“He doesn’t belong to the monastery, Ruth. I’ve never seen him before.” Dropping to her knees, Sister Rose examined the man’s cloak. “What is this? This symbol?”
Brother Sage peered over her shoulder. “I don’t know. But I have an idea. I’ve heard of a group that have an unhealthy obsession with monasteries, going so far as to dress as monks and trying to infiltrate the silent orders.” Bending, he placed a supportive hand on Sister Rose’s shoulder then took her hand and helped her rise from the floor. “They’re quite mad,” he added in his haughty English accent. “But I’ve never heard of them carrying out a murder.”
Brother Vito and Sister Dawn walked back into the circle, their heads down.
“Yes, poor Saul is indeed dead. Five stab wounds to his back,” Brother Vito confirmed quietly.
Ruth stared at the hexagonal symbol on the killer’s clothing. “So, there could be more of these crazies here?”
“I’m not certain,” said Sister Rose. “But I have the terrible thought that one or more of them might have posed as our monks to take Saul on board the boat. That could explain why he never left the island.”
“What about the other ones of us that went with him?” cried Yolanda. “Does that mean they’re still here? Maybe they got murdered, too.”
“We need to find out if they returned to the mainland, post haste,” Brother Sage told her. “There is another possibility. Saul might have thought that he could stay here and persuade us to keep him on in the challenge. He might have left the boat, unseen, and tried to steal back into the monastery, where he unfortunately came across the person who killed him.”
Duncan folded his arms, tutting. “That does sound like the most likely theory.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ruth fixed an intense glare at Duncan.
“It’s just a question of morals,” said Duncan. “Saul was a sex addict, after all.”
It surprised me to hear what Saul’s addiction was. I hadn’t had a chance to get to know the quietly spoken puzzle box hobbyist.
Ruth’s expression grew fierce. “And that makes you think you’re better than him, Duncan? That you have better morals?”
“I think we’ll end the speculation there,” said Brother Sage. “We have other matters at hand. Until the monastery and grounds are thoroughly searched, I can’t declare this island safe. I’m afraid you’re all going to have to leave.”
The group fell into a thick, shocked silence.
Sister Rose shuddered, rubbing her arms as if she were cold. “I can’t believe any of this has happened. It’s time to call in the police.” She pushed her hand into her pocket. “My cell’s back in the dorm. I’ll use the library phone.”
Richard walked straight up to her. “If you call them—the police—they’ll have to interview us, won’t they? I mean, we”—he gestured around at us—“are all witnesses. Two people are dead here. There’s going to be an extensive investigation.”
“Yes, of course.” Sister Rose shook her head slightly as though she wasn’t following.
Suddenly, I wanted to vomit. Not just because of Saul but, shamefully, for myself. I understood exactly what Richard meant. This whole thing was going to be splashed across the news. Everywhere around the world. And the reasons why we were here would be exposed.
Gray would find out everything about me. And my mother, my friends and everyone I knew. Immediately, I hated myself for thinking that way while the blood of two men was fresh on the stonework.
“Forgive the solipsism,” said Richard, “but we were guaranteed privacy. My parents don’t have the barest clue about my gambling habits, and I want to keep it that way.”
“We’re deeply sorry,” said Brother Sage, looking across at him. “But this is nothing we could have anticipated. We’ll do our best to keep it low key.”
Richard just stared at Brother Sage before throwing back his head and bursting out laughing. “Low key? It’s murder in a damned monastery. And a group of addicts undergoing a series of weird challenges as treatment. The media are going to go apeshit over this. I’m leaving. Now. Give me my money, and I’ll get the hell out of here.”
“If you wish,” said Brother Sage. “You’ve completed half of your challenges, and we’ll stay true to our word. You’ll receive half of the payment.”