Warren finished off his brandy and set the glass down. 'Your brother found out,' he said, following Thorn. 'He went to Bugenhagen, desperate for advice. Bugenhagen told him how to kill the boy.’

Thorn banged his own drink down on the table and turned around to face Warren. 'My brother was ill,' he said icily. 'Mentally ill. His wife's death-‘

'- was caused by Damien!' Warren broke in. 'And all the other deaths… five inexplicable deaths. It's seemingly part of prophesies made in the Book of Revelation.' Warren knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but he had to go on, no matter how angry Thorn was. 'Bugenhagen—'

'Who was obviously insane,' Thorn interrupted.

Warren shook his head in frustration and fear. 'I know it all sounds insane...' he admitted.

'But you believe it,' Thorn said.

Warren pulled Bugenhagen's letter out of his pocket and tossed it on the table. ‘Here's the letter,' he said. 'Read it yourself.'

'No.'

'If Bugenhagen is right,' Warren insisted, 'we're all in danger. You, Ann, Mark—all of us. Remember what happened to Joan Hart- she knew.'

Thorn was adamant. 'I have no intention of reading the ravings of a senile old man,' he said.

'Richard,' Warren begged, 'I knew Bugenhagen. He wasn't senile. Haven't you had any suspicions? Hasn't anything strange-'

'No!' Thorn shouted.

Warren was afraid Thorn was going to hit him, but he persisted. 'Nothing the boy has said or done?' he said. 'Nothing that's happened?'

'I want you out of my house, Charles…'

‘There have been deaths among us, too.’

‘Get out!' Thorn said, shaking with rage.

But Warren couldn't stop. 'The signs are too clear, Richard,' he said. ‘The coincidences are too strong to be ignored. Read in the Bible—the Book of Revelation—it's all there! We have to follow this thing through to the end!’

'What end?' Thorn asked, amazed that he was even tolerating this discussion.

'Yigael's Wall,' said Warren, breathing heavily by now. 'Bugenhagen says in his letter that the Wall was the final thing that convinced him. It's on its way to New York. It'll be there any day now.'

'You've been grubbing around in the past too long,' said Thorn. 'You've become a religious maniac like your friend Joan Hart. I won't have any part of it. You go look at it!'

Warren looked at him for a long moment. He hadn't expected it to be easy, but neither had he thought it would end this way. He knew his relationship with Thorn might soon be over, but he had no choice but to go on. 'I will,' he said softly, and left, closing the door gently behind him.