“I’m not lying, Steve.”
She searched his face for any sign that he didn’t believe her. But all she could see was the same stony expression he normally wore; his jaw set firm, his bushy eyebrows perfectly level. After two minutes of staring at her, he sighed.
“All right. But there’s really nothing I can do, is there?”
“I suppose not.” She glanced around the pizza joint on Commonwealth Avenue. It was the first place she’d run to after fleeing Sister Donovan’s house. Somehow, the divinity school campus didn’t seem safe anymore. Some place crowded seemed her best bet. Even at this late hour, Boston College students jammed into the small pizza shop while chomping through cheese and pepperoni pies.
Lauren had watched with quiet fascination as Curran had entered the shop and the throngs of students simply parted like the Red Sea for him to pass. Not that Curran looked like a huge linebacker, but he simply exuded that police presence that college students try to avoid. They gave Curran and Lauren plenty of room at their table.
Curran’s cell phone buzzed and he held it to his ear. Lauren watched him look at her and then away, then back at her again. Finally he mumbled something and hung up.
“What is it?”
He looked pained. “You sure about that address?”
“Of course.” She frowned. “Why?”
Curran took a sip of the soda he’d bought when he’d shown up a few minutes ago. “I had a few units go to the house. Check it out. You know — standard stuff, considering what you relayed to me.”
“And?”
He looked at her and sighed. “There are no bodies there, Lauren.”
A chill ran down her back. In her mind she could see them clear as day all over again. She could feel the cold creeping up her back. She could hear the howls, the screeches. She could hear Sister Donovan’s dying words.
“Steve-“
He held up his hand. “Don’t bother trying to explain it. It sounds so weird and bizarre it probably happened.”
“You believe me?”
Curran smirked. “I don’t know what the hell I’m believing lately. Things are happening here that don’t fit into my normal universe. But they’re happening anyway. Whether or not I choose to believe in them.”
Lauren grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Curran’s face creased and he pulled back.
I offended him, she thought. “What is it?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Steve-“
He looked away. “You think it was the Soul Eater again?”
She shook her head. “Forget that for a minute.”
“I don’t think we should.”
Lauren looked down. She shouldn’t have touched him. She wasn’t a nun yet but Steve sure had a way of treating her like she was the last virgin in the universe.
“I think it was.”
Curran looked around the shop. Some of the students who had been eyeing him quickly turned away. “I’m getting tired of this.”
She looked up. “The deaths?”
“The everything. I’ve chased this guy for years and he’s baited me every step of the way. He ruined my past and now he’s threatening my future. I’m not ready to give that up without a fight.”
“But we don’t know anything about him.”
“Don’t we?” Curran smiled then. Warmth spread over his face and Lauren saw the confidence come into his eyes. “We know one thing that this guy looks for: evil.”
“A lot of people are evil, Steve.”
“But suppose he’s looking for the most evil people to be found. What about that?”
“Sister Donovan’s dying words to me were: ‘he lives best through the evil of others.’”
Curran frowned. “What do you think that means?”
“Supposedly the Soul Eater is connected to the resurrection of Satan.”
“The Devil?” Curran smirked.
“Don’t joke, Steve. It could well be true.” She wasn’t sure how far his fledgling resurgence of faith could be pushed, but he had to know the truth. Or at least, the potential truth.
“Now we’re talking about Lucifer and forked tails and brimstone. Wonderful.”
“I don’t understand how you can finally admit that one aspect of this case might be real while still denying the other.”
“I’m a stubborn bastard.”
You can say that again. Lauren sighed. “Fine, believe what you want. But it fits with your theory, even if you don’t want to believe it.”
“How would he resurrect Satan?”
“I don’t know. Why would he only kill evil people?”
“I don’t know,” said Curran. “But that’s what he’s doing. Sure enough.”
“And what do you propose we do?”
“I’m a cop. I can pull these records. Run the computers and see who they spit out as the worst of the worst. We put surveillance on the likely candidates and see who turns up.”
“That could be an awful lot of possible victims. You’d have to get a lot of other detectives involved.”
“I don’t think so. In fact, I’m willing to bet it’s just a handful of potential targets.”
“And you can pull officers to track them?” She wanted to hear how he intended to explain the case to his coworkers.
“I figured we could both take one. Maybe I can enlist some help outside the department.”
“You want me to do surveillance work?” She smiled. “I’m not exactly qualified to do that.”
“It’s not that hard.”
“No?”
“Just don’t get caught doing it.”
She laughed. “Easy for you to say, you’ve got a gun.”
