by Donna Raider
“My apologies, Excellency.” Mika frowned. “I wasn’t aware the dinner invitation had been extended to my wife. If you like, I can call her. She can be here in half an hour.”
“If you don’t mind.” Pelosi smiled slightly. “I have heard so much about her great beauty. One could compare you to King David.”
“I think not.” Mika frowned again. “Leah is my one and only wife. I have never been tempted by any other. I did not steal her from another man. I am her only spouse.”
“You would speak ill of the house of David?” Pelosi narrowed his eyes, reminding Mika of a pig.
“No, Your Excellency, simply stating facts.” Mika knew she was being baited. She hoped Pelosi didn’t try this with Leah. Pelosi might find himself squealing down Broadway. She excused herself as she stepped away from the table to call her wife.
“Honey, the archbishop wants you to dine with us. Would you mind?” Mika listened to her soft, low voice, paying more attention to the silky sounds escaping her lips than what she was saying.
“Just let me finish checking everyone’s homework and I’ll be there. Thirty minutes.” Leah was perturbed that she had to leave her children, but knew Mika wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.
“Just so you know,” Mika added, “Pelosi is an ass.”
“Well, thank you for influencing my opinion of him,” Leah said with a laugh.
Leah knew her wife had taken a disliking to the man when she was at the Vatican. She also knew the archbishop was one of the men plotting against the Pope. She quickly checked the children’s homework and arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes after Mika’s call.
Mika was watching the door for Leah. She hurried to her side when she entered. “Thank you, darling. I owe you big time for this.” Mika ushered her to the table and pulled out her chair. She’s unusually beautiful tonight, she thought. Her hair was loose and floated around her face and shoulders when she tossed her head back after being seated. Her makeup was beyond perfect. Smoky eye shadow accentuated her soulful brown eyes. She was perfect. She stole the breath of every man—and some women—in the restaurant.
“Your Excellency.” Leah smiled. “It’s an honor to be included in your dinner party.”
She had to keep herself from shivering as the archbishop slithered his eyes over her body.
“I see the talk of your beauty has not been exaggerated, my dear!” Pelosi almost leered at her.
Leah bowed her head, pretending to blush. Archbishop Pelosi reminded her so much of the king, her former husband. She had almost forgotten him. She shuddered.
Mika placed her warm hand over Leah’s, driving away the coldness that had gripped her heart. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, darling.” Mika smiled her most heartfelt thanks.
Leah nodded and looked up at her through long, dark lashes. Mika squeezed her hand and left hers on top of Leah’s.
“So, you’re the woman Mika gave up everything for?” The archbishop held Leah’s gaze.
“What do you mean?” Her voice was dark and low. A frown crossed her beautiful face.
“Your wife was on the fast track to rise quickly in the church. She’s a friend of the Pope’s. If she hadn’t married you, she would probably be a cardinal by now.” The archbishop spoke as if Mika were a great disappointment in the church.
“With all respect due you, Excellency.” Mika smiled. “I believe I’m exactly where the Lord wants me to be. I also believe I’m doing exactly the work He desires.”
Leah noticed that her wife had changed the usual order of the words from “with all due respect” to “with all respect due you.” Leah had a feeling Mika felt the archbishop deserved little respect.
Bishop Cantrell picked up his menu. “Everything they make here is absolutely perfect.” He grinned at Pelosi, trying to draw his attention away from Leah and Mika. “The shrimp fettuccine Alfredo is excellent.”
“I’m highly allergic to any kind of seafood,” the archbishop growled.
Food was the center of the archbishop’s life. He immediately began to study the menu. Mika ordered wine. She was delighted to find the restaurant carried her wife’s favorite.
After they placed their orders and the wine was poured, Pelosi began to question Mika about the celibacy conference.
“Of course, you know the Pope sent me to speak with you in person.” The archbishop smiled a mirthless smile. “He wishes you to lead the conference in such a fashion that the vote is to retain celibacy as a requirement for priests.”
