The call came in a few minutes after five. The preacher killer had struck again. Martin 'Marty' St. Martin, victim number six, was only 33 years old, married with two kids.

It crossed Kane's mind that making a trip to the crime scene was almost pointless. He doubted it would reveal any more clues than they already had which was next to nothing. The call from Detective Wheeleralready on the scenepretty much confirmed his suspicion. Every detail of the scene was an exact repeat of the other five. But the location seemed a little odd.

"They found the body where?" Kane asked.

"In the men's restroom at the Queen City Concert Hall. And get this. His clothes were soaked with urine. Presumably his own."

"What?"

"Yeah. Nice, huh? Samples are on the way for DNA testing."

"Anybody see anything?"

"No. But shortly after we got here about a half dozen people from his church showed up. Apparently he was heading up a protest and was supposed to meet these people at five o'clock to get organized. He'd arrived ahead of them and by the time they got here he was dead."

"Who found the body?"

"Maintenance guy. John Cushman. Long time employee. He was just getting off work for the day. We checked him out. Family man. Volunteers as a soccer coach for under privileged kids on weekends. Clean record. He was pretty shook up about the whole thing."

"Okay. What about this protest? What's that about?"

"Ever hear of a band called Mega Therion?"

"No. Tell me."

"Death Metal c.r.a.p. You know. Head bangers. That s.h.i.t."

"Yeah. Second only to rap for the most annoying noise on the planet."

Wheeler chuckled. "Yeah, well these guys are into weird stuff. At least you'd think so if you ever heard the lyrics to their songs."

"How so?"

"Dark stuff. Satanic. Demons and s.h.i.t. You know. That's why this Pastor St. Martin and his people were here. The band's playing here tonight. The pastor and his people were planning to stage a protest. They believe the band is responsible for turning kids away from Christ and all that stuff."

"Hmm... interesting. Sort of fits with this mumbo jumbo that Ravenwood's been feeding me. Any of the band members there?"

"No. Not yet. According to the guy who manages this place the band isn't scheduled to show up for another hour to get set up for the show. But you'll like this. We got another video. The concert hall manager is getting it for us as we speak."

"Excellent. Bring it in, p.r.o.nto. I can't wait to see this one. And get me all the info you can about that band. I want names, addresses, phone numbers. Whatever you can find out."

Kane ended his conversation with Wheeler and promptly called Ravenwood.

"So, Ravenwood, you wanna see a movie?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"You should be so lucky. The boogeyman struck again. We got video."

"Save me a seat. I'll be right there."

"Bring popcorn."

CHAPTER 17.

A Few Hours Earlier...

The old stairs creaked with each step as Cowl made his way down to the main floor of the Manor. He looked at his watch. There were still two hours before he had to meet with the other band members at the concert hall to prepare for the show. Plenty of time.

He entered the Inner Sanctum, moved straight to the secret closet, pulled the door open and stepped in. The musty smell that permeated the interior of the enclosure was well suited to the foul deed he was about to commit for the sixth time. He glanced at his watch again and immediately began removing his clothes.

When he was completely naked he lifted the hooded robe from the hook. Draping the robe over his arm, he stroked its velvety blackness as if it were a beloved pet. Thenfeeling a sense of piety that surely the Pope himself must feel when donning the holy vestments in preparation to administer some sacred rite of the ChurchCowl slipped into his own sacred garment and drew it closed at the waist.

Now, secure in his new skin, he reached up and retrieved a wooden box from the shelf above the robes. The box, slightly larger than a s...o...b..x, was smooth and unadorned, coated in a glossy black lacquer. He gently, admiringly, brushed the tips of his fingers across the cool, smooth finish of its bra.s.s-hinged lid.

He moved to a corner of the room, set the box down, and rolled the carpet back, revealing a 6-foot diameter rendering of the modified Lucifer Seal he'd painted onto the hardwood floor. He stood for a moment admiring the precision of his work. Then he lifted the hood of the robe onto his head, stepped into the center of the magickal Seal and opened the box.

Inside the box were nine white candles. Five had been lit for a time and extinguished in the previous sessions and were now half the length of the others.

He dropped to his knees, reached into the box and retrieved the first of the five spent candles. He placed it on one of the nine points of the unholy geometric pattern. He lit the candle, bowed his head and began to chant.

"Shadah inzu korah. Shadah inzu korah." The words rolled out in a low, throaty whisper. Then louder. "Shadah inzu korah! Humwawa, Lord of decay and demise, thou hast carried me to and from the first of nine. Thy task is complete. We are One! Shadah inzu korah!"