Curran nodded. “That brings me to my next point.” He looked away and then leaned closer, his voice coming down in volume. “You should be carrying a piece.”
“No way.” Lauren shook her head. “I’m going to become a woman of the cloth, for crying out loud. I can’t very well go around packing a pistol.”
“Lauren, you’ve run into…something a few times now.”
So he wasn’t ready to completely embrace it, yet. She could see his belief wavering. “Well, I didn’t get the impression that bullets would have made one lick of difference, either.”
“Maybe not at that time. But I’m willing to bet our Soul Eater has to take the form of a man to stalk his victims.”
“You’re in a gambling mood tonight.”
“I’m tired of losing to the house.” He smiled again. “You want that gun?”
“No.” Lauren stood up. “If I’m going to do this, it will be without a gun. I have other things to rely on.”
Curran frowned. “Like what — God?”
“Yes.”
Curran shrugged. “I sure as hell hope he’s there for you better than he ever was for me.”
“Don’t speak like that.”
“Why? So what if he hears me? He did fail me. He failed Joey, too.”
“Maybe it wasn’t his failure so much as that of other people.”
“Bullcrap excuses.” Curran stood. “If you want to put you faith in God, so be it. I prefer more earthly tools to help keep me safe.” He gestured to the door. “I’ll drive you home.”
Lauren shook her head. “I can get there myself.”
“What if the Soul Eater’s out there waiting for you?”
“I don’t think he is. After all, didn’t you just bet he was after the evil people?”
“Sisters Mary and Donovan didn’t sound like they were Hitler-wanna-be’s.”
“No.” Lauren sighed. “I don’t understand that either.”
“Sure you won’t take the ride?”
She looked at him. Part of her wanted to jump into his car and feel safe while he drove her home. But she knew that safety would only last as long as the car ride. Soon enough she’d be alone again. And if the Soul Eater wanted her, she’d have to confront him one way or another.
With or without Curran.
“I’m fine,” she said finally. Together they walked outside. Back into the cold night. She shivered instinctively. This time of year it felt as if the Soul Eater could reach out and touch everything around them.
Curran touched her on the shoulder and she jumped slightly. “Last chance for a ride.”
Lauren turned up the collar on her coat. “I’ll call you in the morning. Good night, Steve.”
“Good night.”
Lauren walked down Commonwealth Avenue. Cars zipped by. A subway car meandered down the tracks toward Cleveland Circle. Lauren hurried to the train stop to catch it.
A red light aided her and she hopped on the train. The car was mostly empty with just a few passengers scattered about. A young couple tucked into each other, cuddling for warmth at one end of the car. An elderly woman with five shopping bags scattered by her feet sat midway down the car. And a man about Curran’s age sat at the front of the car. He stared straight ahead.
Lauren sat down across from him.
Without thinking, Lauren reached for the small silver cross around her neck. Curran’s offer of a gun seemed done in good faith, but Lauren’s faith rested with God.
He’ll protect me, she thought. He already had tonight in the midst of death and destruction at Sister Donovan’s house.
But why had the Soul Eater killed two nuns? What purpose did it serve? And why hadn’t God been able to protect them?
Lauren sighed. Maybe Curran had a right to be mad at God. Lauren could have just as easily found the same reasons to be mad at God, but she chose not to. How come Steve couldn’t get over what had happened?
And would he ever get over it?
Her stop came faster than she thought it would. She got off across from the Russian pharmacy with its Cyrillic writing scrawled across the top of it and walked down Rosewood Street toward the apartment building.
Behind her, she heard the doors of the train swing shut with a hiss. More cars sped past her and she waited at the stoplight to cross.
“Cold night, huh?”
She jumped at the voice and turned. The man from the train. About the same age as Curran. He must have gotten off after her.
And she hadn’t noticed.
“Sure is.” She tried to smile and disengage him at the same time.
“You live nearby?”
“I’m visiting a friend, actually.” Now would be a good time for the light to change, she thought. “I’m already late as it is. If I don’t get there soon, he’ll probably send the police looking for me.”
He chuckled. “One of those, huh?”
“Yeah, he’s very protective.” Suddenly the gun didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
The man smiled and she noticed how white and straight his teeth seemed. “Well, we wouldn’t want him to get concerned.” He nodded. “We can cross now.”
Lauren started across the street. The man followed. At the other side he inclined his head.
“You have a good night, now.”
Lauren exhaled; relieved he was headed in the opposite direction. “You, too.”
The man turned and walked away. Lauren watched him for a few moments until he turned a corner and disappeared.
Lauren suddenly felt very tired and very alone.