No Rhyme or Reason

by Mairsile Leabhair

  “Right, and this time, I’ll go in with forensics and do a thorough investigation.”

  “Get a warrant first. Even nuns have their limits,” Paul advised.

  “Another thing is the tie-in to this church,” I said more calmly. “I was found here and was probably raped somewhere nearby. Might even have been in the graveyard. It’s all tied together, somehow.”

  Trina nodded, as she thought about it for a moment. “That’s a good thought, except that you and your sister are Catholic, not Episcopalian. Why go after a Catholic at an Episcopalian churchyard?”

  “Maybe your brother did it,” Paul said jokingly.

  “Fuck you, Paul,” Trina snapped

  “Hey, it was just a joke, for Pete’s sake.”

  “Don’t joke about my family,” she warned, her face flushed with anger.

  “Look, I’m sorry,” he said. “Now can we get back to work?”

  “Yeah, okay,” Trina relented. “We’ll head over to the office and get the warrant.”

  “Good. I’ll let you know as soon as I get an ID on this guy,” Paul said, nodding toward the dead man. “And I’ll have forensics search this whole area for evidence of her attack.”

  “Send me a pic of the corpse, and I’ll show it to the nuns. Oh, and can you get the list of the church members? Maybe something will pop.”

  “Will do. And Trina, don’t let your guard down for a second. There’s a killer out there and until your theory is proven, treat this as if she were still the target.” He pointed his thumb at me.

  A sudden chill ran down my spine as things just got real. He was right. I was a liability to them, just like the dead man in the graveyard.

  We walked back into the church and were immediately greeted by Corey.

  “Here’s my report,” he said proudly, handing Trina a sheet of paper. He had typed it up, even put his name and address at the top.

  “Good deal,” Trina said, taking the paper and glancing over it. “This one was for me. You’ll be asked to give a formal statement downtown. Merely a formality.”

  “Oh, okay. Sure.”

  “Yeah, text me when you’re coming so I can make sure that I’m there,” Trina said and slapped him on the shoulder. “You did real good today, little brother.”

  “Thanks. Sorry I bailed on you back there,” he said, lowering his head. “I just couldn’t face that again.”

  “I wish I hadn’t seen him,” I admitted. “I went a little crazy when I did.” I looked down at my knuckles, bleeding and torn. My hands have not had it easy lately.

  On the walk back to Trina’s car, I replayed everything again in my head. I remembered my attacker. I remembered my treehouse. I had to remember my sister. I think the reason I couldn’t was because we’re twins and trying to see her in my mind’s eye was like looking at myself in the mirror. We were identical, right down to the necklaces on our necks. Wait. The necklace! I put my hand to my throat. “Trina!”

  She stopped and turned to me. “Are you all right?”

  “What? Yes, I’m fine. It’s this necklace.”

  “What about it?”

  “I know why I was so taken with it.” The adrenaline was surging as a sudden flood of memories surfaced. “My sister, the nun, has one just like it because I gave it to her. At her veil ceremony.”

  “So then…” She paused and raked her fingers through her bangs. “You’re Ruby Grace Sutherland.” It wasn’t a question. “And you’re not a nun.” Again, not a question, but there was a sparkle in her eyes that I had not seen before.

  “Right. I’m not sure who I am, but I know I’m not a nun.”

  “If you’re not Sister Emily Ann, then you have to be Ruby Grace,” she stated, matter-of-factly.

  “But who is that?” I asked.

  “Well, she’s someone who’s really smart, very pretty, and incredibly brave,” she said without flirtation.

  “Funny, that’s how I would describe you,” I replied, totally flirting. Knowing that I wasn’t a nun changed everything where Trina was concerned. The shackles were off, so-to-speak.

  She cleared her throat and slid her hands into her jeans pocket. “Uh, we should probably get going. We need to find your sister. Did you remember anything else?”

  “Not really.” Now it was my turn to clear my throat as tears threatened to choke me. “I remember standing in front of her at her veiling and giving her the necklace. But everything else is just a reflection in the mirror.”

