揥hen your fellow priests came to town as part of the Inquisition,?he said to Tallard, 搕hey would announce their arrival days in advance, and everyone was invited to confess their sins. If you owned up to relatively minor misdeeds, were prepared to swear fidelity to the church, and were willing to provide useful information about others, you were given a small penance and the matter was closed. But a failure to confess, or to provide useful information on your family or friends, was taken as a lack of commitment to the one true church. And dealt with accordingly. Most were burned at the stake. Horrible, wouldn抰 you say??
He did not wait for a headshake in reply.
揟hey were after the Perfecti,?he said. 揟he few remaining devoted Cathars. Men and women who were not willing, under any circumstance, to swear an oath, let alone one of fidelity to the Catholic Church. So those who refused to provide information on the Perfecti were dealt with harshly.?
He motioned and Andre ripped the tape from Tallard抯 mouth. The man worked his jaw, swallowed a few times, and sucked in repeated deep breaths. Then the priest yelled, 揥hat do you want??
揓ustice,?he said.
揊or what??
He allowed his gaze to bore in. 揊or the evil you have done.?
揂re you going to kill me??
揥e do not kill.?
A puzzled look came to the priest抯 face. 揧ou抮e Cathar??
揥e are,?he said with pride.
揟hat religion died centuries ago.?
揢nfortunately for you, that attempt to exterminate us failed.?
Relief flashed through the bound man抯 eyes. 揅athars deplored violence. In every form.?
揟rue,?he said. 揃ut that does not mean we are merciful.?
Chapter 5
Nick landed softly, the rubber soles on his shoes aiding with the impact. No one had seen him roll over the side of the stone wall, the dark sky above him constantly strobed by blue and red lights. Thankfully, the commotion was farther down the quay and the darkness had provided ample cover. But the whole river could be lit to the night in a matter of minutes. The boat with the laptop was still drifting away on the current. He had to follow, so he crept over to a small wooden dinghy tied to the concrete walk that edged the water. He released its mooring lines and pushed off, glad to see two paddles lying inside.
There抎 been no need to kill that woman. None at all. Yes, one hand had been concealed and, once revealed, a moment of indecision had occurred. But even if she抎 been armed none of those policemen had been in any danger, considering the number of loaded weapons aimed her way. She抎 been shot on impulse. And from stupidity. She was far more valuable alive. Now whatever she knew had died with her. He was licensed and sanctioned to carry a weapon among member states, fully trained in its use, but he rarely toted one. If the truth be told, he hated guns.
And for a good reason.
Which only a few people knew.
He抎 carried a weapon in the army and the FBI, never firing it in the line of duty. Thankfully he抎 discovered that in his current job guns were more a nuisance than a source of protection. They raised more questions than were ever answered. So far he抎 managed just fine without one.
He hoped Kelsey was okay. This was not the reunion he抎 envisioned. Not even close. But what had he expected? Kelsey was a full-fledged, vow-taking daughter of Christ. A sister in the Congregation of Saint-Luke. After their breakup he抎 learned what he could about the religious order, trying to understand what happened. Kelsey had always been a devout Catholic, but she抎 kept her beliefs close, sharing them only when appropriate, cautious when expressing herself. He抎 always chalked that hesitation up to just being a private person when it came to religion. So he抎 never fully realized the depth of her devotion.
Until the end.
揑 have a calling,?she said to him. 揙ne that has been talking to me for some time. One I抳e ignored. But I can抰 any longer.?
揥hat are you saying??
揑 can抰 marry you. I plan to take my vows and become a nun.?
Another man? Another woman? Okay. He could deal with that. But God? What could he have said that would not have sounded selfish? Though he抎 been stunned beyond belief, he抎 accepted her decision and, together, they抎 canceled the wedding. Two weeks later she began her postulancy. Now she was Sister Kelsey MacKenzie Deal.
Instead of Mrs. Kelsey Lee.
More sirens wailed in the distance. This was turning into a busy night for Ghent police and fire.
Since moving to Paris he抎 often fantasized about exploring the corners of Montmartre or having lunch atop the Eiffel Tower with someone special. Perhaps even visiting the haute-couture maisons on Avenue Montaigne, the elegant boulevard that bound together the houses of Dior, Chanel, Valentino, and Louis Vuitton along with an exorbitant collection of high-end jewelers. Paris was all about fashion and romance. No one could visit without some feeling of having come home, its dingy grandeur one of the few sights left in the world that truly stirred emotion. So far he抎 found no one to share those sights and sounds with.