The small chapel inside the house was an intimate place for everyone living there. It gave them a place to meditate and pray with no expectation of talking to anyone. Demetrius was the most frequent utilizer of the space. He liked to imagine when the room was someone’s living room years ago. Families must have sat around and shared stories in the pre-TV and radio days. There were two stained glass windows in the room left over when many homes boasted this type of glass. The windows added a chapel feel. There was one of these windows on the east wall the other the west. Demetrius enjoyed being in the room when the sun was rising or setting and being bathed in the colored light of the windows. It lifted his spirits and helped him forget some of the things that haunted his soul. There were things he prayed every day to forget, but they seemed to be his constant companions.
Demetrius pulled himself up using the back of one of the chairs in front of him. The years and the experiences of his earlier days were beginning to catch up with him.
A priest for almost fifty years, Demetrius had a special position in the community. It was his task to assist in the training of the men that came to the religious life from unusual situations. Some had careers in previous lives which many people would never suspect leading to the priesthood. He prayed for these men each day often spending hours by himself in his room or here in the make shift chapel. Many candidates did not become priests, but Demetrius never lost contact with them. Some left his charge to be scholars. Others sought out the missions, and then there were those who took the mission of following Gods calling to the extreme. He was aware of the seduction of evil that was strong on these souls.
Those who went out with the most zeal and purpose were the ones tempted the most.
Demetrius knew those temptations and he remembered how weak he was when tempted.
Prayer was exhausting for him. His conversations with God sometimes became so animated his whole body moved and communicated a language of its own. He told his brother priests this was why he preferred to pray alone. It drained him of his physical strength and he knew it was distracting to others.
Leaving the cool air of the chapel he stepped into the morning heat of the garden. It was to be another hot, humid day. Too hot to wear black, but he just couldn’t shake tradition. It reminded him of what he was called to be and how far he strayed.
Finding his favorite shade spot to watch the garden birds he saw a priest walking towards him from the far end of the garden. With the cassock synched tight around the waist there was no mistaking the silhouette formed against the backlight of the sun. His broad shoulders and erect stature gave him away immediately. Demetrius stood up and walked as quickly as old legs would take him to greet his student and friend. The two men exchanged manly hugs in the middle of the garden. They slapped each other hard on the backs and sat down on the nearest bench to start a flood of catching up.
Chapter 49
From the garden bench Demetrius, guided August into the house through the nineteenth century heavy wooden door nicked from years of moving furniture in and out. Demetrius directed him like he was a visitor that had never been there, cautioning him not to trip up on the threshold. August out of habit lifted his foot but still caught the heel of his boot as he passed over.
He didn’t wear boots the last time he crossed this threshold.
Climbing the stairs, they creaked with the weight of two souls afraid to speak what was really on their minds. Demetrius in front lifted his cassock with one hand and steadied his frame with the other on the railing. August stayed several steps back feeling his way up the steps wearing a cassock again.
Once in Demetrius’s room, the two men relaxed and dropped the performance they put on for anyone who might have seen them together.
“Francis,” Demetrius using August real name,
“Would you like coffee?”
“That’s would be great Father, it was a long drive.”
“Francis, I’m not going to lie I am excited by your visit, but I am curious why you are here. I haven’t seen or heard from you in years. The last I knew, you gave up the cassock.”
August heard a tone of disgust in Demetrius’s statement
“Yes and no. My life has not been my own since South America.”
Demetrius focusing on making coffee thankful for the distraction of not looking directly at August while he answers him,
“That doesn’t surprise me. My own time on that continent was the most challenging to my vocation. Jesuits have a history to either erase or live up to in the jungles.”
August figured he would get right to the heart of why he returned to the house.
“What do you know of my time there Demetrius?”
“Not much.
“I know when you came back to us, you were a different man. I could see your soul was no longer your own and the passion for the gospel was gone.
You are one of the many I pray for every day.”
“I was a chaplain to a group of Marines whose mission was to work with the locals to eradicate one of the most powerful drug lords. He enslaved the women and children and utilized many of the men as his own private army.
My mission was to take care of the spiritual needs of the Marines while they worked their assignment. I spent much of my free time trying to develop relations with the village people and gain their trust.
I loved the people Father. It wasn’t hard for me to see why my parents spent so much time with them. But I couldn’t save them.
I was face to face with the devil in his hell.
I know now my cowardice and hesitation stopped me.
I had the gun in my hand, but I couldn’t pull the trigger. I could have put an end to it all. The evil that plagued them would have been gone.
It was as if my soul was sucked from me and I was no longer Father Francis.
I didn’t recognize myself for the revenge and anger that surrounded me.
An FBI agent came to see me. It appears I was the only one left that could identify Hector. They wanted to hide me for my own protection. I figured God was finished with me at this point. I had allowed the death of woman and let her baby fall into the hands of Hector. I didn’t feel like a priest anymore anyway. Once I testified against Hector they gave me a new name, a new location and that has been my life up until this week.