  “Well,” she shrugged, “that will all come together when we find Sister Emily.”

  “All right, then. Let’s go,” I said with renewed determination.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Just Because They’re Nuns – Trina Wiles

  We got back to the office, and I immediately started the ball rolling on the warrant. While we waited, we walked into the breakroom and I pulled out a couple of sodas. I offered Ruby a chair at the break table and we sat down.

  “So, why are we going back to the convent?” Ruby asked as she popped the top on the aluminum can.

  “Now that we know more I want to talk with the Reverend Mother again and have forensics go over the your room… I mean, your sister’s room.”

  “What do you expect to find?” she asked, fidgeting with the can.

  “Probably nothing. Just doing my due diligence. But now, knowing what we know, if I could speak with Reverend Mother and some of the other nuns there, I might get a different story.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You think she lied?”

  “Just because they’re nuns doesn’t mean they can’t lie. But no, I don’t think she lied. I think she told us what she knew based on you being Sister Emily. We didn’t know you had a twin when we talked with her. Asking the questions again with this knowledge might produce a different answer.”

  “That makes sense. She’ll look at me differently now, and maybe remember something she didn’t think about before.”

  “Exactly,” I said, impressed with her quick deduction. Since she recognized her rapist, she had really seemed sharper, more focused, and not as afraid anymore. She didn’t hesitate or flinch when we walked into the office this time. An office that was very busy and full of men with deep voices. She’s going to remember everything soon, I just know it. “And your… I mean Sister Emily’s roommate should be back by now. I want to talk to her, too.”

  So… I must be Ruby Grace Then? – Joyce aka Ruby Grace

  We were driving back to the offices of Blessed Mother Mary to see Reverend Mother, and neither of us had said anything since leaving the office. After faking being calm in the police station, my adrenalin was wearing down, and I needed to hear Trina’s voice. It’s not that I was as afraid as I had been, I just felt really uncomfortable around all those people. I managed to keep the claustrophobia at bay, although when Paul came back, and his FBI buddy showed up, things got crowded around Trina’s desk.

  Greg Moore was twice my size with broad shoulders, a crooked nose, and slicked-back black hair. He was also full of himself, the way he kept staring at me. I didn’t like him from the first moment I saw him. He had this air about him, like he was better than everyone else. Maybe it was because he wore sunglasses inside. So obnoxious. Rationally, I knew that part of my problem with Greg was the sudden flashbacks to my attack. They’d started in the precinct; rapid-fire, almost painful flashbacks, but I couldn’t see anything. They were shadows in the dark.

  “I don’t think that I like Greg,” I stated, breaking the silence in the car. There was something off about him that I couldn’t put my finger on.

  Trina chuckled and nodded. “I don’t either, but don’t tell Paul.”

  “I do like Paul,” I continued. “He’s rough around the edges but he doesn’t hold back. Sort of like you.”

  “He’s been a good mentor, that’s for sure,” Trina said.

  “But do you like him?” I asked, sensing she was holding back.

  “He’s okay, I guess. I mean, we’re not friends; we
’re partners with a dangerous job to do. I know he has my back, just as I have his.”

  So, no. You don’t like him.

  We parked, and I paused for a moment, looking up at the building. God, thank you for the sweet memories of my sister, Emily. Please protect her and please, God, please help us find her.

  A moment later, we entered the building and walked down the hallway to the offices. The Reverend Mother’s door was closed, so Trina stopped at the secretary’s door. It was open, and she was at her desk.

  “Sister Mary Elizabeth, do you remember us?” Trina asked, walking up to her desk. She pulled her jacket back to show her badge.

  She stood up and acknowledged us. “Yes, of course, but I’m afraid Reverend Mother is away on business.”

  “When will she be back?” Trina asked.

  “In a few days. She’s attending a Conference of Women Religious in Maryland that was called on the spur of the moment.”

  “May I ask, what was so urgent?”

  She looked at me and smiled as if addressing a student. “Sister Emily, you know how these things come about.”

