Chapter 33

Because of the arrest of Caddy Quale, and the potential for further action by the Queen’s Minister of Public Safety, Blathers and I knew we had to act quickly to implement the plan worked out with Father John.

“But I hasn’t ever been ta a Catholic Mass a’fore,” Blathers complained. ”I doesn’t knows how ta act. They say them Catholics jumps up and down a lot. How will I knows when ta jump up?”

“Don’t worry, just do what the person in front of you does.”

“Well, truth be known, it isn’t so much it be a Catholic Church. It’s I hasn’t been ta a church at all since I were a wee lad.”

“Well, we’re going now. Just think of it as part of the job. Come on, now. Barbary is waiting.”

****

Father John saw us sitting in the back of the room. The “church” was merely the rear two rooms on the ground floor in the house in Spitalfields, the same house Joe had seen John enter and leave on his first day as a detective. Two rooms had been made into one by removing a wall. A table which served as an altar was at one end of the larger space. There was an additional small room to the side, where the priest put on his holy clothes, the vestry, I think they called it.

Father John gave a short sermon. His topic was about having tolerance for all mankind, even the Tories. After the sermon he announced, “There has been a change in my schedule. I will be unable to hear confessions this afternoon. For those in dire need of confession, I will hear them immediately after Mass. In order to insure privacy, I will hear confessions in the vestry.”

Mass ended, and the makeshift church emptied. No one wanted to admit that he was in dire need of confession. I went out into the street with the others. Barbary was waiting there. He nodded to me. I nodded to Blathers, who was lingering in the doorway. Blathers turned and went to confession. Father John described Blathers’ confession to me after the case was closed.

“Come in, Mr. Blathers.”

“Does I has ta tell ya any sins?”

Father John thought how much fun it would be to put Blathers through the regimen of the confessional, but then he remembered that this was serious business. “Just sit down for a moment or two, so it looks like we are really having a conversation about how to save your immortal soul.”

“Ah, Father, I doesn’t thinks there’s much chance o’ savin’ me soul at this point.”

“My dear man, for the dangers you and your partner are facing, I am sure God is preparing a space for you in heaven this very moment.”

“That’s all well and good, as long as He don’t ’spect me ta use it today.”