For the second time this week, Steve parked the tan Galaxie along Dolores to head to the cemetery, Tanner following closely behind as the two junior Inspectors made their way across the paved path toward the sole grave that was still closed off to the public, the yellow caution tape fluttering wildly in the light breeze.

"At least it looks like nobody else has been buried in here again in the meantime.", Bill joked half-heartedly and leaned over the barricade to peek into the carefully cleared area where their victim had been found.

Taking in the scent of the rich, uncovered soil for a moment, Steve glanced around until he saw the entrance to the Saint Francis Basilica, the impressive Spanish Colonial building shadowing the cemetery to the north.

Hoping to find Father Tenpenny behind the wooden double doors, he left the gravesite behind, wondering if visitor counts of the cemetery had gone up since their gruesome discovery the previous day. The recently updated price sheet out front reflecting a dollar increase for the admissions fee sure spoke bands about his hunch.

Ignoring the wind blowing his sandy hair all over the place, he crossed the short distance to the Basilica through the wrought iron gate until he arrived at the wooden doors.

Despite knowing that it was unlikely that anybody inside would hear him, Steve opted for the polite approach and knocked on the thick, solid oak, the smooth surface suggesting that the door had been there for quite a long time.

Much to his surprise, it opened to the inside, where Father Tenpenny greeted them, his expression changing from joy to guarded dismay.

"Detectives…back so soon. Has there been a change in the…priority of our murder case?"

Behind his right shoulder, Tanner sucked in a breath while Steve kept his features unreadable.

"We're here to ask you a few more questions about the body you discovered, Father Tenpenny."

For a moment there, Steve swore he could see sweat form on the other man's forehead, as he ran a nervous hand through his short black hair, the creases around his mouth deepening.

"If you must. But I must warn you, young man, I am about to leave to assist in the soup kitchen over at the women's shelter. They could use every bit of help they can get."

"We'll be sure to make it quick.", Steve assured and shared a brief glance with Tanner, both detectives sensing the wall of hesitation and secrecy the other man was building around the subject, "Would it be alright if we come in?"

With a feigned smile, Father Tenpenny squeezed through the slot between the double doors, almost running into Tanner on his clumsy attempt to leave the Basilica.

"Actually, if you don't mind, we can walk through the cemetery and back to your car. I can grab a cab over there to head to the soup kitchen. That will shave a few minutes off my…my schedule."

Unable to disguise a frown, Steve followed the slightly shorter man, Tanner flanking him on the other side in case he tried to flee.

"So, what is it you had questions about, detectives?"

"Well, you see our forensics team discovered a couple interesting things about the body. One being that the clothing he wore was of the same material as…say…your cassock."

Slowing down his step to pay close attention to the other man's reaction, Steve was surprised when he saw the Father puff his cheeks, before shaking his head vehemently.

"That's just preposterous. Who would steal a cassock and wrap a dead body in it?"

"We didn't say the body was wrapped in it. We said he wore it. Now, are you sure you don't know of anybody in your…religious circle that went missing a while ago? Male, late fifties, early sixties? A fellow priest? Anybody?"

Stopping mid-step, the Catholic Priest turned around, his dark brown eyes scanning him like a nuisance pest.

"Young man, let me assure you that we are a tight-knit community. We care for each other. I have run this fellowship for the past thirty years and I would be the first to know if somebody went missing."

"How about someone who said they would leave town for an extended period of time?", Tanner pried, only to receive another headshake.

"Nobody like that comes to mind, I am sorry detectives.", Tenpenny then said, arms by his side and ready to march on when Steve cleared his throat once more, hoping that his final question would trip up their only viable witness.

"You know, Father, another thing that confused me about this whole situation is that it seems our victim died approximately nine months ago. It goes along with the advanced stages of decomposition that were documented. And by the looks of it, the body was in that grave the entire time. It wasn't just brought here yesterday when you discovered that the site had been tampered with. The only person who would disturb the sod would have to be somebody who knew the body was there. And you still don't know who that person might be or why they'd want to exhume the body?"