In the summer of 1944, Leslie Atwater -- feeling abandoned by his lover Edward -- rushes to London to enlist in the armed services. After failing the physical, he retreats to the sanctuary of St. Michael’s rectory and to the love and support of his brother Robert.<br><br>When a bomb explodes near St. Andrew’s Home for Boys, it unearths a skeleton of an adolescent. As Leslie, Edward, and Robert set about identifying the remains, the shocking discovery stirs up an old antagonism between the two brothers and brings to light a string of repressed memories for Leslie.<br><br>With the truth obscured by the passage of years, can Leslie and Edward sift through the lies and subterfuge to track down the coldhearted killer of a kindred spirit?

Kindred Spirit

“Sounds like me,” Leslie said. “Kicking and screaming all the way. An omen for sure.”


Inside, the first thing they noticed was an overpowering odor of damp, mold, and decay. Edward sneezed. “Damned dust.”


“Christ. What is it?” Leslie pulled out a handkerchief and held it to his mouth.


The pair moved on from the entrance hall and into a large, rectangular room. The floor, littered with chunks of glass and debris, crunched under their feet.


Leslie thought it might be damage to the place as far back as the Blitz. The orphanage was close enough to the city center and the neighborhood most likely had sustained several hits. “Wonder what happened to all the beds? They were lined up in neat little rows. Pushed up against that wall over there.” He pointed to his left. “This room is what we called the dormitory. Where we slept in beds either too big for us or too small. The orphans’ dormitory, Anselm called it.”


Chapter 15