So many pews, stretching out on both sides of the bloodred aisle—and she pictured them filled with people, grown-ups and children, grandparents and teenagers. All the stages of life—
“Hello.”
Cait nearly lost her footing on the slick marble. “Oh! I’m sorry.”
An old man dressed in a mucky green janitor suit smiled as he put his mop back in his rolling bucket. “Don’t apologize. You’re welcome here.”
“I’m not Catholic.” She winced. “I mean—”
“It doesn’t matter. Everyone’s welcome here.”
She cleared her throat. “Well, I didn’t come to worship. I don’t go to church anymore. Ah, actually, I’m … I’m bringing some paintings that Sissy Barten did? You know, for her funeral? I thought it would make sense to check out things beforehand?”
“Oh, of course.” He moved his pail out of the way. “Her family has been really involved here over the years—there’re going to be a lot of people. I think you should plan on setting it all up in the narthex. That way there’s enough space so her work can be seen well. Come this way.”
As he started to walk away from the altar, she paused and looked back at the crucified Jesus on the cross that was the focal point of the entire building.
“Are you coming?” he said gently. “Or would you like a moment here?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.” Except she didn’t turn around. Didn’t move. “I’m not Catholic.”
“You don’t have to be.” When she still hesitated, he dropped his voice. “You know, the truth is, it’s all the same.”
“I’m sorry?”
He leaned in and put his hand on her arm—and oh, God, the moment the contact was made, she felt suffused by something she’d never come close to before … grace, she supposed her parents would have called it, that transcendental glow that supposedly came with revelation.
But he was just a janitor…
“It’s all the same. No matter the vocabulary, it’s all the same.” He patted her. “I have to head to the office for a minute. I’ll come back in a bit and show you where to go.”
“I’m okay.”
“I know you are. Sit down and soak it all in. I’ll return soon.”
Left alone, she told her feet to get moving again. Instead, she ended up doing what he said … sitting down, putting her hands in her lap, and staring up, past the pews in front of her, to the majesty and the power before her.
In the kind silence that surrounded her, Cait discovered she was really glad she’d come here. Even if she hadn’t meant to.
Who knew what the psychic would have told her. But she never did find out.
Destiny, she would discover, took care of itself.
Chapter Forty-one
Up in the attic, Sissy stood behind Adrian—who was not looking at her. Or refusing to look at her was more like it. Fine. She was just going to keep talking to his back as he sat cross-legged in front of that shrouded figure.
“Except you must know more, right? There has to be more.” She passed an eye over the deceased, and felt a stab of guilt. But whatever, she needed the help and he was the only one around. Jim had left without a goodbye, or an I’ll-be-back-when—so it was just her and Adrian.
And her frustration.
She threw her hands up. “I’d go to the Internet, but you can’t trust anything on it. And like the Caldwell Public Library is going to cover this?”
She could also wait and go to Jim—except for the fact that one, the guy didn’t seem to know as much as Adrian; and two, she had the sense he wanted to keep her out of the war.
Whereas she was ready to get into it.
Adrian rubbed his jaw—like it was either that or start screaming. “You are a pain in my ass. No offense.”
She wanted to come closer. Didn’t dare. “I’ve got to forge my own way here. I have no choice—and if that means pissing you off, that’s the way it is.”
“If I were angry, you’d know it. Terminally annoyed is more accurate.”
“Please. Just point me in the right direction. I’ll take things from there.”
He laughed in a short burst. “Funny you say it like that.”
“Why?”
The angel glanced over his shoulder. “You’re not going to give up on this, are you.”
“Nope.”
With a curse, Adrian leaned to the side and got his cane. Grimacing as he stood up, he leveled his stare on her. “Okay, fine. But, first off, I don’t know if I can find it. I make no promises.”
“What’s ‘it’?”
“What you’re looking for. And …” He shoved his forefinger in her face. “You damage it in any way, and I’m going to take the shit out of your hide. I don’t care if you’re a girl or not. Are we clear?”
She put her hand out. “Deal.”
The guy rolled his eyes. But he did shake on it.
Then he led her down to the second floor. Down to the first. Through the back door. Out toward the garage.
Talk about your lean-to’s—even though the long, thin building had a roof and three walls, it was listing like Adrian did when he walked, looking as if the only thing keeping it standing were the thick vines that grew up on its sides. And although there were four rolling doors, it appeared as though only two of them worked: The other pair on the far end had two-by-fours nailed kitty-corner all over the front of them.
Adrian bent over and locked a grip on the first door, heaving his considerable strength into it. The high-pitched screech of metal on metal made her cover her ears as he pulled the weight up ancient tracks, disappearing the chipped, paint-flaking panels into the darkness.
“You stay out here.”
He vanished into the shadows, and then she heard a flick-flick … flick-flick … and a lot more cursing.
Evidently the lights were out.
“Can you get me a flashlight,” he said. “There’s one in the—ow! Fuck me!”
“Explorer?”
“Yeah.”
“I think I need the keys—” Before she finished speaking, a set came flying out of the garage. Catching them, she said, “Hey, are you okay?”
“Fine and f**king dandy—it’s just a goddamn mess in here.”
Figuring she had a matter of nanoseconds before he lost his patience completely and told her to screw off, she jogged over to the SUV and beelined for the glove compartment. A quick click, and she had a beam that was strong enough to blind her even in the daylight. Perfect.