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“I do”

“Is this soame or a—”

“No, no, not a gary yet?”

A burst of laughter, as jarring as the sound of gunfire in the rille

Tom was careful to keep his voice neutral when he answered “No, I’ry, but I aiven absolution for sins you’re conteiveness is for those who have realized theirto make restitution for their sins”

“Ah, but Father, you don’t knohat the sins are yet How can you deny me absolution?”

“Na”

“Oh, but it does A year ago I told another priest exactly what I was going to do, but he didn’t believe me until it was too late Don’t make the same mistake”

“How do you know the priest didn’t believe you?”

“He didn’t try to stop me That’s how I know”

“How long have you been a Catholic?”

“All my life”

“Then you know that a priest cannot acknowledge the sin or the sinner outside of the confessional The seal of silence is sacred Exactly how could this other priest have stopped you?”

“He could have found a way I waspracticing then, and I was cautious It would have been very easy for him to stop me, so it’s his fault, not mine It won’t be easy now”

To toPractice? Practice what? And as the sin the priest could have prevented?

“I thought I could control it,” the man said

“Control what?”

“The craving”

“What was the sin you confessed?”

“Her name was Millicent A nice, old-fashioned name, don’t you think? Her friends called her Millie, but I didn’t I much preferred Millicent Of course, I wasn’t what you would call a friend”

Another burst of laughter pierced the dead air Tom’s forehead was beaded with perspiration, but he suddenly felt cold This wasn’t a prankster He dreaded what he was going to hear, yet he was compelled to ask/>“What happened to Millicent?”

“I broke her heart”

“I don’t understand”

“What do you think happened to her?” the man demanded, his impatience clear now “I killed her It was messy; there was blood everywhere, all over me I was terribly inexperienced back then I hadn’t perfected my technique When I went to confession, I hadn’t killed her yet I was still in the planning stage and the priest could have stoppedto do”

“Tell me, how could he have stopped you?”

“Prayer,” he answered, a shrug in his voice “I told hih, now did he? I still killed her It’s a pity, really She was such a pretty little thingmuch prettier than the others”

Dear God, there were other women? How many others?

“How many crimes have you—”

The stranger interrupted hiht have been able to resist if the priest had helped ive me what I needed”

“What did you need?”

“Absolution and acceptance I was denied both”

The stranger suddenly slae thatjust below the surface erupted full force as he spewed out in grotesque detail exactly what he had done to the poor innocent Millicent

Tom was overwhelmed and sickened by the horror of it all Dear God, what should he do? He had boasted he wouldn’t be shocked or angered, but nothing could have prepared hiht in describing

Hate the sin, not the sinner

“I’ve gotten a real taste for it,” the madman whispered

“How many other women have you killed?”

“Millicent was the first There were other infatuations, and when they disappointed me, I had to hurt them, but I didn’t kill any of theed I watched her for a long ti about her wasperfect” His voice turned into a snarl as he continued “But she betrayed ht she could play her little games with other men and I wouldn’t notice I couldn’t let her torment me that way I wouldn’t,” he corrected “I had to punish her”