" Then what’re you wasting your money on school for? That’s the whole
point of The Monastery." He began to write something when Christian spoke up.

" This is a serious trial, Job."

Job turned to him. " I know."

" And I don’t think not letting them explain themselves properly will have
consequences, especially when it’s you. Where’s the tough character who found
ways around snitches like these?"

Gone to Hell. Job glared at him and then turned to Joseph. The man was still not
moving and had not even made a sound during the whole interview. Job watched the eyes
glaze over and he breathed deeply. " Joseph?"

The brown eyes turned to him slowly. Carey walked over to him and stood by his side,
the way he was supposed to when they were "dangerous."

" Tell me your whole name," Job said, with emotion.

" Joseph Riley Cook."

He was taken back for a second but wrote it down. He turned to Carey. " Chief of
Arms, have you done background check on the suspect?"

" Yes, sir."

" Sources?"

" Old records and church rosters. The last date for this Mr. Joseph Riley Cook was
when he was in action ten years ago."

  

    

      

        

          

            

" In what?"

          

        

      

    

  

" School."

" All sources legitimate?"

" Yes. They are all written records."

" No witnesses who can claim to have known him?"

" None. Seems he’s been out in the Old Part for quite some time."

" Thank you. Sign."

Carey walked over and leaned his elbows on the table as he signed the witness
statement. When he was done, he went back to his spot beside Joseph. Job looked down at
Carey’s signature. He probably was able to get him a false record. The real Joseph
Riley Cook is probably dead. He raised his eyes and said, " Mr. Cook, how old are
you?"

Joseph looked him dead in the eye. " Twenty-nine."

The shock of hearing the age rushed over Job’s body like cold water. He gasped in
his throat and thought of how Joseph was only a few years older than him. And yet so much
younger.

" A-and do you recognize this boy?" he stammered.

There was hesitation as everyone stared at Joseph. Then he said in a hushed voice,
" Yes."

" Have you had any contact with him?"

" I did see him the way he said I did."

" And do you admit to raping him?"

" No."

" Liar!" Marissa shot up and lunged on him. It was all quick and no one had
time to do anything. In front of her son, who was quiet and calm, she grabbed
Joseph’s face in both hands and snarled, " Why don’t you fuck me,
pretty boy? Huh? Why did you have to go after my son when you could’ve had me?"

" Carey!" Job screamed.

Carey was in action. He grabbed Marissa by the waist and pulled her off of the priest.
Joseph let his brown eyes linger on the woman. " I don’t like you, whore,"
he said calmly, his eyes steadily accusing her.

Marissa gasped. " Did you hear?" she asked, looking at Job.

Job glanced at Joseph, his mouth twisting slightly up into a smile. But he wiped it off
and said, " Yes."

" Punish him!"

" I’m sorry, ma’am. You lunged at him."

" Job," Christian scolded. He turned to the woman. " He’ll be
punished in due time. He lacks respect for you. But what do you expect from a man of
God?"

Job winced. " Please, let’s get on with this." He looked down at the
form and said,

" The suspect Joseph Riley Cook is due sentenced to the crime of raping
ten-year-old Andrew Holst-"

" Is that it?"

Job looked up at Marissa, who was surprised. He could see out of the corner of his eye
that Christian was, too, but wouldn’t say anything. Trials often lasted days on end
and were more hostile than the one they had just had. But Job was tired and he
couldn’t do this any more. He hoped that by sentencing the poor priest they would all
be happy and he wouldn’t have to do anything else he didn’t want to.

" Yes," he said. " Was there another charge?"

Marissa gaped and glanced at Christian, who didn’t offer anything. She looked back
at Job and shook her head. " No, sorry. Thank you."

Job nodded and finished the sentence. " - and will be killed following noon on the
Monday that comes, that for the record will be in a week, and is to be cremated. The
offense will be recorded and placed on file and reward will be given to the victim’s
family for the pain and loss of time. This trial is sentenced and done." He stood up,
the rest following his cue. Carey unstrapped the priest, who did not move as he was
shackled. Carey led him past the boy and Marissa, who made a show of glaring, and past
Job, where his eyes lingered. Before they left, Joseph smiled warmly at Job in
forgiveness. Job closed his eyes and heard the door close behind him.

" Come on, Andrew," Christian said. " How about I show you the kendo
training unit?"

" Awesome!" The boy didn’t even turn to ask his mother’s permission
and walked ahead of Christian. Christian turned at the door and shot Job a look. Then he
turned and left.

Job sighed and started collecting his papers. He was tucking them into his folder, when
he felt a hand from behind him stroke his chest. He felt the bandage move and jerked the
hand away. He turned to see Marissa smiling at him.

" And what’re you doing now?" she asked.

Job frowned. He had forgotten what whores secular women were. He forced a smile at her.
If Christian heard that he had refused a woman, he would be trailed. Sex was a job in The
System. It was encouraged because it was against God’s will to sleep with other
men’s wives. Poor Christopher Holst, he thought. " Nothing, really. I
think I’ll go see what Christian and Andrew are doing."

She nodded and touched the buttons on his uniform. " I want to thank you for
bringing justice to my son. He didn’t deserve what that bastard did."

" Right."

" I mean, those men are gross. Even before The Law was passed, there were news
that they would rape kids in church and would do it to them on the altar." She rolled
her eyes. " How demented can you get? If you promise to be chaste, why do you go
against your promise to God and all that? Just don’t do it and force yourself to look
like a fool, right?"

