Back at the Kitchenette of the church Mortis and Elijah talked as the priest offered coffee to the fire-fighters.
"So, this was in the trash can besides the table?" asked Mortis.
"Yes, I pulled it from there myself. Seems to have fallen into the trash and rolled out of sight" explained the head fire-fighter.
Mortis took a short sip of the cheap coffee with cheap sugar and left the cup back immediately. "I must have accidentally dropped the box into the trash can when I jumped to go see what happened to Cletus. I do remember jumping off my seat a the time and just rushing, as if something inside me told me to do so" explained Elijah before adding towards the Fire-fighter "Are you sure there is nothing else I can offer you?" The man shook his head negatively leading the Priest to sit between the two men.
"I do need to finish the report, so if you excuse me, I will be back in a moment to get your signature father" said the Fire fighter as he left the room.
"I will wait here."
Mortis stared at the box, Elijah looked at the box, then at Mortis, then back at the box hoping for something to happen.
"Is everything okay Detective?"
Mortis grabbed the box. "I cannot believe someone was tracking me, going after this."
"But why? Why would someone want to get this box? Money?" Elijah spoke with curiosity, he was not very familiar with the criminal mind.
"I doubt it, unless it holds a secret or is part of a collection, which is highly improbable" Mortis said as he inspected the box in hopes he could see or touch something he couldn't before. A minute passed and he decided the attempt was futile. "This is going to drive me insane."
"You look like you could use some rest" pointed the Priest.
"I do not have time Elijah. There is too much at stake. The killer will attack tonight, I can feel it" said Mortis worried.
"Any leads in your search?" asked Elijah leaning forward.
Mortis looked at the priest with a raised eyebrow and a slightly amused expression, like a man who finds a decoder ring in his cereal box.
"I apologize I should not trivialize the matter" Elijah stated with a tinge of genuine embarrassment.
"So I was right, you have something for mystery novels" pointed Mortis.
Elijah face turned red in embarrassment, Mortis snorted at the scene, that a man could be that green killed the Detective.
"How could you possibly know?" asked the priest.
"I saw that Elery Quinn novel in your desk earlier on, and there was a Wallander novel among the items rummaged by the thief, and the way you leaned to look at the evidence, classic from someone who has read too many mystery and detective novels. Plus I know Father Raphael does not care unless there are two men trying to punch the light off each other" said Mortis.
Eliajh raised his open palms in surrender "Fine, I admit it, they are my weakness."
"I think they are a fine pastime. Any favorites?" asked Morits.
"I am partial to Mrs. Christies' Poirot mysteries" said the Priest.
Mortis stood up to begin his exit "Then father, I recommend to keep it as a hobby. Now if you excuse me I must take my leave."
"God speed Mortis, I will pray for your success" said Elijah.
"You may be asking him too much" joked Mortis.
"Don't sell the Lord short Detective, he preserved your box" pointed the priest.
"Everything good comes with a bad" said Mortis.
"Oh Detective, is all perspective, if you see bad you will only find bad" pointed Elijah.
"I better go then, enjoy my good luck while it last" said Mortis.
No soon the Detective stepped out of the kitchenette he bumped into the rotund mass of Sergeant Wilson Clancy, looking at Mortis with the eyes of a Texan meeting veganism. If looks could crash Wilson would flatten Mortis like a pancake, that is how much the flabby arm of the law hated the Detective.
"Look who we find here! Dick Mortis!" Wilson's words did not came as of a man finding an unexpected element, it was from someone who expected it with malicious glee. Foolishly Mortis tightened the grip on the box, a stupid reflex, which caused Wilson to focus on the box and add: "And trying to steal evidence non the less" grinning with a smile full of yellow teeth.
Mortis did not have time for this, and the lack of sleep was getting to him, biting back at the rejoinder.
"I am just taking what is mine" said Mortis as he was about to walk by when he saw two other officers behind Wilson, members of Wilson's posse, union guys brought out by whoever was pulling Wilson's strings, and this where not the usual droopy eye losers or Jimmy Kickbacks of the group, no, this men were clearly part of the muscle, they showed it.
"I am here to investigate the attack on the church, the Chief Fire Fighter told me that he thing may have actually be a botched attempt of robbery" Wilson reveled on the words, it gave the fat Sergeant power to make Mortis's life miserable, and Mortis knew that.
"Why? You thought it was a barbecue?" remarked Mortis.
Wilson frowned is deep anger. "Why you little piece of SHIT!"
Father Elijah jumped out of the kitchenette frowning and flustered at the sound of swearing in the house of the Lord.
"Who dares use such foul and undignified language here!" no man under seventy should sound cool uttering those words, yet Mortis was sure that many women would stop swearing just to please him.
"Father!" Wilson jumped at the the priest coming out with the strength and high ground of a true moral man. A seismographer somewhere recorded the jump.
"A police officer using such low language. To shame! You should be setting an example for the people around you!" added Elijah with Righteous indignation. Wilson mumbled and fumbled trying to keep his face in front of his posse.
"I am sorry" mumbled Wilson dazed and off guard the men behind him chuckled, humiliating the Police Sergeant and pushing him to focus. "Erm, I am here to investigate the attempted to destroy the church and steal some items."
"Well, Detective Mortis has done quite a good job here if you need any help" pointed the Priest. Mortis groaned internally at the comment, it was an innocent comment, one made by a man that is not aware of the dynamics of the relationship between the parties at hand, and instead of coming as cooperative to the police sergeant it instead re-fueled Wilson's pride which morphed into a satisfied smile.
"Are you telling me an outsider has been tampering with evidence? That is a crime" the words came smug and full of pleasure, mental self-pleasuring at is lowest.
