Suffer the Children
Part 7 of the Christopher Worthy and Father Fortis Mystery series
On the night of a tragic fire at an orphanage in Canada that takes the lives of three boys, the orphanage director, Father Robert Porter, is found passed out in an alcoholic haze. Although he isn't blamed for the fire, Father Robert is recalled to his monastic order's motherhouse in Rome where he faces the prospect of being defrocked.
Just weeks after he arrives in Rome, Father Robert is found stabbed to death in one of the city's largest piazzas. Christopher Worthy and Father Nicholas Fortis are charged with finding the killer and determining what might connect the fire and the murder.
From CCTV, Worthy and Nick learn that Father Robert visited the piazza several times prior to his death. Noting also that Father Robert was followed by a group of Bosnian boys, Worthy and Nick wonder if the teenage refugees know something about the murder.
Hoping to attract the boys' attention, Nick sits on the same bench where Father Robert was murdered. But the plan works too well. Nick is abducted and is held captive by the men who now control his fate. That is, unless Worthy can rescue his friend.