Il Pane Della Vita (16 page)

Sister Nella was seated beside Sister Angela at the long table. “I hear you wa
nt to speak with me about Salvi.”

“Yes, Sister. Did you go to San Mattia in Salvi?”

“I did. It had a school, and I went to high school there.”

Feeling the excitement,
Sister Angela put down her glass. “Then maybe you knew Father Teo?”

“Yes, he was the headmaster. Are you investigating the priest? Tell me what his crimes were.”

The nun laughed. “No. There has been an incident at his monastery. I need to make sure the monk involved and the parish priest are the same person.”

“Oh.”

“Tell me what you know about him. What was his height? Where did he come from? When and why did he leave San Mattia?”

“He was fairly lean and nearly two meters tall. He had wavy brown hair—but it may not be brown now. I have no idea where he came from. As a student, I
wouldn’t care about that. He left sometime after I graduated. I don’t know what happened. Priests get moved all the time. Was it a sexual offense? Many priests were moved around because they did naughty things. The congregations never have a say. I didn’t hear that he had a problem, but when you’re young, you don’t listen to those kinds of things, do you?”

“I see. You’re right.
You were too young to notice any of that.”

“But I do have a picture in the yearbook. Let me get it for you,” she said, rising from the table.

“It can wait.”

“No, I’ll forget.”

When she returned, Sister Nella laid the open book on the table. “That’s him. Do you recognize him?”

Sister Angela was too shocked to admit she had never seen him. “
He looks so young,” she said. “I’m so glad you showed me this. Now I’ll know what to expect if Father Pellicano shows me pictures too.”

“He was kind of attractive. The incident at your monastery must be a sexual one.”

Sister Angela smiled. “I wouldn’t call it a sexual incident, but it
was
explosive.”

The nun was pleased when the bus stop in Salvi turned out to be right in front of San Mattia Church. She waddled up the steps and opened the heavy door. The church’s interior was stunning. The colors in the frescoes were still bright. The tile floor was immaculate, and the pews were polished. She walked slowly up the aisle, gazing at the Bible stories depicted
in the stained-glass windows. She heard someone clear his throat and stopped.

“Sister Angela, I presume.”

“Father Pellicano. Who told you I was coming?”

“Father Sergio in Montriano. I assume you know him. He tells me you have some questions about my predecessor.”

She would have preferred a surprise attack. The priest must have pondered and practiced his answers instead of saying the first thing that came to mind.

“When did Father Sergio call you?”

“Yesterday. What do you need to know? Please sit here in the front pew.”

“How long did you know Father Teo?”

“I met him when I was taking over here. He stayed a day or two to make sure I was comfortable before he left.”

“And that was when?”

“I’ve been here slightly under twenty years.”

“And why did you come here? Did you know you were replacing him?”

“Yes. We both knew.”

“Why?”

Pellicano did not answer right away. “I got the assignment from then Archbishop Trombetta that he needed a parish priest here.”

“What did he tell you?”

“That the current vicar wished to move on.”

“Let me see. If I got the assignment, I might assume the current vicar had a problem. You didn’t ask?”

“No. I was surprised Father Teo offered to stay and train me, though. He seemed robust enough. I asked him why he was leaving. He told me he was tired and wanted to explore other roles of the Church.”

“That’s code for ‘I screwed up, and they’re sending me away.
’”

“He was popular. Several parishioners left after he did.”

“That could have simply been attrition, couldn’t it?”

“Maybe, but I heard through the grapevine that most of those who left were close to him, whatever that means.”

“The new Papa might bring more parishioners back. I heard he’s popular too.”

“So you see I can’t help you much.”

“Do you have a photo of him?”

“Yes, there’s one in the front office. Follow me,”
Pellicano said, standing and walking to a door beyond the altar.”

“So you neve
r heard anything about his past?”

Father
Pellicano stopped to recall those months when he first arrived. Evidently he could not think and walk at the same time. “I heard he was a very good with software. I don’t know where he came from or what his business was, but he seemed to be well-versed in high-tech matters. When I got here, he showed me how to keep all the records, saying that he did a lot of spreadsheets when he was a programmer. Of course we couldn’t afford a big computer in the parish, but he managed to create business plans he used.”

