"Can it, will you?" "What?" "You´re goggling at me." "You´re giving me the creeping willies." "Sorry." "For Christ´s sake!" "l´m sorry. I just...." "I´m sorry." "Where´s the fire?" "l got to get you two back to the show." "Then what?" "There´s things I have to do." "It´s probably too late as it is." "We mess you up?" "It couldn´t be helped." "It was the boy, Ben Hawkins." "He´s the one who took me from you." "What about Samson?" "Covered it up." "l knew it!" "I can read that little trout like a book." "l must leave." "No." "Please stay." "My little clarinet." "In this body?" "Hardly practical." "l don´t care what other people think." "Don´t be a fool." "All that really counts in this world is what others think of you." "Besides, you´ll be seeing me soon." "Like this?" "No, my dear... in the flesh." "Lodz?" "Lodz!" "Dear God, what are you...." "What am I doing here?" "You were doing fine." "Now you´re just... leaving." "Wait here." "l got to get going." "Just a minute, okay?" "I´ve got something for you." "Remember, not a word." "You only told me about 10 times." "So now it´s 1 1 ." "What are you gonna tell your ma?" "We went off." "You got liquored up, in a fight." "You been pinched." "And we spent the night in the tank." "That´s right." "Jesus, Clay." "Can´t we go with something else?" "She already thinks you´re a bum." "Good." "Let´s keep it that way." "How are you gonna hide it from the others?" "l´m going with him." "What?" "Why?" "I don´t know." "It´s just something I have to do." "l´ll go, too." "No." "You got to stay here with the show." "Mama´s gonna make it hard." "She´s gonna tell everyone you´ve left me cold." "Then she´ll look like a damned fool when I come back, won´t she?" "Will you?" "What?" "Come back?" "Yeah. I will." "Go on." "Hey, what are you doing?" "I thought you said you had something for me." "I do." "Me." "No, I don´t need any company." "Well, you got it." "We gonna sit here all night?" "Hell." "I´m coming. lt´s the middle of the night." "Room?" "We´re looking for two men traveling together." "One´s got long white hair, the other´s a big fella, bald." "They might have checked in in the last 24 hours." "What are you, cops?" "G-men?" "You think I want trouble, is that what you think?" "Ain´t gonna make no trouble." "We just want to talk to them, that´s all." "I´m not a half-wit." "You cannot just come in here and snoop." "Okay, listen good." "This is not the Ritz." "It is fucking Cheyenne, Wyoming." "Do you understand me?" "We get that." "Three peoples check in since yesterday." "The first one was a big, huge, fat woman, the size of a tank." "Sweating all the time, disgusting." "Full of donuts." "And?" "And two men, just like you say." "Wait. I will take you there." "Cold tonight?" "Always too hot or too cold around here." "Always too everything." "Nasty bald man requested this bad number." "Very odd fellow, that one." "Hey, watch it with that gat!" "You want you should kill somebody?" "Shut up." "Hello?" "God damn their blood!" "I had a feeling about those two." "Lousy needle jabbers!" "I should have known they was fucking chronics." "Yes?" "I´m Varlyn Stroud." "I got business with Brother Justin." "Do you know what time it is?" "Iris." "What´s he doing here?" "Upstairs." "Iris!" "Where is he?" "Hawkins, we been all through this room!" "Might help if you told me what we´re looking for!" "I´ll know it when I see it." "Fine!" "What?" "Who is he?" "Someone I gotta stop." "This is your prophet?" "Scudder?" "Henry?" "It hardly seems worth it, does it?" "After all this time and trouble and Mr. Stroud´s valiant efforts." "To foul my hands with the blood of this pathetic creature." "To receive the boon of an idiot." "But so be it." "You know, I´ve never actually killed a man with my own hands before." "It´s fun." "You´ll like it." "Shame this little piglet´s too drugged-up to feel anything." "Drugged up?" "Don´t!" "lf he touches me again, kill him!" "No!" "Not now!" "You will never get your boon!" "You didn´t tell me this buffoon drugged him." "Brother