| General Fan Fiction posted June 15, 2022 |
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Distant sirens
Blessed Brother/ Part 5
by John Ciarmello
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
The author has placed a warning on this post for language.
Prologue /part/ 4
The front door to the parsonage quietly clicked shut. Remi stumbled on the stair-step of the lower landing and caught himself on the spindles of the railing.
Everett turned off the bathroom light and heard Remi's breathy mumbles on the stairs. "Rem? I thought you were staying at Blakes tonight?" Everett moved to the top of the stairs. "Remi…?"
Remi appeared from the unlit staircase and righted his stumble with both lapels of Everett's robe. "Remi? What's wrong?"
Remi stared for a few seconds into Everett's eyes before he collapsed at his feet. Everett went to his knees beside him. "What in God's good name…." He checked to see if he was breathing and pried Remi's phone from his clenched hand. "I need an ambulance at St. Mary's! "Yes, the parsonage door. It's my nephew…"
Blessed Brother/part 5
Everett listened to the faint sound of a siren. "Please hurry," he squeezed Remi's hand and bowed his head in a whispered prayer. "Stay with me, Remi, stay with me." Everett's voice broke off as the sound of the stair creaked under someone's weight. He craned his neck, trying to see over the railing while pulling Remi's shoulders onto his lap. "Who's there?"
A man stepped onto the landing. "Well, if it isn't the revered Father Everett. Remi has told me so much about you. But, I have to say, Father, you're nothing close to what I expected."
Everett reached for the wall switch and flipped on the hall light. "Who are you?"
The stranger locked eyes with Everett's and slowly turned a silencer into his gun barrel. "Call off the ambulance, Father."
"What? I will do no such…"
"Father! If those EMTs walk through that door, I'll kill them all. You wouldn't want such a tragedy on your conscience, Father?"
"What about my nephew? He needs…"
"DO IT, FATHER!" Everett picked up Remi's phone and shot an upward glance at the man as he pressed the cold barrel of his gun against Everett's temple. "Be smart about what you say, Father."
Everett nodded. "Yes, hello, this is Father Everett. Everett paused, and the man pressed the barrel harder to Everett's head. "I've made an error in judgment concerning my nephew's condition; he seems fine now. Yes, yes, I'm sure, yes, thank you."
"Well done, Father."
"What do you want with us? This boy will die if he doesn't get medical help."
The man clicked his tongue and looked at Remi. "Such a shame we were starting to get along so well. I eventually had plans to bring him into the limousine business with me."
"That's where I've seen you. The man in the limo."
"Remi is a trusting young soul, Father. I'm disappointed you haven't taught him better. The world can be such a cruel place."
Everett looked down at Remi. "Why is he like this?"
"Oh, Father, how rude of me; please, allow me to explain. Unfortunately, Remi is dying of Thallium poisoning."
Everett swung his gaze in the stranger's direction, "Poison?"
"My, my, such a look of disdain in your eyes, Father." The man retrieved a cloth from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and wiped the barrel of his gun. "I'm hurt and, frankly, quite shocked. All of this hate coming from a follower of the Lord."
Everett lowered his head and made the cross sign. Then, he said a few breathy words and signed the cross again.
"That's it, Father; pray for him."
Everett looked up at the stranger with a glassy stare. "The prayer was meant for you," he said.
The man looked at Everett with a mixture of anger and remorse, then quickly turned away. "Don't," he muttered.
Everett returned his attention to Remi; his voice lowered to a whisper, "I'm so sorry, Remi. You needed me, and I wasn't there."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Father. "The minuscule doses I've been giving him over the past six months would've been undetectable except for irritability and tiredness, which is normal for a teenage boy." He raised his gaze to the ceiling momentarily. "Or, perhaps, you should have paid better attention to him, Father. What a shame, all that guilt of the boy's death raining down on you, day after day." The man bent over and squeezed Remi's jaw. "However, I have good news for you, Remi, my boy. I've given you just enough antidote to keep you alive long enough for your uncle to say goodbye."
"Antidote? You can reverse this?"
"Oh, yes, Father, but that's not how we're going to play this game." The man smirked and rubbed the gun's muzzle against his cheek as if to satisfy an itch. "I want you to watch him die for a few more minutes, Father. I haven't had quite enough fun yet."
"You're mad!"
"Perhaps, but let's not make this all about me. Father, let me ask you, have you ever wondered why Thaddeus's DNA results came back inconclusive?"
