Page 23 of Monkey Business

“I don’t think so, and unfortunately, the experts don’t think so either,” said Ian. “The other thing is that we spoke to one of the businesses that employed him frequently. They could not speak of him more highly. He was helpful, kind, went above and beyond in everything they asked of him. The other thing they mentioned was that he was a man very tied to his faith. A devout Catholic who never missed a chance to mentor, mission, or just lend a hand. He was a man filled with peace and tranquility.”

“Then how is any of this possible?” asked Gabe. “He’s had a few little moments, episodes if you will, but why would he ever kill anyone.”

“That’s what we have to find out,” said Ghost.

“Sorry,” interrupted Faith. “You said he was a religious man.”

“That’s right. Or at least they said he was a devout Catholic. Not sure if that’s the same thing.”

“When the other women and I were speaking with him, he quoted the Bible a few times. Direct quotes.”

“Okay, so he knows his Bible,” said Ghost.

“What if he knows it intimately,” said Grace, looking at her friend. “What if Gus wasn’t just a devout Catholic? He said his parents sent him to a special school that helped him to understand things better or in a better way. What if he was sent to a theology school? What if Gus used to be a priest?”

“Shit,” muttered Nine. “Did he forget that he was a priest?”

“He was a priest,” said Code, staring at his laptop. “I missed it. I can’t believe I missed it. He went to St. John the Apostle College of Theology. He took his vows as a priest when he was twenty-five years old. He left the priesthood at forty-seven.”

“That was about the time his sister got married and then died,” said Lauren. “Maybe it affected him more deeply than he remembers.”

“It would also explain why he never married,” said Alexandra. “He’s a sweet, kind, caring man but doesn’t seem to have any interest in marriage or women. His brother-in-law attempted to insult his intellect, but it could have been that his intellect was developed in a different area.”

“Matthew?” asked Lauren, turning to smile at the older man. “Is that it? Is he, was he a priest?” Matthew stared at the group, then down at his coffee.

“Yes. He was a priest,” said Matthew. “He left the church when he was falsely accused of touching a woman, a parishioner. It was proven that it wasn’t Gus, that he’d done nothing, but he’d had enough and decided to leave.”

“When did this happen, Matthew?” asked Nine.

“Eleven years before his death.”

“Let’s get this straight. Gus was a priest and was falsely accused of touching a woman. An adult woman.” Matthew nodded. “He left the priesthood, bought a truck…”

“No. He owned the truck before then,” said Code. “He used it to earn additional funds for his church and fought to have a side business to help others.”

“Okay. So, he was a priest and a truck driver who quit after being falsely accused. Sometime after all of that, he’s called to haul another load from a customer he’s worked with before, and then suddenly, there are dead people in his tractor-trailer, and he disappears.”

“That’s about right,” said Erin.

“Confession.” All eyes turned to stare at the person who’d spoken. Trak. “Confession. He heard someone’s confession, and they tried to end him. Except he wasn’t that easy to get rid of. Whatever they confessed, whatever they divulged, someone wasn’t happy about it. They might not have known that Gus was experiencing early symptoms at that time.”

“But if Gus can’t even remember where he lived most days, how are we going to figure out what they said to him in the confessional?” asked Miller. “And aren’t priests bound by some code not to say anything?”

“They are,” nodded Irene, “but he’s not a priest anymore. He might be willing to tell if he can remember.”

“Who was the woman?” asked Gaspar. “Who was the woman that accused him of touching her?”

Code tapped a few keys, then sat back, staring at the screen.

“Elizabeth Presley Garcinez.”

“His sister?” whispered Erin in disbelief. “That can’t be. She was in Mexico and most likely already dead.”

“Maybe that’s why the charges were thrown out,” said Kari, looking over Code’s shoulder. “One of the reasons it was thrown out was that there was an ‘unavailable witness.’ I’d say she was unavailable; she was dead.”

“Kari, babe, we need to know if she was dead before or after the charges,” said Miller. “If she was alive, he might have gone down there and killed his sister.”

“I didn’t kill my sister,” said the ghostly spirit standing at the back of the room. All eyes turned to stare at him, Erin and Grace rising to meet him.

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