"Do witches really exist in the world?"

Daley looked down at the slippery plate and questioned,

"The Witch's Mallet" reads: If the defendant leads an immoral life, it proves that she has an affair with the devil. If she is pious and well-behaved, it proves that she is disguised in order to use piety to divert suspicion from her..."

"So as long as a woman is caught by a Catholic dogleg, no matter how much she argues for herself, she will be recognized as a witch."

Trish nodded, disgusted by the witch's insulting statement, but still kept her senses, "These people who are judged are not all ordinary women, they should also have special abilities?" ”

"It's not just special abilities," retorted Jesse, staring down the dark street outside the restaurant, "The most important trait of witches is their ability to communicate with the devil, make deals with the devil, and use sorcery to poison living beings, which is the main reason why they are considered hereticals. ”

Special abilities to communicate with the devil?

Dean heard this, and her mind flashed back to her last self-description of the first time she met Jesse Guy Hartman at the police station last night.

Dean gave Jesse a deep look.

……

"Let's go, folks, go find the witch." Dean got up, took out cash and put it on the dining table to settle the bill, turned around and walked towards the blue Mercury jaguar parked outside the door,

"Where can I find it?" The three of them got up and followed him,

"Witches have a relationship with the burned church, look for information about the church." Dean opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat.

Trish sat in the passenger seat and shook his head, "I'm sorry, but this Catholic church was abandoned before we were born, and we don't know anything about it. ”

Jesse in the back row was a little absent-minded, "I never pray, so I don't know much about the old church." ”

"Ms. Jesse, there are very few people in Bohao County who never pray." Daley turned his head and wondered,

"I prayed to God countless times when I was bullied in the orphanage, but it never worked, and since then I have stayed away from God."

"Alright, let's go to the police station," Dean asked Chief Tubbs as he turned his car down the dark road. ”

……

On their way to the police station, they passed by the church, and by 7 p.m., the fire had been extinguished, and the place was completely charred and in ruins, but some of the officers could still be seen carrying the bodies outside.

Dean tries to look at the cellar from God's point of view, but finds that the interior is unrecognizable, with nothing to see but a charred human figure.

……

In the office of the chief of the Pohao County Sheriff's office, the four of them found the busy Tubbs.

The director's face was oily, his eyes were bloodshot, his originally thick black hair was mixed with a striking white, and his straight back was slightly rickety.

He snuffed out the cigarette in an ashtray full of cigarette butts,

"I'm sorry, I have to deal with the funeral for the sacrificed brothers, receive the families, find a way to settle the hundreds of charred corpses in the cellar, deal with the news media, I haven't closed my eyes since yesterday, and I really don't have time to receive you."

Dean reminded, "You'll have to keep an eye on the dead wagon and weapons for its next attack." ”

Hearing this, Tubbs looked nervous, "Don't worry, everything is locked in the warehouse, and someone will be sent to keep an eye on it 24 hours a day, and there is no change at present." I've also procured generators for the bureau and prepared a few pieces of heavy firepower, and if you dare to attack again, don't want to hurt me unless you step on my corpse! ”

Dean's eyelids jumped, and he frantically set up a flag for himself.

"Director, the third group of people has arrived, and they are all in the conference room." A bald-headed black police officer knocked lightly on the office door,

"Wait, I'll be here in two minutes." Tubbs looked at everyone helplessly, his eyes implicitly urging,

"Well, long story short. We need to find out the whereabouts of the last priest of the burned down church, or the information of the founder of the church. Dean stressed, "It has a lot to do with dead skin. ”

Tubbs rubbed his sore temples wearily, "The first priest of that church was hundreds of years ago, and he should have gone to heaven. The last term is also a few decades ago. ”

Dean's face sank.

