Page 36 of Crossed

Has she bewitched him too?

I should go back to the church. Or maybe head around the community and make sure the homeless are ready for the cold front expected to hit in the next few days. Maybe set up a place for them to stay dry and warm.

But deep down, I know that I’ll do none of these things. Not today.

And when I see Amaya’s angelic face walking out the Errien Enterprise doors, I follow her all the way back to her run-down apartment, a possessive fire burning through my veins.

Chapter13

Cade

“I’M THINKING WE’LL TAKE PART IN THE FESTIVAL of Fools coming up.”

“Why?” my superior, Bishop Lamont, grunts on the other end of the line. “Parker says he wants it stopped, and I can’t say I disagree.”

“Well,” I start, tapping my fingers on the edge of my desk. “He has enough power to stop it if he truly wished. He doesn’t need us for that. Besides, it’s tradition in the town, and what better way to gain the people’s trust than to ingratiate ourselves in the fabric of what they love?” Silence.

“Without the church, it’s just them mocking us. It’s embarrassing that Father Clark allowed it to go on for so long without trying to intervene, honestly.” I pause. “Or maybe Parker hasn’t stopped it because he knows it would paint him in a bad light. You don’t think he’s trying to make thechurchlook like the bad guy, do you?”

“Fine,” Bishop Lamont replies, his voice rough and choppy. “But you need to work with Parker. I don’t appreciate being called and informed that you’re making things difficult. He’s very important to the church. He singlehandedly keeps Notre-Dame afloat in Festivalé.”

Irritation stabs at my chest. He’s onlyimportantbecause of the money he provides. Parker is not a godly man. This isn’t His way. It’s the way of greed and corruption. “Understood.”

I hang up the phone and scowl down at it right as Jeremiah walks in.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

Sighing, I run a hand through my hair and lean back, the chair rocking on its hinges. “Bishop Lamont would like us to get the church involved in the Festival of Fools this year.”

It’s not entirely the truth, but making it seem as though it’s my superior’s idea may smooth over anyone’s reservations.

Jeremiah eyebrows lift. “Really?”

I nod. “Do you have any recommendations on where to start?”

He moves into the room and sits down across from the desk, crossing his legs and rubbing his chin. “You could try Louis Elementary. They always do a big production right out front with all their kids.”

My face twists.

“Plus, Principal Lee is a devout Catholic. She’ll be over the moon to know the church has decided to take part.”

* * *

Speakingwith Principal Lee is a chore. She’s a dowdy woman with black hair so dark it hints at blue and a god complex that goes unchecked from the power she wields over the minds of our future. I’ve only been here for a few moments, but I can already tell that Louis Elementary in general is a drag, but I’m here for a reason, and I won’t leave until that purpose is served.

Jeremiah told me the elementary school usually puts on a play during the festivities and that the principal was one of the few women who would bend over backward for the church. Now that I’m looking at her, I realize I’ve seen her every Mass. She’s never missed. Jeremiah is right. If we want to take an active part in the festival, then she’s the place to start.

So first thing this morning, I made a spontaneous trip to the school, assuring Principal Lee that the church would love to support their efforts. To say she’s thrilled is an understatement.

“More than anything, we need a place for the kids to rehearse,” Principal Lee says. “We have our auditorium, but it’s taken up by theactualschool play rehearsals, and nowhere else in the building can accommodate so many students at once.”

“They can use the church for rehearsals and the play,” I cut in. “We have plenty of rooms in the basement.”

A flash of relief coasts across her eyes, and a peal of distant laughter rings through the open door at my back. I turn to see what it is, looking past the front office and into the hall, noticing a large boy crowding a smaller one, a piece of paper falling from the younger kid’s hand when he gets shoved into the wall.

I squint my eyes, realizing that it’s Amaya’s little brother.

What was his name?Quinten.