“So he taught you how to use
his plans.”

“No. H
e
tried
to teach me, but I couldn’t take it all in and have not used them since he left. We went back to doing the bookkeeping the old fashioned way.” He started walking again.

“So only Archbishop Trombetta
was aware of Father Teo’s past, and only he knew why he encouraged Father Teo to leave.”

“Did
you meet with him?”

“Yes. His mind has a few holes—including having Father Teo in the P
escara Archbishopric.”

She looked down at the small photo of
the new priest with Father Teo.

“
I looked younger there, didn’t I?”

The nun hesitated, trying to memorize the face
of the younger Father Teo.

“You can keep that. I have the negative. I wish it were digital.
Give me a little time to ask some of our older parishioners about what they knew. Can I email you at the monastery?”

“Yes,” she said, grateful for his help.

She walked out into the sunshine. The bench in the garden in front of the church was inviting. She still had an hour to wait for the bus back to her friends in Pescara. Suddenly the sun disappeared.

Sister Angela looked up. “Father
Pellicano. I thought you had nothing more to say.”

He sat down o
n the bench. “That’s right, I’ve run out of information that I can contribute. I just wanted to remind you that it is nearly five o’clock Saturday evening. I was thinking that maybe you need a Mass that might attract people who remember Father Teo better. Several people are staying after for a dinner where everyone brings a dish. Do you already have plans?”

Sister Angela smiled. “I can call the c
onvent and change them. A good Mass is always more satisfying than a plate full of food, but getting both is a celebration. What about the bus?”

“
The bus runs until ten. You can catch one in plenty of time.”

The two stood up and went back inside.

Announcing during the potluck dinner that famous detective Sister Angela needed to know more about Father Teo, she had several people who offered their opinions. Quickly filling her stomach on a wide range of delicious dishes, she
then took each parishioner to the opposite corner and asked them what they knew.

The first woman was elderly and clearly had an opinion about him. “He was young and handsome. What more does a woman want in her priest?”

“So you liked him. Did you hear anyone complain about him?”

“No. Well, maybe the men did, but I didn’t talk to them so I’m not sure.”

“If he was so popular, why did he leave?”

“I heard the bishop pulled him. The bishop never told us why.
They sent us Father Pellicano.”

A married couple about the same age
as Sister Angela mentioned they heard there was a problem with the people who were close to the priest. Those friends may have prompted the move.”

“Did you ever ask the
archbishop why he moved him?” asked Sister Angela.

“
No. We’ve never even seen the archbishop in person. Are we allowed to address him? Isn’t it a sin to bother him?”

An elderly gentleman approached Sister Angela. He told her that a young woman
with dark red hair walked directly into the rectory like she owned it.”

“
Auburn hair?”

“I guess that’s what they call it.”

“Did she knock?”

“I’m sure she knocked, but they let her in.”

“The priest’s office staff is located in the rectory, aren’t they? Maybe she was visiting one of the staff.”

“No, no. She came with him.”

“She didn’t live in the rectory, did she?”

“No, but she
arrived shortly after he became the vicar.”

“What did she look like?”

“Young and very pretty with long, gorgeous hair. She had a blond child, with her.”

“How old was the child?”

“Three or four. The woman sometimes pushed a stroller.”

“Anything else? I’ll have t
o ask one of the vicar’s staff when he first arrived.”

“She’s here.”

“Who? The young woman with auburn hair?”

“No, Mrs. Albo. Do you want me to get her?” The old man leaned on his cane as he toddled across th
e floor. He whispered to an elderly woman behind one of the tables. Sister Angela watched her approach while he stayed back to get another plate of dessert.”

“Mr. Navarra said you wished to speak with me? Is it about Father Teo? I’m not sure I can tell you much. It wouldn’t b
e right to judge him when he isn’t here to defend himself.”

“I don’t wish to talk about him that way, Mrs. Albo. I just want to know
about a young woman with auburn hair who used to bring a child with her to the rectory. Some people have mentioned that she was close to him.”

