I pressed my lips together to keep from saying anything. The thing about Jack was that he believed in the system. He believed in right and wrong. And he believed that two wrongs didn’t necessarily make something right. By Jack’s way of thinking, a man like Durst might deserve to die, but the man who killed him shouldn’t be lauded as a hero. He was still a murderer.
My conscience wasn’t quite as honorable as Jack’s. I had a tendency to bend the line for justice every now and again. I believed in shades of gray and that sometimes people got the justice they deserved. Justice that a court of law couldn’t always deliver. Which was why I was keeping my mouth shut. A honeymoon probably wasn’t the best place for an argument on ethics.
“Settle down, cowboy,” Carver said. “I know you well. Go do what you do. I’m just telling you to expect company, and that not everyone is going to thank you for what you’re doing.”
“They asked for help. That’s all I can do. What did you find out about Father Fernando?”
“He was born on the mainland. Led a very sheltered life. Was raised by his mother after his father was killed in a boating accident. He entered the priesthood at twenty and has been at his current church just over twenty years. He seems to be your every day, garden-variety priest. No skeletons in the closet that I could find. Now the other one, Father DeCosta, is a different story. He’s got a sealed juvie record.”
My brows rose at that. “I don’t supposed he’s handy with a knife?”
“Nope, at least not that he got caught with. Armed robbery and assault for the good Father. Grew up in a rough area. Single parent household. But looks like one of the local priests took an interest in him and got him straight.”
“What about Xavier?”
“He’s scared of his own shadow. I almost fell asleep reading his file. He might be the most boring person on the face of the planet. Not even a smudge on his record.”
“That at least gives us something to go on tomorrow,” Jack said. “Someone is lying.”
“After I found out who Stein really was it wasn’t too difficult to find your murder weapon. It’s an officer’s dagger carried by all of Hitler’s closest advisors. He had them especially made in1937, and the engraving on the blade says Arbeit Adelt, which translates to Work Ennobles. It was a shout out to the Reich Labor Service and all it stood for. They’re a collector’s item and sell for around three thousand dollars each if in good shape.”
“I appreciate the help, Carver.”
“I’d tell you any time, but you pretty much already do that. And all kidding aside, be careful out there. If someone thinks you two are going to get in the way of a ten million dollar pay day then you might be next on the list for a knife in the heart. I’d hate to see that happen to the Doc, especially since I’m probably next in line to marry her if anything happens to you.”
“I’m sure your wife would appreciate that, Carver,” I said.
“Hey, she watches Sister Wives. She’s very open-minded.”
“She’d have to be to be married to you.”
“That’s hurtful, Doc. Damned hurtful.”
“Go put your baby to bed and get some sleep,” Jack told him. “I’ll call you if I need you.”
Carver sighed. “I bet the two of you are going to have way more fun going to bed than I am. But in seventeen years and ten months my wife and I will have our lives back and we’ll be able to have hot sex again.”
“Unless she’s pregnant again,” Jack said.
“If I was nearby I’d punch you right in the face for saying that. Oh, by the way, the way the body was buried could be coincidence, but did you know Saint Michael was considered the patron saint of Jews?”
“I don’t believe in coincidences,” Jack said.
Carver hung up and I shook my head. Dealing with Ben was like dealing with an energetic toddler. He was fun in small doses, but I was always exhausted by the time he left.
“There’s nothing new that won’t still be waiting for us in the morning. We might as well try to get some sleep.”
I didn’t need to be told twice, so I crawled under the covers and waited for Jack to join me, and then I snuggled against him as he wrapped his arm around me. It wasn’t long before I felt myself drift to sleep, but I knew that Jack lay wide awake. I could practically hear the worry. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make myself stay awake long enough to ask him what was wrong.
Chapter Nine
Joe had been wrong about the storm coming in mid-afternoon. By the time we woke up the next morning it was like a monsoon. The wind howled against the thin walls of the cabana and the rain was horizontal. The waves, which had been peaceful the day before, raged, slapping against the shoreline.