Chapter One
It was hotter than hell inside the confessional. A thick black curtain, dusty
with age and neglect, covered the narrow opening from the ceiling of the box to
the scarred hardwood floor, blocking out both the daylight and the air.
It was like being inside a coffin someone had absentmindedly left propped up
against the wall, and Father Thomas Madden thanked God he wasn't claustrophobic.
He was rapidly becoming miserable though. The air was heavy and ripe with
mildew, making his breathing as labored as when he was back at Penn State
running that last yard to the goalposts with the football tucked neatly in his
arm. He hadn't minded the pain in his lungs then, and he certainly didn't mind
it now. It was all simply part of the job.
The old priests would tell him to offer his discomfort up to God for the poor
souls in purgatory. Tom didn't see any harm in doing that, even though he
wondered how his own misery was going to relieve anyone else's.
He shifted position on the hard oak chair, fidgeting like a choirboy at Sunday
practice. He could feel the sweat dripping down the sides of his face and neck
into his cassock. The long black robe was soaked through with perspiration, and
he sincerely doubted he smelled at all like ... read full excerpt from Heartbreaker ebook
