Chapter 59

The modest dwelling within the church of Saint-Sulpice was located on the second floor of the church itself, to the left of the choir balcony. A two-room suite with a stone floor and minimal furnishings, it had been home to sister Rosaria Van Spee for over a decade. The nearby convent was her formal residence, but she preferred the quiet of the church and had made herself quite comfortable upstairs with a bed, phone, and hot plate.

As the church's conservatrice d'affaires, Sister Rosaria was responsible for overseeing all nonreligious aspects of church operations - general maintenance, hiring support staff and guides, securing the building after hours, and ordering supplies like communion wine and wafers.

Tonight, asleep in her bed, she woke up to the shrill of her telephone. Tiredly, she lifted the receiver.

"Soeur Rosaria. Eglise Saint-Sulpice."

"Hello, sister," the man said in French.

Sister Rosaria sat up. What time is it? Although she recognizes her boss's voice, in twelv