The younger nun’s expression didn’t change, but the older one’s did. Ashley watched her eyes, waiting to see a reaction, and there one was, first alarm before quickly becoming guarded.
“Sister Anne,” the older nun said, “please give us a minute.”
The younger nun didn’t look like she wanted to leave, but she nodded without a word and headed up the steps, disappearing inside.
“Eli Craig,” Sister Sara said slowly. “Has he”-her gaze drifted momentarily to the vans-“sent us something?”
“You could say that. The thing is, the situation we’re in, it’s not exactly ideal.”
John had brought his hands out from behind his back, and Sister Sara immediately spotted the bruising on his knuckles.
“I’m sure it’s not,” she said simply.
John exchanged an uneasy glance with Ashley. He asked, “Did we make a mistake in coming here?”
The nun didn’t answer for a long time. Then she sighed. “No, you did not. I met Eli once, nearly twenty years ago. It was the last time he came here. He brought us four babies. After he left, Sister Catherine told me about him. She was vague about many of the details, but she made it sound like it was a … dangerous situation.”
John said, “That’s putting it mildly.”
“We don’t want trouble here, you realize.”
“We understand.”
Another sigh. “So what have you brought us?”
“Children. Ten of them.”
“And where did they come from?”
“It’s best if you don’t know, Sister.”
The nun’s lips became a tight line. “Don’t these children have parents?’
“They might. But there’s a very good chance that their parents are dead, and if they’re not, it’s probably even better these children never see them again.”
Sister Sara studied John’s face for a long time, before briefly studying Ashley’s. “I’m afraid I’m not following.”
“My friend and I saved these children from a terrible fate. We’re not quite sure what that fate is, exactly, but we know it’s bad.”
“And how do you know this?”
“Because bad people were holding them captive. Bad people who killed my entire family.”
Sister Sara let this soak in for a beat. Finally she turned to Ashley. “And you?”
“That’s a much longer story,” she said.
John said, “Sister Sara, I understand if you don’t want to take on the responsibility like this. If it’s a money issue, we have money to give you. A lot of money.”
Along with the weapons in the Town Car had been a briefcase filled with nearly a half million dollars in cash.
Sister Sara shook her head. “That isn’t necessary. Marta has donated a generous amount of money nearly every year for the past two decades.” She caught John’s expression and asked, “Did I say something wrong?”
“You knew Marta?”
“She grew up here. I did not know her myself, but Sister Catherine told me stories before she passed away. She always said Marta was very bright, and she was so proud of her when she eventually attended MIT. As you can imagine, not many of the children who pass through here manage such an impressive feat. Tell me, do you know what’s happened to her?”
John looked away, looked down, finally looked back up. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.
“She’s dead.”
Sister Sara covered her mouth with a hand. “I’m so sorry. What about Eli?”
“He’s dead, too.”
The nun’s eyes glistened. “How did they die?”
“Not well. They died helping protect these children. That’s why we brought them here.”
The nun began nodding. “Yes. Yes, of course. I’m just … I’m not sure how Evelyn will take the news.”
Ashley and John glanced at each other.
John asked, “Who’s Evelyn?”
Sister Sara was trying to compose herself, wiping at her eyes, attempting a calm face. She took a deep breath.
“Hmm? What’s that? Oh, Evelyn. Well, she hasn’t seen or heard from Eli since he was last here, and she’ll just be devastated.” When neither John nor Ashley spoke, understanding filled the nun’s face, and she said, “Oh, I see. He didn’t tell you about her, did he? Why, Mr. Smith, Evelyn is Eli’s sister.”
• • •
Sister Sara consults the other nuns, briefly explains the situation, then has them bring the children inside from the minivans. You’d think the children would be leery of their new surroundings, but they’re eerily complacent.
Sister Sara shakes her head sadly. “These children’s souls have been broken. We will do what we can to fix them.”
She takes us inside and leads us through the hallway.
“How many children do you have here?” Ashley asks.
“We currently have sixty-three children. Well, now seventy-three.”
We turn the corner and head down another hallway. Here the windows look out over a large field leading down to a pond and gazebo. A few ducks float around on the water.
“Typically, if a child has not been adopted by the age of eighteen, they are released from our care. With Evelyn, however, we knew it was best to keep her here. Of course, we made it her choice, and she was happy to stay. In fact, she’s been a great asset to us and the children.”
“Is she a nun, too?” I ask.
Sister Sara pauses in front of a closed door to think about it. The corners of her lips rise in a smile. “An honorary nun, you might say.”
She opens the door.
Inside a group of children and two nuns are sitting at tables, playing board games, a few others putting together a gigantic puzzle. They all look up and smile at Sister Sara as she enters the room.
“I believe it’s time for dinner,” Sister Sara says. “Why don’t you head to the dining room?”
The children push away from their tables and file past us into the hallway. The two nuns begin to make their way, too, when Sister Sara says, “You can stay here for a bit, Evelyn. These kind people would like to speak with you.”
Evelyn wears a gray skirt and white blouse. It’s clear by the softness of her face, the oval eyes, that she has Down’s syndrome. She smiles and nods and takes a seat at the nearest table.
Sister Sara turns to us then, her voice low. “Despite her disability, she’s smart, sweet, and hardworking. This news will crush her, I’m sure.”
“We don’t have to tell her,” I say.
“No, I think you should. She needs to know. Otherwise she’ll always wonder.”
Sister Sara leads us to the table where we take a seat. Pieces of the puzzle are scattered in front of us. Judging by the pieces already put together, the picture shows a red covered bridge.
“Hello,” Evelyn says. She looks to be in her late-forties, brown hair going gray.
“Hi,” Ashley and I say at the same time.
There’s a beat of silence.
Sister Sara clears her throat. “Evelyn, this is John and Ashley. They’re friends of Eli’s.”
Her face lights up at once. She leans forward, smiling, and it breaks my heart that I have to tell her something that will wipe the smile from her face.
“How is he?” she asks, eager. “Can I talk to him? Will he visit me soon?”
I swallow. Glance at Ashley. Ashley’s watching me, waiting for me to continue. Because it’s my job, isn’t it? Of course it is.
Before I can speak, though, Sister Sara takes pity on me and clears her throat again.
“Evelyn, I’m sorry to tell you that Eli has passed away.”
Just as I feared, the light goes out of her eyes and the smile starts to fade. But that’s it. She doesn’t burst into tears. She just takes a deep breath and says to me and Ashley, “What about Marta?”
I nod, my voice cracking. “She passed away, too.”
“Was it … the bad people?”
“Yes.”
For the first time, fear fills her face. “They won’t find me here, will they?”
“No,” I tell her, though the truth is I have no clue. Ashley and I have done our best so far at watching our backs, but so did Eli and Marta, and look how it turned out for them. Still, we are being as careful as possible, and we have brought the children here because there was nowhere else to take them, and now we are here, in this recreational room, sitting at this table with Eli’s sister, and I’ve just told her her brother is dead.