Black Cathedral

through possible scenarios. Her conclusion would eventually be the same as Martin’s. They hadn’t chosen to leave the island.

Martin shrugged. ‘If they did, then they weren’t shouting it from the rooftops. No one ever heard from them, apart from their immediate neighbors on the mainland.’ He looked at Jane, and inclined his head. ‘Then there are the other disappearances more recently.’

Jane sighed. The sixty-year-old mystery would have to remain unsolved for the moment. ’Okay, let’s come up-to-date.’

He tapped a few keys on the computer. ‘So, what do you want to know?’ he said as a new file opened with the most recent documents about Kulsay Island. The Waincraft management team.

‘Everything,’ Jane said.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Society of Jesus, or Societas Iesu, is an order of the Catholic Church that directly serves the Pope. Its members are known as Jesuits, although are often called Soldiers of Christ or foot soldiers of the Pope. It is the largest religious order of men in the Catholic Church and over two-thirds of them are priests. They mainly work overseas on education as well as missionary work, involved in human rights and social justice.

Carter had done a Google search. Catholic had naturally thrown up thousands of results but refining the terms of inquiry narrowed the number of references. Surfing through the initial pages he found plenty of relevant mention of the work of the Jesuits. None of it displayed any clue of anything remotely sinister about a seemingly benign group of God-fearing men.

He watched as a heron flew gracefully over the lake, soaring and swooping as the wind currents pursued. A fresh packet of cigarettes lay on the table but he resisted. He closed his eyes and tried to formulate his thoughts into some coherent order. The sites, the possible supernatural occurrences, the people involved.

The files revisited yielded what he suspected. The first house was near a church, a Catholic church; the Flemings were practicing Catholics; Sian was Catholic, and the Jesuits were as close to the Pope as anyone could be.

The Roman Catholic Church seemed to be the link. Why?

In 1534 Ignatius, later Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and other students at the University of Paris formed a group they called the Company of Jesus. They swore to perform religious duties wherever they could and in 1537 traveled to Rome to seek approval from Pope Paul III. They were accepted and ordained as priests and set about working for the Pope in Europe, founding schools, converting people to Catholicism and helping stem the tide of the Protestant faith. In 1540 the name changed to the Society of Jesus.

Later Jesuits traveled more widely, settling in Japan, Tibet, South America, India and Russia. They became very powerful and this led to suppression by the ruling governments. Gradually though the order grew, as did the Church itself, and their influence was felt worldwide.

Carter opened the packet of cigarettes, lit one and drew down the smoke in anger. He was no nearer a solution that might find Sian. He remained convinced she was alive somewhere, being held against her will. She had to be alive, she just had to be.

The water on the lake, even at this distance, was obviously rippling. He watched the trees; swaying in an encroaching breeze. The weather was changing. He guessed he had about another hour before it would rain. He set himself that hour to complete his research, and then a late lunch.

He scrolled down a few pages, looking for something that might give a less flattering view of the Jesuits. Controversies — what was this?

Being an influential body, the Jesuits attracted enemies. Catholic and Protestant critics accused them of being involved in secret missions for the Pope. Conspiracy theories grew about their participation in an oath taken by senior members to allow and justify any action taken to safeguard the papal leader and the faith. This included infiltration of other religions. In many languages the word Jesuit acquired the meaning of devious. Recent popes have spoken against the order and, incorrectly, rumors have spread that the Jesuits are against much of the Catholic direction including abortion, priestly celibacy and homosexuality.

A Superior General leads the Society of Jesus, with General Curia headquarters in Rome in a historic complex of buildings including the Church of the Gesu, the Jesuit Mother Church.

Carter closed the laptop and lit another cigarette. The bushes at the end of his garden were gently breathing in the enveloping wind, giving the impression of living, moving creatures.

He knew full well that his house was built on a ley line; it was one of the reasons for buying it. He enjoyed the forces, real or imagined, that pulsed beneath his feet. Now he had a connection of Leys, and Jesuits. But what did either of them mean to each other? And what help were they to Sian?

There had to be more but it was eluding him. Usually his investigations found a link between the event and the history of the site. Either that or the participant had a secret that had somehow caused the manifestation in whatever form it took. This time, and he realized in the most recent preceding cases, the link they had assumed to be the solution was something else.

He needed to dig deeper, and if that meant using the power of his mind then he would have to risk it.

CHAPTER TWELVE

‘Can I pick my own team?’ Jane said.

She had been with Martin Impey for most of the day. Now the light was fading from the sky and she was back with her decision.

‘Of course,’ Crozier said. ‘With one proviso.’ He spoke the words as though through gritted teeth.

‘And that would be?’ She was studying his face. He wouldn’t meet her eyes and she wondered what he was leading up to.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat.

It’s going to be good, she thought. This is something he doesn’t want to say but has no choice. If someone as senior as Crozier was being made to do something, then the orders had to come from a very important and high up source.

‘I want Robert Carter to go with you.’ He turned his chair around so that it was facing the windows. It was as if he had been in the confessional and wanted anonymity.

‘Robert’s not been around for a while, has he?’ she said, feeling the blood rushing to her cheeks. There was history between her and Carter that she didn’t want to remember while her husband was waiting for her at home.

‘There was a disciplinary matter.’ Crozier was still looking away from her. Jane could imagine the look of pain and anger that must be clouding his face. She couldn’t reveal that she knew from Martin what the matter involved. ‘Carter is under suspension at present.’

Jane felt uncomfortable talking to the back of Crozier’s head but she had little choice. ‘I didn’t know that. So he can’t be part of the team?’

Unexpectedly Crozier spun his chair back so that his legs were under the desk. His face was darkened with frustrated anger. He sat forward and rested his arms on the desk. ‘You know what I think of Carter. The man’s unstable, and the methods he uses are dubious, and sometimes downright dangerous. I’ve clashed more with him over the years than any other member of the Department. I don’t like him, never have. But I’m also aware that he’s the most gifted sensitive I’ve ever worked with, and I think we need his involvement in this assignment.’

‘So you’re removing the suspension?’

There were no files, no paper on the desk, but Crozier fiddled with his fingers as though there were. ‘No, I’m not, you are.’

‘Me?’ Jane didn’t have the seniority to remove disciplinary suspensions.