sister Angela ran down the front steps to get into Loria’s car. “Good morning, Draco,” she said. “I thought you could use some of Brother Alonzo’s espresso and a sweet roll.”

  Loria smiled. “I was glad Morena told me to pick you up this morning. He doesn’t know how good you are to me. It’s our little secret.”

  “And I can’t wait to find out more about the body.” Sister Angela jumped when she heard a tap on the window beside her.

  “Sister, Sister, I got the okay from the abbot to help you with the investigation all day. May I come with you?”

  Loria unlocked the doors and let him in the back seat. “What did you bring me?”

  “What?”

  “It’s all right if you don’t bribe him today, Brother Salvatore, but in the future… Tell me, are you excused from cook duty?”

  “Yes. I’m now allowed to sleep nights. Has Dr. Zaza finished with the autopsy?”

  “At least a preliminary one, Brother. I don’t have any of that information yet so we’ll find out what Zaza discovered together.

  The three walked into station just as the examiner was explaining his report.

  “Just in time,” said Morena. He turned back to Zaza.

  “I was just telling Morena that the cause of death was a stab wound to the abdomen. The knife was not long, perhaps something used in a kitchen.”

  “Did he die right away?” asked Brother Salvatore.

  “Fairly quickly. The perpetrator knew how and where to hit to cause a maximum bleed.”

  “We checked the crime scene when we picked up the body,” said Morena. “There was no weapon.”

  “Why did the victim go down the path?” asked Sister Angela. “There was no evidence on the security tapes that someone had come to kidnap him. There’s no evidence that someone entered to prepare for the explosion either.”

  “Not so fast,” said Zaza. “If you’ll let me finish my report…” He waved the papers in front of him. “There are no other marks or signs of torture on the body.”

  “Then he must have gone to that spot willingly. He wasn’t kidnapped. Did you go through the clothing? Were there any notes on his person?”

  “No, but the murderer would probably check the pockets before leaving—especially if he had convinced Brother Pietro to meet him there using a note.”

  “I guess we’ll have to go over the tapes again, Sister,” said Morena. “Maybe all of us should do it. Sometime before the murder, someone must have come in through the perimeter gate to set up the explosion even if he didn’t come back to kidnap the victim. We must have missed something.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Sister Angela caught Brother Salvatore squirming. “What’s wrong? Did you want to say something?”

  “I think I know where the weapon might be. I’d like to be taken back to the monastery.”

  Loria picked up his shield and car keys from the desk. “I’ll take him. I can accompany you to the crime scene again. A good walk will help me burn off this morning’s bribe.”

  “Then, Sister, it looks like it’s you and I going through the video again.”

  Sister Angela and Morena sat side by side in front of the screen, munching on cookies and sipping espresso.

  “This must be pretty boring for you, Sister. We have a week’s worth of video with visuals from several cameras.”

  “Boring for me? You’ve already watched most of it, haven’t you?”

  “My men have seen it, not me. Weren’t you concerned about the back perimeter gate? What are we looking for?”

  “Someone trying to come in or go out of the gate. Most likely, the culprit used this gate rather than any of the others. You know, it would go faster if you sat at one of the other desks and put on another video. I could tell you what I think you should look for, but don’t let me discourage you from investigating other ideas.”

  “I’ll scan the tape of the back door to the administrative building. Don’t forget that the staff might have been involved too.”

  “I agree. It could have been anyone.”

  An hour passed in silence.

  “Nothing,” said the nun. “So this video has the whole week on it? It’s crazy that no one came or went through that gate in that length of time. Can you get me the stream from the camera at the courtyard gate?”

  “There’s nothing here either. Yes there’s the morning and evening crowd, but I recognize all of the workers who came and went to work.”

  “They’re all workers? There were no brethren?”

  “Wait, there was an occasional brother. I don’t know if he was an eremita or a monk from below. Did they sometimes come in this way? I thought they all had keys.”

