"They live the lie so willingly, don't they, Father?" "Sorry, I didn't hear." "The ordained pretension of the sacred charade." "Are you feeling close to God tonight, Father?" "Excuse me?" "No, I won't." "Tell me your sins." "Tell me what a liar you are." "What's your name, son?" "Bless you, Father, for you have sinned." "Son, wait a minute." "Son." "Inquisitor Deum, Father." "Est in nomine Dei, Padre." "Wait, wait, wait." "Something smells wonderful." " What is it?" " Scrapple." "What's scrapple?" " It's a mystery." " It's leftovers." " What do you want to do today?" " Aren't you gonna work today?" "Today's Sunday." "Day of rest... and fun." "What's that, Daddy?" " It's okay, Jordan." " Frank?" " It's a bird!" " Don't touch it, sweetie." " Flew into the window." " Why?" "Saw its reflection and got confused." "What's the matter with it?" "It's just hurt." "Is it going to get better, Mommy?" "We hope so, sweetie." "Yeah." "Yeah, this is me." " Hold on a minute." " who is it?" "Work." "It's not moving, Mommy." " It's just resting, Jordan." " Where in Tacoma?" "It's not breathing." "Okay." "Is it going to die, mommy?" " Ardis." " Hi, Frank." "Where are we?" "Closing ceremonies." "The body's already been removed." "I thought you might want to see the crime scene." "Yeah." "The Tacoma P.D.'s a little overwhelmed right now... but they're welcoming our help." "Detective Kerney, this is Frank Black." "It's my understanding you have some insight into this." "There was a series of homicides in 1992 involving men of the cloth." "Ms. Cohen and I were part of the F.B.I. investigative team." " Did you catch the guy?" " No." "The victim's name is Silas Brown." "Georgetown University... and a former professor at the International Institute... of Catechetical and Pastoral Studies in Brussels." "A jesuit?" " Is that relevant?" " I don't know." "I went to a Jesuit high school." "Father Dodson left a permanent impression on me, if you know what I mean." "You see this, Ardis?" "He was wearing a San Benito." " What's that?" " It's a cloak." "During the Middle Ages, heretics were forced to wear it... before they were burned at the stake." "Did you see the forensics report?" " Same materials." " It was only a matter of time." "Hold on." "What do you mean the Middle Ages?" "What's that about?" "The killer was very precise." "The process is important to him." "He treats the scene like a ceremony." " What kind of ceremony?" " Medieval." "A freshly hewn stake, probably cut locally... peat and wood for fuel." "And your group thinks this is the same guy?" " Very possibly." " Four years ago... three men were murdered in a similar fashion." "Then it stopped." "Until last night." "Victim is Caucasian male, 61 years old." "There is evidence of blunt trauma... to the occipital protrusion on the cranium." "Sooty residue in the air passages indicates the victim was most certainly alive... when he was fastened to the stake." " He asphyxiated." " Carbon monoxide robbed his lungs of oxygen." "When the threshold drops below 21 %... thankfully, you pass out." "I know we both hoped we wouldn't be here again." "But here we are." "Look at this, Ardis." "What?" "You see?" "The tongue." "Something burned into it." "There was nothing specified." "Fused in the char." "what is it, Frank?" "A coin." " A Spanish peseta." " New killer, Frank?" "A break in the pattern." "A refinement in his M.O." "Some kind of symbolism." "Or possibly an escalation." "Maybe we can pull a print." "Can I help you?" "I'm sorry." "I" " I don't know my way around here." "A friend of mine died." "I'm supposed to arrange to have him sent to a funeral home." " Father Brown?" " Yes." " I'm Father Schultz." " You were his friend." "He was a good man." "A true believer." "That's not as popular as it used to be." "Don't look for a reason, Father." "Are you saying there isn't one?" "Not one that would make any sense right now." "The man who did this, who we believe did this, he does it without conscience." "Is that evil?" "There's a disconnectedness out there." "And those desperate with that feeling expect faith to fill the void." "And when it doesn't, they blame us." "I can't speak to that, Father." " No?" " I'm afraid my own faith is lacking." "Well, I've ministered to many who've lost their way." "I think my time would be better spent trying to catch the man who killed your friend." "Coming up?" "Yeah." "Right up." "Jordan had kind of a bad day today, Frank." "She was really upset about the bird." "What did she say?" "She asked me if dogs die... horses, cars, trees... us." " What did you tell her?" " I mustered all my clinical powers and... lied." "I told her you and I would live forever." " So back me up on that, will ya?" " Yes." "They asked you to work on this murder... of the priest, haven't they?" "I saw it on the news." "It's frightening, you know?" "Churches, clergy." "Symbols of what is supposed to be safe haven coming under attack." " Why do they do it, Frank?" " That's what we're trying to find out." "If you