Tubbs opened a drawer and flipped through a notepad,

"But you're in luck... At 36 East 8th Street, Tobecca Lambert, an old lady who loves cats like her life, once told the confrontational officers about the old church and may know something. But beware, she has a very strange temper, and she seems to have a bit of a problem with her brain, which is extremely difficult to get along with, so you have to be mentally prepared. ”

"Thanks, Director." Dean tapped his index finger on the table and turned his head to look at Jesse, "Please help me find the home addresses and phone numbers of a few people." ”

Jesse put the list on the table,

The director took a sip of coffee and glanced at it, and the full text of "Hartman" made his eyes wider, as if he had seen something incredible, "Our resident psychic medium is finally tired of living a lonely life, and wants to reunite with relatives who have been separated for decades?" ”

A trace of melancholy flashed on the female psychic's face,

The director nodded, "I'll take the time to ask the guys to help you find it." ”

"We're in a hurry, and we're going to resurrect the dead skin in a few days." Dean put his hands on the table and emphasized,

Tubbs frantically brushed a handful of sparse black hair, "Okay, stay up all night, at the latest at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, come to the bureau to get news!" ”

……

Got the desired results.

The four of them quickly rushed to the gate of the police station.

Along the way, there was a gloomy cloud, and there was a clear sound of sobbing in the conference room, and hundreds of old and weak women and children with red eyes wiped their tears inside.

Not only the families of the police officers who have died in the police department, but also the families of the missing people in Bohao County in the past few years.

The four of them were also infected, and their mood became depressed, and then they drove quietly all the way to the side of the road at No. 36 East 8th Street and stopped.

The small yard behind the wooden fence is very chic, unlike other yards full of green lawns and ornamental plants, the land on the left and right sides has been directly transformed into farmland, and the corn stalks full of "ammunition" are like sentries straightening their waists and sentry poles.

There are also some verdant and pleasant vegetables planted in the field, and it is no problem to feed the family.

The crowd pushed open the wooden fence and moved a few steps closer.

In the iron window screen of the bungalow on the back of the courtyard, an old lady wearing silk pajamas, holding a lazy orange cat and a cloaked hair heard the voice and walked over and questioned through the door,

"Who, stand still! Why are you coming to my house at night? ”

"Are you Mrs. Babeka Lambert?" Dean shouted at her from afar,

"Yes, answer me, who are you?"

"Chief Tubbs of the police department recommended that we come to you for information about the old church."

"What police?" The old lady suddenly became emotional and asked, "Don't try to call the police here, they will talk nonsense and limit the number of cats I have!" If the old lady wants to raise a few cats, she can raise a few! ”

"Listen, ma'am, we don't care how many cats you have." Trish stepped forward a little impatiently, "But there are many people who have been killed, and the murderer may have something to do with the old church, please answer us a few questions!" ”

Click!

The lights inside the door turned on, and an old lady with gray hair and orange peel was clinging to the iron screen at the door, staring at her cloudy eyes and a panicked face, "Killed?" ”

"Yes, a lot of cops." Daly added.

"God forbid!" The old lady touched the orange cat in her arms and breathed a sigh of relief happily, "It doesn't matter if the nosy police officers die more, as long as it's not my kittens." ”

Dean quickly approached the door, as if he had detonated a bomb.

Meow Woo –

A tidal wave of cats barked.

The orange cat in the old lady's arms instantly exploded and jumped down, and dozens of ghost-like yellow lights suddenly lit up in the darkness behind the glass windows of the corridors on both sides, and dozens of cats of different colors and breeds jumped out, tilting their butts backwards, and roaring in fear at Dean, their tails standing straight like antennas, and swaying from side to side.

"Stop, little devil from church? You're spoking the hell out of my babes, what are you going to do to them?! The old lady yelled at Dean, turned around and rushed into the house with a sharp skill that did not match her age, and when she came out again, she raised a shotgun in both hands, "I'll give you ten seconds to retreat immediately!" ”

Dean covered his forehead and took a step back, and the corners of his mouth twitched as the Cuishi siblings looked at him.

"Don't get me wrong, ma'am, we also love cats and dogs." Jesse stepped forward as he spoke, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and said sincerely, "We know it's hard for you to raise so many little babies, so we want to fund your great cause." ”

"I'll sponsor you with a hundred dollars." Dean magically grabbed a banknote from the void and shook it, "Two hundred knives? ”

"What? Give money, why didn't you say it earlier! When the old lady heard this, her eyes lit up like a light bulb, she withdrew her rifle, opened the wooden door, grinned a mouthful of rotten teeth, and showed an extremely flattering smile on her old face like bark, and her attitude was turned upside down, "O handsome and beautiful man like an angel, it is cold outside at night, please come in quickly, and I will send the dears into the backyard, lest they frighten you." ”

"Uh," Daley spat at his sister, "this old lady will be beaten to death sooner or later." ”

……

The cat hair that stained the walls, carpets, and electric lights, and the strong smell of cat feces in the air, formed the old lady's cat home.