  “Yes, they had keys to that particular door. When they didn’t have a key, they buzzed security from inside the chapel.”

  “Then you had better look at this video and identify the brothers who entered. I’ll set up the other perimeter camera for you right now.”

  The nun did not get up. She stared at the screen, asking for more espresso halfway through. “I remember you telling me that we wouldn’t be able to see the front of Father Pietro’s cottage, Monte, but it doesn’t even show us the path to the gate. If someone entered through the gate or if Father Pietro walked to the gate to let someone in or to leave the premises himself, we wouldn’t see anything.”

  “Don’t get me going on the security company. All the exceptions to their security rules make the rules useless..”

  “You mean letting people in without really knowing who they are? They also didn’t keep records of the comings and goings of family members.”

  “Yes. The person who visited Brother Pietro more often was supposedly a niece. She’s our prime suspect, and we have no idea who she really is.”

  “That reminds me. Have you had any hits on the drawing?”

  “No. I suppose she’s no longer in the vicinity. Disappearing would have been the first thing I would have done if I’d murdered someone.”

  “Do you and Dr. Zaza agree that the assailant could have been a woman?”

  “We haven’t ruled that out, though she would have to have been pretty athletic because she would have to hike to that spot and still have enough strength to stab him from the front.”

  “So we have decided the murder took place at the waterfall.”

  “Yes. There was a lot of blood at the site. We found no blood around that area.”

  “So technically, he was lured there, though we see no evidence that he left the hermitage after Compline. Wait!”

  “What?”

  “Let me rewind.”

  The chief detective sat down beside her.

  “We are looking away from Father Pietro’s cottage here toward the woods. Keep watching. The date and time indicates that people have recessed from Compline, but the explosion hasn’t happened. There. That right there. Some bush branches moved. Did you see it?”

  “It could have been the wind.”

  “Except I saw no wind near the gate. We have to go back to the same date and time stamp on the other tape and see if they match. If it was a wind gust while this camera was going, then that gust would have shown up about the same time on the other tape.”

>   “What about if it were some kind of animal? It could easily have been an owl or a wolf. Those are common night creatures in our mountains.”

  “That’s true, but look. It happened again a bit closer to the edge of the screen. I know it’s not strong evidence, but would a wolf be heading for the gate?”

  After a quick lunch delivered by a local restaurant, the two scanned some more video.

  An hour or so after that, Morena asked. “Why haven’t we heard from Draco and Brother Salvatore?”

  “Because it took a half hour to get back to the monastery and then an hour or so for Brother Alonzo to feed them. The hike up and down the mountain would take a couple of hours, and then there’s their search for the weapon. They’ll get back to us.”

  “But they haven’t called.”

  “Because there’s no cell service on the mountain. It would have been faster for them to drive to the hermitage and walk down. But then they would have to go back up for the car and drive back down before they could get phone service so I suspect they took the first route.”

  “Brother Alonzo’s cooking is why they made the first choice.”

  “Actually, someone in the kitchen would probably make them something because Brother Alonzo has to sleep. I don’t remember who makes lunch.” She glanced up. Did you see this? It is from a camera on the front perimeter gate. At the time noted, the hermits were recessing out of the church and through the gate.”

  “Okay. It’s an eremita walking up the path,” said Morena.

  “Up the path that also takes him to Brother Pietro’s cottage. If we rewind a short distance, we see Brother Donato, Brother Pietro’s direct neighbor walking up the hill. The time on the video is 12:07 am. Brother Donato said it he would have been on the way back about five minutes after the recessional so that fits. He also said he heard footsteps, which he identified as belonging to Brother Pietro. Brother Donato said he helped open the gate for Brother Pietro, but we see Brother Donato ten steps beyond the gate, and Brother Pietro isn’t there. Either his memory failed him, or Brother Pietro turned back immediately. I don’t know why. He didn’t turn around or actually see Brother Pietro behind him, but Brother Pietro would be the only other person coming up that final path.”