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.The young man had aged, was wary of everyone, and aware of his diet in a way he never had been.Just north of Taihape they were caught by a sun-shower.They spied a church up ahead and took shelter in the porch.Sean found dry wood under the building and laid and lit a fire on the concrete floor.While they waited for the billy he opened the door, expecting a dusty and unkempt interior.It was spotless.The floor was swept and polished, the wooden pews oiled, clean linen adorned the altar, and in the sanctuary the eternal flame burned.The flame’s brass stand and all the candlesticks were burnished and gleaming.Late afternoon sun shone through leadlight windows, each one showing a saint from Sean’s Catholic boyhood.There was St Peter, bearded and patriarchal; St Paul stood among lightning bolts on the road to Damascus.The recently demoted St Christopher carried an angelic Christ child through knee-high wavelets.Ascetics looked at the ground, martyrs gazed piously heavenwards.Even St Jude was there, peering myopically outwards.Hastily Sean whipped off his hat and stepped backwards.He nearly tripped over Kevin, who hadn’t seen inside.‘It’s boiling,’ Kevin said.‘Where’s the tea?’Sean rummaged in a saddlebag, tossed a handful of tea into the billy and was served a faceful of smoke by a gust of wind.He wiped his streaming eye with the tail of his swanny and, when his sight was restored, the first thing he saw was Kevin’s open-mouthed gaze.She wore an ankle-length bright yellow robe and odd sneakers, one crimson and one gold.In her arms was a bundle of lilies.She didn’t look dangerous.Bojay was sniffing the back of her shaven head.She pointed to the fire.‘You’ll have to get rid of that,’ she said.Sean didn’t even think of arguing.He’d never have argued with a nun, and that’s what he saw.He knew what nuns were like.For years he’d been convinced they wore roller skates beneath their robes, so they could sneak up on small boys, almost certainly involved in some sinful activity.While Kevin picked up the billy, Sean kicked the fire out onto the scythed grass and stamped out the coals.Their oddly dressed visitor watched silently as they carried their gear around the back of the church.They found shelter under a manuka pole and corrugated iron lean-to.The fire rebuilt, they settled down to a cup of tea, resting against their saddles.Sean could see Kevin felt as guilty as he did about their inadvertent desecration of the church.The woman followed them and stepped up to Sean, her hand held out.‘I’m Sister Annie Choling,’ she said.‘I shouldn’t really be making you welcome, but I can’t help it.’Sean introduced himself and Kevin, and offered Sister Annie some tea from his cup.She sniffed, like she was used to better things, and declined, but then she invited them home with her to stay for the night.‘As long as you both behave yourselves and don’t do anything peculiar.’‘We’d be delighted,’ Sean said.‘And we promise to behave.’‘Don’t be surprised if people around here are funny about strangers,’ Sister Annie said.‘We just had somebody pass through here who did the most horrible thing you could imagine.’Sean looked at her, a sick feeling growing.‘We didn’t even know he was here till we saw him leave and then somebody found what he’d done.He was tall and skinny with blonde hair and a tooth missing.Do you know him?’‘Colin!’ both Sean and Kevin exclaimed at the same time.‘What did he do?’ Kevin continued.Sister Annie’s face was a mask.‘There was a man here, a possum trapper, living by himself.They found him dead, hanging upside down, with bits cut off him.Your friend must have been staying there and nobody knew.’‘He’s not our friend,’ Sean said.‘He tried to kill us too.’ Perhaps Sister Annie should be more suspicious.Maybe she shouldn’t be inviting them home.He asked her why she trusted them, knowing that the eyepatch and the scars on his face gave him a villainous look.‘You two are safe to be around,’ she said.‘I can see your auras [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]