Part 65 (1/2)

”She could've asked for all three of us.”

I gave him a slap on the arm and climbed the last remaining steps up to the church with Sarah. We stopped in front of the doors.

”Are you religious?” I asked.

”Lutheran,” she answered. ”What about you?”

”Lapsed Catholic. I was an altar boy growing up, though,” I said. ”That's got to count for something, right?”

We both drew our guns.

”Let's go find out,” she said.

Chapter 103

I TOOK ONE side; Sarah took the other. We had become a good team in a very short time, but this seemed like an impossible test.

With our backs pressed against the faded red brick facade of Saint Alexander's, we each reached over and grabbed one of the double front doors, pulling them back slowly.

The initial fear I had came and went. Martha Cole wasn't shooting on first movement.

After a few seconds, Sarah called out to the killer. ”Martha, are you in there?”

The crowd noise down on the street made it hard to hear, but I was pretty sure there was no response. Sarah tried again, louder this time.

”Martha, it's Agent Brubaker and Agent O'Hara,” she said. ”Can we come inside?”

Cole answered this time, her voice echoing out to us. She was deep inside the church. ”It better be just the two of you,” she warned.

”It is, Martha,” Sarah yelled back. ”I give you my word.”

She didn't ask us to come in unarmed-not that we were about to comply with such a request. Or so I thought.

”What the h.e.l.l are you doing?” I asked Sarah, who was tucking away her gun.

”She trusts me,” she said. ”I have to trust her back.”

”That's not the same girl who was crying on your shoulder this morning,” I said. ”That was an act.”

”We'll see. Trust me a little on this.”

”Okay, but we go in at the same time,” I said.

”Nah. Ladies first.”