The family members stood there, staring with expressions of horror and disbelief. Archie Van Horn was the first to move. “You killed my daughter?” he shouted. “You killed Colleen?” He started toward the priest, his eyes blazing.
“I didn’t mean to, I swear.” Patrick stepped back, almost sobbing now. “She was like a little angel. I just wanted to touch her, to hold her in my arms. But she started to scream and I put my hand over her face, and when I took it away she was dead. I didn’t know what to do…” He looked around from one face to the next, hoping for understanding, I suppose. “I must have panicked. The cliff was right there. I pushed her body over, hoping to make it seem like an accident. I didn’t think anybody would see.”
“But Kathleen saw, didn’t she?” I demanded. “And the shock drove her mad.”
“I’m so sorry,” he whimpered. “I didn’t mean…”
“And what about those other little girls?” I demanded as he stood with his face in his hands, shaking. “Didn’t you mean to kill them either?”
He looked up at me then, his face surprisingly innocent and serene. “Oh, yes, I ended their lives quite deliberately. I realized when I had killed Colleen that I had done her a service. She was a little angel and I had made sure she’d gone straight to Heaven, uncorrupted by the world.” He looked around us for understanding. “They were all little angels, you see. Beautiful children. Uncorrupted. I was just making sure they went straight to Heaven, before they could be sullied by the world. I was helping them.”
I realized then that he wasn’t sane. Out of the corner of my eye I saw two policemen closing in on him. Suddenly Patrick’s demeanor changed. He darted forward, grabbed at Kathleen, and pushed her in front of him. She gave a whimper of terror as his hand came around her throat.
“Stand back!” he shouted. “If you come any closer, I’ll throw her over the cliff.”
“Don’t do this,” I pleaded. “It can’t help you in any way. Think of all those years you spent as a priest. Think of all the good you’ve done. You’re essentially a good man, I’m sure you are. You don’t want to harm her.”
“It doesn’t matter any longer,” he said calmly. “You can only go to Hell once and I condemned myself to that fate when I killed Colleen.”
I tried to think what I could say to reason with him. Two of the policemen were still attempting to inch toward us. Patrick Hannan dragged Kathleen until they were poised at the very edge of the cliff. “I said stay away or down she goes. Get back with the others and don’t attempt to stop me. I’m taking her with me.”
The position in which he held her left us no chance to tackle him.
“It’s no use, Father,” one of the policemen said. “You can’t get away. The place is surrounded with our men. Now let the little girl go and give yourself up. Don’t bring disgrace to the Holy Church.”
I didn’t think they were handling this too well. Patrick Hannan’s expression became wilder. His eyes darted nervously.
“Give myself up to a filthy jail?” Patrick demanded, his voice now high and tight again. “Or to the electric chair? Never.” He started to drag Kathleen along the cliff edge, making for the stand of pine trees. Kathleen coughed and choked as his arm wrapped tightly around her neck.
“You’re choking her!” Gus shouted. “Let go of her neck.”
He released his hold and she stood there, coughing, her hand at her throat. Before we could do anything she turned and hurled herself at him, uttering a dreadful, unearthly cry. Kathleen’s head hit her uncle square in his stomach knocking him backward. He gave a gasp as the air went out of him and they both went over the cliff together.
Thirty-nine
There was a gasp of horror from those who stood watching helplessly. I believe I screamed. Then from the crowd there was a loud cry of “No! Not Kathleen!” And Irene Van Horn rushed toward the edge of the cliff.
Father Patrick Hannan was lying on the rocks, eyes open and staring up at us while a river of blood flowed from his shattered head to mingle with the water in the rock pools. Kathleen lay lifeless on top of him.
“Oh, no. Kathleen, my little girl!” Irene wailed as one of the policemen grabbed her arm before she too went over the edge. At the sound of her mother’s voice Kathleen stirred and tried to sit up. “Mama?” she called plaintively.
Archie, Terrence, and the policemen were already slithering down the cliff nearby to reach her.
“Careful, sir,” one of the policemen warned as Archie went to scoop her up into his arms. “She may be badly injured. You should wait for a stretcher.”
Archie and Terrence were on their knees beside the little girl.
“Does it hurt you to move, sweetheart?” Archie asked. “Are you badly hurt?”