“Yes. He called her Grazia. She never revealed her last name to me. She was a prett
y, unmarried mother who came for counseling. Father Teo was very good at helping people who needed it.”

“And have you seen this Grazia
and the baby since?”

“She stayed around for a few months after Father Teo left b
ut missed more and more masses,” said Mrs. Albo. “The next vicar, Father Pellicano, was good with her, but she left anyway. It was winter, and she didn’t have a jacket, poor thing. Father Pellicano got her one, but she still developed this terrible cough. Maybe the vicar should have helped her more but she stopped coming for help.”

“So you haven’t seen her in years
, and you don’t know if she moved away or died. Did Father Teo have any other parishioners that came as often as she did?”

“Oh yes. He did everything from baptisms to confirmation classes for the young to grieving sessions for adults. Lots of people went in and out. I believe Grazia was the most pathetic case, though. She often left his office in tears.”

“Did you ever ask her why she was so sad?”

“No. It wasn’t my place to ask. They only come to see a priest. He’s been trained to take care of his flock, you know.”

Catching the train the next morning, Sister Angela sat mesmerized by the hilly countryside. What had she learned? Not much, really. She fingered the photographs Sister Nella and Father
Pellicano let her take. She had no pictures of the young woman, Grazia, but what could she possibly gain from that? Grazia was just a snapshot of Father Teo’s time at San Mattia. Yes, he counseled the young woman, but he counseled others too. Why did the old man notice her and not the others? Sister Angela smiled. He must have admired something about her.

The nun had hoped Bishop Emeritus Trombetta
would have remembered him. The bishop guarded his motives closely. Did he do that on purpose, or had he lost the keys to that part of his memory.

Sister Angela had spoken to Father Torre on the phone that very morning.
“I don’t understand why we have no records—why Father Teo was removed. Where did he go?

“
There are records kept now. In the past decade, members of the archbishop’s staff were forced to keep detailed records, including the reason deacons, priests, and nuns are moved. But historical records were not kept for obvious reasons. Bishops thought they had the responsibility for their own priests and took it upon themselves to seek a cure for their ailments or get them work outside the diocese—anything that would make them happier.”

When Sister Angela arrived at the station in Avalle, Bassi was there to drive her back to the monastery.

“It’s so good to see you, Ignazio. It seems like I’ve been gone for a long time.”

“It was less than a week, Sister, but Brother Salvatore had been bugging me to tell him when you are to return.”

Sister Angela smiled. “I missed him most of all. Do you mind if we stop for a short time at the station? Maybe Chief Detective Morena can get us some coffee.”

“That’
s fine, Sister. I have time.”

The
two walked up the steps to the entrance. Once inside, Morena greeted them. ”I’m so glad you’ve returned, Sister. Come back to my office. I need to show you what we have. Loria, get these two fresh cups of coffee.”

The chief detective removed a sheet from his drawer. “You asked me to get a
n artist to draw the woman that visited Father Pietro. Do either of you recognize her?”

The two stared at the photograph. “She looks familiar, doesn’t she?”

“Yes, I suppose. I’m trying to remember if I know anyone with hair like that. I confess that when I was told that a woman was described as having chestnut hair visiting Father Teo, I thought about Father Pietro’s frequent visitor. Then I remembered that there was at least twenty years in between the visits. This woman is too young to be the one who was counseled by Father Teo.”

“He seemed to attract young wome
n,” said Bassi.

The nun sighed. “I don’t think
having two young women in a lifetime would make one draw that conclusion. And if he were fired for not keeping his vows, I don’t think Father Pietro would chance having a relationship with another. He evidently didn’t hide the visits at the hermitage. There were witnesses.”

“Speaking of witnesses, the security cameras didn’t reveal any
intruders the day and evening before the explosion. Remember, the cottage faces the woods. That makes it difficult to see who went in or out, including Brother Pietro himself.”

“T
he witnesses did see a woman, though, because she sat with him in his garden, which is at the back of the cottage. If Neri would provide us with the list of guests, then we would at least know whether or not a young woman signed in or was let in nefariously. I guess I’ll have to go to Neri first thing tomorrow morning, Ignazio.”