‘Since we parted on Friday, the thought that someone connected to the convent might be involved in the nun’s death has eaten away at me. On Sunday, after mass, I spoke with one of my older parishioners about the convent. She didn’t know much about the nuns so I asked if she could remember who the priest at St Mary’s was in the late fifties and early sixties.’

‘And she told you it was Bishop Meade.’

Father Chris raised his eyebrows. ‘How did you know?’

Jane told him about her visit to the archives and Annette Gorman’s account of her time at the convent.

‘I don’t want this to sound insensitive,’ he said, ‘but . . . do you believe her?’

‘My colleague who interviewed her has no doubt she’s telling the truth. Her distress while recounting such painful memories was not an act.’

Father Chris shook his head in disgust. ‘Those poor children will have been scarred for life. Do you think Bishop Meade knew what was going on?’

‘If Meade had nothing to hide, why didn’t he just tell us he was the local priest and visited the convent on a regular basis? It’s clear he’d know who the Mother Superior was, and at least the names of some of the nuns, including possibly our victim. He’s deliberately obstructed police inquiries and distanced himself from the convent. The question is, why?’

‘Are you going to arrest him?’

‘That’s not for me to decide . . . but I think it’s inevitable.’

Father Chris sighed. ‘This just gets worse and worse. But I can’t believe Bishop Meade would be capable of murder. It seems more likely he’s concealing the wrongdoing of others.’

Jane decided to be open with him. ‘It’s possible he was sexually abusing children at the convent and our victim found out.’

Father Chris was stunned. ‘You think he’s a paedophile?’

‘Bishop Meade is clearly hiding something. Under the circumstances we have to consider it a possibility,’ Jane said. She told him about Meade reading stories to the children and giving them sweets.

‘Has anyone said they were actually abused by him?’ Father Chris asked.

‘No, but his acts of kindness may have had an ulterior motive,’ Jane suggested.

‘That’s ridiculous!’ he said. ‘Hundreds of priests, vicars and nuns read bible stories to children and give them sweets at Easter, Christmas, or other special occasions. Are you saying they are all paedophiles as well?’

‘No, but Meade also told the children not to tell Mother Superior. And now he’s not telling us the truth.’

‘I really can’t get my head around all this. It flies in the face of everything I’ve been taught and hold dear as a Catholic priest.’

‘Does Meade have a chauffeur-driven black Ford Granada?’ she asked.

‘The archbishop does, but Bishop Meade’s been using it in his absence. Why do you ask?’