by Donna Raider
Mika slid into the shadowy booth. She was surprised when her wife slid onto her lap. Wrapping her arms around her neck, Leah pulled Mika into a kiss that could only be described as smoking.
Mika had one arm wrapped firmly around her wife’s waist. Joe couldn’t see the priest’s other hand, but from her wife’s reaction, he was pretty sure it had made its way under her skirt. Leah kissed Mika again then whispered something in her ear, giggling as she settled further into her wife.
“Isn’t that your TV persona?” Jennifer asked her date.
“Yeah,” was all Carlie could squeak out. She had never seen Leah so uninhibited. She was crawling all over the priest.
“I assume she knows the woman she’s molesting.” Jennifer smirked, shocked by the woman’s behavior.
“Her wife,” Carlie whispered.
“Oh, well, that explains all the kids.” Jennifer laughed.
Mika was kissing her way down Leah’s neck when she caught a glimpse of the two women at the bar. “Honey, I believe your partner in crime is at the bar with her girlfriend.”
“Well, this is embarrassing,” Leah mumbled against Mika’s ear. “This is me passing out drunk.” Her head fell limply against Mika’s shoulder.
Mika motioned for Joe to bring the check. She paid it then stood with her wife in her arms like a baby. She walked to Carlie and Jennifer. “Looks like she overdid it,” Mika whispered. “I’m sorry you didn’t get here before her second bottle of wine. This entire week has been stressful for her. Maybe she will sleep better tonight.”
Carlie looked at Leah’s unbelievably gorgeous face resting against her wife’s shoulder. “She has been a bit tense,” she whispered back.
“I hope you two have a nice evening.” Mika smiled. “I think mine has come to an end.”
Yours is just beginning, Priest. Her wife’s thoughts rang in her head. Leah couldn’t resist snuggling closer into Mika.
##
Watcher cringed as the little boy ran to meet Father Williams. His little face lit up as he grasped the priest’s hand and dragged him to the bench. The priest quickly produced a candy bar. The boy pounced on it. The priest also gave him a comic book—one he had found in a pew at church. They talked and laughed. They played catch. As if by accident, Father Williams threw the ball deep into the woods surrounding the park. He pointed for the little boy to go get it.
Watcher knew the pedophile would be getting close to making a move and was determined to be there when he did.
Suddenly, the little boy’s head snapped toward the other side of the park. “Gotta go,” the boy yelled, and ran off.
Father Williams retrieved the ball from the woods and sat down on the bench. Obviously, his plans had been thwarted. Watcher casually strolled to the bench where the priest sat and took a seat. “Nice day.” He smiled his most charming smile.
“Yes, it is.” Father Williams nodded.
Watcher produced a roll of breath mints. “Accidently got onions on my burger.” He grinned. He unwrapped the mints and offered the first one to the priest, then popped one into his own mouth.
Almost as soon as Father Williams tasted the mint, he spit it out. “Oh, that is vile.” He spit again. “What is that?”
Watcher examined the roll of mints as if mystified that they would taste bad. “Spearmint.” He frowned. “Mine tastes fine. Here, try another one.”
Father Williams popped another mint into his mouth. It was fine. “Thanks.” The priest nodded.
“Have a good day.” Watcher moseyed down the walking path. Father Williams gathered his things and left.
Watcher waited until the priest disappeared then carefully pushed the vile mint and small mud ball of spit into a Ziploc baggie.
##
“Honey, the bishop has requested that we dine with him and his wife tonight.” Mika frowned as she thought about giving up alone time with her family. “Actually, it is more of a demand.”
Leah exhaled slowly into the phone. She hated it when others interfered with their family time, but knew Mika wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. “I’ll be home in a few minutes, darling,” she said. “What time do we need to meet them?”
##
Bishop Cantrell and his wife had suggested an upscale Italian restaurant in an elite part of Manhattan. Leah placed her hand on her wife’s thigh as she read the Italian menu. She noticed that Janet Cantrell did the same with her husband. It was obvious that the bishop welcomed his wife’s touch.
