MOON FALL (47 page)

John drove the cruiser to the end of the road leading to
Minerva's. He was worried now; he'd expected to find the old
lady at the
Gingerbread House, but it was plain she hadn't been
there today.

"Hear them?" he asked Paul, as he killed the ignition.

Paul nodded. "The gargoyles, huh?"

"Yeah. You know how to handle a rifle?"

Paul shook his head. "Haven't a clue."

John took it from its holder anyway, and showed Paul how
to use it.

"Look!" Paul cried, staring out the front windshield. "Look
at that!"

A nightflyer was circling in front of the car. As they watched,
two more joined it. "They're not going to let us in," John
murmured. "Hand me the rifle."

Paul did. John rolled down his window and took aim. Without
warning, one of the nightflyers dived straight for the window.
John fired, missed, and fired again, but the ugly malformed
head was in the car, ripping at his arm with its short beak.
Talons yanked the weapon from his hands and he watched
in amazement as the creature flew off in the direction of St.
Gertrude's, still clutching the rifle.

"It's intelligent," Paul said softly. Then, just as softly, "Get
that window closed,
now.
"

John hit the button and the window closed just in time for
another nightflyer to crash against it, cracking the glass.

"Let's get out of here," Paul urged.

John barely heard him; he was staring at the dazed creature
on the ground as it shook its head and flapped its wings.

"John, let's go. Another one's coming and your window
won't hold."

"Right." He started the car, backed it up until he could turn
around, then headed out of the forest. At least he knew why
Minerva hadn't been at her shop. He hoped she was still alive
.

"What next?"

John pulled out onto Apple Hill Road. ''How about a
reunion? We've all been tormented by the nightmares. Let's
see if Winky or Beano are ready to shake theirs and give us a
hand."

"All right," Paul said, then fell into silence.

John drove to the Addams Family Orchard first.
Win
ky
would
be more likely to say yes, and that might help convince Beano.
Convince him of what? To relive that night twenty-four years
ago?
John didn't know what he was doing, calling on his old
friends. He didn't have a plan. But maybe Minerva was right
about following his instincts. What he was doing
felt
right, if
nothing else.

"They won't leave," Kelly said as the afternoon shadows
lengthened. ''They're going to keep us here until we starve."

"No. They'll leave at dusk. They'll be at St. Gertrude's for
the ceremonies." Minerva didn't mention her fear that the nuns
would make another attempt to recapture Kelly. If they made
it until sunset, she doubted they'd come; they would replace
her with another girl.
John,
she thought,
please follow the voice
within you. Follow your heart, or many will die.

''What will we do at sunset?" Kelly asked.

"You will wait here and continue the protection spells while
I go to the abbey."

"I'm going with you!"

"No, Kelly, you're not. I am going to send Sara and Mark
here when I find them, and you must be here when they arrive."

"I can go. I know my way around, and-"

"No. Your powers aren't developed enough, and you're one
of their targets. You
must
remain here." Minerva paused, then
shook her finger at the girl. ''An apprentice does as her teacher
s
ays."

"Okay," Kelly said sulkily. "I just hate waiting."

Minerva put her arm around the girl's shoulders. "I know,
child, I know. I've been waiting for this night all my life."

"You're frigging crazy, Lawson, and you, too, Pricket, for
listening to him." Beano Franklin glared at them from behind
his pharmacy counter. "You boys go play your Halloween
games, but leave me out of it."

"Beano," Paul said. "It
happened.
You
know
it did. I can
see it in your eyes."

"Oh, yeah, priesty-boy? I don't see Winky here. Couldn't
you see it in
his
eyes?"

"Yes, Franklin, we saw it," John said. "He admitted it, but
he has his family to consider."

"And I don't?"

"You're not married. You have no kids," John said harshly.
"Your life's been on hold ever since that night."

''Blow it out your ass, Lawson, and get out of my store.
You too, butt-boy."

"Come on, Paul." John led his friend outside. "We're on
our own. Are you with me?"

"Of course I'm with you. I think I became a priest
because
of that night." He smiled thinly and wiped his wire-rimmed
glasses with a tissue. "Besides, how could I resist that line you
gave me about your needing my priestly magic to fight Satan?"

John smiled back, then looked up, knowing dusk wasn't far
off now. ''Let's get your bag of tricks ready, and try to figure
out a plan of action. We're running out of time."

"Are your deputies going with us?"

"No. I can't tell them what's going on, and I won't risk
their lives without their permission. This is strictly non-police
business. I'm going to turn civilian for the night and stop
playing by the book."

Paul gave him a real grin this time. ''Let's do it."

"Richard, I wanted everything to be perfect tonight, but
thanks to your pigheadedness, it looks like I won't get my
wish."

Dashwood sat opposite her in her office. They had fruitlessly
searched the basement for Sara Hawthorne. Then, when they'd
returned, they'd instead found Sister Margaret sprawled on the
floor of the office. She wasn't even sure who'd hit her
-
a nun,
but not one she recognized.
Damn her weak eyes.
Dashwood
was virtually certain it was Sara Hawthorne, but Lucy didn't
care for virtuals. She wanted proof. And she wanted Sara in
her hands.

