The Boy Who Stole from the Dead

CHAPTER 39

NADIA RENTED A Skoda Superb in Lviv. No currency arbitrage at the car rental. Costs were denominated in Euros, not hryvnia. The fee was the equivalent of $110 for the day. For $90 more, it came with a driver. But before she could close the deal, Marko pulled her aside.

“Waste of money,” he said. “If there’s one thing I can do, Nancy Drew, it’s drive. You know that.”

“I do know that,” Nadia said. “But driving is not the only objective here.”

“It’s not?”

“No. Driving and not getting us arrested for speeding and then instigating a fight with the cops is.”

She tried to push past him but he held her back. Glanced at the pale, fifty-something man who would be the driver.

“How can we trust this guy?”

“For all the people following us know, we’re taking the train back to Kyiv or somewhere else. Even I didn’t know which car rental place I was going to use until the last minute. They’ll be following us. For sure. And we probably won’t even know it. But the car’s okay. Trust me.”

“The supply is short.”

Nadia glanced out the window. “I see plenty of cars.”

“Not cars. Trust.”

The Skoda reminded Nadia of a Volkswagen Passat but with more legroom. They drove two and a half hours south past fields and farmland. Wheat undulated in the afternoon breeze. Cows grazed. Farmers worked rusty tractors from the Soviet era. Nadia and Marko kept their eyes on the side view mirrors. Traffic thinned as they moved farther away from Lviv. They drove a two-mile stretch without seeing another vehicle. But Nadia was certain someone was back there.

A hundred miles later they arrived in Zarvanytsia. Population three hundred. Clusters of small homes perched on a hill. A village carved out of the forest sat below. Churches, shrines, and monuments comprised the village. A group of fifty tourists surrounded a shrine for the Blessed Virgin. Others wandered in and out of the churches.

The driver dropped them off near the entrance to the pilgrimage complex. Nadia and Marko marched toward the visitor’s center across a stone promenade.

“His mother said he’s staying here?” Marko said.

“Yeah. She said he was meeting a friend.”

“She didn’t give you a name?”

“Nope. She said she doesn’t know the person’s name. Or if it’s a man or a woman. I got the sense she thought it was a woman he was keeping from her.”

“A man keeping his girlfriend a secret from his mother? How old is he?”

“Late fifties, early sixties, my guess.”

“Poor guy.”

“The funny thing is, Karel’s mother said this was typical of him. That he’d always been secretive.”

Marko frowned. “Why is that funny?”

“Because as soon as I met him in the Chornobyl café he started confiding in me. He pulled me right in.”

They walked through the central gates to the main building. A short woman with spiked hair greeted them with a scowl. Nadia asked her if she’d seen Karel today.

“I saw Karel yesterday,” she said. “But not today.” A fresh-faced nun sauntered by. “Sister. Have you seen Karel Mak today?”

The nun walked over to them. “I saw him yesterday at the early morning liturgy.” She greeted Marko and Nadia and asked where they were from.

“New England,” Marko answered.

“Karel likes to spend time in the churches,” the nun said. “I’m on my way to the main church. Why don’t you walk with me? I can orient you.”

They followed the nun across the promenade toward a gleaming white church. Four copper cupolas surrounded one golden one. The church stood elevated above a courtyard that led to the promenade. It looked as much a castle as the churches in Kyiv. Nadia and Marko peeked inside. Nadia looked around for Karel. She didn’t find him.

The nun insisted on showing them the shrine of the Virgin Mary. A black dome with gilded edges contrasted with a white sculpture. Water poured from the walls along the structure’s base.

“The history of the village dates to the thirteenth century,” the nun said. “In 1240 a monk was fleeing the Mongol invasion in Kyiv. He stopped to drink from this spring and pray to the Blessed Virgin. Then he fell asleep from exhaustion and saw the Mother of God. When he woke up he found the miracle-working icon in the village. He stayed and built a chapel. A duke later ordered the icon to be delivered to him. He was very sick. The monk refused. The duke came to the chapel instead. He prayed in front of the icon and was cured. In tribute, he built a church and a monastery here.

“The churches were destroyed and rebuilt through the centuries. When Stalin took over, he burned everything to the ground. He saved one church and turned it into a warehouse. Otherwise it was scorched earth. Ukrainian Catholic services were banned at the risk of death. But the villages hid the icon and spoke the liturgy on Sundays in their homes until 1991 when Ukraine was free again.”

The nun crossed herself. Nadia followed suit though unsure why.

“Praise Jesus,” the nun said. “And may God help you in all your endeavors.”

She pointed out two other churches. One was the Church of the Annunciation and the other was the Holy Trinity. Then she bid them good-bye.

“What she doesn’t tell you about is the thousands of people who’ve come here over the years and not been cured,” Marko said.

He stepped forward to one of the holes in the shrine’s foundation. Spring water streamed out. He rinsed his hands, cupped them together, and drank.

Nadia gave him an incredulous look. “Look at the non-believer.”

“It’s the smart move,” he said. “I mean, what if I’m wrong and I’m missing out on a real magic potion of some kind?”

She shook her head. “Magic potion. Nice.”

“You’re next,” Marko said. “Come on. This is the Uke version of Our Lady of Lourdes. It’s a once in a lifetime chance. Hell, you must drink the water.”

A tourist glared at Marko. You never knew who spoke English, she thought.

“Language,” Nadia said, in a scolding tone. “Let’s go. Forget the water. Let’s check the other churches.”

“ ‘Forget the water,’ she says. Nice. This from the former altar girl.”

