by Julie Kenner
“I don’t know,“ Father admitted. “Other than the attack on Allie, there’s been no unusual activity related to children.“ He gestured to the police band radio on his credenza, his first purchase through his Forza expense account a few months ago.
“More likely she was attacked because she’s your daughter,“ David said. “If the demon population is up to something, it makes sense to keep you off guard.”
“And what better way to throw me off than to attack my kids.”
“Exactly,“ Father Ben said.
“Which brings us right back where we were,“ I said. “We need to figure this out. And we need to end it.“ I looked at Ben. “So go on. The interview Father Corletti found. What else did it say?”
“Apparently Andramelech was trying to build his army. The reference said that the army would be ’amassed by mining the stores of kings and gathering his imprisoned compatriots.’ ”
“Uh-huh,“ I said, completely clueless. “So what exactly does that mean?”
“I’m afraid we don’t know,“ Father Ben admitted. “The archivists in Rome are examining the collections in great detail now, hoping to find a secondary reference. Anything, actually, that might give us some insight.”
“And in the meantime, we keep patrolling,“ I said. ”Keep trying to locate new demons and pare down the operation.“ It wasn’t a satisfactory solution, but at least it played to my strengths. Research had never been my strong suit. Unlike Eric, I’d always been much more inclined to forget the rationale and simply go forth and conquer. This time was no exception. And as much as I wanted an explanation, my blood burned to kick some demon ass. Go after my kids, and that’s really the only possible reaction.
“It sounds to me like Andramelech was trying to free demons that had been imprisoned somewhere,“ David said.
“The prisons of kings,“ I said. “And any demon he freed would surely pledge allegiance to Andramelech, right?”
“Makes sense,“ David said. “Maybe while he was trying to free the other demons, he got trapped himself.”
“But we’re talking, what? Six hundred years? Wouldn’t he just give up?”
“Time doesn’t mean the same to a demon,“ David pointed out reasonably. “And if he was incorporeal for some of that time it could easily take centuries for him to not only locate the bound demons but determine how to release them.”
“I suppose,“ I said, still a bit dubious.
“Actually, I think it’s a good theory,“ Father Ben said.
“But how does it tie to San Diablo?“ I protested. “There are no kings in California.”
“Perhaps the reference to a king is metaphorical,“ Father Ben said. “Christ is King.”
“A true relic of Christ,“ I said, turning the idea over in my head and deciding it had merit. “Except St. Mary’s doesn’t have anything like that. Do we?”
“Not catalogued,“ Father Ben said, shooting me a smile. ”But I doubt there is something of such significance here.”
“A piece of the cross?“ I suggested. “It’s possible something like that made its way here.”
“The trouble is we simply can’t know,“ Father Ben said. ”In the meantime ...”
“Damage control,“ I said. “And hope Rome comes up with something.”
We all looked at each other. It wasn’t much, but at least we were a bit further along than we’d been the day before.
I pushed myself up and out of my chair. “That’s it, then. We’ll talk when we learn more.”
Beside me, David checked his watch. “I need to get back. I’ve got a class in half an hour.”
I took a step toward the door, then paused. “Actually, Padre, there’s one other thing.”
“What is it Kate?”
“It’s about Eric. I’m making no progress here. Can you call Rome? See what you can find out for me?”
“What did you find out from Father Donnelly?“ Father Ben asked, referring to the priest that Father Corletti had referred me to. When I’d first learned that Eric had decided to train as an alimentatore, I’d called Father Corletti. After all, he’d been like a parent to me, and it was natural for me to turn to him when I was confused and hurt. That he might have inside information about my husband was a bonus.
He’d told me that Eric had been working with Father Donnelly but that beyond that, he had no specifics with regard to Eric’s training. I’d called Father Donnelly and left numerous messages before I was finally able to get the man on the phone.