  “Well, I don’t,” Trina interceded. “Could you explain it to a layman?”

  Smiling, I glanced at Trina, grateful she’d intervened, because I didn’t have a clue what it was either.

  “The Reverend Mother is on the Global Concerns Committee, which focuses on women and children. The urgency is in regard to the children taken from their parents at the border.”

  “Say no more,” Trina said, holding up her hand. “That’s important work, indeed.”

  Back at the precinct, while sitting at Trina’s desk, waiting on her to return with the warrant, I had picked up the newspaper and read all about the horrible things going on at the border. Very important work.

  “Sister, I would like to speak with Sister Teresa Joseph Hobbs if she’s back?”

  “She just got in last night,” she replied.

  “Also,” Trina began and pulled out the warrant. “I have a warrant to search her bedroom.”

  “Oh, my!” Sister Mary Elizabeth gasped and put her fingers to her lips. Trina held out the warrant, but the nun held her hand up. “I, um… you’ll need to speak with our vice-provincial superior, Sister Teresa Marie Hanover. Follow me, please.”

  We walked back into the hallway and followed her down to an office adjacent to the Reverend Mother’s office.

  “Sister, what’s wrong? You look worried,” Sister Teresa Marie stated, rising from her desk.

  “Excuse me for intruding, Sister,” Trina said. “But I have a—”

  “Sister Emily, when did you get back? We were worried sick,” Sister Teresa Marie interrupted, walking over to me with her hands held out.

  Just as the Reverend Mother had done, the sister took me by the shoulders and examined me, as if she didn’t believe I was real. “You look thin. Have you been eating right? Where have you been?”

  “Sister, what did you mean you were worried about her?” Trina probed.

  She stepped back and turned to Trina. “There’s something going on here, isn’t there?” she asked, looking from Trina to me.

  “I’m Detective Trina Wiles. Is there someplace we could talk?” Trina asked. “This will take some time to explain and I’d like Sister Mary Elizabeth to join us.”

  “Of course. Can we offer you some refreshments?”

  Trina shook her head. “No, thank you. This is an official visit.”

  The nun looked confused but nodded and led us out of her office. We sat down in a small conference room, on the opposite end of the building, and Trina handed the vice-provincial the warrant. Sister looked at it closely and then laid it on the table.

  “I’m listening,” she said, leaning back and resting her hands on the table. The nun was clearly in control despite having just been served papers. Impressive.

  Before we could begin, there was a tap at the door. “Come in,” Sister Teresa Marie said.

  A man and a woman, dressed in khakis, wearing police jackets and carrying toolboxes, walked in.

  Trina stood up. “Excuse me, Sister. They’re here for me. I’ll be right back.”

  Trina left the room and suddenly I was alone, facing the two nuns who thought I was Sister Emily. Thankfully, Trina returned a moment later.

  “I apologize for the interruption,” she said, sitting back down. “The forensic team just arrived, and I pointed them toward Sister Emily’s room. You might want to let Sister Teresa Joseph know.”

  “Sister, would you please find Sister Teresa Joseph and ask her to join us?” Sister Teresa Marie instructed.

  The other nun nodded and left the room.

  Trina wasn’t interested in waiting for her to return. She pointed at me and said, “We have reason to believe that this is Sister Emily’s twin sister, Ruby Grace Sutherland.”

  The vice-provincial’s mouth gaped open and looked at me as if for the first time. She looked at my profile, at my hands, at my mouth. It really felt uncomfortable and invasive.

  “I’m not her, Sister,” I blurted, crossing my arms.

  “Oh, I am sorry,” she said, looking away. “Sister Emily never mentioned she had a twin.”

  “I was at her veiling. What did you think?” I asked incredulously.

  “If you were there, then you’d know that we were not,” Sister Teresa Marie rebutted. “When Sister Emily took the veil, Sister Mary Elizabeth and I were in Belize.”

  Damn my mouth. “I apologize for being rude, Sister. It’s been a very trying week.”

