Chapter 44

Sister Catherine's expression darkened, knowing these were just excuses.

She wrenched her hand away from Randy and placed the money on the entrance cabinet by the door, adopting a solemn and untouchable demeanor.

"Randy, I just visited Mrs. Margaret next door. She told me you have deep sins. If you don't undergo holy baptism, your soul will be dragged into hell by the devil."

Randy leaned against the door frame with interest, curious how even a small nun dared to spread threats.

"Me? Fall into hell?"

Catherine seemed a bit uncertain when asked but still said with a glare, "I heard from God before I came here that you have self-harmed before. This will attract God's attention and result in Him abandoning you."

"Is your own faith sincere?"

"Of course!"

"Then have you ever seen God? Or witnessed a miracle?"

Catherine was momentarily at a loss for words.

Randy could see she was outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

Unlike Margaret, who was crazy, Catherine seemed like a fervent believer new to the faith, but there was a hint of confusion amidst the fervor. She had to force herself to believe in the doctrine to dispel doubts.

Using zeal to prove her piety, but her heart was empty.

Catherine firmly said, "God is always here and always watching over us."

Then she became more resolute: "Although I haven't seen a miracle, our abbess and many older nuns, and even many elders in the town, have seen them.

In our town, the Reverend Glenn once healed a girl with multiple fractures in her body. In just a minute, the girl's body was restored, and she was even floating in the air!"

Randy found it interesting. It seemed this Reverend had some skills?

"So, why haven't you seen a miracle? Is it because the Reverend resigned and became a doctor?"

Catherine's expression turned angry. Why was this person so fond of arguing?

"Reverend Glenn is still the town's priest and enjoys a high reputation around here. But you should know he is God's representative. Even if someone asks him for healing, he can't easily help! If the injured person has no faith, like Mr. Randy, even Reverend Glenn would be powerless!"

"So, he only performed one miracle in total? After that miracle, he didn't intervene again?"

"You!"

Catherine pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.

Randy continued, "And what about the girl he healed?"

He suspected that the miraculous powers might not belong to Reverend Glenn but to the girl.

"She didn't stay in the convent. After staying for a few days, she naturally left. Now the room I'm staying in is where she once stayed, and I even saw the hymn she wrote for Reverend Glenn!"

Though Catherine was angry, she still clarified.

Randy smiled, feeling he might be right.

"Then, when you see a miracle or meet God, you'll be qualified to preach to me. Right now, you and I are actually the same."

"What do you mean by the same?"

"We both haven't received God's attention."

Randy expressed his stance frankly. Catherine was clearly still in her training period. There were likely many like her in the church—perhaps due to family reasons or just seeking spiritual solace, they became nuns.

Their feedback would not be taken seriously, so rejecting her thoroughly was the best way to make her give up.

Catherine was already getting angry: "You! Mrs. Margaret was right; you're indeed a… strange person!"

"You're also strange. Why ask others to believe in something you don't even believe in yourself?"

"Who says I don't believe?"

Catherine's expression became extremely tense, like a cat with its tail stepped on. She wanted to say more, but Randy was no longer willing to give her the opportunity.

"Goodbye, Sister. If you visit again, I hope you bring some fresh rhetoric."

With that, Randy closed the door.

Catherine knocked on the door twice more.

"Stop knocking. God doesn't like impolite nuns."

Catherine's knocking ceased. Randy saw her pacing back and forth behind the door but ultimately left in frustration.

"The convent in the town, where is it located? Seems like it's in the suburbs?"

It was a place dedicated to brainwashing believers, much like regular schools, with three-year and six-year programs, primarily teaching the Bible, theology, and philosophy. Once trained, nuns could work in various churches.

For nuns, the employment prospects were very broad. In religious-governed America, charities, schools, and religious groups all needed to recruit many nuns.

Randy prepared a simple dinner and, after eating, called Mike.

The call was quickly answered.

"Hey, Randy."

"Hey, Officer Jackson, how was your afternoon? Still busy?"

"Damn, don't even mention it! I just arrived at the crime scene, and they've assigned me to handle a murder case again! Another family had an incident last night…"

Jackson immediately stopped talking: "Sorry, Randy, I can't tell you right now. The higher-ups said it must be kept confidential."

Randy naturally responded, "Of course, I'll keep it confidential. Just like the cases you told me about at noon, I haven't mentioned them to anyone."

"Uh…"

Jackson glanced around quickly and sneaked into the restroom at the crime scene when no one was paying attention.

"Yes, absolutely don't mention it to anyone, or I'll be punished!"

"That goes without saying! By the way, Officer Jackson, what happened earlier? Did you see another disgusting scene?"

"Yeah! It's like nightmare material! I hardly slept last night!"

"You officers have it tough. If you need to vent your psychological stress, you should. Otherwise, those scenes will haunt your mind."

"You're right, but unfortunately, Mike isn't willing to listen to my complaints."

"So, you can tell me. I already know a lot."

Jackson thought for a moment and found it reasonable. If he kept it in, he would definitely break down.

"Ugh! Randy, you understand me. There have been three cases of family exterminations in the town, and I have to handle all three! And now the scenes are even more terrifying! Can you believe a person was flattened?"

Randy asked, somewhat puzzled, "Like in Tom and Jerry?"

"Yes, but not from top to bottom or front to back. It was from the side, with the shoulder blades and pelvis all fractured, the body squeezed to the same width as the head!"

"Oh, that's indeed horrifying. It's probably not human-made!"

Randy imagined the scene carefully but still found it hard to picture.

"Yeah, even if it's a black person, they couldn't be strong enough to flatten a person. So, I suspect it might be a black person using some kind of device, like a hydraulic press…"