Hotline to Murder

taking place. And Tony had helped to fool them into believing it.
    A few of the faithful had managed to hang onto their candles, even while climbing the steep hill. He might be able to recognize Nathan with the help of their light. But as more and more people appeared, the ones already there blocked his view of those just arriving. This was frustrating. It occurred to Tony that he might be able to mingle with them and find Nathan that way. He was no longer Jesus and they hadn’t been able to see him very well when he was. And they were all wearing regular clothes, as he was. No angelic robes.
    Tony carefully eased himself out of his hiding place and joined the group. Would they spot him as an outsider? He didn’t have a candle and he avoided the light of the candles held by others. But they were looking upward, to heaven, not at him.
    He carefully mingled with the parishioners, looking for Nathan, looking for Tina, even looking for Shahla. By the time the last of the flock arrived at the top of the ridge, he was sure that none of these people was among them.
    He feared for the safety of the girls, especially Shahla. Should he have let her go down by herself? What choice did he have? Did his ruse work with Nathan? If so, where was Nathan? No acceptable answer came to Tony. He had to go down to the plateau.
    The trail was clear of people. Moving slowly, he started down it and immediately disappeared from the view of those on top. Good. But he had to be careful because it was harder going downhill than uphill, especially in the dark. He looked down at the plateau, but didn’t see any light or movement there.
    It was safe to use the flashlight to guide him, so he turned it on. He made his way carefully downward, spotting where to place his feet before he took each step. He also used his hands to steady himself. He wanted to go faster, but he knew that if he did, he might not make it at all. Shahla had been brave to climb down without a flashlight.
    After half an eternity, he arrived at the plateau. He quickly shone his flashlight around the flat area, where the low brush had been trampled underfoot. There was clearly nobody here.
    Where were the girls? He listened for some sound, some clue. All he heard was the faint chanting from above. And then he heard motor vehicles. His cell phone rang. He had shoved it into his pants pocket just after he had called Croyden and just before he had played Jesus. He had told Croyden the Ascension was occurring inside the park.
    He answered it. It was Croyden asking where he was. “On the side of the hill, but everybody else has gone up to the top. Except Nathan and Tina. I don’t know where they are. Or Shahla, either.”
    “We’re coming in with four-wheel-drives and people who know the layout of the area. We’ll secure the top of the hill.”
    That wasn’t going to help Shahla and Tina. “When you get there, send some officers down the path to the plateau. I need help finding the girls.”
    ***
    Shahla quickly discovered that she couldn’t just walk down the trail. It was too steep. She couldn’t ski down it on her feet because it was too bumpy. And she couldn’t see well enough to avoid the ruts. So she half walked and half slid. She spent a lot of time on her butt, sometimes falling on it, sometimes sliding on it for a few feet. Her hands, already sore from her adventures last night, were getting cut up even more since she used them to break her frequent butt landings.
    At least the parishioners were singing and not paying any attention to her. Even if they saw her, they might think she was one of them. Her hand hit something sharp, probably a rock. She suppressed a shout that would have been heard over the singing. She had to sit down for a few seconds, until her hand stopped stinging.
    She wished she could have brought the flashlight, but Tony needed it, and it would have attracted the attention of the singers to her before she reached the plateau. He had wanted her to bring the crowbar, but she couldn’t take the chance that somebody would spot it and think it odd that she would bring a crowbar to the Ascension. She had to work on the premise that if Nathan attacked her, the others would intervene.
    Two nights ago she had been afraid to go out in the dark. But then the enemy didn’t have a face. She was still afraid, but at least Nathan had a face. And there were other people around. In addition, she owed it to Tina.
    Shahla was almost close enough so that she