A Prayer for the Devil (20 page)

Sal thought about that for a few seconds. “I’ll do my best.”

Realizing that this was as much of a commitment as he was going to get, Luke continued. “I need information on a construction company that had a green crescent moon on the side of their trucks. They were doing business in the city in 2004.”

“OK, what’s the name and what do you need to know?”

“That’s my problem. I don’t know the name or who owned the company.”

“Is that all of the information you have? A green moon?”

“A green crescent moon, and unfortunately, yes, that’s all I have.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but you’re not giving me much to go on.”

Luke thanked him and closed the phone.

He was still sitting at Aaron’s desk when Deborah and Lori walked into the room with shopping bags. Deb spoke first. “We bought you a few things.” Luke wanted to protest but instead decided to appreciate their thoughtfulness. He smiled and said, “Can’t wait to see this.”

Lori laughed and asked, “Are you being sarcastic?”

“Who, me?”

Deb handed him the first box. Opening it, he saw a handsome light blue cashmere sweater. “It matches your eyes,” she said.

“Thank you very much, it’s beautiful.”

She continued handing him box after box. They had bought him new sweatpants and workout clothing, including a few pairs of running
shoes. Luke was amazed at how easy it was for them to walk out the door and buy just about anything they wanted from any store without thinking twice. Putting things in perspective, he also thought about how Deborah treated the people who worked for her and what she was doing for John; she was an extremely generous person. He still felt guilty, but he decided that for every new item he kept, he would donate something that he already owned to the homeless shelter.

Then out of nowhere, Lori said, “Tell him what happened at the restaurant.”

Embarrassed, but smiling, Deb said, “No.”

Lori continued. “Luke, the waiter asked for Deborah’s phone number.”

Luke smiled and Deborah added, “I could have been his mother.”

Having fun now, Lori kept going. “He was tall, dark, and handsome—a hunk. Can you believe it?”

Luke blurted out, “I’m not surprised,” but then wished he hadn’t.

Obviously feeling awkward, Deborah quickly changed the subject. “Lori is going to join us for dinner.”

Luke politely excused himself and went to his room to pray. Lying on his bed, one thought kept crossing his mind: How was he going to feel when she did find someone?

DURING DINNER, DEB AND
Lori were having a great time laughing with the children and each other. Of course, “Lukey” was the brunt of many of their jokes. Trying to be a good sport, he played along, but he was preoccupied thinking about Blade’s story and frustrated that he couldn’t verify it. After eating, Luke excused himself and went to his room to do something he had never done before.

Undressing, he cracked the bathroom window and waded into the whirlpool tub as it filled. Sitting back, he pressed the button, and water shot out of the jets with such force that initially it hurt his skin. After setting the water temperature on the controls, he settled in. Steam filled the room as his mind began to wander.

The more his body relaxed, the faster his mind raced. Other than meeting with Jami, what else was he going to do? Who else could he talk to? Was Blade telling the truth? Maybe he had concocted this story to get money. He wanted to go see his parents to assure himself that they were safe, now that they had moved back home. Wait, Mom’s closet—the old phone books. He remembered that his mother never discarded any of the old Yellow Pages. He and Aaron used to make fun of her because she had stacks of them. Maybe the construction
company had an ad that showed the crescent symbol. Even if there was an ad printed in green, he would go and look at their trucks.

Before going to bed, Luke went to the family room and said goodnight to Deborah and Lori, who were still up, sipping wine and chatting. Knowing that his parents would be up early in the morning, he set his alarm clock for 5:00 a.m. so he could work out before visiting them.

The next morning, as he was pulling out of the gates, he noticed that Lori’s car was still in the driveway. Maybe she’d had too much to drink and didn’t want to drive home. Over the past several days, Luke hadn’t seen any reporters on the street. Maybe it was because the holidays were coming and they had other stories to cover, or maybe they finally realized that cars with tinted windows and security guards provided little opportunity for a big money shot.

