“Don’t assume for a moment to know what my friend thinks or doesn’t think, you…” Angelina headed toward the deputy with only Abaddon’s last second grasp of her hand keeping the angry nun in place.
“It’s okay, Ange,” Catherine said. “Deputy Roscoe was only brought into this a little while ago.”
“Kostas and Stevens were my friends. This has got to be some weird case of mistaken identity.”
Abaddon stood up from the oil drum he had been sitting on, still grasping Angelina’s hand. “They were not your friends, Deputy Roscoe, nor were they falsely accused. They were demons in human form.”
“I ought to know who my friends are and aren’t, mister. We ain’t certain yet you four weren’t the ones…”
“Is this guy evil, Raph?” Angelina cut Roscoe off with a wave of her hand toward him.
“No, Sister Angelina,” Raphael replied, smiling at Deputy Roscoe. “He’s just confused.”
“Too bad - he’s really starting to annoy me.”
Catherine giggled again, drawing another perturbed look from Deputy Roscoe. “You look just like Andy Griffith, Deputy Roscoe. Did you ever see re-runs of…”
“I know who Andy Griffith is. So, you think I’m some back country Mayberry moron, huh?”
“Actually, the Sheriff Andy Griffith portrays was pretty smart,” Catherine began. “He…”
“If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it ain’t no squirrel,” Angelina interjected, jerking free of a smiling Abaddon, to walk up in front of Deputy Roscoe.
Abaddon quickly pulled Angelina back at Raphael’s gestured urging.
Roscoe, watching Raphael and Catherine barely containing amusement at his expense, shifted his ire to Abaddon.
“I heard your name is Abaddon. What kind of faggot name is that?”
There was uneasy silence as Raphael jumped from where he had been sitting to launch himself between the deputy and Abaddon. Abaddon suddenly started howling in laughter, something he had never done to Raphael’s knowledge. Catherine and Angelina laughed with him, even though they had no idea what Abaddon was laughing at. Roscoe backed away, uncertain what in particular he had said could be interpreted as funny. He smiled a little, caught off guard by Abaddon’s booming laughter. Abaddon gestured pointedly at Raphael as his laughter dissipated into small chuckles of amusement.
“What is it, my brother?”
“It is very funny to be compared to an effeminate human male with the power and visions of the Abyss pulsing within me.” Abaddon relapsed into uncontrollable laughter for moments more with Raphael joining him, seeing at last his brother’s amused vision of incongruity.
Angelina carefully moved past Raphael and Abaddon, grasping Roscoe’s arm gently with her right hand. She drew him away from the laughing Archangels, gesturing for him to be silent with a finger at her lips in a shushing motion.
“Listen. I’m sorry about the way I mouthed off to you. We are not the enemy. We’re just on our way to Las Vegas and we stumbled into this tragedy. Go ahead and do what you’re supposed to do and we won’t bother you. The facts of what happened will come out.”
Roscoe glanced at the laughing Archangels. He shrugged at the contrite Angelina. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to accuse you all of this shit. It’s just…it’s just so bad… I don’t rightly have any words for it.”
Angelina grasped Roscoe’s hands with hers comfortingly.
“I know how you feel. Human demons are tough to understand. At least we found some folks still alive and we stopped the demons,” Angelina reasoned.
* * *
Roscoe nodded resignedly and Angelina released his hands. He walked back to the entrance and stood watch stoically, pondering what Angelina had told him. Without doubt Roscoe felt blessed not to have been enlisted for the detail Sheriff Risen let Chuck guide. Because of the heat Roscoe knew if they found anything the Sheriff would not bring a digging crew out until early the next morning. He shivered, remembering some of what the survivors had told them went on in the room below the warehouse Roscoe had viewed for himself. In the distance, Roscoe saw a dust plume and heard the approach of the Sheriff’s two Ford Expeditions.
Minutes later, the two vehicles stopped alongside each other near where Roscoe waited. The Sheriff exited the driver’s side of the Expedition nearest Roscoe without meeting Roscoe’s inquiring glance. Sheriff Risen opened the back door and helped Chuck out of the vehicle. Chuck was now in handcuffs. The other deputies exited the Ford, following Sheriff Risen past Roscoe and into the warehouse. Roscoe fell in behind them quietly as the group walked over to where his charges were waiting expectantly.
* * *
“It’s as bad as you folks thought,” Sheriff Risen told Raphael. “Chuck dug around the latest victim and we marked the crime scene where the rest are buried. I’ll send a CSI crew out at first light and start excavating the bodies. With Chuck’s confession, I don’t guess we need to hold you all any longer. I’d doubt what this piece of shit said happened to Kostas and Stevens if it weren’t for all the witnesses with the same story. I guess the CSI crew can take a look at the dust down at the bottom of the stairwell. I pray to God they are dead.”
“I believe your prayers have been answered.” Raphael held out his hand. “We wish you well Sheriff. You have our cell phone number.”
