‘I understand some of the nuns from Bradesden are living here now?’
She inclined her head. ‘Can I ask exactly what you think you have discovered in the grounds of Bradesden?’
That was how it was going to be, then. ‘We know we have discovered the remains of up to forty children and adolescents. We know the approximate number based on the skulls that have been recovered so far. As far as we can ascertain, there are no records of any formal burials at the convent apart from those of nuns and priests in the official graveyard.’
‘And you think this has something to do with the members of the order?’
‘It seems likely,’ Alvin said. He stretched his legs in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. ‘Being as how the skeletons have been there longer than the five years since the convent closed. And early forensic evidence indicates that at least some of them definitely went in the ground while the convent was up and running.’
Her hand went to the mother of pearl-encrusted crucifix that hung on her chest. ‘God rest their souls. But how can you place responsibility for this at the door of our sisters?’
He didn’t think she was stupid, but if she wanted to play that game, he’d indulge her. ‘Well, they were responsible for the girls in the refuge and the school.’
‘But you don’t know for certain that these remains are of any of our girls.’
‘I don’t think there’s much likelihood of them not being your girls. But wherever they came from, they ended up under your front lawn, Mother. And that means I need to talk to the sisters who came to you from Bradesden.’
She gave a small sharp sigh. ‘I’m not sure that will be of much use to you.’
‘Why not? They must have seen something. You don’t have your front lawn dug up forty times and not notice.’
Another sigh. ‘Nuns are not like other people, Sergeant. Even in a working order such as ours, we strive to focus on the interior life. Worldly concerns often don’t penetrate our consciousness.’
Did she really expect him to fall for this? ‘Nuns are human beings, though. And curiosity afflicts all of us to some extent. I will need to talk to the sisters.’
‘Women become nuns for all sorts of reasons. Some have a very clear religious vocation, an irresistible desire to offer up their lives to the service of God. Some come to us because they see this life as an escape from the modern world and all its temptations and troubles, only to find that their troubles accompany them and must still be faced. Some come seeking the contemplative life, a devotion to the beauty of our daily offices. One thing we all have in common in the Order of the Blessed Pearl is a repudiation of the outside world. And of course, the vow of obedience. If they were told to ask no questions and put something from their mind, they will have done so.’
Alvin stared at her in disbelief. ‘You’re saying the Mother Superior could do whatever she liked, with total immunity? Just tell the nuns to forget anything dodgy, and bingo! It’s forgotten?’
‘Reverend Mothers are not prone to what you call “dodgy” behaviour. But in essence, what you are saying is correct. The nuns under her supervision are obliged to put aside their God-given free will and accept the need to obey in all things.’ Her expression was placid, as if this were a matter of no account.
‘So, they could have been turning a blind eye to all sorts of things? And if they talked about it, they’d be in trouble?’
‘If a nun is privy to something that troubles her conscience, she can bring it to her priest.’
Alvin scoffed. ‘And that’s covered by the seal of the confessional, right?’
‘Yes.’
He shook his head. ‘You make the mafia look like chatterboxes.’
‘I’m not being deliberately obstructive, Sergeant. But this is the rule we’ve lived by for centuries.’
‘It protects the guilty.’
A faint smile. ‘It would be our contention that we are not “the guilty”. That when we do fall short, we confess our failings and we are shriven. The nuns who came here from Bradesden will not be able to further your inquiries. Their Reverend Mother, possibly. But she is not among us.’
‘I’m struggling with this, Mother Benedict. We’re talking about the bodies of forty young girls, girls who were almost certainly in the care of your order. And you’re hiding behind an outdated set of rules.’ He shifted his position, elbows on his knees, his big head thrust forward. ‘There will be a coroner’s inquest at the very least. Your nuns will be under oath. They’ll have to answer then. They might as well answer now.’
Her hand moved to her crucifix again. ‘And the answer will be the same. They know nothing. The sisters who came to us from Bradesden are the most elderly members of the community. Two of them are suffering from dementia, so you must rule them out immediately. I can assure you that the others know nothing about these matters. If you insist, you may interview them. But their answers will be the same.’
Three hours and eight nuns later, Alvin learned she was telling no less than the truth. The six who did not have dementia had as much to say on the subject of dead children as those who barely knew their own names. Whatever they might have known, they’d consigned to a place in their heads behind a heavy door with more bolts and padlocks than he could unfasten. Three simply stared at him in bewilderment so perfect he began to doubt himself. One couldn’t stop talking about the wonderful life of the convent and the blessing of being given the care of such promising girls and the joy of being in the service of a nun like Mother Mary
