"By Uriel... and by Raziel." "Powers, principalities, thrones and dominions." "I bind and command you - stand." "I, Samiel, bound by His will, command you - depart." "Die, you son of a bitch." "There's a summoner's circle on the floor." "The body is on an altar." "Blood drained into a chalice." "Ceremonial candles, signs of Lucifer on the wall." "Inverted crosses." "There's a grimoire." "There's not much that isn't here, Frank." "You've experienced these kind of situations before." "Some, yeah." "Not like you've had." "This isn't the type I've seen before." "If you're asking, Peter, I'm not ready to come back to work yet." "I can handle this myself." "If I get in trouble, I'll give you a call." "Take care." "OK." "Was the victim the only occupant of the residence?" "Yes, sir." "He lived here by himself." "He was a deacon at the First Emanuel Church." "Active in Promise Keepers." "There's no way he would have been involved in anything like this." "No way." " Did anybody see that?" " See what?" "The kid out here on the ledge, looking in." " Peter asked for your help, didn't he?" " Yeah." "But he doesn't need it." " You knew it was coming." " I'm not ready." "Not yet." "You knew it was just a question." "Something you've been asking yourself." ""Question"?" "Of when." "You can't deny who you are, Frank." "To yourself or to me." "I've lost my concentration." " After Bob..." " You have to come to terms." "You know..." "I forget sometimes." "I think I'll give him a call." "Then I remember." "Bob's dead." "Murdered here, in our house." "You have to go back to work." "I don't see any other choice for you." "If we let things go on this way, it's only a matter of time." "Until what?" "Until something gives." "Daddy!" "In here, honey." "Are you staying home from work today again, Daddy?" "What do you have to say about it?" "I don't know." "Are you?" "No." "But I won't be far away." " And I'll come home for dinner, OK?" " OK." "Mr Black." "We're not... how should I say, accustomed to this style of homicide." "Our perpetrator eviscerated his victim, gutted him and stowed his organs in clay pots." " Lungs, heart and brain in separate pots." " Yes." "They're called Canopic jars." "Used by ancient Egyptian embalmers to store and preserve organs." "All this filth came from the kill site." "Eddy, the victim, ran the lighting store on Bayne's Street." "The way he was killed, the rumors, people are upset." " I think we need to move very quickly on this." " Yes, I understand." "The public need guidelines on how to protect themselves and their families." "I'd say as little as possible for now." "OK." "After you see the remains, perhaps you could give me some guidance." "I'd appreciate it." "You do understand?" "Mr Watts." "I'm confident the cause of death was the knife wound to the neck." "With the carotid artery severed, the victim would lose consciousness very quickly." "Death would follow from the massive hemorrhaging." "That fits with the preparation of the organs." "The Egyptians preserved their distinguished dead in similar fashion." "With mineralized salts, other compounds." "These things are of professional interest to you?" "I've studied their techniques." "Phil's been county coroner now for the last five years." "I'm not a doctor, understand." "I'm in mortuary science." "Anyway." " Did Eddy know what was happening?" " Possible." "The brain can live for a few minutes without oxygen." "Excuse me." "I have to go to the rest room." "May be too soon, Peter." "I pushed you." "Should I find somebody to drive you back to the city?" "No, I'm gonna take a walk, collect myself." "Frank, there's something I need your head on." " Something I saw after we got off the phone." " What?" "I saw a kid looking into the second-storey window of the crime scene." "No ladder." "No trace of him." " That was strange to me." " But there's something else." "Yeah." "Spectators at the crime scene." "That's the guy I saw." "You always hope for a break." "That maybe the killer returned to the scene." "For his thrills." " But you don't think so this time." " I don't feel I should even try to comment." "My clarity on this is not what I'd hoped." "Mr Black." "I need to tell the people something, or you've got to give me a good reason not to." "This man hasn't killed before, or not often." "He'll be excited, high on his success." "He'll want to enjoy the sensation that he's caused." "It's unlikely he'll kill again soon." "Soon?" "How long is soon?" "One week?" "One month?" "Chief." "A homicide." "Baby-sitter in Parc Verdun playground." " Some guy cut her throat in broad daylight." " Did we get him?" "He's in custody." "Miller and Trautman are