A Touch of Evil
As Judoc crouches in the ditch, waiting to see if something happens, he considers the chain of events that has led to this current predicament. He had known going in that the bishop wouldn't take kindly to his uncovering what really happened to Father Thomas. Even now, he cannot buy the idea that Thomas died a natural death, not with that ghastly face that tumbled out of the confessional booth. No demon had materialized to halt Judoc's flight, so the demon must possess R. A bishop's soul would be a sweet prize, but Abrams must be obsessed with his diocese's reputation, and anything that tarnishes that reputation have to be covered up and disposed of, such as stories of demon possession or priests who don't fall in line. Judoc pieces together must have happened. Thomas was counseling R., and R. was becoming increasingly unhinged. Perhaps it was a demon, this Agares, and perhaps the boy merely suffers from some disease of the brain. Abrams becomes obsessed with banishing the demon. He visits the Templars, he talks to Riesalter, he checks out the books from the library. He fashions the Devil's Trap as protection. He delivers a sermon denouncing evil. This much is clear, but what happened next?
Scenario A - the demon gets wind that Thomas is wise to him and decides to take matters into his own hands. R. is present at confession, and Agares takes the opportunity to kill Thomas with magic. Then, he casts Invisibility and gets the hell out of there. Why? To keep his nice, warm, human host before Thomas figures out how to exorcise him. Who is R.?
Scenario B - Abrams finds out about Thomas's suspicions and realizes even the whiff of demon activity will torpedo his shot at becoming archbishop. He attempts to discourage Thomas from pursuing this further. Thomas rejects Abrams' entreaty and delivers a sermon about evil. Abrams has someone silence Thomas permanently. Perhaps a skilled mage from the College? Someone like Judoc, but with fewer scruples?
He sees a few holes in this theory, however. He's already seen that Graves is more than willing to send assassins to kill criminals, but to murder a priest? That seems a bridge too far, even for Graves. Also, sending a possible Templar assassin right at the end of mass is problematic. Too many potential witnesses, including Judoc and the other students from the College. And Abrams hadn't really been paying attention during the sermon. If he had orchestrated such a dark deed, wouldn't he have been keenly focused during the entire service? The psychology just doesn't fit.
All this Judoc contemplates as he lies in the ditch, along with what he's going to say to Deacon Samuel when Judoc tells him about dropping the case, when Judoc's patience is rewarded. Ah, Marcus. And minutes later, a carriage, and a person who must be the bishop. The carriage speeds north, no doubt heading to the Templar college. Either Graves is part of the plot, or the bishop is terrified that Judoc will uncover the truth. Either way, most suspicious.
Rising from the ditch, Judoc begins muttering a few words of incantation. He must see where the bishop is going. This may be just the break he needs to solve this mystery.
OOC: Cast Flight. Follow the coach, but try to stay low and out of sight.