Requiem for Moses afkm-18

by William X. Kienzle

  “We have a couple of eyewitnesses, Mort.”

  The camera pulled back to include Dan Mountney and a small, scruffy-looking man with widened eyes and mouth slightly agape. He seemed eager for as much of his fifteen minutes of fame as possible.

  “This,” Mountney said, trying not to get any closer to the man than necessary, “is Mr. Malloy.”

  “Everybody calls me Charlie Malloy.”

  Mountney smiled almost in spite of himself. “Okay, Charlie Malloy. You were there when this happened. Can you describe it for us? What happened?”

  “Well, sir, there we were in this terrible crowd. It was so bad you couldn’t move an inch without apologizin’. And the noise! Some people prayin’. Lots of other people just talkin’. Right out loud, mind you. In the church. All that lack of respect. And here we were, right where there’d been a b’Jesus miracle just last night.”

  “Right, Charlie Malloy, can you tell us about the woman?”-a hint of impatience-“The woman in the wheelchair?”

  “I was just gettin’ to that. She was a pious one. I was kinda payin’ attention to her on accounta she was in this wheelchair. And the crowd wasn’t makin’ allowances for that, y’know. I was afraid she was gonna get knocked over.”

  Charlie Malloy, every once in a while, would reach for the microphone in an attempt to take it from Mountney’s hand. Each time Mountney resisted, almost playfully.

  “Well, then, all of a sudden, she lets out this scream.”

  “Could you make out what it was …what she was saying? Was it a prayer?”

  “Well, if it was, it’s not one I’m familiar with.… I mean it wasn’t the Our Father or the Hail Mary.” He grinned. “Which is about as far as I go with prayer.”

  “All right, Charlie Malloy, so she screamed. And then?”

  “So then she screamed. And then a bunch of women-maybe some men too, I’m not sure-started screamin’ too. I think the wheelchair woman scared them. But everybody backed away from her … which made it that much harder to stand there or even breathe-you r’member I said how crowded it was in there?”

  “I remember.”

  “Then she sort of threw herself out of the chair. And the chair sort of fell over sideways. And then, the lady started movin’ toward the altar. Everybody was yellin’ things. Some was yellin’ what she was doin’, I guess for the benefit of all the people behind who couldn’t see what was goin’ on. Some was yellin’ encouragement to her. But she didn’t need any help; she was crawlin’ on her knees right for the altar. I’ll tell you, I couldn’a done it … and I got good legs. Yessir, she was cured. Right then and there. It was a miracle. An ever-lovin’ miracle.”

  “Did she leave the church then?”

  “Sort of. She got to the altar. Then she sort of fell over.”

  “Prostrate?”

  “You could say that. Then this couple-I guess they brought her-they picked up the chair and put her in it. Then they went like crazy towards the outside door.”

  “Do you know her name? Or if anybody got her name? Or the names of the couple she was with? Any identification?”

  “It happened so fast! And we were so surprised by the miracle! She was cured. Then she was gone.” Malloy made one more grab for the mike. But Mountney, skilled at this sort of jousting, was too quick for him.

  Dan Mountney was about to turn the telecast back to the station when he tipped his head to one side listening to a message through his earpiece. “Mort, I’m told that we’ve located someone who, indeed, did speak to the woman in the wheelchair just as she was getting into the car.”

  The camera swung wide again to include a man, obviously stunned, in the black suit and roman collar of a priest. “And you are …?” Mountney asked.

  “Father Daniel Reichert.”

  “A Catholic priest?”

  Reichert didn’t reply; he just looked offended.

  Koesler’s eyes widened again. Tully, Moore, and Mangiapane glanced at him.

  This telecast was drawing to a close. The reporter had no time for games with this eyewitness. “You know the woman? The woman in the wheelchair?”

  “I’ve never seen her before. I was able to speak with her for only a few moments. Her escorts were very determined to get her out of here. I think they let me speak to her because I’m a priest.”