bringing him in now." "I guess my question's been answered." "We've got witnesses." "We've got the murder weapon." "We got you, Martin." " I want a lawyer." " He's coming." "Did you use the same knife on Eddy Pressman you used on the girl?" "We got our guy." "There's no reason for you to stay around if you'd rather leave." "I think that would be better." "Anybody can be wrong, Mr Black." "Guy left prints all over Pressman's house." "The important thing is accomplished." "We got him." "Thank you." "Ask him about the man at the window." "I will." "I'm Al Pepper." "Counsel for the accused." " Frank Black." " I'll see you when you get back." " How'd everything go today?" " Strange." "I shouldn't have gone back." "I'm wondering why I did." "You said they had a suspect." "They arrested somebody for the crime." "You don't have to go back, do you?" "No." "But you're going back anyway." "This case, I have a feeling it involves me in some way." "Some way I'm not clear about yet." "You gonna be able to sleep?" "I'll be up in a bit." "The Greek word phaestos, on the open page of the grimoire." " Do you know it?" " No, but it's not meaningless." "It may have been to the killer, but it's significant apart from him." " I'm not sure I understand." " It's a signature." "Whose?" "The killer's?" "Unlikely." "The ritual elements at the murder scene were drawn from a variety of mystic traditions." "Stage-dressing." "The work of a schizoid fantasist." "Lacking any spiritual seriousness." "Who wrote it?" "Someone who states his presence nearby." "It's intended as a message." " To whom?" " To me, I think." "You wanna run that by me, Frank?" "Before I run it by him." "I'm not so sure you have the right guy, Peter." "It's pretty well checked out." "I was just about to go home." "Want me to hold off?" " Would you mind?" " I'm here as long as you need me." " What are you doing here, Mike?" " Got a call." "Heard you could use some help." " From whom?" " Frank." " Frank?" " He said he'd meet us here in the morning." "He told me the case would take an unexpected turn." " Is it Bob?" " He was trying to say something." "Seemed so real." " So real." " An unconscious influence to be expected." "You're gonna filter everything through your emotions for a while." "This was different." "I felt it yesterday when we were interviewing the suspect." "You felt Bletcher?" "It's as if he knew him." "He knew something about him." "Unless I'm losing my ability." "Is that what you think?" "I think I've lost my trust in it." " Frank." " Hey, Mike." "You didn't call me, did you?" " Call you?" " Somebody's been impersonating you, Frank." "Asked Mike to meet us out here, said the case was turning." " Strange thing is it's true." " What do you mean?" "The two motorists who saw Martin kill the nurse failed to identify him in the lineup." " They were sure they could." " What about physical evidence?" "Martin's bloodstained jacket was sent to the lab." "They couldn't find any blood stains on it." "We've established that the same knife that was used in the satanic killing of Pressman was used on the baby-sitter here." "Martin did the killings?" "Every piece of evidence linking him with either killing is lost, tainted or otherwise compromised." "Including his fingerprints on the knife, which was wiped clean after it was admitted to the property room." " Why?" " Most people would be asking how." "You said this involved you." "What did you mean?" "There may be a link between Bob Bletcher's murder and these killings." "You think Martin killed Bletcher?" "What do we know about Martin's attorney?" "Not much yet." "But he's been asking to see you." "Aliester Pepper." "Representing the accused." " Just call me Al, Mr Black." " Aliester." "The name carries some notoriety in certain circles." "Please." " I find the association distasteful." "I go by Al." " I see." "I was hoping to talk to you earlier, but you were unavailable." "In the interim, things have changed." "I'm not privy to all the details, but there have been certain evidentiary problems concerning both of my client's pending matters." "I won't discuss it." "I am confident that I can defend my client, Mr Black." "Almost certainly see him set free." "I am also very aware that it is very likely he committed the crimes of which he's accused." " Yes." " It might better serve him to concede a degree of guilt in these matters, accept his sentence and serve his time." "Why?" "Why?" "In an institutional setting, Mr Martin might avail himself of therapeutic services." "He might be rehabilitated." "I can't bargain on the court's behalf, or anyone's." "Except your own, Mr Black." "I have a very successful law