Xander and Xavier had been spying on Brother Christopher for several weeks now, which somewhat explained why they were peeking at him from the inside of an armoire in the abbot’s office at 1:30 in the morning.
The boys had often thought there was something curious about Brother Christopher.
Men who chose a monastic life, they had noticed, were by nature ofttimes a bit peculiar. There was always something illicit going on in an abbey. Inappropriate reading material. Middle-of-the-night visits to the kitchen. Difficulties with celibacy vows. Graffiti in the latrines. Smoking behind the library.
Brother Christopher, as far as anyone knew, engaged in none of these activities. He was the picture of a proper brother and had been since he’d joined the abbey a short time after the abbot arrived. Always on time, conscientious, hard-working, and modest. Behavior he’d encouraged, with debatable success, in the boys.
Which was why it struck them as noteworthy when it was rumored that Brother Christopher had been spotted of late in odd places at odder hours with strange people. Or so several senior boys had informed them (in barter for Xander’s copy of a magazine with an illustration of a naked mermaid on the cover).
It wasn’t long before they were playing detective. Xander had protested. He held Brother Christopher in very high regard, knowing he was largely responsible for pulling them through that first dark year after they’d arrived. But with as much concern as curiosity, the boys began shadowing him.
Just when they thought there was nothing to the rumors—precisely at the point when Xander had begun to declare, “I told you so”—they saw Brother Christopher sneaking into the abbot’s house in the wee hours.
What were they to do? Confront him? Snitch on him, when Father Abbot returned from his trip? More information was what they needed.
• • •
The first night, the only creature other than themselves that entered the little office was a good-sized rat. He stopped and sniffed up at the crack in the door of the wardrobe where they had hidden before going on his way.
The next night they’d had a trickier time getting out of the boys’ dorm unseen. By the time they arrived at the abbot’s quarters, someone was already there in the office; it was hard to say whom. They returned to their beds. Hours of lost sleep were not helping their schoolwork.
Third time was the charm. Not long after they had settled themselves in the back of the closet, they heard the door to the house creak open, more quietly than if it were the abbot himself.
Peeking out through the abbot’s vestments, the boys watched as Brother Christopher secured the door to the office behind him and then struck a match, lighting a stub of candle from his pocket. He placed it on top of a paperweight and set to work. From the sound of it, he was attempting to pick a lock on one of the drawers in the great desk. Apparently unsatisfied with his tool, he searched about until he found a letter opener. Pushing the chair back he weighed the knife in his hand and stood up. He came straight for the wardrobe and flung open the doors.
“Dammit! I should have known!” whispered Brother Christopher to the two wide-eyed faces staring out from the shadows. “Well, get out of there! You’ve got to leave. You can’t be found here.” He grabbed them by their shirtfronts, pulling them from the cabinet.
“But, Brother. What are you doing here?” Xander gestured to the desk. “What are you trying to find?”
“Doesn’t matter, the locks are impossible,” he hissed. He dragged them to the door. “Now come on.”
“Not for Xavier,” whispered his brother.
“What?”
“I’ve already been in the locked ones,” said Xavier. “What d’you want in there? It’s just papers.”
Brother Christopher stopped, calculating furiously.
“How long would it take you?”
“Why are you doing it?”
Brother Christopher pulled at his earlobe. “You’re just going to have to trust me.” Without waiting for a response he pushed the boys behind the desk and pulled aside a curtain. “How about this trunk? Can you get in there?”
“Probably,” said Xavier, looking at the large portmanteau tucked away in the shadows. “But why? Abbot’s our friend, too.”
“Yes, well, we’ll see.”
The twins looked at each other, a whole conversation in a glance. Xander nodded and handed Xavier his pocketknife.
“Hold the candle over here.” Xavier dropped to his knees and before Brother Christopher had a chance to be amazed, the boy popped the lock open.
Brother Christopher listened for a second. Dead quiet except for their breathing.
“All right,” he said, swinging the lid open.
Everything was there in the trunk, except perhaps a toothbrush. The abbot was clearly prepared to travel. Which was odd, as he was already away. Why would he have another trunk?
Brother Christopher removed the sectional trays and compartments, being careful not to disturb the contents. He reached the lower level. Riffling through a layer of decidedly non-clerical attire, he found what he was looking for.
“Now tell me if you think the abbot’s your friend.” He pushed aside the clothes to reveal two black cloth sacks. Pulling the first bag out he dropped it into Xavier’s hands. Remarkably heavy. The boy loosened the strings to see, but they could all hear the sound of the gold coins clinking inside.
“And here’s the other.”
He tossed the second bag to Xander. Opening it, even in the dim light they could see the emeralds glow like new leaves.
They were speechless.
“Now put them back,” whispered Brother Christopher.
“But why would he want to?” muttered Xavier, tears in his eyes.
Brother Christopher hurriedly stacked the last of the items in order and quietly closed the trunk. “I’m sorry, Xav.”
“Maybe it’s got something to do with his brother coming?” said Xander.
“What!” asked Brother Christopher. “What did you—where did you hear that?”
Xander pointed to a letter on the desk, under the paperweight.
“From the abbot’s brother. He says he’s coming to visit.”
Brother Christopher carefully opened the letter. He scanned it quickly, looked utterly confused, read it again.
Shaking his head he put the letter back in the envelope and tucked it under the glass paperweight.
“That might explain it,” he muttered.
“Explain what?” said Xavier.
“I’ll tell you later. Put everything back the way it was and get out of here.”
• • •
On their way out they nearly collided with Halick who was standing just outside the door.
“Good God, Halick!” whispered Xander. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”
“Time for bed, buddy,” said Xavier. “Come with us, we’ll tuck you in.”
But Halick just shook his head, picked up his broom and went back to sweeping by the light of the half moon.