It was still dark as Luke parked the car on the street in front of his parents’ house. As expected, the kitchen light was on. Not wanting to alarm them, he called their home number from his cell phone. Excited to see him, his mom rushed to open the front door.

His mom kissed him on the cheek, and his dad shook his hand and embraced him. They walked into the kitchen and sat at the table that was at least as old as Luke. They talked for about half an hour before his mom pointed to the newspaper. His dad quickly flipped through several pages, then pointed at a picture with the heading: “Lieutenant Governor Simpson shares Thanksgiving with the Miller family and the homeless.” The picture taken by Simpson’s driver showed Luke and Deb standing next to Richard Simpson, with a clear image of Blade and his newly shaven face that displayed his jagged scar.

Luke took a few minutes to read the article. It was actually well written and flattering. It described Thanksgiving at the Millers’ in detail: everything from Deb and Luke serving the help to clothing the homeless men from the Common to Deb’s piano duet with John. The
only issue Luke had with the article was that Lieutenant Governor “Dick” never even asked permission to publish the details of a very private day.

After eating breakfast, Luke asked his mom about the phone books. “What do you need them for?” she asked.

Not wanting to lie to her, he replied, “Just looking for a construction company that did some work in this area a few years ago.”

He was relieved when she didn’t ask any other questions but pointed to the closet. “You know where they are.” As expected, the books were stacked in the far corner in descending order by year. With his parents watching TV in the other room, Luke placed several books on the table and began his search.

He looked up every category that had anything to do with building, from commercial construction to new home builders to every other related category. He examined each page, starting with the 2004 book and continuing for several more years. Not finding any crescents or stars, he tore out a few ads that had green lettering or symbols. Realizing that it was almost ten o’clock and that he was scheduled to meet Jami, he put the pages in his pocket and said good-bye to his parents.

Jami smiled as she answered the door and invited Luke inside. He had decided that he would share Blade’s story with her because not only did he need her help but also he had no other leads. After some small talk, Jami asked him directly, “Did you have that abortion man beaten?”

Luke realized that she must have read the article in the newspaper. “No, I would never do something like that. But I think I may have inadvertently caused it.” He went on to explain everything that
happened with Sal. Jami seemed to understand, but he noticed a slight change in her demeanor.

“So you are investigating the bombing?”

Luke answered honestly. “I’ve been trying to re-create the last few weeks of my brother’s life.”

She looked up and said, “You didn’t answer my question.”

Flustered at her persistence, he replied, “Yes, I need to know why he was murdered.”

“And what have you found?”

“I think someone from the Muslim community is responsible.”

Before he could continue, she blurted out, “I should have expected that from you.” She stood and started speaking faster and louder. “Do you think my sister was involved?” Before he could respond, she said, “Think of how many people around the world have been killed in the name of Christianity before you indict Islam. How many of your priests have admitted to abusing children?” Now Luke was getting annoyed, but she wouldn’t give him a chance to respond. “My sister fought for peace and she died for peace. Don’t try to tell me that she was involved. Islam doesn’t condone violence!”

Luke lost his temper as he tried to explain. “I don’t believe that your sister had anything to do with the bombing. As a matter of fact, I know she’s innocent. And as far as Islam goes, you and your sister may not condone violence, but don’t tell me Islam doesn’t. Muslims danced in the streets after 9/11, and I’ve had a priest die in my arms in the name of Islam. There are big differences between Christianity and Islam. My God forgave the adulteress; your prophet had her stoned to death. When a Christian commits an act of violence, the pope condemns it; when it’s a Muslim, there is silence.” Upset at himself for losing control, Luke stood and walked out the door.

AS LUKE HASTILY OPENED
his car door, he heard Jami calling his name. Looking up, he saw her running across the frozen ground in her socks. He closed the door and waited for her to approach. “Luke, I would like to apologize. I’m sorry; I should have let you finish. I thought you were saying that Ablaa had something to do with the bombing. Please forgive me.”