A Prayer for the Devil (30 page)

“That’s great!” said Vincent.

Arnold reopened his laptop and said, “This job will take me about five hours.” Looking at Luke again, he asked, “Are you good with that?”

Luke nodded. Directing his attention back toward Vincent, Arnold said, “Tell me his vices.”

“Well, after we graduated high school, I was looking for something in his room one day and found a magazine containing”—embarrassed, he looked at Luke—“nude pictures of young Asian girls. Even when we were in school, he always seemed to be fascinated with very young girls.”

Not wanting to hear any of this, Luke stood and asked, “Vincent, can you finish taking care of this?”

“No problem,” Vincent replied, and he handed over his keys. Luke walked out, wondering what in the world he was getting himself into.

LUKE STARTED THE JEEP
and turned on the heat. He realized that he hadn’t spoken to Deborah in a while, so he dialed her number. She answered, “I thought you forgot about us!”

“You know better than that. How have you been?”

“Great. We’ve been sledding, skating, and skiing. The children are in their glory, and Lori is a big help.”

“Have you been recognized?”

“No, I’ve been wearing my wig.” She quickly changed the subject. “The children have been asking for you. They’re sleeping now, but can you call back in the morning to talk to them?”

“Yes, of course I will. I miss them too.”

“Maybe you could come here and spend a few days with us.”

“Well, there are a few things that I need to take care of, but maybe next week.”

Her voice softened. “Are you being careful?”

Luke deliberated the question and wondered if he was really being honest when he replied, “Yes, of course.”

Before hanging up, Deb said, “Just so you know, I miss you too.”

Luke closed his eyes and tried to relax. It wasn’t long before he heard the car door open as Vincent jumped in and said, “That guy is awesome.” When Luke didn’t respond, he continued, “I can’t wait to see what happens.”

Luke asked, “Do we need to call him? When will we know something?”

Vincent turned to look at Luke. “He said not to worry, and he would get in touch with us.”

They pulled up to the marina and boarded the yacht. Vincent insisted that Luke sleep in the master bedroom while he took one of the others. Since they were both tired, they quickly said good night and headed to their rooms.

Luke lay on the soft bed and looked up at the ceiling, which contained a skylight. Pressing several buttons on the nightstand, he finally found the switch that opened the shade. The crystal-clear sky was full of stars. Looking up, he wondered if he was getting too involved in the investigation, but he told himself that Aaron would be doing the same thing if Luke had been the one killed on that stage. He asked God for protection before falling asleep.

He woke to the vibration of his phone in his shirt pocket. Startled, he looked at the display and saw that it was 11:52 p.m. He answered the phone quickly. “Is everything all right?”

“I’m sorry it’s so late, but I thought you’d want to know that I found her.”

Confused, Luke asked, “Found who?”

John answered, “Star.”

Luke sat up in bed. “You’re kidding me.”

“No, I’m serious. She didn’t really want to talk to me, but I told her about Blade’s funeral tomorrow.”

“And what did she say?”

“She said that she would be there.”

“That’s great. Did she say anything else?”

“Not really. She seemed more frightened than usual, but I think she might talk to you.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because she specifically asked if you were going to be at the funeral.”

LUKE OPENED HIS EYES
and saw rays of sun entering through the skylight over his bed; it was a beautiful morning. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, he saw that it was 7:15. He hadn’t slept this late in years. He walked into the salon, where he sat on the couch and looked out the sliding glass doors toward the back of the boat.

He was making a mental list of everything he had to do that day when he heard Vincent stirring in his room. Soon after, he appeared and sat down across from Luke. They were both disheveled, having slept in their clothes.

“Good morning, Vincent.”

“What time is it?”

Luke laughed. “It’s about 7:30, why?”

“It’s way too early to be awake.”

“Well, why did you get up?”

“I’m a very light sleeper. Been that way my entire life.”

“Well, I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Vincent stood and walked toward the kitchen. “I don’t think it was you, I think it was the movement of the boat.”

A few minutes later, Vincent returned with two cups. They sat in silence, sipping coffee and thinking about Fatih. Noticing the time, Luke asked, “Why don’t you come to the funeral with me?”

“Who’s going to be there?

“Only two, maybe three people.”

Not having anything else to do, Vincent agreed. They took their showers then headed out, to make their way to the crematory in Forest Hills. Before they pulled out of the marina, Luke asked, “Can you reset the trip counter so I know how far away we are?” Vincent pressed a button on the Jeep’s dash.

