The Fall(68)

The church stood in front of us, its stained glass windows catching the morning sunlight while its large wooden door remained tightly shut. There was a stone path leading to the concrete steps, but we didn’t walk in that direction.

The property was bigger than it looked from the outside. The yard extended wide on the left hand side, distorting the symmetry of the block.

And almost hidden beyond the tree line was a medium-sized dwelling with a small graveyard edged up between the house-looking building and the property boundary.

“This way.” Michael tilted his head toward the house. “There is someone waiting for us.”

That person either heard us or had been watching as we crossed the yard because the door to the house opened before he even had a chance to knock.

Michael’s feet continued uninterrupted, taking a step though the doorway with me taking a second or two until I joined him the dimly lit entrance.

Standing calmly to greet us was a small woman in traditional nun attire. The habit she wore seemed heavy; the shapeless cloth unable to hide how incredibly thin she was underneath. And as she waited her hands were clasped in front of her, patiently. Her deeply lined face was impassive as she focused on me.

“You must be Sofia Amaro.” She spoke softly, her lips curving into a cautious smile. “I am Sister Catherine. You will be safe here.”

She had amazingly clear blue eyes, with a porcelain pale diminutive face. And while I knew nothing about her, when she spoke it was like a calming wave of warm water washing over me.

“Thank you.” I nodded, returning her smile. “It’s very kind of you to take me in.”

Her eyes shifted to Michael, who didn’t acknowledge her at all, instead looking beyond her into the hallway and asking, “Where’s her room?”

“Let me show you.” Sister Catherine nodded, her light feet barely making a sound on the tiled floor as she led the way.

There was obviously a connection between them, the air almost crackling with tension as we walked silently along the corridor passing rows of closed doors.

Sister Catherine took an old brass key from inside her pocket, slipping it into the keyhole and turning. The old lock popped as it opened, her hand pushing the door open via the handle.

“This can be locked via the inside too.” She smiled, stretching out her hand in my direction. “And this is the only key.” She dropped it into my open palm.

“What about the skeleton?” Michael barked, walking inside and surveying the room. “Or a master key?”

“The master key went missing a long time ago.” Her voice trailed off like she had meant to add more to the sentence. “It was never recovered. Other than that key, the only way to get inside this room is removing the lock.”

“Good. That’s good.” Michael nodded, staring at her intently. “I’ll get her settled.”

Sister Catherine nodded, understanding she’d been given her cue to leave us alone. She was just as quiet as when she walked in, her feet barely making a sound as she turned and closed the door behind her.

“So, she’s a friend of yours?” I couldn’t stop the nervous laugh escaping my lips as he dropped both my bags on the floor in front of an old wooden wardrobe.

“I don’t have any friends,” he answered drily, “but she owes me, so you will be safe here.”

“This was where your mother lived, right? Where you were born?”

“You shouldn’t need to be here for longer than a couple of days; either way, no one will bother you.” He avoided the questions entirely without breaking eye contact.

“I know.” I walked around the small room and took in my new surroundings.

There was a metal-framed single bed pushed up against the wall with large gray woolen blankets tucked into tight hospital corners. The walls were off-white with a small window facing a courtyard; the coffee-colored drapes had been pulled to the side, letting in some natural light.

It was a stark contrast to where I’d been sleeping the last few nights. And even though the room felt warm and secure, I had felt safer with Michael.

“I’ve got to go.” He cleared his throat. “Try and stay out of trouble.”

He didn’t bother with a goodbye, instead turning and taking a step toward the door.

“Michael.”

He stopped midstride and looked over his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

There was a slight nod of his head and then he was gone, leaving me in the empty room as I listened to his heavy boots echo down the hall.

My body slowly lowered onto the firm mattress, the room suddenly seeming larger now there was only me inside and I was left to my own thoughts. It will be fine, I told myself, it’s only for a few days.

It was only a few moments after Michael’s departure that Sister Catherine reappeared, materializing through the doorway without a sound.

“If there is anything we can do for you, please let me know.” She took another tentative step waiting for a permissive nod before she came any further. “Our accommodations are very basic but what we have we are happy to share. There is plenty of food and drink in the kitchen and the bathroom is on the other side of the hall.”

“Thank you, you’re very kind.” I tried to manage a smile, but I was almost positive I wasn’t convincing. “Do you have a computer?”