The Fallen and the Elect
Page 54
Chapter 27
Bishop Grielle tried to control the flurry of his thoughts, wondering how he would approach talking to Father Hernandez about giving him a private report prior to information going to Cardinal Millhouse. A call might have sufficed, but driving over first thing in the morning to discuss the situation with the Father face-to-face would show how emphatic he was with his petition. Getting closer to the parish, Bishop Grielle now wasn't sure if his mentor had already received the information the three collected. Reflecting back ten years, thinking how he had directed the unknowing acquirement of Michael’s and Sister Justine’s research data during the first investigative trip to Mexico, the Bishop now considered why Michael held such animosity toward him. The Bishop had been in his new post for only a few months before being placed in charge of the two and their trip to Mexico. His leadership directed the confiscation any and all information they may have uncovered during their initial investigation.
In the church, the Bishop found Father Hernandez already working hard sorting through notes, papers, and several open books, some, the Bishop noted, covering church doctrines on Angelology. Father Hernandez was shocked to see Bishop Grielle coming through the doorway of the catechism meeting room reconfigured as a mini-conference room.
“Your Excellency? What’re you doing here?”
“I see you're hard at work compiling the information on what you found out during your trip.”
“Yes, but what’re you doing here? We're attempting to finish this today so we can discuss this with you and the Cardinal tomorrow, worst case Thursday morning.”
“That’s why I’m here,” the Bishop commented as he took a chair next to the table while trying to sneak a quick glance at some of the notes and papers before continuing. “I understand you've found out some pretty interesting pieces of information during your probing for answers.”
“We have a couple of ideas, but couldn't all of this have waited until we came to present our findings?” Father Hernandez asked, extremely curious. He must’ve driven out here for a reason beyond just trying to get an early glimpse of their research.
“Your Excellency, I’d have to think there’s some other reason you're here,” Father Hernandez continued.
The Bishop decided not to answer; a silent void formed between the two. During this period of silence, Sister Justine walked in. Expecting only to see Father Hernandez and finding the Bishop in the room, she surmised the reason for his visit. Feigning interest, she presented the Bishop with a pleasant smile, not wanting to show her hand in case she was wrong.
“Bishop Grielle, what a nice surprise to see you. What brings you here this morning?” Sister Justine asked in flowery tone. Both men consciously noted the plastic emotions wrapped in her comments.
The Bishop accepted the pseudo sincerity and warmth of the Sister while standing to greet her. “It’s nice to see you as well Sister. I was getting a little impatient and wanted to see how things were coming along in regard to the information you're putting together.” Father Hernandez was upset, feeling the reverence was misplaced.
“We'd be delighted to do that,” she answered, hoping to disarm any planned surreptitious objectives.
Nearly 20 minutes elapsed as both Father Hernandez and Sister Justine presented the Bishop with a synopsis of most all the data they collected and possible explanations. Bishop Grielle's face flushed as the two provided their primary conjecture for the possible tie-in of the angels and the Everest cloning project. The speculation by the research team was something the Bishop did not expect; the angels of God were the ones attempting to disrupt or cease the work of the Church's patron, and the work in progress possibly considered an abomination. The Bishop asked himself the question of the true intentions and impact of the unique visitor upon the Bishop of Rome. The Bishop's original purpose for driving out to the church became vaporous.
“These are some serious conjectures you’re making,” the Bishop commented, overwhelmed by the revelations.
Father Hernandez interjected, “Understand, it’s just conjecture at this point. This is just us pulling some weak correlations that may have nothing to do with one another.”
“But if true, the cause of what happened all those years ago could be related to the event here in the city,” Sister Justine added.
“Do you both understand what you're saying?” Bishop Grielle asked, beginning to massage aggressively his left shoulder and upper left arm.
“I'm not sure you understand what we're saying your Excellency,” Father Hernandez responded.
Bishop Grielle, sweat forming on his forehead, gasping for air in short, arduous breaths, put one hand on his chest and the other on the tabletop. “May I so much as ask for a glass of water? I'm not feeling too well; I think I may have indigestion,” he labored.
Both Father Hernandez and Sister Justine understood what was happening.