Chapter 112: Benjamin Scott

Benjamin Scott

I lift my gaze, feeling the cold wind brushing against my face as I observe the contemporary details of the small church’s façade. I’ve only been here once before, attending the ordination of a Bishop from the Sanctus Justitia.

I don’t want to be here. I have the issue with Oleg to resolve, but I also can’t let my uncle suffer while watching the woman he loves fade away in a hospital bed.

Looking at my companions, I smile, noticing how Petter seems the most enthusiastic about being here. He’s talking about conspiracy theories and some book by an author whose work was adapted into a movie, exposing secrets of the church.

If only people knew that what’s portrayed in the movies barely scratches the surface of what the church hides. What happened in Salem was far more than just the massacre of witches. On that Friday the 13th, they massacred the Lupine goddess herself.

"Let’s go!" I say as I push open the gate of one of the houses I once called home.

"Are you okay?" Henrique asks from behind me.

I don’t want to admit that something still feels broken inside me. It’s as if I’m betraying the many friends I made throughout my life here.

"Yes, just nostalgia..." I reply, keeping it brief.

"The worst thing there is. I get it. Revisiting the past is never good!" he says, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I turn to him and catch the sadness in his gaze. Even this man, known as the gatekeeper of hell to many criminals and even a few businessmen who tried to take advantage of him, carries something that haunts him.

"Stop dwelling on the past and let’s go!" Petter says, laughing.

"I know you have something to settle here, but if you keep admiring the architecture, you’ll never go in. And, honestly, I don’t like being away from my Ebony Queen. You’ve got soldiers here that all the ladies keep admiring."

As Henrique’s father speaks, I can’t help but think that if this man, already a senior, the same age as Mr. Alcântara, feels insecure about his wife looking at some of the men around us, maybe I should worry about my wife looking at the soldiers accompanying us.

"Sorry, but at this moment, I don’t think I need to worry about my wife eyeing my soldiers!" I manage to say, though the bitter thought of my little devil glancing at another man lingers.

"Confident, huh?" Mr. Magalhães points at me. "Clearly, you don’t know Carol’s story."

I feel like laughing; after all, her story is infamous in our circles, just like my father’s foolishness in breaking into the house of the most feared woman in the world to force her into marriage.

I realize I’m surrounded by jokers, and they’re so comfortable around me that they’re starting to talk more than they should. I want to laugh but decide not to give them ammunition to use against me. After all, these men have wives who go out of their way to make my wife happy.

"Let’s get moving because if we stay here any longer, I’m sure the Bishops will show up before we even step inside!" I say, holding back a laugh.

One thing I know for sure: no Bishop would leave this building without some elaborate reason. It’s hard to admit, but the position seems to inflate their egos, making them arrogant, pompous, and even murderous.

We step inside the small church, which serves as a priestly residence, and I’m surprised to see it so full early on a weekday morning.

"Was it supposed to be this crowded?" Henrique voices the question running through my mind.

"No, this has never been a place of prayer, only a dormitory for visiting Bishops!"

I confirm as I glance at several families kneeling between the sparse pews, their prayers fervent. Walking past the last row, I spot a mother with a child, her whispered prayers catching my attention.

"Please, Lord, heal him. He’s a good man who helps the entire community. Punish the man who came here and harmed your servant..."

My gaze shifts to Henrique, who was beside me, and we both realize that whatever happened here wasn’t the work of a simple thief. I’m certain it must have been Ralf, trying to help Ruby kill as many Bishops as they could.

I don’t blame them; after all, many were indeed killed by the Bishops over the centuries.

I leave the woman and her child reciting their brief prayer and walk along the side toward the sacristy, as I can’t see any priest or archbishop around.

“What do you think happened?” Augusto asks, right behind me.

“I think my friend paid them a visit,” I say, glancing at more worshipers crying in prayer for their pastor.

“Curious to see how he’s holding up. Judging by this, he doesn’t seem to be in good shape!” Petter laughs loudly, drawing the attention of several nearby people.

I keep walking, unfazed by the accusing stares directed at me and my companions.

“If only they knew the man they’re mourning is responsible for the deaths of children and innocent people, I doubt they’d be here…” he says loudly, and I notice nervous, frightened glances around us.

“But they don’t know, and the only thing they have is their faith. I don’t think it’s right for them to lose that just because they don’t know the truth,” I say, fixing my gaze on Petter.