Janet Cantrell had caught her breath when she watched Leah walk toward their table. Even women were astounded by her dark beauty. Dressed in a simple black dress, accessorized by a diamond necklace and earrings, the actress was stunning in any world.
Mika pulled out the chair for her wife as the bishop stood and made the introductions. “I had no idea your wife was Leah Redman,” Janet gushed, a little intimidated by the star.
“We try to keep that bit of information private.” Leah smiled at the woman. “Mika tries to keep our personal life and church life as separate as possible.” Her sincere smile and shy tilt of her head instantly endeared her to Janet.
“I’m afraid that is easier said than done.” The bishop chuckled.
Leah nodded good-naturedly.
Mika was impressed that the bishop hadn’t told his own wife that the priest was married to the TV star.
They ordered wine and dinner then settled into comfortable conversation. Mika liked Bishop Cantrell and trusted him.
“I appreciate you rescheduling your trip to Rome,” the bishop said sincerely. “Your help with the news media has been invaluable.”
“I’m afraid my lovely wife deserves most of the credit for that.” Mika smiled. “She prepped me for their questions. Thank God they don’t know I’m married to her. They would have a field day with that.”
“No doubt.” Janet nodded. “It must be difficult for you to play the TV partner of a priest and be married to one too.” She tilted her head and looked long and hard at Mika. “You bear a striking resemblance to Trey Slater. What a temptation that must be.” Janet winked at Leah.
Leah blushed slightly. “Seriously?” She laughed. “Trey can’t hold a candle to Mika.” Leah’s obvious admiration for her wife was evident in everything she did.
“Have you heard any news? Any new suspects?” the bishop asked hesitantly.
“No.” Mika exhaled slowly. “Detective Carlyle is positive she has the right man for the murder. I have requested she give Father Branch a lie detector test.”
“She probably will,” Leah added. “She is more interested in getting the right man than in just closing the case.”
“Do you know why the Pope has requested your presence at the Vatican?” Bishop Cantrell asked.
“I’m certain it is to discuss the celibacy issue I have somehow come to symbolize in the church.” Mika grimaced. “I never intended to cause a stir in the religious world. I just know God never intended for man to live alone.” She looked at her wife and Janet. “He wouldn’t have made wonderful women like our wives if He hadn’t intended us to marry them.”
“Hear! Hear!” The bishop lifted his glass in a toast to Mika’s comments. The women laughed.
Leah and Janet walked ahead of them as they walked along the street in front of the restaurant. They were discussing clothes, shoes, innocent things.
“We’re shipping Father Williams to Montana next week,” Bishop Cantrell said quietly. “I have fought to get him excommunicated but failed. It is so wrong to release him on another unsuspecting parish.”
Mika nodded. She completely agreed with the bishop.
“I’ll be glad when he’s out of our parish.” Bishop Cantrell exhaled, as if that would put an end to all his troubles.
##
Watcher cursed as he punched the red HELP button on the elevator. “Anyone out there?” he yelled. He pushed the up and down buttons, but the elevator didn’t budge. He tried the open-door button, still no movement. He kept poking a
t the HELP button. Surely, it was connected to a buzzer somewhere.
Half an hour later, a voice came through the elevator speaker. “Be patient, buddy. We will get you out as quickly as we can.”
“I have a life-and-death appointment,” Watcher yelled back.
“Don’t we all?” the voice grunted before returning the elevator to silence.
Watcher looked at his watch. Half past noon. Father Williams would already be at the park. He wasn’t sure God would listen to his prayer but prayed anyway. Please don’t let the boy be there.
Watcher leaned on the red button again, determined to hold it down until someone talked to him. He considered taking off his gloves but decided against it.
“Hold your horses, buddy. I’m the only one working on this thing. I can’t fix it if I have to keep talking to you.”
An hour. I have been stuck in this damn thing for over an hour. His thoughts were running wild. The pedophilic priest could already be… The elevator jerked, started, and then stopped again. He made a note never again to accept a room that required an elevator for exit.
