Chapter Eleven
A Tool
-oOo-
Chloe felt reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of her bed on the dreary Monday morning, especially with the prospect of confronting her godfather about the rapist case. With all the strength she could muster, she pulled herself out of bed and proceeded to the bathroom to at least make herself appear presentable. There were dark shadows under her eyes; every line seemed deeper on her once flawless face. Now more then ever she felt older and with none of the advantages of age. She didn't feel wiser, she didn't have a family and she didn't have a clue what she wanted in life.
She spent a bit longer in front of the mirror that morning, applying more foundation and blusher under her sagging eyes and adding a flick of lipstick to her pale thin lips, then she unenthusiastically made her way to the office, keeping her head down and hoping not to bump into Jerome until she had figured out how she felt and what she was going to say to him.
Chloe was credulous as to how her life could have become so complicated in a matter of a few days. Not only did she have her godfather to worry about, but the absence of Capitaine Fache was felt within the whole DCPJ, whispers and speculations circulated throughout the building. Chloe had begun to feel quite sick by lunch time so decided to take her break outside in the courtyard, despite the chilly wind. She found herself sitting alone amongst the dying apple trees and muddy lawns. As she ate her dry turkey sandwich, she recalled the hurt and shame in Jeromes' eyes from the previous evening. He really did regret keeping her out of the loop, but he didn't have to. A small bubble of anger still boiled in the pit of her stomach, but by the end of her lunch break, it was only simmering. Jerome was looking out for her, he cared for her, and if it wasn't him who showed her love, she would have no one else.
Not twenty minutes before returning to her desk, a folder was dropped onto her keyboard, almost making Chloe jump out of her skin. She recognised the folder from Jerome's house and was startled to see him standing above her, the same weariness of her own face mirrored in his. Obviously, he had had little sleep as well.
"What's this?" was all Chloe could think to say. She pulled the file towards her and gripped it defensively.
"I'm giving it to you" he replied.
"Why?" Chloe asked, wishing Jerome would stop looking so sad and pathetic. It made the guilt of her outburst so much more unbearable.
"You're right, I had no right to keep this from you, but do you really think you could have seen through this investigation?" he asked, "I found it hard to talk to this girls, to dig around and find out who could do such a thing to you. And if I struggled, how do you think you would have coped?" he asked again.
Chloe hung her head, he was of course right, but it had not been his decision to make. She voiced her opinion, to which Jerome nodded and stood up straight, making to leave her, "I hope you remember that you're not the only woman to have fallen prey to this monster. It wasn't just about you, I hope you know that" he added and walked away, leaving Chloe feeling possibly worse then that morning.
As the day wore on, Chloe could not shake from her mind what her godfather had said. But what got to her most was that he was right, it wasn't just about her, it was about the other girls that were raped by that monster. All this time she had only thought it was her, but it wasn't. They had just as much right as her to see that monster put behind bars but she wasn't the person to see it done.
Something suddenly occurred to Chloe, Jerome's principle didn't just apply to the rapist case, but it held true to her current case. She was being selfish in holding out on Silas and one secret wasn't worth as many lives as the Council saw fit to take in the future. She had the power to stop their murderous ways and even though the monk was the last person she wanted to tell her little secret, she didn't see any other choice. The monk was the key to unlocking Bishop Aringarosa, he would be a powerful ally and she could not turn her nose up at that because she had a grudge against religion.
Finally making a decision, she gathered up the file Jerome had given her that morning and proceeded to drive to Saint Sulpice, she only wished she had arranged some meeting place with Silas, but she had been too emotional on their last meeting to have thought of it. Instead she settled down in one of the pews, the file on her lap and starred up at the alter, remembering all the reasons why she hated God and why religion had no place in her heart.
But now is seemed, religion still had room for her in its. She had been pulled into a world she had no understanding off and gradually she was beginning to see things from the eyes of the monk and from Aringarosa. Both would be quite approachable had they both decided not to take the cloth, but she was frustrated to hold a conversation with either as they were so easily offended, especially in matters of their faith and those who support it. She tried to imagine Silas without his robe, dressed maybe in jeans and a t-shirt. Of course his albinism would never allow him to truly blend in with a crowd, but at least he would look more human, more approachable.
