Illusions of Evil (Illusions Series Book 1)

by Lily White

  “Tell me you haven’t wondered, brother. That you haven’t looked at the innocent girls sitting there listening to you preach about God, the ones kneeling before you to accept the body of Christ into their bodies, their lush little mouths sliding over your fingers, and remembered what it was like to show them what it meant to see the divine.”

  Fear traced up my spine. Not for myself, but for the innocent people who were being dragged into the crosshairs of a man who was obviously lost to his insanity. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Why not?” he asked, raising his hands up as if what he’d done to Eve meant nothing. As if his cryptic threat against Annabelle was just a simple joke between brothers. Pushing away from the tree, he took measured steps toward me, but stopped when he was still ten feet away.

  “Try as much as you like, Jacob, hide behind your clerical collar, drop to your knees to beg forgiveness and pray to a God who isn’t listening. None of that will rid you of the man you really are deep down inside. We started our games together, but it was always you who played harder, who bit deeper into the hearts of the sweet women who invited us to their beds.”

  He paused, his breath even while mine was a storm within my chest.

  “Tell me, brother, are your prayers helping you? And who will God listen to when you pray for the strength to avoid Eve while I pray for your weakness so that you give in and remember exactly who you are?”

  I couldn’t listen to him anymore. Just like the asshole I’d left bleeding on the side of the road, I wanted to rage against Jericho, wanted to slam my fist into his face so many times he would no longer look like my twin.

  “Stay away from my parish. Stay away from my parishioners. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from Eve and from me.”

  Soft laughter shook his shoulders. “Now, that I can’t help you with. Eve is only on loan. And time is moving quickly toward the moment I’ll be taking her back. Tick tock, Jacob.”

  Stepping forward, I stopped myself before getting so close I’d be tempted to act on the violence churning inside me.

  “You may have convinced Eve that I’m you. Hell, you may have convinced your entire family, but there are people who know I have a twin brother. There are people who can tell the police or whoever I end up dragging into this that you’ve been lurking around this church.”

  “Are there?” he asked, the corner of his lips pulling up. “I guess that means I should be on my way then. I would hate for all of this to be for nothing.”

  Turning away from me, he waved from over his shoulder as he casually strolled towards the woods that lined the property. “Take care, Jacob. I’m sure we’ll run into each other again soon.”

  “No, we won’t,” I yelled back.

  Stopping in place, he glanced at me from over his shoulder. “I won’t stop until you give in to the fear and trembling, brother. Fear,” he repeated, “and trembling. You’ll understand what I mean by that soon enough. The gift I left you is in Eve’s bedroom, by the way. You may want to get to it before she does. I don’t think she’ll appreciate it very much.”

  With that, he walked off, becoming lost in shadow before disappearing into the woods entirely.

  “Fuck,” I hissed, hating that I’d lost the ability to have anything more intelligent to say. Kicking at the rock that had pierced my foot when I first walked outside, I crossed the driveway to slam the door to my truck, and turned to walk back inside.

  I didn’t appreciate hearing he’d been in Eve’s bedroom again, and I feared I’d find her in pain and struggling just like the last time. She couldn’t stay alone in her room any longer, which meant she’d have to stay in my room with me.

  Eve being within easy reach wouldn’t make my life any easier.

  Racing into the rectory, I grabbed a shirt and wound through the halls into the church, around the sanctuary and down the hall leading to Eve’s door. Fear was a tension over my bones, but I threw open the door, expecting…

  Hell, I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I found.

  Eve slept peacefully in her bed, the first rays of morning light shining in through the window to illuminate her face. There were no new bruises that I could see and the blankets were pulled up snug to her chin.

  Jericho must have left her alone for once.

  Which meant there was something else in this room that he’d tucked away, a gift he intended for me to find before anybody else had the opportunity.

  Moving quietly into the room, I was glad for my lack of shoes. It made it easier for me to creep around without making a sound, without waking up the young woman sleeping on the bed. Quickly scanning my eyes over the room, I didn’t see anything that was out of place, but while running my eyes past the small desk positioned beneath the crucifix on the wall, I caught sight of just the corner of a white envelope where it had been tucked inside a large Bible.

  I glanced at Eve to ensure she was still sleeping before padding slowly over the floor. A board creaked beneath my foot. I stopped and waited to see if it was enough to wake her up. She didn’t stir in response to the sound so I kept going.

  Reaching the desk, I slipped the envelope from the Bible, refusing to open it until I was out of the room and away from prying eyes. I closed the door behind me without letting it latch and walked at a brisk pace down the hall toward the rectory. Before I could make it through the sanctuary I was stopped in my path.

  “Father Hayle? Do you have a minute to talk?”

  I spun in place to lock eyes with Sister Agnes, one of the senior nuns that lived at the convent a few streets away. As soon as I saw the black of her habit, I remembered that I’d never heard what happened to Sister Joyce.

  “Sister,” I said, inclining my head and stuffing the envelope discreetly into my pocket. “Can I help you with something?”

