− What an honorable visit! Detective Clóvis in my church! Too bad I am doing my final pray and I’ll be leaving soon. However, if you came to talk about the accident with Tobias, I told you, I already forgave everyone and I’m not interested in fixing the car.
− Sad words, Father Lázaro: “my final pray and I’ll be leaving soon”. With this kind of thinking, who would be interested in material goods? Having or not a car doesn't make any difference, right?
− What are you doing here, after all?
− I came to talk about a change in behavior. Because, to someone that attacked a group of evangelicals three weeks ago, stopping them from performing an event on the square, there was a harsh change in personality.
− I have the duty to defend my religion.
− Which one? The current one or the conventional?
− What are you talking about?
− I am talking about the conversion you undertook along this last week.
− Conversion? What conversion?
− That is right, Lázaro.
− I don’t know what you’re talking about!
− But I do, and I am here to help you. I want to clarify the facts and avoid you from falling in disgrace.
− You know nothing about my life, mister.
− You are wrong, Lázaro, I know more about your life than you do.
− Who are you to know me better than I do? Leave my church and never come back!
− Ok! I may leave, but before I want to tell you something.
− What is it?
− I know who killed Judith. Let’s say that the fatality occurred within the parish house and that our character had the whole night to clean all traces incriminating him. Even so, the worst part still had to be taken care of: how to get rid of Judith’s body? Call the private driver and leave her somewhere out of town? No; no one should know about what happened, not even Tobias. Say that it was an accident inside the parish house? No; it is impossible to explain the presence of the catechist so late at night without giving rise to assumptions. Leave the body at the church square? No; someone could suspect of our character. So, he remembered of the incident between Josias and Judith, when the so called sorcerer made death threats. The opportunity that seemed the only way to get away with it appeared, once Josias already had a bad reputation. Then, our character took the body to the yard, put it on the floor and made a hexagonal star on the mud around her, creating a dreadful scenario, which would incriminate the sorcerer. However, how the murderer would enter the yard, because, without the key, how would he go through the back gate? It would be best to fake a forced entry. It was exactly what our character did: he opened the gate, went outside and locked it again. He had to gave a good distance to knock the gate down, but he went only up to the curb, leaving muddy footprints in the several attempts, until the gate was knocked down. Now the scene was perfect; it was time to leave. He crossed the yard, put his foot on the first step of the thick cement stairway and felt the mud in his shoes. Stopped, reflected and concluded that it wouldn’t be right to go up the rest of the stair with the dirty shoes, once it would incriminate him. So, he took off his shoes on the first step and proceeded barefoot. He was relieved when he calculated that the rain could erase the traces, and who came to investigate could conclude that the footprints on the sidewalk appeared after the sorcerer leaving the body in the yard. Then, he realized that the scene was not so perfect, because if an investigator observed in detail, he would find out that the mud on the wooden gate knocked down was the same found in the yard, and would conclude that the murderer did everything from inside out, stepping first on the yard and later on the sidewalk and then knocked down the gate. Our character, then, to destroy this evidence, asked the carpenter, known as Moisés, to get rid of the gate. Aware that the carpenter was superstitious, presumed that he would destroy the wood remainders immediately, performing a true destruction of evidence.
− This is outrageous! I can sue you for this, did you know, detective?
− But you won’t, for the fact that you are more concerned in putting an end to the troubles in your soul.
− I don’t know what you are talking about!
− I am talking about your regret of being a priest and about your need to destroy the past, but it is no longer the past that will be destroyed, it is you. I know you are thinking about suicide, Lázaro, but all you will get is ruin if you opt for this path.
− That is enough! You are a detective and your job is to investigate things. But now it is too late. I say this because only God can help me. Go away, or I will shoot you!
− Isn’t it weird a priest praying and holding a revolver? Honestly, I am baffled with this evil controlling you. Let it go, Lázaro, tell me what really happened. I promise I will help you. You can overcome this problem. I know you can.
− Only God can help me now.
− Let this, then, be your last act in life here on Earth, please, tell me what happened between you and Judith.
− This doesn't make any difference now.