Varlyn was following my instructions." "You suggested we keep him restrained." "Physically restrained, not drugged." "His mind must be clear during the passing." "If he is impaired or delusional, the result would be disastrous." "How so?" "Madness... or even death." "Let him go." "Let him go!" "It appears we must wait for the drugs to wear off." "My, oh my." "You´re shaking like a pussy willow in a hurricane." "My, oh, my." "I remember the first night Felix came home nine hours late... said he stopped for some Gypsies outside of Tulsa." "Mama" "Offered to help them... round up a pack of goats." "Then supposedly they jumped him and took all his money." "I´m telling you the truth, God´s honest." "That´s what he kept saying." "Can you imagine the very idea of your daddy stopping to help somebody?" "Come on now." "The truth ain´t nothing to be ashamed of." "What in hell are you talking about?" "You´re not the first little girl ever been kissed and left flat by some slick Mickey." "That ain´t what happened, God damn it!" "Then why don´t you tell me what did happen." "He said he´d come back as soon as he made bail." "Sure he did. I know the man we´re dealing with here, remember?" "lntimately, I might add" "Mother!" "And he weren´t that good if you ask me." "Fuck you!" "At least I got me a whole man!" "You can´t even hang onto a cripple for more than a night or two!" "What´s the matter, slaphappy?" "is that too tight for you?" "Let´s see if we can make it tighter, what do you say?" "There." "There, that´s better." "Now, you be a good little piglet and sober up." "´Cause Brother J. wants you all clear-minded... so as we can slaughter you up proper." "Like father, like daughter." "Natural born liars." "I don´t know how you put up with it." "I suppose Jonesy is still rolling in tar... and feathered up like a Sunday rooster." "Of course not." "That Hawkins boy, he´s got the touch." "He laid his hands on him and healed him up." "Just like that, just like some kind of hillbilly witch doctor." "Isn´t that a rib-tickler?" "Hawkins a holy man." "What a riot." "The fact is, Libby´s been hitched all of four days." "And she just can´t keep the man." "I tried to be understanding about it." "But she was having none of it." "Well, sugar, at least you tried." "You´re a good mother." "That´s what counts." "I´m sorry." "Tell me about the passing." "The only way to... receive the full measure of the boon... is if it´s freely granted, in sound mind..." "by the prophet." "Scudder will never give me what I want." "He would have no choice, if you took him by surprise." "But... he´s spent his entire life running." "Given the depth of his paranoia...." "No." "You must take the boon by force." "At the risk of madness or death." "Perhaps." "But if you hesitate, he may escape." "And then the boon will be forever lost to you." "You´ll remember your promise?" "What promise?" "You said I could have a moment alone with him." "I said perhaps." "That´s hardly a promise." "But I insist!" "Oh, you insist?" "But you said it yourself." "He´s dangerous." "No." "I could never allow you to take such a risk." "You´re far too valuable to me, Wilfred." "You know that." "Your tea is getting cold." "Libby, I´ve been looking for you." "Come on." "We need to talk." "Come inside." "In there?" "Have a seat." "I witnessed a tarring myself one time." "South Dakota." "Worst thing I ever seen." "She didn´t waste no time blabbering about it, did she?" "She thinks you´re crazy." "Don´t you?" "I know about Hawkins." "Not all about him, but enough." "I promised I wouldn´t say a word." "Then I had to go and open my big fat mouth and spill it!" "I´m just glad you didn´t get hurt." "It was Jonesy who got it bad." "Burned all over." "Till Hawkins brought him back?" "Yeah, he did." "It was a miracle." "You made a mistake telling your ma." "You shouldn´t have done that." "I know. I promised Jonesy." "And he´ll be so angry when he hears I let him down." "He´ll hate me." "He don´t have to hear nothing about it." "Be our secret." "But you