firm." "I'm looking to expand." "I need an investigator." "Someone with your abilities." "You remind me of someone." "Have we met before?" "I seem to be blessed with a familiar face." "I am offering you a partnership." "Name your salary, name your hours, design your own benefits package." "Not interested." "I know that you are unhappy in your current circumstances, Mr Black." "That would all change." "You and your loved ones would be safe." "Well out of harm's way." "I can't make the legal advice I give to Martin contingent upon your accepting my offer." "Unethical." "But you think about it." "I know you'll have many questions." "I will be happy to answer all of them." "Any time." "Why?" "Except that one." "Did Martin's lawyer have access to the evidence?" "Could he have seen this?" "No, I don't see how he could have." "You've asked the court to deny bond." "Your Honor, Mr Martin is charged in connection with crimes of extreme ferocity." "He constitutes a continuing menace to society." "I hope to provide the court with compelling evidence supporting the state's opinion." "Until you do, Mr Fisher, Defendant Martin's prior petty-criminal convictions suggest he's more likely to present society with an inconvenience than a hazard." "Mr Martin... you've stolen a large number of car batteries." "Sorry." "Before I set bail, do you have anything to say that would bear on the amount of bail?" "My client has instructed me he is not seeking bail at this time, preferring to await his vindication and release." "Can I confess something, Your Honor?" "Mr Pepper?" "We should discuss any statement you make." "I cut a detective's neck in Seattle." "I left him hanging on a basement wall." "Bletcher." "Bob Bletcher was his name." "I don't know why, but it's been bothering me." "Martin's attorney has agreed to his being moved to Seattle." "The victim was ritualistically slaughtered to get the Millennium Group involved." "The kid's a punk." "What you're suggesting is beyond his intelligence or competence." "Someone turned his limited wit to their purpose." " He's being controlled." " Who do you mean?" "Martin's lawyer." "He knew I was coming back, he said so." " The evidence disappearing made sure of it." " This guy Pepper?" "Why are you here?" "Who called you, Mike?" "This kid Martin?" "No." "Don't think so." " I think you should be leaving soon." " Why's that?" "I think there's a process going on which could be dangerous." "I'm staying, Frank." "There isn't even a discussion." "Will you find out everything you can about Pepper?" "Sure." "What are your plans?" "Spend some time with Martin, get a feel for him." "He likes to talk." "Thanks for coming." "I wanted to see the son of a bitch, look him in the eyes." "All we have is a confession." "We have to prove it." "Martin's on his way from holding." "This him?" "This little snotball?" "I'll be riding back to the city with you and the prisoner." "Looks like we have a welcoming committee." " Come on, folks, move it." " Lieutenant, let me out." " Mr Black." " You gonna give us an indictment?" "He was in town during the time period." "Got a bus ticket, driver saw him get on and off." " We'll get an indictment off of his confession." " There's no evidence linking him to Bletcher." "He may recant his confession." "His attorney may argue that the manner in which he confessed is proof of unreliability." "Detective Giebelhouse says he's sure this guy killed Bletcher." " He says you're sure of it, too." " I'm not so sure." "What?" "That is the picture, Mrs Black." "I know you want to do some checking, and of course you'll want to talk to Frank," " but how does it sound?" " Catherine." "Frank." "I'm so glad you're home." " Hi, Daddy." " Hi." "How's my girl?" "Hello, Frank." "I hope you don't mind, Frank." "I was in the neighborhood and dropped by on the chance that you might be in." " I met your lovely wife." " Mr Pepper said you were working together." "Go upstairs." "There's something we want to discuss." " Daddy, do I have to?" " Yes, we're just talking boring business." "Come on." "I'll give you your bath." "Good night, Mrs Black." "A pleasure." "What a lovely, lovely family." "Frank, you must be very happy." "Don't ever come to my house." "Stay away from my family." "I'm sorry, Frank, I..." "I meant no offense." "I'll leave at once." "I would never have come if I had any idea that this would upset you." "That's the last thing..." "Martin." "You'll be a free man." "Take the midnight special outta this wicked place soon." "See that big light coming?" "Hear the steel wheels on the rails?" "Yes." "You, free, Martin." " Get it open, for God's sake." " I'm trying." "The keyhole's