Jon Merz - Vicarious

“No way.” Lauren shook her head. “I’m going to become a woman of the cloth, for crying out loud. I can’t very well go around packing a pistol.”

“Lauren, you’ve run into…something a few times now.”

So he wasn’t ready to completely embrace it, yet. She could see his belief wavering. “Well, I didn’t get the impression that bullets would have made one lick of difference, either.”

“Maybe not at that time. But I’m willing to bet our Soul Eater has to take the form of a man to stalk his victims.”

“You’re in a gambling mood tonight.”

“I’m tired of losing to the house.” He smiled again. “You want that gun?”

“No.” Lauren stood up. “If I’m going to do this, it will be without a gun. I have other things to rely on.”

Curran frowned. “Like what — God?”

“Yes.”

Curran shrugged. “I sure as hell hope he’s there for you better than he ever was for me.”

“Don’t speak like that.”

“Why? So what if he hears me? He did fail me. He failed Joey, too.”

“Maybe it wasn’t his failure so much as that of other people.”

“Bullcrap excuses.” Curran stood. “If you want to put you faith in God, so be it. I prefer more earthly tools to help keep me safe.” He gestured to the door. “I’ll drive you home.”

Lauren shook her head. “I can get there myself.”

“What if the Soul Eater’s out there waiting for you?”

“I don’t think he is. After all, didn’t you just bet he was after the evil people?”

“Sisters Mary and Donovan didn’t sound like they were Hitler-wanna-be’s.”

“No.” Lauren sighed. “I don’t understand that either.”

“Sure you won’t take the ride?”

She looked at him. Part of her wanted to jump into his car and feel safe while he drove her home. But she knew that safety would only last as long as the car ride. Soon enough she’d be alone again. And if the Soul Eater wanted her, she’d have to confront him one way or another.

With or without Curran.

“I’m fine,” she said finally. Together they walked outside. Back into the cold night. She shivered instinctively. This time of year it felt as if the Soul Eater could reach out and touch everything around them.

Curran touched her on the shoulder and she jumped slightly. “Last chance for a ride.”

Lauren turned up the collar on her coat. “I’ll call you in the morning. Good night, Steve.”

“Good night.”

Lauren walked down Commonwealth Avenue. Cars zipped by. A subway car meandered down the tracks toward Cleveland Circle. Lauren hurried to the train stop to catch it.

A red light aided her and she hopped on the train. The car was mostly empty with just a few passengers scattered about. A young couple tucked into each other, cuddling for warmth at one end of the car. An elderly woman with five shopping bags scattered by her feet sat midway down the car. And a man about Curran’s age sat at the front of the car. He stared straight ahead.

Lauren sat down across from him.

Without thinking, Lauren reached for the small silver cross around her neck. Curran’s offer of a gun seemed done in good faith, but Lauren’s faith rested with God.

He’ll protect me, she thought. He already had tonight in the midst of death and destruction at Sister Donovan’s house.

But why had the Soul Eater killed two nuns? What purpose did it serve? And why hadn’t God been able to protect them?

Lauren sighed. Maybe Curran had a right to be mad at God. Lauren could have just as easily found the same reasons to be mad at God, but she chose not to. How come Steve couldn’t get over what had happened?

And would he ever get over it?

Her stop came faster than she thought it would. She got off across from the Russian pharmacy with its Cyrillic writing scrawled across the top of it and walked down Rosewood Street toward the apartment building.

Behind her, she heard the doors of the train swing shut with a hiss. More cars sped past her and she waited at the stoplight to cross.

“Cold night, huh?”

She jumped at the voice and turned. The man from the train. About the same age as Curran. He must have gotten off after her.

And she hadn’t noticed.

“Sure is.” She tried to smile and disengage him at the same time.

“You live nearby?”

“I’m visiting a friend, actually.” Now would be a good time for the light to change, she thought. “I’m already late as it is. If I don’t get there soon, he’ll probably send the police looking for me.”

He chuckled. “One of those, huh?”

“Yeah, he’s very protective.” Suddenly the gun didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

The man smiled and she noticed how white and straight his teeth seemed. “Well, we wouldn’t want him to get concerned.” He nodded. “We can cross now.”

Lauren started across the street. The man followed. At the other side he inclined his head.

“You have a good night, now.”

Lauren exhaled; relieved he was headed in the opposite direction. “You, too.”

The man turned and walked away. Lauren watched him for a few moments until he turned a corner and disappeared.

Lauren suddenly felt very tired and very alone.

Curran stared at the mass of records and files sprawled across his already messy desk. Before him were arrayed the worst that Boston could offer up in terms of real scum. The case histories that he’d spent the morning reading would jar even the most-rooted individual. Pedophilia, serial rapists, murderers, child abusers, racists, and more all lay on the desk.

Curran looked at the yellow notepad next to him. He’d listed each criminal and their present whereabouts. He went down the list and crossed off anyone in prison. It seemed unlikely that the Soul Eater would resort to trying to get to someone behind bars.

Four other criminals were out of state. Curran crossed them off as well. For some reason, this guy had chosen to hunt in Massachusetts. He must have somehow known that his prey would be here.

The list dwindled down to just five. Curran looked at their rap sheets and tried to put them order of which he considered the most evil. When he’d come up with the next likely candidate for execution by the Soul Eater, he sat back and sighed.

Was this just a shot in the dark? If he’d applied this same formula earlier, would he have been able to predict that Fields or Simpson would have been the next target?

He frowned and reached for his coffee. No one ever said it would be easy.

A glance at the clock told him Lauren would most likely be out researching some more. This case was getting stranger by the minute, given that Lauren had insisted there were two corpses in Brighton last night.

But there weren’t any bodies.

Had she imagined it? Was the case beginning to fry her brain and make her think things were happening that weren’t? Curran had seen it happen to hardened vets of the force. Sometimes the cases got inside your head and messed about with your wiring. Before you knew it, you’d swear you saw purple elephants dancing across the street.

Now I’m just making excuses.

He grinned to himself. If there was ever anyone who could call him on his own insecurities, it was himself.

The fact is, Steve boy, you just don’t want to admit that any of this has a supernatural bent to it. Missing bodies only enhances the fact that something otherworldly might be at work in your town.

Yeah.

That was it.

And the fact that you’ve got a thing for Lauren.

He sighed and downed the rest of his coffee. Okay, time to shut up the inner monologue. He called down to Kwon’s office. His friend answered on the third ring.