Chapter 3

For several days Jessica had been trailing one delivery guy in particular who seemed to regularly make a lot of deliveries to the convent. Scruffy looking guy, maybe early 20s, maybe even younger. Always wore a backward baseball cap, ears always plugged with earphones. He was often coming from a small brownstone in the Bronx. Strictly residential space, according to a quick database search.

As he was making one of his very clandestine-seeming deliveries, Jessica confronted him. She was going to claim to be be a disgruntled customer who lived in the area and had received one too many late or damaged deliveries-something along those lines...until he bolted the minute she approached him and started to speak.

"Oh wrong move buddy," Jessica muttered just before she sprinted after him.

Despite being about a decade older than him, she was able to catch up to him within a half mile. Well, being able to jump far/semi-fly probably helped a bit.

"Hey, I just want to talk! I'm not the police-" but he had managed to stretch and pull his clothing out of her grasp. Some of his packages fell to the ground in the effort, though. She shook her head. Why the hell did he run? Who did he think she was?

Jessica caught her breath before bending down to inspect the dropped parcels. They were two small packages and a standard-size, cushioned shipping envelope. There was nothing on the packaging to indicate what carrier was handling them. In fact, two of the three didn't even have return addresses. Didn't matter though; one of them was addressed to the convent.


The side door to the convent creaked open and, much to Jessica's relief, it wasn't sister Maggie standing there. Instead of Maggie's scrutinizing stare, large, glassy eyes gazed back at her. "Hello?" The young nun's voice was so small, whispery. But Jessica could hear the confusion in it.

"Hey, I have a package for delivery." Jessica held up the 7x4 inch package for her to see, but didn't hand it over to her.

"Uh. You're not our usual delivery person..."

"Yeah, he had an emergency, couldn't finish his route today. I'm filling in for him." The girl didn't seem to recognize her, but then Jessica didn't recall seeing her the one time she actually able to get in and see Matt.

The young nun's eye darted between Jessica and the package several times, then she twisted around and looked behind her for several moments, as if looking around in the dark for someone.

"Uh, is Mother Superior here to accept delivery?"

The girl reached out tentatively for the package. "I can take it..."

Jessica drew back a little. "Sorry, Mother Superior has to sign for it. That's what my boss told me."

The girl's eyes widened a bit at that last statement. "Oh, I will go fetch her then."

The young nun turned and receded into the narrow hallway behind the door. Jessica noticed she had been careless enough to not only not lock the door but leave it open a crack. Another fortunate turn of events: She was going to try and discuss Matt's situation with Mother Superior, then decide on other less diplomatic options to execute later if it turned out Mother Agatha had the same people skills as Maggie.

But now... Jessica peaked through the ajar door and saw and heard no one. She gingerly opened the door, trying to avoid any obvious creaks. She stepped inside. "Hello?" She said only loud enough for someone within her immediate area to hear.

She listened. The place sounded pretty dead. No noises indicating any sort of business, religious, or social activity.

Jessica looked around her. She headed down the narrow hallway to her left, opposite an equally narrow staircase leading up to the second story, which she guessed was likely where the girl went to retrieve her boss.

Jessica kept her head down and ears open. She tred lightly across the creaky floorboards of the old brick building. Unfortunately she had made her entrance by the front door last time, so sue had no familiarity with the place's back passageways. She needed to find the "Rest Room," as they called it.

Jessica ducked into an empty room when she heard voices behind her, around the corner she had just turned. But they faded away without anyone passing by the room. Jessica copped a peak and, not perceiving anyone around, continued on her search.

The convent's poor lighting and few windows easily gave the place an eerie feel. It was also quite cold, despite not being that chilly outside that day. Jessica assumed the donations the place got barely covered their expenses. Or they were deliberately trying to be creepy.

Jessica rounded another corner and nearly smashed into an older, African-American nun.

"Oh God, I'm sorry..." Jessica wasn't' sure what to say, uncertain as to what this nun's reaction would be to seeing her; she couldn't recall if this woman had been there the day she visited Matt.

Apparently she had: "You are the girl who visited little Mattie, are you not?"

Little Mattie? "Uhh, yeah..."

To Jessica's surprise, the nun smiled. "Are you here to see him again?"


The nun stopped before the door of a long hall, in which there were several cafeteria-style tables. At one of these, closer to the door, was Matt.

"Ah, there he is. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

"Uh, thanks?" Jessica responded as the nun simply smiled, then stepped away. As she approached Matt, there were other charity cases and nuns in the room, yet none of them seemed concerned with her presence. In fact, another of the sisters smiled warmly at her as well.

Come to think of it, she could not recall anyone else at the convent being as hostile toward her as Sister Maggie, but she assumed the other sisters had the same attitude, for whatever reason.

She stepped up to Matt and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Murdock? It's me, Jessica."

Matt said nothing, as he spooned another portion of what appeared to be porridge into his mouth. "Uh, you alright, Devil Boy?"

Matthew continued to focus on his breakfast. Jessica sat down next to him at the table. Unfortunately, he looked more out of it than he did when she last saw him. He looked as if he hadn't slept, or...

She moved closer to him. "Matt, are you okay?"

Finally, Matt acknowledged her presence by turning in her direction. "J-Jess? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you okay?"

"I think so. Just..." Matt trailed off. He started itching his left arm more vigorously than seemed normal to Jessica, which piqued her curiosity. Gently, she rolled up his sleeve to see what might be there.

The track marks along the inside crook of his arm certainly not what she was expecting to find.