"That's true," the female cardinal replied.
"Are there odd things that happen up here? I mean, apart from Brother Thomas being murdered?" Tucker asked.
"Oh, my, yes" the female said, her voice dipping down.
"Not everyone in Holy Orders is holy," the male said. "They drink and smoke and take drugs." He opened his wings. "You'd better get out of here."
As the birds flew off, Tucker turned and inhaled deeply. Three other humans were coming on up; she could just catch their warm lanolin scent weaving over the frigid air, bright like a ribbon.
Alicia touched Harry's arm. "I don't think we're going to find anything."
BoomBoom spied the Brothers Frank, Andrew, and Mark before Harry saw them.
"Harry," Brother Frank called out.
"Oh, shit," Harry muttered under her breath.
15
The passing of Brother Thomas affected the three monks. It was assumed he died of natural causes. He was, after all, long in the tooth. If the cardinal could have communicated with these men, Brother Andrew would have performed an autopsy. Since the body wasn't embalmed, the deceased was buried quickly, with all the proper rites.
"What are you doing here?" Brother Frank angrily asked Harry as his eyes swept over the other two women.
"I came to see the Blessed Virgin Mother's tears." She told a half truth as Tucker sat protectively on her right foot, never taking her eyes off the three monks.
"Death from the ankles down" was Tucker's motto.
"The front gate is locked. How did you get in here?" Brother Frank's face reddened from emotion and the cold.
"Walked," Harry simply replied.
"Heavy going." Brother Andrew noted that all three women appeared in remarkable glowing health. He half-smiled. "Those media vultures can't come in the back way. 'Course, the camera is heavy, but they aren't up to the trek."
"We're country girls." BoomBoom hoped to defuse the situation. "And we are sorry to disturb you. Harry was the first person to see this phenomenon. We wanted to see for ourselves."
"This is the Miracle of the Blue Ridge." Brother Mark's eyes moistened. "Our Lady sends her love to us and she weeps for us. Her tears will wash away our sins."
"You are in no position to declare miracles," Brother Frank snapped, a wisp of gray hair escaping from under his hood.
"I'm not declaring anything." Brother Mark exhibited a rare streak of defiance. "Our Lady stands before us and we can't deny her tears."
"That's enough." Brother Frank raised his voice, which prompted Brother Andrew to lightly place an ungloved hand on the treasurer's shoulder.
"You're right, Brother, but this is so unusual we are each reacting in our own way." He turned to Brother Mark, smiled kindly at him, and then addressed Alicia, whom he recognized. "It's one thing to come through the snow and cold out of curiosity, but perhaps you have other reasons?"
"Do you know anyone who couldn't benefit from prayer?" Alicia did have her reasons. She was falling in love and not at all certain she wanted to do that, because, in her life, love upended everything.
"No," Brother Andrew warmly replied. He was not immune to her beauty nor to BoomBoom's.
"We're sorry we disturbed you," Alicia said. "But I must say, the sight of her tears is deeply moving."
"Yes." Brother Andrew smiled again.
"The love of Our Lady is available to anyone who prays to her. These external manifestations are"—Brother Frank searched for the word—"fripperies."
"That's not true!" Brother Mark blurted out, his hand gripping the rope tie at his waist. "This is a sign from—"
Brother Frank held up his hand as if to strike the impertinent pup, but stopped midair. "Haven't we endured enough without your extravagant outbursts?" He then grabbed Brother Mark's sleeve. "There's revelation and there's reason. Try using a little reason. You can't go declaring miracles."
Brother Andrew chimed in. "He's right. I'm not saying that Our Lady isn't reaching out to us, but we must be prudent and responsible in how we share this."
"Why? Channel Twenty-nine has already been here." Brother Mark didn't have the sense to shut up.
Brother Frank raised an eyebrow, stared directly at Harry. Her returning stare told him what he already knew. She'd kept her promise. "Did you really come to see her again?"
"Yes." Harry wavered a second. "Yes, I did, and I thought if we came up through the woods we wouldn't disturb anyone. And, I confess, I know that Brother Thomas was found, frozen, praying in front of this statue."
Brother Andrew sharply jerked his head in her direction. "How did you know that?"
"Susan Tucker. Brother Thomas was her great-uncle on her mother's side, the Bland Wades. The family was notified of his death. You knew they were related, didn't you?"
"Ah." Brother Frank, in his current state, hadn't remembered Susan.
"He was an old man, a good man. I don't know what we'll do without him. He was teaching Brother Mark how to use all the old tools, how to nurse along old equipment," Brother Andrew said with feeling. "If the boiler blew, Brother Thomas nursed it back to health. If an old joist needed mending, he could fix it using tools from the time this monastery was constructed." This was said with admiration.
"At least he died with Our Lady's face looking down at his." Brother Mark looked about to suffer another paroxysm of emotion.
"Yes, yes," Brother Frank absentmindedly murmured.
"The exertion of walking up here and the bitter cold may have been too much," Brother Andrew announced.
"I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to cause trouble, and I cajoled BoomBoom and Alicia into coming up here with me." Harry was contrite.
"Harry, your curiosity—well..." Brother Frank shook his head.
A puff of air streamed from her lips. "I know. I'm sorry."
"We are sorry," BoomBoom said. "We'll leave you in peace."
Brother Frank looked up at Mary's face. "As long as she's crying I don't think we will have peace here."
Brother Mark started to say something, but Brother Andrew quickly put his strong hand on the young man's wrist.
As the three women headed down into the ravine, the cardinal flew overhead.
"It was nice talking to you."
"You, too. Keep your eyes open. I'll be back," Tucker said.
"Your human won't be back up after this," the cardinal confidently predicted.
"You don't know Harry."
Following their tracks, which were already beginning to vanish in the blowing snow, the way back proved easier than the way up to the statue, despite a few slips here and there.
Once inside the cab of BoomBoom's truck, Alicia burst into laughter. "I feel like a kid."
BoomBoom laughed, too. "I know. It was like getting caught in school passing notes."
Harry, who sat by the window so Tucker could look out, squinched up tighter against it. "Brother Frank can just trip on his rosary beads. They should be praying to St. Valerian, the saint you invoke against exposure and snowstorms."
"Harry, you're a cynic." Alicia laughed at her. "Let's go into Staunton. We're already on top of the mountain. Take twenty minutes from here to Shorty's Diner. Time for breakfast."
"I second the motion," BoomBoom, jammed up against Alicia, agreed.
"Me, too."
"Me, too," Tucker echoed.
BoomBoom turned on the motor, letting it warm up for a moment. The truck, wired for phone, beeped as the motor cut on. BoomBoom pressed the number 4 on the numbers by the radio.
"Cool." Harry admired all things technical.
"I programmed in the numbers I call most frequently."
"Who is Number One?" Alicia wiggled her toes as they warmed up.
"I'll never tell."
"Her mother, luxuriating in Montecito, California. Bet you." Harry felt a surge of envy. She wanted this phone in her truck. However, her truck was so old the phone system would be worth more than the truck.
"No." BoomBoom smiled coyly, then a woman's voice came over the tiny speaker, built into the roof lining.