Prey for a Miracle
Page 13
Understanding that the root of her anger was pain, Sister Agatha was filled with compassion. “I am so very sorry for your loss, but believe me, there was nothing Natalie could have done for your son.”
“You’re wrong, and so was Father Mahoney. My son did get better after he saw Natalie. He stopped being afraid of dying, and for a little while before he passed away I think he saw angels, too.” Mrs. Pacheco’s voice broke and she swallowed, wiping her tears away quickly. “If Natalie could have stayed a bit longer, maybe…” She shook her head. “I don’t know why you came, Sister, but you better leave. There’s nothing we want from you or the church.”
“No matter what else happened, Natalie did help you. Now her mother’s in a coma because someone ran them off the road. This is your chance to help Natalie. Won’t you answer just a few questions?”
Mrs. Pacheco took a long shuddering breath. “All I know about that accident is what I read in the papers. What else can I possibly tell you?”
“When was the last time you spoke to Jessica? And can you think of anyone else at school who wanted Natalie’s help?”
“The last time I spoke to Jessica was the day she refused to let Natalie come to my home and talk to Peter. But there was someone else hanging around school the day Natalie saw my boy in the parking lot. I had duty outside later that afternoon while the busses were there, and I saw him watching the children waiting for their rides. When Natalie came outside to sit on one of the benches, he started walking toward her. Then Jessica pulled up and called Natalie. The guy did a quick about-turn and that was the last time I saw him. I was called into the office by the principal just after that. I forgot all about it until now.”
“Did you recognize the person?”
“I thought it was Joey Rubio, my next-door neighbor. He works for Del Martinez’s roofing company. I can’t swear it was him, though. I was standing in the bus loading zone and he never looked in my direction.”
“Did you go to the Tannen house to try and see Natalie the night of the accident?” Sister Agatha watched the other woman’s expression closely.
Tears filled her eyes and Mrs. Pacheco shook her head. After a long pause, she answered, “The night of that downpour my family and I gathered here for a prayer vigil. A priest was here, too.”
“Father Mahoney?”
“No, I don’t want anything to do with that man. We asked Father Ramirez to come over from the Corrales parish.”
Sister Agatha felt the woman’s pain and anger and wished there was something she could say to ease that awful burden. As she stood there, Mrs. Pacheco drew back into herself as if trying to escape the grief that lay like a weight over her shattered heart.
Out of respect, Sister Agatha waited a bit before speaking. “Why do you think Joey might have wanted to see Natalie?” she asked at long last.
“Joey won custody of his daughter after his divorce, but his ex took the girl and ran. Joey’s been looking for his daughter ever since. He was probably hoping Natalie and her angel could tell him where they are. But, remember, I’m not sure that was Joey.”
It saddened her to think of all the people who were looking exclusively to Natalie, not realizing or understanding that they, too, had the power to pray and ask for God’s help on their own. But one thing was becoming very clear—Natalie would never know a normal childhood in this community.
“Sister Agatha, Natalie has received a special grace. That’s why she’s able to see that angel. She’s God’s gift to us.”
“No one has been able to prove the existence of that angel.”
“Nor disprove it. Why doesn’t Father Mahoney take Natalie to the hospital and let her help her own mother, for God’s sake? She should be allowed to try at least.” Mrs. Pacheco backed into her home, tears in her eyes, and closed the door.
With a heavy heart, Sister Agatha walked back to the Harley and signalled Pax to get into the sidecar. She’d go to the Rubio home next. He was probably at work, but maybe someone else was there.
Sister Agatha drove down the lane to the next house. The residences stood on one-acre lots that also held old sheds, corrals, and inoperative or additional vehicles. As Sister Agatha drove up the graveled road to the Rubio home, she noticed an elderly woman tending a small garden near a dilapidated stucco building that looked like a workshop. She pulled a long hose, watering each plant patiently. Sister Agatha looked around and, not seeing any other animals, gave Pax the command to accompany her.
“Good morning,” Sister Agatha greeted the woman, and introduced herself.
