A Rose From The Executioner

by Edward Izzi

  No one had seen him, as if he had just simply disappeared.

  The Most Reverend Monsignor Joseph Francis Kilbane was never seen or heard from again.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Redemption Meeting

  The warm spring April air seemed to dance around the city, as every person in Chicago at the time seemed to have spring fever. It had been a very long, cold winter, as if everyone believed the warm alluring breezes of spring would never come. Tulips were sprouting everywhere along West Division Street, as the brother knights of the Society of the Rose Crucifix were slowly arriving for their monthly assembly at the old, brownstone church.

  Each of the brother knights entered the antiquated building one by one, in the order of their assigned times of entry. Brother Jeramiah was the first knight to enter building at exactly 6:00pm on that warm spring evening. He unlocked the door with his special key and adorned his mask. At 6:15pm, so too, did Brother Aaron, followed by Brother Barabbas at 6:30pm. Each brother knight, as was the ritual, entered the old church at their assigned times and privately, adorned their masks. At 8:00pm, Brother Ezekiel, the Grand Knight arrived.

  The meeting came to order at 8:08pm, with the Grand Knight Ezekiel leading the assembly with the Pledge of Allegiance and an opening prayer. Afterwards, he called his fellow brothers to the agenda at hand.

  There were some important matters to discuss, as the Grand Knight Ezekiel led the assembly of red hooded brothers. The prior month’s minutes and old business was discussed and settled, then the Grand Knight directed the meeting:

  “Brother Knights, as you remember, Brother Cain has been designated to save and redeem the tainted soul of the former Father John Marquardt at out last meeting,” the Grand Knight reminded the assembly.

  “We ask our brother to apprise us of his progress regarding this endeavor,” he said.

  Brother Cain then began to discuss Marquardt’s residing address, his volunteer work at Lurie Children’s Hospital, and his other habits and daily routine. He then went into detail as to the proposed date, time and point of ‘reclamation and deliverance’, which everyone agreed should be performed in the month of May, the month of the Virgin Blessed Mother. All twelve of the attending knights agreed to Brother Cain’s proposal for Marquardt’s ‘redemption’.

  “Brother Knights,” continued the Grand Knight. “We have another candidate which has been suggested by another one of our brothers.”

  At that point, Brother Rueben asked for the floor, as all the red hooded knights proceeded to listen.

  “Brother Knights, I propose the reclamation and deliverance of the soul of the former Fr. Lucas Senopoli,” he declared in the form of a motion, as he continued to describe in detail, the various abuses and sexual deviances that were committed by the former priest in his stint as the Dean of Students and Principal at St. Peter Chanel and Notre Dame High Schools. After a brief discussion, the Grand Knight went around the whole table of twelve. He then requested each to affirm or deny the action put forth before the board. Each brother’s assumed name was recited, and each Knight of the Rose Crucifix affirmed the motion. Again, it was unanimous.

  The Grand Knight then requested one of the brother knights at the table to volunteer his services in assisting in their victim’s salvation. After several minutes of silence, one of the brothers responded.

  “May I, oh worthy Grand Knight, be the deliverer of the tainted soul of this broken servant of God, Father Lucas Senopoli. May I be the deliverer and the executioner of his emaciated heart, to our Almighty Father, and bestow the red rose of our great society, in the name of our Blessed Virgin Mother,” immediately volunteered Brother Able, reading from the formal book of the secret society’s scriptures.

  “We accept your commitment, Brother Able, to deliver the red rose of Our Blessed Mother and send the tainted soul of Fr. Lucas Senopoli, to the Kingdom of Heaven, oh great Brother Able,” replied the Grand Knight.

  The table of hooded brothers then began to applaud, knowing that the successful carrying of this ‘motion of salvation’ and intercession was in the capable hands of their respected Brother Able.

  “You shall carry out this motion in this upcoming month of our Blessed Virgin Mary, or the month of May,” again ordered the Grand Knight.

