CHAPTER 7

"I think it would be more fun if Monica took part on it!" an excited little boy exclaimed, marching in front of his siblings and carrying a pair of rollerblades under his arm.

"Aiden, Monica got her knee hurt!" The little girl standing not too far from him spoke, with a not all too pleased expression on her face. "You cannot force her into rollerblading! You might damage our angel!" Contrary to her brother, she was holding Monica's hand and had a doll under her other arm.

Her older brother was walking right behind her and shook his head with a slight smile on the corner of his lips. The outing in the park had its good aspect: at least his little brother and sister got to have some fun.

Monica smiled and nodded her head. "I guess I'll have to make a little break from our classes, Aiden, until I'm fully recovered from those few scratches!"

"That's ok. I can wait."

The group was passing by a church and it was impossible not to hear the sound of a voice that Monica knew very well – it was a reflex of the place where she herself had come from.

"Ah… listen… Isn't it beautiful?" the angel spoke, listening to the angelic voice with enthusiasm.

"Is it a show?" Aiden wanted to know.

"Oh, no… Well, at least not officially. This is the praise band rehearsal."

"I like it!" little Jane spoke, with a smile that reflected the innocence of her heart.

"Would you like to see it closer?" Monica suggested, and was glad when Aiden and Jane agreed. But she knew they were not the only ones around. "Would you mind if we stopped a little, Josh?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever."

X

The interior of the church was involved in an atmosphere of peace and silence, apart from the heavenly music that came out of the ancient organ. Seconds after the angel and the three children entered the old historical building, they could also hear the voice of another angel echoing a beautiful hymn.

As Tess' eyes lay on Monica and the three siblings, she gave them a slight smile and watched as they took a seat on the front pew. For a while, the group watched as she and the organist rehearsed and when it was over, they clapped their hands. Tess and Mr Chapman exchanged an amused look and the supervisor left the altar to greet her charge and friend.

"Hello there, baby!" she spoke, receiving a warm hug. "I was wondering when you'd show up to pay me a visit! And you brought friends!"

"Oh, these are wee Jane, Aiden and Josh. We were passing by and heard you singing and the music coming from the organ…It was just so beautiful." She turned to the children. "This is my long time friend, Tess."

"It's very nice to meet you all!" the supervisor greeted them with a smile.

"You sing well!" little Jane remark caused her to chuckle.

"Well, thank you, miss! But I don't do this all by myself. Gerald is essential here!"

The gentleman who was playing the organ walked towards them, as the rehearsal was already over. "It's a pleasure to be able to play for such a beautiful voice. I've heard wonderful voices before, but nothing comparing to Tess'." He said, joining the group.

"It's really cool, mister…" Aiden spoke, impressed by the grandiosity of old musical instrument.

"Beringer. I was probably at your age when my father taught me to play it, son. Of course I improved a little since then!" he said, with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Josh, do you think dad could teach us how to play something like this?"

There was a spark of innocent hope in Aiden's eyes but his older brother just shook his head with disapproval.

"I highly doubt it." Came the cold answer, and it was not left unnoticed by Monica and Tess, who exchanged a look of complicity and compassion.

X

"According to the coroner's reports, the kids were missing for many days before they were… before they lost their life."

For almost an hour, Mr Collins, the law enforcement agency manager, had been sitting at his desk and analyzing a few photographs of the previous crimes that lately had tortured his mind. Andrew had just been informed that his résumé and other documents had been approved and that he was on probationary period. The blond angel let out a tired sigh as his green eyes scanned the horrible images he had already seen in person. It was possibly one of the hardest assignments he had ever been given. And judging by the few evidences they had so far, it was far from being accomplished.

"Then his MO gives us an advantage because if… God forbid, there is a next victim we know that we'll still have some time to find her."

"Exactly." He said, finally keeping the horrible images inside a folder.

"Tell me, Mr Collins, how many times did the police search the area around the spot where the kids were found?"

"A few times, I cannot tell you precisely. They were all found away from the city and with the weather changes it's impossible to know exactly if there were any other clues around. If here were, they were all taken by a heavy rain."

"I understand…" Andrew had a pensive look on his face, as if reflecting upon everything that the man had told him. Only a few instants later did he speak again. "Do you mind if I take a look at the spots again?"

The man seemed surprised at that request. "Well, the latest crime happened hundreds of miles away from here…"

"I know. I just feel like I need to start from a point and going there seems the right thing to do since we don't have any other choice."

Collins nodded his head in agreement. "You're right. All the efforts are necessary."

Andrew rose to his feet. "I'll be giving you all account on my solo investigation, sir."

As an angel, he did not need transportation to do what he was planning. This assignment in particular had given him his full ability to transport himself to wherever he needed. Monica's little apartment had been the first path to be followed, a shelter from the horrors he had witnessed lately. But now, he needed to go some other place as much as it hurt him.

X

"I noticed how quiet you've been after we got home… Quieter than usual…" Monica stood by the boys' bedroom door and observed Josh with inquisitive but also compassionate eyes. He was sitting by the window and playing with a small video game, but a more attentive look could notice that he was not concentrated on what he was doing, that it was only an escape from the turmoil of thoughts that had been going through his mind.

"There isn't pretty much to do… you take Aiden and Jane out, they play, get dirty and then come back, which is okay for them." He replied, giving up the small gadget to look through the window.

Monica saw in it an opportunity to approach. Always carefully, but determined to get to the bottom of what was troubling the boy.

"And I sense you'd rather be doing something else other than an outing to the park with your little siblings…"

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay. I gotta take care of them for mom…" Josh finally raised his head to look at her. "You're a good help too."

That remark made her smile. "I'm glad to know it!" But then, her expression changed into a more serious one. "Or I wonder if perhaps you'd rather be on an outing to the park with your little siblings but with your father instead of a nanny."

The boy lowered his head at hearing that. "He's too busy."

"And you miss him. All of you do, but Aiden and Jane are still too little to understand." The angel finally took a seat next to him and covered his hand with hers.

"I wish he would pay attention… just once…"

Monica's presence had an effect on the boy and for the first time in months, he felt at ease to talk about what had been troubling him.

X

Andrew walked along a trail that crossed a camping area, miles away from the law enforcement agency where he was working at. The vegetation grew high everywhere, except from a spot not far from a small waterfall. He had been there before, just that now the scenario was not as dreadful. Flashbacks of the night when the angel of death had to take a child Home started playing on his mind and he frowned and clenched his fists, trying to control his rage at what a human being was capable of doing. Andrew examined his surroundings carefully, in search of anything that could be at least a faint evidence of the murder. He spent hours there but ended up finding nothing.

"Father… if there is anything You want me to notice, please guide me. So far, all I see is that… the human race doesn't deserve what You gave them." He prayed, with a bitter tone in his voice as terrible memories ran through his mind. Angels had always felt more comfortable on Earth when they were in contact with nature. But right now the silence around him was so thick and anguishing that he wished to leave as fast as possible.

Sighing deeply, he finally moved his eyes from the sky and scanned the area once again, hoping that Providence would show him what to find. But then again, some minutes later he realized that there was nothing to see there that the police hadn't investigated. A secluded area, with no houses or huts nearby and the constant noise of the water would stifle any sound that echoed through the woods.