“If Saint Nick is making an army, where is it?” says Wells.
The Shonin leads us out of the chapel and back into the hall. He closes the door behind us.
“That’s a very good question. And having succeeded in a mass killing like this, will he try more?”
I say, “Could Saint Nick’s chop-shop people do what he did and make more vessels?”
The Shonin leans on one of the broken church pews in the hall.
“I doubt it. This is very powerful magic. Qliphoth wouldn’t have the skill or knowledge for it.”
“What about another Lamia? A smarter piece of the Gods?”
“We would have heard about something like that by now,” says Wells. “The Vigil is always on the alert for reports of possible Angra infiltration.”
The Shonin puts his hand on my arm, steadying himself on the pew. If a dead man can look unwell, that’s how he looks.
“You got all this from that book you’re drinking?”
“Most of it. Why?”
“Think there might be another copy lying around somewhere?”
“It’s doubtful, but anything is possible. Do you know someone who might have one?”
There’s blood on the bottom of my boots. I scrape the soles on the side of a pew.
“I don’t know. You’re the expert. I’m just trying to keep up.”
Wells says, “If you know something, Stark, speak up.”
“It’s not anyone here. Some Hellions I know are awfully anxious for the Angra to come home. I was wondering if you could do something like what we saw in there to fallen angels.”
Wells shakes his head and checks his own shoes for blood. He doesn’t care about Hell’s problems. I can’t say I blame him.
“It’s an interesting question,” says the Shonin. “If you find the answer let me know.”
“What about Der Zorn Götter?” says Wells. “Your dead friend Hobaica said they were involved with the scene in the meat locker. This could be their work too.”
Julie Sola comes around a corner holding a computer tablet. She stops for a second and without thinking puts her hand to her face. Even though she’s wearing a respirator, this close to the chapel the smell is getting through.
“Yes? You have something?” says Wells.
She hands him the tablet. Then reluctantly slides off her respirator.
“We’ve found footprints and dirt throughout the facility. We need to get in there,” she says, nodding at the chapel, “but it’s pervasive. My guess is that we’ll find the same results.”
Wells touches the screen and the tablet lights up.
“What am I looking at here?”
“A chemical analysis of the soil samples. Indications of methane and hydrogen sulfide gases. Sand. Clay. Igneous rock and traces of crude oil.”
“And what does that tell us?”
“It’s the basic soil structure of Los Angeles. Not at street level. Underground.”
Wells hands Sola back the tablet.
“Thank you. Carry on,” he says. She turns away and slips her respirator back on. She opens the chapel doors and closes them again.
“I’m going to need help in there,” she says, and heads back down the hall the way she came.
Wells looks at the Shonin.
“Did you ask him any more about the caverns?”
“I was getting around to it,” the Shonin says. “You said you saw caves within the fire when you were in Hobaica’s mind. Do you remember anything more about them?”
I shake my head.
“Nothing more than I already said. I didn’t get a good look.”
Wells says, “There are old mines around the city. Tunnels where oil pipelines run. We’re thinking of doing a search of the whole shebang. What do you think of that?”
I nod, not happy with where this is going.
“Sounds good. Sounds smart.”
The Shonin says, “What happened in the chapel, this isn’t the first time there’s been a killing on a large scale. It’s just the first time Saint Nick has been bold enough to do it in public. In the past he would have hidden it as bodies mutilated in bus or train accidents. Saint Nick needs a place where he can do more of these experiments in private. What better than somewhere underground that no one even knows exists?”
“When do you want to start?”
“In a day or two,” says Wells. “We’ll need to bring in some equipment from back east.”
That’s it then. I have a day to do something about the cavern. Back when zombies were running wild, I found tunnels under L.A. full of the city’s dead. What’s worse, they opened onto Mr. Muninn’s private hidey-hole from when he lived here. He’d been under the city collecting bits and pieces of every human civilization since probably the beginning of time. He had trinkets from the heyday of Hollywood all the way back to kingdoms as big as Rome that existed ice ages ago. And a lot of what’s in the cavern is magic and I don’t want anyone, especially not the Vigil, getting their hands on it. I need to know what to do about it, but I can’t figure it out on my own.
It’s settled then.
I’m heading back to Hell. Candy will be so pleased.
AND SHE IS.
Back at home she says, “I’m coming with you.”
“Yeah. When you’re sick. What a great time to skip off to Hell.”
“Fuck you. Why do you always want to leave me behind?”
We’re in the little living room upstairs. I’m on the sofa and Candy is standing over me, arms crossed. Her face is red.
“What are you talking about?” I say. “I already took you to Hell once and you come with me all the time when I’m doing jobs for the Vigil.”
She uncrosses her arms and rubs her temples.
“It feels wrong. Like you’re not coming back. Like you’re trying to ditch me again.”
“I never tried to ditch you. I got stuck in Hell that one time. Mr. Muninn is in charge now. It won’t happen again.”
Candy goes into the bathroom. I think it’s to keep me from seeing her cry, but a second later I hear her throwing up. She gargles and comes back out wiping her mouth on a hand towel.
I say, “Go see Allegra while I’m gone. Has she used those big chunks of divine glass on you yet? They helped heal me when I got shot.”
Candy blows her nose into the towel and sits on the edge of the sofa just out of reach.
“Did you know that Kasabian has a date with my drummer?”
“Yeah, I heard. Hell of a thing, isn’t it?”
“Okay,” she says. “Maybe I’ll go back to the clinic and volunteer with Allegra for a few days. At least until this clears up. I have to see her for my Jade methadone anyway. Maybe that’s smarter than playing Dante with you right now.”
I slide down the sofa a little and rub her back. She leans over and lets me.
“Tell Allegra I want a fucking diagnosis when I get back. Not just more drugs that make you feel better for maybe a day.”
Candy sits up and slides back so she’s leaning against the sofa. But she doesn’t get any closer to me.
“Fine, asshole. Go play Dirty Harry. Just don’t die without me. Okay?”
“Deal.”
She rubs her temples. Her face is red, but I think this time it’s just her trying not to cry.
I FEEL LIKE a heel for leaving her alone, but I do it anyway. I make sure she heads out for Allegra’s before I take off.
Kasabian is downstairs working on his swami site while The Devil’s Rain plays on his big screen.
“You heading back down to Dixie?” he says.
“It looks that way.”
“You going to help me out with a client?”
“I can’t this trip. Maybe some other time.”
“Too bad. I already did a favor for you, so you’re going to owe me one.”
I already owe Muninn a favor. I don’t like carrying debt around.
“What kind of favor?”
“I think I found your green-haired girl. What’s her name?”
“Cindil Ashley.”
“She used to work at Donut Universe?”
“That’s her.”
He swings his chair around to face me.