The Sanctity of Sloth

by Greta Boris

  "That's where all the prostitutes hang out?"

  "They're far from free."

  "It's the oldest profession in the world. I figured it was their choice."

  "That's not a profession many people go into willingly. Most are victims of one kind or another."

  "How do these guys, like Seb, how do they get away with it?" Carlos said.

  "They're smart. They cover their tracks. We know who many of them are, but their victims are too cowed to press charges. We'd had our eye on Seb Skandalis for years. He was slippery."

  "I guess that's the one good thing Leena did—getting rid of him," Carlos said.

  A shiver traveled up Abby's spine at the mention of Leena's name. "If you knew about Skandalis all along, why did you suspect my dad?"

  "I never suspected your father of trafficking," Sylla said. "I thought he might have been a John with a religious mania, like the man who took Elizabeth Smart. We have to follow every lead. Speaking of religious manias." She reached into her jacket pocket and took out a roll of paper.

  Abby recognized it at once. It was the pages from her book. The ones she'd given to Sylla. A flush of defensiveness rushed to her cheeks at the words "religious mania." But when she looked at the detective's face, she saw a smile.

  "I thought you might want this back, what with the fire and all." She handed the roll to Abby. "You make some good points. It's interesting."

  "Thanks," Abby said.

  "It was persuasive, intelligent. Not the writing of a brainwashed proselyte. I was almost certain you and your father had nothing to do with Hannah's death—other than to be in the wrong place at the wrong time—after I read it. You should finish it."

  Abby shook her head. She no longer believed her premise—that separating oneself from the world was what led to true objectivity. It wasn't until she'd left the anchorhold and engaged in the battle that she'd gained understanding. Although in some ways she was still recovering from her ordeal, she'd never had more clarity of mind.

  She'd fought for her life, for Carlos's life, for her father's life, and in the fighting found strength. She'd looked death in the face and life had fallen into perspective. She no longer feared becoming like her mother. She no longer cared what others thought about her, at least not much. She no longer felt guilt for Scottie's accident. Life and death weren't in her hands, and it was pretty presumptuous for her to have thought they were.

  "I have a new idea," she said.

  Sylla arched an eyebrow. "I hope this one doesn't include lawbreaking."

  Abby laughed. "No, officer. I'm reformed. Believe me." She'd been booked and held for Leena's death until bail was set. Then she'd had to wait almost a month for charges to be dropped while the DA examined the evidence. She'd had enough run-ins with the law to last her a lifetime.

  "Good then. I guess I can leave you to it." Sylla disappeared around the bend of the path. Abby and Carlos cleaned up the garden tools and ran a hose on the new bush before heading toward the exit. "So what's this new idea?" he said.

  "Sailing across the Pacific. Alone. I thought I could record the journey and. . ."

  "It's been done." Carlos's voice broke when he said the words. He sounded so horrified, Abby grinned.

  "Kidding." She grasped his arm and leaned into his shoulder. "Actually, I'm thinking of trying my hand at Middle Grade fiction."

  "Kid stuff?"

  "Yeah, kid stuff. Sarah Richards, the children's author, did a reading at St. Barnabas for an assembly a few weeks ago. It was wonderful. The kids were riveted. So was I."

  "No more anchorites then?"

  "Are you joking? Waste all that research?" Carlos furrowed his brow. "Here's the idea: The year is 1500ish. The place, Norwich, England. A young girl's father is cursed by an evil witch and falls into a coma. Colette, the girl, runs to Julian, the local anchorite, and begs for a solution. Julian tells her the only thing that will cure her father is holy water from Westminister Abby, then the Church of St. Peter in Westminster."

  "How far away is London?"

  "A hundred and seventeen miles. But Julian sends her to another anchorhold along the way, and that anchorite sends her to the next. The little girl travels across England going from anchorhold to anchorhold. She learns the story of each anchorite, and they give her relics and say special prayers to help her with her quest."

  "Is that the way it was? Were the anchorholds laid out like the California Missions? Each a day’s ride from the next?"

  "No, I got that from California history. But I plan to blend in stories from anchorites who lived at different times and in different countries. It's fantasy. A quest story with a bit of history thrown in. I might even have her meet a dragon. I like dragons."

  Carlos took her hand. "I think it's a great idea."

  "I thought you might."

  "You're good with kids."

  "I am." The new, reformed Abby was learning to accept praise.

  "You'll be a good mother some day," Carlos said, playing with the ring on her left hand.

  "I think I will be too," she said, and meant it.

  ***

  I believe we must teach children perfection is unattainable this side of the grave, but strength can be found by accepting ourselves, flaws and foibles and all. It's a terrible thing to see a child retreat from life's challenges because of fear, insecurity, and self-doubt.

  My hope is Collette's Quest will inspire children to be courageous. That in its pages they will learn confidence and joy are found on the other side of mistakes if we don't allow those mistakes to paralyze us. To find our lives, we have to be willing to lose them.

  Julian of Norwich plays a large part in this book. She may be the most famous anchorite in history and is a wonderful role model for today's girls. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love, is the first English book known to have been written by a woman and many still cherish its wisdom. The comfort and encouragement of her message rings down through the centuries, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well."

  From the preface to Collette’s Quest by Abigail Travers

  <<<<>>>>

  COMING SOON

  The Color of Envy

  In fine bookstores everywhere

  Summer 2019

  Did you enjoy this book?

  Greta Boris would be eternally grateful if you'd take five minutes to write a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or your favorite review site.

  To get your own copy of the first three chapters of Abby's book, She Watches – An Anchoress Perspective visit GretaBoris.com

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Books may be written in solitary confinement, but they're made readable by a community.

  Thanks to Megan Dukett from the San Juan Capistrano Mission who helped me get some things right and forgave me the things that weren't. Let me say right here, Abby's anchorhold would never have gotten past the Mission Foundation, Diocese of Orange, or the city council, so don't try it. But this is a work of fiction.

  Thanks to Tami Shaikh, author and friend, who helped me write believably about another culture.

  Thanks to my buddy, author and retired police chief, Joe De Lauderanty who makes me a law abiding writer and keeps me from committing fictitious felonies. Any felonies committed in this work were the result of ignoring his advice.

  Thanks to my Fictionaires critique partners who won't put up with sloppy writing and speak the truth in love.

  Thanks to Jodi Thompson and Mary-Theresa Hussey, my publishing team.

  And finally thanks to my husband, Dan Boris, for setting me straight about the bubonic plague.

  Did you find an error in this book?

  Fawkes Press strives to present a perfect product, but being staffed by mere humans, mistakes happen. If you find something we missed, please visit www.FawkesPress.com and click on “bounty program,” to submit your find and enter to win our twice-yearly bounty.

  oth