New Gods of North America

"Based on our preliminary judgment, even if it was indeed Pastor Parish who was worshiping the evil god statue, he shouldn't be a believer in heretical gods."

"The statue itself isn't heavy, and according to you, it can attract the 'gaze' of evil gods. No believer would leave such a 'holy object' at the scene if they had time to handle it."

In Pastor Parish's bedroom, Tom Hagen stood behind Wayne and Inessa, who were examining the body.

The scene didn't seem complicated. Judging from the extent of the burning, the fire probably started from a bedside table and then spread to the bed.

The personal valet was missing, and the other servants' rooms were downstairs. By the time the fire was discovered, it was impossible to enter the bedroom.

"Are there any doctors in the church? We might need to arrange for an autopsy to confirm if there's soot and charcoal in his respiratory tract and trachea."

Wayne covered his nose and used a small stick to slightly翻了翻 (fan le fan - turned over), The deceased was lying there stiffly, and his external appearance was unrecognizable, but the 'body' parts were mostly still there. It was unknown if the inside was cooked.

Although Wayne remembered from TV dramas that people burned to death would appear in a "boxing posture," he was only a half-baked expert himself. He only remembered that this method wasn't 100% accurate but didn't remember how to distinguish it.

It would be more reassuring to "open" it up and take a look.

As for forensic medicine these days... actually, the rudimentary form of forensic medicine appeared quite early in the Old Continent, and there were corresponding unofficial "conventions" in America.

But how should I put it? The average level of coroners in America today is probably not as good as Wayne, a former film and television enthusiast.

For example, in Western towns, for some cases, they can only rely on "whatever the doctor says," basically just judging some impact injuries.

It's far from being sophisticated enough to determine if "one punch can kill a person" or to distinguish between "direct death by external force" and "induced by one's own illness."

Anyway, if someone is beaten or injured, and then someone dies, that's considered "murder."

As for whether it's a "crime," it depends on who died or "what kind of person" they were.

Tom Hagen quickly arranged for someone to do it and then stayed behind to continue "supervising." "If we start the investigation from here, it will be difficult to find the real killer."

It was obvious that even if there were people from the Light Church lurking in the church, they probably wouldn't personally commit murder to silence someone.

Unfortunately, Wayne originally discovered evidence while investigating the Light Church, and it just so happened that it involved people from the church. He wanted to bring the half-cooked rice to the cathedral for delivery, but he didn't expect that even the pot would be sent back to him.

Wayne pondered for a moment, "Since the church has 'precedents' for dealing with the Light Church, shouldn't we investigate according to the precedents?"

"No need. The Bishop's intention is for you to lead the investigation, just follow your methods. No matter what the result is, you still need to give me an investigation report that I can take back to report."

Good heavens,

I didn't expect the detective agency to become "outsourced temporary workers."

Wayne thought for a moment, "Then can we search the residences of those pastors?"

"Of course. If you request it, I think they would be happy to cooperate."

Then forget it,

I don't want to for the time being. I don't believe you won't search them yourselves.

Wayne tentatively asked, "If our detective agency's investigation yields no results, can I directly say that Pastor Parish 'committed suicide out of fear of punishment'?"

"I have no objection," Tom Hagen shrugged. "Just don't forget to sign your name at the end of the report. The Bishop will probably read it personally then."

Hmm...

Wayne turned his head to look at the large piece that had fallen to the floor. It's not even certain if this thing is the "person" himself.

...

"Pastor Tyrrell, can't you see it? This is Corleone's conspiracy to eliminate dissenters."

In Georgeberg's church, two pastors were idle in the lounge. Pastor Barzini glanced outside the door, and the nearest guard maintained a "polite" distance.

Pastor Tyrrell stroked his sparse beard, which wasn't long enough, making it look more like he was "touching his chin."

He raised his eyebrows slightly after hearing this, "I have nothing to do with the Light Church. What, do you have contact with them?"

"Of course not."

Pastor Barzini's expression seemed very peaceful. "But your people should have also gone to that manor privately, right? If Corleone intends to suppress us, that Wayne wouldn't need to find too direct evidence. He only needs to publicly say these things, and suspicion will naturally fall on us."

Pastor Tyrrell's teacup, which was halfway to his mouth, paused for a moment. "Will he?"

Pastor Barzini lowered his voice slightly:

"I don't know. But what is obvious is that, according to the current situation, you, Pastor Tyrrell, would definitely be the next Bishop of Virginia.

"But if we exclude the two of us now, as well as Wayne who is directly involved in the investigation, the only remaining person who participated in the 'Great Purge' and is qualified to compete for the Bishopric is the future heir of the Beaton family.

"His qualifications are far from enough, but as long as we are both on the suspect list, he will become the only choice."

Pastor Tyrrell seemed to be thinking.

Pastor Barzini, who was sitting on the sofa next to him, continued to add, "Even if the Beaton family's heir is not strictly speaking a member of the church, Corleone can use this as an excuse to reject all candidates and take the opportunity to nominate the person he wants.

"You know, Corleone has always been biased against us Southerners. And look at that Wayne today. The suspects he pointed out are all people who would firmly stand on your side."

That's true...

The clues that Wayne gave earlier were also very strange, asking me to arrange for people to investigate the lawyers in Richmond, while he himself was investigating Parish's manor...

Pastor Tyrrell's gaze became sharper. "Do you recall when Parish might have become associated with the Light Church?"

Pastor Barzini didn't intend to think about this question and instead steered the topic back:

"I suspect that the whole thing is Corleone's conspiracy from beginning to end. Parish has been honestly guarding the church in the academy. What's the point of the Light Church developing him?

"If Parish is a believer of the Dawnlight, then who killed him? The people of the Light Church cleared the entire manor and set fire to the secret room, but they deliberately left the most obvious evil god statue as evidence. Does that make sense?

"Maybe what I'm saying isn't necessarily the truth, but I think it's worth your serious consideration."

Pastor Tyrrell listened to his words, looked at Pastor Barzini, and then looked out the window.

One finger began to tap lightly on his thigh, finally stopping in mid-air.