The Night Beat

you were having so much trouble keeping them in the ground, and why Jerry got free.” I stared at the graves some more. “The Adversary knows he hurt you and he also knows you weren’t fully or even partly healed. Jerry got out and he was dusted before he could tell us too much. But…why did the Adversary stop trying to raise the deaders?”
    Miriam spun and did her raising spell. The ground moved and boiled, but nothing came up. Magdalena touched the moving earth of each grave. She shook her head. “There are no bodies in here any more.”
    I hit my wrist-com. “Monty, how’re you doing?”
    “Not really well. Put it this way, it’s a good thing they have my arms stacked next to each other, or I couldn’t have answered you.”
    “Ugh. I don’t want to know. I need an All Dirt Corps Alert. We need to know if any of our favorite recently raised deaders are anywhere around, on any plane, but most likely Undead or Human. Jerry the Junkie was dusted by the Adversary, but the others have disappeared.”
    “Not good. Okay, I’ll alert the troops. Where will you be?”
    I considered. “What day is it?”
    “Pardon?” Monty sounded as shocked as those around me looked.
    “Day. What day is it? I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep, or food, in the past I don’t remember how many hours now, and I’m not sure. Day of the week. Surely someone over there knows.”
    “It’s Sunday.” Monty sounded confused. “Why does that matter?”
    “You asked me where we were headed. And it matters because now I know.”
    “And,” Monty said, like he was speaking to a crazy person with a loaded gun, “just where is that?”
    “The Little Church of the Country.”

Chapter 44
     
    Ralph arrived as I announced our destination. He hit a full stop and a salute. “Ready, Major.”
    I tried not to sigh. “Ralph, we don’t have time for the formality.” Based on the glare he shot at Jack, I figured Ralph was going for the full on military bearing in an attempt to outshine Jack.
    “Fine.” Ralph put his paw down but his body language was Ready For Action. At least he was eager. “Why the Little Church of the Country as our destination?”
    “Jerry the Junkie was a little too involved and in the know. His father’s a preacher of some kind, and his family lives in the Estates. There are only a few men or women of the cloth who can afford to live that well.”
    “Television evangelists,” Freddy supplied.
    “Yep. And we have a couple who live in the Estates. One in particular.”
    “The Right Reverend Gerald Johnson,” Jack said. “Called Jeremiah Johnson by most of his flock. Okay, I can see it, and I’ll just bet our favorite dusted junkie was named for his father.”
    “I’d give it pretty even odds. Johnson controls a flock that consists of most of Prosaic City’s wealthy and also lures the poor and lower middle class.” The Little Church was also a total misnomer. It was huge and glorious -- lots of glass, gold and silver plate, and reflective paint, along with many more spires than one normally needed for a house of worship -- built on one of the hills in the Estates, so you could see it for miles.
    “So, that would mean, since it’s Sunday morning, they’ve got a packed house and all the bodies they need, right?” Sexy Cindy ventured.
    “That’s my current guess.” The base of my tail felt that Sexy Cindy was a keeper. I checked out the angels. “Much as I’d love to have aerial backup, I want the five of you back to the hospital. Monty, if they don’t show up within fifteen minutes, I want an All Being Alert on Black Angel One, Black Angel Two, and Martin. Brought in for extreme stubbornness.”
    He chuckled. “You got it. I’ll alert the hospital staff that their errant patients will be returning.” My wrist-com went dead.
    Martin shook his head. “You need us.”
    “Yeah, I need you alive and well. Go get fixed up. If it’s that bad, I’m sure you’ll know.”
    “I’m sure.” Martin sighed and nodded. “Let’s do as Victoria asks. The sooner we go, the sooner we’ll be released.” They all nodded to us and flew off. Slowly.
    I turned back to the others. “Okay, we need a car.”
    “Why not use your detective car?” Sexy Cindy asked.
    “I have no idea where it is.” This was true.
    “At Our Lady of Compassion,” Jack said. “Illegally parked.”
    Oh, right. “Legally parked, and get over it. Too far away, and besides, we need a nicer car.”
    “Why?” Freddy asked,