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"A theory?" Marsha echoed, still standing at the door behind them.
"Marsha, please," the Abbot said. "Don't butt in."
Valerie nodded. "We think it's possible that the killer hasn't yet killed anyone connected to your monastery for a personal reason. Perhaps he was once a guest here or enjoyed some other connection with Whiteheart and is still fondly attached to it."
The abbot considered this for a few moments before finally nodding in agreement. "That would make sense, I suppose," he said quietly.
"So, we need to find out who might have been connected to you in the past and why they haven't acted against your monastery yet," Valerie said. "It may help us get closer to finding the killer."
"Can you think of anyone who either works here or has been here before that seemed violent?" Charlie asked.
The abbot laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "Agent Carlson, is it? You have to understand, monasteries serve two fundamental purposes. The first is to provide training and spiritual introspection to those who have dedicated their lives to the cloth."
"And the other purpose?" Charlie seemed impatient.
"To provide a place of sanctuary to those who have lost their way," the abbot explained. "Some of those have violent histories, of course, but they want to better themselves, and the Church helps them do just that."
Valerie paused for a moment to take in the implications of this. Could it be that someone who had been taken into the monastery in an effort to change their ways was now using it as cover for their murderous rampage? Or perhaps someone from the priesthood itself was behind these heinous acts? Either way, Valerie knew she had her work cut out for her.
"Abbot Collins," Valerie said, "part of my job is to develop a profile of a killer so that I can get into their head. Then I can get ahead of them and anticipate their moves."
"You're not getting into my head right now, are you?" the abbot said nervously.
"I'm not psychic," said Valerie with a wry grin. "But I have developed the skills to be reliable and accurate. I'd only need to get inside your mind if you were a killer. You're not, are you?"
"Of course not!" the abbot said, sounding shocked.
Valerie considered his reaction. He was hiding something, but she wasn't sure if it pertained to the case or not. Valerie felt it more likely that he was doing something a little less violent than killing, like skimming some money off the Church books or having an affair. But she wasn't interested in that.
Valerie's phone rang. She looked down at it.
"Heinlein?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah," she said, slipping the phone back into her pocket without answering it.
She knew she was closer to catching the killer, but she also knew "closer" was not the same as catching him. And that was the only way to stop Heinlein's vendetta working.
"Abbot Collins," she said, looking up from her phone, "building the profile for the killer on this case has been particularly difficult. But I believe he might have a vendetta against people who are religious. Is there anyone that you know of, anyone at this monastery, who seems less than enthralled about being here? Perhaps even secretly harboring animosity towards the church?"
"Not that I know of."
A flinch. Just enough around the left eye. That was it.
He's lying,she thought.
"So, there's no one here who has a desire to hurt say ... the other monasteries in this region?"
"No," came his answer. Sweat was beading on his forehead again.
Another lie,Valerie thought.What are you hiding?
"I don't understand," Abbot Collins then said. "Why would you think someone here is the killer if we're next!"
"As my partner said," Valerie explained coolly "It's curious. Either your monastery is one of the next ones on the list, or the killer is attached to Whiteheart Monastery to such a degree that he won't do anything to besmirch its name."
"Bingo," said Charlie, leaning forward in his seat. "There wouldn't be anything you'd like to tell us now, would there?"
The Abbot shook his head.
