Elizabeth’s head was reeling with the knowledge that she had awoken the slumbering beast and unwittingly set the recent series of murders in motion.
“And I got it right this time with Rossi, and he was a tough old man. He wouldn’t talk…at first. But I can be very persuasive.” A maniacal grin formed on his face. “He told me everything, gave me the names of the others.”
She stood suspended with the weight of Father Parker’s words sinking in. “You, you killed those men. You brutalized them,” she spat out.
He shook his head and spoke with more force. “No, don’t make them martyrs. You know what monsters they were.”
She looked at Raymond, who was still standing in the father’s grip, blissfully unaware of the danger. “What about Raymond? You set him up?” she asked with a bit of hope for Raymond’s innocence.
She thought she saw a look of sadness momentarily cross the father’s face as he glanced down at Raymond in his grasp. “He is an innocent in this, like the first one, which I also regret. But as I have learned in this journey, there must be innocent sacrifices for the greater good.”
Elizabeth realized that she could have had a similar conversation with Heinrich Geizler. “Why Raymond?”
“Because he was there,” the father answered. “I wanted to make a statement by leaving the body at the school, but it proved to make things more…” he searched for the word, “complicated, being that this is where I do my work and all.” He gestured to Simon for emphasis. “Having Raymond step up and take responsibility took the pressure off and allowed me time to begin again. A fresh start,” he said in an upbeat tone as though he were discussing a New Year’s resolution.
Elizabeth felt sickened, but chose to stay quiet to hear the rest of the father’s story. He patted Raymond’s chest. “I would see Raymond here around the neighborhood. We became friends, didn’t we?”
Raymond nodded with a grin.
“He didn’t have any friends until he met me. I taught him things. Gave him gifts.”
“Like a cross and a Bible?” she asked, not trying to hold back the venom in her voice.
“What other gifts would a priest give? Raymond understood that the gifts were our special secret because only he got gifts from God.” He spoke in a childlike manner and rubbed Raymond’s chest soothingly, which made him smile.
“The Bible was for safekeeping for the nights when he was lonely. He could look at the pages and remember our friendship and God’s love. And the cross would protect him, and I told him to carry it everywhere. He was a good boy and he listened very well. We read Bible stories and I explained how God would punish the bad and reward those who followed His command with eternal life in His kingdom.”
Father Parker paused for a moment and looked directly at Elizabeth. “Raymond understood that taking responsibility for killing that man was a good thing because it was what God wanted. For that, he would be rewarded with eternal life in His kingdom. Raymond wants this eternal life, don’t you?”
Raymond nodded with a smile still on his face.
She realized that Raymond’s drawings that hung in the shed were not of Raymond and his mother, but of Raymond and Father Parker. “You continued to visit him in prison, not to save his soul, but to ensure that he would continue to stick to the story,” she said with disgust.
Father Parker had fooled her. She had been traipsing through the basement, the tunnel, the woods with him, all areas he knew well. She could easily see how he could dupe Raymond into confessing to his murder. He was a master manipulator.
Simon shifted his position, pulling Father Parker’s attention to him, and she looked back and forth between the two and settled her glare back on Father Parker. “Who are you, really?”
He nudged Raymond to move forward, and when they reached Father Parker’s intended destination a few feet in front of them, he swept at the floor with the bottom of his shoe, clearing a spot. She could see several scratches in the cement and moved a little closer for a better view. She could make out several circles with the three triangles etched into the floor.
“So, you’re David Collins,” Elizabeth stated.
“I am not David, not anymore. He died in that tunnel, and Salvator was born.” He gestured to himself and smiled. “Salvator means savior, in case you are interested in learning any new Latin.”
“But…” Simon spoke up, which surprised her, as he had been mute since Father Parker arrived. “Father Rossi said that you would be…dead. He said Gesler’s kids…they all died.”
She realized that David was Geizler’s breakthrough, just as he claimed in his journal.
“Lucky me then,” Father Parker snorted derisively with Raymond still nestled in his grip. Father Parker turned his head upward and pointed to the ceiling for Raymond’s benefit. “See? There it is.”
Raymond followed his finger and smiled at the faded picture painted on the ceiling. “The falling star. It’s just like you said,” he stated in childlike wonder.
She looked up to see an antique painted sign on the concrete ceiling that was probably once vibrant, but was now a faded black and sickly yellow. With only a flashlight, Elizabeth had missed it on her prior visits.
Its design resembled the carvings on the bodies. It was a black circle containing three congruent yellow triangles with their points joining in the center, an image with which she had become very familiar. Below the circle with the triangles, some of the original letters remained. Fall S t r. Even with the missing letters that had been erased with time, she knew what it once read.
“This room used to be a fallout shelter,” she said, hoping to rain on Father Parker’s romantic notions about a sign that was a reminder of the country’s darkest fear.
He was unfazed. “I spent hours staring at this. I memorized every detail, so that when they took away the lantern, I could still see it. It was my constellation.” Father Parker jumped and abruptly turned his head to the corner. The arrogance from his face drained. “I haven’t done anything—but I, I didn’t bring them here,” he said meekly to the empty space and continued to hold on to Raymond, but now more for comfort. “They—they just came.”
