“He came to my office a little while ago.”
“What did he want?”
“He asked about Dad and his weekend warriors.”
“How’d he find out about that?”
“Dad had cards printed up. A Harley logo with the name ACE SPARKS printed on it, can you believe that?”
“You’re kidding.” Luke settled back in his chair. “Old Azor had a fantasy life?”
“Looks that way.”
“That’s wild.” Luke smiled. “Maybe he had some busty biker mama on the side.”
“You’re obscene.”
“Don’t they say that the biggest sinners always pray the loudest?”
Bram started to rebuke his brother, but instead laughed softly. Then he grew serious. “What a crazy world we live in…where some animal could wipe out such a great man.”
“You think it was a random act of violence, then.”
“Yes, of course.” Bram paused. “Don’t you?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
The room went quiet.
Luke said, “Paul got hold of William Waterson, by the way. He stopped by to express his deepest sympathies.”
“That was nice of him.”
“Waterson said he’d take care of the funeral…pay the expenses out of Dad’s estate…which of course all goes to Mom.”
“That makes sense.”
“It’s a real big estate, bro. We couldn’t get the exact figures out of him, but it was clear that Dad was worth a lot of money. More than we…”
Bram said, “Mom’s going to need lots of help and support now. It’s good she won’t have to worry about money.”
“I’m just wondering if Mom’s up to it?”
The priest waited for his twin to continue.
“Mom isn’t Dad,” Luke stated. “A fortune suddenly drops in her lap, she isn’t used to dealing with that kind of balance sheet…I don’t want people to rip her off, that’s all.”
“She’s not helpless without Dad-”
“I didn’t say she was.”
“She handled all the household finances-”
“That’s not the same thing as investing and maintaining a seven-figure bank account. Dad’s always taken care of her, Golden. I’m suggesting we keep a watch over her.”
“Fine. We’ll keep a watch over her.”
Luke scratched his head. “Waterson mentioned something about an insurance policy also.”
“Good.”
“Six million bucks, to be exact.”
“Whoa!” Slowly, Bram sat back in his chair. “Man, that is a lot of money.”
“A proverbial shitload.”
“I don’t recall the word shitload in the Book of Proverbs, but yes, that’s a tremendous haul.” Bram paused. “That is a large insurance policy. The premiums must have been enormous. I wonder why Dad did that when he had so much in the bank. I love Mom, but she doesn’t spend on anything except food. What in the world is she going to do with six million dollars?”
“Mom’s not the beneficiary.”
Bram stared at his brother.
“Six million…six kids.” Luke shrugged carelessly. “Dad was always an even-handed guy.”
Bram opened, then closed his mouth. “You’re kidding!”
“You should have been there when Waterson told us. Paul’s eyelids were beating so fast, he just about flew away.”
Again, the office went quiet.
Luke said, “A rather fortunate windfall for him-”
“Luke-”
“The man is in deep debt.”
“David and Eva aren’t doing so hot, either.”
“Nothing like Paul. He’s drowning in red ink.”
“Your insinuations are ugly.”
“So you’re better than me. We already know that.”
Bram stared at his brother, then rubbed his eyes. “You want some advice?”
“Can I stop you?”
“Truth be told, Lucas, even I, the saint of St. Thomas’s, entertained the same thought as you about Paul. But I’m smart enough not to verbalize it. Because once you talk, you can’t take it back. Do you ever think before you speak?”
“Nah, you do enough of that for the both of us.”
“You say things, Luke. I know what you mean. But no one else does-”
“Mind you, I really don’t think Paul killed Dad for money. But hey, a lot stranger things have happened.”
Bram looked at the crucifix on his wall. “Why do I bother?”
Again, the room went silent.
Luke looked at his hands. “So what are you going to do with the money?”
“What?”
“The money, Bram. What are you going to do with it?”
“I don’t want to talk about money.”
“Well, it’s better than talking about death!” Suddenly, Luke sprang up and leaned against the back wall, burying his face in his hands.
Sluggishly, Bram sighed, checked his watch. Half hour until Mass. He rose from his desk, went over to his brother, and placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Lucas, I know you’re hurting. I know that wisecracks are your way of dealing with pain.”
Luke turned around, wiped his eyes. “How much do I owe you, Herr Doktor?”
The priest looked his twin in the eye, seeing his own tired reflection. “Bro, listen to me. Lieutenant Decker is nobody’s fool. He is a very, very…very, very smart man. You keep talking about money, throwing stuff around about Paul, trying to joke your way out of your pain, you’re going to tweak his antenna.”
“What do I care? I didn’t do anything.”
“Of course, you didn’t do anything. But look at it from his perspective. A weird homicide like Dad’s. First thing police will do is scrutinize the family. You add to that an…an outrageous insurance policy that makes us all rich-”
“Millionaires to be exact.”
Bram hit his forehead. “Am I getting through at all?”
“Not much.”
“Lucas, the police can get very nasty. I don’t need the hassle. And you certainly don’t need it.”
Bram paused, organized his thoughts.
“I realize you’re stressed. And I know what stress does to you. But we’re all in this together. So instead of pulling away from each other, let’s deal with it as a unit. Deal with it constructively-”
“Does that mean heroin is out?”
Bram kept his voice calm, tried again. “Luke, you’ve come so far. Nothing’s worth the setback. Not even a million dollars.”
“I don’t know about that, Golden Boy. For a million bucks, I think I could well afford a couple of setbacks.”
Bram pulled away, knocked his head against the wall. Useless arguing with Luke when he was in one of these moods. Completely irrational. For a moment, he wondered if his twin hadn’t already had a major setback. His eyes were glazed…unfocused. But that could easily be from confusion, grief, and lack of sleep.
“So, bro…” Luke ambled over to the water machine and made himself another cup of tea. “What are you going to do with your share of the money? Start a food bank? Open a mission? Buy a new church? Just what the fuck does a priest do with a million dollars?”
Bram gave up, started making preparations for the six A.M. Mass. “I’ve got to shower.”
Luke drank tea, squashed the cup and two-pointed it into the waste can. “I’m going to buy a house. That should keep Dana happy for a while, don’t you think?”
“Whatever.”
“Think Dad would approve of me using the money for a house?”
Bram was silent.
Luke shrugged. “I think he would. Much better than shooting it in my veins.”
Softly, Bram said, “Are you high, Lucas?”
“No, Abram, I am not. But sincerely, I wish I was.”
The priest walked over to his brother, embraced him tightly. To his surprise, Luke fell into his arms and wept bitterly. And also to his surprise, Bram felt his own eyes overflow. For several moments, he couldn’t tell who was actually crying. Holding his twin. It was as if he was holding himself.
Berger wasn’t happy, but he was resigned to the inevitable. He motioned Decker to follow. Together, without speaking, they took the elevator down to the second floor. Berger moved swiftly, cornering the series of corridors like a four-wheel drive on a mountain. He stopped short, unlocked a door, and let Decker inside his office.