"You're soon gonna get holes in your lungs if you keep on smoking like that." CI Miguel remarked, placing a calloused hand over the younger officer's shoulder.

Senior Police Officer I Eric Menandres had been standing in the smokers' lounge of the Cebu Provincial Police Office for the past half hour of his lunch break lighting one stick after another of his Marlboro Menthol cigarettes. He was deep in thought and was startled when the CI had announced his presence.

"Chief Inspector. Good afternoon." He greeted, putting out the stick he had barely gotten three hits off.

The older man waved his hand in dismissal and shook his head. "No need for that, kid. Call me Miguel."

Eric smiled. "Miguel," he tried the name out then shook his own head with a chuckle. "Doesn't sound right to me, sir. I'll make do with 'Sir Miguel', if you don't mind."

Miguel grunted. "Fine. If you're so bent on making me feel like the old man that I am." His tone gave away his teasing.

The younger officer laughed.

"So, what's got your head in the clouds, kid?" He asked. He extended his hands towards Eric, and the other sensing what he was asking for, handed him his pack of cigarettes.

Eric took one out for himself and lit the older man's before his own. "I was just thinking about the Salvatore case, sir. I've gone over the crime scene photos at least a dozen times but something about them don't fit with the statement we got from the priest." He took a drag of his cigarette and let the minty smoke fill his lungs before breathing it out. "Something's not right and I can't put a finger on it."

The CI nodded.

He and Eric had taken the statement, following standard procedure and asking all the important questions. With the two of them going at it, it was close to impossible to have missed anything. In his opinion, at least.

The priest had been a visitor from Manila and was in the province to check on the local orphanage. The Mother Superior of the orphanage had confirmed this part of his story, but everything else felt altered to the CI's ears.

The well-mannered man told them that the family had asked for his favor if he could take a look at their daughter, Angela. They had claimed that the girl was possessed and luckily, the visiting priest was licensed by the Vatican and the Philippine Catholic Church to conduct exorcisms. Miguel questioned him, of course, on how the family had known of his arrival and to this the priest answered that they were referred to him by the Parish Priest of the Sto. Niño de Cebu Church, where the family had been religiously attending mass every Sunday.

What Fr. Andres had claimed was confirmed by the aforementioned Parish Priest, but Miguel felt that somehow, the latter was covering up for the other. For what reason though had eluded him.

When they got to the part about the evidence of bondage on the girl's wrists and ankles, the priest didn't deny that the fourteen-year-old had been roped to a bed when he went to check on her. The girl exhibited signs of mental instability, according to him, but other than that, he refuted that she had indeed been possessed.

In the end, the priest related to them the story of how he had recommended that the girl be seen by a doctor and admitted to a hospital, if need be. He claimed that she had still been alive when he first left their home and that he only came back because Mrs. Salvatore had called him back in fright, saying that the girl was having a fit and that she was sure to hurt herself, if not her parents.

He told them he'd heard screams when he arrived the second time and when he rushed inside, he was welcomed by the bodies of the mister and missus lying lifelessly on the floor in a pool of blood. The girl Angela had been standing before her parents' bodies with a bloody knife in her hands and started screaming again when she took notice of him. He also claimed that before he could burst into action to snatch the weapon out of the girl's hands, that she'd slit her own throat in one swift motion. His story then continued to what they already knew from the guy who'd taken the call.

Throughout his whole story, the priest attested that he'd been alone, so there really was no way to directly confirm his allegations. Because of this, they'd no choice but to release the old man and drive back to the provincial office to review their notes.

But something was bugging the young SPO and he catered to his doubts by carefully analyzing the photos taken by the guys from the Scene of Crime Office, or SOCO, which was the main forensic arm of the National Police. He also went over his own memories of what he saw when he first got to the scene numerous times, hoping the mental walk-through would spark some ideas in his mind.

The house had looked empty when he came in with his team to respond to the late night call, and upon entering, had first concluded that it was. The front door had already been opened and the plain living room had been dark and eerily quiet. It hadn't helped that the power hadn't been restored yet because of the threat of further rains and winds.

The padre had immediately announced his presence in the kitchen when they called for his name, and so Eric and one other officer ventured further into the house. It took but a few more steps towards the direction of the priest's voice before the smell of blood dominated their senses. Eric had to shift the gun he was carrying for added precaution to one hand so he could cover his nose and mouth with the other. He'd been to many crime scenes of the like that he instantly concluded the kills had still been fresh then.

He first caught sight of the priest sitting at the table with hands clasped in front of him. The beads of the rosary he was holding spilled out in the spaces between his fingers. His voice was low yet still audible in the silent room, bits and pieces of "Hail Mary" recognizable.

Eric and the other policeman had holstered their firearms when they were sure nobody else was in the room. It didn't take long before the SOCO guys arrived to tear the scene inside out for evidence, and the next hour or so had been a blur of standard procedures.

"I know what you mean, kid." Miguel took a drag of his own cigarette and reveled slightly at the feel of nicotine in his system. "I don't think our priest had been owning up to his Catholic virtues when he told us what happened."