“Those weren’t the instructions he gave me, in person, last month.” Mika frowned. “Regardless, I believe celibacy is an unrealistic burden placed on priests—not by God—but by the church. We all know it was only instigated for financial reasons. I believe it should be removed from our requirements—”
“Who are you to decide that?” Pelosi roared at Mika, drawing stunned glances from diners.
“I am not the one to decide it.” Mika spoke softly. “The members of the conference were assembled with the duty to debate the issue and vote on it. The Pope told me he will abide by the vote.”
“Here.” Pelosi pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket. “The Pope asked me to hand-deliver this to you.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency.” Mika slipped the envelope into her inside jacket pocket.
“Aren’t you going to read it?” The archbishop was getting angrier with the pretty, young priest.
“Yes.” Mika nodded. “In private.”
“Your Excellency.” Leah smiled her most dazzling smile. “Is this your first visit to New York?”
“Yes,” Pelosi growled.
“Perhaps I could show you around, when you have some free time.” Her smile was contagious. “There are many wonderful things in this city. Nothing as incredible as the Vatican, but many interesting places and restaurants.”
“I would like that.” The archbishop lecherously scanned her again. “You are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I can see why one would turn her back on God for a woman like you.”
Mika fought to control her anger. “My God led me to her. I would not have found her if He hadn’t given me direction. Our God has blessed our union with twelve wonderful children. Now, if you will excuse us, we’ll get home to them. And my wife will not be taking you on any tour of anything.”
Mika took her wife’s hand and led her from the restaurant as the archbishop sucked air, trying to think of something to say to make them stay.
Nothing could have made them stay. Mika Cross would allow no one to insult her wife or her relationship with God.
##
“Well, that was interesting.” Leah sat down on the sofa in their penthouse. “How does someone like that reach his position?”
Mika took off her jacket and laid it over the back of an armchair. She took the envelope from the pocket then sat down beside Leah.
“I am sure you have figured out by now that not all men in the church are men of God.” Mika exhaled wearily.
Leah nodded.
“This isn’t from the Pope.” Mika held up the envelope. “I have no doubt that the Holy Father did send me a letter, but this isn’t it.”
“How do you know?” Leah furrowed her brow.
“As I told you, when I was in Rome, we were aware of a conspiracy against the Pope. Those around him went to great measures to keep me from meeting alone with him. He and I devised a means of communication should I find myself unable to contact him in the future.
“He is to communicate with me only on his personal dark tan stationery,” Mika continued. “He will always handwrite his letters to me. He always addresses me as ‘My Daughter.’ If he wrote the letter, it will have the initials YJC in the lower right-hand corner.”
She handed the envelope to her wife. “Care to do the honors?”
Leah slid a perfectly manicured nail under the flap and removed the letter. It was typewritten. It bore no initials anywhere. Leah read the letter aloud.
Dear Priest Mika,
This is to supersede the discussion we had at the Vatican. After much prayer and much thought, I have decided that celibacy is the best course for those in the priesthood.
Please do everything in your power to lead the conference in that direction. I trust I can count on you to follow my wishes in this matter. I will make certain the outcome does not affect you and your marriage.
Yours in Christ,
“The signature is illegible.” Leah looked up from the letter to stare into the dark depths of her wife’s blue eyes.
“The letter is a forgery.” Mika nodded. She hung her head, covering her face with her hands.
“Come here, baby.” Leah pulled Mika’s head onto her lap and ran her fingers through her hair.
The tension that had built up in Mika’s body slowly drained away as Leah gently played with her hair and massaged her scalp. She stretched out on the sofa, turning her face into Leah’s bosom and inhaling the intoxicating scent of her. If love had a scent, it would be called Leah, soft and sweet, intoxicating and exciting. Something about being with her made everything else unimportant. “I love you,” Mika whispered.
##
“Impudent pup,” the archbishop railed against Mika Cross as Martin drove him back to his hotel. “When I’m through with her, she’ll be begging me to let her sweep the floors of the church.”