However even so, she did not fear Silas, not much anyway. The fact that he had already killed did perturb her, but not as much as it should have. Maybe it was because she found it impossible for a monk as religious as Silas to have murdered? No that wasn't right, because the look in his eye as he strangled her showed he was more then capable of that. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't want to do those killings, maybe it was because he believed it was divine instruction.
Chloe checked her watch, she had been sitting for almost an hour and a half and Silas had not shown. She sighed in frustration, mainly at herself for letting her feelings get the better of her intelligence the last time she was in the chapel. She decided to give it another half an hour before she gave up and went back to the office, but it was a shame to waste the afternoon when she could have been working on other leads. She began fingering the file on her lap. She loathed to open it, she was afraid to after the horrific images and details she saw the last time. It made all the terror rush back to her and sent the hairs on the back of her neck rising.
Chloe had been so deep in thought that she hardly noticed the robed stranger sit within a few inches of her. A hood prevented her from seeing his features, but from the musty smell and the way the character limped over to her, she knew it could only be one person.
"I thought you wouldn't come" he said gruffly, pulling down his hood and piercing her with his ruby stare. Chloe starred back, not letting him get to her.
"Neither did I, but here we are" she replied stonily, her fingers straddling the folder in her hands.
"Have you reached a decision?" Silas asked. Chloe suddenly had second thoughts, but pushed it into the back of her mind so that she would not falter.
"I don't really have a choice now do I. It's my responsibility to protect the people, it's a sacrifice I'll have to make" then she shifted so she could look him square in the eye, "But I want you to promise, that whatever I say or what you see right now, you will never mention to anyone. And I mean anyone, not even Aringarosa"
Silas was affronted with her domineering tone, but took her request into consideration. Finally he nodded, "I will promise, but understand I will not lie"
Chloe shrugged, "I guess that's as good as I'm going to get" she sighed and gingerly handed the file over to the monk who took it questionably, "It happened over six months ago" she said as he flipped through the pages, "I was walking home at night and I was … attacked" she faltered, Silas looked at her with a frown on his face, obviously needing her to elaborate, "He'd held a knife to my chest the whole time he raped me" she explained, the painful tears welling up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall, especially in front of the monk.
Silas studied the picture of Chloe sporting her wounds, he looked intently at her face, Chloe was unsure what he was thinking until he spoke, "That doesn't explain why you hurt yourself" he asked timidly.
Chloe breathed deeply, "Sometimes physical pain can disguise the emotional pain" she explained. Silas took a moment to let this sink in, but then he shut the folder and handed it back to Chloe.
"You have fulfilled your end of the bargain, now take me to Aringarosa" he said.
Chloe blinked. She was surprised that Silas didn't give her lecture or probe deeper into her past, but he seemed quite satisfied with her answer.
"How do you know you can trust me?" Chloe said before thinking. Silas stood up and looked down at her.
"I suppose I do not, but it was a big sacrifice to tell me what you did, so I must honour our agreement" he replied, lifting the hood over his white hair.
Chloe frowned but decided not to argue, "Fine, we'll take my car" she said and quietly led the limping monk out of the chapel and to her car.
The car journey was awkwardly uncomfortable, after all, Chloe was sitting with the man who had tried to strangle her and now knew her dark secret, whilst Silas was sitting with a woman he thought to be a blasphemer. Surprisingly though, Silas started to talk.
"Is that why you do not believe in our Lord?" he asked quietly, starring out of the window as Parisian buildings moved by.
Chloe glanced at him, "You could say that. I haven't had a lot of reason to believe in a higher power, I can't believe there is a God when bad things happen to good people"
"You mean like you" Silas said quickly. Chloe was desperate to avert the conversation.
"Back at the DCPJ, I took your word that Aringarosa was just a pawn to this Council of Shadows. I'm going to bring them down, Silas, so I need to know whether you're going to hinder me or just stay out of my way" she said.