Everett paused, "That's an odd question. What does Thaddeus have to do with this?"
"Go on, Father, tell me."
"I guess, I thought…" Everett studied the man's condescending grin. "Did you have something to do with that? But why?"
"Let's just say I had my reasons at the time, Father, but that's all changed now."
"What would you have gained?"
"What I had to gain financially was taken away from me, Father, but I wanted to leave you with the back story because I thought you'd find it forever haunting… So what's the matter, Father? You seem a bit bewildered."
"What is this all about?"
"It's about the truth, Father. You were right to think Thaddeus is Remi's true father, but Remi wasn't a product of Claudia's rape. Oh, no, Father, your foolish brother was in love with her, but her feelings weren't mutual - why would they be?" The man took a few short steps away from Everett and Remi and then turned back in their direction. "Father, I must confess, Claudia and I come from a long line of murderers."
Everett stiffened his gaze. "What are you saying?"
"All of Claudia's visits to see Thaddeus in jail, each time with a cup of coffee laced with a little shot of poison."
"You're out of your mind; my brother died of terminal cancer."
"Did he, Father? You viewed his body; did he look like a man that had died of terminal cancer?"
"But the death certificate… the hospice center…"
"Life perceptions can be deceiving, Father."
"I don't understand." Everett rubbed his forehead. "Why would she want to kill Thaddeus? And how could you possibly know all this?"
"Allow me to introduce myself, Father. I'm Owen Neuval."
Everett paused for a few seconds in thought. "Neuval? That's Claudia's biological parent's name…" Everett's voice trailed off. "You're?"
"Yes, the long-lost brother of my precious sister Claudia. You look shocked, Father, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised how uninformed she left you about this happy little family of ours. Please, allow me to fill you in. I was Remi's age when my family convinced themselves I was mentally ill because of my raging temper and consistent bouts with the law." He slowly paced the floor. "With all my father's rich connections, it didn't take long for them to convince the state. So, in the looney bin, I went. I spent the next fifteen years of my life there, Father. None of them cared; it was just one more family member out of the way."
"I'm sorry for you if that's the truth, but Claudia's never mentioned you, not even a hint."
Owen's eyes widened; he pulled Everett's head back by his hair and shoved the gun's barrel in Everett's mouth. "You are such a stupid man, Father! Think! Why would she mention me? Why the fuck would she EVER mention me?"
Everett stared up at Owen and shook his head in a pleading response; the gun barrel hit against his teeth, and a hard swallow caught in his throat with the taste of metal.
Owen pulled the barrel from Everett's mouth and snapped Everett's head forward by his hair. His tone softened, "and yet, Father… I was the sanest of them all!"
Everett let out a throaty gag and wiped the saliva from his chin. "There are ways for you to get help. It doesn't have to be like this. Your father made mistakes, but that doesn't mean…"
"Please, Father, don't put any more holier than thou bullshit on me. My father left that fucking whore-of-the-hood a fortune after selling his diamond mine in Venezuela. He knew well in advance he wouldn't leave me a dime. Ahh, but Claudia, sweet, sweet, Claudia, he'd put her in the will only if she'd stop whoring and got off the streets, and for some twisted reason, he needed her to have a son with a legitimate father. Yes, your sweet sister Claudia, whoring was forever in her blood, but she also knew she still had the father thing to worry about." Owen paused; "why do you look so confused, Father? Don't you get it? Claudia knew very well Thaddeus was Remi's father. She framed him for her rape to keep him away from her inheritance. She knew my father wouldn't care enough to find out who Thaddeus really was. Then, of course, she had to finish Thaddeus off, so she worked her magic at his parole meeting and got him freed."
Everett wiped the tears from his face and held Remi's hand to his cheek.
"That leaves you, Father. You're the rightful heir to her fortune, and I can't do anything about that. It wouldn't do me any good to kill you, but what happiness will your fortune bring you without Remi."
Remi's torso heaved, and saliva flowed over his bottom lip and onto his chin. Everett wiped Remi's face with the sleeve of his robe. "Please, you said you had an antidote; you can reverse this!"
"Yes, Father, and from what Remi has told me, you can too."
Everett inadvertently touched near his neck and quickly pulled his hand away.
"Perhaps you're right to pray for me, Father, so my revenge on all of you will not fall on merely the Devil's ears." Owen placed the barrel of his gun at the back of Everett's head. "Give me the Medallion, Father."