get a chance, talk to Jordan, okay?" "I'll be right up." "Ooh." "Take a mulligan." "Nah." "I'll just be chasin' two balls in the rough." "You go on ahead." "See you tomorrow?" "Same time?" "Yeah." "See you tomorrow." "This yours, Reverend?" "Titan three?" "Yes, it is." "Tough lie." "Yes." "Uh, are you playing this hole?" "I was considering it." "Playing with one club?" "One's all it takes, Reverend." " Do I know you?" " I kept my vows." "I loved, honored and obeyed." "I'm sorry." "I don't remember." "Well," "It's just a job." "I've been retired for four years now." "Retired from the Lord." "I hear you." "Never pass up a chance to improve your lie." "Right, Reverend?" "Yep." "That hurts." "You were trying to trick me, weren't you?" " Yeah." " You little rascal, you." "Mommy said you had some questions for me." "The bird died." "Yes." "What happens to it?" "Lots of different ideas." "No one knows exactly." "Some people think the soul goes to another house." "A" " Another yellow house?" "Yeah." "Kind of." " Does God live there?" " Lots of people think he does." "Do you?" "I think that if he does... he'd say to you it's way past your bedtime." "I think he would say you're a little rascal." " Say good night to Mommy." " Good night, Mommy." " Good night, sweetie." " Good night, Daddy." "Good night, baby." "This is Casey." "Hi, this is Frank Black." "Can I speak to Ardis?" "His name was Marcus Crane." "He was a retired Presbyterian minister." "If this is the same killer... this is the first time he's targeted a Protestant." "What was the cause of death?" "Again, blunt trauma to the head to incapacitate the victim." "The instrument was wedge-shaped, probably a golf club." "But he died of drowning." "The torture of heretics." "Golf or drowning?" "The staging is just another method of determining... the piety of the accused heretic." " A one-man Inquisition." " He planned this very carefully." "He took time to watch the victim... to plan the ceremony." "Sermo generalis." "If that's what he's doing, Frank, what is he trying to tell us?" "His choice to alter his methods is semiotic." "The coin in the mouth, the elaboration of details." "They're not meant as a message." "They're for his own satisfaction." "His lack of denominational concerns would indicate that he's becoming more random." "Not more random." "More precise." "My guess is he knew these men." "That he was once a member of their church." "A seminarian... or an altar boy." "There's something else here." " Something they found on the body." " What?" "A man's wedding band in the victim's stomach." "Were there initials?" "A date?" "No." "Nothing." "Hmm." "The victim gagged." "The choke reflex made it difficult to swallow." "So you think something else might have been put in the mouth." "Something that wasn't ingested." "Something that was overlooked." "Nothing here but drinking and driving." "We've pretty much gone through it, Frank." "When they pulled the body out of the lake, which bank did they remove it from?" "I believe the other side." " Ardis." " Yeah, what is it?" "A woman's engagement ring, soldered to a wedding band." "It's engraved." ""J.M.M."" " The killer's initials?" " If we're lucky." "The initials are engraved by hand." "The craftsmanship is very fine." "Messina is the designer." "The word is stamped two millimeters from the setting." "The number 750 is stamped one centimeter beyond... the craftsman's stamp." "The ring is made of rose gold, in Italy sometime in the '40s." "The number indicates the gold content to be 18 karats." "An American serviceman bought a ring for his sweetheart during the war?" " Or maybe it's a family heirloom." " Maybe both." "Even if he were drafted at 18, that would make him about 70 years old now." "The killer's a younger man." "Just came in over the wire." ""A John Matewon, convicted felon, 35 years old... arrived in Cheyenne yesterday on a charter from Tacoma. "" "He used a credit card to check into a Motel Eight on Route 60 at 8:00 p. m." "John Matewon." "J.M." " No middle initial." " Will you take two out of three?" "Go, go, go, go, go!" "Check the bathroom!" "We got him!" "Move it!" "What is going on here?" "Frank, this is Detective Romero, Rockford P.D. Forensics." "Hi." "What else did you find?" "The kitchen sink." "We've got bloody prints off the cabinets." "What makes you think this is your guy?" "You found a Spanish coin." "The man we've been looking for has left them behind before." "If it is him, he's getting sloppy." " This isn't like him." " Maybe he was surprised." "Is there any description of the assailant?" "The church secretary, Beatrice Crowly, could only give us a narrative, that a man attacked her, hit her across the face, then fled." " Where is she now?" " Froedert Hospital." "She's gonna be fine." "Was anything missing from the office?" "We won't know till she's able to go through the mess." "With any luck, she's gonna take a look this afternoon." " Charlie, come here." " Excuse me." "We've got a big change in M.O. here, Frank." "The