Divine Evil

obstacle.”
    “I'd imagine a cult would be lousy with politics.”
    “Probably.” He let out a long breath. Did one campaign for the job of high priest? he wondered. Gather votes by kissing babies and slapping palms? Jesus. “There's too much I don't know. I've got a line on a couple of people back in D.C. who'll talk to me. You know there are cops who specialize in this sort of thing?”
    “We don't need a story.”
    “You've got one,” Blair shot back. “But if you think I'm into this because of some fucking byline—”
    “Sorry.” Cam held up a hand, palm out, then used it to soothe the headache brewing behind his eyes. “Knee-jerk. It's my town, goddammit.”
    “Mine, too.” Blair managed what passed for a smile. “I didn't realize how much it was still my town until this. I want to talk to Lisa MacDonald, Cam. Then I'll do what I can from here. But before long I'm going to have to go back to D.C, do some legwork on this.”
    “All right.” He had to trust someone. In the town he thought he knew so well, he was afraid there was no one else to trust. “I'll call her and clear it. Be easy with her. She's still fragile.”
    “She'd be dead if it wasn't for Clare.” Carefully, a little too carefully, he set down his coffee. “I'm scared for her, Cam, I'm scared real deep. If this Ernie character belongs to a cult and he's obsessed with her—”
    “He won't get near her.” The soft, controlled statement was in direct opposition with the heat in Cam's eyes. Count on it.
    “I am counting on it.” Pushing the mug aside, he leaned closer. “She's the most important person in my life, and I'm trusting her to you after I go. By God, you'd better take care of her.”
    * * *
    Ernie's fingers trembled as he held the slip of paper. He had found it in the visor of his truck at the end of his shift at the Amoco. At last it was coming together.
    The risk he'd taken out at Dopper's farm, the ugly sickness and revulsion he suffered after he'd butchered the black calves had all been worth it. He would be joining them.
May 31, 10:00. South end of Dopper's Woods. Come alone.
    Tonight, was all he could think. Tonight he would see, and he would know, and he would belong. He folded the paper and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans. When he started the truck, his hands were still trembling. His leg shook as he pushed in the clutch.
    On the drive home, his nervousness turned into cold, clearheaded excitement. He would no longer be an onlooker, he thought, no longer have to content himself with spying through his telescope. He would belong.
    Sally saw him drive up and was out of her car before Ernie had pulled to the curb in front of his house. Her smile of greeting faded as soon as he looked at her. His eyes were dark, cold.
    “Hi… I was just driving around, and I thought I'd come by.”
    “I got stuff to do.”
    “Oh, well, I can't stay anyway. I've got to get over to my grandmother's. Sunday dinner, you know.”
    “So go.” He started toward the door.
    “Ernie.” Hurt, Sally trotted after him. “I just wanted to ask you about the party again. Josh is bugging me to go with him, but I—”
    “So go with him.” He shook her hand off his arm. “Stop hanging on me.”
    “Why are you being like this?” Her eyes had already filled, in reflex. He watched the first tear fall and felt a stirring of remorse that he quickly smothered.
    “Being like what?”
    “Mean to me. I thought you liked me. More than liked me. You said—”
    “I never said anything.” And that was true. “I just did what you wanted me to do.”
    “I wouldn't have let you … I would never have done those things with you unless I thought you cared about me.”
    “Cared about you? Why the hell should I? You're just another slut.” He watched her face go dead pale before she sat down on the lawn and sobbed. Part of him was embarrassed. Part of him was sorry. Part of him, the part he concentrated on, watched her with calculated indifference. “Get out of here, will you?”
    “But I love you.”
    Again something stirred, and again he squelched it. He reached down to pull her to her feet just as Cam drove up. Ernie let his hands dangle at his sides and waited.
    “Problem here?”
    “Not mine,” Ernie said.
    After flicking a glance over the boy, Cam bent down to Sally. “Hey, honey. Did he hurt you?”
    “He said he doesn't care about me. He doesn't care at all.”
    “Then he's not worth crying over.” Gently he