Chapter 36: Like a Sand Palace

As we would have to wait for about another day for the results from the camera recordings, we decided to visit the people on the list. The first one on the list was Shepperd, or more precisely, Ruthven Shepperd. He was an exorcist or, as we initially called him, a possessed exorcist who expelled demons. At the very least, we could learn more about the incident with Riley's wife and his travels to those two cities.

Thanks to the AI that was currently monitoring their movements, we were able to easily locate his current whereabouts. Specifically, the church on the outskirts of the city. It took us just over half an hour to get there. When we arrived at the church, we saw Ruthven, who appeared to be leaving. So we hurried to him before he could leave.

"Hello, Shepperd!" I said to the retreating Ruthven.

"Hello, do I know you?" he asked.

"Not yet, but I think we can establish contact quickly," I said, showing him my badge.

"Again?" he exclaimed in an angry tone. "You won't be able to pin anything on me. You know that when a waiver of liability is signed, I'm clean before the law. So leave me alone."

"I'm afraid I must disappoint you," I responded calmly. "You are suspected of involvement in a different matter. I suggest we find someplace more private, perhaps in our car. You wouldn't want to attract attention to yourself."

He looked around and saw how people were watching us intently. After a moment's thought, he agreed, but only to talk in a room.

"Alright," he said, "follow me. There are some free rooms in this church where we can talk with the clergymen. We can occupy one of them."

We walked slowly, as if strolling through the church. After passing several rooms, we entered a small but cozily furnished one. Rutwin Shepherd sat down in a chair, and he offered us the couch to sit on.

"So what matter did you want to discuss with me?" he asked.

"We'll be the ones asking the questions," I replied firmly.

"Last year you visited two cities in the neighboring state, where you spent just over three months. What were you doing there?" I asked.

"What did I do there?" he repeated.

"Yes, we want to know what you were doing in those cities," Samuel clarified.

"Do you not know who I am?" he asked sarcastically.

"Of course, we do. But we want to know what you were doing there," I said.

"I was there for exorcism. In those cities, I was freeing people from demons," he said.

"Or so you thought," I retorted.

"Your disbelief will not save your soul from being infected by a demon. So, I save people like you," he said.

"You can say that, but we want to know exactly what you were doing there," I replied.

He opened his bag and pulled out a notebook. Opening it, he showed us some lists.

"Look here, this is a list of people I visited in the first city, and here's a list of those I visited in the second. You can take a photo. There are even numbers written there, you can contact them, they will confirm," he said, handing over the notebook.

I took his notebook and handed it to Samuel, who immediately took photos of the pages and started writing down the information in his own notebook. Meanwhile, I continued to ask questions.

"So you were there for exorcism and helping people. Did anyone die after you helped them?" I asked, trying to provoke him.

"No, there were no deaths. I helped many, even without resorting to exorcism. As you can see, faith in God protects and guards against demons," he replied calmly.

"What about Lauren McKinley, who died at the beginning of last year?" I asked him.

He sighed, controlling his irritation and replied calmly, "Unfortunately, I was called too late, the demon had already destroyed her body. I was not at fault then."

"But I think her husband thinks otherwise," I said.

"He wasn't there! He didn't even know about it. If he had been with her then, he would have known," he shouted.

"Why are you getting so nervous? I'm just asking you," I said.

"Are your questions over then?" he asked.

"No," I replied shortly.

"Then what else do you want to know? I already gave you a list of people I visited in that city. And I even answered your ridiculous questions," he said.

"Well, you can't say they're ridiculous, because a perfectly young woman died because of you. She had no children, husband, or parents. But because of you, she lost her life so early. And you don't even seem to be bothered. That's strange, isn't it Samuel?" I said.

"Yes, I also think so," he replied.

"So... either you're asking normal questions, related to your case, or I'm waiting for an order that you're unlikely to get," he said.

"Okay, I want to know why you contacted Riley," I asked.

"I don't know such a person," he said.

"How can you not know? He's the husband of the girl you killed," I said, with an even more provocative tone.

He thought for a moment. I thought he would deny it or say something else, but he simply fell silent and started thinking. Perhaps he was coming up with an answer.

"So?" I said.

"I didn't know his name was Riley. As I said, I didn't even see him when I performed the exorcism. And after, as you understand, I tried to avoid them, after learning that she had passed away. But even then, I didn't see him. I apologized to the girl's parents and never visited their home again," he continued.

"As for him, he came to me and said he would pay for my trip to the city where I was eagerly awaited. Well, I agreed. My mission is to help people. And since someone was expecting me somewhere, I decided to go there, especially since he paid for all the expenses. He brought me there and walked with me for a few weeks, after which he left, saying he had other business to attend to," he said.

"And you just stayed?" I asked.

"Yes, there were many people. I visited them at their homes, read prayers, performed purification rituals. I literally ran from one house to another for several months," he said.

"Did anything strange happen while he was with you?" I asked.

"No. If it had, I would have remembered," he said, but then added, "Except for when he suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night."

"Did that happen often?" I inquired.

"No. Only 2 or 3 times throughout the entire trip. But he came back quickly," he said.

I looked at Samuel. My hunch fell apart like a sandcastle. I wondered if he was deceiving us or not. We would only be able to check after we received the footage from the camera left in the abandoned warehouse.

"Oh, I just remembered something," he said.

"Yes?" I prompted.

"I think I saw him with a girl. A young girl, she had a small cross on, I think. When I saw her the first time, she seemed frightened. As if someone was trying to kill her. I approached them then, thinking to help, but Riley, right?" he clarified the name.

"Yes, his name is Riley," I confirmed.

"Well, Riley refused. He said she was his acquaintance and that she had come here because she was scared of a thief who had broken into her home. Can you describe her?" Shepperd continued.

"Yes, I can," he replied.

"Then just describe her and I will use a program to recreate her appearance, and you can confirm whether she looks like her or not," Samuel said, taking out his phone.