He smelled strongly of antiseptic, and my cheek prickled where the short hairs of his neck scratched me, but I held him firmly, until my ribs ached and a tear squeezed out of my eye. "Danny."
"Dee." He murmured in my ear, "You look good."
I pulled out of the embrace. Tugging the collar of his trench coat, I gestured at the orange of his prison clothes. "I wish I could say the same about you."
He laughed deep in his throat. "We're both dressed a bit different than the last time we saw each other." His fingers brushed imaginary flecks off the shoulder of my uniform. "So, what? Your old roomie finally talked you into joining her crazy rebels?"
"Oh, and what about Kantowicz?" I said, smiling. "You must have made some Malachim friends inside."
"My cellmate had the connections," Daniel said with a crooked smile. "I just took advantage of an opportunity."
"I'm glad you did," I said. "It's good to see you."
"Really?" In his voice, I heard all the same doubt and anxiety I had felt when anticipating this meeting.
"Yeah." Though my tone was light, I realized I still gripped his jacket. I felt a bit awkward holding on to him so tightly, but couldn't will myself to let go. I was afraid that if I loosened my hold on him, he might slip back into the ether. "Jesus, it's good to see you."
"Hey." He stepped away, and I was forced to let go of his jacket. He cautioned, "No cursing now. God has spoken to me, you know. I'm one of the chosen."
Archived excerpt from www.vatican.va, from July 7, 2075. Appears here in translation from the original Spanish.
The Papal Position on LINK-angels
The appearance of the LINK-angels is to be regarded as a miracle and a direct sign from God, Our Heavenly Father. As the biblical flood warned the Children of Israel of their arrogance and sin, so the LINK-angels warn all of God's Children that we have strayed from the path of righteousness. Secular governments have led only to chaos and wars. The Revelation of John says, "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth – Gog and Magog – to gather them for battle." The Medusa bomb, the hydrogen bomb before that, and all the engines of secular war were clearly designed by agents of the Prince of Darkness. A God of Love does not condemn his children to a death so vile as that of the Medusa bomb. The dead shook the very heavens with their silent cries, and the archangels have responded.
To paraphrase Jesus, "When in Rome do as the Romans do," but we are not in Rome any longer. Just as the Vatican became its own country, so must other concerned and righteous peoples separate themselves from the corruption of secular governments. We will shelter any who request asylum in the name of Christendom.
Chapter 16
"What did you just say?" The spell was broken. Just as I feared – the Danny I'd been hoping to be reunited with slipped out of my grasp.
"God has spoken to me," he said. I searched for the glint of madness in Danny's eyes, but only his familiar green eyes greeted me. Dorshak's words in the interrogation room came back to me: "Your partner is completely off the deep end. He thinks the LINK-angels guided his hand."
I shook my head, as though trying to will the words back into Danny's mouth. "No, you don't mean that."
Ignoring the tremor in my voice, he smiled crookedly. "Yeah, I do. I've received an answer from the Almighty ... a sort of peace."
I pushed away from him and sat down on the bleachers. I squinted up at him. "What are you talking about, Danny?"
He sat down next to me. The long-unused plastic creaked in protest at the added weight. Danny reached into the pocket of the trench coat and carefully laid a Bible on my knee.
I stared at the scarred and battered book, as though it might be a carrier of his insanity.
"I smuggled this out for you," he said, patting the book. "You'll find it illuminating."
"I'm a Catholic, Danny. You know we never read that thing," I said, pushing the Bible back at him.
"Maybe it's time." Firmly, Daniel placed the book back in my lap. He looked deeply into my eyes. "I've been thinking about that night. All my notes are in there."
I looked at the Bible with renewed interest.
He shrugged. "It was the best I could do. It's the only paper the Moral Office allows besides toilet paper. But I could hardly have kept notes on that stuff, now could I? Keeping a Bible is expected."
I nodded, not sure what to make of this new development. "Danny, you haven't become a New Right convert, have you?"
"Hell no!"
"Why all this God-talk, then?"
"I told you, Dee. I've been chosen. God has spoken to me." :
"Sure," I said hollowly. His shoulder touched mine, and we stared out at the ruined ballpark. The glass field glinted like a multifaceted diamond in the silvery moonlight. I put my hand over his where he pressed the Bible into my lap. His knuckles were dry and his fingers thin. As I caressed his hand, I noticed the absence of a band on his ring finger. "She divorced you?"
"Wouldn't you have?" His face scrunched up in a grimace.
"It's illegal. How could she possibly have gotten ..."
"It's not illegal in cases of adultery, remember," Daniel said. "And even though you were acquitted of the charges, by the time the circus was through the press painted you a total nymphomaniac. Barbara didn't believe me when I told her I'd stopped before ... well, you were there. You know the truth."
I pulled away at the memory of that night. In my mind, his hot hands, so unlike the gentle ones resting on the Bible now, pawed at my dress like an animal. "Yeah," I said hoarsely, "I was there."
He removed his hand deliberately, conscious of me staring at it. He folded his arms across his chest. "Dee, about that night ... Did you get my letters?"
I nodded, returning my gaze to the glass-shrouded arena.
"It's important, Dee. This is why I wanted to meet. I need you to understand it was ... Them." He unraveled one hand to jab a finger at the Bible. "Them, not me, who were in control that night."
I shook my head. He was completely delusional. "Oh, Danny."
"No, you've got to listen to me. The therapist at the psych ward told me to take responsibility for my actions, but he didn't understand me. I know I did it; it just wasn't me that did it."
"Do you know how crazy that sounds?" My voice took on the same tone Rebeckah's had when she begged me to join a twelve-step program, sympathetic yet tinged with hopelessness.
His eyes locked on to mine, asking me to trust in our partnership, to remember who he used to be. With a nod, he said, "I know how crazy it sounds, Dee. I think sometimes that I have gone off the deep end. But, you were my partner for five years. Was I really capable of any of it?"
"Sometimes we don't know what we're capable of." My voice sounded mechanical, harsh. "Danny, you have to face facts. They caught you with a smoking gun. You killed the Pope."
"Right. Right," Daniel said, impatiently. "I've seen the tapes. The whole world has. It was me, but who pulled the strings?"
"I don't believe in fate." The open air of the stadium robbed my words of their impact. I shook my head and muttered, "Freewill down here, my friend, freewill." I could feel my throat constricting, and tears burning behind my eyes. "Danny, maybe that doctor was right."