  Her gaze trailed down my body and back up to my face. “Why are you running around in pajamas and no shoes, Father?” Her face turned toward the hall from where I’d just emerged. The last thing I needed was for her curiosity to lead her down that direction to find Eve sleeping naked in the recovery room.

  Quickly, I marched forward and took her by the hand. “I’m sorry, Sister, I know it’s not proper for me to be running around half dressed. I’d rushed inside to make some coffee, but before I could walk into the kitchen, I thought I heard a noise. I was just checking that all the windows and doors to the church are locked.”

  Her expression fell, her hand reaching up to clutch the rosary that hung from her neck. “Oh, yes. I heard about what happened to the statue of Mary. It’s horrible business, I tell you. Darn kids think it’s funny nowadays, but they have no idea how mean spirited their pranks are. Sister Eunice returned to the convent very much in distress for having seen it.”

  I patted her hand. “It’s been taken care of. We were able to clean the statue,” I turned to show her, “and as you can see, it’s good as new.”

  A small smile spread over her lips, but she was still upset. “Well, I’m glad to see that, Father, but I need to talk to you about other matters. Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

  Glancing around the sanctuary, I noticed there was nobody else in the room. How much more private did she need it to be? Still, she was obviously concerned about something and I needed to get this conversation over with as quickly as possible before Eve woke up and came looking for me.

  “We can talk in my office, if you like.”

  “Yes, Father. That will work.”

  I motioned with my arm. “Ladies first.”

  She blushed, but tried to turn her head in time for me to miss it. I didn’t.

  Sister Agnes did the sign of the cross as soon as she entered my office. Her eyes had gone straight to the crucifix on the wall opposite my desk. She kissed her rosary and walked to take a seat facing me.

  Seated behind the desk, I could feel the edge of the envelope pressing against my leg, and the sharp corner of whatever was inside. I needed to get the
Sister out of here. "What would you like to talk to me about?"

  "Two things," she announced, her lips pulling into an apologetic line. "The first is about Sister Joyce. We contacted the hospital to see if she showed up to read to the children, and they told us she did. But nobody has seen her since that time. Do you know if she came back to the parish?"

  "I don't think she did," I answered honestly, happy that, for once, I could say something without it being a lie. I was racking up the minor sins so fast that a few Hail Marys wasn't going to be enough to make up for them.

  Plus, there was that slightly major one I still had to atone for, not to mention the inverted cross in the floor of my bedroom. Twelve years of my life were being washed away.

  "Well, we've called the police so they can start looking for her. But we're asking around ourselves as well. Didn't the issue with the statue happen the morning after you saw her last?"

  "It happened that night." My eyes blinked slowly as the reminder of that particular nightmare was slapped in my face. Through all the other chaos with Eve, I'd neglected to remember there was a missing nun and puddles of blood in the sanctuary.

  Reaching up, I pinched the bridge of my nose.

  "Are you okay, Father Hayle?"

  "Yes," I groaned, pulling my hand from my face. "I'm just exhausted," I explained, glad that it wasn't a lie.

  "Where were you the night Sister Joyce disappeared and the statue was violated?"

  "Here," I answered honestly, even if I was leaving out the part where I was busy tending to a brainwashed naked woman. Technically it was a lie of omission, but I tried not to think about that.

  "And what happened the following morning? When the desecrated statue was found?"

  "I heard a scream coming from the sanctuary, so I ran in to investigate. It was the young initiate. I led her into the kitchen and then went outside-"

  "I mean, what happened with Sister Eunice?"

  My thoughts were immediately back in the front courtyard where my brother had scared that poor woman to the point of tears. In my rush to go tell Eve that I was taking her back to the compound, I hadn't given Eunice the time to calm down. I hadn't been the shepherd I should have been for all members of the church. "She saw the statue, which I assumed is what upset her so much."

  I hadn't yet mentioned my brother because I didn't want the cops involved with Eve still in such a fragile state. The Diocese would discover she was staying at the church and demand she be taken to a hospital or a home for people in her less than healthy mental condition. Although, if the time came when I needed to involve the police, the young nun would be a witness to the fact that I have an identical twin who's been lurking around church property.

  Sister Agnes frowned. "That sounds like very little for her to have reacted so poorly."

  My eyebrows arched up my head. "What do you mean?"

  "She's left God's service, Father. We're unsure where she's gone, but she left a note in her room explaining she'd changed her mind about taking her formal vows."

  Crap. That only left the gardener, Mr. Whitaker as an eyewitness regarding my brother.

  "I'm sorry to hear that, Sister. Perhaps there were other factors playing into her decision."

  "Our life is not for everyone, Father. You know that as much as I."

  Inclining my head in agreement, I moved my leg in an effort to get whatever was poking me from the envelope to shift. I only succeeded in making it press tighter against my leg. "Is there anything else, Sister?"

  Her frown deepened. "Well, yes. There is the upsetting business of what occurred late yesterday afternoon."

  Folding my hands over each other on the surface of my desk, I waited patiently for her to reveal whatever that upsetting business was.

  "Where were you last night, Father? Not late, but around sunset?"

  "Here." Another lie.

  "Are you sure? You see, George Whitaker was in an unfortunate accident on his property."

  My eyes widened. "What happened? Is he okay?"