Elizabeth followed Father Parker’s stare into the dark corner. “Who are you talking to?”
“Shhh, quiet, you’ll only upset him more,” he said.
She fixed her eyes on Father Parker. “Who?”
He ignored her and stared at the corner and nodded to keep up his end of the conversation that only he could hear.
“Father.” After a moment of silence, she tried again. “Father, please. There is nobody there.”
He tore his gaze away from the corner and looked at her in disbelief. “He’s there,” he whispered. “I can’t protect you from him.”
She shuddered as she watched Father Parker engage in a one-sided conversation. She was spooked, but realized that keeping him focused on his ghost was her best option for getting Raymond and her out of there.
“Who is he?” she asked.
“It is David.”
“You said that he died in the tunnel.”
“He did, but he continues to live here. I can’t stop. He won’t let me stop.”
She considered arguing the logic of Father Parker’s sociopathic reasoning, but thought the better of it. She knew she had to confront his demon and turned to face the dark corner. “Please let me help you. We can stop them all, the mayor, IPR. The truth can be told, but I need your help. Please.”
Father Parker turned to face the corner to hear the response to Elizabeth’s emphatic plea, and his face contorted, but she couldn’t read it. He was lost in a world only he could see, and from that distant place he spoke. “She can help us.” After a moment of silence, he pointed accusingly to the corner. “It wasn’t me. You killed them.”
Father Parker released his grip on Raymond and shifted his stance to square off against the corner. She stared at his profile and wondered whether it was the childhood trauma that led him to this or if it was an u
nknown side effect of Geizler’s breakthrough. She pushed the thought away and refocused. She crept forward and yanked on Raymond’s sleeve, pulling him toward her. Raymond turned his face toward Father Parker, but shuffled his feet to her as though he was on a line being reeled in. Raymond’s foot knocked into the abandoned flashlight on the floor and toppled it, and she jumped at the jarring noise, then quickly bent to retrieve it before it rolled.
“You’re the weak one!” Father Parker yelled to the corner. “You let them have you!”
Raymond flinched at the father’s angry voice, and she covered his mouth with her finger to silence him, then handed him the flashlight. Father Parker continued to stare at his ghost as though taking in the reply to his harsh accusation.
With this distraction, Elizabeth made small steps back and slowly lowered herself to grab the crowbar that she had left resting near Simon. She made eye contact with Simon to assure him that she hadn’t forgotten him, but she knew that the only way to save him was to save Raymond and herself.
She crept back to Raymond and tugged at his free hand, pulling him toward the concrete door leading to the tunnel. With the crowbar tucked under her arm, she reached for the handle and pulled with both hands.
“No!” came a scream from Father Parker.
She jerked her hands back, causing the crowbar to fall from under her arm, and she turned around, only to find Father Parker still locked into a heated argument with the corner.
She resumed pulling on the handle and flinched when Raymond placed his hand on her shoulder, but quickly realized that it wasn’t Raymond when the hand changed from slight pressure to pain of fingers digging into her clavicle. She deftly twisted and swung her fist, catching Father Parker across the side of the head. He stumbled back at the unexpected blow, and she followed with a second punch, but missed when he moved out of striking distance. With her hit missing its target, Elizabeth lost her balance and fell forward onto her knees, and Father Parker approached her with the knife.
“I told you, I couldn’t protect you,” he said without remorse.
He was stopped when Raymond stepped between them with the crowbar raised above his head, hovering over Elizabeth.
Father Parker smiled. “That’s my boy.”
“Raymond, please. You can’t do this,” she pleaded.
Raymond stood suspended, caught between the two forces.
A tear rolled down Elizabeth’s cheek as she squeezed her eyes shut.
A dull thump sounded, and she opened her eyes to see Father Parker drop to the ground and Raymond standing above him poised to deliver another blow.
“No, Raymond. That’s enough.”
He released the crowbar from his trembling hands and let it fall, and she popped up and frantically yanked on the door and freed it open. She pushed Raymond through, but he stopped just inside the tunnel, and she ran into the back of him. Raymond’s eyes stared in wild fear into the blackness in front of him.
“Run, Raymond!”
Elizabeth knew he shook his head in refusal by the bouncing of the flashlight in his hand. “Please, Raymond. Run. There’s danger behind us. Use your flashlight.” She began pushing him with what strength she had, and he began to move. The danger and urgency of the situation finally set in with him, and he picked up speed. His flashlight bounced wildly about the tunnel walls as they ran.
Raymond’s legs moved effortlessly through the darkness, but Elizabeth stumbled and fell to one knee. He hauled her up with one hand and began pulling her along, but she didn’t have time to analyze the irony. She could only concentrate on the pounding of her heart in her ears.
“Stop,” came a screech that seemed to be magnified by the echo bouncing off the walls, and she could hear the labored breathing behind them.
She knew they were closing in on the end when the light passed across the metal grate guarding the door to the forest. “There’s the end,” she yelled breathlessly to Raymond, just as an unseen force rammed into her back, causing her to fall into Raymond. Elizabeth and Raymond toppled into a heap onto the unforgiving dirt floor. Father Parker threw himself on top, and she rolled, sending Father Parker to the side. Raymond scrambled to his feet with the flashlight still clutched in his grip, and Father Parker rose, lunging for him, the knife still in his hand.
