Chapter 10
Father Thomas slammed on the brakes, the tires of the sedan locking up and sending the car sliding sideways across the wet gravel until it came to a jarring halt just twenty feet shy of the blocking SUV. The smell of burning rubber and overheated brake pads filled the cramped cabin.
"Stay down!" Father Thomas ordered, unbuckling his seatbelt with frantic urgency.
Before anyone could move, the doors of the trailing SUV flew open, and Deacon Miller stepped out into the rain, accompanied by two armed municipal officers in plainclothes. Miller’s tailored suit was damp and mud-splattered, but his expression remained a mask of cold, calculated authority. He walked slowly toward the driver’s side of the stalled sedan, tapping a heavy metal flashlight against his palm in a slow, rhythmic cadence.
"End of the road, Thomas," Miller called out, his voice carrying clearly over the steady patter of rain falling on the roof of the car. "Step out of the vehicle with your hands visible. There is nowhere left to hide."
Inside the car, Clara’s hand brushed against Leo’s arm. Her eyes were fierce, filled with an unyielding resolve that mirrored her son’s determination. "We aren't going back down into that earth, Leo."
"We aren't," Leo whispered. He reached down, grabbed the wooden mallet firmly by its handle, and slowly pushed open the rear passenger door on the opposite side of the vehicle, away from Miller’s line of sight.
Father Thomas rolled down his window an inch, keeping his hands visible on the steering wheel. "You can't cover this up forever, Miller. The federal authorities already have digital copies of the archive server logs backed up off-site."
Miller stopped beside the front door of the sedan, a cold smile touching his lips. "An interesting bluff, Thomas, but the server was wiped remotely twenty minutes ago. As far as the official state archives are concerned, Clara’s death was processed according to standard municipal health protocols, and you three are merely disturbed individuals vandalizing parish property."
As Miller leaned closer to peer through the driver’s side window, Leo slipped silently out the rear door into the dense underbrush of the pine forest, moving like a shadow through the heavy rain.
The two plainclothes officers approaching from the front vehicle were entirely focused on the priest and Clara inside the car, completely unaware of the teenager circling around through the dark trees behind them.
Clara watched Leo disappear into the gloom, holding her breath as she engaged Miller in conversation to buy her son precious seconds. "You really think murder can be justified by municipal budgets, Miller? How many other families did you put through what I experienced today?"
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Miller’s smile vanished, replaced by a flash of genuine anger at the mention of his crimes. He reached for the handle of the driver’s door, intending to forcefully remove the priest, when a sudden rustle in the brush behind the second SUV distracted his men.
***
