Chapter 318: Mallory V—True Intentions
Question: What was Father Kolanos’ like in the past couple of days?
Mallory answers: He had been feeling bad, I came here to be with him, to help him through this, whatever it was.
Q: And what was it?
A: A black mood.
Q: And do you know what could have caused it?
A: No.
Q: Are you sure?
A: Yes
Q: He didn’t tell you anything about what could have bothered him?
A: No I do not know why he felt so badly.
Q: Did you see him fall?
A: No.
Q: Where were you when it happened?
A: I had gone for a walk, I was hungry and Father Kolanos had nothing in the house to eat.
Q: You went for a walk in this part of town?
A: Yes I don’t see why I wouldn’t; there were some fragrant restaurants around.
Q: Did you eat at one of them?
A: No, I went to a bakery instead.
Q: Can anyone account for your whereabouts there?
Note: Mallory did not seem at all distressed when I asked this question, only confused, no signs of nervousness or worry.
A: Am I being investigated for this accident?
Q: We just have to account for everything, Father. Do you mind?
A: Quite wise, quite wise, I can see your point, thoroughness is commendable.
Q: Can anyone account for your whereabouts?
A: Yes I’m sure, I was in town when a young girl’s dog was hit by a car, it caused quite a stir, horrible to see, and I was there. And when I returned I came from down the street, the one to the left of the building, I saw a crowd of people, a woman told me that a man had just jumped from the building, and it turned out to be…. Nick. This woman can account for me I’m sure.
Note: A woman has accounted for telling Mallory about the suicide, and there was an accident in town involving a dog, it’s been on the news.
That part surprised Mallory the most. His face straight as he lied. So simple to say it, No I do not know why he felt so badly. No I don’t know why he felt so badly…. Mallory closed his eyes. Why did he lie? Even the printed photograph of Chloe, he had destroyed it, a photograph the police would have been very much interested in.
I couldn’t let Nic’s name be smeared like that, Mallory thought. Oh God You must understand? Nic couldn’t be tainted with interest in a prostitute when he had done nothing. His memory couldn’t be destroyed like that. I did the right thing.
Mallory ate breakfast in town after the police had left. He devoured an aromatic platter of smothered burritos as he flipped through the newspaper. He couldn’t get the images from his mind, the dark pool of blood flooding to his toes on the sidewalk, Nic’s teeth scattered like playing dice. Jaded emerald eyes of a little girl who really wasn’t, taunting and pleading, he couldn’t escape them. He tried to lose himself in the newspaper when a small story at the back of it caught his eye.
He couldn’t believe that it the story was newspaper worthy, who cared about a dog run over by a car. The interesting twist, however, shook Mallory inside. The family of the little girl who owned the dog he had seen hit, had contacted the newspaper. The dog, although taken to the vet covered in blood and gore, had suffered no injuries that the veterinarian could find. So the question remained, who was injured, whose blood was it? The vet also interviewed, could find no explanation other than another animal must have been hit at the same time.
The daughter was only quoted as saying it was a Christmas miracle.
Mallory put the newspaper down and finished his coffee. The story spoke to him as he left the restaurant and continued to walk down the sidewalk. He smiled and nodded to people on the street, who upon noting his collar would acknowledge him. Inside, however, he thought about the dog, and then he thought of Chloe. The story reminded him of her, God had dangled her in front of him again. His mission then, was set.
He found her a little farther into town, dressed in a t shirt and jeans, almost unrecognizable without decorative clothes and make up. Her little face was hidden under a baseball cap and she lay on her belly on a bench, blithely flipping through a comic book. How did he know it was her? Those milky, bony arms, the flawless face, he knew it couldn’t be anyone else.
“Do you have a day off?” he asked.
Chloe didn’t startle, she didn’t look up from the comic book. “Good early af’ernoon, Paw-dray,” she said calmly.
“How’d you know it was me?” he asked and he felt an indulgent grin. He imagined her already, dressed exactly like this in another world, on a couch, shirking on her homework. She could still have all of this, it wasn’t too late.
“I guessed, you’d be th’only one with bawls to talk t’me in brawd daylight.” She looked up from her comic book with her nose wrinkled.
“I can’t just give up on you, my child,” he said solemnly.