detail of the coin aside." "What was he looking for here?" "Information." "Something important enough to travel a great distance to find." "For the Bible tells me so." "Little ones to him belong" "They are weak but he is strong" "Yes, Jesus loves me" " Yes, Jesus loves me." " I know what he's doing." " The killer?" " Yes." "He's not killing men." "He's killing faith." " Why?" " I don't know." " He was here looking for a name, an address." " Choosing his next victim." "He didn't come this far by accident." "He knows who his victims are." "I, uh, don't mean to bother you, Mr... uh, Calloway... but I need the holder of the card to sign." " She's dead." " Pardon me?" "The holder of the card, my wife, she's dead." "Is that a problem?" " No, no." "No problem." "I'm sorry to hear that." " Yes." "It's just that the, uh, credit card company won't authorize the charges." " Cash still good here?" " Wouldn't turn it down." "You wouldn't happen to know a man in town named Jack Harned, would you?" " Reverend Harned?" "Sure." " Seems he doesn't live at his old address." "He, uh, moved into his dad's house a couple of years back... after the old man passed away." "Maybe I could get that address from you." "I'd like to make his reacquaintance." "Sure." "This is the best one lifted from the set." "The initial thought was that these were partials." "But unfortunately this appears to be the killer's whole fingerprint." "The ellipticals were erased or mutilated." "We put them up on the N.e. I.e. to look for a match." "what if they were burned in a fire?" "Why a fire?" "Maybe the killer experienced an emotionally catastrophic event, a loss." "Something that consumed his faith but didn't kill it." "And now what?" "He's going to finish the job?" "Describe the killer." "Define his victims." "But how is he choosing them, Frank?" "What's the victimology?" "His victims have been a religious significance in his life." "But what?" "I've got Beatrice crawly on the phone." "She was able to go through the files, says there are ones definitely missing." " Which one?" " Christening records." "A whole year's worth." " Mrs. Harned?" " Yes." "Hi." "I'm an old friend of your husband's." "A very old friend." " Is, uh, he home by any chance?" " Oh, he's just inside." "We're in a bit of a panic." "Jack's officiated hundreds of christenings... but this is the first time he's doing it for a family member." "Our little Emma." " Your granddaughter." " Yes." "The light of our lives." "You have children?" "No." "No, I don't." "Well, Jack's so excited... he didn't even remember to pick up his vestments from the cleaners." "Why don't you come on in." "I've gotta run out." "Be right back." "I just don't understand it." "I could have given him the information he needed." "Mrs. Crowly, do you have any idea why he took those files?" "No." "They' rejust records." "There isn't much information on them." "Do the files contain the name of the men and women who did the christening?" "There was Reverend Lawrence." "Sweet man." " He died last year." " What was the name of the other man?" " Reverend Harned." " Yes?" "I was just talking to your wife." "You must be... mighty excited." " Who are you?" " My name is Galen Calloway." "You don't recollect my face?" "No." "I think you'd better get the hell out of my house, son." "Do you hear me?" "Aren't you gonna answer it, Reverend?" "Hello?" "Reverend Harned?" "My name is Frank Black." "I'm working with the Rockford Police Department." "We believe that your life may be in danger." "During the Inquisition, priests were forbidden to draw blood." "So they would heat their tools red hot." " Hello, sir?" " That way the wound cauterized." "No blood... no mess." "Listen very carefully." "We're on our way." "Please, do not let anyone in your house." "Hello, sir?" "Reverend Harned, don't let anyone in." "I already have." "Reverend Harned?" "We missed him by minutes, Frank." " The son of a bitch." " Yeah." "In all these years, we work at a distance, with a remove." "It helps us to objectify." "So why is this one different to me?" "The coldness, the calculation, the victims." "Merciless acts against the merciful." "I haven't been to church since I was eight." "I've always been happily cynical." "So why am I taking this so personally?" "I feel it myself." "Have you and your wife raised Jordan in any particular faith, Frank?" "No." "Catherine and I haven't even dealt with it yet." "I know." "My husband and I make it up as we go along." "Maybe faith is like a picture album left in a closet." "We don't go back and visit it every day." "We need to know it's there." "We need to know it's safe." "So we can pass it along when the time is right." "Ardis, the killer." "We haven't found him yet... because he isn't on the move." " He's still here." " What makes you say that?" "He was at the house when we called." "He knew we were on our way." "He didn't hurry." "He didn't compromise the ritual." "He was resigned, committed." "He's become comfortable." "You get the luxury