Part 58 (1/2)

He raised his head and grinned at me. ”I got what I wanted ever since my back yard.”

”What was that, Justin?”

His head sank again and he spoke to the floor. ”Not to be nailed to the fence anymore.”

I hurt for him, even in the midst of the terror. ”I hear you.”

”You've been there. You know what I'm talking about.”

I had to set the record straight. ”Justin, I haven't been hurt nearly as much as you have. I was discouraged, I was fed up-”

”But you know what I'm talking about!”

”Yeah. I do.”

”So where do you stand?”

”Justin,” I said, staring at his abdomen, ”you're bleeding.”

He leaned toward Morgan, brandis.h.i.+ng the knife. ”Don't change the subject, Travis!”

”Okay. Easy.” He relaxed and I continued. ”Listen, we were both angry. We were both fed up. We both had wounds and questions. But Justin, my problem was with the church, with all the church stuff. Your problem is with G.o.d. There's a difference.”

His eyes bored into me as he displayed the scars on his arms. ”I'm perfectly willing to blame them both.”

I pressed it, hoping I wouldn't set him off. ”But your father wasn't speaking for G.o.d, and Jesus didn't nail you to that fence.”

He grimaced as if feeling the pain again, then wagged his head. ”The point is past arguing!”

I argued anyway. ”Remember when your mother came home and got the hammer and pulled the nails out? Remember when she held you and sang to you? That was Jesus. He took the nails. He doesn't drive them.”

For the briefest moment, his face softened as if he were recalling the moment.

”I met your mom. I can see Jesus in her.”

The hardness and loathing flowed into his face again. ”She's the one who got beaten, torn down, and pushed around every day of her life.”

”It wasn't Jesus who-”

”It was Jesus who let it happen. Don't tell me you can't see that. You've had forty years to see it.”

I wasn't going to lie. ”Justin, after forty years of knowing Jesus and just a few months watching you, I've decided I can trust him.”

He absorbed the blow, then snickered and shook his head. ”You're just like Mom. You love losing.”

”No. I love winning. It just takes longer.”

He jolted, his eyes darting about the room as if watching a frightful vision. I figured his invisible henchmen weren't too happy by now. When his gaze finally returned to me, he was weaker. ”Well, I love winning too. Daddy found that out.” He waved his knife at the body on the floor. ”And . . . and Gallipo. He found out. And G.o.d's finding out!” He stared at me a long moment, his body swaying like a drunkard. ”And you're going to find out too, Travis! Just you wait!”

”Oh, I'm waiting, all right. After forty years of serving the Lord, you learn to do that.” I relaxed and slouched in my chair. ”But if we wait much longer, it'll be too late to help you. Let me call the paramedics.” I didn't get out of my chair. I only leaned toward the telephone.

He held the knife out, showing it to me, sending me a message. Blood was dripping steadily from his chair to the floor. ”You should have joined up with me when you could.” I could barely hear him. ”You could've beaten G.o.d, just like me.” His hand went to his abdomen and he winced in pain as fresh blood oozed through his fingers. ”I am he. I'm the one.”

He pitched forward suddenly, sooner than I expected, one hand on his stomach and the other still holding the knife. For a long moment he lingered there, head close to his knees.

”Justin . . .” I got up.

With a groan, and before I could catch him, he slid off the chair and flopped over Henchle's body, his head hanging loosely above the floor. He still held the knife.

Morgan cautioned, ”Wait, Travis.”

I stopped a few feet short of Cantwell's dying body. Morgan was looking at something-or someone-across the table from her and directly in front of me. There was no fear in her eyes. ”Do you see them?”

I looked around the dining room and kitchen. I saw nothing but the walls and cabinets, but I could feel my skin crawling. ”Who are they?”

Morgan looked from one to the other as she named them off. ”The Hitchhiker, and Sally's angel, and I suppose this one here is Elkezar, the one who appeared to Adrian Folsom.” Now she appeared angry. ”They're laughing at him.”

Just as they've been doing all along, I thought. ”The party's over,” I said. ”Get out of here.”

It felt like a puff of wind, but it wasn't. Morgan gave a little gasp and I could sense what she was seeing.