He retrieved another spent candle from the box, set it on the next of the nine points of the Seal, lit the candle and bowed his head.

"Shadah inzu korah. Shadah inzu korah. Shadah inzu korah! Pazuzu, Dark angel of four wings, thou hast carried me to and from the second of nine. Thy task is complete. We are One! Shadah inzu korah!"

And the next...

"Shadah inzu korah. Shadah inzu korah. Shadah inzu korah! Xastur, most foul demoness among the Offspring of the Old Ones! Thou who dost slay men as they sleep and who dost l.u.s.t after their flesh and devour it at thy pleasure! Thou hast carried me to and from the third of nine. Thy task is complete. We are One! Shadah inzu korah!"

In like manner, the fourth and fifth of the spent candlesthat of the demon Akhkharu who yearns to suck the blood from Men and that of Lala.s.su, the demon that haunts the dwellings of Man and desires to become a Manthese were placed on the Seal, lit once again and recognized for the service they had rendered over the past many weeks.

Having set each of the previously used candles aglow, he placed the four virgin candles on the remaining points of the Seal. He left number six alone for the moment and lit numbers seven, eight and nine without ceremony. Then he returned to the sixth candle, Lalartu. He raised it above his head, giving honor to the Old Ones, then set it back in place. He lit it, bowed his head and recited the evocation to conjure the demon, Lalartu, into service.

"Harok uzni hadahs. Harok uzni hadahs. Harok uzni hadahs! Lalartu, sixth Offspring of the Old Ones! Blood demon! Dweller amongst the undead! Come! Thou who dost slay mothers at the moment of birth! Come! Carry me to the sixth of nine and light the path for my return! Then we shall be as One! Harok uzni hadahs!"

The sixth candle began shaking, vibrating furiously. The flame flared beyond its natural capacity filling the room with a blinding light. Cowl's body went limp as the intense brilliance subsided.

At that moment, Cowl's virtual doubleenshrouded in a hooded robematerialized in the restroom at the concert hall where Pastor St. Martin was in the process of unzipping his pleated black trousers.

Deep in thought about the protest he was about to lead against Mega Therionthat abomination and corruptor of innocent youththe preacher was about to relieve his straining bladder when his attention was suddenly drawn to an unexpected reflection in the mirror before him. He froze, staring at the dark hooded figure standing not five feet behind him. A crackling sound came from above. St. Martin looked up. The fluorescent lights on the ceiling were flickering like strobe lights. A moment later the room went dark.

St. Martin panicked. He spun around, his p.i.s.s spattering onto the green tiled floor. One fluorescent tube in the corner flickered and came on, barely illuminating the darkness with a dim, bluish glow. "Jesus!" he said, fumbling awkwardly at his zipper.

"Not exactly," the Hooded Figure replied from the shadows. The haunting voice came from deep within the folds of the large drooping hood. "But you would do well to pray." The Hooded Figure then took one step forward from the shadows into the gloomy half-light.

The preacher jerked back with a sharp gasp. He searched for a face somewhere in the dark void of the hood but he could only catch a tiny glint of light reflecting off the whites of the eyes. What is this? He believed in demons but... No... this must be some kind of a joke. A sick joke.

The Hooded Figure took another step forward, then stopped.

The preacher sucked in another gasp and shuffled backward until he was pressed up against the hard, cold porcelain urinal.

The Hooded Figure lolled its head to one side, then the other, casually studying the pathetic excuse for a man who was shaking like a timid mouse trapped in a corner.

The mouse swallowed hard, his eyes darting this way and that, wanting to run but unable to move. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The Hooded Figure advanced another step but stopped as its foot made a splat in the puddle on the floor. It looked down and shook its head. "Tsk-tsk. What have you done? You're a very bad little boy."

"II'm"

"Now who's going to clean that up?"

"I... I don't"

"You don't know? Then I shall tell you." The Hooded Figure's fatherly tone was gentle but firm. "You. You're going to clean this up."

"Whwhat?" The preacher's lower lip was quivering.

"You're going to do exactly as I say. Now get down on the floor."

"Don't hurt me. Please!"

The Hooded Figure raised an arm as if to strike the man. "The floor, G.o.ddamit! Now!"

St. Martin dropped to his knees, trembling. Without looking up, he muttered, nearly sobbing. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?"

