Michelle got a glimpse of her savior but didn’t recognize him. He looked like any one of the farmers that came through the hospital.
In seconds Michelle was surrounded by doctors and nurses. They rushed Michelle from the hall to the emergency room. She thrashed her head back and forth on the gurney trying to spot her savior.
He was not among the group that was now tending to her.
The automatic sprinklers in the lab activated but not until the bodies of Fr. Steve and Angelina were cremated from the intense heat.
Chapter 57
Bob Saine walked north towards uptown against the flow of fire trucks, emergency vehicles and curiosity seekers. Back in to the hotel, the siren mounted on top of the hotel was still blowing to call the volunteer fire company to the hospital. He gave another wink to the same desk clerk that checked him in and caught the elevator to his top floor room.
His visit to the morgue had been more eventful than he anticipated and came close to revealing his cover. Saine sat down in an overstuffed chair tucked in the corner, analyzed the cheap painting of a barn in a winter cornfield hung on the opposite wall, put his feet up on the bed and fell asleep.
Chapter 58
St. Louis, MO
When August woke, the sun was coming from the other side of the chapel. His dreams and meditations had taken him to his own personal hell and back.
He sensed that he was not alone.
He reached for his gun and it wasn’t there.
A hand cupped his shoulder and he turned with clenched fists to find Demetrius behind him.
Demetrius stepped back to avoid what the thought was going to be a swing of punches.
He reached out to calm Francis.
“Francis, I’ve been here with you. I heard you talking in your exhaustion. I know what you are going through. I can’t believe I am saying this, especially to you but there is a necessary sin some of us must commit to fulfill our appointed role in this life.
Judas knew it, Pilot felt it, so did Herod, and so did I.”
Handing August the gun,
“Here is your sword. It is the only power that can free you from the demon that is chasing you. Your battle is with this devil man, not God…free yourself Francis.”
Demetrius walked out of the chapel, but not before handing August a folded paper. The paper had seen better times. It was covered with water spots mud and what looked like smeared blood.
August unfolded the paper.
The writing on the inside was a style he had not seen since he was a boy.
"Dear Francis,
Your father and I miss you so much. We have taken a day away from the village to have a little picnic and cool down around a lake in the jungle. The local Jesuit priest, Fr. Demetrius told us of this little hideaway.
I hope you are behaving for your grandparents. They tell me you are doing well in school. The young children here are eager to learn just like you.
When we get home…"
The letter stopped there.
No love mom and dad.
No signature.
Just more dirt.
August knew what the ending meant.
His parent’s death was starting to make sense now.
August carefully folded the letter following the original creases. He reverently slid it in the pocket in his T-shirt under the cassock.
He stood up and took the cassock off and let it drop to the floor.
August walked out of the chapel stepping on the cassock not over it.
Chapter 59
Demetrius, back in his room made a call. The call went to a voice mail. Demetrius punched in a series of numbers,
“He knows everything. I delivered his parents to your father. I am not delivering him. I fulfilled my end years ago, now leave me alone. You should be prepared for him to kill you.”
Demetrius cradled the phone as he watched August walk down the lane and exit the house and garden.
Once he was certain August was away from the grounds, Demetrius walked over to the desk that occupied almost one whole side of the room. He pulled the high-backed chair away from the desk and sat down and stared at the mementos on the desk. There were trinkets from various assignments scattered across the front of the desk. Some took the shape of little dolls, others were pictures of him surrounded by smiling parishioners of various backgrounds. He sat in one spot for over an hour.
From a spot reserved for his breviary he pulled the book out and recited the midday prayers to himself.
Finally, when he was finished and confident that most of the men had left the building for the day. He pulled from the bottom drawer something he had been saving for the day he knew was coming.
He placed the muzzle under his chin, and with little thought, pulled the trigger into a new life.
Chapter 60
Watercreek, NE
News of the explosion at the hospital reached the mayor’s office minutes after the alarms were sounded. Rushing to her car, Susan forgot all about her concerns over Michelle, August and the “other woman” as the town was already starting to call her.
Pulling up to the main gate of the hospital she could see the activity at the far end. She was waved through as an official person with no need to check credentials. She thought,
“That never gets old.”
She handed her car off to one of the local volunteer firemen in the exchange he told her it was the morgue that went up in flames.
She knew it was wrong to wish Michelle ill but then, she didn’t wish her any happiness either. After asking if there were any casualties or injuries she was told only three. The ME was taken to the ER for smoke and minor burns, the other two were already dead, and the fire just finalized things.