Elizabeth felt movement under her hand as she pushed herself up. She closed her fist and threw herself at Father Parker and wrapped her arms around him. Before he could break free from her hold, she jammed her hand into the top of his shirt and released. Father Parker let out a bloodcurdling scream as he was bitten by a frantic rat trapped in his shirt.
She didn’t have to prompt Raymond to run this time; he was already at the metal grate, shaking it violently. She pulled the grate away from the side. “Raymond, over here.”
He quickly covered the short space between them, and Elizabeth began pushing him through the small space. He squealed when he became lodged between the grate and the wall. His stomach was pushed tight against the side of the metal frame, and he began to flail his arms in panic. “Raymond, relax. You can do this. Suck in your stomach.” He pulled in a deep breath and she pushed. “More, Raymond, suck in more.” He popped free to the other side, and she followed through in a fraction of the time.
Raymond yanked on the door handle. “Raymond, pull the handle up.”
The door flung open under the excessive force, and Raymond flew backward and fell. She helped pick him up, and they ran into the woods. The warm, stale air of the tunnel was replaced with crisp fall air, and she relished it and took in a lung full. The light was nearly gone as the sun approached the horizon.
Elizabeth took a moment to study the direction of the school. She knew that Father Parker would be behind them and could easily catch them if they ran the predicted route directly to the school, so she opted to run a path parallel to the school and hoped to cut to the parking lot from the far end. Raymond had a difficult time making his way through the underbrush and stumbled several times. To his credit, he kept himself quiet despite the urge to yell out with each near tumble, and she held his hand to guide him and whispered words of encouragement to keep him moving.
Because of Raymond’s slow motor skills through the undergrowth, it took several minutes before they reached a distance that she believed equaled the opposite end of the school property. She redirected Raymond to cut toward the school and stopped just short of the property. They followed the circumference of the school just inside the tree line, and Elizabeth could see the hollowed structure of where the main school building once stood. She paused and took shallow breaths in hopes to make it easier to hear any subtle noise, but it was futile because Raymond was panting.
After neither sight nor sound of Father Parker, she turned to Raymond and gestured with a shushing finger to her mouth for him to remain quiet. She tugged on his hand to follow, and they crept past the demolished building and out to the parking lot. Father Parker was still nowhere to be seen, but a blue Toyota Camry sat adjacent to her Roadster.
When she reached her car, she motioned for Raymond to go to the passenger side and pulled on her door handle. It was locked.
“Raymond, where are the keys?”
He pointed to the keys lying on the passenger seat next to her phone.
“You locked the keys in the car?” she whispered harshly.
“Always lock the car,” he recited.
“But not with the keys in the car.”
Raymond relayed how he dutifully pushed the lock button on the key fob and then tossed the keys on the seat before he closed the door.
“You’re supposed to take the keys with you.”
“But I might lose them,” he explained rationally.
She ran her hands through her hair in frustration, but knew it was useless to argue with him at this point. She backed away from the car and noticed that the tires had been slashed.
“I’m getting good at that,” Father Parker said from behind her.
She jumped an
d ran to Raymond’s side of the car.
Father Parker started to circle the car toward them, and Elizabeth and Raymond moved the opposite way, trying to keep the car between them. She searched her brain for options, but she could think of no good choice.
“Raymond, run.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
Father Parker easily caught up to them and pulled her to the ground and straddled her, pinning her arms at her side. He held the knife mockingly over her. Raymond stood at her side, tears streaming down his face, and started pushing Father Parker in an effort to free her. With the knife handle gripped firmly in his palm, Father Parker swiped at Raymond and cut him across the abdomen. Raymond fell to the ground cradling his stomach, blood saturating his shirt.
“Fuck you, asshole.” Elizabeth swung a fist that she had worked free and connected with Father Parker’s face. His head jerked back, and she bucked her body, tossing him to the side. She jumped on him and began pounding him with her closed fists.
Father Parker raised the knife to lunge it at Elizabeth, and she grabbed his hand holding the knife. Despite the dominant position on top of Father Parker, she was losing the battle for the knife, and it moved closer to her chest.
Elizabeth closed her eyes, unwilling to watch, when Father Parker suddenly yelped and jerked his leg, allowing her to gain control of the knife. Using her body weight, she jammed it into his chest, and Father Parker’s eyes widened with surprise at the turn of events. In one swift motion, she rolled off him and saw Raymond locked on to Father Parker’s leg with his mouth. She pulled Raymond away, blood dripping down his chin, and crawled toward her car. She settled Raymond against the car and went in search of a large rock to break her window and free her phone.
Just as she crashed the rock through her passenger window, Grace raced into the parking lot and pulled up next to her. “Seriously, you waited until after I threw the rock?”
Grace ignored the remark and rushed to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Elizabeth allowed herself to be held, enveloped in the warmth, prior arguments and personal boundaries no longer relevant, and she could feel Grace’s body shivering.
Sins of Our Fathers Page 27