“What did she do?” Martin couldn’t imagine Mika doing anything to upset the archbishop.
“She is an insolent know-it-all,” Pelosi growled. “Telling me what she thinks the Lord wants her to do. She’s so smug with her incredibly gorgeous wife and her personal relationship with the Pope. She even speaks of talking with God. Telling me she is content to be nothing but a priest.”
Now we have envy, Martin thought. The archbishop has claimed three of the seven deadly sins on his first day in New York. Gluttony, slothfulness and envy. I have a feeling he could own all seven by the end of the week.
##
Watcher had observed the interactions between Father Mika, Leah, and the archbishop. Bishop Cantrell seemed in a daze. He contributed nothing to the conversation. He was still addled over the loss of his wife. The archbishop hadn’t even offered the man his condolences.
##
Rarely did Leah get to reach into Mika’s soul and soothe it with her love. She rarely needed consoling, but last night Mika had responded to her like a baby seeking nourishment, consolation, and warmth. She had drawn on Leah’s strength, embraced the way Leah make her feel. Leah had loved her and touched her as only she could do.
##
A knock on her dressing room door pulled Leah from her thoughts of how her wife had clung to her during the night.
“Door’s open,” she called.
“Hey,” Carlie said as she stuck her head into the room. “Truce?”
Leah nodded coldly. “What do you need?”
“I need your help,” the detective admitted, “with Mika.”
“What?” Leah frowned.
“I need to talk to her, and I’d like you to be with me, so I only have to tell my story once.” Carlie shrugged.
Leah jumped at the chance to visit her wife. She told Stiles she was riding with Carlie and followed the woman from the studio. They drove in silence to the church.
“Darling.” Mika rose from her desk at the sight of her wife. “What a pleasant surprise.” She nodded to Carlie as she followed Leah into the office. “Detective Carlyle.”
“Look, both of you,” Carlie pleaded, “I’m sorry. This case is driving me over the edge. I am grasping at straws.”
“I will never forgive you for trying to make my wife one of those straws,” Leah hissed. She moved to sit on Mika’s desk. She leaned down and kissed Mika. “Detective Carlyle has a favor to ask of you, darling.”
Carlie closed the door to Mika’s office. “What I’m about to show you goes no farther than this office,” she almost whispered.
Carlie placed her laptop on the priest’s desk and opened it. Leah slipped into her wife’s lap so she could turn facing the computer and still be in contact with her. Mika briefly nuzzled her hair, inhaling the scent of her.
The detective queued the CD then pushed play. The Crosses stared in disgust at what they were witnessing. “Is this really necessary?” Mika asked. “We can see that is Father Clinton with men.”
“Wait for it,” Carlie growled. The video of Janet Cantrell and Clinton filled the screen. Leah gasped.
“We’ve seen enough,” Mika said softly. “Where did you get this?”
“From Clinton’s apartment. It was hidden in a book,” Carlie explained. “I believe he killed Janet. Probably to keep her quiet about the baby. I’m convinced Clinton is the father of Janet’s baby, but I can’t find his DNA anywhere to prove it. I need to check the fetus’s DNA against the church’s database.”
“Of course.” Mika frowned. “How long have you had this?”
“Over two weeks.” Carlie shrugged. “I was trying to build the case without disturbing you. But I have hit a brick wall.”
“Why didn’t you come to me immediately?” Mika grimaced. “Surely you don’t still think I—”
“Oh, no,” Carlie interrupted her. “I just felt like such an ass for even thinking you could be involved.”
“Let’s go check it out.” Mika hugged her wife then let her stand.
##
“This is crazy.” Carlie shook her head. They had run Clinton’s DNA against the baby’s, and it didn’t match. They ran the baby’s DNA against the entire database and came up empty-handed.
“Obviously, she was sleeping with two men other than her husband.” Leah scowled.