  “Did you get her name, Father?”

  Reichert nodded. “Theresa Waleski.”

  “When she entered the car, the car that drove her away, was she assisted, or did she get in under her own power?”

  Reichert reflected momentarily. “She was helped in. But I don’t think she wanted to be. Everything was very chaotic. So I can’t be sure whether she wanted to stand on her own … but that’s the impression I got.”

  “I see. Father, we have only a few seconds left. A miracle or not?”

  Reichert hesitated only a fraction of a second. “They have eyes, yet they see not. They have ears, yet they hear not.”

  Mountney shook his head ever so slightly. “Well, Mort, on that rather cryptic note, we’ll pass this back to you.” Mort Crim, back in the studio on Lafayette, kitty-cornered from the Detroit News, began a summation of the story. Tully switched off the set.

  “Well,” Moore said after several moments’ silence, “at least he didn’t claim it was a miracle.”

  “All but,” Koesler said. “If, or when, the Cardinal sees that, I think St. Joseph’s parish will be off limits for Father Reichert.”

  “First time I ever heard of a priest who couldn’t go to church,” Mangiapane commented.

  “It’s happened,” Koesler said. “But that’s historical.”

  “We’ll get going on these names you gave us,” Tully said. “I’ll have one of the guys give you a ride home, Father.”

  “No need; it’s only a few blocks.”

  “Let me guarantee,” Tully said, “that the closer you get to your church, the harder it’s gonna be to move. Especially when they find out you’re the pastor.”

  Koesler nodded. “Thanks, Lieutenant.” Upon consideration, he accepted the ride with gratitude.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Even the marked blue-and-white Detroit police car would not have made it all the way through to the rectory had not the police detail on duty opened a path for it.

  The officers who got Koesler up the stairs and into the rectory asked if they could do anything further.

  “Yes, if you would,” he said. “I would like to lock the church. That really should have been done before this. And I anticipate some difficulty getting everyone to leave.”

  “Sure thing, Father.”

  Some twenty minutes later, the officers returned. They suggested that Koesler, who was more familiar with the church, check all the spots where anyone could possibly hide. The search actually turned up one man who had hidden under a drop cloth in a no-longer-used confessional.

  With the church now emptied and locked, Koesler felt more secure. Now that the pressure was off, muscles and tissues that had been under subconscious stress began to ache.

  He reentered the rectory to find an unusually harried Mary O’Connor about to leave. “I left the phone messages on your desk, Father. And, I hate to tell you, but you have a visitor in the office.”

  “A visitor! I thought the police were going to help keep visitors out. Is this a special case?”

  “I think you could say so.” Mary brushed a stray hair into place. “She came in with a policeman.”

  He dropped his topcoat over the banister and entered his office as Mary let herself out.

  Pat Lennon, reporter for the News, was seated, legs crossed, in his office.

  Koesler shook his head and smiled as he sat down behind his desk. “This is strange. Just a little while ago, a Detroit police officer asked the same question about you that is on my mind right now.”

  Lennon returned the smile. “And that is …?”

  “How does she do it?”

  “What?”

  “A
t Police Headquarters, the reference was to your presence at the wake last night-your being, as far as we could tell, the only member of the news media present for what became a major story. And now, your being escorted by an officer into my rectory when no one, except for emergencies, was to be admitted.

  “Well, now that you’re here and I have a chance to ask: How did you manage to do it-both of them?”

  Lennon shrugged a shoulder, indicating neither occurrence had been all that difficult. “Last night was a hunch, pure and simple. I got a call from an acquaintance, a gentleman who regularly travels in the fast lane with the likes of Judy and David Green. I’m sure I wasn’t the only newsperson who was informed about the wake.

