“Let him go! Merrick, he killed Aunt Queen. I loathe and despise him! I hate him! I hate myself that I ever nourished him and fostered him! He’s betrayed the womb we shared!”

She nodded to this.

The tears rose up in my eyes. I took out my handkerchief, but I had half a mind to let them flow. I was with the two people in the world who wouldn’t be stunned by the sight of them.

“So how do we get rid of him?” I asked. “How do we get him out of the Earthly Realm?”

“I’ll tell you,” Merrick responded. “But first let me ask. When we arrived tonight, I saw a very old cemetery down by the swamp. Lestat said it belonged to you. He said you’d seen spirits there.”

“Yes,” I replied. “Dumb spirits, spirits that give you nothing.” I wiped at my eyes. I felt a little more calm.

“But there are two or three raised tombs there, maybe three feet high.”

“There’s one that’s about that height. The letters are all worn away.”

“It’s broad? Long?”

“Both. A rectangle.”

“That’s good. I want you to lay out wood and coal for a big fire on that tomb. You need plenty of fuel. The fire has to burn really hot and for some time. Then throughout the rest of the cemetery, I want candles. Candles on every grave. You know the kind of candles I mean, thick church candles.” (I nodded.) “I’ll light the candles. I’ll light the fire. Just have these things ready for me. You can have your people do this part if you like, it’s not important who does it.”

“But surely you don’t want them around,” said Lestat.

“No, I don’t. They have to go away from Blackwood Farm. Everybody.”

“What do I tell them?” I asked.

“Tell them the truth,” said Merrick. “Tell them that we are holding an exorcism to get rid of Goblin. The ritual is a dangerous one. Goblin in his fury might try to hurt anyone.”

“Of course,” I said. “But there’s one problem. Patsy. Patsy is the only one who might not go.”

“Patsy herself has given you the key to her character,” said Lestat. “Here.” He reached into his pocket and he took out a gold money clip bulging with thousand-dollar bills. “Give her this. Send her with her nurse to a fine hotel in New Orleans.”

“Of course,” I said again.

“Big Ramona will see that she goes,” said Merrick. “You yourself see that everyone else is gone, and sending them to the Windsor Court or the Ritz-Carlton Hotel is a fine idea. I’m sorry I didn’t think of it.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I said. “But tell me—the actual exorcism. How are you going to do it?”