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“I know.” Father O’Malley says, and I have a feeling we are not on the same page. Instead of asking for confirmation, I simply go for straight clarification. . .
“No, Father. I mean, Tony and I are together, together.”
“Oh . . . “
“Yes!”
“I take it she knows?”
“Yes. I told her the truth. The whole truth.”
“Thank you, Lord. It is a burden that has weighed heavily on me. Every time I read all those wranglings between you two in the papers, my heart broke into a million pieces. I wanted so much to tell Tony if only to lessen her pain, but I couldn’t. My hands were tied by the confessional.”
“I know . . .” Tony says. “You came so close once.”
“I know. May God forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Father,” Tony says. “I was still none-the-wiser when I left you. You did not betray any confidence.”
“Bless you, my child. I am so happy you two have finally found each other.”
“Thank you, Father,” I chime in, “but please remember this still stays just between us three. I do not want my enemies to make me bleed by cutting Tony. This is crucial. This stays strictly between us—understood?”
“Understood.”
“Now, you were saying? Start from the beginning, for Tony’s sake.” I say, nestling Tony on my lap.
“Well, as I just told Liam, a Mr. Rothwell has been arrested in Liam’s attempted murder case and has been detained for questioning. Sarah says he was caught with a wealth of incriminating evidence. He professes his innocence, but the evidence, according to Sarah, is overwhelming. There’s just so much of it."
"Such as?" I ask, my heart racing at the thought of finally getting answers but also wondering why Mr. Rothwell would go to such lengths without even talking to me first about anygrievances he might have had with me, my company, or what we were doing. It doesn’t make sense . . . none of it makes sense.
"Blueprints of your home were found in his office, along with records of calls made to a man apparently well known as the connoisseur of a known assassin," Father O'Malley explains.
"But this doesn’t make sense, Father. Are you guys sure it's him? It seems almost too convenient." My skepticism creeps in as I remember the countless times I've been betrayed before.
"Sarah and her team are going through the evidence thoroughly, but I must say, I, too, thought that things were falling into place a little too neatly. Anybody capable of doing such a thing as Mr. Rothwell is accused of must have some basic instinct for survival. Why would he leave so many breadcrumbs for law enforcement to follow? It all seems too neat for me . . . almost like it is staged, come to think of it, now that you have shone a light on it for me. It is all too neatly packaged.” Father O'Malley ponders.
We all comb through the information as Father O’Malley lays it down. I stop cold when Father O’Malley reads through a report and then pauses abruptly—
“Father, share your thoughts. What’s going on.” I say.
“Something doesn’t feel right. . .”
"What are you talking about?"
"Firstly, the call records show contact with Diego, the assassin procurement guy, but they're all incoming calls, none outgoing. Secondly, the blueprints were hidden in a drawer beneath unrelated paperwork, almost as if he wanted them to be found. And lastly, there's a text message from an unknown number warning Rothwell that he is being watched. I should have read this report thoroughly before calling you, Liam. I got over-excited just seeing that someone was in custody, and I jumped the gun. This report requires a detailed look. Some of these inconsistencies don’t make sense to me."
"The inconsistencies don't sit well with me either," I say, my suspicion growing. "What does Rothwell have to say for himself?"
"He is steadfast in his claims of innocence, according to Sarah’s contact in the police force. He claims the blueprints were probably planted by the real culprit. He also claimed, as part of his plea to be released on bond, that “they” were threatening his family. That is just a side note here, so I don’t know its importance or value. This is all way above my head. I am way out of my depth here. All this would be so much easier if you were here.”
“I know, Father. I have put a great burden on you, and I know I am asking a lot. Let’s see where this line of inquiry ends, and I will see if I can possibly come back home. I’ve kind of had enough of Zurich, actually. Maybe it is time to come home.”
“Let’s not rush into anything. Let’s give it a week or two, then reevaluate based on what comes out of the current events.”
“Understood. Thank you, Father . . .” I say, the dark clouds getting darker.
“Yeah, thank you, Father. I will be coming back next week to prepare to go back to Texas to school. I will pop in and see you then.”