of calmness in a murder when you know your surroundings." " You think he's come home." " I think... that this is where the tragedy of his life occurred." "February 14, 1989." "Joan Calloway and her six-year-old daughter, Sarah, died in a house fire." "Galen Calloway, the father and husband, survived but suffered third-degree burns... to his arms and hands." ""Teacher of religious studies at Edgewood Catholic High School. "" " Geez, my kids go there." " Mother's maiden name Mosier, Janice Marie." " It was his mother's ring, Frank." " Three years after the fire... he was tried, convicted and sentenced to five years for D.U.I. vehicular manslaughter." "Ardis, he was paroled after three." "He didn't stop killing four years ago." "He was just interrupted." "I need two things, Detective." "The church where the wife's funeral was held." "And the one where the daughter was baptized." "Both will be Protestant." "And one of them is where he'll strike next." ""I love thee, oh, Lord, my strength." ""The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer." ""My God, my rock of refuge." ""My shield." "The horn of my salvation." "My strong"" "If any one of you tries to leave, you will die." "If you just sit down and sit still..." "I will tell you about the fiction and the fallacy... as brought to you by the salesmen of salvation." "Who are you?" "I... am the lamb." ""The mercy of the Lord... is from everlasting to everlasting," he said." "confess your faith unto him who said 'All souls are mine. "" "Go, go!" "We have to set up lines of communication immediately." "But hell... is stronger than heaven... and fire burns hotter than love." "There is no peace." "There is no forgiveness." "Just lonely nights... spent in empty houses." "Rejoice!" "Thy kingdom come... is here!" "I hear a phone." "Where's the phone?" "It's right over," "Where's the damn phone?" "Is he shooting' hostages?" "We gotta go in." "Let's not make this any worse." "Come on, Calloway." "Come on." "Mr. Calloway, this is Frank Black." " You a police officer?" " No, I'm not." "What's the shooting about?" "Is anybody hurt?" "He'll live..." "for a while." "I want you to calm down." "There's no need to shoot anybody." "Really." "Why is that?" "I know why you're here." "You know why I'm here?" "You think you know why I'm here?" "You're here because of Joanie and Sarah." "I'm gonna go in there." "And lose that chopper." "Frank, no." "You know as well as I do there's no hostage-for-hostage scenario that's ever worked." " The hostages are incidental." " Not if he's shooting them." "He's on a suicide march." "So you're gonna become another unintended casualty?" " I think I can reach him." " What makes you say that?" "I know what he wants." "I'm not armed, Galen." "I just want to talk to you." "Then talk." "Let these people go." "They're here." "They have to be sacrificed." "Just like Joanie and Sarah were sacrificed." "I hear you, Galen." "I know what you're doing." "You lie." "Just like the priests and the holy men." "Get down on the floor." "Now!" "Get down on your knees!" "First lie that passes your lips, I blow your head off." "What do you want to know?" "Are you afraid to die, Frank?" "Yes." "Then you don't believe in God." "I haven't thought about it in a very long time." "Why?" "Because I've seen the innocent die." "I've seen children murdered in their beds." "The weak and the helpless slaughtered... without purpose, without sense." "Then you know the truth." "You know that God has abandoned us." "That's why you're afraid to die." "Just like I am." " No." " You're lying." "I'm afraid, Galen, but not like you." "You're afraid to die because you fear God's judgment." "I've lost my faith." "No." "You tried to kill it, but you can't." "I've... seen your ritual." "You try to kill your faith... with the tools of your own belief because of your pain... because you think God's forsaken you." "You think that you can get rid of your pain... by slaughtering the faith that's inside you." "It is inside of me, isn't it?" "It just won't die." "I want to help you, Galen." "I've..." "I felt his presence all along." "Him watching me." "Oh." "Joanie and Sarah watching me." "But God doesn't want you to kill yourself." "Or anyone else." "No." "No." "But I have to." "Because..." "I can't kill... him." "Put your hands behind your back!" "Get up." "Hi." "I tried to wait up." "It's all right." "It's late." "Are you okay?" "Yeah." "I was just thinkin' on the plane about this man, Calloway." "I felt how human he was." "So inundated by pain." "Fragmented by grief." "It led him to surrender his humanity." "I know, Frank." "It scares me." "We can't stop people, but we can't lose our faith either." "And you're thinking that's what we need to teach Jordan." "I'm gonna tell Jordan that bad things happen." "And even though the bird died and it upset her... we have to balance sadness... with a sense of hope and faith." "I still have faith, Frank." "Even in a world where men like that exist." "So do I." "Revision:" "Thor"