"Lucy,"
Dashwood
began, "we have to deal with the possibility
that Sara may have escaped."

"And if she has, she may have gone to the sheriff. She'll
give him the proof he needs to come in here and disrupt the
festivities."

''Did you hear something?" Dashwood asked.

''What?"

''There it is again. It sounds like groaning
.
"

The pair stood still, listening, until the sound rose again.
Dashwood pointed at the closet. Lucy nodded and mouthed the
words, ''Open it."

He reached out and grasped the knob, then rapidly twisted
it and flung the door open. "Hello, Sara
-
"

He silenced, staring at the scantily clad Sister Elizabeth.
After a moment, he bent and helped her up.

"There's an extra habit in the closet," Lucy said tartly. "Put
it on."

Elizabeth slipped the clothing over her head, smiled at Dashwood,
then turned to Lucy. ''I caught Sara Hawthorne in here.
She attacked me."

"I gathered as much. What was she doing in here?''

"She was about to use the phone."

''Thank you, Elizabeth. You may go ready yourself for the
ceremonies."

When she was gone, Dashwood turned to Lucy. "Sara obviously
didn't manage to make any calls. We'd be crawling with
police by now if she had."

"She's either escaping on foot and taking her time about it,
or she's still here somewhere." Lucy smiled. "Maybe one of
our pets got her."

"No. I would know if that were the case. I think she's still
here."

"Well, we're running out of time," Lucy snapped as she
checked her watch
.
"We'll need replacements for Hawthorne
and Kelly Reed, just in case we don't retrieve them
.
Go through
your records, Richard, and find us a suitable virgin
.
You
can
manage that, can't you?"

Dried-up old bitch.
"Of course I can," he said, all sugar and
spice.

''I expect the Reed girl will show up here before the
appointed hour, but even if she doesn't, we must dispose of
her, preferably tonight. She's trouble."

"Big trouble," Dashwood agreed. Kelly Reed had power,
and one of the things she could do was resist his efforts at
hypnosis. Even when he'd drugged her, she resisted. His astral
projections had had no effect on her, and even when he and
Lucy had banded together and sent the revenant to her, she had
resisted admirably. She couldn't be allowed to live. "Who will
replace Sara Hawthorne?"

''I promised that honor to Sister Bibiana, remember?"

"You're serious?"

"Yes, quite. I've put up with her dimples and giggles long
enough. I'm going to bring Marybeth Tingler into the order to
replace her. She's adequate, don't you think?"

"Yes."

''Now, go find us a virgin and have Regina slip Bibi a mickey.
It's nearly time to begin the opening services."

It was after six P.M
.
and Sara was still at St. Gertrude's. For
the last forty minutes, she'd been hiding in the dormitory's
third
-
floor lavatory, in a stall with an Out-of-Order sign taped
to it. Her legs were cramping from hunkering on the toilet seat,
but there hadn't been a single second in which she could leave.

She'd ended up in the dorm after fleeing from the two nuns
coming up the walk when she'd first left Lucy's office
.
Students
were all over the place
-
nuns, too
-
and she'd taken a chance
and let herself into Kelly and Marcia's room. Fortunately, Marcia
wasn't there; unfortunately, there was no sign of Kelly
no
sign. Her books were gone, her toiletries
,
her clothing,
and the bed had been
s
tripped. Something had happened
.
Kelly
was gone, but whether she had run away, or something worse,
Sara had no idea. Were they preparing her for sacrifice? Sara
could only think of r
es
cuing her and Mark, and that meant she
had to get away from the abbey and find John. She had been
about to leave the room when the doorknob turned and she'd
heard girlish giggling outside. She'd stepped inside Kelly's tiny
closet and pulled the door closed just as Marcia Crowley and
Buffy Bullock came in. She'd heard bedsprings squeak as the
girls flopped down on the beds
.

''So, old Lucy sure was pissed at you for letting Ghost Girl
get away," Buffy said.

''What are you so happy for? You have to scrub toilets for
a week, too."

The pair went on sniping at Kelly, the other girls they hung
out with, and the nuns. Sara listened from the dark closet as
the minutes ticked by, relieved to know that Kelly's
w
hereabouts
were unknown, but more anxious than ever to alert John about
Mark.

"So," said Buffy, "I heard this rumor that that bitch Hawthorne
ran away, too."

"Yeah, me, too." Marcia's voice lowered. "Old Lucy thinks
she's such hot stuff, but she can't even keep her hands on those
two assholes. I wonder who they're gonna get instead!'

''Do they have a boy?" giggled Buffy.

''Well, I heard Sister Vagina tell Sister Lizardbeth that they
got the sheriff's kid."

''What are they gonna do with him?"

"Hell, I dunno. I don't know what they wanted Ghost Girl
and Hawthorne for," Marcia confided. "But I have a good
idea."

