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“We don’t have any money. How far will we get without a penny to our name? We’re not going anywhere without money. Where’ll

we go? Who will help us?”

Mairin leaned toward her. “I know where there’s money. Maybe a lot of money.”

“Aw, come on,” Odessa said, cocking a skeptical eyebrow.

“No, really,” Mairin said. “Remember how I told you about the cash money they keep in the office? We could take that.”

“Sure, as soon as you tell us where it is,” said Helen.

Mairin deflated. “All I know is it’s in the office. I heard them talking. We have to figure it out. Sister Gerard acts like

it’s this huge secret. I heard her say she gives it to St. Apollonia. So maybe that’s some kind of charity box, or—”

“What?” Angela pushed herself up onto the heels of her hands and looked at Mairin. “What did she say?”

“Pretty sure I heard her say she was giving it to St. Apollonia to keep safe.”

“Well then, she just told you where the money is,” Angela said.

Mairin frowned. “What? I don’t get it.”

“The reliquary. The one in the prioress’s office. Supposedly it contains St. Apollonia’s teeth.”

“No way.” Mairin shook her head in disbelief. “You mean that big reliquary has St. Apollonia’s teeth ? Jesus saves, wouldn’t that be something.”

“Why her teeth?” Denise demanded.

“Haven’t you studied the Canon of the Saints?” asked Angela.

“I haven’t studied a goddamn thing,” Denise grumbled.

“Well, if you had, you’d know she was a virgin martyr who was tortured by having all of her teeth pulled out or shattered.”

“What the hell?” Denise recoiled. “Why?”

“Because... well, because there were a bunch of heathen marauding sailors who wanted her to—you know.” Angela shuddered.

“And it gets worse. After they caught her, they made a fire and threatened to burn her unless she denied her faith. They tried

to make her blaspheme and invoke their heathen gods. So instead of denying Christ, she threw herself into the fire and burned

to death.”

“Whoa.” Odessa shuddered.

“So back then,” Mairin said, “there were worse things than laundries.”

“That’s it?” asked Helen. “That’s what happened?”

Angela shrugged. “That’s how the story goes. These days, Apollonia is the patron saint of dentists.”

“I never been to the dentist,” Denise said.

“Well, the Catholic ones have a shrine to her in the waiting room,” Angela said.

“So how did her teeth end up here?” Mairin said. “And does that mean the money’s in that fancy box? The reliquary? With her

teeth?”

“Could be,” Helen said, leaning forward.

“You’d be stealing,” Janice pointed out, her eyes wide behind the glasses.

“Is it?” Mairin shook her head. “They’re making us work six days a week for no pay. So who’s the thief?”

“We earned that money for them,” Helen said.

Janice’s eyes shifted from side to side. “Yeah, but—”

“Look, if you’re having second thoughts, now’s the time to let us know,” said Mairin.

“And if you rat us out, I’ll mess you up but good.” Denise balled her fists and glared at Janice. “Don’t think I won’t.”

“I’m not gonna rat anybody out.” Janice moved closer to Kay and stared at the floor.

“Okay,” said Helen. “Let’s assume you find the money in the reliquary. What if it’s not enough? What if it’s like, five dollars?

How far would we get on five dollars?”

“It’s more than that,” Mairin said. “It has to be. Why else would they hide it? And if it does go missing, they can’t say

anything, because they’re hiding it from the diocese. Sister Bernadette brought that up one time, and Sister Gerard nearly

took her head off.” Mairin pictured the Hills Bros. coffee can her mother kept in the kitchen cupboard behind the sugar canister.

Mam hid money from Colm—her emergency fund, she called it. That was as close as Mam ever came to admitting Colm was irresponsible

with money.

“We still have to get over the wall, though,” Denise pointed out. “And once we’re out in the neighborhood, how’re we gonna

avoid getting nabbed?” She turned to Mairin. “Folks around here would just bring us back.”

Mairin cringed, remembering her experience with the razor wire, and with the woman down the road.

“Okay, one thing I learned at the Falls is we have to lose these clothes. We’re too conspicuous in these getups.”

“They took all our street clothes,” Helen said.

“Well, here’s a thought. What the hell do you think we do in this place, all day every day?” Denise said, her voice taut with

eagerness.

“We launder other people’s clothes,” said Angela.

“So we, what? Help ourselves? Steal the clothes? Someone’s going to notice,” Janice pointed out.

“Not if we’re careful. How many tons of laundry go through this place?” Helen said. “Stuff goes missing all the time, and

I bet the nuns just make excuses if a client complains, if they even know.”

“And then what? After we’re wearing street clothes, what then? Do we stow away in the delivery trucks?” asked Janice.

“We can’t leave in the delivery trucks,” Angela whispered. “Mairin tried that, too.”

“Bookmobile,” Janice said quietly.

“What?” Denise gave a snort of disbelief. “No way would they let us just ride out of here in the bookmobile.”

“It comes once a month, on a Thursday, at four o’clock. And guess what else happens on Thursday at four?” Odessa folded her

arms and waited.

“Sister Rotrude and Sister Bernadette go to confession,” said Janice.

“While the library driver goes to the office with the list of approved books,” Helen said, her eyes burning bright. “And remember,

Sister Gerard goes to her diocese meeting every Thursday. Makes a big deal of it.”

“The driver leaves the keys in the van,” Angela said. “I’ve seen her do it.”

“What good is the bookmobile if we don’t know how to drive?” asked Odessa.

“Who says?” Mairin felt a thrill of anticipation. “My brother, Liam, taught me to drive. I’m really good at it.”

“We can’t take the bookmobile,” Odessa said. “That’s stealing for sure.”

“We’ll leave it as soon as we get far enough away from this place. Maybe even leave it in the library parking lot.” Mairin

looked around the circle of faces, then grabbed Angela’s hand. “When’s the next bookmobile day?”