The Christening Day Murder Page 22

  He said, “I—” and stopped as though I had requested something he was unable to deliver. Then, summoning forty years of practice, he became a priest once more. “I’d be happy to, Chris. Where would you like to go?”

  “I think right here would be just fine.” I turned toward the lake and my memory of St. Mary Immaculate and repeated the words I had learned in my youth. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”

  33

  The killing in the church was a desecration. Only when the desecration became public knowledge, that is, known outside the confessional, did St. Mary Immaculate require resanctification. As far as I know, that has not been done. Perhaps the Catholic Church, in its wisdom, decided to wait for the next emergence of the town to resanctify the church. For an institution that has lasted as long as this one has, another thirty—or even a hundred—years is only a brief time. And by then all the principals are likely to be gone.

  I went over the contents of Candy’s two suitcases one last time, finding only one small item that I had overlooked before. I gave her clothing and the bags to Good Will and turned over all the papers except for one to Deputy Drago. The investigation into the murder of Candida Phillips had stalled, and no one was particularly anxious to keep it going now that the TV cameras weren’t around. What he did with them was his business.

  The last piece of paper, I burned in my fireplace. It was a receipt for a .38-caliber revolver bought by Candy Phillips before she came to Studsburg.

  Even after leaving the cloistered world of St. Stephen’s Convent for suburban New York State, Christine Bennett still finds time to celebrate the holy days.

  Unfortunately, in the secular world the holidays seem to end in murder—and it’s up to this ex-nun to discover who commits these unholy acts.

  LEE HARRIS

  The Christine Bennett Mysteries

  Published by Fawcett Books.

  Available in your local bookstore.

  Don’t miss any

  of the Christine Bennett mysteries!

  THE GOOD FRIDAY MURDER

  THE YOM KIPPUR MURDER

  THE CHRISTENING DAY MURDER

  THE ST. PATRICK’S DAY MURDER

  THE CHRISTMAS NIGHT MURDER

  THE THANKSGIVING DAY MURDER

  THE PASSOVER MURDER

  THE VALENTINE’S DAY MURDER

  THE NEW YEAR’S EVE MURDER

  THE LABOR DAY MURDER

  THE FATHER’S DAY MURDER

  THE MOTHER’S DAY MURDER

  THE APRIL FOOLS’ DAY MURDER

  THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY MURDER

  by

  LEE HARRIS