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(back to page 3)
Mo bowed her head toward the altar, crossed herself, and led them to the sacristy, where she paused to let Repoz and Cooper enter first. Kohl pushed past her. Repoz squatted down by Father O'Bannon--Mo couldn't yet think of him as 'the body' or 'the victim'--but didn't touch him.
"The altar server discovered the body," Mo said.
"That the slow kid you were talking to?"
"No. That's Dilly."
"Where's the altar server?"
"Waiting with the others."
"You take him." Repoz nodded to Lashandra Cooper.
"Would you introduce me?" she asked Mo.
"Of course."
"What do you want me to do?" Kohl asked.
"Crowd control," Repoz said without smiling.
Peter still sat on the riser, with Hazel hovering over him, making distressed noises.
"Peter?" asked Mo.
The boy looked up. His eyes were dull with shock.
"This is Detective Cooper. She wants to talk with you."
Lashandra Cooper sat on the riser next to him. "I just need to ask you a couple of questions," she said.
Peter's eyes flicked from the detective to Mo, who nodded.
"Maybe you could start by telling me your name."
The detective took a narrow notepad and pencil from her shoulder bag and set the bag beside her on the step.
"Peter Layonovich."
"You'd better spell that for me."
"P-E-T-E-R "
She glanced at him. "The last name," she said.
He spelled it.
"You're in what, eighth grade?"
"Sixth."
"Quinn! I need to talk to you." Without waiting for an answer, Sheriff Repoz turned and disappeared into the sacristy.
"Excuse me, Peter," Mo said. "I'll be right back."
"Throat slit," Repoz told her when she walked in. "Deep cut. No sign of a struggle, except for the wafers on the floor. He'd be getting those for the service, right?""
Mo frowned. "He would have used an unbroken, unconsecrated host for the Mass," she said. "He'd only need these if he ran out of the ones he blessed during the rite."
"It's hardly standing-room-only out there. Is that a typical crowd?"
"For the weekday Mass, yes. Attendance goes up during Lent."
"Just the regulars today? Nobody new?"
"No. Nobody new."
"When did the altar boy discover the body?"
"About 6:40. We were concerned because Father O'Bannon is...was never late for Mass. When I saw Peter come out from the sacristy, he was crying, and I went to find out what was wrong."
"Sacristy?"
"We're standing in it."
"Oh. You see or hear anything unusual before that?"
"No."
"Who else had access to this room?"
"Father didn't have a sacristant--a helper--for the early Mass. He and the server set up. Mrs. Dudley, the housekeeper, has the key. And Bob Burnstien, the maintenance man. I wouldn't think he'd be here this early."
"Was the church locked?"
"They use a private security firm. They would have unlocked the door about five o'clock. But this door should have been locked."
"What's the name of the security firm?"
Mo shook her head. "I could find out."
"That's okay. When did you last see Father O'Bannon?"
"Yesterday morning at Mass."
"Anybody have it in for him?"
"Not that I know of."
"Nobody was mad at him?"
"Just the typical parish battles."
"Like what?"
(continued on the next page)
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