“Hello, beautiful. Seen the paper today?”

44

I BOLT UPRIGHT. Damian’s voice stirs up memories of the conversation in the director’s office about him. My reaction to Knoll asking about a “partner” makes me blush when I hear his voice. “Where are you?”

“Too far away for a cuddle, if that’s what you’re asking for.”

“Go to hell. Where are you?” Still holding the phone, I get out of bed and grab my mobile off the desk.

“Why do you care so much all of a sudden?”

“Because you’re our number one suspect after that with Faceplaced stunt you pulled.” I try to keep the conversation going as I send a text message to Knoll and the ops dispatcher in Quantico.

Damian Knight on my hotel phone. Can u trace? Room 2032.

“Can’t a citizen help out law enforcement without being made a suspect?”

“Not when they’re you,” I reply.

“I see that we were too late for that poor girl in Times Square.”

We haven’t released information about the girl we think we saved, so I keep my mouth shut.

Damian senses my hesitation. “Ah . . . I’m glad to see my money wasn’t totally wasted. He knows you’re getting close now. You probably came within just minutes of catching him. Better to save the girl first . . . I suppose.”

“How do I know this whole thing is not one of your stupid games?”

There’s a long pause. “Me? Murder is too boring. And, you know, morally wrong. I do have my version of morals. I’m also not the type that likes the attention. This Warlock, well, we all know he’s got a god complex. But gods do hate it when mortals mess with their plans.”

I speak calmly. “Damian, how can I know it’s not you?”

I have to be objective about this. Despite my gut feelings, Damian is clearly the most suspicious person in this whole thing. My stomach feels queasy at the thought that he might be playing me along, deceiving me again. That he could be a cold-blooded serial killer is too much to handle.

I regain my calm. “Damian. You’ve lied before. There’s no reason to trust you. No reason for me to trust you.”

“Are we still on that? Fine. Before I hang up I’ll give you all the proof you need. Of course, I think you’re probably already working on that. To be honest, I called this number because I was sure they’d be tapping it. Transparency, eh?”

Tapping my phone? I catch a glimpse of my naked body in the mirror and suddenly feel vulnerable. Would they bug my phone? Of course they did. I would.

If Damian is our only person of interest and Chisholm could tell I was being evasive, why not? They know it’s only a matter of time before Damian calls me again. And now here he is on the other end of the line.

“Why are you calling?” I ask.

“A few reasons. I had an interesting chat with a man from Tulsa who brought up some curious things. A churchgoing man, he saw the news on a bar television and all of a sudden felt the urge to get good with the Lord. He ran to the nearest church. I tried to tell him nobody is home. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but late-night masses are starting to fill up everywhere. Who knows what tomorrow’s going to look like. This angel killing stunt is darkly brilliant. This country is experiencing a religious revival because of the Warlock.”