It was a couple years after that when I pressured the FBI to find they baby. They tracked her down with a family in Chile. I knew that once Hector was in prison, there would be no one to care for the baby I watched him steal. I felt so guilty that I have been supporting her ever since. I’ve been sending money to my handler for him to pass on to the family. She had no idea it was me that was helping. It was Fr. Steve, the only person outside of my handler that knew who I was, who insisted that I see her and somehow arranged for her to come up to the States.
The problem. The woman that Fr. Steve had in his car was not the baby I have been helping.
The fire did too much damage to the baby for her to look so beautiful.
When I saw her body I knew I had been duped all these years.
Now they are both dead and I am no closer to understanding why this imposter was killed in such a violent way along with Steve.
I close my eyes now and I see every dead Marine, Galina, the baby, even the dog that licked my wounds.
I feel like I am standing in the middle of the underworld alone.
The devil is back Demetrius.
He is hunting me. He knows who I am."
Chapter 50
Watercreek, NE
Susan, flushed with the excitement of cracking Fr. Steve’s phone decided she needed to treat herself. It was lunch time across at Bill’s. That was where everyone went to get news of the day or share their latest version of the town gossip. Bill’s was a great place for any politician to hang out. Susan was busting to share what she found and give the people the impression that she was one step ahead of their Sheriff.
Walking into Bill’s diner the drone of the over the
door air-conditioner blocked the bubbling sound of the conversations until she was a few feet beyond the door. Fried onions, hamburger grease and left-over bacon scent filled the air.
All eyes turned towards Susan.
Numerous greetings of “Madam Mayor” went out to her as she searched for her favorite table. She walked to the middle of the dinner with a strut more like a fashion runway performance as she dodged tables and pulled out chairs. She unbuttoned the top button of her blouse fanning herself showing off how hot it was. She also knew, with that little gesture, she had just secured a few more votes.
Everything for a reason.
More than one local came over to complain or compliment. Like any good politician she could change her sincerity based on the needs or the person addressing her.
Finally, one asked the question she was waiting for.
“Have you seen the Sheriff this morning? I hear he is back in town”
“No, I haven’t, and I have some new information about the accident with Fr. Steve that I wanted to give him. It is so tragic that he had that young girl with him and our Sheriff knew her. I just can’t figure out what those two were up to.”
Right there Susan knew she planted the seeds of a field of gossip. Her constituents pushed for more information and Susan faked embarrassment for sharing too much. She sipped her coffee and eyed a new face in town sitting at the opposite end of the diner, a fit man in a loose cotton shirt and jeans. His ball cap sitting on the table beside him seemed to have some official insignia.
Her next job as mayor, and as a woman was to get to know this stranger.
Finishing her coffee Susan made her way past the stranger just close enough that he had to notice her. She even backed into his table when another patron wanted to squeeze past. If he didn’t notice her now, then he must be dead.
Chapter 51
Michelle made it back to the Courthouse as most of the staff was heading out for lunch. Her hope was that Susan was not in her office, she didn’t want another confrontation.
Walking into the mayor’s office she was greeted by Anna, the niece of the mayor, hired as summer office help.
In the most professional voice she could muster and keeping August on her mind,
“Good afternoon, my name is Michelle,” not seeing a need to throw the doctor title.
“I know who you are, what can I do for you Doctor? The mayor is not in now.”
“I dropped an envelope off earlier for the Mayor and I need to add something to it.”
Anna was smarter than Michelle gave her credit.
Anna stepped out from behind the desk and in front of the door as Michelle moved towards the closed double doors.
“If you would just get the envelope, I will be out of your hair.”
“I am sorry, I can’t do that my Aunt, I mean the Mayor would be upset with me.”
Without thinking about it, Michelle grabbed Anna’s shoulders and pushed her clear of the doors.
Anna hit her head on the back of a file cabinet and slumped to the floor. Michelle knew as a doctor she should be concerned, but as a woman she was more concerned with Auggie than some little teenager.
Pushing into Susan office, she hurriedly and with no real plan, started checking every drawer and shelf. She was quickly rewarded finding the envelope in Susan top desk drawer. The seal was not broken.
Running out of the office she saw the young girl struggling to get up from the floor. She made a quick assessment that she was going to be okay and walked as fast as she could away from the office without attracting attention. Glancing to her right she caught a view of Susan returning up the steps of the Courthouse. Michelle left the building from the opposite entrance.
Chapter 52
Saine noticed the mayor eyeing him and she was not being discreet about it. She was going to be an easy target. These small-town politicians were the easiest to manipulate. It wasn’t hard for him to pick up on Susan’s sarcasm listening to her talk about the Sheriff to the other patrons of the diner.