Church had been a sanctuary growing up. She’d been a believer. She’d loved kneeling in the pews. Prayer dissolved her angst. But through the years she’d lost her faith. It would have been a lie to say she didn’t believe in God at all. No. She assigned a probability curve to it, like any good mathematician. As she matured, she subconsciously decided the odds God existed were low. Still, standing here in this holy place, she couldn’t help but feel a stirring. She wasn’t sure if it had something to do with faith itself, or the emotional sanctuary it had provided her in her youth.

When Marko gave up and started past her, Nadia stepped toward the spring. She let the water wash her fingers. Made sure Marko wasn’t looking so he didn’t get any satisfaction. Scooped some up to her lips.

The monk in the black robe came into her peripheral vision as soon as she went for the water. She wouldn’t have thought twice about him except he darted out of sight. As though he regretted revealing himself.

Nadia caught up to Marko.

“We’ve got company,” she said. “Shaved head. Blue eyes. Big guy. He’s wearing a brown robe with a white braided belt. Can’t possibly be a real monk.”

“You sure?”

“What, that he’s not really a monk?”

“No, that he’s tailing us.”

“Let’s find out.”

They checked the other two churches. Nadia didn’t see Karel in any of them. When they got to the last church, the smallest of the three, six tourists were studying the spare interior.

“Your turn to go out the back,” she said to Marko.

Marko glanced toward the altar and the entrance to the sacristy, the room where priests kept vestments and vessels. Marched right down the center aisle, crossed himself three times Ukrainian Catholic style, and disappeared inside it. As though he were a priest going to get dressed. He moved with such confidence anyone who was watching would assume he belonged. Nadia kneeled in a pew and repeated three Our Fathers and Hail Mary’s in Ukrainian to herself. It was her old ritual. The words rolled off her tongue effortlessly. Words she could never forget. Then she left the church.

She didn’t see the monk outside. Nadia walked back toward the pilgrimage center. She passed a group of thirty tourists snapping pictures of the main church. One of the tourists held a camera at the ready. It boasted a massive telephoto lens.

Nadia stopped and burst into a smile. “Hi,” she said.

The man with the camera turned. Nadia stared into the lens. It provided a wide angle reflection. Nadia spied the monk thirty paces behind her.

“Oh, excuse me,” Nadia said. “You look like someone I know.”

She ambled toward the Pilgrimage Center. Climbed some steps, made her way around a balcony that faced the Strypa River.

Trees hugged the creek. Clusters of people admired the view. The sound of rushing water drowned out their voices. Nadia moved to the far end of the balcony. She stood, took a look at her watch, and waited.

The monk wandered in seventeen minutes later, hands folded over his chest as though he was reflecting. Nadia looked away. She could still see his eyes in her peripheral vision. He scanned the balcony, found her, and focused on the river. He didn’t seem surprised when a monsignor in a black cassock with red trim walked up and put his arm around him. Once he saw it was Marko, however, his expression morphed into one of shock and fear.

By the time Nadia walked over, they’d already exchanged quiet words.

“He says he really is a monk,” Marko said. “And if you listen to him, I think you’ll agree.”

“I’m with the Basilian Fathers in Krekhiv,” the monk said. “I’m a friend of Karel’s. I heard you ask for him in the Pilgrimage Center.”

His effeminate delivery stunned Nadia. It was a complete contrast to his rugged appearance. Up close, Nadia realized he wasn’t rugged. His build was deceptive. He was tall and wide but his face was soft.

“Where is Karel?” Nadia said.

“Gone. On another pilgrimage. He left yesterday afternoon.”

Marko, arm still around the monk’s shoulder. “Where to?”

“The Priest’s Grotto.”

“The Priest’s Grotto?” Nadia said. “Where’s that?”

“It’s near the village of Strilkivtsi. About a hundred kilometers south of here.”

“What’s so special about it?” Marko said.

“It’s one of the longest gypsum caves in the world. It’s a special place with a special history. He wanted to experience it. The fear. The suffering. The courage.”

“How long is he going to stay in these caves?”

“Three days.”

“How can someone find him if he’s needed?”

“There are several main rooms in the caves. Any experienced guide will know them. He’s staying there.”

Marko and Nadia exchanged a knowing glance. She nodded. He patted the monk’s shoulder and removed his arm.

“Who are you?” the monk said.

Nadia introduced Marko and herself.

The monk’s eyes shone with recognition. “I know all about you.”

“You do?” Nadia said.

“Yes. You’re a journalist. You met him in Chornobyl village when you were doing research for an American newspaper.”

“That’s right,” she said. That was the cover she’d used. Either Karel didn’t tell him the truth or the monk didn’t want to admit he knew who she was. “And what’s your name?”

“My name is Yuri Salak.”

Marko and Nadia asked him more about the Priest’s Grotto. Nadia got the phone number for the Basilican Monastery in Krekhiv in case she needed to speak with him again. Afterward, Nadia and Marko started back toward the rental car where the driver was waiting.

“We have to get back to the hotel and find a guide,” she said.

“Hey,” Marko said.

Nadia turned. Marko hadn’t moved.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” He pinched the cassock.

“Oh. Right.” She’d forgotten he was wearing it. The disguise gave him anonymity, credibility and access, especially in a religious country such as Ukraine.

“I can tell what you’re thinking,” he said. “Tempting, isn’t it?”

“What’s that?”

“Monsignor Tesla. No one messes with a priest.”

Nadia cringed. “Have some respect for a holy site, would you? Let’s put that back where you found it.”

“You sure?”

Nadia headed back toward the church. “Yes, Monsignor. We have sinned enough already.”