Page 129 of For I Have Sinned

In a whisper, I ask, “Did you and Esther come up with a plan?”

“She said she needed time to think of something.”

“We don’t have time.” Standing from my chair, I say, “I’m going to go talk with her. See if I can help her.”

Alex nods, but his mouth twists in worry. “You’re sure you deleted it?”

“Yes,” I respond, placing a hand on his arm. “I wouldn’t have suggested we get the police involved if it didn’t delete.”

“Okay,” he says, with a breath of relief. “Go find Esther.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Besides avoid Father Keaton?” he asks in a low voice. “I don’t know.”

“Keep yourself busy,” I tell him. “Take your mind off of all this shit. I’ll come find you tonight after I talk with her.”

He nods, pressing a kiss to my forehead, and then I walk out of the office on a mission.

I ended up finding Esther in her room, which works out well. We don’t need anyone eavesdropping on the things that need to be discussed. My feet have been very acquainted with her wooden floor, seeing as I haven’t been able to stop wandering around her room.

“Celine, can you sit down? You’re stressing me out,” Esther says, from where she sits on her bed.

I pause, looking over at her while I chew at the skin on my thumb. I drop my hand with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m panicking, and when I panic, I pace.”

“I know,” she says, patting the empty spot next to her. “But it will all work out, and Father Keaton will end up behind bars.”

“We can only hope.” I plop down next to her. “So what is the plan? What are you going to say to the police?”

Esther scoots back on the bed until her back is against the wall. “I already called them.”

My head whips in her direction. “What? When?”

“After I left Father Alexander’s office. The whole walk to my bedroom, I was thinking of what to say, and when I got in here, I just called.”

I shift my body to face her. “What did you tell them?”

“I told them I’m part of a convent at a church, and a friend of mine confided in me that the head priest has been taking advantage of her. She said she’s too scared to tell anyone else because she fears no one will believe a priest of his stature is capable of something so heinous. But I’m worried about her, so I decided to make the call myself and report it on her behalf.”

“Okay, that’s good,” I say with hope. “Did they ask for her name?”

“Yes, and I gave it to them.”

“Did you give them Bekah’s?”

She nods. “They asked if I had been subjected to any of this, and I said no, but then they asked if there were any other women who I thought might have been affected. That’s when I gave them Bekah’s name. I also told them that Joanna had mentioned he filmed and took photos whenever they were together. The woman on the phone seemed worried and said they would send someone out to check on the situation.”

“Did they say how long?” I ask.

“The dispatcher said an officer would be here soon since they aren’t far down the street.”

“How long has it been since you made the phone call?”

“Ten minutes ago?”

I fling myself off her bed and throw her door open. I hear her footsteps behind me as I run through the hall and down the stairs. Cutting a sharp left at the hall by the chapel, I immediately stop when I get to the next turn that leads to the offices.

Esther slams into my back, causing me to hiss out from the impact, but when we peek around the corner, our bodies go still when we see two police officers standing outside Father Keaton’s office.