To be continued:
Prologue /part/ 4
The front door to the parsonage quietly clicked shut. Remi stumbled on the stair-step of the lower landing and caught himself on the spindles of the railing.
Everett turned off the bathroom light and heard Remi's breathy mumbles on the stairs. "Rem? I thought you were staying at Blakes tonight?" Everett moved to the top of the stairs. "Remi…?"
Remi appeared from the unlit staircase and righted his stumble with both lapels of Everett's robe. "Remi? What's wrong?"
Remi stared for a few seconds into Everett's eyes before he collapsed at his feet. Everett went to his knees beside him. "What in God's good name…." He checked to see if he was breathing and pried Remi's phone from his clenched hand. "I need an ambulance at St. Mary's! "Yes, the parsonage door. It's my nephew…"
Blessed Brother/part 5
Everett listened to the faint sound of a siren. "Please hurry," he squeezed Remi's hand and bowed his head in a whispered prayer. "Stay with me, Remi, stay with me." Everett's voice broke off as the sound of the stair creaked under someone's weight. He craned his neck, trying to see over the railing while pulling Remi's shoulders onto his lap. "Who's there?"
A man stepped onto the landing. "Well, if it isn't the revered Father Everett. Remi has told me so much about you. But, I have to say, Father, you're nothing close to what I expected."
Everett reached for the wall switch and flipped on the hall light. "Who are you?"
The stranger locked eyes with Everett's and slowly turned a silencer into his gun barrel. "Call off the ambulance, Father."
"What? I will do no such…"
"Father! If those EMTs walk through that door, I'll kill them all. You wouldn't want such a tragedy on your conscience, Father?"
"What about my nephew? He needs…"
"DO IT, FATHER!" Everett picked up Remi's phone and shot an upward glance at the man as he pressed the cold barrel of his gun against Everett's temple. "Be smart about what you say, Father."
Everett nodded. "Yes, hello, this is Father Everett. Everett paused, and the man pressed the barrel harder to Everett's head. "I've made an error in judgment concerning my nephew's condition; he seems fine now. Yes, yes, I'm sure, yes, thank you."
"Well done, Father."
"What do you want with us? This boy will die if he doesn't get medical help."
The man clicked his tongue and looked at Remi. "Such a shame we were starting to get along so well. I eventually had plans to bring him into the limousine business with me."
"That's where I've seen you. The man in the limo."
"Remi is a trusting young soul, Father. I'm disappointed you haven't taught him better. The world can be such a cruel place."
Everett looked down at Remi. "Why is he like this?"
"Oh, Father, how rude of me; please, allow me to explain. Unfortunately, Remi is dying of Thallium poisoning."
Everett swung his gaze in the stranger's direction, "Poison?"
"My, my, such a look of disdain in your eyes, Father." The man retrieved a cloth from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and wiped the barrel of his gun. "I'm hurt and, frankly, quite shocked. All of this hate coming from a follower of the Lord."
Everett lowered his head and made the cross sign. Then, he said a few breathy words and signed the cross again.
"That's it, Father; pray for him."
Everett looked up at the stranger with a glassy stare. "The prayer was meant for you," he said.
The man looked at Everett with a mixture of anger and remorse, then quickly turned away. "Don't," he muttered.
Everett returned his attention to Remi; his voice lowered to a whisper, "I'm so sorry, Remi. You needed me, and I wasn't there."
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Father. "The minuscule doses I've been giving him over the past six months would've been undetectable except for irritability and tiredness, which is normal for a teenage boy." He raised his gaze to the ceiling momentarily. "Or, perhaps, you should have paid better attention to him, Father. What a shame, all that guilt of the boy's death raining down on you, day after day." The man bent over and squeezed Remi's jaw. "However, I have good news for you, Remi, my boy. I've given you just enough antidote to keep you alive long enough for your uncle to say goodbye."
"Antidote? You can reverse this?"
"Oh, yes, Father, but that's not how we're going to play this game." The man smirked and rubbed the gun's muzzle against his cheek as if to satisfy an itch. "I want you to watch him die for a few more minutes, Father. I haven't had quite enough fun yet."
"You're mad!"
"Perhaps, but let's not make this all about me. Father, let me ask you, have you ever wondered why Thaddeus's DNA results came back inconclusive?"
Everett paused, "That's an odd question. What does Thaddeus have to do with this?"
"Go on, Father, tell me."
"I guess, I thought…" Everett studied the man's condescending grin. "Did you have something to do with that? But why?"
"Let's just say I had my reasons at the time, Father, but that's all changed now."
