“Listen, Sister, I don’t want to cause you any trouble, but when someone disappears, the first twenty-four hours are crucial. Couldn’t you just open the door and let me in?”
There was short silence.
“All right. I’ll open the door in a minute.”
The detective waited for the nun to open the door and took off his hat before going inside.
“Put your phone and your gun in that tray,” she said as she closed the heavy door.
He did as she said and left his hat next to the tray.
“Now give me your shoes.”
“Don’t tell me she’s going to frisk him,” the voice said.
“Of course not.”
“Good. I was beginning to worry."
“My shoes?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yeah. Come on. Don’t be fussy,” she said, rolling her eyes.
He reluctantly took off his shoes and handed them to the nun. She immediately sniffed them and smiled.
“Oh, dear… These feet have clearly lost their way.”
The detective didn’t know what to say.
“Follow my lead, Detective. We’ll solve two problems at once.”
The detective couldn’t tell whether she was referring to the two shoes or to his shoes and the abbess’s disappearance.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