can´t be telling nobody else what you saw Ben do." "You understand?" "So where are they now?" "Ben was headed west to some motel." "And Jonesy went with him." "I didn´t want him to go. I tried to stop him." "It´s going to be all right." "As soon as we get a fix on them, I´ll make sure of that." "You can set your watch by that." "Shit." "l´m sorry." "No, don´t be." "Vulgarity is not a sin against God, but against polite society." "And, between you and me, I don´t give a shit about polite society." "I never had much use for it either." "But they can be most generous with their contributions." "And so we are tolerant." "Have you seen Iris?" "She´s inside with Reverend Balthus." "Thank you, Sofie." "Yes, I´ve noticed that too." "Strange, isn´t it?" "l don´t know." "No." "No, absolutely not." "I almost lost you. I can´t take that risk." "He won´t be that lucky the next time." "But we must work together." "That´s the key." "It´s the only way we can stop him." "Justin." "Good morning, Iris, Norman." "l don´t mean to intrude." "Don´t be silly." "Feeling better, are we, Norman?" "And you, Iris, how are you feeling today?" "Fine, thank you." "l´m so glad." "It´s turning into a beautiful day." "I don´t want to interrupt." "You two go right back to catching up on things." "You be a good boy, Norman." "Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on." "Are you Mr. Samson?" "What´s it to you?" "This is for you." "Much obliged, Fritz." "Wait a minute." "What about my sawbuck?" "What?" "The boy said you would give me $10 when I put that fish wrap in your hands." "That´s a might steep, sport." "Hey, Fritz!" "My name is not Fritz. lt is Klaus." "Yeah, yeah, Klaus." "When you said about the boy... were you talking about Ben Hawkins?" "The boy, yeah." "Come on back here." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Don´t be so sensitive." "Pleasure doing business with you, Fritz." "Son of a bitch." "All right, people, we´re moving out!" "Let´s get on the highball!" "Let´s shake some dust!" "Miss Iris?" "Yes?" "I want to thank you and Brother Justin for taking me in." "You have no idea how much it means to me." "It´s our pleasure, dear." "Sofie." "It´s an unusual name." "Jewish?" "Not that I know of." "My mother was Roma." "I never knew my father." "Roma?" "Gypsy." "Gypsy." "Who would have guessed?" "Where did you grow up, Sofie?" "Around." "Here and there." "Everywhere." "Where were you born?" "Saint Paul." "Minnesota." "Brother Justin and I loved Saint Paul." "Tell me about your life." "There´s not really much to tell." "Everyone in New Canaan has something in common." "Do you know what that is?" "Brother Justin?" "Yes." "That´s part of it." "But I think what brings us together, what bonds us as a community... is that every one of us at some point... has been discarded, thrown away like scraps." "I know that you have been hurt in the past, thrown away." "But you are with God´s people now." "You´re safe here." "The past is the past." "Just like a bad dream." "My mother was a fortuneteller." "And we traveled with a carnival for most of my life." "A carnival?" "But before that, we had a proper home." "A little walk-up off Lexington." "The tower, ruin." "We did readings there." "Breaking down old beliefs." "Your father?" "Was he a Gypsy?" "No." "No, no, please." "I know you´re a good person." "No, no, please." "I know you´re a good person." "Don´t do this." "I gave you a chance." "You hold still, you Gypsy bitch!" "Iris?" "Are you all right?" "I upset you." "No." "No, dear." "It´s just so hot." "So very hot." "And I have to get up to the house to take care of some things." "Nobody in, nobody out." "Just since I been here, I seen a few fellas I recognized from the pokey." "I reckon there´s more." "I´ve already put them on the gates, the roads, shotguns." "Maybe you ought to give them some kind of fancy name." "For esprit de corps." "How much longer?" "What´s that?" "Scudder." "He ought to pretty much be dried out by tonight." "Probably climbing the walls right now." "You want I