The confession didn't go according to the book. Gabriel didn't interrupt. The accent was foreign, American, he suspected. Who knew what journeys his life had taken before he came here to the confessional. Sometimes someone hadn't been to confession since childhood. Gabriel was just glad they came and didn't want to discourage them by focusing on rubrics.

He grimaced at the man confessing having urinated against the church. He was hardly the only one, though. Gabriel avoided that alley altogether.

"Everything you say here is strictly confidential. In fact, if I break the seal of confession, I'm excommunicated. You can speak freely."