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"Noe can talk, Hannan If we keep our voices at this level these other men won’t hear us The stea this, should ye be equipped with some new device I’m unable to detect"

"I’m not"

"Ah, well, I’m sure I can take ye at your word"

The sarcasm was razor-sharp, and ca frouessed, was the point of the steam bath; it drew out yesterday’s poison and made room for today’s

And roohtly different scent, one of alcohol not yet processed by that bulky body So he’d had a drink to start the day Some sort of whiskey, by the s man’s weakness

"Now I’ll talk," O’Herlihy said, in a cloud of whiskey breath "And ye’ll listen If ye’d called six o with the sa up on ye, and taken no calls from ye afterward Do ye knohy?"

Keller shook his head

"Because I’m not queer," he said, "and there’s women who’d swear to it There’s a wo Harbor and other parishes, and I’d still see her after I ith the Thessalonians Not as often, as I was older and felt the heat less, and she’s along in years herself, but still has her charay boy yourself, are ye not?"

"No, I--"

"Of course ye are, and fixing to blao the press’d pay no mind to ye They’d have heard rumors of this woman of mine, and one or two others who needn’t concern you, and they’d dismiss your dirty talk out of hand But now I’ else they’d have to refute your bloody words, and she’d get dragged into it, and I won’t have that Do ye follow me, lad?"

"Father, I must haveto squeeze money out of ht--Father, I have these memories, but they can’t be true, can they?"

There was a pause The door to the steam room opened A ht be soly "There was another priest in the same parish, as thin as I was stout, and as dark as I was fair Father Peter Mullane was his name, and he had a weakness for boys, and--"

"Father Peter," Keller said, glad for a straw to grasp at

"You recall hiotten him completely, but as soon as you said his name I could picture him Very slender, and dark-haired, and--God, I can see his face now!"

"Well, ye needn’t start searching for him The poor man’s twenty years dead And didn’t he take his own life? Whatever grief he caused ye, he’s paying for itin hell for all of eternity, if ye believe the shite we taught ye"

Scotch, Keller thought, getting the strongest whiff yet of the man’s breath He said, "Father, I don’t knohat to say I made a terrible mistake"

"Ye did, but at least spare h "Well, they’ll get my testimony, the bastards, and there’ll be some misfortunate men in New Jersey, but it can’t be helped" He snorted, and then see beside hio now, and we needn’t set eyes on one another again"

Keller glanced at his wrist, where the garrote reposed, ready to be uncoiled and put to work In a hot steaainst a man twice his size who’d yank it out of his hands and lash hiht

Seventeen

I felt like a worroveling"

"That’s not how I picture you, Keller Did you go to Catholic school?"

"No I was in a Boy Scout troop that met in the parish hall of a Catholic church, but the scouty"

"So he just wore one of those silly little soldier suits"

"It was a Boy Scout uniforuess it ious aspect that got to me He just plain assuuess he’s used to it"

"Yesterday I thoughtto do with it, but this tiuy eating out yesterday’s Scotch and he already had a good start on today’s His nose is red and his face is full of broken blood vessels It’s a shame the client can’t wait for cirrhosis to take hiet paid for cirrhosis," she said, "and the client can’t wait, not if he’s made up his mind to testify But I have to say I don’t kno the hell you’re gonna get to hi with you, is there?"