  “We will meet again very soon to choose our next redemption candidate,” proclaimed Grand Knight Ezekiel, hinting that another pedophile ex-priest would again be chosen.

  There was no other business to discuss before the board of brother knights at that time, and the motion to adjourn was accepted. With that, Brother Aaron supervised the exit of each hooded brother, as they all departed the old, brownstone church, one by one.

  It was now Brother Able’s turn to bring this pedophile ex-priest to ‘redemption’, as he exited the antiquated brown stone church and walked over to his parked car on West Division Avenue. He was excited to be chosen and began plotting his Senopoli’s ‘deliverance’ in his mind, as Brother Able had been one of Senopoli’s many sexual victims.

  He remembered being a young freshman in Notre Dame High School in early 1980’s, when Senopoli caught him and another friend smoking in the boy’s bathroom. He was brought into the Principal’s office and forced to strip down, as the deviant priest whipped him repeatedly on his bare buttocks with his ‘rider’s crop’.

  After his friend was excused, he was physically forced and ‘bullied’ into performing oral sex on the priest. Several pictures were taken of him naked by Senopoli and proudly placed in his ‘red album’. He was traumatized for many years over the incident and had been in a significant amount of therapy sessions for a long period of time. Because his parents were devout Catholics, he was ashamed to tell them, and never brought forth any significant legal charges against the sexual predator. He foolishly believed that it was in his own best interests, to forget the whole incident. Brother Able always broke into a cold sweat and would have anxiety attacks every time he remembered that horrible experience in his head.

  That is until he became a Brother Knight of the Society pf the Rose Crucifix. Since adorning the red hooded mask and the red cross ruby ring, he felt a sense of rescue and salvation. He now felt the inner strength he had needed within himself, after being so mortified and degraded to that low level at such an early age.

  He could now think about his revenge against the deviant former priest. He thought about the torrid details, of what kind of serrated knife he should use, and where the point of ‘redemption’ should take place. After all these many, many years, Brother Able could now take reprisal on the man who threatened to psychologically destroy his young life. He could now physically inflict his intense hatred for being forced by that sexual monster to perform that shameful act of homosexuality. He couldn’t wait to grip that serrated blade and insert it deeply into Senopoli, cutting and butchering his disgustingly hideous body and dismembering him. He vividly thought about how hard he could thrust his vengeance into him with every powerful stroke of that sharp, serrated blade.

  He pulled down his visor while sitting in traffic and gazed at his own image in the mirror. He studied and stared into his dark brown eyes and smiled to himself, knowing that he now had the intense look of a very long-awaited retribution.

  Brother Able tried to control his excitement, as he continued to weave through the traffic of the Eisenhower Expressway.

  He now looked forward to the ‘redemption’ of Fr. Lucas Senopoli.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Ferris Wheel

  It was still light outside as I parked Olivia’s car in the covered parking lot of Navy Pier that evening. She allowed me to drive her car, as she didn’t know her way around Chicago, and wanted to relax on the passenger side while I took the responsibility of driving around the city. We had quite a lively discussion, talking about each other’s past lives and interests.

  “You still have a wall,” she finally said, as I was gently parking her car in the open parking space of the garage.

  �
��Who are you talking about?”

  “You. Phillip Dorian…yes, you,” she said.

  “You’re not over your ex-wife, and you think every other woman is out to hurt and destroy you. Now you have a twelve-inch, brick wall surrounding yourself. You don’t trust anyone, and you certainly don’t trust women.”

  I looked at her for a moment, confused as to whether she was more interested in fighting with me or making love to me.

  “Really? Tell me, ‘Dr. Laura’, how did you come to that assessment?”

  “I can just tell. You’re very guarded. You’re jaded,” she explained as she exited the passenger side of her car. She grasped my arm as we were both finding our way out of the parking garage and outside towards the pier. I thought about her assessment for a moment, realizing that I had to be very careful with my answer.

