Day Of Confession

144

9:40 a.m.

Danny opened the door to the men's room stall cautiously and peered out. Two men stood at urinals, another was picking his teeth in the mirror. Opening the stall door wider, he wheeled himself to the men's room door and tried to push it open. It didn't work. Someone was on the other side trying to come in. Danny looked back. The other men were still there. Neither was watching him.

'Hey!' A voice came from the far side of the door.

Danny moved back, not knowing what to expect, his hand going to the camera bag to fling it if he had to.

The door swung open and another man in a wheelchair came through from the other side – the American from the shuttle bus, wearing the L.A. Dodgers cap. The man stopped dead in the doorway, the two of them chair to chair facing each other.

'You really a Yankees fan?' The man was looking at his baseball cap, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. 'You are, you're crazy.'

Danny looked past him into the hallway. People moved back and forth in a steady stream. Where was Elena? They were on a tight clock. Harry would already be outside crossing the Vatican gardens looking for the waist pack.

'I just like baseball. I collect a lot of caps.' Danny moved his wheelchair back. 'You come in. I'll go out.'

'What teams you like?' The man didn't budge. 'Come on, talk the game. Tell me the teams. Which league, American or National?'

Suddenly Elena appeared in the hallway behind the Dodgers fan.

Danny looked at the man and shrugged. 'Since we're in the Vatican I guess I ought to pick the Padres as my favorite… I'm sorry, I have to go.'

The man grinned broadly. 'Why, sure, pal, go ahead.' Abruptly he pushed into the men's room and Danny went out.

Elena took the wheelchair and they started off. Then suddenly Danny put his hand on the wheels, slowing the chair.

'Stop,' he said.

Eaton and Adrianna Hall were crossing at the far end of the hallway in a crowd, alert, moving quickly, looking for someone.

Danny looked over his shoulder at Elena. 'Turn around, go the other way.'