Suddenly, a loud whirring sound started as the car began its slow descent. After what seemed like hours, the doors slowly slid open and Watcher sprinted from his prison. He ran full speed to the park. His hand clutched the nametag and baggie in his pocket.
They’re not here. Thank God, they are not here, he thought, bending over, putting his hands on his knees. He inhaled deeply, trying to catch his breath. He walked to the bench Father Williams always occupied. A candy wrapper made his heart stop. He looked around, frantically trying to find the boy.
He hoped the boy was safe at home, wherever that was. He began walking into the woods in the direction Father Williams had thrown the ball earlier in the week. He was about to turn around when a muffled sound came from the bushes ahead of him. He moved slowly toward the sound, not wanting to see what he knew was there.
The little boy was on the ground, curled up in a fetal position. His little jean shorts were pulled down around his ankles. Watcher wanted to cry as he saw the blood running down the child’s legs. He was crying softly like a wounded animal; wanting to die, yet afraid he would live.
Watcher walked slowly to the child and squatted down beside him. The look of pain and betrayal in the boy’s eyes was heartbreaking. Watcher put a hand on either side of the child’s head. He bent down and kissed his forehead, then snapped his neck. He wished someone had been that humane to him when he had been violated.
Watcher wrapped small, still warm fingers around the old priest’s nametag and dumped the contents of the baggie onto the boy’s shirt. Williams would pay for this.
Pulling his hoodie further over his face, he exited the woods far away from the park. He walked until he found a bar with a pay phone in the back by the men’s room. He made certain no cameras were in the establishment then called Detective Carlyle’s personal number. “Dead boy in the park,” he growled and hung up before Carlyle could even respond. His second call was to his favorite TV reporter. “Go to the Catholic Church. A priest has raped a small boy.” He washed his hands in the bathroom and flushed the baggie down the commode. Sometimes this job was more than he could bear.
##
“This should be a quiet day.” Carlie smiled as she handed Leah her customary cup of coffee.
“Thank you,” the dark-eyed beauty said softly. She was still a little embarrassed about her performance in Joe’s.
“We missed you the other night.” Carlie laughed. “Apparently, we arrived at the party too late. Enjoyed visiting with Mika, though.” A vision of Leah cradled in the priest’s arms, sleeping like a baby, flashed into the detective’s mind. I would give anything to hold her like that, Carlie thought.
“I’m so sorry,” the actress mumbled. “I’m truly embarrassed. I don’t usually drink that much. We were celebrating. Mika had been called to Rome…”
“Oh,” Carlie interrupted, a sly smile creeping across her face. Maybe, with the priest on the other side of the world, she could take the incredible beauty to dinner alone.
“Yes, but then her trip was postponed, so we were celebrating.” A beautiful smile spread across Leah’s face. “I hate it when she’s gone.”
“I enjoyed the food so much when we had lunch there, I wanted to share the place with Jennifer. I never thought about running into you,” Carlie lied.
“Perhaps the four of us could plan to meet there.” The actress laughed. “I promise to remain sober.”
Carlie’s phone rang. She looked at the face of her phone to see who was calling. The screen showed “Unknown Caller.”
“Detective Carlyle.” She glanced at Leah before her entire world ground to a halt.
“Dead boy in the park.” Then the caller was gone.
##
Instinctively, Carlie headed her car toward the park closest to the church. She called her captain and relayed the message. “I am on my way there now,” she growled. “I will let you know what I find. Have the team standby.”
Leah opened her car door as the sedan skidded to a halt in front of the park. “You’d better stay here,” Carlie ordered as she disappeared into the woods.
After thirty minutes of searching, she found the little boy. She turned as she heard a gasp behind her. “I told you to stay in the car.”
Tears filled Leah’s eyes as she took in the scene. “He’s the same age as my Mark. What kind of animal could do this?”
Carlie was already on the phone, calling her team, CSI, and the medical examiner.
“He has something in his little hand,” Leah pointed out as the detective got off the phone.
