Chapter 4
Jake was sitting at his desk, hard at work on the computer, when Sara arrived. "Why are
you always here so early?" She asked with a laugh.
"The early bird gets the worm."
She just rolled her eyes at this. "Find out anything new?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah. I think I might have a lead."
"What is it?"
"Had a message when I got here this morning. Someone saw a guy hanging around the
scene about nine o'clock the night of the murder. Thought we'd go question this person when you
got here."
"Well, I'm here now. Let's go."
*******
Renee and Gabriel sat together on the couch while Michael started a fire in the fireplace.
Once finished with that, he sat in the chair beside the couch. "Renee, you know I don't really want
you to leave."
She started to say something, but he stopped her. "Hold on. I'm not finished yet. I don't
want you to leave, but I'm not going to try to keep you here either. I know it would be pointless.
"And I also know you would be miserable if you felt you were stuck here. But, please don't wait
another year to call or visit. Even a sometimes father like I've been wants to hear from his
daughter more often than that."
He looked at Gabriel. "I know you'll take good care of her. I haven't seen her this happy
since she was a little girl. That tells me something about you."
Neither of them knew what to say to this. Renee could tell how much her dad loved her.
She had wished for this day to come for so many years.
Not knowing what else to do, she stood up and walked over to him. Leaning down, she
wrapped her arms around him. "I always just wanted to spend time with you. But, things never
seemed to work out right."
"I know. I didn't know how to act around you. I'm afraid my ignorance pushed you away."
"Dad, you could never push me away." She sounded like she was going to start crying.
He bent his head and kissed her forehead. "I should have realized that sooner."
Renee stood up and Gabriel could see tears forming in her eyes. He wanted to go and hold
her and comfort her, but knew that this was a moment that a father and daughter needed to share.
"You two had better get everything packed up if you want to leave right after lunch."
They went upstairs while Michael made something for lunch. Renee was done and waiting
for Gabriel in five minutes. He looked at her with a smile in his eyes. "How can you get ready so
fast?"
"I just keep everything in piles, then throw them in my bag when I'm ready to pack."
He just shook his head. "Renee, you are the strangest girl I have ever met."
"I am? You haven't met any have you?" They both laughed as they started down the stairs.
When they had finished eating, Renee and Gabriel took their bags down to her car.
Closing the trunk, they started back up to the house to say good bye to Michael. They met him
half way back. Holding her in a tight hug, he told her, "It was good to see you again."
She was walking back to the car when Michael stopped Gabriel. "Never let her give in to the fear
of where her dreams will take her."
"I won't"
"I know you won't. You're a good man, Gabriel Bowman."
"Thank you, sir. It was good to meet you."
He caught up with Renee and they got in the car and started home again.
*******
"Jake, we were wrong."
"About what?" He didn't know what she was talking about. That comment had come out
of nowhere.
"That message. We didn't translate it right."
"Oh really? What does it say then?"
"It was from the bible. 'It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man'. Now we
just need to find out how it is connected to our case."
"How do you know?"
She just looked at him and he grudgingly accepted that she just knew. When they arrived
at the given address, Sara walked up to the door and knocked. A tall man with red hair and blue
eyes answered after the second knock. She flashed her badge and he opened the door and stepped
out onto the porch.
"You must be detective Pezzeni."
"Yes, I am. That's my partner, Jake McCarty," she said, nodding at Jake. "You have some
information for us?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah, I do. Would you two like to come in? It's a bit chilly out this
morning."
"Yeah, that sounds good," she answered.
They walked inside and he led them into the living room. Sara and Jake declined his offer
for something to drink.
"I was out taking my dog for a walk that night."
Sara had noticed a dog laying beside the couch. She didn't seem to notice that there was
company. "Why so late?"
"It's cooler then. She doesn't get as hot."
She accepted this as logical and motioned for him to continue.
"I saw a man standing against a building. I said hello to him and he just looked at me, but
never acknowledged me."
"What did he look like?" She asked him.
He had to think for a moment as he recalled the image of this stranger. "He wasn't really
very tall. Maybe the same height or a bit shorter than your partner there. Had blond hair about a
shade darker than his. Then again it was dark, so it could have just seemed darker.
"Anything else about him you can remember?"
"He seemed rather thin. And he was wearing a priest's outfit."
"You could tell what he was wearing?" Jake was a bit skeptical.
"There was some light from the street lights and passing cars."
"There isn't anything else you can remember?"
He shook his head in apology. "I'm sorry."
They left a little further ahead of where they had been.
