The Omega Factor(33)

With unthinkable results.

“Your failures could be devastating,” the older woman said. “For us all.”

“There would have been no failures if we had simply left things alone.” And she meant it. Then, she wanted to know, “Is there confirmation that the panel was destroyed?”

“The press reported that it was a total loss. But curiously they continue to speak only of it being a copy. Not a mention of the original that lay beneath. But that could change at any moment. I am told that the press conference that was coming in a week or so will most likely be moved up. Sister Deal’s electronic images still exist for the world to see. Which could be worse than the original, in their detail. So the problem has not changed. Only now there is a spotlight shining right on us.”

They stood in the abbess’ office, located in the abbey’s extreme northern wing, which afforded them privacy. A magnificent view of the adjoining peaks was provided through the open windows, a straight drop down outside about a hundred yards to a river gorge below.

She’d fled Ghent, correctly surmising that the police would come to the convent. If not during the night, surely by morning. Prior to leaving, all vestiges of their presence had been removed, including the boat she’d used and a dinghy that had been found tied to the dock. The two remaining sisters, Isabel and Ellen, had stayed on, finding rooms in a downtown hotel, ready to act once their course was set.

“The convent was searched?” Claire asked.

“Just the room you occupied. Signore Lee led them straight there. Sister Deal was also present and accused the mother superior of being a liar. Which, of course, she was.”

The abbess was right. Her failures had placed everyone in a tough situation.

“All of this must be addressed with the collective,” the abbess said.

Claire agreed.

She trusted the maidens as they trusted her. Each leaned on the other in good times and bad. Her own personal journey to here had started out of a sense of loss. Her mother and father had both died within an hour of each other, after fifty-four years of marriage. They’d been inseparable in life and so it would be in death. As their only child she’d buried them near the bayou and tried to understand why they’d been taken. By then she’d been a teacher for several years, and it wasn’t six months later that Sister Anne appeared at Christ the King Catholic Church. She’d never really considered joining a convent. But the more she thought about the idea, the more a religious life had appealed to her. Of course, at that time she had no thoughts of what was to come.

She was not just a nun.

She was les Vautours.

The abbess’ eyes began to soften. The scolding might be over. For all her rigidity this woman, flush with life, was also known for compassion. She presided over the maidens like a queen bee, but always with politeness and etiquette. Today’s anger was unusual. The maidens had unanimously chosen her as their leader in one vote after another. All abbesses had to stand for selection every two years, and could be removed anytime from the position by a unanimous vote. Who led the order was just as important as the maidens themselves. That person made all tactical decisions, judging any threatening situation, assessing the risks, and dispatching eyes and ears to deal with problems. Good judgment was essential. Recklessness could be fatal. The collective depended on a responsible, mature, competent woman to lead them. There’d been bad choices in the past, but those were rectified by a swift removal. The current abbess was known for her competence. But her time was coming to an end.

She knew it. And the sisters did too.

“I am sorry,” she said to her superior. “For my mistakes.”

“As am I, in not listening more closely to you and the others.”

She heard the pain in the voice.

The older woman pointed a finger. “But contrary to what you may think, the Vatican is attentive. They are out there. Watching. Waiting for us to make a mistake. And we just accommodated them.”

She had to say again, as she had weeks ago, “We don’t know they are watching.”

“Don’t be a fool, Claire. They are most definitely watching. Our only salvation has been they did not know where to look. We have remained hidden in plain sight for a long, long time. But you may have just solved that problem for them.”

“May I have the opportunity to fix things?”

“How would you do that?”

“I would first retrieve Sister Rachel’s body. She is entitled to a proper burial, here, among us. It could also help chill the trail.”

“And that laptop?”

“I would also obtain it. Or, at a minimum, destroy its memory.”

“Both would now be difficult feats, considering the situation.”

The abbess’ eyes maintained a steady, noncommittal gaze. Claire fought for control over her voice as she said, “But not impossible.”

The older woman appraised her with a stern gaze. “I will address Sister Deal and the laptop through other, more manageable, means. Ones I was hesitant to use at first, but which now are imperative. As to Rachel, I will not make that decision. We will place it before the collective.”

She bowed her head. “Yes, abbess.”

“If the maidens so desire, your next efforts must be totally successful, without any error.”

“I understand.”