Page 114 of Demon and the Raven

Lorne and I remained quiet, letting him talk.

“This one,” it said, putting its hand over his heart, “was so very weak, there was no fight left in him. He’s a murderer, and without sleep, with nightmares plaguing him, relentlessly reminded of his sins, he unraveled fast. He was going to jump off that bridge in the middle of town when I slithered up and gave him a way out.”

“How is being possessed a way out?”

It smiled at Lorne. “He’s not alone anymore. At least not at the moment.”

Lorne nodded. “So he invited you in.”

“He did, and as I said, I needed to rest.”

Just as we’d suspected.

It cleared its throat then. “Now tell me, Chief MacBain, what is it you wish to discuss with me?”

“First, give me your name so I know whom I’m addressing.”

It stared at Lorne, sizing him up, thinking back, I was sure, on what it had seen of the chief of police over the last two weeks. Lorne had been faced with extraordinary events, and yet here he was, leaning on a car like he didn’t have a care in the world. I would think a demon would at least be curious about the man.

It took long minutes, but finally, the demon masquerading as Tanner Murphy shrugged. “Why not. I am Kamosh, and I’m older than the concept of time. Crossing me will send you swiftly to your grave.”

I had wondered how quickly the threats would come, and if they’d be original. Turned out, the answer was no. All evil had the same lines. When they spoke about themselves, it was always crossing me brings death. Fae, god, and now demon. Nearly identical. As though we, as humans, would simply lie down and let them take over the world without a fight. We weren’t made that way.

“I don’t want to cross you,” Lorne told him jovially. “I want to make a deal.”

“A deal for what?”

“No, I need to see Father Dennis first and to know what you’ve done to Allard Pace.”

“What makes you think I did anything to Pace?”

Lorne grinned. “You’re standing on his property, aren’t you? A property he decided to give to you, as I understand it. I highly doubt the man is alive and well.”

“You’re very clever,” the demon praised Lorne.

“Will you show me?”

Its eyes narrowed, but then he smiled before going back inside.

Lorne looked at me over his shoulder and then back at the mansion, just as the demon returned to the portico, carrying the lifeless body of Allard Pace.

“Here he is,” Kamosh told Lorne, tossing Pace off the balcony. The body fell hard onto the ground below, making a horrible crunching sound, blood seeping onto the bricks.

“Yeah, see,” Lorne said, gesturing at Pace, “that’s what I figured. He didn’t want to give up this property, but you gave him no choice.”

I was horrified. Seeing death was not normal for me. And though it had been for Lorne when he was a homicide detective, I knew because of the kind of man he was that it hurt every time. How he was with Kathy Hayes told me so. The fact that he didn’t react at all now meant he was committed to this facade.

“Absolutely right,” Kamosh agreed, dropping the forty feet to the ground onto stiff legs. Not a man at all, only a demon in a meat suit.

“Where is the priest?”

Kamosh turned toward the mansion, holding out his hand as though presenting, and said, “Here is your man,” as Father Dennis opened the front door and came striding out.

“Lorne,” he said shakily, jogging over to him.

“Are you all right, Father?”

“Yes, yes, I—” He cleared his throat quickly. “There was screaming before, but I—I wasn’t hurt.”