I didn’t hesitate. I started walking toward the chapel. Dominic called my name, but I kept going. The others followed. The old wooden door stood slightly ajar. Inside, the chapel was silent except for the gentle tapping of rain against the stained-glass windows. There was no obvious sign of the figure I thought I had seen. Only rows of empty pews and one elderly man kneeling near the altar, lighting a candle.
The man wasn’t surprised to see us. He rose slowly, brushing dust from his knees, and introduced himself as the chapel’s longtime caretaker.
“I wondered how long it would take,” he said calmly.
“Were you watching us?” I asked.
He answered honestly. “Yes. Not to threaten you. To make sure no one else reached you first.”
That single line changed the atmosphere in the chapel. Someon