*******
Ian knew he shouldn't have gone home. He knew what Irons would do to him. But, there
wasn't anywhere else for him to go. Irons was the only family he had ever known. He had never
done anything without being ordered to. Until now. And now he had paid the price for
disobeying.
The side of his face still stung from Irons' slap. His shoulders ached from the blows
delivered by his cane. And the pounding in his head caused by a glancing blow from the cane was
still there. He wanted to break the cane over Irons' white head.
It wasn't the physical pain that he was bothered by, however. There was a storm of mixed
emotions brewing inside of him. He felt guilt and shame at disobeying the only father figure he
had ever known. There was also the feeling of hatred for this same man. But what stood out the
most was the pleasure he had felt when his Lady Sara told him 'thanks'.
Ian had arrived home about an before the sun rose. Irons was waiting for him. "What did I
tell you about talking to her?"
Ian just stared at the floor.
"I asked you a question, Ian."
He raised his eyes and looked Irons squarely in the eyes. After a moment, he let them drop
again. "You told me I must not," he said quietly.
"That's right, Ian. And what did you do anyways?" He wasn't really expecting an answer
to this.
"I helped Lady Sara," he replied with a hard edge to his voice.
Irons looked at him sharply. "And how could you help her?"
"I put her on the path to the truth."
Then, Irons had begun to strike him. Ian stood there and took the punishment. He felt that
he deserved it.
Now he was sitting in his room wondering once again what to do. Did he dare risk
retribution once again to help Sara? Not knowing what he should do, Ian decided it would be best
to get some sleep.
*******
Sara looked up from her desk when the door opened. "Hello, Jake. Where've you been?"
"Just came from a meeting with Richards. He wanted to know if we had any leads. I told
him what we've found out so far. Find anything on this guy?"
She nodded her head at pointed to her computer screen. "Think I've found our guy. Luke
Matthews. Blond hair. Green eyes. Height: 5'11. Weight: 130. Used to be a priest, then he turned
fanatical. Seems he was a suspect in another case like this a few years back."
"Let me guess. He got off."
She nodded her head again. "There wasn't enough evidence to hold a trial."
"Where does this guy live?"
She looked for an address. Finding it, she said, "111 Joshua Street. Let's go.
*******
Ian was waiting in the shadows between the buildings when he saw Sara and Jake walk
out of the Police Station together. He watched them get into a car, then decided to follow.
He trailed them until they came to a rather oldish-looking house. While they walked up onto the
porch, Ian hid in the shadow of the building.
The door opened, Sara said something to the person standing there, and then they walked
inside. Before the door could close, Ian had slipped inside. He saw Sara and Jake disappearing
into a room down the hall. He silently made his way after them.
As he stopped outside the room, flashes of memories came back to him. A young blond-haired boy and himself playing. Then, that same boy seemed to be lecturing him. Ian could
remember feeling hatred for him. He had always tried to make Ian feel inferior to him. Now, he
could feel the old fury rising in him again. With effort, he pushed it back down and stood just
outside the door.
From where he was standing outside the room, he could see Sara show him her badge.
Luke's face went a shade paler and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He swallowed and
stood a little straighter. Their voices came back to Ian.
"Where were you Sunday night around ten o'clock?"
"Doing what God told me I must."
"And what would that be?"
"He has told me to bring justice to those who have suffered."
"And so you killed them?" That was Jake's hotheaded remark.
"In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free," he quoted.
Sara and Jake just looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed. "You'll have to come
with us," she told him.
"I'll do no such thing."
Sensing trouble, Ian stepped through the doorway into the room. "Hello, Luke." Ian's
voice was low and ominous. "It's been a long time, but I see you have not changed."
Luke Matthews looked at him and after a minute his eyes brightened with recognition.
"Ian!"
Ian continued without looking at him. "Still you think you are superior to everyone. You
still think God has sent you to do a job for him. It would seem that you need to rethink some
things."
The look in Matthews' eyes turned to one of mixed amusement and anger. "Ian, you
haven't changed either. Still under Irons' thumb," he said with undisguised contempt.
Jake had started to reach for his gun when Ian had entered the room, but with a look of
warning from Sara, had relaxed. Now he was observing this exchange with interest. Matthews
reached behind him and picked up a knife laying on the desk, underneath some papers. Ian saw
this and was beside him in three long strides. His arm shot out and grabbed the wrist of the hand
that held the knife. He kept on tightening his grip until the other man grunted in pain and relaxed
his grip on it. Ian let go and Matthews grabbed his injured wrist with his other hand.