  “To put it in a nutshell, it didn’t fit. I was pretty familiar with Dr. Green. He wasn’t exactly someone you’d expect to chance upon in church or synagogue. But he was dead-or, so we were led to believe. I figured that it would take some very kind rabbi to handle the funeral. So when the wake was scheduled in a Catholic church, there was the beginning of a story. It might not have developed-not all hunches do. This one paid off big. A super scoop-including a ride home with the exwidow and her resurrected husband.

  “As far as getting in here on the arm of a cop … well, we do favors for people. And when, from time to time, we need a favor …” No elaboration was needed.

  While she was responding to his questions, Koesler had been studying her. In what she was and in what she wasn’t, she epitomized somehow the essence of femininity.

  She was not fragile, yet she did not project masculine strength. She was not overly made up; she used cosmetics sparingly. There was no heavy perfume in the air. There was the scent of-what? — woman.

  She seemed relaxed and comfortable. Her skirt came just to the edge of her crossed knee, exposing a shapely calf. Her attire was that of a successful businesswoman.

  She did not bristle and react as a superfeminist might. She was secure in herself.

  And she had completed her response to his questions.

  “So …” Koesler massaged his temples. “… now that you’re here, welcome. What can I do for you?”

  “Background, mostly. Last night when you came into the church, you appeared to be trying to get over to Mrs. Green, but she pretty much stayed busy. That correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “But some people came to you. There was Jake Cameron and Judy and David and a couple whose names I don’t have. Can you give them to me?”

  “Would you have any way of finding out if I didn’t tell you?”

  She looked surprised. After a moment, she said, “Sure. I know a lot of the people who were there. Somebody will know who those two are. But you could save me some valuable time.”

  “We do favors for people.…” He had seen Guys and Dolls. He knew what those favors were called-markers. He did favors as part of his creed, not to have people indebted to him. “Claire McNern and Stan Lacki. He works in a service station. She works at Carl’s Chop House.”

  “That’s good. Now, can you give me some idea what you talked to all these people about?”

  “About all I can tell you is that they talked about their relationship with Dr. Green.”

  She waited for him to continue. He didn’t. She sat gazing at him, pen poised over pad. “Nothing more? Like what they said about their relationship with Green?”

  “This is the second time today that I’ve been embarrassed by that question. The police asked, in essence, the same thing. As much as I would like to be able to answer both the police and you, I cannot. This is not a spur-of-the-moment decision. I anticipated someone would want to know what those people told me. I assure you, I gave it serious thought. And I cannot tell you, or anyone. I’m embarrassed because I don’t want to be uncooperative. But that’s the way it is.”

  Lennon shook her head slightly-as if the motion would help in understanding what he’d just said. “Confession wasn’t a part of it, was it … I mean a sacramental confession? This isn’t under the seal of confession?”

  “No.”

  “Then …” She turned the palm of her hand upward. “… what?”

  “In a sense, I have determined that what they told me was a professional secret-privileged communication. I’ll explain, if you wish.”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll be as brief as possible. There are two reasons for the confessional secret. Anyone who confesses anything to anyone-be it a fault, a failing, an evil thought or plan, or a sin of any kind-takes a risk. The risk, of course, is that the confidence might be revealed. Plus the fact that it is often difficult-sometimes almost impossible-to get up nerve enough to confide in someone else.

  “That is one reason why the sacramental seal is absolute: so that the process will not be unnecessarily repugnant.

  “The second reason has to do with the one to whom the confession is made. I know you have a Catholic background, so you know Catholics believe they are confessing sins to God; the priest is an intermediary. God is receptive and forgiving to the penitent. And so should the priest be. God will not reveal the secret. And neither must the priest.

  “Then we come to a professional secret.

  “Those five people confided in me because they needed to say something to someone: They needed to tell someone how they felt about Dr. Green.

  “They spoke openly to me because I’m a clergyman. And the clergy are known for keeping secrets. The secret was their true relationship with the doctor. They had every reason to believe the doctor was dead, thus they were able to talk freely. Since he was dead, there was nothing he could do. He was beyond affecting them anymore. If they had even the slightest doubt that he was dead, they most assuredly would not have confided in me.