Susan turned around, retrieved her car, and returned to her office. There had to be something on that phone that would answer all that was going on and she was going to find out.
chapter 61
Thursday
Michelle turned over in her hospital bed. When she did she was shocked to see August standing between her and the east window of the room. Through groggy morning eyes there was little doubt who was standing there.
August reached over and pushed her hair out of her face.
Even in her weak state from the fumes, she felt a rush run through her. She had been waiting for such a touch. She wanted to reach up and touch his hand, but she just let him lead where this might be going.
“Good morning”
“Morning August”
“You look like hell Marine.”
“That is what a fire will do to you.”
“You look like hell yourself Marine.”
“That’s what a night of driving will do to you.”
“August, what’s going on? I’ve been to your house. It was a mess. That’s not like you. I found clues since we last talked but I am afraid the fire has taken care of much of that. I am convinced none of this was an accident, but all of the evidence is gone.”
“Michelle, all you need to do now is rest. I’ll share with you what’s going on when its time. Right now, rest, I’ll need your help soon. Count on it. Now, I need to go home and follow up on some things.
I wanted to make sure you were okay.
I’ll be back later.”
August reached over and touched the back of his hand against Michelle’s face. He didn’t know why he did it. Her skin was cool to the touch.
He snapped his hand back as quickly as he placed it.
August, red faced, stepped out of the room into the hallway.
“Good morning Sheriff. We’ve missed you.”
“Morning to you to Madame Mayor.”
August walked down the hall without looking back.
Susan looked back hoping she would catch August trying to get a look at her.
Michelle was snuggling down in the bed with close thoughts of Auggie when the door opened.
Knowing it was August returning she put on her best smile and pulled up in bed.
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“Good morning Michelle.”
Michelle felt fear like her first day at Paris Island with an angry gunnery sergeant in her face telling her how worthless she was.
“Were you expecting someone else to come through the door. Oh, you poor girl to see me, you must be so disappointed.”
Chapter 62
Saine made his way out of the hotel and cut an angle across the street to the diner side of Main Street. It was still early in the morning and the traffic lights were set to flash yellow with the lack of traffic. A few pickups were parked diagonal against the curb and the smell of fried food and fresh bread drifted out of the diner.
By this morning, many downtown regulars already knew Bob. He was quickly accepted as one of them. It didn’t take long for the stories to circulate that he was the one that pulled Michelle to safety. Walking into the diner, more than one table invited him to sit with them. He graciously accepted the invitation of one group and quickly jumped in the main topics of weather, price of corn for this summer and who was going to be the next governor.
Bob dug a little deeper with the stories about the Sheriff, the priest and this young girl. He also listened to the gossip of the Sheriff being an ex-priest. Bob put on his best Catholic act and it wasn’t long before he was embraced as an adopted son of Watercreek. He left the diner with more than one invitation to go fishing on the weekend and even one local encouraging him to date his daughter.
After breakfast, Saine walked down Main Street opposite from the hotel and diner. No one took notice of his scrutiny of how the buildings were connected. Some of the buildings, being over hundred years old, were taller than the new stores stuck between them which were only one or two levels tall.
Saine stopped on the last corner of the business district. There was on old clothing store that still had signs painted on the brick for Oshkosh overalls but the signs in the display windows advertised the handmade crafts that now occupied the old suit racks.
On the other side of the street was a shoe store and a hardware store. In front of the hardware store was a guy he met at the diner. They exchanged a few greetings and the gentleman invited Saine back to the diner for lunch.
Looking back up Main Street towards his hotel Saine acknowledged to himself that they certainly picked the perfect spot. Most likely the event would happen any day now. He would be ready. All his planning and practice led up to this intersection of events. From what he knew about the people and the information he was able to gather; the day of the priest funeral would be a perfect setup.
A few people honked and waved at Saine as he crossed the street and walked back in the direction of the hotel. His walk took him past the Courthouse and he decided to stop in and pay the mayor a visit.
He figured by the way she acted in the diner, she would be happy to see him.
Chapter 63
It was hard for August to walk back into his house. When he left, he planned on never coming back. His time with Demetrius and time spent in the chapel, told him what he must do. If he was ever going to move forward and shake the past, he had to return.
Watercreek is where his final judgment would take place.
But, life was different. Different from how he ever imagined it would turn out.
August flipped the switch on the coffee maker and without thinking grabbed the carafe and stuck it under the faucet to fill. He stepped to the side and reached for the junk drawer to pull out an opener for the coffee can. Reaching in he grabbed the base of the crucifix he had pitched in two days ago. Pulling it out it stuck to his hand as if it was glued.
He stared at the image on the cross and was only broken from its hypnotic hold by the carafe overflowing in the sink.
August threw the cross back in the drawer and shut off the water.
He left the kitchen and unpacked his small bag and headed out of the house.
