THE CHURCH OF BLOOD

Chapter Twelve - Tabitha's Role

Antony slowly opened his eyes.  He found himself in a hospital room.  From the dimness of the lighting, he surmised that it was evening or late at night.  The curtain to the left of him separating the other bed (of which no one was occupying) prevented his view of the window.

He ran what he remembered in his head.  His last thought was when he was in his room at home, doing his homework, then he left to go take a shower.  He proceeded back down the hallway toward his bedroom girded with a towel about the waist and caught Father Clark sitting at his desk....

Everything between then and now was a blur, a complete blank.

Antony propped himself up on his elbows when he noticed a young woman sitting near him, a black backpack nearby.

"Who are you?" Antony asked.

The woman smiled at him.  "Hi.  My name's Tabitha."

"What are you doing here?  Where are my parents?"

"I don't mean you any harm," Tabitha assured him.  "I have a lot to tell you as to why you're here."

                           ****

Beynolds rested his head against the wall as he sat in the waiting room.  His partner Nyles was resting in his hospital bed, his vitals fine and physicality intact.  A nasty bump on the head from having been thrown down the stairs at the Jettison home caused a concussion, but the doctors assured that he would be able to be released tomorrow, probably in the morning.

Beynolds focused his gaze at the ceiling.  What forced Nyles down the stairs like that? And where in hell was Father Clark?  That whole affair almost two hours ago was the strangest thing he had ever witnessed.  Antony's parents were together in a room on another floor, the wife being kept for observation until the morning from the collapse she suffered caused by the stress she was experiencing.  Beynolds attempted contacting Captain Dardell but only got his voice mail.  The second ambulance was dispatched to the scene to escort Nyles to the hospital as soon as the first van pulled away with a very weak Antony and his incoherent mother inside.

Conducting a police report was going to be odd.  Beynolds had no idea how to proceed with it, although Captain Dardell had an idea of the strangeness involving this investigation.  He leaned forward in the chair,placing his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.  He had no idea how long this case was going to last.  It felt like he and Nyles were getting nowhere, just spinning their wheels and feeling exhausted from the fruitless effort of solving this whole damn abnormal zoo of an investigation.  Was there really a twilight zone and not just a television show?  Of course that was silly but the way things were going, it didn't seem that unrealistic.  Paranormal incidences did occur, he supposed, but to this degree?  Well, again, anything was possible.

Beynolds exhaled.  He straightened up in his chair and nearly jumped out of his skin.

An older gentleman was sitting across from him; a very recognizable older gentleman.

"Hello," Father Clark greeted him, smiling.

                          ****

"And that's why you're here."
Tabitha finished filling Antony in about the sketchy details plaguing him and sat down on the edge of the bed.  She regarded the young man patiently as he contemplated all she told him.

"I remember my mother about letting him in," Antony mumbled more to himself.

"Who?  Father Clark?"

"Yeah."

"I'm beginning to understand why," Tabitha admitted.  "Beynolds and Nyles were looking at him as a suspect."