  “Let me explain,” Trina said, but another tap at the door interrupted her.

  Sister Mary Elizabeth walked in followed by another woman. “Sister TJ was about to lead a sit-in in protest,” the nun chortled.

  “Sister Emily! When did you get back?” the woman asked and rushed over, grabbing me up in a hug.

  “I remember you,” I said, holding her at arm’s length. A bubbly, blued-eyed blonde who never met a stranger. She was just like my sister, and I could see why the two were best friends.

  “Of course, you do, silly,” she protested, then stopped and looked around. “Wait. What’s going on? There are police in our room.”

  “I’m Emily’s sister, her twin sister, Ruby Grace. We met at Emily’s veiling ceremony.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry. I thought you were—”

  “Sister, if you would take a seat,” Sister Teresa Marie ordered politely, “The detective was just about to explain everything.”

  Trina introduced herself again and began to tell them my sad story from the moment she found me at her brother’s church. By the time she was finished, Sister TJ was in tears, and the other two nuns did the sign of the cross.

  Trina looked at the nuns. “Now, if I could you ask a question—”

  “Wait a minute,” Sister TJ said, wiping away her tears. “If you’re not Sister Emily, then where is she?”

  “That’s what I’m here to find out,” Trina replied.

  Where Do We Go from Here? – Trina Wiles

  “We must pray for you, Ruby Grace, and for Sister Emily,” Sister Teresa Marie insisted. “And you as well, Detective. We must pray for all of you.”

  She did the sign of the cross, and everyone else followed suit.

  “Uh, I’m not Catholic, Sister,” I said, sitting with my hands in my lap.

  “That’s alright, God loves everyone equally… and I won’t hold it against you.”

  I did a double-take at the nun. She was smiling mischievously. The hard-ass nun made a joke. Who’d a thought it? I glances over at Joyce and she was laughing. It was wonderful to hear her laughing. She was so much more at ease with these women this time around. I bowed my head and closed my eyes. God, sorry about the hard-ass nun bit. I know I’ve not been to church in a while, and I don’t pray like I should, but please, hear what the sister is saying and know that I pray the same, only double. “Amen.”

  “Detective, I haven’t started praying yet.”

 
“Oh, jeez. Sorry, Sister. I was praying to myself.”

  She was not impressed. We started over and she asked Mother Mary to watch over us and return her sheep to the fold. Yeah, God. What she said. My cell phone rang, thankfully after she finished praying, and Kenny, one of the techs upstairs, asked me to come up. He had something to show me.

  “I’m needed upstairs. I know your time is valuable, but if you’ll bear with me, I still need to ask some questions about Sister Emily.”

  “Of course. Anything we can do to help.”

  “Thank you. I won’t be long.”

  “We won’t be long,” Joyce added and stood up.

  She gave me one of those looks that told me she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I wasn’t going to embarrass her in front of the nuns, but I also didn’t want her to be blindsided if it was something bad.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as we walked up the stairs.

  “I’m not sure. I feel like hitting something, but I also feel like crying.”

  “Well, you’ve already beat up a dead body, so…”

  She laughed and swatted my arm. “Yeah, well, I’d like to reserve the right to beat him up again. Only, I wish he were alive, so he’d know I’m no wilting flower.”

  “Damn straight you’re not. But in lieu of going to the morgue and breaking the law, how about you use me as your boxing buddy? The station has a boxing ring where I like to work out.”

  “Yeah, that would be fun. Only, you have to promise not to go easy on me. I need to work out some anger issues,” she said with a deceptively sweet smile.

  “I understand completely. How about adding a little more incentive? Winner buys dinner?”

  “You’re on,” she said enthusiastically. “But, um, you know I don’t have any money, so you’re buying either way.”

  “Okay, then how about loser cleans the kitchen?”

  “That’ll work. I love to watch other people clean,” she said with a chuckle.

  “You’re pretty sure of yourself,” I challenged.

  “Don’t worry, you won’t have that much to clean up,” she said with a grin.