Chapter 34
"Father Callahan quietly got moved from another parish due to allegations of an improper relationship with an underage girl," Isabella said.
My jaw tightened.
"I looked at phone records. There are numerous calls and texts between him and Ivy. Their phones appear at the same location on numerous occasions. And not just at the church.”
Isabella also confirmed Father Callahan's outreach with gang members. It painted a damning picture.
My blood boiled, but I tried to rein in my temper. I thanked Isabella for the information, then we set out to find the cretin.
We drove over to Holy Cross and found a place to park. JD and I approached the grand stone structure and stepped inside the parish. The sky was still gray and angry, and the air grew cooler. Ambient light filtered through the stained glass. The church was empty.
We walked down the main aisle, then around the sanctuary and out a side door. I figured we might find Callahan in the rectory. As soon as we stepped outside, the smell of freshly lit tobacco filled my nostrils.
Father Callahan leaned against the side of the building, smoking a cigarette, looking like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He forced a smile. "I guess you caught me." He brandished the cigarette. "My only vice."
It most certainly wasn’t his only vice.
"Terrible habit, I know,” he said. “I'm sure my secret is safe with you."
I displayed my badge.
"Uh, oh. I'm not under arrest, am I?" he joked. "I know it doesn't make me the best role model.”
"We're investigating the choir group murders," I said.
A sympathetic frown tugged his face, and he shook his head. "Such a tragic and senseless loss. Do you have any leads?"
"A few interesting ones."
With intrigued eyes, he said, "I'd love to hear. If you can share."
"Tell me about Ivy.”
His eyes narrowed. "She was a talented young girl. Great singer. A valued member of the community." After a brief pause, he said, "Do you think she was the target?"
“How would you characterize your relationship?”
His face tightened a little. "I tried to be a positive influence in her life. I know her father passed tragically, and I think she needed a strong male presence in her life."
"There's no doubt she needed a positive male role model. I'm just not sure you were it," I said, the muscles in my jaw flexing as I stared him down.
His brow wrinkled. "I'm not sure what you mean."
"You two spent a lot of time together. There were a lot of phone calls and text messages between you at odd hours."
His confused look persisted. "What are you talking about?”
"Did you know that Ivy was pregnant?”
That hung there for a moment.
The color drained from Father Callahan's face, and he swallowed hard. "Yes. I was aware. I didn’t want to say anything, but since you know. She came to me for guidance. I’ve counseled many young women in challenging situations.
Of course, I encouraged her to keep the child.
Motherhood is a blessing from God." He paused.
"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I need to prepare for the next sermon.
" He flicked the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out with the sole of his shoe.
"Not so fast. We know about your scandal in Garden Grove.”
"Nothing more than false accusations. I was cleared of any wrongdoing after a full investigation by the local police.”
I pulled a pair of nitrile gloves from my pocket and snapped them on, then picked up the cigarette from the ground.
Father Callahan's face wrinkled with confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Littering may not be a sin, but it really pisses me off. You realize we’re going to match the DNA from this cigarette to the fetus. You’ll be charged with sexual battery of a minor.”
His eyes rounded, and his whole body stiffened. I didn't think his skin could grow any paler, but it did.
I continued, "You had some of your gangbanger friends do a drive-by. I'm not sure what you offered them in exchange, but you're going away for a long time."
"You don't have a warrant for that cigarette,” he said with panic trembling his voice.
"Don't need one. You discarded it as trash. It's fair game.” I smiled. "Pleasure chatting with you."
The whole thing was a bluff. There were no fetal cells to recover.
Father Callahan's emotions got the best of him. Fear and panic took hold. He lunged for the cigarette butt, trying to grab it from my hand.
We scuffled, and that scuffle ended up with Callahan on the ground, his face against the concrete. I pinned him down and slapped the cuffs around his wrists.
"You're under arrest for assaulting an officer. You have the right to remain silent…"
I yanked him to his feet, and Jack called for a squad car. We escorted Callahan to the parking lot and stuffed him into the back of the patrol unit when it arrived. He was facing obstruction charges along with the assault, and possibly a tampering with evidence charge.
We hopped into the Porsche and followed the patrol unit down to the station. We filled out reports and let Callahan stew in the interrogation room for a little over an hour. It was enough to drive anyone mad. He was in tears by the time we entered the room and took a seat across the table from him.
"My life is ruined," he said.
I didn't have much sympathy for him. "Think about Ivy’s life.”
He tried to steady himself. In a low, calm voice, he said, "I have failed miserably. I am so disappointed in myself. I did everything I could to resist, but I succumbed to her charms. She was persistent. She wouldn't take no for an answer. In a moment of weakness, I gave in to her beauty."
"Oh, so it was all her fault," I said, disgusted by his lack of accountability.
"No. It was certainly not her fault.” His eyes fell to the table and remained there.
“It was my fault for allowing such a situation to develop. We had gotten close. I had a natural attraction for her. She was an angel. I…” He paused.
"I deserve whatever punishment is coming for me.” Then he looked up at me.
"But I swear to you, as God is my witness, I had no involvement in her death or the deaths of any of the choir group. "
I gave him a doubtful look.
“It’s all a little too convenient,” I said.
"There's nothing convenient about any of this," Callahan replied.
“You might as well confess to everything,” I said. “You’re not getting out of jail anytime soon. I can assure you of that."
Callahan grimaced and hung his head. We had nothing on him until he confessed. That sealed his fate. I was hoping to get a little more out of him.
"I did not, I would not, and I could not commit such a heinous act as murder," Callahan said.
I watched his face for ticks or micro-expressions.
At this point, he was so nervous it was hard to tell.
After we finished the interview, we left the station and met the guys at the rehearsal studio for practice. Wild Fury banged out the hits, then Jack took the gang to dinner at the Five Fathoms. Afterward, we headed to Oyster Avenue and raised a decent amount of hell.
It was a little after 2:00 AM when the sheriff called. Never a good thing at that hour.