“Of course you can stay. We’ll find you some clean clothes and get you a bath and a good haircut, and then I’ll help you find your family.”
The joy that flooded Roger’s expression was almost more than Paul could take. He pulled Roger close and hugged him.
Roger tried to back away. “I’m so filthy, Pastor. Let me get cleaned up before you touch me.”
Paul smiled. “No. I’m not hugging you to be nice, I’m just so happy. I’m so glad you’ve found God’s love. I’ve been dirty a few times in my life, so I’m not afraid.”
Roger let Paul hug him again.
They talked about Roger’s future for a bit, then Roger thanked Paul for speaking of LaToya and Juanita. “You know, I overheard someone in the breakfast line talking about all that gasoline being hauled into LaToya’s old hangout. I think whoever did it dressed up like he’s homeless. He just walked right in with a baggy coat.” Roger looked over at the knot of men and women.
“Do you remember who said it?” Paul asked, studying the crowd.
“No, I never look left or right. Least I never did before. It was just talking. But no one left today like some days. You could ask around.”
“I will. Thank you. Maybe someone here is a witness.”
Rosita came up and asked Roger if he was ready to get settled.
“Where’s Murray today, Rosie? I thought he was going to preach.”
“I don’t know, Pastor P. But I’m glad you came. I wasn’t in the mood for him. And Louie was supposed to show up. He hasn’t gotten his hours in this week. If his parole officer calls, he could be in trouble. This place doesn’t run as well when you’re not around.”
“What about Buddy?”
“He’s been comin’ and goin’ a lot lately.” Rosita was suddenly very earnest. “You know he likes the roof over his head and the food in his belly, but he’s never really come all the way with us, Pastor. I’m afraid we’re going to lose him back to the streets.”
“I don’t want to judge him, Rosita. We can’t know what’s in his heart.” Frowning, Paul said, “We just have to keep praying for him.”
Roger went with Rosita to find some clean clothes in the mission storeroom.
The crowd was slower to disperse than most days. They talked quietly on one side of the room, and Paul and Keren had a chance to visit alone.
“You spoke so beautifully, Paul. It almost broke my heart to listen to you comfort these folks. They’re all concerned for LaToya and saddened by Juanita’s death. It was a wonderful choice to talk about them.”
“I didn’t choose it. It’s not what I planned to say this morning. I was thinking about Roger and trying to get him to see how God can come to anyone anywhere.”
“That’s the message he needed to hear exactly. It’s the message everyone needed, including me.”
“Roger just told me there was talk in the crowd today about the bombs. We need to see if anyone here knows about it.”
“Okay, we can—” Keren stopped talking and whirled to face the group of people near the door. She froze only for a moment, then she charged toward the crowd. She began moving quickly through the tight bunch. Paul was a little slow to react, but then he was right after her. He didn’t know what she was doing, but he knew it was important.
“Did someone just come in?” Keren asked. “Did another man come through that door?”
The homeless folks looked around. Paul could see they wanted to help her. But none of them had noticed if their number had grown by one.
Keren seemed to draw into herself, concentrating on something. Then she pushed on through the crowd and went outside. When Paul got to her, she was looking up and down the sidewalk.
“He was here.” Keren turned in a circle, totally focused on the area around her.
“Who?” Paul looked for anyone slipping down an alley or crouching behind cover.
“Pravus.”
“Pravus was here?” Paul turned to her. “How do you know? Did you recognize his voice?”
“No, I felt him.”
Paul stared in astonishment at Keren. “Are you sure?”
Keren turned to him and snapped, “Of course I’m sure. Why would I say such a thing if it wasn’t true?”
Paul nearly shouted. “But that’s great. If you can sense the demonic presence, then maybe you can find him from a distance. Concentrate. Maybe we can figure out which way he went.”
Keren slammed her fists onto her hips and glared at him. “Don’t you think I’m trying?”
Paul fell silent. She was right. He was only distracting her. He waited and watched and prayed.
Finally, Keren shook her head in disgust. “Nothing.” With a sudden burst of impatience she growled, “Why did God give me that moment of recognition if He wasn’t going to let me catch him? What’s the point?”
Paul turned to her and smiled right into her fire-breathing face. “Don’t you dare question the ways of God, missy.”
“Missy?” Keren said with a dangerous gleam in her eyes.
Paul laughed. “I saw what you did in there for Roger. Whatever God just revealed to you must be exactly what you need.”
Keren relaxed and took a deep breath. “Yeah, okay sure. You’re right. I know it. But it doesn’t make any sense.”
Paul knew Pravus was out there, watching. No sense letting the lunatic know Keren mattered personally to Paul. But his eyes locked with Keren’s and she quit talking. So what he was feeling, the thrill of what he’d seen her do for Roger, must have shown in his face.
“Let’s go back in the mission and find out who might have seen a homeless man around that crack house. Maybe we can get a description.”
“The mayor has called for a task force and there’s a meeting today. Then we need to finish looking at the files.”
Paul’s heart sped up. “Maybe we’re going about the files all wrong. Maybe you could sense evil in a file.”
“I’ve never been able to do such a thing before,” Keren said.
“Yeah, but this guy is broadcasting on a real powerful frequency. It could work. Let’s swing by the frog pond while we’re on our way. And I had another idea. Let’s see if we can get surveillance, just for tonight, since tonight is when he’s most likely to strike, on as many ponds and reptile houses as possible. How about the Lincoln Park Zoo?”
“That’s a little far north. He seems to be working in this area.”
“Yeah, but his stunt with that bloody pond was a cry for attention. And you managed to tone it down so the press didn’t even mention it. He might go outside the area if he thought it would get him the spotlight he craves.”
“I can ask about Lincoln Park.”
Paul began shepherding her back into the mission. “I know Chicago PD, they’re all dying to stop this nut before he makes a career out of attacking this city. We could probably get a boatload of officers to volunteer—maybe they’d even forego overtime.”
“Okay, we can try.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them.
Pravus packed them carefully, almost sad to say good-bye to his second plague. He dressed LaToya in the shroud with care, took a long, loving look at the painting he’d created, then he hoisted her still form into his car trunk and waited for darkness.
She hadn’t moved for hours now. He had been boiling with rage when his explosion didn’t happen and the reverend wasn’t able to get them to let his people go. The beast within him drove him to his most exquisite creation yet and he’d needed everything LaToya could give to make it perfect.
He had an odd moment of wondering when the beast had first come—when the voice had first spoken and given him strength. At first, the beast had the voice of his father. But it was different now. It had become a snarling, wolfish howl.