“Buenos dias, Hermana. I’m Carmen Rubio. What can I do for you?” She crouched down and picked a large green caterpillar off a plant, then tossed it to the ground, squashing it with her heel.
“I need to talk to Joey. Is he here?”
“No, he’s probably still at the monastery. Unless it rains they’re going to be working on that roof of yours every day until it’s done. Didn’t you see him over there?”
“I didn’t even know that he was part of the crew,” she said.
Sister Agatha knew that Joey wasn’t the person who’d disguised himself as a nun because the other workers would have noticed his absence. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t the person who’d run Jessica and Natalie off the road. The two incidents didn’t have to be related.
“How’s the search for Joey’s little girl going?” Sister Agatha asked, deciding to check out the possibility that he’d been the man Mrs. Pacheco had seen.
The woman’s face clouded with grief. “Mi nieta, my granddaughter, will grow up never knowing how much her father misses her. She’ll just believe that we didn’t care, if I know her mother. But someday we’ll find her. We’ll never give up hope.”
“Has Joey considered hiring a private detective?”
“He did once, but it cost a lot of money and the man never found my granddaughter. He said he was getting close, but I think he was lying. Once we ran out of money, the detective threw up his hands and stopped doing anything at all. When we heard on TV about Natalie, Joey said he wanted to talk to her. But Natalie’s gone now, hiding with the police.”
“Did Joey ever actually talk to Natalie or Jessica?”
“He wanted to—was thinking about it, you know? But all the men in this family like to think a long time before doing anything.”
“So Joey never got the chance to find out if she could help him or not?”
The woman shrugged. “Not as far as I know, but these days my grandson doesn’t tell me anything.”
“Did Joey ever go to Natalie’s school to try and find her?” Sister Agatha asked. “Other people did.”
Carmen stopped and looked at her long and hard. “And what if he did? What are you really asking, Sister? Are you thinking that he wanted to see her so badly he caused that accident? I know you work with the police sometimes.”
“I don’t know what happened that night, so I’m trying to put the pieces together. That’s all.”
Carmen shook her head. “You’re looking for someone to blame. Don’t try to fool me. Do you know the saying, ‘Mas sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo’?”
Sister Agatha nodded. “The devil is wiser because of his age than because he’s the devil.”
“My grandson is a good man. He wants to find his daughter, but not by endangering someone else’s. Usted comprende?”
“Yes, I do. Thanks,” Sister Agatha said, and turned to walk back to the Harley with Pax.
“Sister,” Carmen called out before she’d gone more than a few steps. “If you care about that little girl, you should convince Father Mahoney to let people find out for themselves what she can or can’t do. Everyone’s curious and the more they talk about Natalie, the more the story will grow. Pretty soon they’ll claim she parted the Rio Grande, and ten people will step up and swear they saw her do it. Es verdad.”
“Yes, there’s truth to that,” Sister Agatha said. She was quickly coming to the same conclusion herself.
1
2
SISTER AGATHA ENTERED THE PARLOR, PAX AT HER SIDE, hours later, and glanced at the new Parcel Express delivery man, who was speaking to Sister Bernarda. The man was about her height but thin and weary-looking, as if he’d just worked a double shift.
“This is one of our other externs,” Sister Bernarda said, and introduced them. “Sister Agatha, this is Andrew.”
Sister Agatha shook his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Andrew. You look tired—they must keep you running. Are you new to the route or to the company?”
“Both, pretty much, and, yes, I’ve been very busy. But I’ve got to say, I’m glad I had the chance to make a delivery here. I’ve never seen a real monastery up close before. It looks so peaceful. Is it true that the other nuns never come outside?”
Sister Agatha nodded. “They’ve taken a vow of enclosure.”
“What do they do all day? Read the Bible?”
She smiled. That was invariably the first question people asked. “That, too. And they pray and work. We have to support ourselves.”
“That’s something we all have in common, don’t we?” Andrew said.
