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knew no fear. She walked up to the front door and rang the bell.
The door opened. A tall black man’s outline was silhouetted in the doorway, his muscular body backlit from the light inside the house.
“Yes, may I help you?” he asked.
His voice sounded odd, but he was probably surprised to see a stranger on his doorstep at this time of night.
She smiled. God has sent me to you.
“Are you sure you’re at the right house? This is Reverend Phillips’s home.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, she uncapped the gas can she held behind her back, then hoisted it high and threw the contents straight at her target. Before he had a chance to react, she dropped the can, flipped open the lighter and using both hands locked the flame. She tossed the open lighter toward his chest. The lighter hit the edge of his gasoline-soaked silk tie.
Burn in hell for your sins.
The Holy Ghost surged through her, the feeling stronger than ever before.
She backed away from the man on fire and watched him burn. Then she quickly bent down, picked up the metal torch lighter and put it in her pocket.
A woman’s voice screeching for help warned her that she must leave quickly. She had accomplished her goal and done God’s bidding. It was time for her to return home, to rest, to recoup, to prepare herself for the next time.
She yanked the gold chain from her neck and tossed it down on the sidewalk. Then, without a backward glance, she walked away, crossed the street and got in her car.
Jack sat on the back porch, his gaze unfocused as he went over in his mind, again and again, what Cathy had told him. He wasn’t sure how he felt, other than being pissed as hell. But what lay beneath the anger?
He had a son.
He was Seth Cantrell’s biological father.
The logical part of his mind understood why Cathy had married Mark Cantrell and even understood her reasoning about why she’d never told him the truth. But his gut told him he had every right to be angry and hurt, to never forgive Cathy for what she’d done.
I was young and stupid and let Mark and my mother make all my decisions.
Damn Elaine Nelson!
And damn Mark Cantrell. He couldn’t have a son of his own, so he stole my son from me.
Why had he thought, even for one minute, that this time around, he’d get it right? He should have known better than to believe he could finally live a somewhat normal life. He had actually thought he and Cathy had a chance. God, what an idiot he was.
A real home and a happy family weren’t in the cards for him. Never had been. Never would be.
Stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself. You’re not the first man who’s been in this situation, and you won’t be the last.
He had no idea what to do. Would Cathy tell Seth? And if she didn’t, did he have the guts to do it? He sure as hell had the right.
Jack wished he could cry. But the last time he’d shed a tear, he’d been a bruised and battered boy, scared to death of his stepfather. He held the tears inside, a pain without any form of release.
When his cell phone rang, he hesitated checking the caller ID, halfway certain it would be Cathy. But when he saw that it was Mike, he answered.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“The Fire and Brimstone Killer has struck again,” Mike told him.
“Who?” Jack asked.
“We’re pretty sure the intended victim was Reverend Dewan Phillips.”
“What do you mean the intended victim?”
“The reverend and his wife had company, Perry and Dionne Fuqua. Perry and Dewan are about the same size, close to the same age…”
“Fuqua got turned into a human torch instead of the reverend?”
“He’s still alive. It doesn’t look good,” Mike said. “But we caught a break. Seems Fuqua’s wife saw a glimpse of the killer as she ran off.”
“She?”
“Yes, she. Our Fire and Brimstone Killer is definitely female.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Jack felt like shit. Not only had he gone all night without any sleep, but he’d been working with the ABI team since midnight on the new Fire and Brimstone Killer case. The urgency of the situation at work had left him with no choice but to push aside his own personal dilemma. Mike had left the office thirty minutes ago, leaving Wayne Morgan, Jeremy Vaughn and Karla Ross here at the office with Jack. They had gone over the information from the crime