A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews, max2013, pen4lew, Caranath, Guest, BurnedSpy, zenfrodo, Guest, Stork Hardy, Jackie, Vinsmouse, Kenna, Chelle, heawee, Leya, Guest and Kirsty! Vacation was awesome, but it's great to be back! And now...full speed ahead with the mystery.

Chapter 35

"So, what are your theories on this monastery mess?"

Frank leaned back in his chair in the train's dining car the next morning, and smiled at Nancy and Bess. He loved discussing cases with Nancy. Talking through the clues and trying to figure out how to piece everything together was one of his favorite things about working with her.

Nancy picked up a piece of her croissant from the table and buttered it. "I don't know. I have so much running through my mind, I can't seem to sort it all out."

"Well, I think we can safely say that this was an inside job," Frank said, as he reached for his orange juice.

"Definitely. And Dr. Delacroix is at the top of my suspect list at the moment."

"I agree." Frank smiled as the waitress placed a plate of Eggs Benedict in front of him.

"But why?" Bess asked. "What's his motivation?"

"Well, it must have something to do with the group trying to get the statue back to Usanne," Nancy said. "We just have to figure out what."

"Hopefully we can get some answers in the town," Frank said. "Maybe the local church or someone in their government might know something."

Because if there was a group intent on rebuilding the ancient cathedral, Frank knew there were people living there who had definite opinions about it. Especially if it was garnering news coverage.

"So that's why we're on this train at the freaking crack of dawn?" Bess asked. "Is anybody even going to be awake in this town when we get there?"

Frank laughed as he reached for the salt and pepper. "Sorry, Bess. But we had to beat Dr. Delacroix, and this was the only train that left the station before his."

"What if he sleeps in and misses his train? Did you ever think about that?" Bess asked, snatching a cheese danish off the platter in the middle of the table

"Never fear, Bess. There will still be plenty of investigating for us to do," Nancy said.

"Well, maybe for you two. I'm only staying until I can catch the train to Three Valleys and watch Lars at his ski competition." Bess gave a dimpled smile. "It promises to be a very romantic weekend."

Nancy shook her head. "So I take that to mean that I'll just see you back in River Heights whenever you get there?"

"Yep. If I'm lucky, I may spend the rest of the winter right here in Europe." Bess licked some frosting off her finger. "And I plan on being lucky."

"Don't you mean getting lucky?" Nancy asked.

"That, too."

Frank held up his hands. "Okay, I've heard enough. How about we get back to the case?"

Nancy leaned into Bess. "Girl talk makes him uncomfortable."

"Very," Frank agreed.

Especially Bess's girl talk. She could be very graphic. Another surprise for him about women. He had no idea their conversations about men could be so...detailed. He cleared his throat.

"Anyway, like I said, I think the local church or the town hall might be the way to go here. Or at least they can point us in the right direction."

"I think you're right, honey. Let's make that our first stop."

Frank took another sip of his orange juice. "I have a feeling that all the answers to this case will be found in Usanne. I can't explain it…I just know it."

Nancy smiled. "Dad would call that 'women's intuition.'"

"Then you must be rubbing off on me, Drew." Frank chuckled. "But could you go with the term 'gut feeling' in front of Joe?"

"I promise." She winked at him as she popped a strawberry into her mouth.

OOOoooOOO

Joe watched as the last passenger exited the train. A balding, middle-aged man. Definitely not Simone. He sighed and walked over to Emily, who was seated on the bench in the terminal.

"No sign of her. I must have been mistaken last night."

Emily stood. "I'm sorry. What should we do now?"

Joe looked around the station. "Well, I doubt we're going to find any clues in here. How about we check out the village?"

"Sounds good."

Joe took her hand as they made their way outside. He paused when they reached the town square. He felt like he'd stepped back in time.

The town was made up primarily of old stone buildings. Most of them looked like houses to Joe, judging by the flower boxes hanging from the shuttered windows. The cobblestone roads were narrow and winding, and Joe thought if he leaned out one window all the way, he just might be able to touch the house across the street.

Emily gave a little squeal of excitement as she looked around.

