Page 19 of Sin Eater

His colleague glares at him, urging him to continue, despite his jerky breathing.

“Can I ask you to wait here?” he asks, pointing to the deserted waiting room for civilians.

“Would you like a coffee?” offers the heavyweight, under the saucer-like gaze of the teller, who seems unaccustomed to such attentions.

“I'd love to, but I'd rather have a cup of tea with a splash of milk, if you have it,” I say, in a hurry to get rid of him.

He freezes for a moment, unsure whether he can comply with my request, before racing off in the opposite direction.

I sit down on the chair opposite the door to keep an eye on the comings and goings before disappearing.

“Hey!” I murmur in a sort of shouted whisper that makes me realize that calling a stranger without knowing his first name is as impossible as feigning impassivity under pressure. “The ghost!”

“At your service,” he replies, striding unobtrusively past the room's glass walls.

“We'll have to be quick. Have you located the morgue?”

He nods, a mischievous gleam in his emerald eyes.

“I'll be right behind you.”

Following in the apparition's wake, I run through the corridors. It's still early and, despite what I had guessed, most of the police force must be in the parking lot for the shift change. We quickly slip into the stairwell and make our way to the second basement.

The morgue is there, but it’s rendered inaccessible by an electronic door with a sealed lock.

The man carefully opens the refrigerated compartments and takes out the tables on which the bodies of my little ones lie. He's quick to leave the room when I ask him to let me collect myself one last time, before the next day's burning.

I position myself behind the bunk beds, facing the door, a way of monitoring comings and goings, while respecting protocol. I place the loaves of bread on each of my children, then sit the bowl, barely filled with a sip of beer, on my beloved Amy's chest.

I then chant with rigor and conviction, adapting my words to the one lying before me:

“I give you peace and rest now, my dear child, my sweet Amy. Go no more to the streets or the pastures. Leave the world of the living for good and gain eternity with our Lord. Breathe in infinite serenity and taste the peace of your soul. For all this, I pledge mine. Amen.”

I gobble up the bread, swallow it with the help of the beer, and place my lips on the tiny neck of my metal flask to blow the recovered sins into it.

I start again without delay with Hugo's body. I'm in a hurry, lest the coroner turn up in the middle of a mouthful.

At last it's Jack’s turn. I've hardly put down the bowl of beer when I hear footsteps echoing in the corridor. I recite the formula as quickly as I can, taking care not to leave out any words, in case they each have their own significance. I swallow the liquid, throw the still-damp bowl into my bag, and bite eagerly into the loaf. I chew with difficulty as the door handle comes down. I swallow as best I can and blow into the flask, which I promptly conceal in my pocket.

Eltz's journal

10

The Ghost

At the closed door, Believ's features freeze. This was so predictable!

I refuse to be blocked by such a conventional obstacle. Even though this door looks as if it's impassable, I slip into the system designed to collect the access codes or cards and swing erratic impulses. It takes a superhuman effort and, despite my vaporous nature, I feel sweat beading on my forehead. I feel sticky and inefficient; it's only a door, for God's sake!

Suddenly, a click sounds, and the door opens slowly. I've done it!

“Well done!” Believ says with admiration, examining the interior.

She enters the room and slides along a silver wall covered with doors: the fridge. She opens each alcove to check its contents; on the whole, this morgue is rather sparse. With the exception of one old woman who had clearly outlived her usefulness, the cells are empty.

“It can't be! There aren't any other morgues in the area!”

Believ rushes to a sort of disorganized desk, where a succession of sheets of paper are piled in a casual swarm.

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