"He has not! He has been very professional" jumped the Priest, trying to defend Mortis just wanted Elijah to stop making things worst.
"Your crime scene is fine Wilson. You have thief trying to pass for a religious bigot, it should be easy to tell, even for a man like you" too late Mortis noticed the slip of the tongue, and Wilson seized it out of a reflex. Idiots with thick prides rank among the petites people in the world, and Wilson may be the fattest.
"I also heard that the thief tried to steal a silver box…" in a move that was both calculated and cruel Wilson turned target to the priest, for the Sergeant would not let the previous humiliation go, like any good proud idiot would. "Good Reverend, is that the silver box the criminals tried to steal?"
"Reverend?" Elijah let the least important word reverberate in the room before the real issue kicked in, and so he looked at Mortis with sorrowful eyes, the man looked like a particularly cute puppy feeling bad for what it did, Mortis decided to save the man the humiliation.
"Yes, this is the box! And is mine! I left it here for safeguarding" said Mortis, to which Wilson cut immediately to state.
"And is evidence!"
Mortis had to control himself not to want to kick that grotesque grin off the fat policeman's face. Meanwhile the support officers shifted towards Mortis, ready for business.
Reading the room Elijah tried to intervene.
"Officer, please, the box belongs to the Detective."
Words fell on deaf ears, the temporal moral high-ground earned by the young Priest had been devoured by the Police Sergeant's pride and ego. In the eyes of Wilson Elijah was now another idiot following their phony bolognie God and being scammed by power-hungry perverts into emptying the pockets of the unwashed masses; and to an unleashed Wilson there was no compassion or morality, only power and getting the upper hand.
"Look Padre, I am taking the box as evidence whether you want it or not, and I will take this second rate Dick under custody for tampering with Police evidence if he does not relent the box."
"But that is not right!" protested Elijah which earned him a sneering glare and deride from the representative of Nashville's flabbiest.
"Oh!" the interjection came as a musical note, and with it the grin of a shark. "Are you too Reverend trying to interfere. Should I arrest you for trying to stop me from doing my job.
Elijah planted himself in opposition to Wilson's corruption and stated bravely: "Do what you must then officer, but I won't bend for men of your ilk."
Mortis was not surprised that a man like Elijah would stand for the truth, men of faith and principals did that, that is why they died young. The Detective knew Elijah was out of the deep end when it came to handling corrupt law men. Mortis could see the game clearly, this was about Wilson hurting him, nothing more, he wanted Mortis to suffer, and if dragging Elijah would do so Wilson would do it, even if the supporting officers now shifted in discomfort at the idea of arresting a priest Mortis knew they would get over it, men like that always did.
Short of options Mortis shifted into the only move that would safe both Elijah and him from a trip to a cell in a Nashville Police station, or at least the priest, even if it meant surrendering something to Wilson
"Take the box then" Mortis offered the Silver box in one hand, balancing the precious item as if it was not worth much. Mortis shoved the box onto Wilson who grabbed it not sure what to do after, which as immediately followed by Mortis offing his hands to the other two officers for cuffing. "And you can take me to jail if you want to. Father, would you look after Cicero while I am at the station?"
Elijah looked at Cicero, the dog looked at the shock priest with a face that could be read as "Yeah, he does this, just roll with it or it will kill you". Elijah proceeded then to nod and state "Sure".
The trick paid off, Wilson's face turned hot pink and sweaty, confused at to what to do. For once Mortis was offering himself on a silver platter, but the Sergeant knew the Detective had a trick up his sleeve, but what? Maybe he was ready to pull a stunt in the station, or maybe he had figured something. After all Wilson had his orders: to go to the Church and bring the evidence for analysis, particularly the Silver Box the thieves had tried to steal. Having Mortis offer himself like this, no, it did not compute to Wilson, and if Mortis was ready to do something, with the current pandemonium going on because of the serial killer, Wilson could really get himself in hot waters; and so Wilson did as Mortis predicted.
"Just get out of here you fourth rate stalker, and let the real investigators work" ordered Wilson.
Mortis tipped his undertaker hat to Wilson with a quick "Thank you" followed by a "Let's go Cicero."
Elijah went with Mortis, half escorting him out, half trying to apologize for his debacle when Mortis's ears caught Wilson saying: "Man, why would the Station be so worried about a stolen box?"
Mortis made sure to walk all the way to the entrance, where some curious bystanders and some elderly ladies gathered to see what went on. Elijah kept his downtrodden expression as he said: "I am sorry Detective, they got the box because of me."
Mortis patted the Priest in the shoulder to cheer him up as he said: "Don't worry, at least you gave me something to look into. So is not a compete loss".
"Could you at least get the box back?" asked Elijah.
"It will be locked as evidence, I will have to pull some strings to get it" stated Mortis.
"I am so sorry, I thought the Lord wanted you to have the box. But he works in mysterious ways" Elijah cast his hopeful eyes to the clouding sky, Mortis saw the man face glow faintly with hope, and was pretty sure a few women on the street took pictures of the graceful image of the man.
"Before I go, I need to ask you something about the fire" said Mortis.
"Ask away" said Elijah, opening himself like a book to the Detective.
"When you called the emergency services, did you ever mention the Silver Box?" asked Mortis.
Elijah pursed his lips and looked around as he perused his memory, his expression was endearingly ditz as he finally stated: "No. I only told the Fire Fighters a few minutes before you arrived".
Mortis nodded "I guess you were right father, God works in mysterious ways. Good day".
Mortis and Cicero took their car back home, it was still at least four hours before he had to meet John, so Mortis drove home to work on what Elijah had uncovered, sure that he had a solid clue in his hands. Unfortunately for Mortis things not always go according to plan.