Sheriff Risen grasped Raphael’s hand, understanding flooding through him as he looked from Raphael to Abaddon with wonder. He smiled and nodded as Raphael released his trembling hand.
“I sure wish I’d shook your hand earlier,” Risen said with some remorse.
“You and your deputies were pretty upset. I’m thankful you didn’t simply jail us right after you heard what Chuck had to say.”
“I won’t keep you any longer.” Risen handed Raphael his card. “If you need me for anything, just call. I’ll call you if there’re any loose ends.”
Abaddon grabbed Chuck’s forearm. “You help these officers in all they have to do. Make sure there are no loose ends.”
“I…I will, Lord Abaddon,” Chuck blurted out, cringing away from the Archangel.
“May God have mercy on your soul.” Abaddon released Chuck. He walked toward the exit with Raphael and the nuns close behind.
Chuck fell to his knees, his head bowed, eyes tightly shut as he whispered fervent prayers. The other deputies looked in bewilderment at Sheriff Risen.
“Ain’t you going to at least check those people out?” Roscoe asked.
“There’s no need. Ain’t that right, Chuck?”
Chuck’s head shook up and down as he continued his prayers.
* * *
“I’m glad you opted to give the Sheriff a jolt of understanding, Raph.” Angelina grimaced as she slipped into the unbearably hot Hummer. “I’ve had enough of this place. The idea of going back into Baker and spending a few hours or more trying to explain the unexplainable did not give me happy thoughts at all.”
“I would have helped him understand earlier but I thought they were ready to draw their guns and use them on us at first.” Raphael closed the rear passenger door and fastened his seatbelt.
“Ahhhhhh…” Catherine sighed, sticking her head in the rapidly cooling blast of air conditioned air as Angelina started the hummer and flicked the AC controls to max.
“The AC hasn’t even cooled the air yet, Cat.” Angelina drove around from where they had parked toward the exit road.
“It feels a lot cooler than sitting in that sweat box with no breeze,” Catherine said. “Are we still going to drive all the way into Las Vegas today?”
“It’s not that far and I’m sure we can find another Burger King for you to scarf down a couple more Whoppers in along the way.”
“Shut up, Pudge,” Catherine ordered, pushing the back of Angelina’s head.
“Raph, Catherine hit me,” Angelina whined comically.
“You started it.”
“No you.”
Abaddon and Raphael exchanged amused sm
iles as the nuns’ banter eased the feelings of horror left over from the long day. No one spoke for nearly twenty minutes as they enjoyed the air conditioned coolness.
“Hey, Raph, how come you didn’t cool us off? You changed the air temp in San Francisco.”
“I have to be reminded of your discomfort, Ange. In the future I will observe more closely.”
“That’ll work. I was just curious. I forgot you Archangels don’t sweat.”
“I’m hungry,” Catherine announced, evoking laughter from her three companions.
“I would like some coffee,” Abaddon added.
“It’s only another hour before we get to Vegas,” Angelina said with some consternation. “I want to hit Vegas in time to see Raph dive into the casinos tonight.”
“Very funny, Sister Angelina,” Raphael replied.
“You sure went through those demons quick, Abaddon,” Catherine commented.
“I am growing stronger with each battle. Destroying those two was most satisfying. Although powerful, they were without skill.”
“They never dreamed of meeting the Angel of the Abyss,” Raphael said. “They had isolated themselves for so long inside their made up earthly hell, nothing else mattered to them. Kostas and Stevens were the most disturbing aspect of this adventure.”
“I guess we humans really don’t need demons inhabiting our bodies to become evil,” Angelina remarked.
“I sensed a change in Chuck. He became cognizant of what they had been doing,” Abaddon said. “He seemed… repentant.”
“Possibly, or the abject fear of sharing Kostas and Stevens’ fate made him seem repentant. I hope you are right, brother. I have doubt any human can become innocently caught up in what happened to those people.”
“Let’s focus on the happy part of it,” Angelina broke in. “We rescued some of the good people and Abaddon wiped out the Baker demons, making it safe to inhale Whoppers at the Baker Burger King once again.”
“You… brat,” Catherine gasped out.
“I wonder if our mission in Vegas will be as easily determined as in Baker,” Raphael wondered out loud.
“I am still without coffee,” Abaddon interjected once again.
“You are becoming quite the comedian, my brother,” Raphael observed as both Catherine and Angelina laughed at Abaddon’s quip.
“Can we actually stay at the Venetian, Raph?” Angelina asked over her shoulder.
“Oh yes,” Catherine added with fervor. “It has everything, Raph. Their main balcony overlooks the new strip in Vegas with all the restyled casinos. Below it they have their own water channels where boatmen steer gondolas with tourists in them. The boatmen sing to their customers while oaring the boat.”
“I think we deserve such a stay, unless of course we get different directions from our little Hummer screen.”