"What would you have gained?"
"What I had to gain financially was taken away from me, Father, but I wanted to leave you with the back story because I thought you'd find it forever haunting… So what's the matter, Father? You seem a bit bewildered."
"What is this all about?"
"It's about the truth, Father. You were right to think Thaddeus is Remi's true father, but Remi wasn't a product of Claudia's rape. Oh, no, Father, your foolish brother was in love with her, but her feelings weren't mutual - why would they be?" The man took a few short steps away from Everett and Remi and then turned back in their direction. "Father, I must confess, Claudia and I come from a long line of murderers."
Everett stiffened his gaze. "What are you saying?"
"All of Claudia's visits to see Thaddeus in jail, each time with a cup of coffee laced with a little shot of poison."
"You're out of your mind; my brother died of terminal cancer."
"Did he, Father? You viewed his body; did he look like a man that had died of terminal cancer?"
"But the death certificate… the hospice center…"
"Life perceptions can be deceiving, Father."
"I don't understand." Everett rubbed his forehead. "Why would she want to kill Thaddeus? And how could you possibly know all this?"
"Allow me to introduce myself, Father. I'm Owen Neuval."
Everett paused for a few seconds in thought. "Neuval? That's Claudia's biological parent's name…" Everett's voice trailed off. "You're?"
"Yes, the long-lost brother of my precious sister Claudia. You look shocked, Father, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised how uninformed she left you about this happy little family of ours. Please, allow me to fill you in. I was Remi's age when my family convinced themselves I was mentally ill because of my raging temper and consistent bouts with the law." He slowly paced the floor. "With all my father's rich connections, it didn't take long for them to convince the state. So, in the looney bin, I went. I spent the next fifteen years of my life there, Father. None of them cared; it was just one more family member out of the way."
"I'm sorry for you if that's the truth, but Claudia's never mentioned you, not even a hint."
Owen's eyes widened; he pulled Everett's head back by his hair and shoved the gun's barrel in Everett's mouth. "You are such a stupid man, Father! Think! Why would she mention me? Why the fuck would she EVER mention me?"
Everett stared up at Owen and shook his head in a pleading response; the gun barrel hit against his teeth, and a hard swallow caught in his throat with the taste of metal.
Owen pulled the barrel from Everett's mouth and snapped Everett's head forward by his hair. His tone softened, "and yet, Father… I was the sanest of them all!"
Everett let out a throaty gag and wiped the saliva from his chin. "There are ways for you to get help. It doesn't have to be like this. Your father made mistakes, but that doesn't mean…"
"Please, Father, don't put any more holier than thou bullshit on me. My father left that fucking whore-of-the-hood a fortune after selling his diamond mine in Venezuela. He knew well in advance he wouldn't leave me a dime. Ahh, but Claudia, sweet, sweet, Claudia, he'd put her in the will only if she'd stop whoring and got off the streets, and for some twisted reason, he needed her to have a son with a legitimate father. Yes, your sweet sister Claudia, whoring was forever in her blood, but she also knew she still had the father thing to worry about." Owen paused; "why do you look so confused, Father? Don't you get it? Claudia knew very well Thaddeus was Remi's father. She framed him for her rape to keep him away from her inheritance. She knew my father wouldn't care enough to find out who Thaddeus really was. Then, of course, she had to finish Thaddeus off, so she worked her magic at his parole meeting and got him freed."
Everett wiped the tears from his face and held Remi's hand to his cheek.
"That leaves you, Father. You're the rightful heir to her fortune, and I can't do anything about that. It wouldn't do me any good to kill you, but what happiness will your fortune bring you without Remi."
Remi's torso heaved, and saliva flowed over his bottom lip and onto his chin. Everett wiped Remi's face with the sleeve of his robe. "Please, you said you had an antidote; you can reverse this!"
"Yes, Father, and from what Remi has told me, you can too."
Everett inadvertently touched near his neck and quickly pulled his hand away.
"Perhaps you're right to pray for me, Father, so my revenge on all of you will not fall on merely the Devil's ears." Owen placed the barrel of his gun at the back of Everett's head. "Give me the Medallion, Father."
To be continued:
 Recognized |
I apologize for the repost. I'm working from my tablet with no access to word. Blessed Brother / part 6 is complete and waiting in the wings. Thanks everyone love you all. Write to you soon!!! A special thank you to cleo85 for her spectacular artwork.
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and 2 member cents. Artwork by cleo85 at FanArtReview.com
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