She would understand.In the end, she would understand.
He knocked on the door, inhaling deeply of the conifer-scented air.Cypress had a distinct citrusy undertone to its aroma.Cox found it cleansing.He’d enjoyed his brief stay in the forest before resuming his mission.Were his end not predetermined, he would have liked to retire in a forest much like that one.
Nevertheless, not his will but God’s be done.
The door opened, and an elderly man, bald and wearing thick glasses over his faded green eyes, regarded Cox.“Hello?”
Cox smiled tenderly.“Good evening, sir.My name is Father Hiram Gooding.I’m traveling on behalf of the Archdiocese of St.Louis in Father Thompson’s stead.I’ve been assigned to oversee his flock while the father recuperates from his surgery.”
A brief search of the archdiocese’s records had informed Cox that Father Thompson had undergone surgery to replaced a disc in his lower back.He would be out of commission for the next two weeks.The priest actually assigned to replace him would introduce himself to the entire congregation that coming Sunday at mass.Douglas Hale would not live long enough to realize Cox’s deception.
“I see,” the stranger replied.“Well, come on in, father.”
God was good.
Douglas extended a hand to Cox as they crossed the foyer.“I’m Douglas Hale.I’m the chief deacon at the cathedral.”
Kate’s sacrifice was the ultimate goal, but that didn’t mean the correction Cox provided for each transgressed commandment wasn’t important.This man had transgressed the eighth commandment.It was no coincidence that this house’s location made it perfect for the cipher.God had led Cox here because God wanted more people to hear his message.If this death sent ripples through the Church, then it was God’s attempt to warn them, to give them one more chance to repent before judgment.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr.Hale,” Cox replied.
“Yes, it’s fortuitous,” Douglas agreed.“I’d been praying for God’s guidance.It appears He has sent exactly that to me.”He looked at Cox.“Are you available to hear my confession, Father?”
Cox smiled at him.“My dear sir, that is the precise reason I’ve come.”
Hale smiled.“Good.I’ve been carrying this weight ever since I was ordained.I just don’t think I can do it anymore.I wanted to confess to Father Thompson, but… I was ashamed.I consider him a friend.I didn’t want him to know.”He chuckled bitterly.“I suppose I should confess that too.”
“Sin is a weight that drags the soul down to hell,” Cox replied, accepting the easy chair to which Hale gestured.“And repentance is the choice to cast one’s sin upon God and have him lift it from your shoulders.”
Hale sat across from Cox and folded his hands pensively.His eyes fell to an object on the ornately carved mahogany coffee table in front of him.Cox glanced at the table and saw a set of pearl earrings.This was the sign God wished him to leave for Kate.The symbol of Hale’s theft.The beacon Cox would use to point the way to the altar of Kate’s sacrifice.
“How is Father Thompson?”Hale asked.
“He’s in good spirits,” Cox replied.He stared firmly at Hale.“But God didn’t call us here to talk about Father Thompson.”
Hale sighed.“No, I don’t believe he did.”
He sighed again and tapped his fingers together.With his brow drawn together in anxiety, he looked even older than his advanced age.
“You know how to start, I presume,” Cox prodded.
Hale nodded.With a final sigh, he straightened and lifted his eyes to the cross hanging above his fireplace.“Bless me, father, for I have sinned.”
“What is your transgression, my child?”
“Identity theft.”
Cox lifted an eyebrow, feigning surprise.“Identity theft.That’s a serious crime.”
“It is,” Hale agreed.He took a deep breath and smiled.“I already feel better for saying it aloud.It’s good that I’m finally doing this.”
“Confession is good for the soul, as they say,” Cox replied.“Now come.Tell me more, child.”
Hale chuckled.“Sorry.I’ll never get used to that.Father Thompson is young too, younger than you.It’s just odd to be a seventy-eight-year-old man hearing a man young enough to be my son call me child.”
“Your confession is not complete, my child,” Cox reminded him.“You must make a full and honest account of your transgression.Otherwise, your soul is lost.”
“Right.”Hale took another deep breath and released it through his nose.“Those earrings,” he said, nodding at the coffee table.“I bought them to impersonate a woman.”
