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Both sides of thein the door featured privacy blinds If I peeled back this blind to peek, I would only see the back of the other blind--unless the chief peeled his back to peek at the same time that I did, in which case ould be eye to eye

My heart raced My ainst my teeth if I dared move it I was afraid to turn the knob because, as the chief felt it rotate under his hand, he would knohere I hile I would still not be entirely convinced about his location

At some point, when paralyzed by fear, you have to decide if it is better to move at any cost or to reo raving mad with terror Thus far, in such ain I made that choice

I turned the knob, thrust open the door, and entered the next classrooh annoyed with ifted with paranormal perception, it is often difficult to tell the difference between reliable intuition and the effects of an oversti and take co, for if it had been the entire adrenal gland, you would suddenly grow hair on your pal

A few steps into the new roo sound caused -ticking rose fro hallway to the back entrance, at first utterly alien, then fanized: the click of sharp claws on vinyl flooring as eager coyotes scra odd to eat

Shackett must have opened the back door and accidentally let them inside But if he had done so, why hadn’t he cried out in alared around him or why hadn’t he fired a shot to spook theh the joined rooms, the door ahead of me should open onto the short hall of the T, the entrance corridor Indeed, it did

Although it was not a noble thought, I hoped that the coyotes had torn the chief of police to pieces when they had co and not having heard the chief screa, I assumed my fond hope would not be fulfilled

As soon as I entered the short hall, I turned left and rushed to the enclosed flagstone ay between the annex and the church I slalanced back, I saw that the latch had not caught, that the door had rebounded, and that it still stood open

I was in the Hall of What Would Jesus Do, where I ran past a child’s drawing that I had not noticed duringlivestock from a veal farm

When I reached the entrance to the narthex, I looked back and saw coyotes leaping through the annex door into the enclosed ay, tails lashing with the delight of natural-born gourmands when they saw me

I took time to close the narthex door between ed

The front entrance to the church re theover which I had fled such a short while ago

Because the coyotes couldn’t have gotten into the Sunday-school annex on their own and because the chief hadn’t cried out in terror or in the agony of a bitten man, I considered the possibility that he had let them inside to assist in the search formore than only what they appeared to be were nonetheless coyotes, and evil police chiefs were still hus Predatory wild anis for their mutual enrich so This wouldn’t be the first ti and entered the sanctuary, even in ratulateand fast action When, in a moment, I departed the church by the sacristy door, the slavering coyotes would be roah the annex, confused and distracted, and I would have a clear track to the Mercedes parked in the street

In the sacristy, I crunched across the glass froain entrance Evidently, Hoss Shackett had been nearby at the time, had heard the noise, and had followed h the sahborhood, I did not know and did not need to know Curiosity + cats = road kill All thatbefore the chief sahat vehicle I was driving

I unlocked the sacristy door and went out into the fog, through which I could see hts at the previously dark rectory, on the farther side of the courtyard that was populated by bloodcurdling devotional statuary

Perhaps Reverend Charles Moran had been awakened by a poor parishioner who had noto burn in her potbellied stove, nor any e to feed the six orphaned nieces horaveyard, and noas preparing to rush off to bring her a selection of Lean Cuisine entrées and a case of Perrier

Whatever he was up to, I assured myself that it was none of my business, but then as I headed toward the street, I had a change of heart at the sight of yellow-eyed legions of coyotes appearing out of the fog as they rounded the corner of the bell tower As I could not return to the church and as the minister’s residence offered the nearest haven, I decided to ask if Reverend Moran needed a companion on his htened by the unorthodox sculpture and put off their stride, or maybe I found resources that I had never before tapped Instead of trying to keep up withtoward the front of the rectory with the intention of being there with bibs on when I arrived

Still a norant species on the planet, I changed course for the back of the house, which I hoped to reach before they realized what I had done

They continued to lope through the night in silence, which was not characteristic of their kind Usually, in the hunt, they issued ululant howls, eerie songs of death, that chilled the blood

Springing up the back-porch steps, I sensed that the silent predators had gotten wise to my trick and were in fierce competition to be the first to rip out the seat of my jeans

Certain that I had no time to knock and present ust of breath when it proved to be unlocked

FORTY-SIX

INSIDE THE RECTORY, AS I ENGAGED THE LOCK, I hoped the coyotes didn’t have a key I noted with relief, there was no pet door

Tidy, cheerful, the kitchen contained nothing that identified it as that of a clergynets that featured uplifting though not spiritual es One declared EVERY DAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF YOUR LIFE, which seemed to me to be an excuse to re unusual about that

Hoss Shackett ht have been on his way to see Reverend Moran when he heard me break the sacristyHe could show up here at any tied than usual, alarht even have decided that, after all, he had to kill theall that had happened since I had been taken into custody and how totally the chief’s plans had fallen apart, killing Reverend Moran no longer made any sense, if it ever had But that was the way of a sociopath like the chief: He could pass for norer could

Intending to locate the minister and warn hi I prowled swiftly room by room until I arrived at the half-open door of a study, off the entrance foyer, where I stopped when I recognized Charles Moran’s voice

The Lord is with us, Melanie

A wohed tenderly She had the kind ofCharlie, dear, the Lord is at all times with us Here

I don’t know that I should

Jesus hilasses, and after a hesitation, I pushed open the door and entered the study

Reverend Moran stood beside the desk, wearing chinos, a tan turtleneck, and a sports jacket He looked up fro Todd

I’m not here to harm you, I assured him

The woman with him was attractive but with a hairstyle twenty years behind the times

Mrs Moran? I asked, and she nodded, and I said, Don’t be afraid

To my surprise, Reverend Moran drew a pistol froreater surprise, he shot his wife dead

He turned the pistol on me In answer to my astonishested I pour a second

I noticed the brand name on the bottle: Lord Calvert

The Lord is with us, Melanie

Charlie, dear, the Lord is at all ti the drink, she would have pulled the pistol under her jacket and shot hteen years That’s why I could read her so well

Dead Look Dead Why?

The way this blew up, there’s not going to be enough money for both of us

But You Church Jesus

I’ll miss the church My flock

The bombs? You? Part of that?

Chief Hoss Shackett announced hi the flat of his hand so hard against the back of my head that I stumbled forward and fell too close to the dead woman

As I rolled onto my back and looked up, the chief loomed behind his mutant-pink-zucchini nose You kneas part of it, shithead That’s why you ca around

Earlier in the night, I had arrived at the church with the dog, out of that unusually dense fog that had been , that had seemed to me like a premonition of absolute destruction

On consideration, it olden retriever had been a kind of waking preht have found my way to a place that was associated with the truth behind that hideous vision

Shackett pointed his gun at , I said, I don’t feel cute

Reverend Moran said, Kill hi furniture, Shackett warned , I blow your face off

Face Off I hear you

Kill him, the minister repeated

You sucker-punched me before, Shackett said

I felt bad about that, sir

Shut up

Yes, sir

You see un?

Into squeeze a trigger?

Fraction of a second, sir

See that chair?

Yes, sir

If that chair moves?

Face Off

See that desk set?

I see it, sir

If that desk set ed

Thehis pistol

His hand itching

He wanted to waste onna talk

As I obeyed, Reverend Moran objected No talk