Still psychically linked with the murderous creatures he had summoned
from the pit, Lavelle drummed his heels on the mattress and clawed at
the dark air. He was pouring sweat; the sheets were soaked, but he was
not aware of that.
He could smell the Dawson children. They were very close.
The time had almost come. Just minutes now. A short wait. And then
the slaughter.
Jack finished his brandy, put the glass on the coffee table, and said,
“There’s a big hole in your explanation.”
“And what’s that?” Hampton asked.
“If Lavelle can’t harm me because I’m a righteous man, then why can he
hurt my kids? They’re not wicked, . for God’s sake. They’re not
sinful little wretches. They’re damned good kids.”
“In the view of the gods, children can’t be considered righteous;
they’re simply innocent. Righteousness isn’t something we’re born with;
it’s a state of grace we achieve only through years of virtuous living.
We become righteous people by consciously choosing good over evil in
thousands of situations in our day-to-day lives.”
“Are you telling me that God-or all the benevolent gods, if you’d rather
put it that way-protects the righteous but not the innocent?”
“Yes.”
“Innocent little children are vulnerable to this monster Lavelle, but
I’m not? That’s outrageous, unfair, just plain wrong.”
“You have an overly keen sense of injustice, both real and imagined.
That’s because you’re a righteous man.”
Now it was Jack who could no longer sit still. While Hampton slumped
contentedly in an armchair, Jack paced in his bare feet. “Arguing with
you is goddamned frustrating!”
“This is my field, not yours. I’m a rheologist, not legitimized by a
degree from any university, but not merely an amateur, either. My
mother and father were devout Roman Catholics. In finding my own
beliefs, I studied every religion, major and minor, before becoming
convinced of the truth and efficacy of voodoo. It’s the only creed that
has always accommodated itself to other faiths; in fact, voodoo absorbs
and uses elements from every religion with which it comes into contact.
It is a synthesis of many doctrines that usually war against one
another-everything from Christianity and Judaism to sun-worship and
pantheism. I am a man of religion, Lieutenant, so it’s to be expected
that I’ll tie you in knots on this subject.”
“But what about Rebecca, my partner? She was bitten by one of these
creatures, but she’s not, by God, a wicked or corrupt person.”
“There are degrees of goodness, of purity. One can be a good person and
not yet truly righteous, just as one can be righteous and not yet be a
saint. I’ve met Miss Chandler only once, yesterday. But from what I
saw of her, I suspect she keeps her distance from people, that she has,
to some degree, withdrawn from life.”
“She had a traumatic childhood. For a long time, she’s been afraid to
let herself love anyone or form any strong attachments.”
“There you have it,” Hampton said. “One can’t earn the favor of the
Rada and be granted immunity to the powers of darkness if one withdraws
from life and avoids a lot of those situations that call for a choice
between good and evil, right and wrong. It is the making of those
choices that enables you to achieve a state of grace.”
Jack was standing at the hearth, warming himself in the heat of the gas
fire-until the leaping flames suddenly reminded him of the goblins’ eye
sockets. He turned away from the blaze. “Just supposing I am a
righteous man, how does that help me find Lavelle?”
“We must recite certain prayers,” Hampton said.
“And there’s a purification ritual you must undergo.
When you’ve done those things, the gods of Rada will show you the way to
Lavelle.”
“Then let’s not waste any more time. Come on. Let’s get started.”
Hampton rose from his chair, a mountain of a man.
“Don’t be too eager or too fearless. It’sbest to proceed with caution.”
Jack thought of Rebecca and the kids in the car, staying on the move to
avoid being trapped by the goblins, and he said, “Does it matter whether
I’m cautious or reckless? I mean, Lavelle can’t harm me.”