Chapter Five
Saturday, 1:53pm
The Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Candelária Cathedral was an ancient imposing structure on the praca pio whose outside was made of baroque. A crux immissa atop a multicolored dome gave the Cathedral its unique character. The Cathedral’s huge sculpted bronze doors stood wide open as Rodriquez briskly approached its entrance. His firm strides confirming the rage that burned deep inside him.
The inside of the Cathedral was cold. He also observed that it was divided into three sections all with separate entrances. Murals lined the walls made from Italian marble. The church's windows were richly textured with stained glass. Elsewhere, he could see bronze pulpits and gold covered almost every surface. Above him, six panels depicting the history of the church adorned the roofs. Some figures he recalled seeing as a child when he and his parents had come here, the others, he still couldn’t identify except for the painting of Santo Antonio. A few people mostly elderly were bent over in silence while others knelt on the marble floor in apparent meditation. A young woman silently approached the church’s Golden Alter, lit a candle and knelt to pray. Something soft tapped his shoulder causing a twinge inside him.
‘Stunning no?’ a soft male voice spoke. Upon hearing the voice behind him, Rodriquez turned to look. It was Father Gustav Aurelio. Rodriquez hadn’t noticed him approach.
The priest wore a black cassock and a roman collar tightly fastened around his neck. His tall firm frame remained hidden behind the bulky vestments. His dark curly hair Rodriquez observed, was neatly combed backwards.
‘Follow me.’ The priest said before retreating. He led Rodriquez to the western section of the church through a door with bronze decorations. He led him further into a narrow corridor which reminded Rodriquez of boarding school. The dimly lit corridor came to an abrupt end at yet another bronze decorated door enameled with gold engraved inscriptions-Gabinete do Reitor-Office of the Rector. At this point, the priest withdrew a heap of keys from his cassock before settling to sort through the dangly bunch meticulously. Finally, he chose one and then proceeded to unlock the door.
Rodriquez was welcomed by a powerful scent of new wood varnish inside Father Gustav Aurelio’s private study. Clean lines adorned the study’s wooden floor matching the wooden arm chair and the wooden side table giving the room a distinct and luxurious feel. Neatly stack rows of books stared at Rodriquez in an open mahogany cabinet directly opposite where he stood. He also observed that the room’s large window facing north was hidden behind grey blinds possibly to keep out the sunlight trying to illuminate the room with its shimmering light. Instead, a miniature eight pointed bulb chandelier above the cream painted ceiling brightened the neatly arranged study.
One feature though looked out of place. It came in the shape of a large beveled glass mirror plastered on the wall. It had a carved frame made from gilt wood giving it a rather ancient look.
‘Please sit down.’ the priest said pointing Rodriquez to the only chair in the room. Rodriquez obliged.
‘I have been expecting you.’ the priest announced calmly.
‘You know me?’ Rodriquez asked. His surprised expression didn’t seem to bother the priest.
‘Let’s just say I knew you.’ The priest answered, his blue eyes fixed on Rodriquez.
‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’ Rodriquez asked still puzzled.
‘You came here for a reason. Didn’t you? You came to see Me.’ the priest replied ignoring the question put to him. Rodriquez felt both a chill and a sense of excitement.
‘That’s right.’ replied Rodriquez.
‘Alright then, talk to me. Am intrigued about your request my son.’ The priest said stepping closer and leaning his athletic frame towards Rodriquez. His piercing blue eyes remained fixed on his visitor.
‘Am afraid I didn’t come here to talk about myself father, rather, I came to find out what you were doing in the Rochina last night.’
At the mention of the word Rochina, the priest stiffened.
‘Who else knows about this?’ He asked, his face menacing.
‘Miguel Almeida, Secretary of public security. I believe you’ve heard of him.’ replied Rodriquez.
‘Have I committed a crime?’ The priest asked his voice dropping lower.
Ignoring the startled man, Rodriquez proceeded,
‘You said you were expecting me. How did you know I would come looking for you?’
Straightening his cassock, the priest answered in reply, ‘I heard you speak to a man at the hospital.’
Rodriquez could see the man looked nervous.
‘Have you’ve been following me?’ asked Rodriquez, ‘You should have some decency as a man of God not to spy on a police officer.’
The priest shrugged his shoulders. Rodriquez ignored the gesture.
‘Now, let’s talk about Isabella.’ Rodriquez said changing the subject.
The man suppressed a chuckle.
‘Was that meant to be funny?' Rodriquez asked. He was getting irritated. ‘That girl was murdered after handing a brown envelope over to you. We believe it contained vital information. Where is it?’
‘I do not mean to be rude,’ answered the priest, ‘but I find your questions rather annoying and strange to put it mildly.’
Rodriquez became furious.
‘Look! Mister, you may be a priest, but that doesn’t mean you’re above the law. You don’t realize the kind of mess you’re in. You better start talking or else I will arrest you here and now!’ he shouted.
Father Gustav instead repressed a sigh. It had grown tense in the room.
