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Father Levi stands at the back of the pantry, then grabs two loaves of bread and turns to leave. I close the door behind me and pull my knife free.
He drops the bread, realization dawning in his eyes almost instantly. Guilt. That’s what that sudden intake of breath and haze of fear means.
He holds up a hand to ward me off. “I’m a man of God. You can’t--”
“Maurice Taletti has revoked your position at Our Lady of Sorrows.” I step toward him as his chin begins to tremble. I will grant him no mercy. After all, he never gave his victims any.
When I grab him by the throat with my free hand, his piss hits the floor in a steady trickle, followed shortly by his blood.
3
LENA
Iclose my eyes tightly. It’s too much to take. I can’t bear it. I spit out all the sour Sweetarts into the kitchen sink.
“Ha! I knew you couldn’t hold ten in your mouth. The record is mine!” Kimber lets out an evil laugh as she dances around her tiny dorm room.
“You’re mean.” I pout.
How could anyone hold ten sour Sweetarts in their mouth for sixty seconds?
“You know I had a rough night. You could’ve let me win.” I turn on the water and bend down to the faucet to try and wash the sourness out of my mouth. My hair hangs into the water, causing the ends to get wet. I try and jerk back before too much of my hair gets soaked, which causes water to go up my nose. I let out a choked sound. I close my eyes because there is nothing worse than water going up your nose.
“Shit. You okay?” Kimber has stopped dancing around to check on me.
She picks up another Sweetart and pops it into her mouth.
“I’m okay.” I grab the kitchen cloth to wipe my face.
“That’s good, because you might have had a rough night but you haven’t filled me in.”
I pick up my phone and peek out my window. I don’t see any lights on. I’m not sure if he’s home or not. Probably still feeding the homeless or maybe helping orphaned children.
“There’s nothing to fill in. It was lame.” I walk into the living room and plop down.
“Is it lame because you got busted, eh?”
“No! I totally played it cool.” It was close. I was sure I was a moment away from being busted, but he didn't notice me. I should be happy about that, but I’d be a liar if I don’t admit that I wanted him to notice me a little, even if I was playing spy. But no, he didn’t even look at me. Not once.
I scrape my tongue with my teeth. “He volunteers at a church. Achurch, Kimber. He preps meals for the elderly.” Maybe I’m wrong about him. But I don’tfeelwrong. He sure as heck doesn’t look as though he’s a man that follows the Ten Commandments. The whole church thing has only heightened my curiosity. “It has to be a front for something,” I say, already concocting my own story of why he was at that church.
“You’re never going to be satisfied, are you?” Kimber laughs. “Maybe he’s running a huge drug operation out of the church basement! You should have checked the Bibles. I bet they were hollowed out and stuffed with kilos of cocaine,” she says while I nod along.
“You think so?” This would make more sense. The late night outings, nice suits and fancy cars are all a part of the drug ring he runs. That has to be it. “Yeah, I think you’re on to something. The church is just a smokescreen. There’s a covert operation. He probably calls it ‘Crack for Christ’ or something.”
Kimber rolls her eyes at me. “Doubtful, but you’re not going to be satisfied until you figure it out. What if this dude is living a normal life? One where he works nights, pays his taxes, and maybe believes in God so he goes to church.” I can feel the exasperation in her voice. I simply shrug, because there is no way he’s straight-laced.
“Well, how about he could be an undercover FBI agent that’s staking out the church?” I say it in one long breath before Kimber can interrupt me.
She shakes her head. “You’re too far gone. There’s no hope for you.”
We both start laughing, because it’s true.
“Really though. What if the church is a front for something?” I know I’m reaching but I don’t want this to be over. I was just starting to have fun.
“You’re missing the most important point of your story. You got in your car and followed him to the church, then wentinsidethe church?” Kimber smiles. “He might be up to no good, but I think he’s doing you some good.”
She might be right. I bite my lip. I’m always so nervous about venturing out of the house, but I did it. That’s how far gone I am. I’ve jumped into the deep end just to figure him out. I drove way past my normal safe zone around my house. I also stopped at a roadside convenience store and went into the church, a place where a group of people gather. That, in itself, is a huge deal for me. I try never to go anywhere with lots of people. It makes me nervous. I don’t know why, but it’s a quirk I’ve always had.