Silas glared at her, "Do not presume to tell me what to do, woman. I am still a child of the Church, their rules are above those of your law" he said harshly.
"You do realise that if I catch you killing again, I will put you away for the rest of your life" she retorted. Silas glared at her, but then his anger fizzled.
"You do not have to worry, I will not murder under order again" he said quietly, starring once more out of the window. Chloe was surprised and frowned.
"Even if your Patron tells you to?" she asked.
"The Bishop never asked me to murder those people. The Teacher told him not to contact me until he said it was safe, it was the Teacher who ordered me to kill in the name of the Lord. He used me for his own means" he added venomously.
"Teabing wanted to publicise the Grail, completely the opposite to what the Council wanted to do with it" Chloe explained, Silas starred at her, "You almost betrayed the very people you thought you were helping without realising it" she said.
"That old cripple betrayed us" Silas snapped. Chloe blinked.
"Us?" she pressed.
"Yes, the Bishop and I" he replied, suddenly aware that Chloe had thought he had said too much, "I told you before, I know not about this Council"
Chloe shrugged and pulled into the hospital car park. Silas walked behind her the whole way up to the fifth floor. Naturally the guards were reluctant to let the monk past, but with gentle persuasion, Chloe got them both in. She stood beside the monk as Bishop Aringarosa's tired eyes swivelled from the window to the man he believed to be dead.
"What trickery is this?" he whispered, "That my sweet Silas should be standing in my very room" he gaped.
Silas took a painful step forward, "It is I, Bishop, Silas" he said in a strained voice.
Aringarosa eyes were wide and bright, he beckoned the monk to come closer, "My Silas, alive! It is impossible, she was telling the truth" he wheezed.
A frown creased Silas' brow. Chloe bit her lip; she had forgotten to mention to the monk that Aringarosa had been told he was dead.
"I have prayed for you since my arrest, Bishop" Silas said, bending his head down to Aringarosa so he could kiss him affectionately on the forehead. He straightened up and smiled down at his Patron. Chloe felt something inside of her brighten with the pure joy both parties felt at being with one another again. It was both beautiful and painful to watch and she felt uncomfortable being in the middle of it, she wanted nothing more then to leave the room, but she needed questions answered.
"Bishop Aringarosa, I've done as you asked" Chloe said, the two men suddenly turning their eyes to her, "I need your help, who are the members of the Council of Shadows?"
Aringarosa looked at Silas, then at the floor then finally to Chloe, "My dear child, I think you misunderstood what I implied before. I said that if you brought Silas to me, I would trust you, but I still do not know anything about this Council of which you speak. I am afraid you have been chasing a rumour" he smiled.
Chloe felt a wave of anger, the Bishop knew full well what his promise had sounded like to her and of course she know could not contest his decision as he was technically right, but she had told Silas everything and for nothing in return. It was as if a hollow space had appeared in her stomach and she felt utter rage for both Bishop and monk.
"You used me to get him back" she hissed dangerously low.
Silas stood up straight, ready to defend his patron if need be. This made Chloe all the more frustrated.
"God uses us all" Aringarosa smiled falsely. Chloe clenched her fists at her sides.
"Not me, Bishop, but I warn you now, I will bring the Council to justice and if I find that you and Silas are involved, no matter how deeply, I will bring you down" and with that she strode out of the room, feeling ready to punch someone right on the nose. She almost knocked right into a nurse who was holding a syringe as she went to move into the Bishops room.
As soon as she got into her car, Chloe erupted into a torrent of curses she had never before used and only heard on television. She now had nowhere to go, she had no more leads, and she was official stuck. She needed to talk to Fache before she did anything else, she hadn't heard from him in quite a while and she wondered whether he too had made any progress. Finally calm enough to drive, she put the car in reverse and headed away out onto the road.
Her mind was a swirl of red as she stopped at traffic lights, an elderly woman walked across with a walking stick and a leather handbag, Chloe visualised the old ladies peaceful life. She probably had a husband at home and a cat, she lived peacefully and simply, she wasn't embroiled in the farcical religious battle for the Holy Grail. She shook her head at the insanity of it all. Casually she glanced at her rear-view mirror and caught sight of a familiar black BMW that she had seen tailing her since she left the hospital car park and now that was at least a few blocks away.
