Outside the apartment.
Jeffrey, watching people come and go from the apartment, leaned against the police car and took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lighting one up.
The smoke swirled around his gaunt face.
Baker, standing beside him, glanced at him and spoke.
"Tired?"
"No." Jeffrey casually tossed the pack of cigarettes into Baker's chest.
"It's just that lately, I feel like the world is starting to change."
Baker caught the pack, pulled out a cigarette, paused for a moment, and then said, "Indeed, I've felt it too. There weren't this many murder cases before."
Saying so, Baker lit his cigarette and joined Jeffrey in watching the apartment, the smoke swirling around them both.
"How about we head to Pluto Church tomorrow morning to ease our minds?" Baker suggested, exhaling a ring of smoke. "My wife mentioned Sister Eileen is organizing the church breakfast again. We could have a meal there and then get back to work with renewed effort…"
Jeffrey raised his eyebrows, looking at him, "Since when did you become religious?"
The question caught Baker off guard, causing him to choke on his smoke and cough violently.
Tears welled up in Baker's eyes as he looked at Jeffrey, who was smiling, and said helplessly, "I don't really want to go, but you know what my wife is like."
"Oh." Jeffrey chuckled, the sarcasm was palpable.
"So, are you coming or not?"
Faced with Jeffrey's expression, Baker conceded, playing dumb.
"I was thinking we could discuss this case with Father York. Maybe he could provide a breakthrough."
Jeffrey hesitated, took a deep drag on his cigarette, then exhaled.
"We'll see."
Baker shrugged, "As you wish, but when I saw that strange female corpse, I really felt like Father York might actually be able to help us find a way through this."
Jeffrey stopped, turning to look at Baker, who suddenly seemed to ramble.
Baker knocked off the ash from his cigarette, remembering the immaculate corpse buried in the pit.
"Don't you think the appearance of this female corpse in our case is a bit too abrupt? With the Brulo family upstairs, we could speculate various reasons, but with this strange corpse, we suddenly find no explanation..."
Saying this, Baker continued under Jeffrey's gaze.
"Have you forgotten what Father York said?"
Jeffrey shook his head, dropped his cigarette to the ground, and ground it out with his right foot.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten.
On that day, the priest, who emanated an intense aura, said with a smile that if there were anything unclear or strange, they could ask him...
"We've arrived."
With those words, a Ford Raptor broke through the darkness, heading towards Pluto Church.
What surprised York was that the church was still lit.
"Eileen hasn't left?"
York parked his Ford Raptor by the church's main entrance.
Before getting out of the car, he checked the time on the dashboard.
[22:23]
"It's already this late, what is she still doing here?" York glanced at the brightly lit church, stepped out of the car, and carried a toy house box towards the church.
As he approached, York's mental map had already changed, allowing him to sense everything within a fifty-meter radius—what he could hear, smell, and feel was laid bare.
Inside the church, he noticed not only one person but another unfamiliar presence.
Judging by the height and width of the silhouettes and their hair comparison, the shorter silhouette, only reaching Eileen's chin, was clearly a little girl.
"Who is this?"
With only the silhouettes to go by, York couldn't guess who it might be, despite thinking of everyone he knew, including Little Red Riding Hood Haley and Bridget.
Thus, he didn't try to hide his footsteps. As he approached the entrance, Eileen, hearing his steps, cautiously walked towards the door.
"Is that Father York?"
Hearing Eileen's tentative voice, York pushed open the main door, entered the church bathed in soft candlelight, and faced the nun who suddenly stopped in front of him.
"Eileen, why haven't you gone home?"
As he spoke, York's gaze shifted past Eileen, dressed in her black habit and hood, to the figure who had stood up.
However, to his surprise, it wasn't Little Red Riding Hood or Bridget but Liss Murray, whom he had encountered in Nas Cemetery.
Liss Murray looked much different than she had in the cemetery. She had cleaned up, wearing fresh clothes and shoes, looking several times better than before.
Noticing his gaze, Liss Murray seemed uneasy, clutching the fabric of her pants tightly.
"Father York, this child seems to know you. She came looking for you today without shoes and nowhere else to go, just sitting in the church all day," Eileen explained quietly.
"Asked what she wanted, she wouldn't say, just wanted to wait to speak with you, so I..."
"..."
"Mm, you did well, Eileen."
Understanding the situation, York offered a warm smile, approaching the uneasy Liss Murray with the toy house.
"Liss Murray?"
Hearing her name, Liss Murray pursed her lips, looked up with eyes filled with warmth, reminded of the smile in the cemetery that led her to make her decision.
"Child, is there something you need help with? If possible, I'll help within my capabilities," York smiled. "And you don't need to feel any burden, because God loves all, and I am God's spokesman."
Of course, that depended on the person, York thought, without voicing it out loud.
Unaware of this, Liss Murray remembered her decision, pursed her lips, and after a few seconds of silence, pulled out a wrinkled document from her pocket to hand to the priest.
York raised his eyebrows, noticing the previously uneasy girl suddenly become serious.
___________________
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