"Oh, Joe, this is so cute! Look how quaint everything is."

Quaint. He guessed that was good. Unfortunately, he didn't feel like they had much time for sightseeing. He squeezed her hand.

"Let's head this way. I thought I saw some shops in the distance. Maybe the proprietors could help us out."

"How about we find the church?" Emily suggested. "All of these small towns have one. Maybe the priest there can give us some insight into this whole 'rebuild the cathedral' movement."

And that was an even better idea.

"Sounds great, babe. Where is it?"

Emily glanced around. "Well, this place looks like it's set up like a typical medieval village. The church was usually in the center of town."

"Then let's head that way." Joe led her across the narrow cobblestone street toward the shops, and what he thought was the middle of town.

He smiled at his girlfriend as she walked along, exclaiming over stores, cafes and other town buildings. He made a mental note to spend a few days here after they wrapped up this monastery case. He loved seeing the happy look on her face.

Joe stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Isn't that a steeple?"

Emily nodded. "I think you found it."

A few moments later, a white-washed stone building came into view. It looked like a small village church, not the large edifice Joe was expecting. As they walked under a stone archway, they found themselves in a courtyard with a winding pathway leading to the front steps of the building.

Joe turned to Emily. "I'm going to let you do all the talking."

Emily giggled. "Still haven't mastered French?"

"Not the language." Joe winked at her.

Emily shook her head as they hurried up the whitewashed stairs of the picturesque church and tried opening the door.

"It's locked," Joe said. "Now what?"

Emily pointed to a small cottage to the right of the church. "Let's try the rectory. Maybe we can find a priest there."

"After you," Joe said, extending his hand in front of him.

OOO

Emily approached the wooden door and gave a gentle knock. After a moment, the door was opened, and a white haired elderly priest, with a kind smile on his face, appeared.

"Bon jour. Peux je vous aider?"

"Oui. Parlez-vous anglais?"

"Un peu." The priest opened the door wide. "I am Father François. Come in."

Emily stepped into the cozy front room with Joe right behind her. The priest gestured for them to sit on the sofa and he took an armchair opposite them.

"What can I do for you? Are you tourists? Do you wish to see the church?"

Emily smiled. "I would love to see your church, but that's not what we're here for at the moment."

She explained to the priest, partially in English, for Joe's benefit, and partially in French, when the priest looked confused, about what had happened in the monastery. She asked about the rumors they'd heard about a group wanting to reconstruct the burned down cathedral in Usanne.

The priest shook his head. "This all makes me very sad. I had hoped it would die down, but it doesn't appear to be doing so."

He sighed and reached for a cane propped against his chair, then walked to a roll-top desk on the other side of the room.

"These people are stirring up trouble. They are ruining the peace of our village, and are causing hurt feelings toward the church and our Holy Father." He opened a drawer and pulled out a file folder. "Come."

Joe and Emily walked over to the priest as he removed some newspaper articles and spread them on his desk.

"I have saved these over the years. Occasionally, we have representatives from the Holy See ask how things are coming here with relation to the cathedral. I have developed quite a file of information for them."

Joe and Emily leaned over to get a closer look at a photo the priest placed on top of the pile of articles. Father François tapped the picture with his index finger.

"This is who is behind it all. He is an excommunicated priest. He is leading the movement to bring the Madonna and the monstrance back here. He thinks he has seen a vision. If he has, it was not from God."

Emily stared at the photo and her heart skipped a beat. "Joe?"

His lips were tight. "It's Dr. Delacroix."

OOO

Frank got off the train in Usanne, followed by Bess and Nancy. As they moved into the small terminal, he glanced at his watch.

"We have about an hour until Delacroix's train arrives. What do you want to do until then?"

"Find a place to store my luggage?" Bess suggested, signaling a porter who was following her with a handcart piled high with suitcases.

Frank chuckled. "How about a locker?"

"Or two," Nancy chimed in.

The porter held up three fingers. "Trois."

Nancy shook her head. "Bess, you really need to learn a few things about packing light."

"And you need to learn a few things about being prepared for any occasion," Bess countered. "How many times have you had to borrow something from me when we travelled, because you didn't pack the right ensemble?"

