Underbelly Read Free Page B

Rossi probed.
    “ Weird things. This is going back 50 years, Father, even my memory isnae that good.”
    “ Do you remember his name?”
    “ She shook her head. “No, he didnae stay long. Doris could tell you more. She lives in Dumfries now, ne’er been back since about…’96, I’d say.”
    Father Rossi looked to Reverend Stuart and asked him how far away Dumfries was, trying to make him feel useful. Hazel answered before he had chance: “About 170 miles, Father.”
    Father Rossi asked Hazel for her sister’s address, which she gave to him, and he asked her for more information, promising her that whatever she told him would be private and that there would be no consequences for her. Unfortunately for a woman who prided herself on her memory, she had forgotten the details Doris had given her (at the time she had thought her sister hysterical) and it was only in later years that she had realised that Doris was right about Laura. She was a devil worshipper and her prolonged youth was testament to her pact and Hazel was cautious of saying too much, aware that Reverend Stuart couldn’t protect her. Father Rossi and Father Sciali on the other hand – maybe they could protect her, and she was more of a mind to impress them.
    “ All right, Father, I’ll tell you more about her, but just you two,” she said adamantly, referring to the two Catholic priests.
    Before he was asked to leave, Reverend Stuart rose to his feet and said graciously, “I’ll wait outside.”
    “ We’ll come and find you at the church,” Father Rossi said, hoping to be talking at length to Hazel and loath to keep him waiting outside. “Thanks for your help so far, Reverend.”
    “ You’re welcome,” he said disingenuously, questioning himself as he walked through the village. Why was he getting so uptight, so drawn into the whole affair? They weren’t even part of his church and he still desperately coveted Father Rossi’s approval – why, what possible benefit could he receive from him? He could be the most charitable Christian in deed but it made no difference if his thoughts were unchristian and he tried to control his thoughts, cheering himself up as he managed to acquire more groceries than he was supposed to and he dropped some off at Mary’s house, leaving himself with enough to cook a lavish meal for his visitors and he spent the early afternoon preparing the vegetables. He felt quite proud of himself for not giving in to temptation, curiosity inciting him to go and look at what was in their other cases, and when he analysed why he was proud of being tempted to sin he depressed himself. Perhaps his family were right and he wasn’t cut out to work in the church. He saw that other churchmen were flawed but normally with them it was just egotism, which was perhaps necessary, his flaws worse than arrogance. He prayed for a while and felt revitalised and reassured and thought of the impending wedding ceremony he was due to perform in two days time. It was only his second, the first proving surprisingly easy, the Grey wedding party only numbering about two dozen whereas the Chapman wedding party…The church would be packed to the rafters to celebrate the wedding of one of the village’s homecoming sons.
    Fathers’ Rossi and Sciali did not return to the cottage until after six, at which point Reverend Stuart commenced cooking for them, having enough time to eat with them before conducting his service. He asked them if their day had proven fruitful and Father Rossi enthused that it had been invaluable. He did not go into detail of what had been said, instead just telling him where they had been. They had stayed with Hazel for a couple of hours before taking a walk and then going to see Margaret Lambert, a woman whose name had not been on the list.
    “ Margaret?” Reverend Stuart said, thinking her a strange person for them to see. She was not one of the elders of the village (she was a divorcee in her mid 40s) and was not a