− There are still people that see you as an example to be followed and, despite of your sad fate, they need to understand what is going on with your heart. You cannot leave them.
− I do not have time for explanations.
− What if they try to follow your path? Would you want this for them? It is long before midnight, Lázaro, we have plenty of time.
− What?
− You intend to kill yourself on Judith’s birthday, as the highest proof of your love, isn’t it? Your anxiety demonstrates it, and I know what it means.
− Go away, detective, leave me alone!
− There will be no peace if I leave, but I promise to leave if you lower this weapon and talk to me.
− I'd rather kill you!
− Would you go to heaven if you killed anyone else? Would God forgive you for so many atrocities? What do you have to lose, once you think of leaving?
− This is not your business!
− It is your choice, then. You either tell me or kill me.
− I will tell you, as long as you disappear afterwards.
− Please, tell me. That is all you have to do.
Judith accepted to be a voluntary to teach catechism and demonstrated a calling for it. The young people in town learned a lot from her, who, with time, gained the trust of all. However, her beauty seduced me; and she noticed it. She started to extend her services late at night. Sometimes, we were alone, and Judith, deliberately, took her blouse off, enhancing her seducing body. Her inviting smile gave me the shakes. She always touched my hands with second intentions. Her piercing look hurt me. Her perfume put me in ecstasy and her shape stuck in my mind when she said goodbye. Until one day, I could no longer control my impulses and I took her in my arms like an animal that obeys the most primitive instincts.
Months went by and I got used to making love to her. I even gave her one of the huge keys that open the door to the parish house to ease her way in.
The problem is that she was engaged to Samuel, Moisés’ son, the carpenter. Unfortunately, he came looking for her for some reason, out of the time of catechism classes. Samuel opened the living room door and caught us.
Weeks later he went to the United States, leaving everything he had behind to his family, without telling anyone the reasons for his sudden departure.
Finally, despite of everything, it was just me and her. After we were caught, we started seeing each other more passionately.
Our intimacy increased abundantly in a voluptuous manner. We made promises of eternal love. We dreamed of a paradise and involving future. She called me her “charming prince” and caressed me as the most experienced women ever did. Seducing voice. Seducing body. Perfumes and kisses… I fell in love in a way that it was impossible to run away. Throughout this whole time, I built my true happiness, until I reached the conclusion that I should give up my function. So, we sworn to turn our promises into reality, and consummate our love, far from here.
<
br /> However, last month there was a party at Magalhães, in a district out of town, and Tobias, my driver, took me there to celebrate a mass. On this day, however, Tobias couldn’t resist and drank. I had the mission to help him with his alcoholic problem, but I just had to turn my back and he went on drinking. I had to drive the jeep on our way back home, because he had no conditions at all.
And, even with little experience, I got to town. But the engine died on me on my way down the street, I turned off the lights so that the batteries wouldn’t die also. I proceeded this way until the speed bump, close to the corner of Judith’s home alley, and it reminded that I didn’t see her at the party at Magalhães.
I went over the huge speed bump, started the engine and turned the lights on. At that moment, when the light invaded the alley, I saw a shadow entering in a hurry on the porch of Judith’s house. It was small, that is all I saw.
I thought about going back to make sure of what I saw, but I am not a good driver, and I was also afraid that Tobias would wake up. I decided to drive him home, park the car and return on my feet.
While I returned through the streets with little light, my head filled with bad feelings. The possibility of someone being in bed with her at the time made me desperate me, making my heart beat fast in anguish that I could hear it in my ears.
I followed my way and got inside the dark alley. The low gate at her house was open, and the entrance door also. I walked without making any noise until I was almost with my head inside, in the opening at the door. I heard whispers that came from her bedroom and I felt a pain deep in my soul; I didn’t want to believe in what was happening to me.
I forced myself to get in to confirm my suspicion, and pushed the door carefully, however, the hinges squeaked loudly, silencing the whispers coming from the bedroom. I firmed my hand on the knob trying to stop the noise, but it was too late — they had heard it. I heard the steps of someone coming and ran away to avoid a confrontation.