All my trouble, though, had been worth very little. He simply reiterated what I’d already learned. Eric, he’d said, had felt a calling to return to the folds of Forza. He’d planned on telling me, but never found the time or the words. He’d been an eager and excellent student, but as far as Father D knew, he’d only been a student. There was nothing in the teachings or their conversations that would suggest that Eric had delved into anything dangerous. And certainly not anything that would get him killed.
Father Donnelly had always believed that Eric’s death was a random mugging, just as the police had concluded all those years ago. When I shared Eric’s notes with him, he agreed that Eric had fallen victim to foul play, but he had no more help to offer, only prayers that I would find the answer. Or, if not the answer, then that I would find peace.
So far, I’d found neither.
“Are you sure you really want to know?“ David asked as we left the rectory with Father Ben’s promise to do a bit more poking around.
I eyed him suspiciously. “Why? Are you suggesting I might not like what I find out?”
“I’m just saying that sometimes our memories are better than our reality.”
“Right,“ I said, trying to process what he was saying. And, more important, what he wasn’t saying. A shiver ripped through me, but whether merely a chill or a sense of foreboding, I didn’t know. Eddie still believed that Eric was hiding within the man I knew as David. And although I believed David’s denial, I couldn’t quash the crumb of doubt that tickled the back of my mind.
Finally, I decided to bite the bullet. “What about it, David?“ I asked, pausing in front of my car. “You told me that Eric was your friend. Did he tell you something?”
“It’s been almost six years, Kate. Why reopen old wounds?”
“It’s not your decision to make. It’s Eric’s. And he left me the notes. He wanted me to know.”
“Back then, sure. But that was before you remarried. Before you had a son. Before you got a whole new life.”
“But now I’ve stepped right back into the old one.”
“Katie—”
I held up a hand. “You can’t hold back on me simply because time has passed. That’s not a decision you’re allowed to make.”
I watched his face as I spoke, saw the hesitation in his eyes. For a moment, I thought he would turn me down again. But then he nodded. “Fine, Kate,“ he said. “He left you those notes, so you’re right. He must have wanted you to know.”
“To know what?”
“Get in,“ he said, gesturing toward my car. “Give me a ride back to the school and I’ll tell you while we drive.”
“Start talking,“ I demanded as soon as I’d started the car.
“I can only tell you what Eric told me. And before you start interrogating me, let me tell you flat out that my mind is a little fuzzy on the details.”
“Why?”
“I was in a car wreck, Kate,“ he said, thumping his cane on the floorboards. “I almost died. Sorry if that’s inconveniencing you now, but ...”
“Right. Fine. Go ahead.”
“A few years back, Eric contacted Father Corletti and told him he wanted to train as an alimentatore. The father put him in touch with Father Donnelly, and they started from there.”
This was old news to me, but I didn’t want to distract David or slow down his rhythm. I kept my eyes on the road and kept right on driving.
“He studied, he researched, he did everything an alimentatore -in-training
is supposed to do. And you know what?“ he asked, turning to me. “He was really getting into it. One day he told me that he felt whole again. Like he’d lost a piece of himself when he’d given up hunting, but that he’d found it again in the research.”
I pressed my lips together and forced myself not to cry. Unreasonable, I know, but right then, I felt like I’d been holding Eric back. Like he’d given up Forza only for me. Worse, that he resented me for it.
“It wasn’t like that, Kate,“ David said, even though I hadn’t spoken one word.
I sniffed, and brushed the pad of my thumb under my eye, drying an errant tear.
“In fact, he was planning on telling you. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be an active mentor or if he would rather take a research position. Either way, he wasn’t going back into fieldwork.”
“He told you that?”
“I think it’s fair to say we discussed it.”
“So what happened?”
“What did he decide?“ David shook his head. “I don’t think he ever did. He started to learn things about Forza that shook him up. Not about the organization itself, but about some of the people in it. Alimentatores and Hunters who’d turned traitor, lured by dark promises.”
“Is that why he was killed?”
“Who knows?“ David said. “But I do know that he was concerned about San Diablo.”
I hit the brakes for a stoplight and turned to him. “What do you mean?”