Curiously she moved forward once the lights had turned green and made her way down the road, the car still in tow. In an effort to ridicule her own paranoia, she turned down a quiet street, not used very much by cars and to her horror the car followed. She tried to get a look at the driver, but all she could see was a dark suit and a pair of black sunglasses.
"Merde!" she hissed, someone was following her. Without a second thought she slammed her foot down on the accelerator and pushed off down the bumpy narrow road. The car behind did the same, dodging the dustbins and potholes just as Chloe did. She grasped her steering wheel tightly as she turned a sharp corner back out onto the main road, narrowly avoiding an oncoming transit van; she screamed as her bumper just pasted the front of the van and skidded over a roundabout. Panicking and gasping, she checked behind her again and saw the BMW rush past the transit van and give chase, she turned sharply again, cutting off another car, she ignored the harsh horn blasts and kept over taking car after car, trying desperately to get away for her pursuer.
She pushed the car into fourth gear as she screamed down another road, her eyes peeled open for an easy escape, but she could see none, already the sky was darkening, making it harder to see but she pushed on, turning a tight corner and knocking over a dustbin in the process. She checked behind her and was relieved to see that the car had disappeared. She checked again and looked all around her before she let off the accelerator and trudged on down the quiet road, lined with houses and small shops. Chloe reached into her bag for her mobile phone, she needed to warn someone, tell anyone that someone was following her. But she didn't know who to call. She couldn't put her godfather in danger and it was likely that Fache was being watched. She didn't have anyone.
Suddenly she heard an engine rev and before she could put her own accelerator down, the BMW had already ploughed into the side of her car, knocking her a good few feet off of the road. Chloe screamed, smacking the side of her head against the car door as she dropped her phone on the floor. Desperately she rammed the gear stick into first and shot away off the grassy verge she had landed on and jetted down the road, the BMW hot on her tail.
"Merde!" she screamed as the pursing car caught up and began ramming the back of her small citron. Chloe struggled to keep the car straight; her knuckles were white from holding the wheel so tightly. She slammed the accelerator on again and turned another tight corner between two houses. The BMW tried to follow, but the car was too wide and wedged between the two buildings, the engine roaring and the metal groaning in an effort to give chase, but Chloe broke free of the street and joined the traffic heading back into the city.
For the next two minutes, Chloe glanced frantically on all sides to make sure the BMW was behind her; it was only when she calmed down that she felt the throbbing pain on her temple. She raised a hand to sooth it and found it sticky with blood.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, trying to drive and stem the flow of blood that was now dripping onto her shirt at the same time.
The flow of blood began to die down as she got within a few hundred yards of her apartment, nervously she peered up at the bedroom window of her home, she gulped down fresh fear as she recognised her purple curtains, but they were handing awkwardly against the window as if someone had pulled them roughly around. Chloe always pinned them back neatly against the side of the window.
Gingerly, she pulled her car up onto the pavement, grabbed her bag and got out. She cringed as she saw the huge dents and peeled paint where the BMW had impacted her small car. But there was no time to worry about that. Quickly she scurried across the road and made her way up the fire escape to her own floor. She sneaked through the door, tiptoed to her front door and gasped when she saw it was ajar. She did a circle to make sure no one was standing behind her before she crept to the door and gingerly pushed it open, afraid of what she would see, and when she did, she gasped in horror.
-oOo-
strgazer - Thanks mate, another short but sweet!
Possessed-Gummy-Bear-Inferno - Hey! Hands of Chloe's wine, thats mine! lol, glad you're enjoying it!
pheonixrisingGhostLoveScore - Wow, lovely review, you do cheer me up!
In Omnibus Caritas - Well Silas might not like Chloe now but things might change, and at the moment, the feeling is quite mutual!
A/N: I don't know how some of you are going to feel about Aringarosa being a bit of a bad sport in this chappie, but he's only looking out for number one! And how did you feel about his reuniting with Silas? Let me know!