Annabelle and for a single instant, as Adam watched, a look of infinite sadness and... and what? Something else, passed between' them. What is that look they share? wondered Adam. And then he recognized it.
Fatigue.
Bone-aching, soul-grinding tiredness. Because this job would never, ever, ever be over.
"So!" began Jack, suddenly almost cheerful again. "Tell me about the house in Big D." The goddamn toast had been just a little too pertinent in this great empty house. "How many bedrooms?"
Annabelle offered him her empty glass. "Seven," she replied. "And quite lovely."
"There's even room for Carl's hobby," Cat added, grinning wickedly.
Carl growled, drained his glass. "Hobby, my ass!"
"I'll try," replied Cat with an absolutely straight face. "But you have such a big ass. And I have such a small hobby."
"Right," agreed Jack. "Enough of this shit." He stopped mixing more drinks and came around from behind the bar. "C'mon, Annabelle. Let's go get it over with."
"You want to do the tape now?"
"Yeah. Let's get it done."
"But you can't go under drunk!"
He gave her a hug and lifted her off the stool to the floor. "Young lady, you'd be damn surprised at the stuff I've done drunk."
"Humph," she said, rearranging her skirt. "No, I wouldn't."
"Hell," Jack cackled, "I've even fought vampires drunk."
She stopped, looked serious and school-teacher-like. "You have never gone to battle drunk."
Jack nodded. "True. But if things keep on like this, I'm gonna start."'
And together, arm in arm, they marched in step from the room.
So Cat and Carl sat and talked to the young Father Adam to see what he was about. The first thing they discovered, with more than a little embarrassment, was that he considered them both to be heroes - make that Heroes. Heroes for Mankind, Heroes for the Church, Heroes for God.
It was awful.
Cat not only hated it but found it a complete mystery. This kid has heard my tapes and still thinks I'm a hero? Has heard all the times I was scared and all the times I screamed?
Hell, he's heard me scream, by God, 'cause Annabelle said I did that once making a tape under hypnosis. And he thinks I'm a hero?
Cat fixed himself another drink and eyed the young man suspiciously.
I wonder if he's on something, he thought to himself.
Carl was pretty much miserable, too. Not as much as Cat. Being base man got him a little less (but damn well not enough less) hero worship from the priest.
They learned a lot more about him. He was, for one thing, a good one. Adam was true Boy Scout blue, secure in his faith and in what it all meant and eager to do the right thing.
Maybe a little too eager, actually, but who knew if that was bad in this stupid job?
Born Adam Larrance, originally, in Berkeley, California, and infused with the "in" thinking of both that place and the new leftist leanings of so many priests concerning Liberation Theology for the masses in Central and South America, gun control, the death penalty, women's lib, the two superpowers as synonymous and, of course, more welfare. But even with all of that, and the driving antiviolence that pervaded it, the lad knew just why he was there - to kill vampires. Just kill them. He didn't want to "communicate" with them or get them government benefits or free mental health care or even try to bring them back to God.
He wanted them slain, purged, wiped out, wiped away.
He wanted them gone.
The punk had even learned to shoot a goddamned crossbow.
And yes, he did believe the silver bullets would work. And better still, he didn't tell them why he thought so. It was close, but they managed to stay out of the werewolf business, too.
Then the kid did something else that surprised and confused and pleased them. He got up to go to the bathroom, paused, looked back at them and spoke: "I just want to say that I know I acted like an ass at the airport about the press thing. It was wrong of me. I humbly apologize." And then he was gone to pee.
Carl and Cat looked at each other and frowned. They didn't speak. Then Carl leaned away from the bar and fixed them both another drink. They went back to sipping and staring. Still, they said nothing.
Adam came back in shortly and resumed his place in the triangle. He looked a bit nervous and stayed quiet. At last, Carl met Cat's eyes and turned to Adam.