“Demon activity. It seemed to be starting up again.”
“Hold on,“ I said, ruffled. “I was here, too, remember? If there was any demon activity in San Diablo, I surely would have noticed.”
“It was specific to Eric.”
I turned sharply to look at him. “What exactly are you saying?”
“He was afraid he’d gotten in over his head. That some of the less-than-honorable Hunters were getting nervous about his questions. And they’d decided to focus the attention of their demon cohorts on him.”
“Wait. What?“ I tapped the brakes again, this time causing a large truck behind me to lean on the horn. I made a rude gesture, but accelerated again. “Eric thought that he’d been targeted?”
“It was a theory,“ David said.
“He didn’t tell me,“ I said, my voice almost a whisper. ”And I didn’t suspect a thing.“ I felt ice cold, and I stifled a shiver. “What do you think?“ I demanded.
He sighed. “I don’t know.”
“So the notes were about what he’d learned?“ I said a moment later. “That Eric had gotten in over his head with Forza? That he believed he’d been targeted by traitors and he wanted me to be careful?”
“That’s my best guess,“ David admitted. “But it sounds like the trail has dried up.”
“Do you know who betrayed him?”
“No,“ David said. “I’m not even sure Eric found out.”
“What would you do if you knew for sure?”
“Anything I could to avenge my friend,“ he said.
Our eyes met, and I nodded in both approval and agreement. ”And that’s all there is?“ I turned onto Oceanview, then slowed to 20 miles per hour since it was a school zone. ”There’s nothing more to tell me?”
“One more thing,“ he said. “Right before he died, he told me he had a lead.”
“About Forza? About whoever had thrown in with the demons?”
“Yeah,“ David said. “More specifically, about who killed Wilson.”
“Wilson?“ I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, fighting the wave of unexpected grief. I’m not sure what I’d expected during this little chat with David, but a discussion of why Wilson died really hadn’t been on the list.
Wilson Endicott had been my and Eric’s alimentatore until the day we’d retired. Where Father Corletti had been like a father to me, Wilson had been like an older brother. I’d trusted him, looked up to him, and I missed him terribly.
I’d been one day past Allie’s official due date when I’d received word that Wilson’s car had been run off the road. I’d always assumed his death had been caused by demons. Now, I wondered if Forza traitors had been behind it.
“What did Eric tell you?”
“Just that he’d been contacted by a Hunter who’d known Wilson. She had some information she wanted to share about his death, and she’d been poking around, trying to figure out who was safe. Apparently she stumbled across Eric’s name.”
“And?“ We were in front of the school now, and the bell had obviously already rung, as kids were scurrying from one side of the campus to the other. I, however, wasn’t letting David out of the car until I’d heard it all.
“And that’s all I know. Wilson had sent Eric a few things not long before he was killed. Books, relics, kind of thing. He told Eric to keep the things safe, and that he’d be coming to California in a few months to retrieve a few of the items. Obviously, he never made it.”
I fought to keep my expression bland. Eric had never told me about a package from Wilson.
“At any rate,“ David continued, “the girl used to be one of Wilson’s Hunters, and she knew that Eric had received the package. She thought there might be a clue in the belongings. A clue about the betrayal.”
“What was in the package? Did you ever see it?”
“Once,“ David said. “It was just an amalgamation of stuff. Some journals. A crucifix. A vial for holy water. A ring. A scapula. Even some photographs.“ He smiled at me. “Some were of you and Eric. Photos that Wilson had taken of the two of you training.”
“Oh,“ I said, then closed my eyes. “I never saw them.”
“I think he took them with him when he went to meet the girl.”
“He gave her our photos?”
“Honestly? I don’t have any idea. All I know is that he finally decided that it wouldn’t hurt to meet with her.”
“He didn’t tell you what happened at the meeting?”
“Kate,“ he said gently. “He was going to meet her in San Francisco.”
