"Who's out there?" Romy called from the back porch of the home. He held a pistol in his right hand.

Only the storm replied.

"Dammit, answer me!" Romy called.

Lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating the grounds. Romy could see nothing.

Julie Dorgenois appeared at his side. "What is it, Romy?"

"Jackson, I'm sure. d.a.m.n this storm. I've never seen anything like it."

Julie's eyes touched his. "It's time, Romy," she said. "Grandfather Dorgenois is right."

"The old man should have done it years ago. He claims he did not have the strength. But I don't believe that. It goes much deeper, I'm thinking."

"That R. M. is waging a battle within him. And the dark side is winning?" she asked.

Laughter from the darkness of the estate reached their ears.

"Yes," Romy said, his words just audible over th storm.

Across town, in the columned home of R. M. Dorgenois, R. M. sat in the darkened den, listening to the howl of the storm ... and to the dark howling that silently screamed from within him.

The old man was tired. Very tired. And he knew, now, that he had lost.

His lighter spirit grew weaker as the dark side of his human psyche strengthened and the storm raged outside the home.

"I tried," he murmured. "You know I tried."

The lights flickered on and off.

"But you won't win, Jackson. Romy will put it all together and kill you."

Upstairs, in their bedroom, Colter Dorgenois rose from her chair and locked the bedroom door. She took a small box out of a chest of drawers and opened it. She removed a half dozen crosses that had been blessed years back by Father Ramagos. She put the largest of the crosses around her neck. She took several small Bibles from the box and placed them around the room, a cross beside each Bible. At the bottom of the box a dagger lay in the silken lining, gleaming up at her. She removed the dagger and placed it on her bed. Once more seated, she pressed the intercom b.u.t.ton on the telephone and waited for R. M. to pick up downstairs.

When her husband answered, his voice was thick, slurry.

"Don't come upstairs, R. M.," she warned him. "I would prefer it if you left this house entirely."

"You have to believe me, Colter," the old man said. "I tried. I really tried."

"You lie, R. M. You surrendered."

"I want to live!" live!"

"I would rather die secure in the arms of my G.o.d than walk the path you have chosen."

"Join me!"

"Never."

"Then you know what I must do."

His wife of sixty years laughed at him. "You are forgetting I am a Laveau. There is nothing you can do to me."

R. M. was silent for a time. But Colter knew he was still on the line; she could hear his heavy breathing.

"Oui," he finally spoke. he finally spoke. "A mon grand regret." "A mon grand regret."

"You may regret, R. M. I don't. Our mariage de convenance mariage de convenance kept your darker side chained for many years, did it not?" kept your darker side chained for many years, did it not?"

"I despise you!"

But Colter knew that was not R. M. speaking. She knew that was not R. M. sitting down in the den. That was only his sh.e.l.l. R. M. Dorgenois had, for all intents and purposes, died.

"Think of love, R. M."

The thing that sat in the den screamed its outrage at the mere mention of that which it hated.

"Love, R. M.," Colter persisted.

The screaming grew more vile and profane. "Vous I'avez bien voulu!" "Vous I'avez bien voulu!"

Colter smiled. "No, R. M. You're wrong. I did not ask for it. My will could control yours, so the Church brought us together-don't you remember?"

She could hear the sounds of objects crashing in the den. "II y a longtemps," "II y a longtemps," she muttered. "Such a long time ago." she muttered. "Such a long time ago."

She could hear him return to the chair and sit down. "I don't know what finally broke the soft chains I had around you, R. M. But so be it." Her features hardened; when she spoke, her voice was hard. "Now, leave this house, R. M. Right now!"

That which had been R. M. Dorgenois screamed like the rabid animal it had become.

"I command you in the name of all that is holy to leave this place!"

The screaming abated. Colter could hear something clumping about in the den, moving like a hooved awkward animal.

"Allez-vous-en!" She yelled the words. She yelled the words.

She heard a door slam. She could sense that the Devil's Own was gone. At least for the moment. She was not afraid. She punched off the intercom and dialed the police department.

"Mrs. R. M. Dorgenois here. Chief Pa.s.son, s'il vous plait." s'il vous plait."

"Bon soir, Mrs. Dorgenois," the dispatcher said. "Chief Pa.s.son is not here. He is at Dr. Livaudais's home. Mrs. Dorgenois," the dispatcher said. "Chief Pa.s.son is not here. He is at Dr. Livaudais's home.