Dean turned his gaze to the left side of the couch, and Daley cautiously took a sip of hot tea, then showed a strange expression, reached into his mouth, and pulled out a blue cat hair.

Wow...

Cui Shi next to him hurriedly put down the teacup in his hand, only Jesse was still calmly sipping hot tea.

And the old lady Tobecca who received the money on the other side showed a look of memory on her face, and the whole person suddenly became kind and kind from neurotic, and her speech was also organized.

"Before my father died, he worked as a maintenance worker in the old church for several years... But the diocese was not doing well, and the Catholics in the county slowly moved away, and no one even went to church on Sundays. There were more and more Protestants, so the Catholic church was abandoned, and a Protestant church was erected on the other side of the county. ”

Dean asked, "Do you know the priest of the church?" ”

The old man shook his head, "I can't remember, but they are much older than me, and they should have died a long time ago." ”

"Did your father, when he was alive, mention some strange events in the old church? Like the disappearance of clergy, believers, or strange noises coming from the underground? ”

The old lady lit a leaf, and in the smoke of the smoke, she said something shocking,

"There is a problem with the church. My father had warned me not to go near that place at night, but I made a mistake. ”

"Almost 46 years ago, in 1945, when I was seventeen years old, I was rebellious, disobedient, and approached the church after dark, only to be caught by someone from behind."

"It was too dark for me to see what he looked like, but the strength of his hand was amazing, and he pinched my mouth like a steel tong, so that I couldn't make a sound. It sniffed hard against my neck, sticking out its slippery tongue and licking the side of my face like a hungry beast trying to swallow me into its stomach. ”

46 years ago, the rule of 23 was met.

Dean and his companions exchanged glances, and they both saw the excitement on each other's faces.

"I was so scared that I peed straight out." The old lady laughed to herself, and looked in the direction of the backyard with gratitude, "But I have a cat, and the smell of cats on my body bores him, and the cat hair in his hair is sucked into his nose by him, making him sneeze constantly, and he just throws me away and runs away." ”

"Later I read the newspaper and found out that a lot of other people had disappeared during that time, and I was sure they were all captured by the strong men that night."

"If you know the church is in danger, why haven't you moved out after all these years?" Dean asked,

"I don't have any money, and my cats can't stand the long journey." The old lady's face showed a trace of palpitations, and her eyes reddened slightly, "They have allowed me to live unharmed for so many years, they are my patron saints and children, and I will take care of them until I die." ”

Dean didn't expect this mother-in-law who loves cats to have such a past, and looked at each other's eyes a little softer.

However, cats and dogs are really magical creatures in the world, not only can they see ghosts, see their own differences, but also prevent dead skin.

"Over the years, I've heard about several large-scale disappearances on the radio, and I've always been suspicious that the abductive thing is still hiding near the church... But I had no evidence and no ability to stop him from committing the crime. The old lady went into the room, and soon after took out a box of papers and put them in front of everyone, "These are the documents that my father stole from the church before it was completely abandoned. There may be clues you are looking for. ”

"You look first, I'll take care of the babies, and with these two hundred dollars, I can buy them more cans."

The old lady walked into the backyard with a happy face.

The four of them looked at each other, took out the documents in the box and began to flip through them.

There are not many documents, most of them are letters, confessions from priests, pamphlets from churches.

Some of them are too old, yellow, brittle, and can be broken with a little effort, and some are more expensive and tough parchment products.

Unfortunately, there is not a single word about witches.

"Tsk, this Louis pastor actually maintains a special relationship with another male staff member." Daley flipped through a confession letter, only to feel that his eyes were opened,

"It's not surprising," said Trysch, "that Catholicism requires abstinence, and the clergy can't have intimate relationships with women, so that's why." ”

"To some extent, the Catholic witch hunt persecuted women vigorously, and it was also because of this abstinence rule that they lost interest and empathy for women." Jesse made up for it.

