The Night Beat

when your case is done or this particular convergence point shifts, you’ll move on or I will. We’re both mature undeads. This isn’t any different than the rest of the time since we broke up has been.”
    It was different, however, for a variety of reasons. Most of my reasons started and ended with Jack, but Jude and I had a lot of unresolved issues of our own and the middle of a case of end-of-all-the-worlds’ proportions wasn’t the best place to work through them. Not that, apparently, I was going to have a choice.
    “So, Abaddon, Apollyon and an ancient Sumerian demon-thing all make it into the human plane and you, of all beings, don’t notice? Even though you’re here specifically to so notice?”
    Jude shrugged. “Looks that way. Figure you’re looking for the witch or warlock, or however many of them are working on this, on the human plane as well.”
    “What about the doppelgängers? As in do we have any, a bunch, an army’s worth?”
    “No idea.” Jude looked thoughtful. “I know your team’s divided up all over the place, following a variety of leads. I’m just wondering….”
    I waited for a few seconds, but he didn’t say anything else. “You’re wondering what, exactly?”
    “If all those leads are there to prevent you from finding whoever’s masterminding on this plane.”
    “Um, wouldn’t that be either Abaddon or Apollyon or, more likely and how fun for us, both of them?”
    Jude shook his head. “I’ve spent time down in the Depths, remember. Those two are excellent at following a complex plan and ensuring maximum mayhem. But they aren’t the brains of any operation. And this seems like a complex plan that’s got a variety of offensives, foot soldiers, generals, feints and mythic misdirection.”
    The base of my tail got a really bad feeling going. I could tell by Jude’s expression his wings were tingling. Interestingly, however, the person who spoke up next wasn’t him or me, it was Sexy Cindy.
    “You know, I do know you.” She was staring hard at Jude. “Only…you’re nothing like I was taught, are you?”
    He smiled. “Well, that’s open to debate.”
    “No, it’s not.” I looked at Sexy Cindy’s expression. I had a feeling she’d truly figured out who Jude was. “He’s one of the best undercover agents Yahweh’s ever had.”
    She nodded. “Yeah, guess so. Doesn’t it bother you, to be considered the most evil man in history?”
    Jude shook his head. “The beings whose opinions matter to me know the truth. Besides, there have been plenty of people more evil than even my worst detractors could say I was.”
    Sexy Cindy snorted. “Yeah, too true. Start with Hitler and work up or down, right?”
    The bad feeling at the base of my tail slammed into my stomach as Jude and I looked at each other. “Oh, please, tell me you know where he is.”
    Jude shut his eyes and spread his wings. I knew this meant he was accessing the angel collective. He didn’t open his eyes for a good long while, but when he finally did I knew for certain we’d moved from bad to beyond worse.
    “No one knows where he is. Our agents in the Levels haven’t seen him for the last few days. But he hasn’t come through as far as anyone on any other plane has been able to tell.”
    “Because he traded places with Anthony Tomio.” I tried to swallow the bile but couldn’t.
    Jack cleared his throat. “Am I hearing this right? You two mean Adolph Hitler, most evil man of the twentieth century? He’s an undead?”
    “Yes. Unsurprisingly, the moment he died, he went to the Prince. And because of his natural skills, he became a warlock of great power.” I wanted to kick myself.
    “It didn’t occur to me, or Black Angel Two, or anyone else, either,” Jude said quietly. “But it means we have the most strategically minded of the Prince’s minions, along with his most rabid enforcers, on the human plane. And they’re only here for one thing.”
    “What they’re always here for. I know.” I tried to think calmly. “How many of his generals do you think he brought with him?”
    “You figured eighteen had the potential to pass, right?” Jude asked. I nodded. “Then figure all of them, and probably some others from history just as bad. They’re focused on the human plane, they’ll go with beings who were humans when they were alive, at least for the majority.”
    Jack cleared his throat. “One of those eighteen ideas meant that the four of us were used. Is there any