Demons are Forever: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (17 page)

This was old news to me, but I didn’t want to distract David or slow down his rhythm. I kept my eyes on the road and kept right on driving.

“He studied, he researched, he did everything an alimen
tatore
-in-training is supposed to do. And you know what?“ he asked, turning to me. “He was really getting into it. One day he told me that he felt whole again. Like he’d lost a piece of himself when he’d given up hunting, but that he’d found it again in the research.”

I pressed my lips together and forced myself not to cry. Unreasonable, I know, but right then, I felt like I’d been holding Eric back. Like he’d given up
Forza
only for me. Worse, that he resented me for it.

“It wasn’t like that, Kate,“ David said, even though I hadn’t spoken one word.

I sniffed, and brushed the pad of my thumb under my eye, drying an errant tear.

“In fact, he was planning on telling you. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be an active mentor or if he would rather take a research position. Either way, he wasn’t going back into fieldwork.”

“He told you that?”

“I think it’s fair to say we discussed it.”

“So what happened?”

“What did he decide?“ David shook his head. “I don’t think he ever did. He started to learn things about Forza that shook him up. Not about the organization itself, but about some of the people in it.
Alimentatores
and Hunters who’d turned traitor, lured by dark promises.”

“Is that why he was killed?”

“Who knows?“ David said. “But I do know that he was concerned about San Diablo.”

I hit the brakes for a stoplight and turned to him. “What do you mean?”

“Demon activity. It seemed to be starting up again.”

“Hold on,“ I said, ruffled. “I was here, too, remember? If there was any demon activity in San Diablo, I surely would have noticed.”

“It was specific to Eric.”

I turned sharply to look at him. “What exactly are you saying?”

“He was afraid he’d gotten in over his head. That some of the less-than-honorable Hunters were getting nervous about his questions. And they’d decided to focus the attention of their demon cohorts on him.”

“Wait. What?“ I tapped the brakes again, this time causing a large truck behind me to lean on the horn. I made a rude gesture, but accelerated again. “Eric thought that he’d been targeted?”

“It was a theory,“ David said.

“He didn’t tell me,“ I said, my voice almost a whisper. ”And I didn’t suspect a thing.“ I felt ice cold, and I stifled a shiver. “What do you think?“ I demanded.

He sighed. “I don’t know.”

“So the notes were about what he’d learned?“ I said a moment later. “That Eric had gotten in over his head with Forza? That he believed he’d been targeted by traitors and he wanted me to be careful?”

“That’s my best guess,“ David admitted. “But it sounds like the trail has dried up.”

“Do you know who betrayed him?”

“No,“ David said. “I’m not even sure Eric found out.”

“What would you do if you knew for sure?”

“Anything I could to avenge my friend,“ he said.

Our eyes met, and I nodded in both approval and agreement. ”And that’s all there is?“ I turned onto Oceanview, then slowed to 20 miles per hour since it was a school zone. ”There’s nothing more to tell me?”

“One more thing,“ he said. “Right before he died, he told me he had a lead.”

“About
Forza
? About whoever had thrown in with the demons?”

“Yeah,“ David said. “More specifically, about who killed Wilson.”

“Wilson?“ I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, fighting the wave of unexpected grief. I’m not sure what I’d expected during this little chat with David, but a discussion of why Wilson died really hadn’t been on the list.

Wilson Endicott had been my and Eric’s
alimentatore
until the day we’d retired. Where Father Corletti had been like a father to me, Wilson had been like an older brother. I’d trusted him, looked up to him, and I missed him terribly.

I’d been one day past Allie’s official due date when I’d received word that Wilson’s car had been run off the road. I’d always assumed his death had been caused by demons. Now, I wondered if Forza traitors had been behind it.

“What did Eric tell you?”

“Just that he’d been contacted by a Hunter who’d known Wilson. She had some information she wanted to share about his death, and she’d been poking around, trying to figure out who was safe. Apparently she stumbled across Eric’s name.”

“And?“ We were in front of the school now, and the bell had obviously already rung, as kids were scurrying from one side of the campus to the other. I, however, wasn’t letting David out of the car until I’d heard it all.

