Asprin, Robert Lynn – Catwoman – Tiger Hunt (With Lynn Abbey)

“I hope so,” the black-costumed woman replied. It all made sense once she remembered that religious orders had a quasimilitary organization. The sisters here were soldiers of the Immaculate Heart army; Old MoJo was their commanding officer; the East End mission was a front-line outpost. And Blood of Holy Martyr’s Convent wasn’t just another fort, it was their army headquarters. “I’m trying to locate Rose D’Onofreo.”

“Rose D’Onofreo . . . ? I don’t know . . .”

The woman didn’t sound uncertain, she sounded suspicious. Catwoman changed tactics. “I’m sorry. The person I’m really looking for is Dr. Gallan. This is her service. We seem to have lost track of her. The last we knew she was seeing a Rose D’Onofreo at this number.”

“Dr. Gallan? Yes, she was here, but she left hours ago. I don’t know who . . . No, wait, it was a young woman from the mission.” Time expired as the convent woman became fully awake. “Who is this? Where are you calling from? Why are you asking about Rose—“

Catwoman reached down and severed the connection with a claw. With the help of a picture a few inches from the phone, she’d learned all she needed to know. The snapshot showed the smiling faces of a quartet of nuns Selina didn’t recognize. That didn’t matter. What mattered was the mansion behind them and the sign beside them. The words were a bit hard to read—Old MoJo needed a lesson on focusing her camera—but at least they were in English: Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Blood of the Holy Martyr’s Convent. Mother House. And an address so complete it included the zip code and the phone number.