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“That would be God,” she said, and then felt slightly guilty.“I’m waiting for an audience with the Bishop.”
“It sounds like live music’s going to be involved.”
“Stop it.See you back at the Motel Desperado.”
Not long after that, a slim, silver-haired priest came up and introduced himself as Gervase before taking her up a couple of floors in the elevator.
Being composed of floor-to-ceiling windows, Gervase’s office was exceptionally warm and bright, and Kate felt somehow unsafe, as if she was perched outside the building, perhaps on a wobbly ladder.Noticing her squinting in the sunlight, Gervase drew the blinds, and the feeling gradually subsided.She was glad she didn’t have to work here.
“I’m trying to find out how many places Father Thomas worked,” Kate explained.“I’m assuming you’ll have that on record.”
“Yes and no,” Gervase replied calmly, his fingers forming a perfect steeple.“Father Thomas was ordained in Derry, in Northern Ireland.That was in 1984, when he would have been twenty-five.Our records only go back to 2001, when he took U.S.citizenship.So you’d have to contact the diocesan authority in Derry to find out where he served before.”
“Okay, so what about here?”
“He ministered to eleven parishes.I’ll print up the list for you.” He scooted his chair backwards to a printer in a smooth, balletic move.
“Is eleven a normal amount?”
“There are no strict rules.Way back when, a priest always served six years in a parish, but nowadays, younger priests tend to move every three years or so, and for those closer to retirement, it might be every five or six.”
He handed her the list from the printer.She glanced over it, then looked at Gervase.
“So Father Thomas moved around a lot.Even though he was older.”
Gervase blinked.“As I say, there’s no canon law governing the matter.”
“How does it work, though?Does the priest ask if he can move on, or do you keep a kind of tally?”
“There is a yearly review.”
Kate thought he was about to say more.But he wasn’t.A woman came in with a couple of files, gave Kate a curious look, and left.
“What about the congregations?Do they have a say?”
“The Diocesan Board makes its decisions based on parish priorities.A congregation’s perspective may be relevant, as might that of some priests.”
Was that yes or no?
“What happened with the Curate?Zbigniew.”
“I’m not sure I follow you.”
“He left.There was a problem,” Kate said, sternly.She was getting tired of the smoke and mirrors.
Gervase looked pained.“I gather there was a… certain incompatibility.It’s not always an easy relationship.By its nature.Younger priests are often full of zeal and ambitious plans.Older ones can be… more set in their ways.And they’re typically sharing a house, remember.It’s not like a job, where you can escape your colleagues every evening and weekend.The Lord sets for us such struggles, of course.”
“What happened to Zbigniew?”
“He’s in Poland working with an interfaith group.Went there straight from Douglas Cove.”
That ruled Zbig out as the killer.But this guy – the Suffragan – seemed nervous.And she still had questions.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but Father Thomas was a member of a sports team in his parish.Game called pétanque.”
“I know it.”
“According to the Father’s teammates, the Bishop ordered him to leave the team last year.Do you know why that was?”