Saine overheard a few of the locals talking about the death of their beloved pastor and how awful it was that the young girl was with him. The mayor’s gossip sprouted quickly and by the time it arrived close to Saine’s table they had the priest and Sheriff using the girl as their personal sex toy.
Saine knew the real story. He thought to himself if he was right, when the events of the next couple of days are over, and they play out the way he thinks they will, these same people are going to feel guilty about what they are saying now. The bigger prize was too great to risk spoiling their gossiping fun.
He thought the mayor was coming over to introduce herself but all she did was brush past his table. He knew what she was up to. He performed this dance many time himself.
“I’ll just let her lead.”
Chapter 53
St. Louis, MO
August left Fr. Demetrius’s room and walked down a hallway that hadn't changed since his days as a student. He knew where this path was taking him but he was powerless to stop it. Before he wanted he found himself at the doors of the chapel. Pulling open the one side of wooden double doors he stepped into a space flooded with colors from the windows.
A hint of incense was still in the air from morning Mass.
He walked in and took a seat close to the back of the chapel. He didn’t genuflect as he really wasn’t sure why he was in there or if he even believed in what was supposed to be present. This was a first. He hadn’t been alone in a chapel since the jungle.
He leaned back on the wooden backed chair and felt the pressure of the gun still in his waistband as it pressed against his back. He reached through his cassock and freed the Glock from his back and laid it in his lap.
August looked down at the Glock and started to curse the gun.
“Why have you followed me here?”
“You have taken everything away from me and given me nothing.”
“When I needed you, you weren’t there.”
“My life was better without you.”
August realized he was not cursing the gun.
He was yelling at God.
He slumped off the chair and fell to his knees on the floor. The gun slid from his lap and landed alongside him. August fell into a deep meditation, reliving again the years of dark nights and torments. Exhausted from little sleep and his draining confession to Demetrius, he fell asleep, his head in his arms slumped over the chair in front of him.
Chapter 54
Watercreek, NE
Susan walked into her office and found Anna sitting at her desk, her blouse ripped and a large bruise showing through what was perfect makeup. Susan’s reaction was first to comfort the young girl, thinking the worse. Susan started to gather everything to rush her to the hospital, but Anna mentioned one name that stopped her.
“It was that medical lady. She came by for an envelope she gave you. I tried to stop her, but she shoved me out of the way.”
Susan’s anger, as usual told her what to do. This confirmed to her that August and Michelle were working together to cover something up.
After making sure her niece was okay despite her bruises. She calmed her down and instructed her not to mention this attack. Her niece was reluctant but figured Aunt Susan knew best.
“Just tell your parents you had a bad fall in the office and I sent you home.”
If no one knew about this situation, Susan would be able to work better behind the scenes. If it was reported, then she might never get her hands back on the report.
Michelle had just upped the game and Susan was ready to play.
This was her sport now.
Chapter 55
Michelle returned to her office in the hospital. One of the pleasures of being a one-person office is that no one knows when you come and go. She didn’t need to explain her absence.
“Maybe this is why Auggie likes to work alone.”
She couldn’t get the mayor’s niece off her mind. She didn’t want to be that
physical and was honestly shocked at her own strength.
The phone on Michelle’s desk flashed a message.
“Michelle, its Susan. I am sure you are aware my assistant had a nasty fall in the office. Young girls can be so clumsy sometimes.”
Susan paused just long enough to let the suggestion sink in.
“We really need to get together sometime and talk over our mutual interests.
You have a good day.”
Michelle pitched the phone on to the desk.
Michelle knew exactly what Susan was doing. She now had something to hold over her head. Her next move had to be the winning hand. There was no turning back now. She knew enough not to be in debt to Susan and she had just given her everything she needed.
“Where’s Auggie?” Michelle yelled at an empty office.
Opening the sealed autopsy report she went quickly to the Jane Doe file. There had to be something else here that she missed.
Two people murdered, and now a missing sheriff.
Who was this girl that August gave a name to?
She came with no I.D. or history, but August and Fr. Steve knew her.
Michelle left her office and walked down to the morgue to re-examine “Jane Angelina Doe’s” body for anything that she might have missed.
Walking into the morgue, she flicked the lights as she had done hundreds of times. A flash of light and heat knocked her back against the door. She fell against the steel door cold against her back in sharp contrast to the heat on her face. The air itself seemed to burn and she knew her only hope was to gain enough strength to open the door from her position on the floor. To stand would be to place her head in the cloud of flames bubbling above her.
The vacuum created by the fire was too strong for her. The door was swelling shut and fighting her.
“So this is how it ends.”
Chapter 56
The door pushed in and a hand grabbed Michelle by her blouse collar and pulled her around the door and out into the hallway. At the same time air rushed in and fueled the fire even more. Fire alarms blared up and down the corridor. The rescuer immediately began to check Michelle for injuries and burns.
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