Dean ignored these frivolous topics, and quickly found a document that introduced every past administrator of the old church, including the busts, the biographies—

Nana Smith: July 1940 – July 1950

Robert Hannah: July 1920 – July 1940

A dozen years later.

Dean flipped all the way to the front... The first administrator of the Catholic Church in Bohao County——

It was a Caucasian male, about forty years old, dressed in a black robe, white tie, white cufflinks, etc., with meticulously combed hair and beard, a high nose and a majestic face, but bulging cheekbones and eyeballs, and a sickly emaciated appearance.

Below the bust is an introduction to his life:

Abraham Morrow: September 1682 – October 1682

He came to Pohao County, Kentucky, USA, from France, to fund the establishment of a church and serve as a pastor, and disappeared a month later.

"The funder and administrator of the church is this Abraham, who disappeared after only a month as a pastor and then had a dead skin!" Dean's eyes lit up, and he faintly saw that the light was ahead, and turned to his side, "Abraham Morrow, do you have his papers?" ”

"There's a copy." Trish placed a yellowed envelope with the relevant name written in front of him, and Dean eagerly opened it and read it aloud:

My Lord, my God, I believe that you are the true God who can never be wrong.

I worship you steadfastly and follow your creed.

Every day, from the age of eight to forty-two, I read your name, I took the Bible in my hand to guide the lost lamb, I held up my fingers, and I held up my soldering iron, and I held up my shackles for the mark of the devil, and I judged those who blasphemed the sacrament, and I baptized the devil, and I swore an oath to Satan, and I communicated the heresies of the devil...

I have interrogated and tortured countless witches and wizards who have used witchcraft to poison people and kill monks.

But I confess to you, I have also made mistakes, I have gone astray, I have been carried away by fanatical companions, driven by irresistible orders, and many innocent have been burned at the stake.

Exactly twenty-four years.

I can't remember how many innocent people have been tortured more cruelly than demons, from old women of eighty years old to girls under the age of ten, who have been forced to confess to heresy.

Their deathbed wails have been ringing in my ears all the time.

I could feel the pain, fear, and resentment of their death entering my body, slowly destroying my health.

At the age of forty-two, I swallowed the consequences and suffered from an incurable disease.

And when I die of illness, my destination can never be heaven, and the Spiritual Prison also closes its doors to me, only the lower hell opens its arms to me, and once I enter, I will suffer a punishment far more painful than burning at the stake, and I will never be freed.

Merciful God, I confess to you and grant me a peaceful and happy last life, wash away my sins and blood, and pull me out of hell, a lost lamb.

O merciful God, you are pure, good, and whole, and you do not forsake us sinners.

In order to regain my splendor in you, I have left my homeland and crossed the ocean to establish your sanctuary and spread your faith in a foreign land.

So far I have fought the good fight, I have finished the way I have run, and I have kept the faith.

But even with all my efforts, you are unwilling to give me any revelation or mercy, and you have indifferently watched me sink in sickness and hellish visions.

God, have you forsaken your servant?

Let me confess to you one last time, and pray.

In a foreign land, at this moment, the fear of hell is all over me, etched into my bone marrow, and this fear has shaken my faith for decades.

I don't want to die, let alone go to hell, and I will do whatever it takes to do it.

Night, September 25, 1682.

……

After reading the envelope.

Dean fell into a long silence.

Abraham Moreau, seventeenth-century France, member of the witch hunt, Catholic.

For twenty-four years, he tortured countless innocent women, treated them as witches, heretics, and burned to death.

He knew that he was guilty of sin, and he went to hell after death.

He traveled from France to Bohao County in the United States to build a church, but failed to receive God's salvation.

The faithful believer did not receive a response, and the fear of death and hell before the time came, forced him to make some profound and crazy change.

This kind of experience is another kind of thing that must be reversed, in line with the 23 laws.

The progress of the survey jumped to 90 percent.

Dean looked at Abraham's majestic white face again, and vaguely felt that it was beginning to overlap with the face of the dead skin.

(End of chapter)