The girls headed off toward the lockers arguing, and Frank glanced at the porter, who shrugged.

"Qui naît poule aime à caqueter." She who was born a hen likes to cackle.

"Sometimes," Frank agreed with a chuckle as he followed Nancy and Bess. "But don't ever let them hear you say that."

OOO

"Father, this man is currently serving at the monastery in St. Sylvie as a doctor," Joe said. "Do you know about that?"

The priest shook his head. "No, but I'm not surprised. I knew he was a physician. I believe he went to medical school after he was asked to leave the church."

Emily looked up at Father François. "When and why was he asked to leave?"

"He had been serving here in our parish, and he began causing trouble with his stories of visions. He claimed the Virgin Mary appeared to him and told him that her statue and the monstrance needed to be returned to our little town. He said our Lady was displeased with us, and we needed to make things right."

Joe sighed inwardly. Another nut job. He'd had enough of delusional people this week to last him a thousand lifetimes.

The priest reached for a shelf in the top part of his roll top desk and pulled out a photo album.

"This is Father Jean Claude when he served here."

Emily took the book and began turning the pages. "He looks like he was a well-liked priest."

"He was," Father François said. "That was the trouble. Many people believed his tales. He even founded his own order. 'The Knights of the Holy Cross.' He was leading people astray and he had to be stopped."

"Of the holy cross?" Emily grabbed Joe's arm. "Delacroix means 'of the cross.' It's definitely him."

"And the name Jean Claude was in that translation of Simone's book." Joe looked at the priest. "Can you tell us more about these visions Father Jean Claude was having?"

The priest reached for another file folder and pulled out a bound book.

"This is the official report. He claimed to have seen visions of the Virgin Mary on multiple occasions. He told the bishop that a strong scent of flowers and a bright light always preceded the vision, and then he felt in his mind, rather than heard, what she wanted him to know."

Joe flipped through the report. "It says here that the Virgin told Father Jean Claude that it was his mission to restore the cathedral here, because the Holy Father was not worthy to lead the church."

"Yes, Father Jean Claude began having problems after Vatican Council II. He believed the changes in the church were not right and that the pope was not a true man of God. That he was leading the church astray."

"So he became a sedevacantist, right?" Emily chimed in.

The priest nodded solemnly. "He was not repentant. He was in open rebellion against the Church. We were left with no other choice but to excommunicate him."

"And what happened after that?" Joe asked.

The priest shrugged. "He relocated to the United States and went to medical school. I'd hoped that would be the end of the visions and campaigns to return the statue here. But it all began again about a year ago. He visited me and told me he wasn't giving up. That the Virgin was still speaking to him and that the cathedral was going to be rebuilt in our town…whether the church liked it or not."

"Where was the old cathedral located? Here where your church is now standing?" Emily asked.

The priest sat in his desk chair. "No. It was on the outskirts of town. It isn't even there anymore. A large corporation bought the land some years ago, and it's now a recreation area."

"But Father Jean Claude still thinks he's going to rebuild the cathedral there? How does he plan on doing that?" Emily wondered.

Father François looked weary as he shook his head.

"I don't know. Apparently he has gathered a group of followers to help him with his cause. They meet secretly somewhere around here, but I don't know the location."

Joe paced back and forth, mulling over everything the priest had told them. He paused and turned to Father François.

"Do you know anyone who does know where they meet?"

The priest shook his head. "I don't. I am required to maintain records of anything that pertains to this group as it affects my parish, but other than that, I want nothing to do with it. It is evil, my children. Evil."

OOO

Nancy was waiting at the train station with Frank and Bess for Dr. Delacroix to arrive. She was positioned near a newsstand with a floppy hat and her pair of "Jackie O." sunglasses on. She hoped it didn't look like a deliberate disguise.

She glanced across the terminal at Frank, who was seated on a bench, holding a newspaper in front of his face. It didn't fool her for one second. She knew he had a sharp eye on the tracks and would spot Delacroix as soon as he arrived.

Bess was positioned outside the station in a café across the street. She would be able to track the doctor's movements when he left the building and let her and Frank know where he was headed.