“Oh man, this will be the bomb,” Angelina said excitedly. “Let’s get the rooms with hot tubs and…”
“You two will of course wear your nun’s habits and conduct yourselves at all times in a chaste manner,” Raphael interrupted, holding up his hand in a warning gesture. “We are not a circus act. We are on a mission for the Lord.”
“So what do you think of this outfit on our first night in the casinos, my love?” Angelina asked Abaddon while gripping the steering wheel in concentration for a moment.
A moment later, Angelina was clothed in a sequined blue miniskirt. Her garter belt and the tops of her sheer stockings were visible as she drove. Her top was a pastel blue tube top, which left little to the imagination. Abaddon glanced over. His smile disappeared to be replaced by open mouthed admiration.
“Oh, baby, you know what I like,” Abaddon whispered, as Catherine giggled with her hands clamped over her mouth as she watched Raphael try to retain his authoritarian demeanor.
“Abaddon, don’t encourage her,” Raphael admonished the Archangel of the Abyss. “Sister Angelina is out of control.”
“How about me, Raph?” Catherine had changed her attire to exactly the same outfit, only with red tones.
“Sister Mary Catherine!?” Raphael stated in feigned outrage, cringing away from her.
“I think perhaps you have lost control, Raph,” Abaddon smiled back at his brother.
“There’s an understatement. All I have to say is c’mon seven come eleven, big Daddy.”
“How is it you two Sisters know of this apparent city of sin?” Abaddon asked after laughter over Raphael’s dice reference ended.
“We’ll show you the world of the cloistered nun very soon, my love,” Angelina remarked. “This is the computer age. Cat and I went on many adventures from the screen of our local library’s computer. All the really good places have websites with virtual tours. They have actual film clips and real time video cam shots of their attractions on-line.”
“So you two would visit these places without really visiting them?” Abaddon asked with a look of bewilderment on his face.
“We’ll buy a really state of the art notebook computer with wireless uplink capability.” Angelina patted Abaddon’s knee. “It will be easier to show you than explain it.”
“I remembered you describing the help you gave the older people in your charge with a computer,” Raphael said. “From this internet connection on a computer you can visit places around the world visually. I would be very interested in obtaining the type of hook up you describe. Could we not then buy Ahmed something similar and have on-line visual meetings with him?”
Angelina sighed.“Sure Raph, but you’re a prime reason people go over the edge with these electronic gadgets. You’re an Archangel for heaven’s sake. You can transport us all to anywhere Ahmed is and talk to him in person as long as there aren’t any people around.”
“So I really don’t need a computer for that kind of thing. Still, it seems obvious such a tool could be useful for information gathering, correct?”
“Now you got it,” Catherine replied. “The mundane things like accounting, taxes, day to day expense tracking, and investigating a place we’re going to can all be done on a computer. We’ll have to keep track of all this traveling and expense because the tax people will eventually want to stick their noses into our business.”
“We’ll probably end up on the Homeland Security watch list with all the overseas money transactions,” Angelina added. “As soon as we get a state of the art computer, Cat and I will get some tracking programs going to help us when we have to do our taxes.”
“You mean we also have to deal with the demonic IRS?” Raphael joked.
“Yep,” Angelina replied, “unless of course you want to take on our prison system. People in this country can murder someone or rob a bank and get probation. You try avoiding taxes and you’ll get a nice long stay in a maximum security prison.”
“I will not go to prison,” Abaddon stated.
“If you did they’d end up making a movie of it. Boy would I pay money to see that one.” Angelina grasped Abaddon’s hand.
“There would be many casualties,” Catherine continued, thinking of the ramifications in trying to imprison the Archangel of the Abyss. “I believe it would not be a good idea for you to mix that closely with the abundance of human demons they have in the joint.”
“So it would be definitely in our best interest to have a state of the art computer,” Raphael concluded, “thereby preventing the possible destruction of your prison system.”
“And all the peripherals Cat and I can come up with.”
“Agreed. I am most interested in trying this new technology out.”
“Does it make coffee?” Abaddon asked.
“Las Vegas is less than an hour away now. You can curb your addiction for another forty minutes, sweetie,” Angelina said as Catherine and Raphael laughed at yet another Abaddon coffee reference. “I’m sure they have exquisite coffee in Las Vegas.”
“We’ll have to take him to a Starbucks,” Catherine suggested.
“He’ll really be in heaven then. You can
even get iced coffee at Starbucks, love.”
“This Venetian place you wish to stay at. Will it be safe to have Raphael staying in a hotel which also has numerous outlets for gambling pursuits?” Abaddon turned to grin at a now scowling Raphael.
“I knew I shouldn’t have told you about my small dalliance long ago.”
“It sounded like more than a dalliance, Raph.”
“Yeah, but less than your drinking binge, Spewy,” Angelina needled, looking at Catherine in the rear view mirror.
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