Chapter 60: The Bishop's Illegitimate Daughter, Sasha
"You should be reporting a disappearance to the police," Gideon said, rubbing his forehead.
"Besides," he added, "isn't it dangerous to discuss your superior so openly over the phone? Someone could be listening."
"Don't worry, no one's around me!" Huang Ren whispered back.
"The police have been investigating for days, but they still haven't found any concrete leads. They did catch a glimpse of Ms. Sasha near the church on surveillance cameras. She seemed to be deliberately hiding her movements."
The Ms. Sasha Huang Ren mentioned was none other than Sasha Julius, the illegitimate daughter of Bishop Matt Julius.
Gideon had heard about her before from Huang Ren, who had spent years quietly observing the private lives of the clergy from within the church.
According to Huang Ren, wherever there are people, there are human affairs—and if you want to rise, you must seize opportunities yourself.
Gideon admired that pragmatism. If Huang Ren were a native American, he might even have suggested he run for office.
Back to the matter at hand: Sasha's relationship with Bishop Julius was far from smooth.
Her mother had once been the bishop's favorite, but church doctrine could never allow such a relationship to be publicly acknowledged.
Furthermore, as a bishop, Julius had few duties that tied him strictly to the church. So he arranged for his lover to live nearby and met her in secret.
Over time, the forbidden love bore fruit—Sasha's mother became pregnant one spring.
Initially, Bishop Julius insisted on terminating the pregnancy. A child would make their relationship far easier to discover, potentially harming his ecclesiastical career.
But the woman begged desperately, claiming the child was proof of their love.
Faced with such pleading, Julius relented, agreeing to give the mother and child a larger home—though farther from the church.
And so, on a stormy night, Sasha was born.
But her birth claimed her mother's life; the labor complications were too severe.
The news struck Julius like lightning. He had lost the woman he loved dearly—and gained a child who might complicate his future.
Though he kept Sasha, their father-daughter relationship remained strained. Julius restricted her actions and scoffed at her desire to become a nun.
Sasha, however, worked tirelessly to prove herself to her father.
Recently, news had come from the Vatican of a holy proclamation. The announcement eased tensions between father and daughter.
Julius agreed that Sasha could pursue becoming a nun, but under strict adherence to his prescribed theological path.
Still, Sasha longed to study exorcism. She had secretly entered the exorcism chamber multiple times to access sacred artifacts sent directly from the Vatican.
"Maybe Ms. Sasha went out to steal holy relics again," Gideon speculated lazily.
"They've already checked—nothing!" Huang Ren shook his head on the other end.
"Ms. Sasha is an adult; maybe she just went out to clear her mind."
At that, Gideon raised an eyebrow and shifted his tone suddenly.
"You interested in her? Trying to use this as an opportunity?"
"Do I look like that to you?" Huang Ren snapped. "The only woman I love is Bailey!"
"And what about Ms. Faye?" Gideon pressed mercilessly.
"Well… um…" Huang Ren wiped sweat from his brow.
"Don't interrupt me!"
"I didn't call just because of a disappearance. Have you heard about the recent missing children cases?"
Gideon paused to recall; he thought he had heard Sheriff Hopper mention them back in Hawkins. But what did that have to do with Sasha?
"A month ago in Arizona, some children went missing. Only a few were rescued."
Huang Ren's tone darkened.
"The remaining children were found with all their organs removed—the hearts, spleens, and lungs… all gone. The scene resembled some kind of cult ritual. A suspect, possibly a priest, was identified, so the police turned to the church for professional assistance."
Gideon's brows rose as he understood why Hopper had once dragged him into this.
"After investigation, there were no leads within the church, so the police investigation stalled."
"Our Exorcism Academy has dispatched the Silver Cross Clerics; they seem to be taking this very seriously."
Huang Ren continued.
"About two weeks ago, a similar case occurred in Montana. The police discovered numerous young men and women's bodies in an abandoned house. All of them had terrified expressions, their arms severed, as if part of some ritualistic worship. This case also has ties to the church, but to this day, the culprit hasn't been found."
Gideon couldn't help but think sarcastically: Might as well burn the whole church down—think of all the trouble it would save.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. After all, he himself was part of the church and earned his living through it.
Sasha had also taken a strong interest in these two cases, even spending several nights poring over the case files. Of course, Bishop Julius had tried to stop her.
Sasha was still a novice in exorcism. If either case involved a demon, she could very well end up as a sacrificial offering. And besides, she hadn't found any useful leads. It wasn't long before she gave up.
"The reason I'm calling you," Huang Ren said, lowering his voice after glancing around, "is that the day after Sasha went missing, a high-grade sacred artifact disappeared from the exorcism chamber."
"I heard it was a sacred item over thirty years old, kept as one of the church's treasured relics. Only a few people even know about this."
According to Huang Ren, Bishop Julius had scoured the area around the church and even enlisted some "exorcist" friends, yet there was no trace of Sasha.
For a bishop, the loss of a sacred relic is an unforgivable dereliction of duty. And since Sasha was the only living bloodline of the woman he loved, the stakes were even higher.
Despite his many grievances with her, Bishop Julius had offered a generous reward, commissioning professional associates to help locate her.
"I heard it's a bottle of high-quality holy oil that's been stored in the church for decades."
Gideon immediately perked up. He had already experienced the effects of such sacred oil. Recently, with Emma's departure, he had lost one source of income. Though he had savings, he usually applied the higher-grade animal sanctified oils himself, coating his entire body rather than just localized areas like other clergy. His spending on these items was practically endless.
"You should've mentioned this from the start," Gideon said. "When do we leave?"
"I'll send the relevant information to you shortly. Just come to the church entrance tomorrow morning," Huang Ren replied.
"You're not coming to pick me up?" Gideon raised an eyebrow.
"You're quite far from the West District; taking the bus doesn't exactly give a discount!"
"Hello?"
Beep… beep…
The call was disconnected.
"That guy!" Gideon gritted his teeth.
Shortly after, his phone received an email containing Sasha's personal information.
The rest of the night passed quietly.
---
The next morning, Gideon packed his things and headed toward the parish.
After a two-hour drive, he arrived at an imposing building.
It was a Gothic-style church, over eighty years old. The neatly trimmed lawn, smooth stone floors, and clergy coming and going gave it a stately presence.
On a nearby stone plaque was the name of the place: "Saint Jehovah Church."