Chapter 34
"I forbid you to open that casket." The Senator ran forward to pull it from Valdieri's hands. "I will not allow you to desecrate the body of my wife's precious dog. Officer, lock these men in your car and take them away from here. My wife is already awake. I will not, will not, allow her to be disturbed any more."
Valdieri held the casket high as the Senator tried to reach it.
"Officer," Senator Harding shouted, "I am not asking you to arrest these two men who have clearly broken into my premises for illegal purposes. I am ordering you to arrest them!"
The officer in charge nodded. "Yes, Senator. I'm sorry they've disturbed the burial place of your wife's dog."
Valdieri stayed where he was, the muddy casket now held high. "My name is Archbishop Stephen Valdieri. I have come to the United States from the Vatican."
Matt looked on in admiration. Whether Valdieri still held the title of archbishop, he wasn't sure. But certainly Valdieri had come from the Vatican to America, although not as recently as presumably he wanted to imply.
The police officers exchanged glances. Perhaps they were wondering whether an archbishop in blue coveralls outranked a senator in a white bathrobe. They seemed uncertain what to do. Matt felt a moment of hope.
"Officer," Valdieri said, "all I'm asking is that you open this casket. If there's a dog in here, then you can arrest us both and we'll accept the full force of the law."
The officer turned to Senator Harding. "If you are agreeable, Senator, we can resolve this matter quickly."
"I absolutely refuse my wife's dog to be violated in this way," Senator Harding shouted. "I am familiar with the Chief of Department, and you can be sure I will be making a formal complaint about your behavior. Take these two intruders away."
The senior officer sighed. He turned his men. "Do as the Senator's says, boys."
Matt glance at Valdieri and something seemed to pass between them. Still in his handcuffs Matt fell on the ground, rolling over and groaning, trying to buy time. It was a ploy he'd learned from an elderly woman in France three years ago. As the police bent over him, Valdieri had one more trick to play.
"Stop him!" Senator Harding shouted.
Everyone turned to see Valdieri forcing the lid from the casket with the edge of the spade that had lain at his feet.
"Officer, Senator, everyone, this is not a dog." Valdieri tipped the casket onto its side. A small bundle wrapped in a white sheet rolled onto the ground.
Matt could see the ex-archbishop had everyone's attention. "Officer, I believe this is a human baby." Valdieri's loud voice carried authority. "Senator Harding and his wife have contrived to conceal the death of a baby, and have carried out an illegal burial. You must arrest them."
Matt wasn't sure that there was such a law about concealment and burial in America, but perhaps there was in Italy. Whether there was a law or not, Valdieri had stopped everyone in their tracks.
Without waiting for permission, he quickly unwrapped the contents of the casket. Everyone stood speechless as he revealed the bloated remains of a human baby.
Matt stood up, and without anyone noticing, he joined the others who were staring down at the tiny body. Except for Senator Harding. Matt realized he was returning to the house.
"I forbid everyone to do anything further," the Senator shouted. "I'm phoning my lawyer. He will quickly put an end to this nonsense. Consider yourselves all dismissed from the police!"
The senior officer, who up until this moment had been acting with considerable deference to the Senator, was on his radio. Hopefully he was calling for someone to take over the investigation, and more hopefully still, to arrest Senator Harding and his wife.
Matt stared down at the decomposing baby which was lit by several powerful flashlights. The skin was peeling off where it had stuck to the cotton sheet. No way was this Jack. This baby had been dead at least two weeks. With a sudden despair he realized they were no nearer finding Jack than they had been before they came here. So many chases of the wild goose, as Zoé had put it. Unable to help himself, he broke down in tears.
Stephen Valdieri came forward and put an arm on Matt's shoulder. It was an arm of great comfort from a godly person. "Officer," Valdieri said, "I think you can release this man."
The officer shook his head. "Sorry, sir, but I'm doing nothing until someone senior arrives."
Matt felt frustrated. If the officer was phoning the man who apparently had serious issues with Senator Harding, the future looked promising. If it was Inspector Flanagan, who was probably in the Senator's pocket, things looked bad.
"I don't know whether I'm relieved or not," Matt whispered to Valdieri. "If it had been Jack, at least Zoé and I would know where he was. We could take his little body back to England and bury him there."
"To me this is good news," Valdieri said. "To me it means that your baby is still alive."
"Jack is seriously ill," Matt explained. "If he doesn't get treatment soon, he's going to die anyway." He turned to Wendell Harris. "You stole him from me in Central Park." He turned to the officer. "This man mugged me and kidnapped my baby boy. You must make him tell me where he is."
Suddenly Matt turned towards the large house. There were lights in most of the windows now, and somewhere from that direction he could hear a baby crying. "It's Jack, it's my baby," he said. "I can hear him now." He wasn't sure if it was a father's intuition that recognized the cry, or if he was just clutching at Zoé's straws.
"We wait," the officer said to his men who were already starting to walk towards the house. "We wait for the Chief."
"No, we mustn't wait." Matt felt frantic. "Senator Harding might hide the baby, or even suffocate it to stop it crying so he doesn't get caught. He must have lots of hiding places in that house big enough a tiny body."
"We wait," repeated the officer.
At that moment Mrs. Harding appeared on the lawn holding a small bundle close to her chest. She stood motionless under the security lights. Matt knew immediately -- he had found Jack.