‘Alright, I’ll tell you,’ said the priest, ‘I knew Isabella from when she was little, She, although poor, was a good girl until she was murdered in cold blood by you.’ He was now staring angrily at Rodriquez.
Rodriquez paled as the last words fell to his ears.
‘Utter nonsense!’ shouted Rodriquez. He had been surprised by the man’s wild allegations. It also seemed as though the priest were paranoid. The man’s drastic change of facial expressions was worrisome.
Rodriquez knew it was time to shift the angle of interrogation. He needed to tighten the grip on the priest.
‘You were seen leaving Isabella’s room in a rash but returned shortly in the company of two other men, one of them I think, is called Romero. Were you planning to dispose of the body?’ Rodriquez quizzed.
‘It’s a pity you really don’t recall any thing.’ The priest answered. His voice sounded calm but his anger hadn’t decreased.
Rodriquez crossed his arms and turned his face away from the visibly angry priest.
‘There was fourth man,’ Rodriquez continued, ‘I don’t recall much about him except he carried a wine bottle, a Cabernet Sauvignon. The same bottle found placed next to the dead girl. We are currently examining prints on that bottle. Does this jog your memory?’ he asked turning to face Father Aurelio. A surprised expression flashed across the man’s face.
Rodriquez had him where he wanted.
Turning his gaze once again to admire the book cabinet, Rodriquez waited for an answer. When he didn’t hear any reply, he returned his quizzical gaze.
‘Last night,’ Rodriquez said, ‘Natalia, my wife, a cancer patient at the Hospital Adventista Silvestre in Santa Teresa was found dead in her bed by hospital personnel. The hospital surveillance camera captured you and three other men in the hospital’s third floor lobby headed to Room 15A, her room.’
The priest remained silent.
'The cause of death according to the autopsy report,' continued Rodriquez, 'was strangulation. What’s even more intriguing is, there is no record of either you or your amigos leaving the hospital premises. How is this possible given all the cameras littered around the Hospital premises?’
The priest’s voice rose in anger, ‘What nonsense is this you are blubbering? Are you insulting me? Get out of my Office!’ He ordered Rodriquez angrily ‘and take your silly pranks elsewhere. You are not welcome her
e.’
‘I am not leaving until you tell me what brought you to my wife’s hospital bed in the dead of the night.’
‘I said leave!' The priest shouted glaring at him.
Rodriquez stood up and walked towards the Priest, staring at him measuredly head to toe and in a calm voice, almost a whisper he asked,
‘Tell me, how did you do it?’
Rodriquez didn’t anticipate what happened next. The priest lunged at him, grabbing him by the throat before lifting him off the ground. With brute strength, Rodriquez was ferociously flung onto the book cabinet scattering all its contents in different directions. He screamed out in pain as his bones and muscles cringed, but before he could fathom what was happening, he was hammer locked. He had to do something. Spinning around, Rodriquez punched and kicked out at the man before freeing himself. He then jammed his body into the priest’s torso and both men slammed onto the wall before thundering heavily onto the wooden floor winded and exhausted. Rodriquez lay on the floor trying to catch his breath. In a flash, the priest appeared above him. He was grabbed again, lifted into the air and tossed violently against the side table. It's hard pointed edge viciously cut into his midsection sending a stinging pain through his entire body. Rodriquez felt arms curve tightly around his neck in a deathly grip. As he desperately fought for breath, he dug his nails into the man’s skin but the grip was unyielding. His lungs began to burn from lack of air, terror streaming from his eyes as the priest's grip tightened. Rodriquez was then dragged towards the mirror.
‘Look into the mirror!’ shouted the priest, his voice was menacing. ‘Take a hard long look into the mirror and tell me what you see!’ the priest yelled as blood mingled with spittle from his mouth kept dripping onto Rodriquez’ forehead. Panting for breath, Rodriquez raised his blood shot eyes and gazed into the huge mirror. Spasms of terror run through his almost limp body. The mirror’s reflective surface was devoid of his and the priest’s images.
‘Do you see anything? I don’t think so. You want to know why? It’s because you and I are already dead!’ shouted the priest.
Rodriquez had grown up hearing Folklore stories about ghosts and haunted mirrors. His ancestors the Tapirape believed that mirrors were portals to the spirit realm. His kin had long believed souls existed not only in humans but also in animals, plants and the natural environment like thunder, wind and shadows. As Rodriquez stared even harder, still in disbelief, a strange mist started to form within the mirror. It quickly evolved into a dense, dark mass before turning into a more recognizable shape, Natalia’s.
The priest loosened his grip. Both men still gasping for breath stood transfixed in front of the formed mirror image. A cold shiver run down Rodriquez’ spine as the grey image blinked.
‘Jesus! Is that you Natalia? Why are you in there? Where are you?’
‘She can see you but can’t hear you.’ said the priest, ‘Her soul is trapped inside another realm. It keeps seeking for a resting place.’ Turning to face Rodriquez, with a wild gaze, the priest opened his bloodied mouth saying, ‘But as for you mister, you’ve been dead three years now!’