34

WE MADE IT THROUGH THE CROWDS AND FOUND A PLACE WHERE WE had a clear view of Doreen. She waved at us but turned back to a cluster of women who thronged around her.

“How did you find out Lillith was your mother?” If I could keep him talking, maybe Tinkie and LeMont would show up before he assassinated Doreen.

“The Crenshaws weren’t my first adoptive family. There was another one. They told me how my mother drank and slept with men. They told me how she ranted and preached when Satan took hold of her. They took me one night to hear her. She terrified me. I knew then that she was evil. Once I got old enough to drive, it wasn’t difficult to learn a lot about her.”

Doreen moved to the top of the third step, the eager crowd spreading across the pavement and into the park. Close to five hundred candles burned. Plaintive Celtic music played.

“Thank you all for coming,” Doreen said. “It’s wonderful to see so many people gathered here to pool our energy for a healthier planet.”

Doreen stood in the golden light of a gas lamp. Only slightly elevated from the crowd, she was still a singular figure. I started to say something and felt Michael’s fingers dig into my shoulder.

“Move!” Michael pushed me forward.

I stumbled forward. “Don’t do this,” I whispered. “Michael, look at Doreen. She’s special.” The faces turned toward Doreen were filled with a soft happiness. “Look at them, Michael.”

“That’s the horror if it. Doreen deceives. She has to die.”

I recognized a tall blonde woman headed toward me and I tried to dodge to the left, but Michael’s grip stopped me. I almost cried out in pain.

“Sarah Booth, dahling,” Cece said, coming out of the crowd. She carried a golden candle with intricate designs spiraling up from the base. “I brought a candle for you.”

I was afraid that Michael would shoot her if I yelled. “Cece, get out of here!” I spoke softly but with urgency.

Michael moved the barrel of the gun from my back. He eased it past my side so that he had a clear shot at Cece. In the press of people, I didn’t think Cece could see the gun.

“Sarah Booth, dahling, don’t run away from me.” Cece kept coming. Behind her was Teko, his gaze riveted on Michael.

“Cece, run!” I yelled as I pushed backwards, hoping to throw Michael off balance. He stumbled, but quickly regained his footing. “Cece!” I slammed into Michael’s arm, pushing the gun to the side. A wild shot rang out and people began to scream and panic.

To my utter amazement, Cece dove at my knees, bringing me down hard. It was a tackle that would have earned her respect on any professional team. We both hit the pavement and rolled. I heard Michael’s howl of pain, and the gun skittered toward me. I was about to grab it when a petite, manicured hand picked it up. I looked up from the pavement to see Tinkie aiming the weapon at Michael.

“Don’t even breathe,” she said, her voice and hand steady.

Michael was holding his left forearm in his right hand just above the handle of a large knife. Only a few feet away, Teko stood with his feet spread, ready to pounce.

“Come on, man,” Teko said, crouching a little lower. “I’ll take you down!”

“Not necessary,” LeMont said, stepping out of the crowd and grabbing Michael. “I’ll take it from here.” He called a uniformed officer over. “Get an ambulance,” he said. “Get his arm stitched and then take him to the station.”

         

TINKIE HANDED DOREEN a glass of bourbon as she huddled on her patio. LeMont sat just beyond the reach of the soft lighting, his face in shadows. We’d left Cece to handle the crowd at Jackson Square. She said she knew all the words to “Kumbaya.”

“Drink a little,” Tinkie urged Doreen. “You’re shaking.” She glanced at me. “You aren’t shaking, Sarah Booth, but I don’t have to urge you to drink.”

“Tell me everything you know,” Doreen said, taking the glass and straightening her posture. “I have to understand why my brother hated me so much.” Her voice had begun to break, but she kept talking. “My brother and the father of my child.”

“Oh, Doreen,” Tinkie said, rubbing her shoulders. “You didn’t know. You couldn’t have known.”

“But he did,” Doreen said. When she lifted her face, she looked puzzled. “Why did he hate me so much?”

“He hated Lillith and everyone related to her, including himself,” Tinkie said gently. “He didn’t really know you.”

“But Michael had an alibi for that night,” Doreen said. “He was with Trina.”

“We believe both you and Ms. Zebrowski were drugged,” LeMont said.

“Why didn’t he just kill me when he killed Rebekah?” Doreen asked.

I did know the answer to that. “Because he wanted to destroy your ministry. By killing Rebekah, and having you convicted of her murder, he thought he could show your followers that you were a false prophet. He wanted to destroy your ministry before he killed you.”

“So much hatred,” Doreen said, her voice still shaking.

“It’s a good thing that Teko kid was there,” Tinkie said. “I’ve never seen someone throw a knife like that.”

“It wasn’t just coincidence,” Doreen said softly. “All things happen for a reason.”

The sound of the patio door creaking open made all of us freeze. I half-expected to see Cece arrive, but it wasn’t my tall, elegant friend. The latest arrival was short and wearing a nun’s habit.

“Sister Mary Magdalen,” Doreen said, rising. She went to the nun and hugged her.

“I came as soon as I heard,” the sister said. “I’m so sorry, Doreen.”

As if on cue, Tinkie, LeMont, and I rose. It was time to go. Sister Mary Magdalen might be able to offer the comfort we didn’t know how to give.

         

“I HAVE TO patch things up with Oscar,” Tinkie said as the elevator stopped on our floor. “I can’t go on like this.”

“Good luck,” I said, hugging her. “I’m going to bed. I’m so tired I can hardly stand up.”

Tinkie grasped my hand. “Did you ever think it was Michael?” she asked.

I thought about it. “I should have, I guess. But I never would have thought Rebekah’s father and Doreen’s brother were one and the same.”

“Me, neither,” she said. “When are you going home?”

“I’m picking Hamilton up at the airport at ten.” I couldn’t suppress my smile. “Then we’re going away for a few days.”

“And Cece said you were going to screw this up,” Tinkie said, squeezing my hand. “I never lost faith in you.”