“A good part of Dick Kramer’s treatment, rehabilitation, what-have-you, will consist in coming to terms with himself—and with his priesthood. It is distinctly possible that in the time he is in therapy he may evolve a whole new outlook on life—life in general, his personal life, his life in the priesthood.
“I could well imagine that when he walks away from prison he may walk away from the priesthood as well.”
“You really can?”
“Uh-huh. It would solve a lot of problems—for himself and for the Church. The Church really has no place to put him. And he must learn to live with what he’s done. He’ll have his hands full just doing that.
“Which leads me to my final thought for Dick Kramer: Call it a wish or a prayer—but I hope he will marry Sister Therese Hercher.”
Shock passed over Koznicki’s face.
“With his most peculiar set of circumstances,” Koesler continued, “I expect he could get one of those rare laicization decrees that would enable him to marry in the Church. Therese could comparatively easily be released from her vows. It certainly would not be the first time in modern history that a priest and a nun would marry. She fairly worships him—a fact that has been evident to nearly everyone but him. And he will need her. He will desperately need her.
“And that, Inspector, is as close as I can come to a happy ending. And it’s a long way off with plenty of ‘ifs’ all around it.”
Koznicki touched napkin to his lips. Koesler helped him into his coat and accompanied him to the door.
“Giving it some thought,” Koznicki said, turning back at the doorway, “I very much like your scenario for Father Kramer. And I join you in your prayer. But one final question, Father. Before you found the motto of Pope Pius, did it never even once enter your mind that Father Kramer might be guilty?”
Koesler smiled. “Just once. Officer Mangiapane told me about the show-up when that eyewitness identified Father Kramer. I was sure she was mistaken. Then, when it seemed certain that Arnold Bush had committed all three murders, I had to wonder. The witness said the man she saw on those front steps had ‘kind eyes.’ Bush’s eyes are hard, even cruel. Father Kramer has the gentle eyes.”
They bade goodbye.
As Koesler closed the door, he realized he had to add one plea to his prayer for Father Kramer. That one day he might be able to forgive himself.
42
In the background, on TV, the Red Wings were playing the Black Hawks. As with any time a Detroit team played a Chicago team—football, basketball, baseball or, in this case, hockey—there were no holds barred.
Neither Alonzo Tully nor Alice Balcom were paying much attention to the game. Each worked very intensely at very difficult jobs and whenever possible they spent quiet times together.
Tonight they were intertwined at one end of the couch. Tully was massaging Alice’s shoulders and neck. Alice emitted periodic sighs of pleasure and unwinding.
“It’s all over, isn’t it, Zoo?”
“Over? Not hardly; the Wings are down by only two goals.”
“Not the hockey game, Zoo; the case. The Cass Corridor Slasher.”
Tully snorted. “Goddam, I’m not sure. Everytime it looks like we’ve got a lock on it, something else develops.” He paused. “Forget it. You’re right. It’s dead now. It’s over.”
“And Kramer is guilty of the first two?”
“Pleading insanity.”
“Will it stick?”
After hesitation: “Probably.”
“Are you sure?”
Pause. “No. That’s up to the court. We got the guy.”
“And the third was a copycat.”
“Yeah. Bush. Arnold Bush.”
“One thing I can’t figure. The other guy—Bush—he set up Kramer, didn’t he?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But how did he know Kramer did the first two?”
“Blast Yzerman! Can you beat that! Gets a penalty while we’re two goals down and five minutes left in the game! . . . What? How did he know? He
“As far as Bush was concerned it didn’t make much difference whether Kramer was the guilty one or not. Though the possibility there was a third look-alike out there dressing like a priest, et cetera, was pretty slim.
“Bush, of course, knew the killer’s M.O. He saw the results of it in the morgue. His plan was to set Kramer up, have him arrested. If Kramer actually was guilty, so much the better. If he wasn’t, like as not the real killer would lay low for a while and see what happened to Kramer—who might just take the fall. Then, as soon as Kramer is out on bail, Bush had one free copycat murder at his disposal, which would satisfy his need for revenge on whores and which could be dumped on Kramer.
“It worked pretty good until that priest spotted that photo in Bush’s apartment.”
“‘That priest,’” Alice reminded, “was more help than you thought he’d be.”
Tully chuckled. “You ain’t gonna let me forget that, are you? If Koesler hadn’t been so goddam stubborn about Kramer bein’ innocent, God knows what woulda happened. Kramer was up for Murder One—two counts—until Koesler found Bush. Then Bush was up for Murder One—three counts—until Koesler found the key to the puzzle. Now Kramer will probably walk when the shrinks say he’s cured. And Bush’ll rot for his copycat crime.”
“A little lower, Zoo. Bight there between the shoulder . . . ahhh. So, like I said, the priest was more help than you thought he’d be.”
“There were times when I thought he was more of a hindrance than a help. But when he located the branding iron Kramer used, I had to admit you were right.”
Alice sat bolt upright. “He found the iron!”
“Yup. That hasn’t got to the news yet.”
“And you didn’t tell me!”
“I been busy.
“Actually, he didn’t find the thing; he told us where to look. He said he got the idea from talking to some old priest in a nursing home. It was some kind of joke about a guy who flunked his priest test when he said they should burn down a church and throw the ashes in a sacrarium.”
“A suck-what?”
“Somebody—Mangiapane probably—was talkin’ to Koesler about how we’d looked everywhere for the iron. We practically took Kramer’s car and the rectory and the church apart lookin’ for that iron. So Koesler ups and says how Kramer probably considered the iron a sacred instrument in what Doc Moellmann said was a ritual. And when they’re done with sacred items, priests are supposed to dispose of them so they won’t be desecrated by us human beings. And the traditional place to do that is the sacrarium.”
“The suck-what?”
“Babe, I’m gonna end up knowin’ so many Catholic words I’ll be able to teach catechism. In the sacristy— where the priest gets dressed for Mass—there’s a sink they call the sacrarium. It don’t lead to the sewer system. It goes straight into the ground. We dug out the sacrarium in Mother of Sorrows church and—voila!—the branding iron. And with all the letters on it . . . just like Koesler found in that Pope’s motto.”
“Your turn,” Alice announced.
He did not object as they traded places and she began to knead the tension from his shoulders.
“Well, that pretty well wraps it up” She paused. “You know, you could feel pretty sorry for that Father Kramer.”
Tully was in deadly earnest. “I could feel lots sorrier for him if I didn’t feel so bad about three ladies who would be alive today if it weren’t for him.”
