Robert Walker - Cutting edge

Randy glared at Lucas. “I don't want her in harm's way.”

“She won't be, and neither are you.”

Randy rolled his eyes and whispered, “The hell I'm not. I've been threatened twice with no less than my life.”

“I figured as much.”

“You're too clever for your own good. Detective.”

“You needn't call me that.”

“It's for her sake.” He pointed with his upturned head.

“I want you to access Captain Phillip Lawrence's computer files, see if he's clear of this mess or not.”

“Are you crazy? Hack into the captain's files?”

“Just do it.”

“Look, come here…” he replied, going to his computer console and handing Lucas a printout. “Read this.”

Lucas stared down at a list of some three hundred people whose religious preferences were classified along the lines of hard-core spiritualism, witchcraft, demonology and vampirology. There were more than just names there; there were social security numbers, ages, occupations, as well as the whereabouts of each person appearing on the list. “The Vampire List?”

“That's it, and I've had a visit from the FBI.”

“Agents Bullock and Price? They're in the city? When did you have contact with them?”

'They warned me to stay out of it in no uncertain terms.”

“But they didn't confiscate your findings?” He hefted the list again.

“That's a copy. They got the original, and they warned me that if I ever accessed FBI files again, they would prosecute hell out of me.”

“I see.”

Lucas wondered anew about the two agents, pretending friendship and cooperation in South Dakota, now this. Were they to be trusted? Should he call Meredyth, get her over here? Should they brainstorm this thing here and now? 'Take Darlene home. I'm going to contact Meredyth Sanger, get her over here, and we're going to put our heads together.”

“Fine, fine, but I'll be damned if I'm going to do any hacking inside the HPD Net for you two. I've already got the damned FBI upset with me, Lucas.”

Lucas stared at Randy Oglesby's bright blue eyes and boyish features, doubting that Randy could ever or would ever look old or sinister or capable of anything but honesty and forthrightness, yet he daily indulged in an electronic dishonesty in his work, or at least he had since Lucas had known him, since Dr. Sanger had entrusted her secrets about the case to him. Again, Lucas wondered if Randy could be trusted, if he had been gotten to, not only by the FBI, but by forces closer at hand.

“I'll call Dr. Sanger. You come right back. We have more work to do. It's imperative we take these final steps, Randy.

“Randy frowned, nodded and took Darlene by the arm. “I'll be half an hour.

“Lucas immediately telephoned Meredyth, telling her to meet him at Randy's apartment.

“What's up?” she asked.

“Not over the phone. Just get here as quickly as you can.”

“I have an evening planned, Lucas.”

'Tell Conrad it's an emergency, tell him you've got a wigged-out cop on your hands, tell him anything.”

“Damn,” she muttered. 'This better be good, Lucas.”

“I can't promise you anything, but I have a direction.”

“Well, now, that would be novel.” Her sarcasm was more biting than she'd meant it to be. “Sorry, I'm just so frustrated.”

“With the case or with Conrad?” he joked.

She fumed at the other end. He could feel it. “I'll see you there as soon as possible.”

She hung up, and Lucas stared at the phone a moment before returning it to its cradle. He wondered what direction he was talking about and why he felt so strongly that he must see Meredyth tonight.

“It's not over,” Lucas told Meredyth and Randy when they had all assembled. “The priest did not act alone.”

Randy exchanged a disturbed look with Meredyth. “You think the same way?”

Meredyth slowly nodded.

Randy swore under his breath and started pacing. “The man was a lunatic.”

“Agreed.”

“He had a Messiah complex.”

“Agreed.”

“He thought he could hideously destroy people, whole families, and that his actions would be rewarded by God.”

“Agreed.”

“In the man's mad rantings, he calls himself Helsinger and Questor I, doesn't he?”

“Agreed.”

“But that's not enough for you two?”

“Agreed.”

“Damn… damn,” muttered Randy as he paced, nervously biting at his nails. “I've got something to show you, something I was afraid to show anyone, still am,” he qualified, going for his desk, tearing open a bottom drawer, rummaging there and coming out with a sheet of computer paper.

Meredyth looked over Lucas's shoulder. “What is it?” Lucas stared at the bulletin board message he held in his hand while Randy explained, saying, “I located that just after you two went off to South Dakota, but I didn't know what to make of it until I heard about your being ambushed there.”

With Meredyth looking over his shoulder, Lucas read the veiled threat on their lives.

764LTl: \C42119\Category42… Topic 49LOG… Message 440… Sat-July 30-1996…2:10:21

Questor 1… Helsinger's Pit…

Q1: There is a further threat. A new enemy has risen in perdition this realm. These are two enforcer demons — male and female. They must be stopped. Do all necessary to protect the brothers and sisters and children of Helsinger. Reply this board after evil is wiped out. God's speed to you Questor 1

END TRANSMISSION Category 42, Topic49LOG…2:13:26

Category 42…. Topic 49LOG…Message 441… Sat. July 30, 1996…3:55:05

Questor 2…. from the Pit….

Q2: Understood-will take care of perdition's problem.

END TRANSMISSION. Category 42, Topic 49LOG…3:57:01

Category 42…. Topic 49LOG…. Message 442 Sun-July 31, 1996 -8:10

Questor 1….

Time to take out all threats-Set trap and exterminate the mice. No more fun and games. Eliminate the leaders of our enemy. See message drop new station.

END FINAL TRANSMISSION. THIS EMAIL.

“Good Lord,” Meredyth said with a gasp. “It's an electronically ordered hit.”

Lucas agreed. “And we were-probably still are-the targets.” He turned back to Randy and asked, “How did you come by it?”

“Surfing the Net; purely accidentally, I assure you. When Aguilar and his goons were killed, I figured it was over, so I put it aside. I'd planned to talk to Meredyth about it when… when things settled a bit.”

“How did you come by it?” he repeated.

“Like I said, damn it. I was plugging into any Helsinger Pit activity, not expecting to find anything.”

Lucas badgered, repeating his words. “Not expecting to find anything?”

“The Net is jammed full with such trash, but as it happens, nobody's really playing that particular gloom and doom game anymore, except maybe Aguilar and his friends.”

“It's not over, kid, just because you want it to be,” replied Lucas, staring a hole in Randy. “It doesn't work that way.”

Meredyth snatched at Lucas's arm, saying, 'Take it easy, Lucas.”

Lucas pulled away, while Randy, taking offense, shouted,

“Hey, I'm nobody's fool, Lucas! I know this much: Any damned ranting lunatic nowadays who has access to a computer can and will set up his own vigilante committee, just as Aguilar set up his own little electronic shrine to declare himself the vanguard of a war against Satan-the authority, the one fount of truth, the goddamned cyberspace church, where all his followers and converts either kneel before him or die. And you know who Satan was to this guy, Lucas? You, Redskin, you and Dr. Sanger and me… yeah, me…”

Randy fell into an overstuffed chair, throw pillows flying.