The Brothers' Lot - Kevin Holohan [59]
“We’ll be on the news!”
“People from all over the world.”
There was a slight pause as the group trembled and teetered on the brink of explosion. Then it came.
“Relics!”
It was like a burning rag in a gasometer. The knot of Brothers tore apart and became a roiling fracas trying to get downstairs to the oratory as quickly as possible. Brother Loughlin watched them and smiled in the knowledge that he would have the profits generated from any relics and not those hapless drones.
“Are you okay there, Brother Boland? Can I get you anything? A cup of tea?”
The Brother’s crooning and humming continued but there was just the barely perceptible shaking of the head.
“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know, okay?”
Boland nodded slightly and continued to hum and croon.
Father Mulvey listened patiently to the tones and nuances. After a few minutes the crooning stabilized.
“A nice moon tonight. Funny how it clears up sometimes at night when it’s been cloudy all day. A bit frosty though. I cycled over here. It was already getting icy but I thought you might want to have a chat after what you saw.”
Brother Boland’s sounds momentarily caught in his throat and slowly took on the tones of being ready to speak.
“Do you think Venerable Saorseach is all right?” asked Father Mulvey gently.
“I don’t know,” whispered Brother Boland.
“Do you think I could see?”
“Mmm-hmm,” assented Boland hesitantly.
“I’m going to turn on the light, Brother Boland, okay? I can’t see Venerable Saorseach without the light. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” wheezed Boland.
Father Mulvey moved slowly to the door and turned the light on. Brother Boland flinched a little and brought his arms more tightly around the piece of statue he cradled.
Mulvey sat down on the bed about a foot from Boland. It was risky but it was time to move things along.
“You know I’m here to help, Brother. Can I see Venerable Saorseach, do you think?”
Boland looked up for the first time, then glanced around the cell as if it were some vast hall. He seemed to be searching inside and behind every floorboard and brick to make sure there were no malevolent presences in the room. He glared suspiciously at the door and then turned and stared at the priest. Mulvey had been expecting this and had composed his face into its most sympathetic and trustworthy configuration.
Brother Boland slowly lowered his eyes toward his lap where he gently opened his arms to reveal the half figurine cradled in his upturned hands.
Mulvey could see the blood on the broken edges of the statuette and had to exercise great self-restraint not to reach out for it. “Now, Brother, you know that if we are going to call this a miracle there will have to be an investigation. You understand that, don’t you, Brother?”
“I do,” said Boland confidently, and continued to stare lovingly at the statuette.
“So you have to trust me. You know I’m your friend, don’t you, Brother? And we trust our friends, don’t we?”
After a short pause Brother Boland nodded in agreement.
“Can I touch the statue?”
Boland looked up and stared hard at Father Mulvey.
“If we are going to get recognition for Venerable Saorseach, a lot of people are going to have to look at it. It may even have to go to Rome to the Holy Father himself,” said Father Mulvey gently while holding Boland’s gaze in his.
The Brother nodded again and slowly, almost painfully, moved his cradled hands toward Father Mulvey. As he lifted it gently out of Brother Boland’s hands, Mulvey caught sight of the long gash on the back of the Brother’s right hand. It took all his discipline and experience not to react to it. He focused his attention on the statue and inspected it while his mind raced. He had to hold on to this one. This was make or break. One false move here and the whole miracle was gone.
“Did you cut your hand there, Brother?” asked Father Mulvey softly.
Brother Boland glanced down, noticing for the first time the cut just below his wrist.
“Oh yes. I suppose I must have. Yes, cut my hand, I did.” Each word came out more hesitantly than the last as