"No, not the very best," Hawes admitted.
"But complaining about the pasture isn't mend the fences, is it?" he said. "These files accumulation of a lifetime, my sermons, letters priests all over the world, articles on Jesus Catholic Church, reviews of inspirational anything pertaining to the spiritual life. To them behind at St. John's would have been leaving my own children there.”
"Vergogna, vergogna," Marcella said again.
Hawes did not know what she was saying, gathered from the clucking of her tongue shaking of her head that she was not happy Father Oriella's transfer here. Carella knew was saying, "Shame, shame," referring to stupidity of the diocese in transferring the secretary, the files, the whole damn thing. She not going to like this place. She knew that from minute they'd walked into a rectory half the the one at St. John's. And what kind of could an Irish be? Martha Whatever, eh? This erson to take care of an Italian priest? Or so Carella ;ad it. Vergogna, vergogna.
"Actually, we'll have some more files for you in a little while," he said.
"Oh?" Oriella said.
"Cosa ?" Marcella asked.
"More files," the priest said, and then, in Italian, "Anche pia filze,” and in English again, "What files?”
"Father Michael's. We're almost finished with them.”
“They'll be useful to you," Hawes said. "For the receipts, records of payments...”
"Remind me to call the bishop," Oriella said, snapping his fingers, and turning to Marcella. "I have to ask him whether I should close out the St. John's account and start a new one here, or whether Father Daniel and I can simply use the old accounts.”
He turned back to the detectives and said, "They sent a young man straight out of the seminary, he's twenty-four years old, Daniel Robles, a Puerto Rican. He's going to be dealing with octogenarian Italians, young Daniel, he's going to be stepping into a lion's den.”
Marcella burst out laughing.
"I should have left you there to help him out," Oriella said, teasing her.
"Hey, sure," Marcella said.
It sounded like "Ay, shoo.”
"The reason we came by," Carella said, "is we'd like to do a search of the church, if that's with you.”
"A search?”
“Cosa?" Marcella asked.
"Una ricerca," Oriella said. "But a se what?”
"Narcotics," Hawes said.
"Here?" Oriella said.
It was unthinkable that there would be here inside the church. This was like Devil would be preaching next Sunday's mass single word "Here?”
expressed not only disbelief but revulsion as well. Here?
Dope? Here?
"If the story we have is reliable," Hawes Marcella, who had apparently understoodi word, was already shaking her head again.
"So we'd like to look around," Carella said if we come up with anything.
If there is dope the church, if dope is somehow involved in well.., let's say that might change things.”
"Of course," Oriella said, and shrugged as say This is entirely preposterous, dope church, but if you wish to look for it, by all ahead, I am but a mere devoted servant of transferred from my beloved parish uptown to insufferable part of the city.
"We'll try not to get in your way," Hwes said "Is Mrs. Hennessy here?”
Carella asked. thought she might show us around.”
"She's in the kitchen," Marcella said.
It sounded like "She's inna kitch." I'll buzz her," Oriella said, and went to his desk.
a button on the base of his phone, he waited, then said, "Mrs. Hennessy, could you come in, .,ase?" Marcella scowled. "Thank you," Oriella and put the phone back on the cradle. "She'll be lright here," he said, and just then Alexis the autiful little blonde girl with the serious brown eyes and the solemn air ... appeared in the doorway o the office, said, "Excuse me," and then recognized arella.
"Hello, Mr. Carella," she said, "I'm Alexis "Donnell, we met Saturday.”
last "Yes, I remember," Carella said. "How are you?" | "Fine, thanks,' she said, and hesitated, and then asked, "Have you learned anything yet?”
.. "Few things," he said.
Alexis nodded, her brown eyes thoughtful, her face bearing the same sorrowful expression that had preceded tears last Saturday. She was wearing a blue blazer with a gold embroidered school crest on the left breast pocket, pleated green plaid skirt, blue knee-high socks, brown walking shoes; Carella figured she had come here directly from school.
She turned to Oriella and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Father...”
“Not at all," Oriella said.
"But we're not sure.., the kids in the C.Y.O... We're not sure what we should do about Friday night's dance." She turned to Carella and is the big dance we have every year at the be of June. We've been planning it for a long then, to Father Oriella again, "We Friday's regular dance, but we don't know we're supposed to do now. We don't want anything disrespectful to Father Michael's But Gloria has the check Father Michael and she doesn't know whether to give it to He not. For the band Friday night.”
"Kenny?" Father Oriella said.
"Kenny Walsh," she said. "He's leader Wanderers, the band that's supposed to asked for a hundred-dollar deposit, and Michael gave Gloria the check, but now we :. KNOW.”
Oriella said, "Mmm," and thought about problem for what seemed a long time.
asked, "Was Father Michael involved in planning of this dance?”
“Oh, yes," Alexis said. "In fact, he was the who started them. The First of June dances.”
"For what purpose?" Oriella asked. "How are proceeds used?”
Straight to the point, Carella thought, wondered what Arthur L. Farnes who'd taken a about the money-changers in the temple - think of the new parish priest.
"We buy baskets for the poor," Alexis said.
i.
"Baskets?”
lod baskets, yes, Father. To take around on morning.”
“Oriella said, and nodded in satisfaction to who nodded in return.
"Last year, we made around two thousand "Alexis said.
you say these dances on the first day of June Father Michael's idea?”
,. "Oh, yes, Father. He started them three years “
:i. "Then I think it would be a fitting memorial to the dance as scheduled. In honor of Father l's devotion to the needy of this parish.
You give Kenny his check," Oriella said. "And I will end the dance myself, and give my blessing to everyone there.”
“Thank you, Father,” she said. "I'll tell Gloria.”
She was starting out when Martha Hennessy peared in the door-frame behind her. The tiny fffice was about to get crowded. Hawes had been on too many small crafts during his tour of duty in the Navy; he was beginning to feel claustrophobic.
"Mrs. Hennessy," he said, "'we'd like to look through the church, we were hoping you'd show us around.”
"I'd be happy to," she said, and then, to Alexis, "Hello, darlin" how are you?”
“Fine, thanks, Mrs. Hennessy," Alexis said, ttaanks, again, Father, we'll look for you on Friday night," and stepped out into the small entry that Separated the chancellery from the remainder of the rectory. As Hawes and Carella said their Father Oriella, she began chatting Hennessy, and was still talking to her came out a moment later. She turned to C once, giving him the impression that she' waiting for him.
"There's something I want to tell you,”
“Sure," he said.
"Could we talk privately?”
Something in her dark eyes signaled “
"I'll meet you in the church," he said to and then led Alexis outside, to the garden wh priest had been slain. The roses were still in their aroma overpowering. Where once the been the chalked outline of the priest on the u floor of the garden, there was now only the gre weathered stone itself. They walked to the mapl sat on the low stone bench that circled it. Them moss on the tree behind them. Ivy climbed the walls of the cottage. This could have courtyard in an English village.