Zhang Heng and Holmes rushed to the church as fast as they could. The rusty copper lock on the door was obviously not going to stop them. Holmes knocked on it with his cane … and to his surprise, nothing happened to the seemingly aged lock.
He then stepped aside and watched as Zhang Heng pulled out his revolver and fired at the lock. The two finally rushed into the church.
Like Father Jacob's residence, there was no one here. The moonlight fell on the pews through the stained glass, and there was an inexplicable sense of eeriness and silence.
"Let's find the entrance," Zhang Heng said to Holmes, and the two went their separate ways.
…
At this time, Irene Adler, who was underground, heard the movement above her. She twisted her body, but her hands and feet were tied up, and she could not move at all. Her mouth was also gagged, and all she could do was make a muffled sound.
Father Jacob did not seem to hear the gunshots above him. He was praying in front of a wooden table.
But what terrified the songstress was the other person in the room. It was a man, between thirty and forty years old. His skin was abnormally white compared to ordinary people, and he seemed to have seen little sunlight. His beard looked like it hadn't been shaved for a long time, and his entire body was thin, but his arms were muscular. He was wearing an old coat, and he was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at Irene with interest.
The priest seemed to know what the songstress was thinking. He said calmly, "They won't be able to get in for a while. This secret chamber was built in the Middle Ages as a shelter for the people in the church to hide from the chaos of war. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be able to dig it in a short time."
The songstress finally stopped twisting when she heard the priest's words.
At this time, the pale-skinned man sitting on the bed said impatiently, "Is it not done yet? Can I start now?!"
"Don't rush. Wait a little longer." Father Jacob did not look back.
He took out a bloodstained leather apron from under the table and continued to speak to Irene. "You must be wondering why we chose you … It's all because of me, because of a mistake I made when I was young."
"Can't we save the story for later?" The pale-skinned man on the bed said impatiently. He shifted his gaze to the leather apron and immediately became excited.
"It won't take long," said Father Jacobs. "Remember how I taught you to be polite and patient?"
The pale-skinned man on the bed closed his mouth again, but a sickly blush appeared on his face.
Father Jacob's voice continued, "As I said, I made a mistake. I was only nineteen years old at the time. Father Matthew wrote to the church, saying that the Church of the Sacred Heart was short on manpower. But at that time, not many priests were willing to come to the East End. I was young and energetic, so I volunteered to help.
"I have to admit, at first, I was a little uncomfortable with life here. I was born into a squire family, and when I was sixteen, I came to London and stayed with Father Abelson. We used to come to the East End to visit the poor people here, but that was completely different from living here. So, I was a little depressed at the time. I wanted to go back to Father Abelson, but I was afraid that people would think that I couldn't take the hardship. That was when I met a girl.
"She was a prostitute in this area. Her name was Emma, but she had just started her career. She was only sixteen years old. Because her father died, and her mother ran away with another man, she had no choice but to work as a prostitute to support herself. Unlike other prostitutes, she would come to the church every week. That's how we met.
"Probably because we were about the same age, she felt that I was different from the others in the church. So, from time to time, she would come to talk to me. It just so happened that I was feeling down, and most of the time, she was the one who comforted me." Father Jacob seemed to be lost in his memories.
"Father Matthew warned me, but I didn't take it to heart. On the contrary, I felt that I was doing a good deed, guiding a lost soul. I was proud of it, until one night, she came to me again. It was very late, and she was beaten up by a rude customer. Her arm was cut by glass shards. I bandaged it for her, and when I got up, she kissed me secretly. I was stunned, and my mind went blank. Then, she jumped on me. I wanted to push her away, but I don't know why I couldn't muster the strength to do so. So, what happened after that was logical.
"She left before dawn, leaving me alone. It was then that I realized what I had done. I was filled with regret and embarrassment. I knew that I had let down many people's expectations. Abelson, Father Matthew … Especially myself. Whatever the reason, what happened that night shouldn't have happened. I wanted to fix everything. From then on, I consciously started to distance myself from Emma. She came to the church a few times, but I pretended that she wasn't there. At night, I locked the door, and no matter who knocked on it, I wouldn't open it. After a while, she finally disappeared from my life.
"I let out a long sigh of relief. I thought I was finally free, but I didn't expect that it was just the beginning of a nightmare."
When Father Jacob said that, the pale man on the bed urged, "Can we start now?" As he spoke, he pulled out a scalpel from under his pillow.
"Give me some more time." Father Jacob's voice was undeniable, and the pale man had no choice but to put the scalpel back.
"Almost a year later, I found a baby at the entrance of the church and a letter. There was no signature on it, but I could recognize that it was from Emma. She said that this was our child. There was no proof, but somehow, I believed what she said." Father Jacob paused and repeated, "… I just believed what she said."
When the female singer looked at the pale man on the bed again, her eyes changed.
Noticing Irene's surprise, Father Jacob nodded and said, "Yes, he is that child. I sent him to the orphanage, but he didn't live a good life there. After he came out, I helped him find a few jobs in the hospital, but he didn't last long. It just so happened that five years ago, Father Matthew retired and moved to the suburbs. I was the only one left in the Sacred Heart Church, so I asked him to move downstairs. I told him about his mother and I. I just wanted him to know about his life, but I didn't expect him to believe that his miserable life was all because of his mother."
"Can we start now?! Father Jacob. " The pale-skinned man on the bed urged for the umpteenth time. His patience was about to be completely exhausted.
"She's yours. I didn't want you to call me father in the past, but now, you can call me father." Father Jacob said lightly.
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