"Not on your knees, you f.u.c.king imbecile. Down! On your stomach!"

St. Martin slowly lowered himself face down into the stench of his own urine.

The Hooded Figure nodded approvingly. "Very good. Now squirm around like the worm you are until you've sopped up every last drop of your filthy mess."

The preacher's will to resist was overpowered by a force beyond his comprehension. Whimpering like a helpless child, he found himself squirming and writhing around in his own liquid waste until his clothes were soaked.

"Get up."

St. Martin struggled to his feet, his legs quivering, his hands and face glistening wet, his clothes damp and wrinkled. He stunk of p.i.s.s. The unpleasant odor wafted up into his nostrils. A chunk of vomit lodged in his throat. He gagged it down. It came up again. He swallowed. It burned his throat. His eyes welled up.

The Hooded Figure nodded. "That's much better, yes."

"II don't understand." The preacher's voice was wavering and weak. "What do you want from me?"

"Silence would be good."

Silence? Somehow a moment of clarity had found its way into St. Martin's state of confusion and fear, offering a glimmer of hope. There must be other people in the building! He summoned what little will power he had left and acted on his flash of inspiration. "Let me go or I'll yell for help. I swear to G.o.d, I will."

"Well, that would just ruin everything. But, if you insist, then by all means, please. Be my guest."

The preacher was surprised by the response but wasn't about to waste another moment. He opened his mouth to yell but nothing came out. He tried again, every muscle in his throat straining, arteries bulging, his face contorting into hideous shapes. Again and again and still nothing. Finally, breathless, confused, shaking with fear, he sank to his knees and wept, pleading to G.o.d for this nightmare to end.

The Hooded Figure looked down at its victim and spoke in a measured, sympathetic tone. "I know. But it's almost over. Now get up and come toward me."

The preacher's mouth moved as he tried to speak. Toward you? Again, no sound, but he could hear his own words clearly inside his own head.

"You heard me," the Hooded Figure said. "Come here."

The preacher then realized his thoughts were somehow being perceived by the hooded creature. The realization frightened him to the point of near madness. He was no longer alone in the sanctuary of his own mind. That frail barrier had been breached. The intruder was inside.

St. Martin's head dropped to his chest and he obeyed the command. He prayed as he moved against his own will toward the hooded figure. Our Father...

The Hooded Figure recited the prayer along with the preacher. "...who art in Heaven..."

The preacher struggled to hear his own inner voice over that of the monster. ...deliver us from evil... But with those words he realized the futility of the effort. He left the prayer floating in limbo.

"What's the matter?" the Hooded Figure said. Forget the words?"

St. Martin's head lifted slowly as if it had become a tremendous weight. His eyes were empty.

"Too bad." The Hooded Figure's voice was contemplative, almost compa.s.sionate. "It's a nice prayer, actually." Then his tone switched abruptly. "But, no matter. We've got a couple more things to get done here. So let's get on with it, shall we? Come closer."

St. Martin moved another step closer and waitedfor what, he could not fathom. He didn't even try. He was an empty, distorted reflection of the once dynamic man who had, for years, pa.s.sionately served the very G.o.d that had now, for some inscrutable reason, abandoned him to the will of this monster.

"Now," the Hooded Figure said, "I'm going to heal you."

Heal?

"C'mon. You know. The laying on of hands?" It raised an arm and extended a hand out of the dark sleeve toward the preacher's face. "Close your eyes. This might hurt a little."

St. Martin's eyes suddenly clamped shut in spite of his straining to keep them open and the creature began to chant.

"Kah-hahdin azahn. Dinjah Dinjasa. Kah-hahdin azahn. Dinjah Dinjasa!"

The very sound of the strange words caused St. Martin to recoil in horror. G.o.d in heaven! Help me!

The Hooded Figure carried on, oblivious to the preacher's torment. "Hear me, O Lucifer! Son of the morning! Approve this invocation with the seal of my Master!" The Hooded Figure pressed its hand against the preacher's forehead and pushed hard. "Thy will be done! Aum. Ha!"

St. Martin's eyes flew open, bulging from their sockets. A searing pain ripped through his skull and burned like a hot poker under his rippling skin. He knew his screams, his desperate wailing cries for help, were heard by no one but himself, inside his own head. Paralyzed by the will of the monster, he was helpless to do anything but endure the torture. How many times during his ministry had he told people they were destined for h.e.l.l and now h.e.l.l had come to him.

The hooded figure withdrew its hand and stepped back.