It was the bishop, with Adam and what looked like his entire staff trailing behind him from the house. The cleric came to a breathless stop before Jack.
"Mr. Crow!" the bishop repeated. "We are so grieved at your loss. We..." And then he stumbled, fishing for words. At last, he held his arms out, palms up. "I'm so very sorry, Mr. Crow. I didn't understand."
Felix watched Jack eye the cleric suspiciously for a moment. But what can you say, Jack? This guy clearly means it. Look at him.
Jack nodded abruptly, said, "Thank you, bishop. I appreciate it. We..." and he turned and made a gesture to include the others.
The bishop was way ahead of him.
"Father Adam has told me everything. Come inside. Please. Let us help you."
They did. And the bishop was, Felix decided later, quite wonderful. He was everywhere at once, it seemed, tending to them. And where he wasn't, his staff was, several young priests or priests-to-be - Felix was never sure which. They got them inside and dry and sitting down and got them something to drink and something to munch on while dinner was being prepared and were not offended when no one had an appetite and it was more the bishop's manner than anything else. That haughty, aristocratic, God's-house-is-too-good-for-the-likes-of-you attitude had been replaced by a focus of warmth and keen piercing insight.
Felix had never met the man before. But this guy was a priest.
But it was his help with Carl's body that meant the most to the Team. He listened quietly and patiently as the macabre necessities of a vampire killer's funeral were explained to him. He did this without evincing shock or repulsion or anything else they didn't need right then. After he listened he left briefly to change to his full bishop's robes and ordered his people to do the same and something that had always before been just one more dreadful chore would become, in the light of the many golden candles and the soothing symbols of the bishop's office, something else.
As soon as they found Jack.
Felix was in one of the many rest rooms trying to tidy himself up for the ritual to come. He'd managed to dry his hair and smooth out his work shirt some. Well, maybe the windbreaker would cover some of the wrinkles the way it covered the Browning. He had thought about taking it off, this being a funeral and all. But it really was a warrior's funeral, wasn't it?
There was a light tap on the door, followed by Davette's voice.
"Felix?"
He opened the door. She had made herself up, too. Her honey-blond hair was soft and clean and neatly combed and beautiful.
"Hello," was all he could think to say.
"Hello," she smiled back, her eyes downcast shyly. "Have you seen Jack?"
"Huh? No."
"We can't find him and... Well, they're ready to start."
Felix nodded at her and then stepped out of the rest room into the hall. Annabelle and Kirk and some of the bishop's people were there, looking concerned.
"Where's Cat?"
"He's in the chapel already," whispered Annabelle worriedly.
"What about Adam?"
"They're all in there, Felix," Davette said. "It's just Jack."
"Okay," he said, thinking. He started walking down the hallway but paused when he realized they were all following him. He turned and looked back, at their eager hopeful faces and...
And he wanted to scream at them: What do you want from me?
But instead he said, "We'll meet you in the chapel."
And then he just stood there waiting until they reluctantly dispersed.
When they were gone he thought a second, decided he knew where Crow would be. He continued down the hallway, walking on some thick paisley-looking rug that felt rich and expensive, with paintings on either side of him hung on the richly paneled walls that were probably more so. The hallway took him to the center of the house, a massive twenty-foot-ceiling, sixty-foot-long place called, for some reason, the Common Room.
Felix hadn't expected to find Jack there, but it was on his way. He paused for a moment, admiring this room that looked like the lobby of the world's most exclusive hotel. Nice work, if you can get it.
But he knew where Jack was and it wasn't in these magnificent rooms. Wasn't in the house.
Felix went through the formal dining room, through the grand oak-paneled entry hall, and opened the front door.
The night was still cool for summer, but the storm was over and