The Roman(45)
“Why didn’t Raven come with you?”
Father started at her question. His hand went into his pocket and closed on the relic he carried. “Raven is recovering from the attack. She isn’t well enough to travel.”
Linda gave him a pained look. “Do you think she will come home?”
“I can’t answer that.”
“But you are close to her,” Linda pressed. “She trusts you. Maybe you could talk to her about coming home? She could stay with us. We have plenty of room.”
“Mrs. Shannon, I can’t repair your relationship with your daughter. Only you and Raven can do that.”
“But my family is in shambles.” Linda placed her hand on his arm. “We need your help.”
On instinct, Father pulled his arm away. “Your family was in shambles a long time ago, Mrs. Shannon.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Linda raised her voice.
Father noticed that the few remaining mourners, including Linda’s new husband, had turned their attention in his direction.
His hand went to his forehead, and he rubbed at the creases. “Forgive me. I’m sorry for your loss.”
He tried to walk away but she stepped in front of him. “I demand to know what you meant.”#p#分页标题#e#
His eyes moved to hers. “I’m talking about what happened to Raven and Cara when they were children.”
Linda reddened. “Raven is unbalanced. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“Why would you dismiss her claims before I told you what she said?”
Linda mumbled a vague response.
The priest’s expression grew severe. “Your ex-husband’s recent arrest in California for child molestation corroborates Raven’s account of what happened to Cara.”
Mrs. Shannon began to protest vehemently, but he lifted his hand. “You can lie to yourself, and you can lie to everyone else, including your children. But you cannot lie to me. You knew.”
Something in her eyes shifted.
She adjusted her very expensive handbag. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He leaned closer. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You knew what was going on, and you did nothing. So Jane, your twelve-year-old daughter, took matters into her own hands. And she paid for it with her leg.”
“You don’t know what he was like!” she shouted. “You don’t understand.”
“Then tell me.” His voice grew quiet once again. “I’m listening.”
The woman hesitated, something working behind her eyes.
She glanced around and saw the remaining mourners watching the exchange.
“Thank you for performing the service, Father. Please tell Raven I hope she feels better soon.” Linda spun on her heel, and marched away.
Father Kavanaugh watched her departing form. He watched her take the arm of her husband and walk toward the long black limousine that waited nearby.
He lifted his eyes heavenward.
He’d tried to help Raven and her family for many years. Cracking Linda’s denial for the first time should have felt like a victory. But he felt far from victorious.
She needed healing and love as much as her daughters. And he’d been harsh with her.
“Forgive me,” he whispered.
His thoughts strayed to Raven, and he reflected on her character and intelligence, her bravery and compassion.
Standing in the cemetery, with the hot Miami sun streaming down on him, the Jesuit felt something move in his heart.
He knew what Raven encountered at the hands of the fiend who claimed to own her. He would not turn a blind eye. He wouldn’t abandon her to her fate as a vampyre’s pet, even if that meant the sin of disobedience and expulsion from the Curia.
The infinite worth of one soul far outweighed any responsibility he had to the Curia or to the Jesuits. He knew in his heart that God agreed.
“Help me,” he prayed. “Show me what to do.”
As if in a whisper, a germ of an idea took root in his mind.
Chapter Thirty-Three
LATE ONE EVENING the following week, William and Raven exited the Mercedes under the cover of darkness and entered the Accademia Gallery.
“How did you manage this?” Raven peered past the security guard into an empty hall.
William smiled, his gray eyes gleaming. “The Gallery is available for private tours after hours. At a price.”
He led her downstairs to a private garden that opened out from the Gallery’s book shop. The garden was lit with candles and small lamps. A table shrouded in linen stood with a champagne bucket atop it.
Raven covered her mouth in surprise. “This is so beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever been out here.”