plugged." "I can't get the key in." "Martin." " Listen to me, Martin." " Can you speak up?" "I can't hear you, man." "Has anyone determined who passed him the blade?" "He was clean into the cell block." "That's our information." "From another prisoner is what I'm hearing." "The presence of the blade has produced conclusions about the cause of death." "But Mr Martin didn't die from self-inflicted injuries." " He sure as hell bled from them." " What did he die of?" "He missed the carotid artery in the neck, and the wounds are nothing more than scratches." "You see this dark area here, in the midbrain?" "That indicates a massive hemorrhage." "The kid tried to ice himself, but screwed it up." "He died of an aneurysm." "Of natural causes." " That's what you'll put in your report." " You disagree?" "What killed this man was anything but natural." "Frank." "I wasn't expecting you, but I'm glad you stopped by." "Would you like to see the offices I've set aside for you?" " I've just seen your show of good faith." " Really?" "Your client's dead." "But you know that." "Yeah." "The Department notified me last night." "What I wanna know is how you did it." "Fortuitous and timely, hm?" "Our minor conflict of interest has been resolved." "I don't think so." "As I've said to you before, you needn't make up your mind now." "My offer remains open for as long... as is necessary." " You've come to me before." " So you've said." "You killed that kid, and I'm gonna connect you to it." "Frank." "You understand that life for you and your wonderful family can only become more difficult, more dangerous." " Don't threaten me." " Join me." "I can wait, Frank." "Your situation may not allow you that luxury." "Hey, Mike." " Where are you?" " On my way home." " Heard from Watts?" " No." "He called me an hour ago." "Said he was gonna meet me here, with you." " Where are you?" " At my hotel." " I've got something you both should see." " I'm on my way." " Frank." " Peter." " He's not here." " He just called me." " He called you?" " Told me to meet him here." "Sounded urgent." " Who called me?" "I thought you did." " No." "Mike." "Mike." " Go after him." "Go after him." " Do what you can for him." "Hang on, Mike." "By Uriel... and by Raziel." "Powers, principalities, thrones and dominions." "I bind and command you - stand." "I, Samiel, bound by His will, command you - depart." "Die, you son of a bitch." "Mike had been doing some background work." "He spoke about it briefly." "Said he'd found out some things about the attorney Pepper." "I asked him to do that." "Before he passed, he said he didn't want you blaming yourself." "That you told him to go home, that he was in danger." "I did." "I read what he put together on Pepper, if now's any time." "Pepper had a successful practice in this city, mostly conveyancing, real-estate law." "Six months ago, he had a heart attack." "He was technically dead for a brief period of time." "Medical team revived him, and after his recovery, he changed the focus of his legal work." "Martin was his first serious criminal client." "We've got a confession." "Nothing as to motive." "The kid admits to killing Pepper, but claims no part in the death of your associate Atkins." "I'm sorry." "We're done with him for now." "Want some time with him before he's locked down?" "You didn't shoot Pepper, did you?" "I didn't see it that way." "You have a unique perspective." "All along, my question has never been "How?"" "Or "Who?"" "But "Why?"" "Why did you act?" "Why stop Pepper?" "His own actions made it possible." "The murders?" "The baby-sitter?" "Mike Atkins?" "No." "His future actions." " He would not have stopped with Atkins." " My family?" "You must understand, you were not saved." "He was not prevented from doing harm to anyone." "He suffered the consequence of his own error." "Any benefit to you, to your family, was incidental." "What you did had nothing to do with me." "No." "There's not that kind of action." "I know you grieve deeply at the loss of your friends." "Yes." "We weep for ourselves." "Don't worry about me." "What happens here can only pain me." "Not harm me." "Goodbye, Frank." "I would like to talk to you again sometime." "Another time." "I'm sorry." "You have no idea how painful it is for me to be here." "Who is he?" "I don't know." "Maybe he's part of something all of us are otherwise unaware of." "Mike said something like that." "It made no sense to me." "He said something else." "He said:" ""Love your family as much as you can, and be prepared for the possibility that it may not be enough. "" " Peter." " Hi." "Frank." " It has to be enough." " What?" "Nothing." "I wanna take you home."