No One to Trust - Iris Johansen [11]
“You could always join the Marines,” Galen suggested. “Or teach at a karate school.”
She ignored him. “I’m not asking much. If you handle it right, you could capture him. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Forbes nodded. “That’s what I want.”
“Then take us with you.”
“I’ll have to think about it,” Forbes answered.
“Think fast. Chavez isn’t going to give you much time.”
“Elena.” Dominic was standing in the doorway. “Come in and eat a sandwich and get a cup of coffee.”
“Coming.” She turned, then started back. “Before I have anything to eat, I have to go and wash up and change. As Barry said, I smell. Don’t you upset Dominic. He’s very sensitive to vibes and he’s getting concerned about me.”
“Misguided soul,” Galen murmured as he followed her into the house. “And a little confused about his calling. Is he a priest or isn’t he?”
“He says he’s not. He doesn’t want me to call him Father, but that’s how I first knew him. I can’t seem to think of him in any other way.” She gave Galen a cold glance. “He’s the kindest, gentlest man on this earth, and you will not hurt him in any way. Do you understand?”
Galen smiled. “Perfectly. I’ll try to restrain my innate brutality. I’m sure you’ll tell me if I offend.”
“You can bet on it.”
Dominic was a man in his late forties with graying hair and the brightest, most alert blue eyes Galen had ever seen. He was dressed in fatigues and army boots, and his conversation was as wide-ranging as it was witty. He was obviously well educated, and Galen could believe he was a teacher. However, he was like no priest Galen had ever met, he decided after being with Dominic for the next forty-five minutes.
“You’re confused.” Dominic smiled. “You’ve been studying me like a bug under a microscope and you don’t like not being able to identify the species.”
“I’m curious. It’s the bane of my existence. But I’ve been told I’m not to offend you on threat of God knows what.”
He sighed. “Elena. She’s a little overprotective.”
“Are you really a priest?” Forbes asked.
“I was when I was a younger man. I may still be considered a priest by the church. As far as I know, I’ve not been defrocked.” He shook his head. “But years ago I decided I couldn’t follow all the teachings blindly. I’m too willful. I have to do what I think is right, and that’s considered sin and vanity. So in my heart I’m no longer a priest, and it’s heart and soul that count.”
“But you were a priest when Elena and you first met?”
“Yes, I was working with the rebels in the hills. I came from Miami, all full of zeal and vigor, with the intention of taking on the entire world. There was a lot to take on down here. Poverty, death, drugs, war. Over the years I lost a good deal of the zeal.” He smiled. “But I managed to hold on. There were always the children like Elena.”
“You knew her as a child?”
“I knew all the rebels. She was ten when I came to Colombia. Her brother, Luis, was thirteen and her father, Frank Kyler, was still alive. Frank and I became friends. We didn’t often agree, but I liked him. It was difficult not to like him.” He grimaced. “Like me, he believed he was doing what was right, that he was needed. I respected that even if I felt he was wrong. You have to go where you’re needed.”
“And now you’re needed to take care of Elena’s son?”
“Elena took care of him herself for the first three years. She hunted and we grew our own vegetables and we just managed to survive. Then she decided this was no life for the boy, so she went to Medellín to earn a living and left him with me. It wasn’t easy for her, considering how she grew up. She had no one to help her, and she won’t even talk about those first months in the city. She did everything from waiting on tables to telephone sales to support us and to gather a nest egg to get us out of the country. She came home as often as she could.” He poured more coffee into their cups. “And it was no chore for me to take care of Barry. He’s a very special child. There are some children who give off a kind of radiance. Barry is like that.