Divine Evil

woke up?”
    “I dreamed I hid in the back of the car. I knew he was going out, and I wanted to surprise him, to show him that I was big enough to be his partner. We didn't go to a house. We were outside. I followed him. It seemed like such an adventure. There was a place, and other men were there. I thought it was a meeting, like the Moose or the Elks, because … they all wore long black robes with hoods.”
    Oh, God, Slim, he thought. What did you see? “Go ahead.”
    “They wore masks, and I thought that was funny because it wasn't Halloween. It was spring. I hid in the bushes and watched.”
    “There were other men. Who were they?”
    “I don't know. I didn't pay attention. I was looking at my father. They made a circle and rang a bell. There were women. Two women in red robes. One of them took off the robe and lay down on top of something. I was fascinated and embarrassed all at once. There was chanting and a fire. A big fire. I was sleepy, and I couldn't understand it all. The man in the big mask had a sword. It glinted in the moonlight. He would say things, then the rest of the group would say things.”
    “What things?”
    “I couldn't understand.” But she had read the books, and she had remembered. “They weren't names I knew.”
    “Names?”
    “Oh, God, Cam, the names in the books. The calling up of demons.”
    “Okay, take it easy.”
    She swiped the heel of her hand over her cheek. “I was cold and tired, and I wanted Daddy to take me back home. But I was afraid, and I didn't know why. The man in the mask touched the woman, fondled her. They brought out a goat, a little white goat, and he took a knife. I wanted to run, but I couldn't. I wanted to run away, but my legs wouldn't move. The men took off their robes but left their masks on and danced around the pit of fire. I saw my father. I saw him with blood on his hands. And I woke up screaming, in my own bed.”
    He pulled her out of the chair to hold her, and hishands were gentle. But his eyes stared over her shoulder and were cold with fury.
    “It wasn't real,” she insisted. “It didn't happen. I woke up in bed, just as I always do when I have that dream. My mother and father were there.”
    “Did you tell them about the dream?”
    “I couldn't at first. I guess I was hysterical. I remember my father rocking me, stroking my hair and rocking me. He kept telling me it was a dream, just a terrible dream, and that he would never let anything bad happen to me.”
    Cam pulled her back, looked long and deep into her eyes. “It wasn't a dream, Clare.”
    “It had to be.” Her hands shook. “It had to be a dream. I was in bed. My father was there with me. I know you're thinking about the books. I thought about them too. He must have bought them afterward. He was worried about me, about why I had the dream, and that it kept coming back. He wanted to understand. He was worried about me. For weeks after, he would come into my room at bedtime and tell me silly stories, sing songs, just be there.”
    “I know he was worried about you. I know he loved you. But I think he was involved in something he couldn't control. Just like the drinking, Clare.”
    She shook her head, frantic, furious. “I'm not going to believe that.”
    “Clare, he must have been sick at the thought that you had seen him and what went on. A few years later, you're still having nightmares, he sees that it's not going to stop. And he tries to pull out. He goes back to the religion of his childhood.”
    “You didn't know him the way I did.”
    “No, I didn't.”
    “He would never have hurt anyone. He wasn't capable ofit.”
    “Maybe he didn't hurt anyone but himself. Clare, I don't want to hurt you, but I'm going to have to dig deeper. Part of that will be looking into whatever information is available on the land deal, the shopping center business. And your father's death.”
    “Why? What possible difference can any of it make now?”
    “Because what you saw that night is still going on. Have you told anyone else about your dream?”
    “No.”
    “Don't.”
    She nodded. “Are we finished?”
    “No.” He pulled her close again, ignoring her rigid stance. “I'll just wait you out, Slim,” he murmured. “You can step back, build a wall, run away, and cover your trail. I'll just wait you out.”
    “I can't think about you and me right now.”
    “Yes, you can.” He put a hand under her chin, lifting it until their eyes met. “Because when the rest is done,