  “It’s been a long, slow, emotional recovery, Olivia. It’s one thing when your spouse of many years wants to divorce you. That’s bad enough. But when you come to the realization that the person you once loved with all your heart and soul is trying to destroy you, then that’s devastating. It takes a very long time to get over that. But I suppose you’re right. I probably do have a wall.”

  “And you haven’t been in another relationship since your divorce?”

  “No. To be honest with you, I’ve had no interest. Between my daughter and my granddaughter, plus all the demands of this job, I’ve had neither the desire, the time nor the ambition to pursue another relationship.”

  “And you’re not lonely?” she replied.

  “I didn’t say that. It’s just that if I had a choice between getting emotionally decimated again and being alone, I would rather stay home alone with my yellow lab, Ginger. At least I know she won’t hurt me.”

  Olivia grasped my arm even tighter as we walked along the busy sidewalk of Navy Pier, observing all the boats parked alongside of the mile-long pier. It was fun to ‘people watch’ everyone there at each of the many varied food and vending stands.

  “Like I said,” she repeated, as she surprisingly kissed me on the cheek as we were walking arm-in-arm.

  “You have a wall.”

  I looked at her and smiled. I then realized that I was walking around Navy Pier with a beautiful, brown-eyed, dark haired sledge hammer.

  We approached the Ferris Wheel and I paid our admission, then found an open seat together on the amusement ride. We were strapped in, with a steel bar stretched across our waists in case we both had the crazy idea to jump. The Ferris Wheel then began to slowly turn, as Olivia cuddled as close as she could next to me, her arm still grasping mine and holding my perspiring hand.

  “Phil? You’re not getting nervous, are you?”

  “Oh, no.” I said, trying not to look down. “I’m fine.”

  Olivia started to giggle, as she admired the beauty of all the landmark buildings and all lit up skyscrapers dashing their magnificent lights across Lake Michigan. The water seemed to be as still as glass on that warm summer evening, and it provided a mirror image of the beautiful city which it so accurately adorned. I pointed out the ‘Sears Tower’ and the John Hancock Buildings, along with the Prudential Building and the Museum Campus, right alongside Soldier Field. The lights of Wrigley Field on the north side of town were brightly shining across the sky, as the Chicago Cubs were playing a summer night game.

  “You are so lucky to live in such a beautiful city,” she proclaimed, realizing that I had a very stiff neck from not looking downward.

  “Indeed,” I managed to say, as I was counting the slow revolutions of the Ferris Wheel in my head.

  “Phil? Why are you so nervous? We’re only two hundred feet in the air. If this strap breaks or this steel bar comes lose, we will only fall …oh, maybe, eight stories down. It will be a quick death. We probably won’t feel a thing. It’s not like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute or anything, so what are you worried about?”

  My hands started to drench with perspiration as my face started to sweat with anxiety. I needed to remind myself to forcefully throw this woman directly into Lake Michigan as soon as I got off this damned Ferris Wheel.

  “Come on, Phil. You’re not really nervous, are you?”

  “No, Olivia…I am not nervous,” as I silently said the Lord’s Prayer to myself.

  “Oh, good. You wouldn’t want me to believe that I’m riding on a Ferris Wheel with some wimpy Chicago detective who catches ferocious bad guys but is afraid of heights, now would you?”

  I started counting to ten, as I was on my third ‘Our Father’ and was reciting the entire Holy Rosary in my head.

  “Eh…. no.” I managed to say.

  “Phil…are you religious?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you go to church?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh good. I do too. So, when this chair breaks off and falls eight stories to the ground, we’ll both go straight to heaven together. Won’t that be cool?”

  A long silence and more ‘Hail Mary’s’.

  “Do you want me to start rocking, back and forth? C’mon, Phil…wouldn’t that be fun?”

  “No,” I said loudly.

