And she took measure of her adversary.
Medium height and build. Brown wavy hair cut in a boyish fringe that definitely made him look younger than mid-thirties, which was most likely his age. Clean-shaven, the face as yet not sheathed with any fine lines from age. And the eyes. A pale gray. Warm. Playful. Engaging. She told herself to be careful. This man was physically attractive, forceful, quick-witted, and surely charismatic, the type who gave just enough of himself to inspire trust, dropping the other person抯 guard. She抎 tried to learn what she could about him, but the UN and UNESCO websites mentioned little to nothing.
Which made her wonder. 揥ho exactly do you work for??
Nick produced a badge from something called the Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office. 揥e deal in the loss or destruction of cultural treasures for member states. Belgium and France are members.?
揑 would imagine you have precious few powers to go along with that badge.?
He grinned. 揑t gets me by.?
She supposed it did. He was definitely competent and resourceful. After all, he抎 gotten the better of her. She抎 thought about how to handle this situation on the trip north from Toulouse. Everything was in motion. Fluid. Changing by the minute. Police were involved. A convent violated. Dominicans had arrived. It was only a matter of hours before all of them appeared in southern France. Isabel and Ellen had reported how Lee had helped them with the police and the Dominicans. So she抎 decided on conciliation and diplomacy, until a more definitive course became evident.
揧ou followed me last night??she asked.
He nodded. 揑 tailed your accomplice and watched as they shot her, then found a boat and kept close to you.?
揂nd broke into a convent. That will look good on your r閟um??
揧ou do what you have to do. Right??
She smiled. Right.
揧our minions are tight-lipped,?he said to her. 揟hey told me to come here, and you would explain everything.?
揅an you obtain Sister Rachel抯 body??
揟hat depends.?
揙n what??
揥hether I want to help or not.?
揑 have to tell you, Mr. Lee棓
揌ow about you call me Nick??
揋oing to a first-name basis isn抰 going to change things between us.?
揑 didn抰 realize there was an us.?
She caught herself. There he went again. Drawing her in. Engaging. 揇o you use that charm often??
揂ll the time.?
She smiled. 揂ll right. Nick. As I was saying, I have little room to negotiate.?
揧ou destroyed a Belgian national treasure. I抦 assuming there was a really good reason for that. At the moment, the police are not on your trail. Only me. We can keep it that way. The Dominicans, though, seem laser-focused on you.?
揟hey are, but we will deal with them, as we have in the past. You, though, are another matter. I came to listen to what you propose.?
But she wondered how he would react if he knew that Sister Deal was being taken as they spoke. What was their connection? Friends? Family? Who knew? The mother superior had reported that it seemed there was something familiar between them. But asking would only arouse suspicions.
揜achel was a friend,?she said. 揂 close friend. How do you plan to retrieve her body??
揧ou left her to face those police alone.?
Yes, she had. The reminder of which she did not appreciate. 揂t the time, securing those images was more important. Rachel knew that. She did her duty. And I had no choice.?
揥e all have choices.?
揑 wish that were the case. Unfortunately, it抯 not here. Of course, no one, Rachel included, thought they would shoot her.?
揟hose cops were fired up and hot. That never ends well. Where are you from? I hear Cajun in your voice.?
揕ouisiana. Born and raised. But I抳e lived overseas a long time.?
揑f I get your friend抯 body back, are we going to talk about why all this was necessary??
揑 can抰 promise that.?
揂t least you抮e honest. But I want you to know that, if you can convince me, I抣l help get the heat off you.?
A cautious atmosphere had sprung between them, as if neither believed a word the other said. They were definitely fencing, and she doubted he could deliver on that promise, especially with the Vatican and the Dominicans, which represented the greatest threat. But she wasn抰 going to tell him that. 揇o what you promised and we抣l talk.?
He grinned. 揑 get it. And it抯 okay. I don抰 trust you either. But neither one of us has a choice. We seem stuck with each other.?
True.
For now.
Chapter 43
Mary first appeared in the art of Roman catacomb paintings, though it was hard to know for sure since the images of a woman, cradling a baby, were rough and blurred. By the fourth century after Christ her skin became dark, with heavy features, typical of the Mediterranean region. Usually she was depicted as praying with arms raised to heaven. With the rise of the Byzantine Empire she changed to an august, pale, blue-clad figure, hooded and haloed, their patroness in both war and peace. By the Middle Ages her features were firmly established as European, her skin always a milky white.