It was almost midnight when I found the body. The pier was deserted but I still felt quite exposed. The soothing drone of the waves crashing against the abandoned structure felt deafening. With my gloves on, I squatted next to the dead body and carefully searched the coat pockets. A folded piece of paper was there along with a small wooden box. Just to be sure, I checked inside the coat as well but I did not find anything else.

The cold breeze cut my face as I briskly walked the eerie dock back to the car. Waiting until reaching the flat would have been wiser, but patience was not my strong suit.

The note contained a set of coordinates scribbled in red marker. Eager for another clue, and for leaving the docks, I checked the wooden box. It was locked. It resembled a little treasure chest, with a miniature opening for a key. Nice detail.

A strong smell greeted me when I got back to the apartment. I had forgotten to take the rubbish out again, but now I did not have time to think about that. Fortunately, the laptop had a full charge. I swiftly launched the maps app and entered the coordinates, which pinpointed the main square of a nearby small town. Bit of a strange location, but I shrugged it off. It was barely a twenty minute drive and there was no need to delay. I tore a sheet from the notebook beside the laptop, quickly jotted down a note, and then headed out.

I wasn’t thrilled about searching in a public square in the dead of night, but luckily it didn’t take me long to spot an envelope tucked under a bench. While I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, it seemed like I was getting pretty good at this.

As I had hoped, the envelope contained a tiny key that I used to unlock the miniature wooden chest without delay. My heart raced with excitement as the little box clicked and cracked open. Inside, there was only a small bell. I sighed with frustration, understanding immediately. Reluctant to come back, I decided to wait. I sat on the bench, examining from afar the sturdy Romanesque church and the small houses around it.

Finally, the sky began to lighten and not that much later, the church bells began their morning song. I felt the now familiar rush of anticipation coursing through my core. It was time.

I stood by the door, so close to it that I could hear the priest’s footsteps approaching from the inside. I briefly closed my eyes to savour the moment. He was surprised to see anyone on the other side of the door. His expression changed from surprise to horror as I pulled the small gun from my pocket and pointed it straight to the middle of his forehead. I pulled the trigger fast, I didn’t want to make him suffer - I’m not a monster. I also couldn’t afford for him to start screaming. The body fell backwards with a loud thump, and I slid my note in one of the cassock’s side pockets.

“Your turn…” I muttered softly, half smiling, as I turned around and exited the blood stained church entrance.