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Jared’s smal smile faded "Feel like a trip to Woonsocket?"

Bex helped us load the Escalade with our belongings, and then waved goodbye, peeling out on his motorcycle to head ho the twenty- the incredible suhway I all owed it to distract me while Jared silently prepared questions for Father Francis Poring over the sa what to look for, had to be frustrating I reached my hand across the console, and almost instinctual y, Jared covered my hand with his

Stil beautiful, he wore the stress and worry of the years since we’d met only in his eyes He seemed tired, and desperate, but deterht it to his lips, then reached over to rest his hand on my stomach He see about this all wrong," I said

"I’ book? It’s too late to stop the prophecy What you’re looking for is a way to get Heaven on our side, right?"

"That’s correct"

"You aren’t going to find answers about Heaven in a book about Hel "

Jared eyes flitted about for aed my words with a nod I covered his hand with hts

We passed the rocky wal that welcomed us to Woonsocket, and then made our way to St Ann’s Yel ow tape surrounded the church The glass from the once exquisitely stained s had been removed, and the holes that remained were covered with boards and plastic tarp

Jared parked, and we clied on one set of doors, but they were locked He tried two others, but they were locked as wel

The tarp blew in the su The town seemed otherwise quiet

Jared turned and noticed a passerby "Excuse me," he said "Is the church closed?"

The ed "Father Francis has kept it locked He hadn’t been actin’ right since the explosion" He walked away

An explosion Shax and hisourlike a war zone Soer the boo industrial hub it used to be The coant adornlass was now preoccupied with a recession and modern priorities

We walked to a side door, and Jared gave it a light tug It caught again "I don’t want to leave without speaking to him, and I don’t want to break in," he said

"Cal him"

Just as we stepped ae heard a familiar voice

"Wait!" Father Francis cal ed, walking briskly from the back of the church "I’ to control his labored breath

"I’ It used to be the school, you know" His face dropped "I’m ashamed to say I feel safer there, now"

Jared cupped the priest’s shoulder "I understand, Father Sos you can’t un-see"

Father Francis nodded, and then gestured for us to fol ow hi patiently for him to climb the steps into the side door of St Ann’s

It was cold and drafty The wooden pews anddwel ed within the wal s, and I could see why the priest didn’t want to be alone there

The faces of the angels and saints in the paintings looked down on us I couldn’t help but think they see for solory "Father," I began, pulling ht this hardship on you Let ures onto a check

Father Francis’ eyes softened as he took the paper into his hands "Thank you, my child We need thisShax’s book from under his arm

The priest’s eyes widened and he i his head "Oh, no! No, no, no Youinmore like panicked whispers I looked around the room, but ere alone Just us and the hundreds of people in the paintings on the wal s and ceilings

I looked up In a scene in which God had cast out the rebel ious angels, the artist had drawn the out of the painting--out of the ceiling I looked at anotherNavy sailors drifting helplessly in a stor out to St Mary In a moment of what had to be confusion, I could hear their panicked cries I could hear theht of the book that brought their hoht, and gripped my ears Their cries became so loud I couldn’t hear individual voices, only their frenzied, col ective panic

Jared’s fingers touched my arm "Nina?"

At once, it all stopped I openedthat popped into , however "It gets too loud for me sometimes, too"

I peered around to the different faces in the paintings, unsettled

The priest looked to the book, and then to Jared "You can’t have that, here"

"I stil need your help, Father"

"I’ve given all I can give"

Jared shook his head "I can’t accept that, I’m sorry"

Father Francis left for the back of the church Jared pul ed me to fol ow We kept a quick pace all the way to his quarters, where he immediately made himself a drink He threw it back, and thenthe lass

The priest closed his eyes and lifted his chin, taking in another gulp of the alass dropped froer shards made their way to my feet, and I stared at the up at hi the book back soon"

His eyebrows furrowed "To the Sepulchre?"

"Yes," I said, reaching out to him I touched his arm, and he placed a hand on mine

"You won’t make it," he said sadly

Jared shifted in frustration "Let’s deal with the issue at hand, shal we? I just ask that you sit doith me one last time to try to find another way

Surely our only option isn’t to just wait until the baby is born and hope Heaven steps in"

The priest shook his head dis"

"Just one more time Please," Jared said "Before I take my wife and unborn child to Jerusalem, I have to know I had no other choice"