As they pulled out of the lot, Luke asked, “How about we stop at my brother’s house for a few minutes so we can get some clean clothes?”

“Just tell me the way.”

Vincent was astonished when they turned into Aaron’s neighborhood. “Luke, these houses are almost as big as some of the mosques we built.”

Knowing that his brother had built one of the most impressive homes in the area, Luke smiled, but he didn’t respond. When they reached the driveway, the only guard that was left to watch the empty house stepped out of his car and approached the Jeep. Seeing Luke, he waved and quickly opened the gates.

Speechless, Vincent followed Luke through the front door. Once they entered the foyer, he said, “This is incredible. Do you mind if I look around?”

“Not at all, but we don’t have much time.”

Luke went to his room to get some clean clerical clothes for himself and an outfit for Vincent. He opened his closet and pulled a few items from the top shelf, including his Bible. Wanting to make sure that Aaron’s gun was still there, he placed his hand under a stack of
sweaters and moved it around until he felt the cold steel barrel. As Luke walked into the hallway, Vincent emerged from the basement and said, “This house is awesome.” Before Luke could respond, he continued, “Do you know your brother had a Lamborghini?”

Luke smiled. “Is that what that is?”

Vincent shook his head. “How many bedrooms are there?”

“I think there are seven bedrooms and ten bathrooms.”

As they walked toward the front door, Vincent felt compelled to say, “I’ve built and been inside some really nice houses, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”

After waving to the guard, they were on their way to see Blade for the last time. Turning into the crematory parking lot, Luke asked, “How many miles have we gone?”

Looking at the odometer, Vincent replied, “Almost seven.”

The stone-and-brick building looked like a small church. On top of each roof peak was a metal cross, and the sides were lined with elaborate stained glass windows. Luke pointed toward John’s truck and said, “Park over there.”

As they walked inside, Luke noticed Blade’s bicycle propped up against the building. John was waiting in the hallway. “Hi, John,” Luke said, extending his hand. As they shook, he could see that most of John’s attention was focused on Vincent. Releasing his grip, John immediately turned and introduced himself. When Vincent said his last name, “Russo,” Luke could see the concern in John’s eyes. In an attempt to put him at ease, Luke said, “John, Vincent is trying to help us find his adopted brother Fatih. I’ll explain everything after the service.”

An older, white-haired man wearing a dark suit approached. Recognizing Luke, he said, “Right this way, Father.” He led them to a quiet room that contained Blade’s casket with two candles burning on either side. As Luke’s eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, he saw
Margaret sitting in the front row. He hugged her and thanked her for coming. In the back of the room, he saw a woman who he assumed was Star. She looked younger than he expected, and she was dressed in dark clothing. He walked back and squatted down in front of her while she sat. “I’m Luke Miller. I’m truly sorry for your loss.” She didn’t speak, but she nodded, acknowledging his presence. When she looked directly at him, he realized where she had gotten her nickname from: She had a blue star tattooed under her left eye.

Luke went back to the front of the room and knelt in front of Blade’s casket. After saying a few silent prayers, he turned and began the service. Knowing that Blade had lived a difficult and tortured life, he focused on the forgiving nature of God. Luke paged through his Bible until he found the parable of the prodigal son. After reading it, he explained how it related to each part of Blade’s life. He concluded by saying, “Franklyn Hennessey has found his way home, and Jesus has welcomed him with open arms.”

Everyone present paid their final respects by kneeling and saying a silent prayer at the casket. Luke asked John and Vincent to go outside, as he waited for Star to exit. After about fifteen minutes, she walked out. Seeing Luke, she nervously looked up and down the hallway as he approached.

Truly concerned, Luke asked, “Do you need a place to stay?”

She didn’t speak but shook her head no.

Luke quickly reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. He jotted down his cell phone number and said, “Please call me if you need anything.”

When he tried to hand her some cash, she finally spoke. “I don’t need any money, but thank you anyway.”

Respecting her wishes, Luke put the money back and asked, “Did you see what happened to Blade?”

Her bloodshot eyes filled with tears. Again, she didn’t speak, but this time she shook her head yes.

“Please, can you tell me what happened? I want to help.”

No response.

Luke decided that he would ask her yes and no questions, so she didn’t have to say too much.