The North Face of the Heart - Dolores Redondo Page 0,81

Sarah left with the kids, I saw Nelson downtown one afternoon. I lowered the window to ask him why he was out so far from his neighborhood, but then I saw him go into a church. Didn’t get the chance to make contact, so I raised the window and left. And I didn’t mention it later.”

“Are you sure? Do you remember the name of the church?”

“Sure, it’s right in the center of the city. Guardian Angel Catholic Church.”

“Did you ask him about it?”

“No. No, I didn’t. Seemed obvious he didn’t want anybody to know. He looked up and down the street before he went in, like he was afraid someone might see him. If he wanted to keep his faith to himself, it was none of my business, right? And I wasn’t going to tell anyone. I guess a man like Nelson could think that going to church is a sign of weakness.”

Amaia shook her head and waved Dupree off. Whether from friendship or from allegiance to the force, Reed wasn’t going to tell them anything more. “Thanks for your time, Captain. You’ve been a big help.” They ended the call.

Johnson was doubtful. “You think he was being honest?”

Just then the door opened. Detective Bull beckoned Dupree to join him in the hall. Dupree raised a finger to hold Bull there. “I think he was straight with us, but I don’t know if he was straight with himself. What do you think?” He looked at Johnson.

“The captain said Nelson was very strict with his children, like Lenx; two boys and a girl, like Lenx. And there’s this business about church that he seems to be trying to keep secret. If he’s religious in private, that could link him to our man.”

Amaia had been busy with her computer. “That struck me as well, and that’s why I asked for the name of the church. Guardian Angel Catholic Church. We know Lenx has his own twisted interpretation of his faith, but I have trouble believing a devout Lutheran would ever change denominations. And I don’t believe he’d fail to educate his children in his cradle faith. If you ask me, it doesn’t fit at all.”

“And that story about the fire?”

“I believe Lenx was capable of setting one,” Amaia replied. “You have to admit that an apartment building fire that disfigures someone would be a good cover for a new beginning. A new face maybe helped him wrangle a new identity. I think Lenx was so sure of himself spiritually he’d have had no problem sacrificing himself physically.”

“There aren’t going to be many apartment fires in Boston that are close to the date of Lenx’s disappearance. Especially considering the deaths.” Johnson’s fingers flew across his keyboard. “Here it is. Fire in an apartment building. Death toll of ten, two slightly injured, one seriously hurt—a man who escaped by himself but passed out as he exited the front door. Firemen had just enough time to pull him clear before the building collapsed. Bodies inside were all badly burned, some impossible to identify, speculation that several were undocumented immigrants. Assuming the identity of someone who died in a fire wouldn’t be terribly difficult. He could have approached the building when the fire was out of control, gone inside, gotten burned, and staggered out just in time to be rescued. Sounds horrific, but, as Salazar says, a man like Lenx would have been capable of it. And a lot more, besides.”

Detective Bull looked through the doorway, silently entreating Dupree. Neither said a word to the other. The boss held up that finger again, ordering Bull to wait. Bull leaned against the doorframe.

“Go ahead, Johnson. What else?”

“All this reminds me of something Joseph Andrews said. The boy had the feeling Nelson thought he’d have been better off if he’d died with the rest of his family. Joseph gave us no specifics; it was just an impression he had. I do remember Nelson saying something like that when we talked with him.”

“I disagree,” Amaia said. “Nelson was stating the obvious. The boy was depressed, and he was going to wind up dead if things didn’t change.”

“And then there’s the fact that he decided to volunteer for these rescue teams, starting eight months ago,” Johnson went on. “Just when the massacres began and his family was coming apart. That could have plunged him back into the same cycle as before. Reed mentioned a trip with the team in February; maybe that was New Jersey. He confirmed Nelson was in