  "He's dead, Father."

  My heart dropped into my stomach. George was the only man who could verify Jericho's existence beyond Eunice. Without either of them, I had no other person who could tell the police that Jericho was on church property.

  "How did he die?"

  "He was tending to his lawn and there was apparently an accident involving his lawn mower. Horrible business, really. When he was found, he was on the brink of death. Someone was sent to fetch you from the parish so you could pray over him, but nobody could find you."

  "I was here," I lied, swallowing down the lump it left in my throat.

  "Your truck wasn't, Father."

  No. No it wasn't. But I couldn't tell her I was dropping a brainwashed woman off to the cult my twin brother was running only to find her getting raped on the side of the road where I proceeded to beat down her attacker.

  "Oh, you know? That's right. I had a few errands to run. I'm sorry. I forgot that."

  As if God himself were sitting in the room testing me for each lie that was easily falling from my lips, Sister Agnes' gaze dropped to my hands, her eyes widening instantly. "What happened to your hand? You're injured."

  I followed her gaze to the bandage I'd quickly wrapped over my busted knuckles before going to bed. Blood had seeped through the white cotton.

  "Um, I -" Another lie was coming. Another festering knot clogging my throat. "That was the errand. I'm having battery issues with my truck and cut my hand working on it."

  Only a partial lie. I really was having battery issues, as in the battery was most likely dead from having left the door open all night.

  "You really must be more careful, Father."

  Nodding in agreement, I had nothing to say. I was simply biding my time for her to leave so I could open the envelope and find out what other unfortunate surprises my brother had in store for me. As it appeared now, each person who could have confirmed he was around or near the church was missing or dead. My blood pressure was steadily rising and I needed this meeting to end.

  I was also finally aware of why Jericho had grinned when I told him there were people who could attest to what he was doing. At the time I made the statement, he must have known for a fact those people weren't around any longer.

  "Well, I've taken enough of your time, Father. I'm sure you’re busy today preparing the homily for Sunday Mass tomorrow."

  I groaned. No matter what occurred today, I had no choice but to prepare the homily. My absence at Sunday Mass couldn't be explained away by a dead truck battery. People would notice, which meant people would start asking questions.

  "The police will be stopping by at some point to talk to you about the vandalism to the sanctuary. I just wanted to let you know."

  My brows shot up again. "Is that really necessary? The statue is fine and -"

  "They also want to talk to you about Sister Joyce's disappearance. It's all normal procedure when a missing persons report is filed."

  Drawing in a deep breath, I forced a small smile. "Of course, Sister."

  She stood and I stood along with her to walk her to my office door. Taking her hands in mine, I said, "May God bless you and walk beside you in your day."

  Her smile was unsure. "You too, Father."

  She left immediately after and I watched through the window to verify when she was off parish property. Once she was happily on her way down the sidewalk, I ran back to my desk, pulled the envelope from my pocket and sat down in my chair. Staring at the non-descript white paper, I whispered a quick prayer before opening it to discover what was inside.

  Three Polaroid pictures were tucked neatly within the envelope, and were upside down as I pulled them out. When I turned them over, the shock was so sudden that I pushed back my chair, grabbed my wastebasket and dry heaved over it.

  This wasn't happening. This couldn't possibly be happening.

  Sweat broke out over my forehead to drip along the side of my face, and the rage inside me was ratchetin
g so high that I feared there was no other way to release it without punching walls.

  That sick son of a bitch.

  Flipping the pictures over to lie side by side on the surface of my desk, my eyes blinked in disbelief and heartache.

  The first image was innocent. Annabelle Prete was hugging me in the front courtyard of the church on the day she'd come to confess her crush on me. The picture was taken from a distance, as if someone happened to be walking by and snapped the shot.

  But the other two photos were what drove my heart rate to the point of pain - to the point where my hands were clutching into fists and dread was a steady stream trickling down my spine.

  The first was taken from a vantage point above the young woman's partially naked body. Her arms were spread out above her head on a bed, her breasts were exposed where her shirt had been unbuttoned and her skirt was pooling around her hips. Below, her legs were spread and the shot captured the moment a cock was being pushed inside her body. A mixture of pain and pleasure was in her facial expression - joy, love, doubt and guilt obvious in her eyes.

  But it was the next picture that worried me, only because it was the next picture that showed me exactly what Jericho had done.

  Annabelle was still naked in the shot, her mouth open on the cry of a young woman having sex for the first time. And in the mirror that was also included in the frame, was a clear reflection of my brother's - my - face, below which was a black shirt like I always wore, together with the stark white strip of a clerical collar.

  EVE

  Do not worship any other gods or bow down to them, serve them, or sacrifice to them. 2 Kings 17:35

  An hour is a long time to wait when you have to go to the bathroom.

  I'd woken peacefully that morning, tucked in and warm beneath soft blankets. I felt light and easy, relieved of some horrible pressure that for the past few days had been squeezing the life out of me.

  Sitting up on the mattress, I felt a smile pull at my lips, the corners creeping up slowly. It was if my mouth had forgotten how to form the expression, probably because it had been so long since I remembered making it.