  “Are you sure? This ride is kind of slow…”

  “No,” I said again.

  I’m going to choke this woman, if I ever survive this Ferris Wheel ride.

  Olivia started laughing like a teenaged school girl at my expense. I only smiled and looked across straight ahead, as I was getting the words of the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ all mixed up and jumbled in my head.

  I practically jumped off the Ferris Wheel and kissed the holy, sacred ground of Navy Pier when the ride was over with. Olivia started laughing, keeping her very calm and cool demeanor. She obviously wasn’t afraid of heights and wasn’t fazed at all at being two hundred feet off the ground. She smiled as she grasped my arm again, as we walked towards the concrete walkway of the pier.

  “Do you like ice cream?” she asked.

  “Of course, who doesn’t?” I replied.

  “Good. Let’s find some ice cream. I’ll buy.” I figured since she terrorized me some two hundred feet in the air, her buying me ice cream was the very least she could do.

  We walked around Navy Pier, looking intently for an ice cream stand until we found one, not far away from Harry Carey’s outdoor restaurant. They seemed to have a varied list of flavors, and I was excited to discover that they had my favorite.

  “I’ll have the strawberry swirl,” she asked the young girl taking our order.

  “Banana, please.”

  She had a surprised look on her face.

  “Banana? Who the hell likes banana ice cream?” she remarked.

  “I do. It’s the best, most delicious ice cream in the whole world. If you’re looking for a way into my heart, banana ice cream will do it.”

  “Got it,” as she giggled and gave me another kiss on the cheek. She paid for our goodies and we discovered a wooden bench near the water. We were gazing at the many crowds of people walking around the pier and silently both enjoying the water, the atmosphere, and the warm summer breezes of the Chicago lakefront.

  “So how long are you here for, Olivia?”

  “Probably a week or so. Hopefully you’ll have these ‘Pedophile Priest Murders’ solved by then.”

  “From your lips to God’s ears,” I replied, as I was taking several delicious licks of my banana ice cream cone. At that point, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be disturbed until my brief encounter with ice cream heaven was over with.

  We finished our ice cream cones and started walking towards her car in the parking lot. I noticed it was past ten o’clock on a weeknight, and I realized that I needed to be at the precinct very early the next morning. She opened her white BMW 328i and unlocked the passenger door, allowing me inside. Since she insisted on driving, I figured she was going to drive us to her hotel room at the Chicago Sheridan Hotel, a short distance away.

  Tonight, could be my lucky night, I thought to myself, as I leane
d my head back and closed my eyes. I figured I would relax for a few minutes for the short car ride to her hotel.

  It was probably thirty minutes later, when Olivia was nudging me to wake up. She had been standing on the other side of the car with the passenger car door open, trying to wake me up from my evening snooze.

  “Do you always snore when you sleep?” She was laughing while trying to wake me up.

  “I’m sorry,” I apologized, as I was trying to get my bearings straight. We were in the parking lot of the Sixteenth District where my squad car was parked, and it was almost eleven o’clock.

  So much for getting lucky, I thought to myself. I shook the sleep from my eyes and proceeded to exit her car, while she stood there holding the car door open. I must have been snoring so loudly, she got spooked and probably changed her mind about bringing me to her hotel room.

  “Good night, Phil,” she said. I was figuring on a customary kiss on the cheek.

  She then wrapped her arms around my neck, and proceeded to kiss me with those luscious, strawberry flavored lips of hers. I was totally overwhelmed, as I couldn’t remember ever being kissed so intently. It had been such a long time, and she tasted wonderful.

  “We have a murderer to catch, Detective,” she smiled, giving me more small, sweet little kisses on my face and my neck. She then walked around to the driver’s side of her BMW.

  “I will see you in the morning. Sweet dreams,” as she winked her eye and blew me a kiss.

  Within seconds, she whisked away from the police district parking lot and left me only standing there, wondering what had just happened that evening.