I should have seen it coming, but his words blindsided me. I closed my eyes and held tight to the steering wheel, wishing Eric had told me back then, before he died. If he had, I wondered, would he still be with me?
A ball of rage swelled in me, and I slammed my fist hard against the steering wheel, anger exploding from me. Anger at Eric for keeping his secrets, at myself for being so tunnel-visioned that I hadn’t seen anything beyond the house and the child. And at David, because he’d known my husband in those last days better than I had. And six months ago, that was something I never would have believed.
The girl, though, wasn’t the subject of my rage. To her, I turned cold, dispassionate speculation. “Did she kill him?“ I asked. Because if she did, I would find her. I had no idea how, but somehow, I would manage it.
He searched my face, undoubtedly searching for my purpose. ”I don’t know,“ he finally said. “Believe me, Katie, I wish I did.”
Nine
”A whole lotta nothing,“ Eddie said. “That’s what you got. A great big barnyard full of nothing.“
“Thank you for that insightful assessment,“ I said, giving the leasing agent a friendly smile. “Maybe we should talk about this later.”
Eddie had wanted to show me two furnished apartments he’d discovered near the beach. I was completely opposed to his moving out, but there’s no arguing with Eddie when he’s in one of his moods. And for months he’d gotten it into his head that he had to find a place of his own.
To be fair, the seeds for that delusion were planted by my husband, who had only agreed to let Eddie camp in the guest bedroom until we could find a new assisted living community for him. But lately, Stuart has backed off and was willing to let Eddie stay. Eddie, on the other hand, was apparently pining for his freedom. “Too much goings-on in that house of yours,“ he said. “And how am I supposed to have a social life if I got four people under the same damn roof?”
Since I didn’t have a good argument, I gave up an
d let him drag me to apartment after apartment. On this particular occasion, I’d picked him up after I dropped David off. In the car, I’d brought him up to speed, fully expecting that the conversation would be put on hiatus while we investigated square footage and closet space.
Eddie, though, wasn’t clued in to the whole hiatus plan.
“Maybe you’d like to look at the kitchen again,“ Belinda, the leasing agent, suggested.
“ ’The prisons of kings,’“ Eddie said to me. “What kind of bull-honky is that?”
“Eddie—”
“And that boy knows who killed him.“ He aimed a bony finger my direction. “You mark my words, girlie.”
“Eddie,“ I muttered, but with a smile for the agent. ”Please.”
“Humph.“ He turned to our bewildered companion. ”Okay, missy. Show me what you got.”
An expression that could only be relief wafted over her face. “Right this way.”
I trailed after, almost slamming into Eddie’s back when he stopped just shy of the kitchen. “I take it back,“ he said. ”You don’t have nothing.“ He waggled his eyebrows. “You got trouble.”
“Thanks, Eddie,“ I said. “You’re being so helpful.”
He snorted. “Ain’t my turn to be helpful, now is it? That’s why I brought you along.”
“Right. Fine. No problem.“ I shoved past him into the kitchen, telling myself that this was a good thing. Once he signed the lease and moved in, I would no longer have to deal with his orneriness or his disdain for David. Or, for that matter, his grudging acknowledgment of my husband.
All good reasons for getting him a place of his own, and yet the thought of him moving out left a sad little scar on my heart. I’d grown up in the company of other Hunters, in a dorm filled with people who knew about my life, both its risks and its joys.
I honestly hadn’t realized how much I missed that until Eddie had moved in. He was a complete curmudgeon, but in the short time he’d been with us, he’d become family, too.
And I liked the idea of another Hunter in the house. A Hunter who could keep an eye on and help protect my kids. Even one who claimed to be totally out of the game.
“As you can see,“ Belinda said, “the kitchen is as well-appointed as the rest of the house. Refrigerator, dishwasher, trash compactor.“ She indicated each item in turn. “The pantry is quite substantial, and I just love the way the darling little breakfast table tucks neatly into this alcove.“ She smiled at Eddie. “The perfect place to sit and drink your morning coffee.”