There was no way this guy was going to get away from them now.

No way.

OOO

Joe walked down the path from the church rectory holding Emily's hand and trying to decide on their next move in this case.

Emily interrupted his thoughts.

"How are we going to find out where Delacroix's clandestine group meets?"

"I don't know. But I'm sure someone in this town does," he said as they stepped back onto the cobblestone sidewalk. "We just have to figure out who it is. Oh, and how Simone figures into this whole mess."

Emily squeezed his hand. "You know, only you, Frank, and Nancy could manage to land two cases that end up being intertwined like this, don't you?"

"It's a curse," Joe said as they passed under the stone archway and back into the center of town.

Emily laughed. "I don't doubt it."

Joe stopped short as he looked across the road. "Em, does that look like Simone? That woman in the nun outfit?"

Emily stared in the direction Joe was pointing. "By the shuttle stop? Yeah, I think it is."

Joe pulled her back against the wall of a nearby building. "You know what? I think she was on the train. I saw a nun sitting in one of the cars, but her back was to me, and I didn't go check, because I never thought it could be Simone."

"She must have changed into a habit in the restroom after she boarded."

"It's the perfect disguise," Joe said. "Not many people are going to bother a nun."

"Where do you think she's going?"

Joe turned and smiled at her. "Well, with any luck, I'm hoping she'll lead us right to Delacroix and the secret meeting place."

OOOoooOOO

Frank peered over the edge of his newspaper at the passengers exiting the train Dr. Delacroix was supposed to be on. He watched carefully as each one descended the steps of the four cars. Just as he was about to give up, thinking maybe he had missed the train, Frank spotted the doctor. Wearing a priest's cassock. What the hell was that all about?

Frank glanced over at Nancy, who nodded, and melted into the crowd of travelers leaving the station. He folded his newspaper, tucked it under his arm and followed behind her.

As he stepped out of the building, Frank paused for a moment to allow the crowd to thin. He had no other disguise except a pair of sunglasses, and he didn't want Delacroix to spot him. He could see Nancy's hat and knew she was closer than he could get without risking his cover.

After a moment, he started down the sidewalk and noticed Nancy walking faster. She stopped suddenly, then turned and hurried toward him.

"He got into a car, Frank. Someone else was driving."

"So let's follow him."

"In what? There aren't any cabs here."

"Did you get the license number?"

Nancy shook her head. "I wasn't close enough."

Frank slapped the paper against his hand in frustration. "Now what?"

"Frank!"

Joe was hurrying toward him from across the street. He stopped to catch his breath when he finally reached him.

"It's Delacroix."

"Yeah, I know. We just missed him. He got into a car and took off."

"No, that's not what I mean. He's behind it. The whole thing."

"How do you know?" Nancy asked.

Joe explained what he'd learned at the local church and that he'd seen Simone in town as well.

"She got into a shuttle bus. Em and I went over to see where it was headed. It's some sort of private village for skiers. The village is built on the land where the cathedral once stood." Joe gestured over his shoulder. "Emily's in the resort office here in town trying to get more information."

Nancy grabbed Frank's arm. "Do you think that's where Dr. Delacroix was headed?"

"Let's hope so, because it's the only lead we've got," Frank said. "And I'm pretty sure that whatever Delacroix and Simone are up to…they're in it together."

Emily jogged over from a tiny office across the street, jangling keys in her hand.

"Here we go. Two reservations at Les Chalets du Soleil. The shuttle bus will pick us up in fifteen minutes."

"Simone went to a ski resort?" Nancy asked.

"Well, it's more like a private retreat than a resort," Emily explained. "Secluded cabins and lots of cross country trails. The woman in the office said that we would be left completely alone if that's how we wanted it."

"Sounds like the perfect place to hide if you're up to no good," Joe commented.

"It also sounds like the perfect place to stash a couple of stolen artifacts," Nancy said. "And my woman's…er…gut feeling, is telling me that when we catch up with Delacroix, we'll find the Madonna and the monstrance."

Frank smiled. His gut feeling was telling him the same exact thing.