Job nodded. Her hand crawled slowly onto his chest and he winced again.

" What?" she asked. " You don’t want me to touch you?"

Of course I don’t. " No, it’s just that I have a wound there and it
hasn’t healed."

" Really? Yeah, I heard something about it. See what those gay priests do? They
just rape and kill, rape and kill. Holy." She sniffed. " My ass." She
looked at him. " Can I see the wound?"

Job looked at her. She was smiling at him and biting her lip in what she hoped was a
seducing look. He felt like he wanted to gag, but he swallowed hard and slowly pulled off
his cloak. She watched with hungry eyes as he dropped the cloak on a chair behind him and
began unbuttoning his uniform. He undid the throat clasp and opened his shirt to reveal a
big bandage strapped across his chest, starting on one shoulder. The bandage was clean and
smelled of the many creams that he had to put on to harden the skin.

Marissa touched the bandage gently. " Does it hurt to move?"

" Yes."

She pouted. " Too bad."

Job began to button his shirt but she stopped him.

" How about I do all the work?"

He stared at her, not believing that before he would’ve been happy to do what she
wanted. Sex was not something people in the secular community passed off. Everyone did it,
from age fourteen on. It was as common as drinking water and breathing. But now, as he
watched her eyes bore hungrily into him, he felt disgusted and weak. He hated her. He had
just sentenced a man unfairly to death because she was a liar, and now she expected him to
play with her.

" Sure."

She smiled and helped him take off his shirt. She walked behind him and slowly pulled
it off then waited for him to undo his belt. He tried to bend a little to step out of his
pants, but he cried out in pain.

" What?" she asked, concerned.

" Nothing." He lowered himself down into the chair behind him and breathed
the pain away, eyes clenched shut. When he opened his eyes, she was stepping out of her
pants and was pulling her shirt over her head. He glared at her as she stepped to him and
sat on his lap slowly.

She was lowering her lips to his when the door opened. They turned to see Carey
standing in the doorway with the folders Job had known he would bring. He glanced at
Marissa and said, " Sorry." But he didn’t offer to leave, something Job
knew Marissa was mentally screaming at him to do and which he himself was pleading for him
not to.

Marissa stood up and Job said, " Are those the papers I need to sign now?"

" Yes," Carey lied.

Job glanced at Marissa with an apologetic smile. " Maybe next time, but I need to
do this. You know. It has to do with your trial."

He knew she wanted to say Fuck it, but she couldn’t. It had to do, after all, with
her son’s rapist.

Marissa shrugged and picked up her shirt and got dressed. " Too bad."

Job watched her with hard eyes as she walked over to the door. She turned and gave him
a look and then walked out, bidding goodbye to Carey.

Carey slammed the door behind her and sat down in the chair where Christian had been.
He raised a leg and put it across the other, holding onto his ankle.

Job gingerly put on his shirt and pinned the throat clasp. " I begged to God for
you to come," he said, pulling on his cloak.

Carey smiled weakly. " They get to you because you don’t want it for free
anymore. I still play around some, to not get anyone suspicious, but I get them so roaring
drunk, they can’t remember if we did it or not." He slapped the folder against
his shoe.

Job sat down next to him and scooted the chair closer. He leaned into him in confidence
and asked, " Did you say anything to Joseph?"

" No. I asked him forgiveness and he gave it, but then the Jailer came and I had
to leave." He looked down and then raised his eyes to Job. " Do you think you
can do it next Monday?"

Job leaned back, thoughtful. " No," he finally confessed. " It was hard
enough to sentence him, but now I have to kill him in cold blood." He looked down at
his hands and added, " I can’t wait until we can get this finished."

" Just wait. I’ll have the men stationed in another week. They were
questioned, but their friends and former teachers vouched for them. I might even get them
in sooner. Then you do what you have to do. All this, and I don’t think we have to
anguish more than a month."

Job sighed and rubbed his hair back. " I hope so." He stared thoughtfully off
into space, the silence surrounding them. Carey watched Job, thinking of what would happen
when he had to kill. He thought of what had happened when he had taken Joseph to the cell.
He had seemed so young and helpless...

" What do you need to get me into official records?"

Carey looked up and stared at Job. At first, he didn’t act like he had asked
anything. But then he looked up and said again, " What clearance?"

Carey frowned. " What for?"

" If Christian’s going to spy on me, I should at least get to do the same,
no?"

Carey thought for a moment then said slowly, " I guess. But this could add risks.
I mean, what if you get caught?"

Job stood up and paced the room. " I don’t think it would matter too much.
I’m a Prestige; I don’t think anyone would question much what I do. I just need
to get a background check on him as soon as I can."

Carey stood up and nodded. " I could get you in about three days. I’ll send
them the notice. Why should I say you want this for?"

" Sympathy suspicion."

Carey frowned. " And they won’t follow that up?"

" No; they never do."

" Fine. I’ll have it soon." He gave him a nod and then walked out.

Christian walked into the office building. There were rows of cleric desks. Clerics and
clerks walked up and down the aisles between desks. Some conversed about documents and
others just made their way to other rooms at the end of the hall.

Christian walked down the aisle and made his way to his own desk among a row of others.
In his hand he clutched some documents tightly. The room was dim and many clerks had their
desk lamps on and were hunched over papers trying to read them.