should check on him?" "After sunset." "Do you think you´ll need help?" "When have I ever needed help?" "Come in." "Iris." "I´m so sorry." "You two haven´t formally met yet, have you?" "Brother Varlyn Stroud, my sister Iris." "Pleased to meet you, ma´am." "Brother Varlyn and I were just discussing security concerns." "In light of the recent attempt on my life." "I see." "I´ll be taking real good care of your brother, little lady." "is that a fact?" "Stone cold fact, yes, ma´am." "I´ll be organizing a group of volunteers." "The Knights of Jericho." "Isn´t that catchy?" "I take it you´re well-qualified, Mr. Stroud?" "Overqualified." "You have a résumé?" "A what?" "Brother Varlyn has extensive experience in matters of physical security." "So in other words, he´s a thug." "A first-class goon." "First class, that´s me, all the way." "I´m finished, Sofie." "Thank you." "Not hungry?" "Not terribly." "You should eat." "Waste is a sin." "So is gluttony." "Did you really think a dried-up old spinster... and a pathetic, delusional cripple could harm me?" "More lemonade?" "Yes, I think we´d both like some, wouldn´t we, Iris?" "Sofie... you have been doing a splendid job since you´ve joined us." "Wouldn´t you agree?" "Certainly." "In fact, I want you to take over the care of Reverend Balthus." "Me?" "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Quite sure." "You´ll be responsible for his daily needs and his general well-being." "It´s all become a bit too taxing for Iris." "Besides, she has other duties to attend to." "Wait." "Don´t leave." "Please, sit." "Join us for supper." "Thank you." "If you´ll excuse me... I have other duties to attend to." "My, my, what a pretty sight." "What are you doing here?" "I guess you´re not taking care of Balthus anymore." "is eavesdropping part of your job description, Mr. Stroud?" "You ask me, there´s nothing wrong with that old boy a pillow couldn´t fix." "You´re a very sensitive man, Mr. Stroud." "l know it." "And you..." "smell pretty good for a woman your age." "l´m not wearing perfume." "I hate perfume." "See, I like the smell of a woman." "You know, the one she has no matter how many baths she takes." "No matter how many times she tries to scrub the stink off of her." "You disgust me." "Do I?" "Good." "We got something in common." "Let go of me." "There´s one thing keeping you..." "from being happy." "You don´t know anything about me!" "You just need to get rammed." "Hard." "Not a pansy fuck, but a true blue banging." "Something to blow out the cobwebs." "Well now, Varlyn, that wasn´t very Christian of you, was it?" "Henry?" "It´s Wilfred." "You remember me?" "Henry, I spoke with Bennington." "He says you have the Sauniere manuscript." "Where is it?" "Where?" "It doesn´t exist." "Now, now, Henry, we both know that´s a lie." "Do we?" "I guess we do." "Very amusing, Henry." "Very amusing." "I hope you´re still smiling when the Usher begins tearing your soul apart." "Go to hell." "No, you go to hell." "Because you´ve failed." "All those years running and hiding." "All those years you could´ve killed yourself." "But you didn´t quite have the guts to do it, did you, Henry?" "Did you?" "Here´s what I´m going to do for you, in exchange for your cooperation." "Tell me where the manuscript is... and I´ll bash your fucking brains out right now." "That way, you beat the Usher and keep your soul." "How about it, Henry?" "Going once." "Going twice." "The priory, behind the sacristy." "Where?" "Rennes-le-Château." "Thank you, Henry." "Thank you." "Smith." "I kept my end." "Sorry, old chum." "But we all have to give the devil his due." "You should know that better than anyone." "Smith!" "Scudder?" "Hey, why don´t you go ask him when we´s gonna get paid?" "We´s volunteers." "We don´t get paid, jackass." "I better go see what he wants." "Evening, Mr. Stroud." "How are you?" "Who the hell are you?" "Open the gate." "Yes, sir, right away." "Open the gate!" "Open the gate!" "Come on!" "I´m thirsty." "You want a drink?" "No, I´m all right." "Get your fill?"