From the Journal of Caleb Michael Smith

My brother, Joshua, arrived today. I met him at Natbag (Ben Gurion Airport) where he greeted me in his street clothes. Funny, but I have not seen him in anything but his robes since he joined the Cistercians. Reminded me of our childhood on North Island when we would hunt and fish and have nothing more serious on our minds than girls and, well, hunting and fishing. That all ended when Asgeir Jorgensen, just a little boy, was killed, found dead on a beach the afternoon of the last day of school. That day something in me snapped, but my life path was set. I was going to find his killer. I have found many killers since that day, but not his. Joshua’s being in street clothes means that his superiors accepted his request to help me in finding the killer of the girl on North Island. This means, also, that he may end up infiltrating The Order. That means that he will have to do things that fly directly in the face of his sacred vows. Neither he, nor his superiors, take this lightly and permission was granted only after months of prayer and deliberation by all involved parties. The grave, yes, deadly, nature and mission of The Order presents a threat not only to me but to literally the entire world. They would see us all perish if they could. This is possibly a mortal sacrifice for Josh. Certainly leaving his own order, even temporarily, is a sacrifice of a magnitude I cannot imagine. Thank you, Father Joshua, my brother. May God have mercy upon both our souls.

From the Journal of Caleb Michael Smith

Still awaiting Joshua’s arrival here Jerusalem. Woke up late today where I am staying at the Arthur Hotel. Last night I could not sleep. I went out onto my balcony and, as I was looking out over the city, someone pushed me hard from behind and I had to grab the railing to not fall over the edge. When I got back on my feet I turned to see who had snuck up on me, but the room was as empty. As I looked in the room, I heard a voice out in the night. It sounded maybe twenty feet away and at the same height as my room, perhaps one-hundred feet in the air. I promise you I heard these words; “Caleb Smith. Caleb Smith. We are coming for you. You cannot stop us. We have been around from the beginning of time. We are going to end you and then we are going to kill everyone you love….slowly, in great pain, but with joy in our hearts. Do not go to sleep for you are already dead.”
All I can say is “Come get me, assholes.”

From the Journal of Caleb Michael Smith

It is 5 PM local time and I have not left my bed. The darkness that has followed me and sometimes caught me since I was sixteen, was waiting for me last night. It invades my brain like an infecting plague, leaving me lifeless, soulless inside. The darkness began just after the Jorgensen boy was killed on his way home from the last day of school. I follow the killers, the killers follow death, and death follows me. Wears me down, sometimes. The darkness has a voice and it’s never quiet but it is never loud. It softly whispers into your ear- things that sound kind when first heard but have a strange way of wrapping around your brain until you can’t stop screaming for release, screaming for death. There is one voice in my head and two more sitting on chairs across the room. I’ve been told that the guys who are in the chairs are a cleaning crew. If can’t get out of this, I will be the mess the crew cleans up with snow shovels and contractor bags

From the Journal of Caleb Michael Smith

Last night I almost had him. This man killed a girl on North Island, had a hand in killing two Orthodox priests in Russia and is, I am sure, at least partly responsible for several more deaths here in Jerusalem. The pattern fits perfectly. My software skills are a little rusty, but my math skills are not, so I knocked a little rust from my programming skills and refined the mathematical algorithm I use to look for patterns in psycho-sociopathic behavior and saw patterns that were never before revealed. The girl on North Island died by this man’s hand alone. The priests in Russia are another story. They were both very tough, big men, 120 kilos each, at least. Both trained in Russian military styles of hand-to-hand combat, Systema and Sambo; two men you would not want to screw around with. Yet, these two men were flayed to the bone and hung from the ceiling of their church. The guy I am after did not do that alone. Right now I am sitting at Tib’s Restaurant eating sushi, of all things, waiting for my brother, Father Joshua Smith, Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, to arrive from the states. There are only a few men I would have by my side at a time like this, and Joshua is one of them.

From the Journal of Caleb Michael Smith

Harry just called. He is moving Patty and Gemma to his house for safety. He asked Patty to marry him and he and Patty are getting married when I get back to the States. When the girls are not with him, they will be with my parents. He’s worried for their safety because he found the symbol of The Order, an upside-down cross, spray painted on my house’s front door. I’ve known about The Order’s presence on North Island for some time. Harry is talking to my father and other members of the Association about the matter. This fight has been going on for centuries. My father fought it, and still is. My grandfathers going back as far as anyone knows have fought this fight. The problem is that The Order will do anything to further their plans. It is tough for me to fight this fight while worrying about my wife and sister. They will be safer with him, but can never be completely safe as long as any of us are still alive.

From the Journal of Caleb Michael Smith

Harry just called. He is moving Patty and Gemma to his house for safety. He asked Patty to marry him and he and Patty are getting married when I get back to the States. When the girls are not with him, they will be with my parents. He’s worried for their safety because he found the symbol of The Order, an upside-down cross, spray painted on my house’s front door. I’ve known about The Order’s presence on North Island for some time. Harry is talking to my father and other members of the Association about the matter. This fight has been going on for centuries. My father fought it, and still is. My grandfathers going back as far as anyone knows have fought this fight. The problem is that The Order will do anything to further their plans. It is tough for me to fight this fight while worrying about my wife and sister. They will be safer with him, but can never be completely safe as long as any of us are still alive.

From the Journal of Caleb Michael Smith

I am drinking espresso at Etz Cafe in the center of Jerusalem missing my wife, my dogs and the rest of my family. I’ve called Gemma several times but she is not answering. I called because I was attacked last night while walking down a street near Daniel Garden. Two men jumped me. That was their mistake and I apologize to their families that they will not be returning home. They were both wearing the medal of The Order. I left their bodies on the spot they jumped me, finished my walk then went back to my hotel to shower and get some sleep. When I woke up I turned on the news but heard nothing about two bodies being found in Daniel Garden and when I went back to that spot, they were gone without a trace. This is not a good sign. The Order knows I am here and are trying to stop me. I knew that I was on to something but I did not know it was so big that The Order would put a hit on me. Let them have at it. I am going to drink this espresso and another while I enjoy this beautiful day. If Gemma does not answer me one more time, I am calling my father to go check on her and Patty.