Chapter 14
Please, Sergeant Moreau, come in. I’m delighted to see you.” Reaching for her hand, the stately nun dressed in a traditional habit tugged Viviana into her office. A bright smile lighting her attractive face, she invited Francis to enter as well. Moving behind her desk, she motioned to the two chairs facing her. “Please, both of you, sit down. What can I bring you? A bottle of water perhaps, or a cup of tea?” Her smile widened. “I’m always pleased to see you, Francis, but it is a rare treat when you come to the shelter, Sergeant Moreau. I trust you know how much all of us at St. Vincent’s admire you. You are an extraordinarily courageous woman. That you are as concerned as we at St. Vincent’s are about young women who find themselves in difficult straits makes you one of our heroines.”
“Thank you, Sister. I hope you know how much all of us in law enforcement appreciate the work that you and the other sisters provide to troubled young women.”
As Viviana and Francis settled into the chairs across from Sister Eloise, the smile on the perceptive woman’s face faded. She breathed out an audible sigh as she sank into the chair behind the desk and focused a serious gaze on Francis. “I wish I didn’t know you as well as I do, Francis. I knew when Sister Margaret said you’d called and needed to see me that your mission was likely a difficult one.” Her frown deepened. “And knowing your expertise, Sergeant Moreau, I fear you are here to give me bad news about one of our girls.”
The nun sighed again and raised her hands in a defeated gesture. “I presume you are here about Ariel. I was heartsick when she overdosed. She had been doing so well. Then, for no reason that we could see, she left the shelter. Within days we got word that she was in the emergency room. What made it worse was that she left and apparently went back on the street. We had hoped that she would come back here.”
Viviana was grateful when Francis answered. She knew how much work he’d done at the community center and how close he and Sister Eloise were. Given what they’d heard about the shelter, she didn’t relish the coming conversation.
Francis was uncharacteristically serious when he spoke. “I’m aware, Sister Eloise, that I come here too often with challenging news. I fear this visit is no exception. And yes, you are correct. Sergeant Moreau and I are here specifically to talk about Ariel and ask you some difficult questions.”
A pained expression flashed across the nun’s face, and she briefly lifted the cross around her neck to her lips. Meeting Francis’s concerned gaze, she said resolutely, “Ah, Francis, I thought you might be here about that troubled girl. Tell me, dear man, is she dead?”
“No, no, Sister, she isn’t dead, but . . . after she fled the hospital, she went back on the streets and is definitely using drugs again.”
At the aggrieved sigh from the solemn nun, Viviana broke in. She knew how difficult it would be for Francis to ask the sister the challenging questions they needed answered. They were questions that went to the very integrity of the shelter and of the sisters who ran it. Saving Francis from the arduous task, Viviana faced the solemn Sister.
“Sister Eloise, I can’t tell you how upset Francis and I were when Ariel regressed. If it hadn’t been for that brave young girl, we never would have brought down the hideous pedophile ring. It took everything Francis and I had to track Ariel down after she left the ER and get her to talk to us. I almost wish we hadn’t. It was painful to see how far she has degenerated. But here is the problem we are facing, Sister. When we begged her to come back to the shelter, she became almost hysterical. She said she could never return here. She insisted that evil people ran the shelter and that they were ‘after’ her.”
“What?” Sister Eloise’s shock was apparent. “I . . . I don’t understand. What could she possibly mean by that?” She turned to Francis. “Francis, you know our mission, the people who run the shelter, and the people who support it. Every one of us is dedicated to the welfare of these troubled girls.”
Francis was grim. “I do know that, Sister. But after we spoke with Ariel, I talked with a number of the more seasoned women I know who work the street. They were also concerned about Ariel, how quickly she had gone off the deep end. One of the women whom I trust confirmed that the word on the street is that ‘dangerous’ people run the shelter.”
Seeing the shock on the nun’s face, Viviana tried to reassure her. “Sister, you know that Francis and I trust you and honor you. You and the other sisters at St. Vincent’s have saved innumerable young girls. Truly saved their lives. That is why we need to get to the bottom of this rumor that is beginning to spread. Do understand. When we confronted her, Ariel was not talking specifically about you or any of the other Sisters; rather she insisted that ‘dangerous people’ are involved in the shelter. Please understand, if we hadn’t heard this from Ariel, we would never have believed it or even thought to investigate. But we owe that young woman so much, we simply had to follow up. However, I will be honest with you. I’m concerned about Ariel’s state of mind. When we were finally able to talk to her, she was so far gone on crystal that she was incoherent much of the time.”
By this time, the agitated nun was pacing the room, anxiously twisting her hands in front of her. “I simply don’t understand how anyone could be concerned about who runs the shelter. In all the years I have led St. Vincent’s, I have never been accused of wrongdoing. For goodness’ sake, take a look at our board of directors. Why, Annabelle Simpson, the mayor’s wife, chairs our board. Because of her leadership, our board is comprised of a stellar group of leaders, some of whom represent major foundations. In fact, Annabelle even convinced her girlhood friend Penelope Williams to join the board. Not to be crass, but Penelope’s husband is none other than Rodney Williams, a major financier and supporter of projects like ours. It was a huge coup to attract them both. I promise you, the board rigorously ensures that we comply with every financial regulation and that there isn’t a hint of scandal concerning our operations. That is essential if we are going to continue to get the level of support that we have.”
Francis quickly protested. “Please, Sister, understand. Neither Ariel nor our other source indicated that you or any of the sisters were ‘dangerous’ or, God forbid, ‘evil.’ ”
Viviana agreed. “We needed to bring this to your attention, but we are not accusing you of wrongdoing. Far from it. We respect you and your leadership explicitly. But both Francis and I believe that it is important for you to know this rumor is circulating among the young women and girls your center serve. In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to get Ariel to go through treatment. Given the state she is in at this point, nothing she says is reliable.”
***
After they left the shelter, Francis headed back to Flemings. Conceding that she could no longer avoid him, Viviana planned to make a long-overdue stop at the precinct to connect with Greg Bannon. Except for the few minutes yesterday when Greg and Jax landed at Flemings, Viviana hadn’t spoken to her supposed commander since she blew him off in their introductory meeting. This morning he’d sent her a characteristically humorous text inviting her to lunch. He promised not to ask her anything important, such as what the hell she was doing at the VCU, and would even pay for lunch if she would only deign to meet with him.
Pulling into the precinct parking lot, Viviana wrestled with the conversation they’d had with Sister Eloise. While she believed that Sister Eloise and the other nuns at St. Vincent’s were honorable, it was clear that something had frightened Ariel enough that she’d fled the shelter and gone back to her dangerous lifestyle. Viviana gave an annoyed snort, thinking about what they’d learned about the board of directors. Wouldn’t you know that Annabelle Simpson and her do-gooder friends would be the biggest supporters of the shelter?
She could just hear Jax if he knew she was investigating the shelter and its high-society directors. He already thought she had a bug up her butt regarding cultured women. But, dammit, she knew something horrendous had sent Ariel back to the streets. If the nuns were innocent—and Viviana was sure they were—she needed to at least talk with the mayor’s wife. Carefully. It was important that she not imply in any way that Ariel’s story was true. In fact, she wouldn’t mention Ariel. No, she’d just pretend that she was interested in the shelter and impressed that Annabelle and her smugly altruistic friends were supporting a cause that Viviana was passionate about.