Chapter 24: The torment of conscience and her smile

After regaining control over my emotions, I spoke to her.

"As you allowed me to address you by name, I hope you won't mind my boldness. Julia, I would like you to convene a meeting of this church, preferably discreetly. I am a detective and currently conducting an investigation. I previously visited a Protestant church, and we easily reached an agreement there. I hope we can also achieve the best outcome here," I said.

"And how will you prove your words?" she asked.

"How?" I repeated in shock. I looked at her perplexed for a moment before remembering my badge. I pulled it out from under my jacket, and she looked at it before responding satisfactorily.

"We are not obliged to assist you unless there are significant reasons to do so. In the worst-case scenario, we will wait for an order, which I doubt will be granted," she said, licking her lips with self-satisfaction.

"We suspect that an accomplice of our suspect attends your church. I'm not asking you to interrogate anyone or treat people differently. I'm only asking you to provide information about suspicious believers who visit your church, as well as suspicious employees and staff of this church. I also request access to the cameras outside, the entrance, and preferably the main hall where sermons are held," I said.

"You understand that all of this is protected by law. We have every right not to provide access to records even to the police. But...all right, I will convene a meeting. You should hope for the goodwill of the other council members. Otherwise, you'll have to pray for an order," she said.

From her appearance and the tone she used during the conversation, I realized that she was too self-satisfied. Pride and excessive stubbornness. I hope her determination to refuse assistance will be softened when the council convenes.

"Follow me," she said.

I followed her through the corridors of the church until we arrived at a small room. She opened the door and gestured towards a couch. "You can wait here until the council convenes. They will call for you once everyone is ready. Don't get bored," she said.

Her behavior and speech distracted me from the conversation at hand. Although I was heading in the right direction, I felt as though she was leading me. My emotions were intense, but they were not love or adoration. Instead, I was possessed by a strange desire to follow her, as if she were my colleague or charge.

The more I thought about her, the more I tried to think about Kate. I tried, but every time I remembered that we were currently separated. However, the kernel that remained in me prevented the flower of infidelity from sprouting. Even the thought of it was a sin to me.

But even in the struggle for thoughts in my head, thoughts of my sin began to fade away. I was like a prisoner of her image, commanding yet at the same time intimate in nature. She exuded passion, resolve, and pride in herself. But I had to extinguish everything that was growing in my heart.

I took out my phone, unlocked it, and began scrolling through my album. Only it could stop the impulse that was tearing at my heart. I kept scrolling until I reached the moment when we took our first photo together. I looked at it and suddenly I was immersed in that moment again. Although it was sweet, it ended with a knock on the door.

"Hello," the nun greeted me. "They asked me to summon you to the council chamber," she said, waiting for me at the door.

I took one last look at my phone, keeping Kate's face firmly in my mind. I closed my eyes and then put it in my jacket pocket. After putting my phone away, I followed the nun to the council chamber.

We only took a few steps to reach the council chamber. The nun opened the door for me and bid me farewell as I entered.

Looking around the hall, I saw a room almost twice the size of the one in the Protestant church. But there were many bookshelves and chairs here, arranged for reading. Closer to the end of the hall stood a T-shaped table. The priest was already sitting at the head of the table. Apparently, this was the Reverend Emily Wright. Other council members such as Thomas Harris, Alice Lee, Peter Chang, Richard Brown, and the one I saw first, Julia Martinez, sat on either side of the T-shaped table.

All their eyes were fixed on me. I looked at them while they looked at me. Julia broke the silence in the hall.

"James, sit here. You came here for a reason, didn't you?" she said, smiling.

"Yes...Thank you," I swallowed and headed to the place opposite the priest from the other end. I felt like I was in a hearing where I was the defendant.

"Hello, I'm James White, a detective. I ask you to hear me out and help me in my case. I am looking for possible suspects in the case I am investigating. Unfortunately, I have reason to believe that someone from the faithful is involved in my case. Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that it could be someone from the Christian church. Maybe even from your confession," I said.

"So, you mean to say that you have no evidence or leads that can confidently prove that the criminal or his accomplice is one of our parishioners?" Julia said.

"Unfortunately, that's right, but due to the lack of information, I have to do it this way. The criminal is killing people. I haven't disclosed this information to other churches yet. Even without this news, the Protestants granted me access to the cameras from the places I requested, in exchange for the recordings not being used in court and investigation, only for the investigation. That's why I'm asking for your help with this," I said, mentioning the murders for persuasion.

"Let's think about this," said someone sitting next to Julie.

Apparently noticing my gaze, she decided to help me for the first time.

"What is there to think about, Thomas?" she said.

"What else but whether our reputation will suffer from granting access to the camera recordings? Many people come to us, some of whom confess even in the church hall when the cardinal is alone. It's too risky," said another man.

"And what if people die because of our refusal? We will lose more than trust. We will lose faith," said Alice Lee, apparently in agreement.

"I agree with her now," said Julia.

"Okay, let's vote," said Cardinal Emily.

They looked at each other, after which some of the council members raised their hands.

"I'm for it."

"Me too."

"I vote against it."

"I'm against it too."

"I agree."

Julia was the last. Fortunately, even if she votes against it, the count will be equal. Which might be to my advantage. As I looked closely at her, she smiled and said,

"I'm willing to help the police."

"Then with four for and only two against, we will help you, James," said the cardinal.

"May I ask you to help with other churches?" I asked excitedly.

"You can discuss it with Julia. She is responsible for contact with other Catholic churches," said the cardinal.

I looked at her. As our eyes met, she smiled widely, revealing her teeth, which only adorned her smile.