Chapter 9 The Gates of Paradise

It was odd: even though Will and Helen were together nearly all day Sunday, they still waited until bedtime to exchange confidences. Maybe it came of having three children underfoot, before whom they did not necessarily want to discuss every detail.

"So your art show is this week?" asked Will.

"Right. I'll be staying in Baltimore a couple of nights, Tuesday and Wednesday. I hope everything will be all right here."

"What could go wrong?"

Helen sighed. "I got a call today from Mrs. Figliola -- remember her? We saw her at a Parent's Night at the school."

"Yeah. Their girl is Joan's age, and very brainy, I hear."

"Right. Well, that girl is also pregnant."

"Oh, no. What is she going to do?"

"Carry it to term, try to keep up with school as much as she can."

"I admire the girls for taking responsibility, and I'm glad the school is accommodating them, but two unwed mothers is too much. I don't want other girls getting the idea that teen pregnancy is cool."

"If they do," Helen said drily, "maybe I should get them together and tell them what hours of labor is like. Very uncool. But you're right; I'm worried about Joan."

"She's been tempted by sex on two occasions, and resisted both times."

"But she WAS tempted," brooded Helen. "And you know how unpredictable she is, rushing into situations on impulse. If a third temptation comes up --"

"Maybe Luke can be a steadying influence on her. They seem to spend a lot of time together nowadays."

"You know, that's odd. Joan and Luke used to squabble all the time. She would call him a dork and he would call her an idiot. But now they're perfect friends."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, just puzzling."

"Maybe it was Joan's little accident at Kevin's wedding, and the night in the hospital. That may have scared Luke into being more affectionate, knowing he could lose her."

"Maybe."

After they turned their attention to more personal matters. After all, they were going to be separated for two days.

---

RINGRING.

Will looked at the clock - 2:08 in the morning! -- and snatched up the phone receiver. But not quickly enough to avoid waking Helen.

"Hello?"

"Sorry to wake you in the middle of the night, boss. But this sounded like a case that you would want to be in on."

"What is it?"

"Someone vandalized the Arcadia Mosque."

"Give me the address. I'll be there."

"What was that?" asked his wife.

Ordinarily Will would have simply told her. But she remembered her odd claim last spring that she had foreseen the attacks on the church and synagogue. It would be interesting to see what she "foresaw" if he didn't tell her the details; Will was convinced himself that it was all a déjà vu illusion. "Cold case just turned hot again."

------------------

The mosque was a converted Protestant church. Nothing overtly Middle-Eastern in its outer appearance, but any overtly Christian symbols like crosses had been painted over. Other details might become more obvious in the daytime.

The original call had come from a night watchman. He was a hired guard, not a Muslim himself, but good at his job.

"We've had acts of vandalism before, but this one was different. Usually the damage is external, a broken window or graffiti on the outer wall. This guy went directly to the central meeting hall. Even passed by the alms-box, which he could have checked for money."

"Did you see him?"

"Very briefly, when I spotted him in the meeting room. But he had a ski mask on. I wouldn't be able to spot his face in a line-up."

"Height? General build?"

"A little hefty, but I would say that he was athletic, not fat. Height you may be able to judge from the sabotage."

"Show me."

The meeting room had obviously originated as the Protestant sanctuary. But the pews had been removed and replaced by prayer mats. Where Will would have expected an altar and cross was now occupied by a large ornamented arch. But instead of leading into another room, the interior of the arch was an abstract mosaic -- a badly smashed one.

Will always felt uncomfortable in places of worship, devoted as they were to a worldview that he found incomprehensible. The effect was doubled in the mosque. The Catholic church he at least had found familiar, having attended one in childhood. The mosque was based on an alien culture, one he respected but did not understand.

But that was superficial. These were crime victims, just as entitled to police protection as everybody else, and Will was determined to give it to them.

"The right side of the arch has been moved out from the wall," observed Will. "Did the saboteur do that?"

"No, it's always been that way, and I was carefully warned never to fix it. Something to do with the ritual. You'll notice that prayer mats are at the same angle."

"Is the priest here? I'd like to ask him about the ritual."

"He's called an Imam, and he's out of town. But I called Professor Begh to come. He's not only a member, but a expert on Islam."

"Good. Show my assistant where the saboteur broke in, and see if you can pick up clues. I'll stay here." Ordinarily Will would look at the break-in point himself. But this crime was different. It was psychological, and the clue must be here.

Eventually the guard ushered in Professor Begh, and explained Will's rank to him. A foreigner might not be used to plainclothesmen. Explaining the crime was unnecessary: the professor took one look at the arch and cried "Ya allah!"

Will gave the man a few seconds to absorb the shock, then asked carefully, with as much respect as he could, "I understand that this was an act of desecration, but could you explain the symbolism to me?"

"Yes -- very well --" the professor got himself under the control. He indicated the arch. "This is the mihrab, When you face that, you are guaranteed to be facing in the direction of Mecca, which is part of our ritual."

"That's why it's at a slant? Because the original building wasn't oriented properly?"

"Yes. There is a lot of symbolism associated with the mihrab. Although it can take any form, it is often designed as an arch or entryway, to symbolize the gates of Paradise. For that reason, we try to make it as beautiful as possible."

"So it looks like the saboteur was knowledgeable about Islamic custom, and deliberately damaged the object that the worshippers were most likely to look at and admire."

"That is a very dark way of looking at it, but yes."

And the biggest psychological point was one of which the Professor would know nothing. Why now? Will was certain that this saboteur was the same one who had damaged the church and synagogue last spring, but why the long delay? Will thought that if he could solve that mystery, he would have his culprit.