Thank you." She dialed Tony's home. "Dr. Livaudais? Colter Dorgenois here. You have quite a gathering there, I think, est-ce que c'est est-ce que c'est correct?" correct?"

"Oui, madame." Tony switched to Cajun French. "And quite a fright, too, I might add." Tony switched to Cajun French. "And quite a fright, too, I might add."

"Oh? Are you hurt?"

"No, madame. It's just that ... some very odd things are taking place about town."

Colter could hear that deputy-what was his name?-Lenoir, that was it, yelling in the background. She smiled at his words.

"G.o.dd.a.m.n it!" Don yelled. "I put five rounds into that ... thing! thing! Don't tell me I didn't hit it. I shot 298 out of 300. I hit what I'm shooting at." Don't tell me I didn't hit it. I shot 298 out of 300. I hit what I'm shooting at."

"Doctor," Colter spoke. "Tell your deputy to calm himself. He could have hit that 'thing' he spoke of three hundred times and he would not have killed it. If it's what I think it is, and I'm probably correct."

"You ... know what is going on?"

"Of course I do. Tony," she said, surprising the doctor, for Mrs. Dorgenois was usually very formal, "is that new young man in town with you?"

"Sam Balon. Yes, ma'am." He named the others gathered at his house.

"Come to the mansion, Tony. All of you. Time is short, and we are few."

She hung up.

Sam rode with Tony, Father Javotte in the backseat. "How old is Mrs. Dorgenois, Tony?" Sam asked.

"Mid to late eighties. So is R. M. But you couldn't guess it by looking at them." Tony's eyes widened in shock and he slammed on the brakes, the rear end of his car slewing around on the rain-slick street. "My G.o.d! What was that?"

Father Javotte gazed at the man-beast-looking thing caught in the glow of the headlights and crossed himself.

Sam sat and stared at the ... thing. He'd seen worse-looking creatures up in Canada, when Satan unleashed the creatures from the Pits against him. But this was bad enough for one stormy evening. Even though Sam knew, but did not tell the others, that matters were about to get much worse.

The creature had the head, hands, and feet of an animal; but the rest of him was dressed in a business suit.

"That's R. M. Dorgenois!" Tony said. "He was wearing that suit when I saw him uptown this morning."

The small convoy had stopped behind Tony. The occupants of the cars sat and stared in silent horror at the creature looking back at them.

Don clicked on the outside speaker of his prowl car, the speaker located in the center of the outside bar lights. "That's the same kind of thing I put five rounds into a while ago," he said, his voice splitting the rainy night.

The creature threw back its hairy head and opened its mouth, exposing great fanged jaws. It howled, the howling crawling up and down the spines of the people in the cars.

Rita hugged herself, her palms feeling the chill-b.u.mps that gathered on her bare arms.

Sonny Pa.s.son Crossed himself and said a small but highly emotional silent prayer.

Andrea Golden closed her eyes and shook her head, hoping it was all a bad dream. But when she opened her eyes, that thing was still there, howling at the dark skies.

Dr. David Whitson, sitting in the car with Sonny, almost lost his just-eaten soup.

R. M. Dorgenois turned and loped away, the darkness taking him into wet arms, melting around him like a shroud.

Tony looked at his hands. They were trembling so badly he wondered if he could drive.

"You want me to drive?" Sam asked.

Tony looked at him. "Jesus, man! How can you sit there and be so calm?"

"I've seen it all before. And I'll see it again-if I live through this fight."

"Well, G.o.ddammit! I haven't seen it all before! And I hope I never see anything like that again."

"You will," Sam a.s.sured him.

Tony put the car in gear and drove on. A moment later, they pulled into the Dorgenois drive.

Sam closed his eyes and thought of Nydia.

"We're all right, Sam," her voice came into his head. 'Little Sam is sleeping soundly and Dog is lying by his bed."

"It's begun," Sam projected.

"I know. Something has been prowling around the house. But it's very afraid and very nervous. It did not stay long. The area is clear."

"You have the car. I may ask you to join us."

"I'll be waiting."

When Sam opened his eyes, Tony was looking at him very strangely. "Don't tell me," the doctor said. "You've been talking to your wife, right?"

"Right."

"Jesus!"

"Yes. I speak often with Him, too."

"Does he ever answer you?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Tony Livaudais could not suppress a shudder.

5.

The old woman was busy picking up the broken gla.s.s and shattered vases when the small group entered her lovely home.

"Let us help," Sam said.

"I almost have it, young man," Colter said. "But thank you for offering. You're Sam Balon?"