I understand his eagerness to fight for his daughter-in-law’s cause, but I don’t think it’s necessary to shatter people’s faith in the process.

“They should know! I agree with my wife and my daughter-in-law!” he says, and I notice his expression change.

There’s a silent conversation happening between him and Henrique, perhaps something going on within the Carter mansion gates, something related to the secret the lupines have been guarding for generations. Apparently, not everyone is inclined to keep it hidden.

“Save the discussion for after we speak with the Bishop who’s in deep trouble here…” I’m surprised by the elderly man standing behind Henrique. “What? Just because I’m old, I can’t use crass language? I’m Brazilian, dammit, and I’ll never be a prissy snob.”

I chuckle, shaking my head, and continue walking toward the sacristy. If we stay here with these three, we might end up lynched by the people praying for a man who isn’t worth a single dollar.

Still smiling at Henrique’s father, who mutters something about me being too uptight for a mafioso, I reach the door leading backstage in the church. I nearly burst out laughing when they mention I was the Bishop who officiated Leon’s wedding.

“No way…” he whispers as I knock on the sacristy door. “Did you fall in love that day? I didn’t recognize you, and you didn’t even tell me…”

“Dad, focus, and save it for later. Besides, Mom already knows, my mother-in-law told her!” Henrique rolls his eyes as I shake my head. The door opens.

“Good morning, sister. I need to speak with the person in charge of this house,” I say, peering inside.

“I’m sorry, but we’re not receiving visitors. There was an incident here last night…”

I take a deep breath, trying not to lose my temper with the woman who surely knows exactly what happened here.

“You don’t understand…” I pull out my pistol and hold it in front of me. “Step aside if you don’t want to lose an ear!”

I’m out of patience and have no time to waste. I need to find Ralf as quickly as possible.

“Excu, ” she starts, trying to shut the door in my face. I don’t let her finish. I push the door open, and she falls to the ground.

“Get out of my way!” I say, stepping into the chaotic room.

There are bloodstains everywhere, and loud voices reveal the frustration over the lack of security in a place that should have been a secret. Petter is the last to enter, holding his pistol and aiming at the terrified nun.

I leave him there, talking, and Henrique joins me as we calmly walk through a place that reeks of massacre.

“Looks like he couldn’t hold back,” Henrique says, pointing to a Gothic sculpture.

There were pieces of bloodied clothing on top of her.

“It’s what it looks like…”

Before I could finish my sentence, an archbishop approached and was startled to see me.

“Bishop Scott?” he said, his eyes falling on the pistol in my hand.

“I am no longer a murderer. I want to speak to Cardinal D. Jafari Ngoy!” I said, holding my head high.

“You must realize this isn’t a request, and we don’t care about what happened here tonight. We want to see the Cardinal now!” Henrique stepped forward.

“Mr. Carter…” I watched the man turn pale and tremble as he recognized who was by my side.

“Don’t be a coward. Doesn’t your Bible say: ‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God…’”

I looked at Henrique, surprised to find he knew some verses. The Archbishop took a step back, allowing Henrique to move forward. He was smart enough to know they couldn’t withstand an attack after what had happened here.

As I was about to step away from the archbishop, I felt his hand grab me

“You made a terrible choice, turning against those who fed you, you traitor…”

I smiled and stepped closer to him until his back was pressed against the statue holding up the chaos the wolf had left behind.

“I’d rather have a clear conscience than kill children like you do…”

I pulled the silencer from my suit pocket, screwing it slowly onto the pistol barrel. Then I cocked it, ready to kill him right there. After all, I had just been threatened, and with four children on the way, I couldn’t leave loose ends behind.

“Oh God, who for our sake sentenced us to death but did not wish us to know the day or the hour, grant that the archbishop has lived justly and piously every day of his life to die in Your peace and Your love!”

I recited the prayer for a good death and pulled the trigger.

“Well, look at that. The man’s getting smarter!” I heard Petter say as I watched the man’s body, likely no older than sixty, fall to the ground.

“I have four children on the way. I can’t afford to have one of them chasing after my wife or my kids!” I said, looking at Henrique.

“Then let’s go. If your friend didn’t kill them all, we’ll do it with finesse!” he replied, pulling a silencer from his pants pocket.

“It’s time to take out some criminals.”