20. A Tense Conversation

Read from the beginning
Read Part 19

Twenty minutes earlier, Parme had just released Cardinal Mara’s hand after shaking it for the second time in less than 12 hours. He hadn’t initiated it and he was’t smiling.

Captain Allen wasn’t smiling either. This was exactly the kind of thing that could focus a lot of unwanted attention on his department. This was supposed to be a routine case, open and shut. Parme had picked it and he had a way of knowing which cases the rookies could handle. It was a gift, really. Allen had often marveled at the impact a solved case could have on a new detective. By giving them a taste of success early on, Parme was doing a great service to the department. He was getting good men and women off to a good start. Allen appreciated it.

What he had a harder time appreciating was Parme’s near constant surliness. He knew the old detective was getting close to retirement. Hell, he was, too. But that didn’t mean that he had to go around growling and grumbling all of the time like an old bear pulled out of hibernation too soon. Parme had an attitude problem, but then he had been sporting it for a long, long time. Ever since his partner was killed. Allen knew that many officers never got over that kind of a loss. It was why he cut Parme so much slack. But this was different.

First, the kid had alerted the Catholic Church to the existence of what might be but probably wasn’t a religious artifact. Somehow he had convinced the Church to send a Cardinal all the way from the Vatican to investigate. The chances of Allen keeping this under wraps were very slim. Almost as slim as the chances that Cardinal Mara could provide any information that would help Parme and Gilbert solve their case.

The best thing he could do would be to grant the Cardinal a chance to look over the evidence. Singleton’s team had already been all over it and there was no DNA on the book that didn’t belong to Eagan, who was now deceased. It appeared that Eagan had created the book and that it shed no light on the current investigation. Unless the pages weren’t filled with gibberish as it appeared that they were. It shouldn’t take long for the priest, who said he was an expert in these matters, to discern the truth.

Allen pointed to the chair he expected Parme to occupy and sat down. Cardinal Mara perched on the edge of the third wooden chair.

“I’m granting Cardinal Mara access to the evidence you found at Egan’s apartment,” Allen told Parme in the tone he used to indicate that it wasn’t up for discussion.

“I would also like to see the crime scene,” Cardinal Mara said.

Both officers responded exactly the same, turning to face him abruptly and asking him to repeat it by barking, “What?”

“I need to see where the book was found,” he replied.

“Why,” Parme growled. “It was a basement. Nothing was down there by a table and chair.”

“Just one chair?” Mara asked in a tone that said he found that hard to believe.

The captain looked at his detective and raised an eyebrow. Parme’s frown deepened. “What does it matter?” he asked.

“I can’t be sure until I see the crime scene,” Mara replied. “But trust me, it could matter.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t trust anyone to investigate my cases but me,” Parme started to rise out of his chair. Allen stopped him with a look.

“We really just want to know if the writing is a religious code or ancient language that will give us the information we need to find our killer and prosecute this case,” the captain told the cardinal.

“I will help you with that, I assure you, but I need to see where it was found.”

Parme looked at Allen and very slowly shook his head. Allen looked back, blinked and said, “Fine. Give him a look around and the book.” To Mara he asked, “How long will you need to tell us what it says.”

“If it says anything, I’ll know within 24 hours,” Cardinal Mara replied.

Captain Allen stood. “Good luck then.” He shook hands with the cardinal. Parme was already out the door.

As he passed her desk, he heard Harriet whisper just loud enough for him to hear, “You’d better cool it, Parme.”

He didn’t slow down or look back.

Read Part 21