The younger man smirked. "You're well versed in Catholicism, sir?"

"Hey now, I was a sacristan in my younger years, and a good one at that."

Eric chuckled. "I think he was lying too, sir."

The CI nodded.

The other looked thoughtful for a few seconds before continuing. "I want to interview the neighbors, sir, if that's okay with you. Maybe they saw something out of the ordinary? Anything that might not coincide with the priest's story."

Miguel hummed, taking a long drag of his cigarette. He was actually looking for the younger officer to relay the chief's orders and what he was asking permission for went against them. He didn't like what he'd been told to do either but to defy them would mean a lot of trouble, not only for Eric but for him as well. Did he really want to risk dismissal for one puzzling case? He would lose his pension if that happened. Where else was he going to get the money to provide for his family? He couldn't very well look for another job, he was getting older by the day.

He turned to face the younger man and much to his surprise, felt the drive that had visited him when they were still at the crime scene return a second time that day. Being around the newbie and seeing the determination in his eyes brought back the CI's desire to deliver justice - the very same one he used to have back when he was still starting with the police. It was that desire that had been extinguished by the corrupted politics staining the foundation of the force, granting freedom to guilty criminals of the rich and well-connected variety. Did he really want it back though, he wondered, and the answer came to him in the form of a vague 'maybe'. But perhaps he could at least make sure the same doesn't happen to the young Eric. And who knows, maybe this case could give him the sense of accomplishment he'd craved for before he finally files that retirement.

At that moment, he threw caution to the wind and decided he would work harder than he ever had in finding the truth about the Salvatore case. He would probably have to work as a security guard or some other version of the same job until the time his hands and knees fail him if they got caught, but felt he'd rather do that than be one of those retired policemen with nothing to show for their years of service other than a fat belly and wallets thick with dirty money. He would explain to the wife when he gets home. She would understand, he thought, and prayed for a second that he'd be right.

Miguel, finally decided, grunted first in response. "You do that," he said. "And you don't need to get my permission, kid. Just keep me in the loop and don't do anything that will involve jail time without me knowing."

"Will do, sir." Eric smiled, putting out what remained of his cigarette in the trash bin. There was a subtle change in the air surrounding the older man - a sudden spark of determination that wasn't there before. It was the same one he felt coming from him at the crime scene, but somehow it felt more pronounced and stable this time. Whatever internal turmoil the CI had just resolved, he could only ever guess.

"One thing though, kid."

The older officer's voice snapped Eric out of his musings. He watched as the other man unceremoniously dropped his own stick of Marlboro unto the concrete floor and stepped on it with his black, leather shoes. His tone had lost its lightheartedness, which caught him a bit off-guard.

"Try to keep your investigation on the down-low, alright?"

Eric furrowed his brows in response.

Miguel sighed. He didn't want to relay the bad news but decided the young officer deserved to know. Much like him, the SPO's career would be at stake, which would be an even bigger problem than his in the CI's opinion. If they were caught, the young man would have to say goodbye to any possible career with the National Police.

"Instructions came down to drop the case," he said, not bothering to mask the bitterness in his voice. "That's what I initially came to tell you."

"But, sir-"

"I know, I know. Believe me, I'm as fucking frustrated as you are. But we have no choice but to follow orders."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said," he cut the younger officer off again. "But I never liked playing into their stupid politics, and this time I won't." He placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "They don't have to know we're still digging. Not until we uncover the truth, at least. And we need solid evidence if we want to challenge their authority."

Eric looked at the older man, uncertainty clouding his eyes. He didn't want to get himself mixed up in a mess so early in his career but he also didn't want to let an open case go just because it might ruffle some powerful person's feathers.

"What we're about to do is risky - not gonna lie to you. But I think you uphold the same values I used to, and my judgment of people is seldom wrong." Miguel tried to read younger officer's expression. "So, what do you say, kid?"

Eric pondered for a few seconds before answering. He didn't really need to think about it for long because he knew what he needed to do was the same as what he wanted.

"You can count on me, sir."

"Good." The CI patted his shoulder, happy with his answer. "Now go get those interviews done while I try to make it seem like we've closed this case." He started towards the main building.

Eric smiled, shaking his head, and followed the other officer back to their office in silence. He might've just signed himself into some serious trouble, but somehow, it felt right to him. Besides, he wanted to stick with the CI for a little longer.

Like the young, novice officer that he actually was, Eric sensed the feeling of wanting to impress his senior tug at him. Without willing himself to, he knew he would be working twice as hard on this case. Disappointing the older man was the last thing he was going to allow himself to do. He hadn't really experienced this kind of motivation to do well in his job in the past - it was a first. But he found it was a change he gladly welcomed.

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A/N: Dedicated to AmandaTayteTait for inspiring the new cover! :)
Sorry this update took so long - was in no mood to edit the original version of this chapter (w/c sucked big time haha. Hopefully this one's better) :)