Carrion Moon by Joe Kilgore

Author:Joe Kilgore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: old school private detective private eye PI P.I.; mysteries thriller suspense mystery series; literary noir crime fiction; movie film industry; crime murder lottery revenge; Hollywood California U.S.; gritty dark action
Publisher: Encircle Publications
Published: 2023-10-02T16:07:51+00:00

Chapter 17

Robert Devlin’s life since leaving the military had been anything but dangerous. His last mission, the one he could never quite get over, left him with an intense desire to purge anything and everything that seemed the least bit risky, hazardous, or threatening from his modus operandi. He had come back from service to his country with an innate desire to somehow atone for the things he had done. Devlin had seriously considered entering the priesthood, but in his heart he knew he’d never be able to cope with the demands of celibacy. Still he longed to somehow make amends for assignments he’d undertaken voluntarily, orders he’d followed blindly, and actions he’d participated in that left death in their wake. He knew the individuals he’d personally eliminated with extreme prejudice were the worst of the worst. Yet he still felt remorse for what he had done to his foes and particularly for what he had done with his comrades on that awful night. A night that never seemed to be totally purged from its place in his mind.

Even though Devlin knew he would never become an actual priest, attachment to the Catholic Church became an obsession. He joined a parish just outside Boston and began a concerted effort to learn all that he could about church doctrine while volunteering for whatever work was needed to help the poverty stricken, house the homeless, and bring more souls into the bosom of the church. Such was his commitment, energy, and enthusiasm, that he was eagerly sought for salvific work not only by the priests in his diocese but the bishop as well. It was therefore not surprising when Robert Charles Devlin was named a Lay Ecclesial Minister and began actual employment supporting operations of the church’s pastoral staff. A former soldier for the army whose job was raining down hell and damnation was now a soldier for God offering salvation to lost and lonely souls.

Devlin had listened to Ellis’s explanation of what happened to Tasso and Adams, as well as his conjecture about the possible cause of it all. He found it almost impossible to believe. “Such good men,” he said, “come to such a terrible end. And you really think Fowler had something to do with it?”

“He’s the only one from the squad left. Not counting you and me. Of course, if you have something you want to tell me… something you might want to confess.”

“Believe me, Lieutenant, I had nothing to do with what you’ve told me. I could never take another life. Not since I’ve committed myself to the church. And as for what happened that night, well, I know you and Tasso were just trying to keep us alive a few days longer. I believe you did what you thought was best to save the squad.”

There was no way to know for sure whether Devlin was being sincere. Ellis had to go with his gut instinct. “Look, Devlin. I believe you. And if it is Fowler, he must be totally out of his head.

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