Salvation in death

“Odds are Flores has been dead for around six years.” Roarke skimmed a finger down her cheek. “And you’ll make him yours, by proxy.”

“He’d be co

“There’d be the whole going to hell thing, as well as the duties if you meant to solidify that pose. The rites and the rules and the, well, God knows all.”

“Yeah, but the advantages are pretty sweet. We’re talking about a priest with no family, whose spiritual family, we’ll say, was dead or dying. One who had a year or more leeway from his job to kick around, and no solid co

“Did you look up the older ones?”

“Yeah. It’s the dead guy, at least ten years back. Then, maybe.” She eyed Roarke thoughtfully. “You’d need some serious skills or money to hire somebody with serious skills to go in and doctor an old ID that passes sca

“You do, yes.”

“And you need someone with serious skills who might be able to go in and see if whoever doctored those IDs left any trace of the switch.”

“You do.” He tapped her chin with his finger. “And, aren’t you lucky to be so well acquainted with someone with skills?”

She leaned in, kissed him. “I’ll program di

“Olé,” he said.

They ate on the terrace, washing down mole pablano with cold Mexican beer. It was, she thought, somehow indulgent-the easy meal, the evening air, the flicker of candles on the table. And, again, married.

Nice.

“We haven’t been to the house in Mexico for a while,” Roarke commented. “We should take the time.”

Eve cocked her head. “Have we been everywhere you’ve got a house?”

Obviously amused, he tipped back his beer. “Not yet.”

She’d figured. “Maybe we should make the complete circuit before we repeat any one place too often.” She dug into the nachos again, piling on salsa that carried the bite of an angry Doberman. “Why don’t you have one in Ireland?”

“I have places there.”

The salsa turned her mouth into a war zone. She scooped up more. “Hotels, businesses, interests. Not a house.”

He considered a moment, then found himself mildly surprised by his own answer. “When I left, I promised myself I’d only go back when I had everything. Power, money, and though I likely didn’t admit it, even to myself, a certain respectability.”

“You’ve hit those notes.”

“And I did go back-do. But a house, well, that’s a statement, isn’t it? A commitment. Even if you’ve a home elsewhere, having a house creates a solid and tangible link. I’m not ready.”

She nodded, understanding.

“Would you want one there?” he asked her.

She didn’t have to consider, and she wasn’t surprised by her answer. Not when she looked at him. “I’ve got what I want.”

4

AFTER THE MEAL, EVE DUMPED THE FLORES data on Roarke so they could separate into their co

Curled in her sleep chair, Galahad stared across at her with a

“Not my fault you’re too spooked to go outside.” She sipped her coffee, stared back. Time passed in silence. Then she stabbed a finger into the air when the cat blinked.

“Hah. I won.”

Galahad simply turned his pudgy body around, shot up his leg and began to wash.

“Okay, enough of this cozy evening at home stuff. Computer,” she began, and ordered it to open the Flores file, then do a second-level run on the list of people with confirmed access to the tabernacle.

Chale López, the boxing priest, born in Rio Poco, Mexico, intenterested her. She didn’t get a suspect vibe from him, but something about him gave her a little buzz. He’d had the easiest access to the wine-and as a priest, wouldn’t he be more likely to recognize a fake than a-what was it-layman?

But she didn’t get the vibe.

Nor could she poke her way through to motive.

A sexual thing? Three guys sharing a house, a job, meals, leisure time. Could get cozy. And that couldn’t be discounted.

Priests weren’t supposed to get cozy-with each other or anyone else-but they did, and had throughout the ages.

Flores hadn’t been a priest. Five, nearly six years, vow of chastity? Would he, a good-looking, healthy man, have no interest in sexual gratification or have self-serviced for that length of time to keep his cover?

Unlikely.

So… López catches him banging a parishioner, or hiring an LC, whatever. Anger and righteousness ensue.

Just didn’t play through for her.

López was forty-eight, and had gone into the seminary at the age of thirty. Wasn’t that kind of late in the day for a priest?

Flores -wherever he was-had gone in at twenty-two, and the third guy-Freeman, at twenty-four.

But López-sad, sincere-eyed Chale López-had boxed for a few years professionally. Welterweight, she noted, with a solid twenty-two wins, six of them knockouts. No marriages (were they allowed that before the collar thing?), no official cohabs on record.

There was a short gap in his employment records. About three years between dropping out of the boxing game and entering the seminary. Something to fill in.

She started with Rosa O’Do

What did people do with enormous families? All those cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews. How did they keep them straight?

How did they breathe at any sort of family function?

A couple of assaults-no time served-for the Family Ortiz, she noted. One Grand Theft Auto, short time. A few slaps for illegals and other minor bumps. A handful of sealed juvies. She’d get those open, if and when.

Some had been victims along the way. Robbery, assault, two rapes, and a scatter of domestic disturbances. Some divorces, some deaths, lots of births.

She kicked back for a moment, propped her feet on her desk.

No co

Better when the dentals confirmed it, she thought, but she didn’t have a doubt. According to the records, Flores requested assignment at that parish, that specific parish, in November 2053.

Coming home, Lino, or ru

What did you do? Who’d you piss off, betray, hurt?

And thus, having had long patience, he got the promise.

What were you waiting for? What was the promise at the end of the wait?

“It’s fake,” Roarke a

“Huh?”

“The ID, it’s fake. Which you already knew so I don’t see why you had me spend all this time on it.”

“Confirmation’s nice.”

He gave her a cool look, then came over to sit on the corner of her desk. “Then you have it. It was good work, costly. Not the best, by far, but not a patch job either. A bit more than six years back. Flores reports his ID lost, applies for a new one.”

“When, exactly?”

“October of ’53.”

“The month before he requests a transfer to St. Cristóbal’s.” She punched a fist against Roarke’s leg. “I knew it.”