The Betrayal

“Then, there are no living witnesses.”

“There is still one. Another boy. The brother of the transvestite. He claims he was sold to Van Eyck. By the transvestite.”

“His own brother sold him?”

“Young men are bought and sold every day.”

Mueller noted the tactless tone. After a moment’s reflection, he moaned out loud and rested his tired face in the palms of his hands. “Tell me about him?”

“He is an addict like most of the others. He has no family or friends. In his entire life, the only thing he has managed to do is stay alive. No one will come looking for him.”

“Can you trust him?”

“He is convinced our needs are one and the same. Anyway, he has no choice. Van Eyck has already made two attempts on his life.”

“What are you going to do?”

“There is a house that belongs to his family. It’s out in the countryside. Very remote. We will take him there until everything is ready. ”

“A trap. You’re so certain he’ll play along?”

“He’s desperate, like us.”

“How will you handle it?” Mueller was slowly resigning himself to the tragedy and his part in it. “A lover’s quarrel. A murder suicide.”

“Another scandal.”

“We’ve been through so many and survived.”

Mueller was chilled by how readily the Capuchin succumbed to taking a boy’s life. “You’re certain there is no other way.”

“A bishop butchers the lambs of the flock for his sexual gratification. A serial killer is hiding behind the cloth. That is something I believe we would have difficulty in overcoming.”

“God have mercy on us.” Mueller bowed his head and began to pray. He noticed Leonardo chose to remain silent. When he raised his head, Mueller found Leonardo distracted by the seeming air, offering no response to his petitions. “Will you not pray with me?”

“Forgive me, Father.”

“Have you no sense of sacrilege? The life of a man is still sacred, and a man of God, ordained?” Leonardo stirred to the challenge. “My confessor, Brother Hugo, handles sacrilege. He is charged with the maintenance of my soul. My responsibility lies elsewhere.”