Iron Ghost

Iron Ghost Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen
5th floor hallway FBI Headquarters 1st Federal Plaza Manhattan N.Y.
August 18th
Exterior cuffs of Padre’s draping sleeves separate like a miniature version of  the Red Sea at Moses feet.  Pale and bony flesh, decorated with tufts of long black hair, wrapped around a hand attached to what would more likely appear to be a child’s wrist.
Dawn looks up to the tall cloaked man in front of her searching the shadow within the hooded black hole looming over her for a hint of his face or eyes…
He bows his head not tilting the tip of his coffee colored hood nearly as much as his pointy chin drops and her eyes widen as she suddenly becomes astonished at the strength of his grip.
“I should speak to you.”
Turning toward a desk lamp and emerging from behind the shadow of his hood is a face wrinkled extensively in almost a circular pattern…a pattern which could just as easily been formed in mud on the bottom of a stagnant pond.
She blinks once.
“So would my Director and his peers.  I have a meeting in ten minutes.”
“The Iron Ghost?”
She stills herself.
“You say that like you know him?”
“No better than you believe he does not exist.”
Her green eyes constrict.
“I am late for my alert update. We can talk as we walk.”
“Have you ever heard of Padre Pio?”
“A 15th Century Catholic Saint documented for having been in two places at the same time… A peasant…Padre Pio believed to have out-witted corruption…evil spirited happenings in the Church.  Credited by contemporary Church teachings Padre Pio is believed to have turned the outcome of church policy.”
“Close enough.  He also entered into frequent dialogue with Angels.”
“I am a scientist Padre.  Where are you going with this?  I have little time”
“I know.  I suspect law enforcement across the globe is about to have less and less time.”
“Padre If you have a report to file I suggest you go down the hall to…”
She stills herself again and gazes into his eyes.
“I think I must leave now.”
“You spent time in Village Azure.”
“Over ten years ago.  How would you know that?”
“I am…was…the exorcist assigned to Maria Vesquez.”
Dawn blinks several times.
“I…I…I have only seen photos of you.  I am sorry.  I…did not recognize you.  ”
“I’ve aged.”
Staring into him and unable to stare through him, Dawn blinks.
“What do you have for me?”
His hood does not move.
“An exorcism can only succeed if at the most primal of depths the host body desires to be free of the demon.”
“Padre, time is short.  My director is not a patient man and criminal science is not a religion.  What do you have for me?”
“If the host body fears the demon greater than the desire to lose the demon the host body and soul will soon be lost…exorcism requires a greater fear of God and anger for what the demon represents in relationship to the fear from what the demon will do to the host.”
“What does any of this have to do with…”
His hood shifts down.
“Ask yourself what happens when the host body fears what the demon will do to others more than what the demon will do to the host?”
“You have a martyr?”
“Yes.  It also implies the host has knowledge as to what the demon wants to do.  Maria was a brave girl.”
Her hair jumps back a bit as she protrudes her chest forward and blinks quite rapidly and extends and slips each of her hands around his one bony and warm hand and she smiles a smile still widening as she says, “We can discuss…talk about this at my apartment.”
His hood shakes as he withdraws his hand and nods.
“I fear your government will not allow me back into your country soon.  They will deny my passport.  I suspect you are being watched.  Be strong child.
She laughs a bit before excusing herself leaving the robe to appear as a cloaked statue.

“Have you ever seen three roses at a crime scene?”
She stops, raising her eyebrows before shaking her head.
“Why would you ask?”
His stare intensifies his hood does not move.


“How about a spider?”
Dawn turns away.
“We can continue this conversation at another time.  I must go.”
“A spider?”
She stops and faces him.
“No.  I have never seen a spider at a crime scene.  Padre, I must go now. I do not mean to be rude.”