August figured the diner would have coffee on, plus he didn’t feel like cooking his own breakfast anyway.
Chapter 64
Susan was getting settled into her office for the morning when Anna knocked on the door to announce she had a visitor.
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve seen him around town. He was over at the diner this morning when I stopped in for coffee.
He’s cute.”
Susan straightened herself up a little and shuffled some papers on her desk to look busier than she was.
“Give me a minute and bring him in.”
Anna closed the door behind her to address the stranger in the outer office.
“The Mayor will be ready in a minute.”
Bob Saine noticed the bruise on Anna's face.
“Looks like you lost the fight.”
“No, fell over my chair. Clumsy me.”
“We’ve all done it.”
In the middle of the sentence; the mayor opened the door and was surprised to see Bob Saine standing in her office.
In a mayor voice,
“Won’t you come into my office, Mr., I am afraid I don’t know your name.”
“Bob Saine, State Agriculture Department.”
The mayor closed the door behind her as she followed Bob into her office but not without signaling to Anna not to disturb her.
Chapter 65
August walked into the diner and was greeted in unison by everyone. Some called him sheriff, others hollered out his name. George Stash who had been the postmaster in town for years called August over to his table. August politely declined with a wave and pulled out a chair at his usual table, one that gave a view up and down Main Street. It was obvious the tone was different in the diner. His normal greeting was reminiscent of when he was a kid and a priest would walk into the classroom and every student would greet the priest in one voice.
When August sat down he was immediately greeted by Bill, who made it his job to work every table.
“I am surprised to see you Auggie. The last time I saw you they were taking you out on a stretcher. Are you sure you should be here?”
“Why Bill? Are you afraid your cooking will finish the job?’
“I can only hope. You’re stubborn old man. Your usual?”
“Just eggs and toast.”
“I’ll get you some coffee.”
August could detect a coldness in Bill but chalked it up to maybe he was just off to a bad start for the morning.
August looked over the crowd. He watched more than a few faces turn away when he looked up and caught them off guard staring at him.
From his table August looked out the window and scrutinized people coming and going from the Courthouse. It was his spot to observe the heart of the city and still enjoy a cup of coffee.
Bill all but threw the order on the table. The toast slid off the plate.
“Hey Bill if I wanted the food thrown at me I’d give it to our Mayor.
Bill wiped his hands on his apron,
“Whatever.” And walked back into the kitchen.
August watched him walk away trying to figure out this attitude change with him.
Finishing the last bite, he looked up to catch the mayor and a man walking out of the Courthouse together. He didn’t recognize the man but everyone passing them seemed to know him. The stranger shook the hands of a couple of the guys and a few of the women walking by looked back to admire him when they figured he wasn’t looking. The mayor seemed to know him well as she gave him a quick hug as they parted.
August watched him walk down the steps and turned in the direction of the hotel.
August motioned for Bill to come over.
“Bill do you know that guy?” Pointing to the man in ball cap walking down the street.
Pouring August fresh coffee,
“Sure, name is Bob Saine, he’s been coming in here the past few days. Someone said he is from the state Ag department.”
August followed him from his spot in the diner until Saine past beyond the window. He was troubled by his familiar look but figured it would come to
him the less he thought about it.
August took the last drink of coffee, placed a few dollars on the table for a tip and walked out of the diner acknowledging a few folks on the way out.
Out on the sidewalk, August looked down the street in the direction of the stranger but didn’t see him. August turned in the opposite direction to start a walk down Main Street. He enjoyed walking the streets of a town he was challenged to protect.
But this morning was different.
He walked from memory of the curbs and crossings. He didn’t respond to the greetings of people he passed. More than one person asked how he was feeling with no response back from him. He was rolling over in his head the images and events of the last two days. In his mind he was passing jungle huts and walking on washed out roads. He was lost in the images of the battered Angelina replacement, the exhausted body of Michelle this morning and Steve’s car perched precariously on the edge of the ditch and his final request before dying.
August stepped off a curb without looking and was almost hit by a driver who had the green light. The driver was ready to yell his opinion at the pedestrian until he realized who it was. August crossed over to the opposite side of the street and started his walk back towards the Courthouse and his office.
Chapter 66
Susan stepped back into her office after telling Bob Saine goodbye. In a moment of slight giddiness, she slowly closed the door behind her briefly resting her hand against the door as it glided back. Susan agreed to have dinner with Saine later. She felt pretty good about herself. Her obvious ability to attract the attention of the men she wanted was verified by Saine’s visit. The fact he was younger than her was even more of a confidence booster.
If he was who he said he was, this could be a very advantageous night out.
Necessary Sin Page 12