Hearing the bell for Vespers, Sister Bernarda and Sister Agatha looked at each other. “It’s time for us to close the parlor doors, Andrew,” Sister Agatha said.
Andrew looked at his watch. “It’s five thirty and I still have another delivery to make. I better run, too.” Andrew nodded at both of them, then hurried outside to his truck.
Sister Bernarda knocked and opened the door to Natalie’s quarters. “Are you ready to go to Vespers?” she asked.
The child looked up in surprise, then took off her earphones. They belonged to a radio Sister de Lourdes had found for the girl among their donations. “I’m sorry, Sister. I couldn’t hear you with the music going.”
“I don’t see how you stand it, listening to that noise all day,” Sister Bernarda said.
“Music helps me think. There are times when I need to figure out something for myself and it helps not to listen to anyone else then.”
Natalie’s guileless expression told Sister Agatha that the girl wasn’t trying to be rude, but it still sent a message. She made a mental note to ask Natalie what was troubling her as soon as Vespers was over. For now, they had to get going.
As Natalie put away the radio, Sister Agatha nodded to Sister Bernarda. “Go ahead. We’ll follow.”
“Sit on the south side of the chapel. Mr. Martinez made sure that the area above the tabernacle was finished first because he doesn’t want any more problems. And neither does Reverend Mother, which is why the public side of the chapel will remain closed for now.”
Sister Agatha knew that the possibility their intruder might return was still worrying Mother. Natalie hadn’t been told about the phony nun, just warned to keep her voice low and stay away from windows despite the heavy curtains while the workmen were around.
Several minutes later Sister Agatha led Natalie to the chapel. The girl seemed more subdued than usual and that worried her. Yet as all the nuns began to chant the Divine Office, a sense of peace enveloped Sister Agatha.
Sister Agatha glanced down at Natalie, hoping that the serenity and blessedness of their chapel would soothe her broken spirit. It didn’t take a mind reader to know that the girl had never stopped worrying about her mother. There was no peace in Natalie’s expression.
Sister Agatha brought her thoughts back to the Office, and as the two-tone chant rose high into the air, their voices joined symbolically with the choir of angels who praised God unceasingly.
After Vespers, Sister Agatha escorted Natalie to her room. Pax, who’d been waiting outside of chapel for them, came along. “It won’t take me more than a minute or so to bring us both some dinner, so just wait for me here. Sister Bernarda and Sister de Lourdes are busy helping Sister Clothilde because she’s behind on her baking, despite the new oven. Tomorrow we’ll need to deliver our first shipment of cookies to Smitty’s grocery, which is why most of us will be working in the kitchen tonight, even after the Great Silence.”
“Don’t get dinner for me, okay? I’m not hungry. Uncle Rick brought me a hamburger and fries earlier,” Natalie said. “All I really want is to go see my mom. Will you take me?”
“I spoke to the sheriff about that, and we’re trying to find a safe way to get you there. We’ll make it happen, but I need a little more time, okay?”
Natalie shoulders drooped. “Can I go to bed early tonight? I’d like to listen to music, then go to sleep.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t want me to bring you a sandwich at least? How about peanut butter and jelly?”
“No, thanks. I’m still full. I just want to go to bed.”
“Okay. I’ll go get myself a bowl of soup, then come back.”
Natalie crawled into her cot, placed her headphones on, then closed her eyes. Once she’d settled in, Sister Agatha turned off the lights. “Good night,” she said, then realized Natalie couldn’t hear her.
Sister Agatha went to the kitchen to get a quick dinner for herself, but as she stepped through the double doors of the refectory the thick and pungent smell of burnt food seemed to come at her from all sides. Rushing to the kitchen, she saw Sister Maria Victoria and Sister Clothilde pulling three trays of blackened lumps from the oven. Other sisters, alerted by the unmistakable scent, rushed in all together, and as they crowded into the room, a huge bowl of batter went crashing to the floor. Reverend Mother tried to step back and slipped, but Sister Bernarda caught her before she fell. However, in all the confusion, a second batch of cookies burned to a crisp.
