The Last Confession by Solomon Jones

Author:Solomon Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Published: 2010-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

The call went out over police radio, and every local and national media outlet sent a contingent to the scene of the latest carnage.

With talk of the angel of death being bandied about and people being slaughtered in churches, it was obvious to the media that these were more than random acts of violence. These were the actions of a serial killer.

As such, the killing spree had the makings of a story that could morph into an international scandal. The reporter who could gain exclusive access would earn book deals, movie rights, and fame beyond his wildest dreams. They all understood the stakes, and they acted to stake their claims.

By 12:45 AM, they had gathered at the intersection of Broad Street and Fairmount with satellite trucks and spotlights, helicopters and cameras, note pads and microphones. Philadelphia was in the belly of the beast that is twenty-four-hour news, and nothing was going to prevent that beast from being fed.

Knowing that the city would be under siege from the media, Commissioner Lynch made the necessary calls before leaving headquarters with Coletti and the others. He ordered every district to send a car and wagon to the scene. That put a strain on the city police, so he called for help from every other police department that operated in Philadelphia. By the time he arrived at Broad and Fairmount with Mann, Coletti, and Smithson, the scene was chaotic.

There were barricades and crime scene tape, K-9 units and wagons. A hodgepodge of officers from Temple, Penn, Drexel, La Salle, and the Pennsylvania state police were all under the command of the homicide captain. Thus far, they’d kept the media at bay. When Lynch pulled up and got out of the car, things changed.

Television cameramen swarmed the commissioner while police locked arms and formed a human chain around him. As the police yelled for the reporters to back away, helicopters hovered and their spinning blades added to the commotion. Reporters shouted questions that Lynch was unable to hear. Not that it mattered. He didn’t plan to respond to any questions until he had answers to give.

He walked inside with Coletti and the rest of them following, and when he reached the threshold of the church, he saw a scene that defied explanation.

The outside glass door had been smashed by what appeared to be a gunshot. The hallway wall was splattered with blood and pieces of flesh. A thick red trail led from there to the sanctuary, where the lifeless bodies of the two men from the cleaning crew were slumped over a back pew.

The final victim was at the front of the church, his arms spread wide as he lay against the altar with his face locked permanently in a horrified expression.

“The neighbors heard the shots about a half hour ago,” said a homicide detective who’d been among the first to arrive. “It looks like the shooter was after the one on the altar. A guy from the neighborhood saw him follow the victim to the church.

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