For the first time in her life, Detective Carlie Carlyle was at a dead end. She had no place to go. The sketch of Clinton’s party date had garnered them nothing. Clinton had simply dropped from the face of the earth. Something eating at the back of her mind told her he was dead too.
Mika dragged both her hands down her face, as if trying to wipe away a dark veil of endless questions with no answers. “We will do anything we can to help.” She studied Carlie’s face for some remnant of a solution to the murders. She found none.
The door to Mika’s office swung open and hit the wall hard. The archbishop poured into the room. Poured was the only word Leah could think of to describe how the obese man seemed to fill the room a pound at a time. The witch inhaled deeply to gain control of her loathing for the man.
“I’m so sorry, Priest Mika.” Martin ran around the archbishop to apologize to Mika. “He flung the door open before I could get to it. I would never enter your office in such a rude—”
“Oh, do be quiet, little man,” Pelosi growled at his driver. “Wait for me in the hallway.”
Mika walked Martin to the door. “We haven’t been officially introduced.” The priest smiled at the man. “I remember you from dinner the other night.”
“I’m Martin Tate, the archbishop’s driver,” Martin said, beaming. “I’m a big fan of yours. It is truly a blessing to meet you.”
Mika held out her hand and firmly shook Martin’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Martin.” The priest then smiled a knowing smile and said, “I’ll pray for you.”
Martin nodded then went to stand by the door to wait for Pelosi. It was the first time he had ever been so close to Priest Mika Cross. The young priest was as wonderful as he knew she would be.
“My, my, Mika,” the archbishop said as he surveyed Carlie, “you do have a penchant for surrounding yourself with beautiful women.”
“Archbishop Pelosi, may I present Detective Carlie Carlyle,” Mika introduced the detective.
Carlie didn’t miss the dark glance the priest exchanged with her wife. She sensed that Mika was leery of the archbishop.
Pelosi did not offer his hand to the detective. He frowned deeply and looked around for a chair capable of supporting his weight. Leah magically reinforced the only armless chair in the room. It wa
s the only one on which the man would be able to sit.
Mika smiled knowingly at her wife and mouthed, “Thank you.”
“You are the famous detective on which that TV series is based,” Pelosi stated.
“Loosely based, sir.” Carlie smiled.
Pelosi quickly swung his gaze to Leah. “You are Leah Redman, aren’t you?” he barked.
“Yes, I am.” The actress stepped forward as if preparing for battle.
Mika said a quick prayer for the archbishop. He knew the man was seconds away from being turned into a vat of lard. “Detective Carlyle is the lead investigator on the Catholic Murders.” Mika knew the media’s name for the deaths in the Catholic Church would draw the archbishop’s attention from her wife.
“Catholic Murders.” Pelosi glared at Carlie. “What an asinine name for your case.”
“The media’s name, sir. Not mine.” Carlie grinned. “We do have a conundrum. It seems that all the murders are in some way connected to the Catholic Church.”
“Poppycock,” Pelosi huffed. “It sounds to me like you and Miss Redman are just drumming up publicity for your show. I’m very familiar with the situations you are investigating. They’re all either suicides or accidents. I see no connection between any of them. Certainly not murder.”
Carlie decided the less Pelosi knew, the better. “We’re just trying to be thorough,” she explained with a smile. ‘We don’t want a serial killer running amok in the church.”
“Serial killer,” Pelosi sputtered and gasped for breath. “A serial killer in the Catholic Church. I suppose next you will tell me you suspect a priest.”
“Well, so far we have a priest who is a pedophile and a priest who lived with a prostitute. A bishop’s wife who ran her car into the bay and a missing priest who is a proven homosexual. Seems that the church is home to many men of various appetites.” Carlie knew she was antagonizing the archbishop but didn’t really care. The man was a pompous ass.
A knock preceded the entrance of Bishop Cantrell and three nuns. After all the bowing and ring-kissing rituals were completed, Father Cantrell introduced Leah Redman to the nuns and addressed Mika. “Did you remember you and Miss Redman were to meet with the Sisters today to discuss their annual fundraiser?”
