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

Leslie said, “I agree. Rose couldn’t bring herself to claim him as her nephew in public. She was ashamed of him, of his origins. Worried about her reputation and Teddy’s if it got round he was her sister’s illegitimate child.”


“Childish horseplay.” Edward scoffed. “Boys will be boys and all that rubbish. I think she came close to telling us what really happened. That running up and down the stairs. There’s more than a grain of truth there, I’m sure of it. You believe me now, don’t you?”


“Yes. I think it’s possible Teddy pushed him and not in a playful way. Bertie might have made unwanted advances, causing Teddy to reflect on his manhood. We’ll never know the reason, but I can believe he caused the accident that made Bertie lame.”


“Also believe Rose brought him back to St. Andrew’s?”


Leslie nodded. “I do. From what I remember of Bertie, I’m sure he was one of us. He was so…loving and giving, but could be pushy about what he wanted and when he wanted it.”


Chapter 29