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Pinn did not adore hier at the priest: "You hteous son of a bitch"

Evidently Father Toeous verbal assault without response

As he paced, Pinn chopped at the air with the sharp edge of one hand, as though struggling--with considerable frustration--to sculpt his words into a truth that the priest could understand "We’re not taking anyto threaten to kick your teeth outit Never liked to dance, you know, but I’d sure like to dance on your stupid face But no threats like before, no, not this ti to threaten to send them after you, because I think that would actually appeal to you Father Eliot thefor God Oh, you’d like that--wouldn’t you?--being asuch a rotten death without complaint"

Father Tom stood with his head bowed, his eyes downcast, his ar patiently for this storm to pass

The priest’s passivity inflaht hand and pounded it into the palm of his left, as if he needed to hear the hard snap of flesh on flesh, and now his voice was as rich with scorn as with fury "You’d wake up soht, and they’d be all over you, or maybe they’d take you by surprise in the bell tower or in the sacristy when you’re kneeling at the prie-dieu, and you’d surrender yourself to the in the pain, suffering for your God--that’s the way you’d see it--suffering for your dead God, suffering your way straight into Heaven You dumb bastard You hopeless retard You’d even pray for them, pray your heart out for them as they tore you to pieces Wouldn’t you, priest?"

To all of this, the chubby priest responded with lowered eyes andmy own silence required effort I had questions for Jesse Pinn Lots of questions

Here, however, there was no crematory fire to which I could hold his feet to force answers out of hi and looainst you, priest No point to it Just gives you a thrill to think of suffering for the Lord So this is what’ll happen if you don’t stay out of our e’ll waste your sister Pretty Laura"

Father Tom raised his head and

"I’ll kill her un"

He withdrew a pistol from inside his suit coat, evidently froht, I could see that the barrel was unusually long

Defensively, I put my hand into o," said the priest

"We’ll never let her go She’s too…interesting Fact is," Pinn said, "before I kill Laura, I’ll rape her She’s still a good-looking woe"

Laura Eliot, who had been a friend and colleague of h I hadn’t seen her in a year, her face came readily to o when Ashdon eliminated her position Dad and I had received a letter from Laura, and we’d been disappointed that she hadn’t coood-bye in person Evidently that was a cover story and she was still in the area, being held against her will

Finding his voice at last, Father Tom said, "God help you"

"I don’t need help," Pinn said "When I jaer, I’ll tell her that her brother says he’ll see her soon, see her soon in Hell, and then I’ll blow her brains out"

"God help ly

Father Tom didn’t answer

"Did you say, ‘God help me’?" Pinn taunted "‘God help me’? Not very damn likely After all, you aren’t one of His anymore, are you?"

This curious stateainst the wall and cover his face with his hands He ; I couldn’t be sure

"Picture your lovely sister’s face," said Pinn "Now picture her bone structure twisting, distorting, and the top of her skull blowing out"

He fired the pistol at the ceiling The barrel was long because it was fitted with a sound suppressor, and instead of a loud report, there was nothing but a noise like a fist hitting a pillow

In the sa, the bullet struck the rectangular metal shade of the lamp suspended directly above the mortician The fluorescent tube didn’t shatter, but the laht like a harvesting scythe cut bright arcs through the rooh Pinn himself did not at first move, his scarecrow shadow leaped at other shadows that flapped like blackbirds Then he holstered the pistol under his coat

As the chains of the swinging light fixture torqued, the links twisted against one another with enough friction to cause an eerie ringing, as if lizard-eyed altar boys in blood-soaked cassocks and surplices were ringing the unmelodious bells of a satanicshadows seemed to excite Jesse Pinn An inhuman cry issued from him, primitive and psychotic, a caterwaul of the sort that so about the species of origin As that spittle-rich sound sprayed from his lips, he hammered his fists into the priest’sout froel, I tried to draw the Glock, but it caught on the lining of my jacket pocket

As Father Tom doubled over froainst the back of the priest’s neck

Father Tom dropped to the floor, and I finally ripped the pistol out of my pocket

Pinn kicked the priest in the ribs

I raised the Glock, ai As the mortal red dot appeared between his shoulder blades, I was about to say enough, but the mortician relented and stepped away from the priest

I kept my silence, but to Father Tom, Pinn said, "If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the probleet the hell out of the way"