“And that’s all I know. Wilson had sent Eric a few things not long before he was killed. Books, relics, kind of thing. He told Eric to keep the things safe, and that he’d be coming to California in a few months to retrieve a few of the items. Obviously, he never made it.”

I fought to keep my expression bland. Eric had never told me about a package from Wilson.

“At any rate,“ David continued, “the girl used to be one of Wilson’s Hunters, and she knew that Eric had received the package. She thought there might be a clue in the belongings. A clue about the betrayal.”

“What was in the package? Did you ever see it?”

“Once,“ David said. “It was just an amalgamation of stuff. Some journals. A crucifix. A vial for holy water. A ring. A scapula. Even some photographs.“ He smiled at me. “Some were of you and Eric. Photos that Wilson had taken of the two of you training.”

“Oh,“ I said, then closed my eyes. “I never saw them.”

“I think he took them with him when he went to meet the girl.”

“He gave her our photos?”

“Honestly? I don’t have any idea. All I know is that he finally decided that it wouldn’t hurt to meet with her.”

“He didn’t tell you what happened at the meeting?”

“Kate,“ he said gently. “He was going to meet her in San Francisco.”

I should have seen it coming, but his words blindsided me. I closed my eyes and held tight to the steering wheel, wishing Eric had told me back then, before he died. If he had, I wondered, would he still be with me?

A ball of rage swelled in me, and I slammed my fist hard against the steering wheel, anger exploding from me. Anger at Eric for keeping his secrets, at myself for being so tunnel-visioned that I hadn’t seen anything beyond the house and the child. And at David, because he’d known my husband in those last days better than I had. And six months ago, that was something I never would have believed.

The girl, though, wasn’t the subject of my rage. To her, I turned cold, dispassionate speculation. “Did she kill him?“ I asked. Because if she did, I would find her. I had no idea how, but somehow, I would manage it.

He searched my face, undoubtedly searching for my purpose. ”I don’t know,“ he finally said. “Believe me, Katie, I wish I did.”

Nine

”A whole lotta nothing,“
Eddie said. “That’s what you got. A great big barnyard full of nothing.“

“Thank you for that insightful assessment,“ I said, giving the leasing agent a friendly smile. “Maybe we should talk about this later.”

Eddie had wanted to show me two furnished apartments he’d discovered near the beach. I was completely opposed to his moving out, but there’s no arguing with Eddie when he’s in one of his moods. And for months he’d gotten it into his head that he had to find a place of his own.

To be fair, the seeds for that delusion were planted by my husband, who had only agreed to let Eddie camp in the guest bedroom until we could find a new assisted living community for him. But lately, Stuart has backed off and was willing to let Eddie stay. Eddie, on the other hand, was apparently pining for his freedom. “Too much goings-on in that house of yours,“ he said. “And how am I supposed to have a social life if I got four people under the same damn roof?”

Since I didn’t have a good argument, I gave up and let him drag me to apartment after apartment. On this particular occasion, I’d picked him up after I dropped David off. In the car, I’d brought him up to speed, fully expecting that the conversation would be put on hiatus while we investigated square footage and closet space.

Eddie, though, wasn’t clued in to the whole hiatus plan.

“Maybe you’d like to look at the kitchen again,“ Belinda, the leasing agent, suggested.

“ ’The prisons of kings,’“ Eddie said to me. “What kind of bull-honky is that?”

“Eddie—”

“And that boy knows who killed him.“ He aimed a bony finger my direction. “You mark my words, girlie.”

“Eddie,“ I muttered, but with a smile for the agent. ”Please.”

“Humph.“ He turned to our bewildered companion. ”Okay, missy. Show me what you got.”

An expression that could only be relief wafted over her face. “Right this way.”

I trailed after, almost slamming into Eddie’s back when he stopped just shy of the kitchen. “I take it back,“ he said. ”You don’t have nothing.“ He waggled his eyebrows. “You got trouble.”

“Thanks, Eddie,“ I said. “You’re being so helpful.”

He snorted. “Ain’t my turn to be helpful, now is it? That’s why I brought you along.”