"So did they really get rid of Esther Roth?" Buffy asked.
''There was a sub again today."

''I know, idiot. I was there." There was momentary silence.
"She and that gardener, Carlos What's-his-name, they're both
gone. Lucy got rid of them."

"Why?" Buffy whispered. as Sara cringed. If something had
happened to Carlos
,
it was her fault.

"Who knows? I asked Sister Bibi, because lots of times, she
talks, you know?"

''Yeah. So what'd she say?"

''She said they baked them into pies and fed them to the
tourists."

Both girls laughed, but all Sara could think of was the sickeningly
sweet odors that sometimes wafted from the old kitchen.

''Maybe it's true." Buffy giggled some more.

Marcia laughed. "Yeah. What if it is? Esther Roth ought to
be happy, if it is. Finally, somebody's eating
her!"

The laughter swelled, then finally died down into a few snorts
and snickers
.

''Tonight's gonna be great," Buffy said at last.

Bedsprings creaked. ''Did you get your robe yet?" Marcia
asked.

"Yeah
.
Mine's black. What color's yours?"

"Black." Marcia replied. "Why?"

"Marybeth got a red one."

"She's Lucy's favorite."

"Yeah. You think Lucy's a lez, like Roth was?"

"No. She fucks Dashwood."

"Does not."

"Sure she does. You've seen them at the regular masses.
They're all over each other."

"Yeah, well."

"You're jealous!"

''Am not. Let me see your robe."

More squeaking bedsprings, then a door opening. "Here it
is," Marcia announced.

"Hey, bring it to my room and we'll try them on. I'll show
you Marybeth's."

"Okay, but we're on hot chocolate duty in fifteen minutes
We gotta be there or Lucy'll really have a shit hemorrhage."

Hot chocolate duty?
Sara had had no idea what that meant.
All she'd known was that the girls had left and she could
escape.

But it wasn't to be. She'd left the room, then ended up going
up the stairs to avoid running into Marcia and Buffy and the
rest of their gang. They were carrying steaming carafes-
the
hot chocolate, no doubt-
and little Dixie cups. As Sara took
the first step, she saw them open the first dorm door.

They're drugging them.
Sara stopped at the second-floor
landing, intending to walk to the other end and go back downstairs
behind M
ar
cia and the rest. But she ended up hurrying
to the third floor to avoid a nun who came up the center stairwell
and turned toward her.

The third floor was the worst place to be, since most of the
sisters' rooms were located there, but at least the hallway was
empty. She had barely started down the hall when a door began
to open. Sara backed up, pushed the lavatory door open, and
slipped into the broken toilet stall.

A moment later, two nuns entered, then two more. They went
into the shower room, but Sara stayed put because more nuns
arrived As they entered, others finished and came out to dry
themselves. Sara watched through the crack between the door
and the stall, shocked to see them all nude. A large makeup
bag sat on the counter in front of a wide mirror, and one by
one they used it, each applying a whore's worth of blush,
eye
shadow, mascara, and crimson lipstick, before rubbing red
r
ouge into their nipples and genitals.

When they were done, they walked into the locker area and
reappeared wearing cow
led robes of shimmery black satin with
red trim.

The lavatory emptied as a charley horse knotted Sara's leg.
She bit her lip against the pain and climbed off the toilet seat,
willing the muscle to loosen. Finally it did. She peered out the
crack. saw no one, heard nothing except dripping showers, then
let herself out of the stall and tiptoed to the locker area. She
started looking through the lockers and finally found a robe.
She shucked off the habit and slipped the satin gown on, pulling
the cowl down to her eyes and close around her cheekbones.

The corridor was empty as Sara left the bathroom. She walked
swiftly to the far end of the building and down the stairs to
the first floor. Outside, she moved across the back of the school
building and around the corner and ran into a cluster of robed
figures. She stayed where she was, and a few seconds later,
Mother Lucy's voice broke the silence
.
''Our priest and our
missing sisters and acolytes will join us later. They are preparing
our gifts to our lord and master. We shall enter the chapel now
and begin our p
ra
yers. Follow me."

There were perhaps twenty women in all, and Sara fell into
line with them. They began a minor-keyed chant and followed
Lucy into the chapel.

It was beautiful, Sara thought, grotesque and beautiful at the
same time. The entire chapel was alight with black tapers. As
they all filed into the front pews, Sara saw the shining black
altar, and behind it, a crimson d
ra
pe. She barely suppressed a
cry of surprise as she saw black gargoyles lining the sides of
the church, their eyes glittering red. She almost thought they
were alive, but they didn't move, and she told herself the eyes
were red glas
s
or stone and merely reflected the candlelight.

The nuns and students continued to chant as they sat down,
and Lucy stepped onto the chancel and pulled a cord beside
the red d
ra
pes. Sara stifled a gasp as an inverted black cross
appeared. The Mother Superior then went to the altar and began
singing a p
ra
yer in counterpoint to the chanting. It was beautiful,
Sara thought again, in a very grotesque way.