Brother Odd

turned out, he was a man searching for a new life, and he found it. We lost him to you-though we feel he still owes us some assistance, as his vows allow."
        Her scowl was more imposing than any of his had been. "More than ever, Mr. Romanovich, I think you are a dubious piece of work."
        "You are undoubtedly correct. Anyway, we became alarmed when Brother Constantine committed suicide-because thereafter, Heineman at once stopped calling and E-mailing his old colleagues, and has not since communicated with anyone outside St. Bartholomew's."
        "Perhaps," said Sister Angela, "the suicide moved him to trade his research for prayer and reflection."
        "We think not," Romanovich said drily.
        "And Brother Timothy has been murdered, ma'am. There is no doubt of it now. I found the body."
        Although she had already accepted the fact of his murder, this hard confirmation left her stricken.
        "If it helps you come to terms with the situation," Romanovich said to her, "we believe that Heineman may not be fully aware of the violence he has unleashed."
        "But, Mr. Romanovich, if two are dead and others threatened, how could he not be aware?"
        "As I recall, poor Dr. Jekyll did not at first realize that his quest to rid himself of all evil impulses had in the process created Mr. Hyde, whose nature was pure evil unleavened by the goodness of the doctor."
        Seeing in my mind's eye the uberskeleton assaulting the SUV, I said, "That thing in the snow wasn't merely the dark side of a human personality. There was nothing human about it."
        "Not his dark side," Romanovich agreed. "But perhaps created by his dark side."
        "What does that mean, sir?"
        "We aren't sure, Mr. Thomas. But I think now it is incumbent upon us to find out-quickly. You have been given a universal key."
        "Yes."
        "Why, Mr. Thomas?"
        "Brother Constantine is one of the lingering dead. I was given a key so I could let myself into anyplace on the property where he went poltergeist. I've been trying to… counsel him to move on."
        "You lead an interesting life, Mr. Thomas."
        "You're no slouch yourself, sir."
        "You are even allowed access to John's Mew."
        "We connected, sir. He makes good cookies."
        "You have a culinary bond."
        "Seems like we all do, sir."
        Sister Angela shook her head. "I can't cook water."
        Romanovich threw the switch that beetled his hydraulic brow over his eyes. "Does he know of your gift?"
        "No, sir."
        "I think you are his Mary Reilly."
        "I hope you aren't becoming enigmatic again, sir."
        "Mary Reilly was Dr. Jekyll's housekeeper. For all that he concealed from her, he subconsciously hoped that she would find him out and stop him."
        "Did this Mary Reilly end up killed, sir?"
        "I do not recall. But if you have not actually done any dusting for Heineman, you may be safe."
        "What now?" asked Sister Angela.
        "Mr. Thomas and I must make it alive into John's Mew."
        "And out again alive," I said.
        Romanovich nodded. "We can certainly try."

CHAPTER 47
        
        THE STORM-SUITED MONKS NUMBERED TEN more than seven. Only two or three whistled while they worked. None was unusually short. As they secured the southeast and the northwest stairwells, however, I half expected Snow White to stop by with bottled water and words of encouragement.
        In the interest of safety, the stairwell doors could not be locked. At each floor, the landing was a generous space, so the door opened into the stairwell instead of outward.
        At the basement level, ground floor, and third floor, the monks drilled four holes in each door frame-two on the left, two right-and fitted them with steel sleeves. Into each sleeve, they inserted a half-inch-diameter bolt.
        The bolts protruded an inch from the sleeves, preventing the door from opening. This scheme engaged not merely the strength of the frame but also of the entire wall in support of the door.
        Because the sleeves were not threaded and were wider than the shafts inserted into them, the bolts could be plucked out in seconds to facilitate a hasty exit from the stairwell.
        At the second floor, the children's dormitory, the trick was to devise a way to prevent the doors from being pulled open in the unlikely event that something broke into