Tossing Leah a pair of gloves and pulling on her own, Carlie moved carefully toward the boy. She didn’t want to disturb anything. She wanted to bury the son of a bitch that had done this. She took a picture with her cellphone then carefully released the gold name badge from the small hand. “Williams,” she said, holding it up for Leah to see. She dropped it into an evidence envelope.
Leah gasped. “That is the kind used for the priests at Mika’s conference. Carlie, if this is another priest involvement, my wife will be devastated.”
“Pedophile.” Carlie stood and turned to Leah. “Fits the profile of some priests.”
Leah’s knees seemed to buckle. Carlie caught her and pulled her into her arms, holding her tightly. Soft sobs came from the actress as she fought to get her emotions under control.
Still holding her, Carlie walked Leah away from the crime scene. Awful as the crime was, the detective knew she could stand right there, holding Leah for the rest of her life.
Carlie put Leah back into her car just before the team arrived. She led them to the body. “He’s still warm,” she huffed. “There is a mint and some spit or semen or something on the front of his shirt. Bag that and get it to the lab immediately. Put a rush on DNA. Anyone gives you any lip, call me.”
“I need to see my wife,” Leah said softly as Carlie opened the car door.
“We’re on our way there now, sweetheart.” Carlie placed a warm hand on Leah’s knee, but quickly removed it when she felt the actress stiffen.
“Mika.” Leah threw herself into her wife’s arms as soon as she saw her. Sobs racked her small body.
“Honey, what is wrong? Are the kids okay?” Mika held her tightly. Looking over her wife’s head, her eyes locked with Carlie’s, begging for information on what had upset her wife.
“Does this belong to anyone here?” The detective held up the plastic bag containing the gold name badge.
Mika nodded like a woman in a daze. “Father Williams.”
Carlie stared hard at her, daring Mika to lie. “A known pedophile, right?”
Mika nodded again. She held her wife tighter as her stomach churned. “Did he…? Has he…?” The priest couldn’t bring herself to speak the unspeakable.
“Take me to him,” Carlie demanded. “What’s his name?”
“Joseph Williams,” Mika answered.
“Did you smoke a cigarette afterwards too?” Carlie grabbed his hair and yanked his head from the desk.
Startled panic filled the priest’s eyes. “What? What is going on?” Williams babbled. He couldn’t believe the boy had gotten someone to listen to him.
“Is this yours?” Carlie shoved his name badge into his face.
“Yes, but what…?”
“Joseph Williams, you are under arrest for the murder…”
Mika listened as Detective Carlyle read the priest his rights for the second time in less than a month. What was going on? Was everything going to hell?
“I’ll take Leah home,” Carlie volunteered. “I’m sure you’ll be needed here.”
Mika nodded.
The full press of the TV cameras stunned Carlie as she and Leah walked out of the church. She knew someone had tipped them off again. Same reporter. Same news crew.
“Detective Carlyle, can you tell us what is going on?” The reporter shoved the mic into Carlie’s face.
As Carlie shoved by her, she continued talking into the microphone as the cameras picked up a red-eyed Leah. “Miss Redman, we understand a pedophile priest has killed a boy.”
Carlie reached around the cameraman and yanked Leah away from them and into her car. As the sedan pulled away from the curb, the news van caught fire. Serves them right, Carlie thought. Let them film that!
##
Carlie watched the rheumy-eyed priest through the observation glass. “Are you certain you don’t want me to take you home?” she asked Leah.
“No,” the actress replied. “I’m okay. You need to wrap this up now.”
“Here’s the DNA report,” the lab tech handed Carlie a handful of papers, glanced at Leah, and added, “and the other info you requested. It isn’t pretty. The DNA does not match the boy’s. We had no match in our database.”
Father Williams sat silently. He wasn’t saying anything. He had been down this road before. He knew they didn’t have his DNA. He had worn gloves and used a condom. He knew it would be the boy’s word against his. In his confusion, he thought he had heard the word murder, but he knew the boy was alive. He never killed them. Hurt them, maybe, but never killed them.