Forty minutes passed before everything had been cleaned up and the baking order had been restored. Sister Agatha returned to the parlor and peeked into Natalie’s room. Although it was dark, she could see the girl’s outline in the bed under the covers. Then, just as she sat down, the bell for Compline rang. Remaining where she was, she opened her breviary to pray. If Natalie woke up again tonight, she’d take the opportunity to have a talk with her. For now, the girl was sound asleep.
As she read from the breviary, Sister Agatha suddenly realized that she hadn’t seen Pax in the room with Natalie. Maybe it had just been too dark. Deciding to take another look, she reached for the penlight in the bottom drawer of the parlor desk, and switched it on. The muted glow it gave off would be more than enough.
Moving with practiced silence, Sister Agatha opened the door and looked around. The dog wasn’t on the floor or under the cot. Wondering if Natalie had decided to share her bed with him, she studied the lump on the cot. There was no breathing movement at all.
Sister Agatha stepped over to the cot and lifted up the sheet. Instead of Natalie and Pax, the child’s clothes and her fancy doll, Regina, were arranged there in a humanlike form.
She’d fallen for the oldest trick in the book. Natalie and Pax were both gone. Her heart hammering at her throat, she turned on the lights. Sister Agatha frantically searched for a note and found one on the floor by the dresser, where it had probably been thrown when she’d lifted off the sheet. It was written on paper taken from one of the monastery’s memo pads. Sister Agatha read it.
There’s someplace Samara wants me to be tonight. Pax is coming with me. Don’t worry. We’ll be back soon.
Galvanized by fear, Sister Agatha ran to the phone. There was no time to lose. She had to call Sheriff Green and then let Reverend Mother know. After explaining to the desk sergeant what had happened and asking her to relay everything to Tom, Sister Agatha ran to Reverend Mother’s office.
The words tumbled out of her in a rush as she told the abbess, then added, “This is my fault. I should have seen this coming and never left Natalie alone.”
Reverend Mother’s face turned pale, but she remained outwardly calm. “This was not your fault. All our doors open from the inside. Our locks are meant to keep the world out, not to keep us in. You trusted her, that’s all. Pax will guard her as best he can, but you need to go and find her as quickly as possible.�
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“She’s talked quite a bit about going to see her mom. She’s probably headed to the Far West Medical Center. The shortest route is down our road to the highway, then straight into town. I’ll check it out.” She turned to leave, then stopped and turned her head. “We should call Father Mahoney, too.”
“I’ll take care of that, child. You go search. I’ll wake all the sisters who aren’t already working in the kitchen and we’ll start a prayer vigil immediately. No help is more powerful than His.”
Sister Agatha hurried to the parlor, grabbed a jacket and the big flashlight, then said good-bye. It was a clear night, but the temperature was dropping quickly. For a brief moment she considered taking the Antichrysler. The monastery’s old station wagon would be warmer. But in cold weather it also had a tendency not to start up, and sometimes it needed to be coaxed to continue running.
She didn’t have time for that now. Moments later, she got underway on the Harley. Pax would do his best to protect Natalie, but the thought of the girl wandering about in the dark still terrified her.
Angry with herself, and knowing how vulnerable Natalie had become by leaving the relative safety of the monastery, Sister Agatha vowed not to return home without Natalie Tannen.
Reaching Bernalillo, Sister Agatha directed her search onto the shoulders of the road ahead. The ground was too hard to leave a trail, but she stayed alert for even a shadow of movement. The road contained some very old residences and a few small businesses. There was no sidewalk, just a low chain-link fence on both sides running nearly to the road. There were streetlights at the end of each block, but tall trees made the area dark and lonely looking, and only a few porch lights were on.
It wasn’t until she drove past the old graveyard at the south end of Bernalillo that she spotted a small figure moving directly ahead. Sister Agatha pressed the Harley for more speed, and a heartbeat later she heard Pax bark. He’d recognized the distinctive Harley engine instantly. As she pulled up, Pax was sitting on the right side of the road, tail wagging, happy to see her.