Ian kicked Luke's legs out from under him, but before he could do more, he was stopped
by Sara's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, nodded his head in farewell, and slipped out the
door.
Jake stared after his departing back. Then he turned to Sara and asked, "Why did he do
that?" He had a bewildered look on his face. "Help us, I mean," he added as an after thought.
She shook her head. "I really don't know. Maybe one day I'll figure it out." She was still
staring at the place where he had disappeared.
Sara walked over to Luke Matthews, grabbed his arm, and hauled him to his feet. She
started to handcuff him, but before she could, he lunged toward the door, pulling his arms out of
her grasp. He reached it before the other two could and was headed for freedom.
It only took a second for Sara to overcome her shock. Then, she was sprinting down the
hall after him. He hastily looked over her shoulder and saw her gaining on him. He turned around
a corner into a kitchen. Sara was right on his heels.
He stopped at a counter and picked up a large knife. Turning around, he took a step
toward, then stopped. The witch blade had come into the picture. She took a step forward and
placed the edge of the blade against his throat.
He smiled wickedly, took a step to the side, and came at her again. The knife slid off of
the blade. The next thing Sara knew, the former priest was laying on the floor with the last of his
blood soaking the tiles.
The blade retracted just as Jake entered the room. He looked from the body to Sara then
back again.
"Come on, Jake. We'd better go report this."
"Right," he said, nodding his head.
*******
"You sure you don't want me to leave?" Gabriel asked uncertainly.
"I'm sure," she reassured him. "You are going to sit right there while I unpack. Then,
we're going to go to your place so you can unpack."
"Then what?"
"We'll decide when we get there."
He just shrugged his shoulders. One thing about her, he thought to himself, she always
keeps me guessing.
As soon as he had finished unpacking, he stood in front of her in the middle of the living
room. "Now what?"
She thought for a moment, then said, "Let's go see Sara."
*******
"You weren't able to bring him in alive?" Richards questioned them.
"No, sir. He came at me with a knife," she replied patiently.
He nodded his head, then turned to Jake. "And where were you, McCarty?"
"I was coming. He had run from where we had cornered him. I was just a bit slower than
her."
"All right. You two can go," he said, dismissing them.
They left his office and went outside. "Where are you going?" Jake asked her as she
started to walk away from him.
"Home," she replied, looking back over her shoulder.
Gabriel and Renee were almost at Sara's when she arrived. She smiled and invited them
inside. After she had supplied them with something to drink, she asked, "Was there something you
needed or did you just come to visit?"
Gabriel looked at Renee. "We're just visiting," she replied.
Sara smiled at them again. "Tell me about your trip. Was it a peaceful vacation from the
city?"
"I don't think you could say that," Renee and Gabriel said at the same time. They both
started laughing.
"Why? What happened?"
Renee told her about what had happened with Andrew. Sara's face took on a sympathetic
look. "That's tough. But isn't Gabe such an angel?" She asked with a laugh in her voice.
He just rolled his eyes at this. "Did you have the peaceful weekend you had hoped for?"
She let out a little laugh and shook her head. "Far from it. Don't think I'll ever find peace
in this city . . . again."
It seemed that she was looking right through them. They both turned to see what she was
looking at. The only thing Renee could see was a guitar leaning up against the wall. She looked at
Gabriel with a questioning look. He just shrugged, then looked at Sara for an explanation.
She realized they were looking at her and came back to herself. "His brother stopped by
Friday and brought me his guitar." She was having trouble keeping the tears back.
Renee looked at Gabriel again and he mouthed Conchobar. She nodded imperceptibly.
Gabriel had told her about him.
After talking for a while longer, they stood up to leave. "You sure you don't want to get
something to eat with us?" He asked Sara.
"Yeah, I'm sure. You two go ahead." She smiled reassuringly at them. "Have fun."
They walked to the door and Gabriel looked back at her. "You sure?" He asked one more
time.
"Get out of here!"
The door slammed behind them and Gabriel looked at Renee with a boyish grin. "You
think she wanted us to leave?"
She laughed at him. "Yeah, I think she did." Tugging on his arm, she said, "Let's go get
something to eat."
He leaned closer to her and kissed her. "What was that for?" She asked with a smile when
they finally pulled apart.
"An appetizer," he replied. The wide grin was still on his face.
She playfully punched him in the arm. "Gabriel!" She tried to act astonished, but was
unsuccessful. Soon she was doubled over with laughter.
When she finally stopped, the smile stayed on her face. They walked down the street to
the restaurant arm in arm.