“Right. Fine. No problem.“ I shoved past him into the kitchen, telling myself that this was a good thing. Once he signed the lease and moved in, I would no longer have to deal with his orneriness or his disdain for David. Or, for that matter, his grudging acknowledgment of my husband.

All good reasons for getting him a place of his own, and yet the thought of him moving out left a sad little scar on my heart. I’d grown up in the company of other Hunters, in a dorm filled with people who knew about my life, both its risks and its joys.

I honestly hadn’t realized how much I missed that until Eddie had moved in. He was a complete curmudgeon, but in the short time he’d been with us, he’d become family, too.

And I liked the idea of another Hunter in the house. A Hunter who could keep an eye on and help protect my kids. Even one who claimed to be totally out of the game.

“As you can see,“ Belinda said, “the kitchen is as well-appointed as the rest of the house. Refrigerator, dishwasher, trash compactor.“ She indicated each item in turn. “The pantry is quite substantial, and I just love the way the darling little breakfast table tucks neatly into this alcove.“ She smiled at Eddie. “The perfect place to sit and drink your morning coffee.”

“You’ll need to buy a coffeemaker,“ I told him. “The kind that shuts itself off. I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve left ours on after you took the last cup of coffee.”

He waved my criticism away with a rude noise.

“I’m serious, Eddie. You could start a fire.”

“We have excellent smoke alarms installed throughout,“ Belinda assured me.

“Wonderful.“ I managed to work up a modicum of enthusiasm.

“My favorite feature is the side door,“ she said, moving efficiently to a door tucked in behind the breakfast table. ”You have your patio, of course, with a view of the ocean. But just go through here; it opens up on the walkway that leads directly to the beach.”

“That’s awesome,“ I said. “Although ...”

Eddie peered at me. “What?”

“Well, that’s a lot of traffic traipsing past your apartment. I imagine your neighbors will be going up and down the stairs quite a bit. What if they’re noisy? And is there any sort of gate between the complex and the beach?“ I asked Belinda.

“Of course,“ she said with a tight smile, apparently deciding I wasn’t quite the ally she’d hoped for. She stepped into the concrete-and-wood-foyer and gestured for me to follow. Between the walkway and the beach, I saw a low iron fence with a keypad mounted onto the gate. “It’s very secure.”

“It’s jumpable,“ I said to Eddie. “Anybody could get in.”

“Don’t you mean anything?“ he countered.

I shrugged. “I’m only trying to be helpful. It’s such a hassle to move; you really need to think about the pros and cons before you pack up and move in.”

“Uh-huh.“ His expression reflected total disbelief, which made sense, I suppose, since the entire sum of his worldly possessions wouldn’t even fill a duffel bag.

He went back inside and plopped himself down into one of the chairs at the “darling little breakfast table.“ “Anything else on your mind?”

“I’m only being practical. It’s a great apartment“—I aimed that comment toward Belinda—”but it’s awfully far away. Allie won’t be driving for another year, and it’s too far to ride her bike. And since you don’t have a license ...”

He’d been off the grid for so long before moving in with us that he’d managed to get lost in the system. He could probably have gotten a new license if he wanted to, but I think he liked the idea of me chauffeuring him around. I was fine with it, too. I’d rather that than have him fall asleep at the wheel. And Eddie was notorious for falling asleep at the drop of a hat.

I mentioned that little fact to him as well. “Under the circumstances, I’m not so sure it’s a great idea. You living alone, I mean.”

“You want me to stay, girlie, just come right out and say so.”

On the other side of the kitchen, Belinda glowered at me. Beside me, Eddie looked extremely amused. I felt like I was living in one of those dreams. The kind where you’re forced to make a speech. On stage. Naked.

“Fine. I want you to stay.”

He snorted, satisfied. Then turned to Belinda. “You got one of them lease forms handy?”

I gaped at him, baffled.

“You may want me in the house, but I got my standards, you know.”

“ ’Standards’?“ I repeated, brows raised.

He started ticking off on his fingers. “Cable, for one thing. Can’t watch my shows if that damned Nickelodeon is blaring.”

“There’s no television in that room, Eddie.”