Chloe sighed and she sat up and crossed her legs, folding the comic book in her lap. The oversized jeans she wore crumpled and billowed around her bony legs. “See that man over thair, don’stare. Th’black man with the leather pants.”
Mallory stretched and peeked over to where Chloe had gestured. “Yes I see him.”
“It’s m’day off, sure, they air me out, but if I try to run he’ll be thair t’stop me.”
“Chloe, you’re not stuck here,” Mallory said. “There’s a million ways I could get you free from where we sit. Please can’t I convince you?”
Chloe smiled with pale pink lips. Scrubbed clean and fresh, Mallory could see that she doubtlessly came from Cecile’s family. “Buy me some ah-ice cuh-ream and I’ll let you tawlk.”
“But won’t that man stop us?”
“Naw he’ll faw-low us but if I jisture to him he kin think I’m makin’ a sale. If that don’t disturb you Father.”
“No I suppose not.”
Chloe seemed as lost behind her ice cream creation as she did underneath her baseball cap. She had gleefully ordered a dish that included a rainbow of scoops, candy sprinkles, nuts, cherries, whipped cream, fudge, caramel, fruit and candy chunks that stood so tall he couldn’t see the bottom half of her face. Mallory glanced at his double scoop cone and wondered about the gastrointestinal resilience of children. And outside the glass windows of the shop he could see the “bodyguard” standing, waiting, and watching.
“So now, why can’t you go with me? We can go straight out of here, they wouldn’t catch us, what are you afraid of?”
“Ah’m not afraid fer me,” Chloe said between mouthfuls. “They’re real mean people though, they tell me they’ll hurt th’other girls if I leave, the girls I like, they cain’t speak much English. I speak Spanish to ‘em, they’ll hurt them if they think I willingly left.” She didn’t bat an eye or drop a tear; she just continued to demolish the mountain of ice cream before her.
“They wouldn’t do that,” Mallory said with confidence.
“How would you know?”
Mallory nodded. “That’s not conducive to business. They wouldn’t harm their own,” he almost choked on the word, “Product to spite someone. They have to make money.”
“I suspect yer right,” Chloe said as she nipped a cherry between her teeth.
“So then
why can’t you just come with me?”
“Cause I don’t trust you.”
Mallory didn’t expect his feelings to be hurt so much, especially since he hadn’t seen this coming. Stunned, his mouth fell open. “Why don’t you trust me?”
Chloe put her sharp chin into her palm. Her eyes remained wide. And when she spoke he noticed distinctly that her accent faded so she could speak clearly. “I rimimber that priest that killed himself, he used to tawlk to me th’same way as you. He used to promise to me that he’d take me away an’ all that. Why are you diff’rent then him?”
“But… but Nic did want to help you, he wanted to rescue you, just as I do now, why is that so hard to believe?”
Chloe closed one eye. “Then whair are the police? Hm? If you know whair I work and what I do and what they do, and how to get in, then whair are the police? Why haven’t you called them?”
Mallory felt his throat tighten. Do you know what caused his black mood? No.
Chloe nodded and ate some more ice cream. Mallory felt miserable watching her, and he felt confused about the things he didn’t want to think about. She looked at him, “Nic, is that his name? Nic, didn’t send any police either. Some help he was. Whair are you sending me if you help me, to school? What about th’other girls, what would you do for them? Do you even care?”
“Of course I care! I would…”
“But you didn’t.” Chloe spooned some melted ice cream into her mouth, slurping it like soup. “You didn’t think bout thim till I brought em up. I don’t trust you. What are y’up to? A priest stealing away a whore like me in secret, all to himself, all to his private. I bet it’d be better for me to stay here.”
“Chloe…”
“Ah don’t like priests, they’re some of mah biggest cust’mers. You tawlk about Gawd and Bible and don’t evin know what any of it means. You liars if I had mah way I woulda gotten rid of ever last one of you long time ago.”
Mallory put his face into his hands. “But the rosary I gave you doesn’t that mean…”
“Mean what? It crips me out sometimes, praying to somethin’ that a man was tortured to death on, just the beginnin of yer sick religion.”
Mallory felt tears fill his eyes; this was the end of the road.