The discussion room lights dimmed as night settled outside the headquarters. Files were laid scattered across the long table, photographs pinned to the board—two victims, one candy, one orphanage, and too many unanswered questions.
Soon after, Father Patrick was seated at the inquiry room, filled with breezy air coming in from the window. Darian and Aric sat in the opposite direction and placed all the reports and evidence on the table and started their section of questioning Father Patrick.
Father Patrick was calm. Too calm. His hands were folded neatly in front of him, rosary beads wrapped around his fingers as if they were a shield. His eyes held a practiced gentleness, the kind meant to comfort—but Darian felt something was off. Both eyes crossed.
Aric leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, watching silently.
"Father Patricks," Darian began evenly, sliding the two diaries onto the table, "Do these diaries belong to the victims?"
Father flickered and rested his eyes by rolling the rosary beads in his fingers and murmured, "God have mercy on me." Darian insisted in his words, "Father Patricks."
Slowly, Father stated that, "Child, listen to me, this diary belongs to those children; when they were about 18 years old, they got these diaries as a memento from Father. St. Filimino"
Darian sharpened his words with, "Father, since it belongs to both of them and they are siblings too, how come they have never met each other?"
They couldn't meet each other because the person who left them with us instructed us to make these two siblings not to meet each other, as for the reason we don't have, Father replied.
"Ok," Darian opened one diary and turned about 5 pages ahead and pointed to a line from the book. "What is this, Father? It is written that people motivate us by telling us to believe in God, only to let us die in front of them." Darian reads them out with a confused and suspicious look on his face.
Father swallowed. And rolled his rosary way harder.
Finally, Aric spoke by asking, "What is your relation with Williams, Father?" Suddenly Darian cut in, "Wait! He hasn't answered my question".
Darling, what you're asking him is not at all useful. Wait, let me complete it first: "He smiled and brushed Darian's hair carefully and gently."
Yes, Father paused for a moment and replied in a fluttered manner.
"Williams was Father Filimino's cousin. We met at a feast of St. Anne's, and Father introduced him to me, and he heard that I was planning to sell my orphanage; he stepped forward and invested money in our orphanage.
So does he visit your orphanage often? Aric questioned . "No, only his fellow men visit our orphanage." Father replied.
Darian cut in again, "Do you know anything about this candy?"
The priest went in silence; Darian felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Listen kids, whatever I know, I have said. Now can you leave me? I need to take care of many things in the home. Aric gave a hard stare to Father and questioned,
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