  “I really think I must preserve their confidence in me. I really believe that I am bound to keep this privileged communication to myself.

  “And I am aware that circumstances may affect the status of this privilege. Unlike the seal of confession, I might some day be forced to reveal what they said. But certainly not now when the police have not even established that a crime has been committed. And not-with apologies, Miss Lennon-to help a reporter.

  “I hope you understand. But agree or not, that’s the way it is.”

  During his explanation, she had been studying him.

  She thought he was being overprotective. As a reporter, she found that annoying. But she had to admit that if she ever needed spiritual help, she could do far worse than consult this man. And if she wanted a safe place for a secret, this priest constituted one of the most reliable repositories she’d ever come across.

  “At the same time,” he said, “I know how good you are at what you do. You have the names. I’ll bet that in no time you’ll have their stories. If I had to bet, I’d put my money on you.”

  She sensed that she would be unable to budge him from his self-imposed silence. She closed her notepad. Yes, she probably could worm the information out of those five people. But it would consume precious time. Added to which, she would have to approach them from a position without much clout. She’d have to cajole them into revealing to her something they had freely given to Koesler.

  How much easier this would have been if he had shared what he knew with her.…

  She would just have to bluff her way through this … feigning knowledge of their secrets and giving a great performance as one who knew the details of their relationship with Green. But she’d done it before; she could do it again.

  She got up to leave, then hesitated. “One last thing-at least for this visit-how do you feel about the ‘miracle’ aspect of this thing?”

  “I’d better not comment on that. The Cardinal is appointing a committee to study the incident. Traditionally-at least in recent tradition- the Church is very slow to make a pronouncement about a matter like this. And very seldom does the Church proclaim something like this a miracle.”

  She evidenced impatience. “I’m familiar with that. And, haven’t you heard? Boyle has announc
ed the committee. They’ve scheduled a news conference for tomorrow morning. I just wanted your opinion-off the record.”

  He knew her promise of nonattribution would be kept. “Okay, off the record: If it was a miracle I would be extremely surprised. And I would likewise be amazed out of my skull if that committee concludes there was anything miraculous here.

  “But that is a long way from what hundreds, maybe thousands, of the faithful have already concluded. Not only was the Green rising a miracle to them, it seems there was another so-called miracle today. The archdiocese is going to be hard-pressed to get a lid on it.”

  She slipped into her coat and moved toward the door. “Oh, and have you heard any more about that woman who started all this last night? I spent a lot of time trying to locate her … Sophie something.”

  Koesler chuckled. “Aunt Sophie? If you couldn’t find her, well, they must’ve already gotten her on a plane back to Florida. I wouldn’t have thought that possible.” He chuckled again. “She played a significant role in this thing.”

  “I’ll say! She practically woke him up all by herself.”

  He bade Lennon good-bye and closed the door behind her, marveling. Maybe what had happened to Dr. Green wasn’t a miracle, but shipping Aunt Sophie back home away from the scene of her brother’s “resurrection” surely was.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tiredly and listlessly, Father Koesler fingered through the mail. A couple of requests for records, one baptismal, the other marital. Nothing personal or even first-class. Mostly junk.

  Next the telephone messages. None of an emergency category. Thank God.

  Then he smiled. And the smile broadened. The message read: If you tell me about your half funeral, I’ll tell you about some of mine. The caller was Rabbi Richard Feldman.

  Just what and when he needed: a friend at the end of a most trying day.

  Many years before, Rabbi Feldman and Father Koesler had found themselves at the Round Table of Christians and Jews. After some humorous exchange, the two clergymen had commenced a tentative friendship. Feldman was Reform, Koesler liberal-a pretty good match. Once they discovered they were not going to offend each other no matter how frank and honest they were, they were able to relax in each other’s company.