When Darkness Falls(59)
Haley wasn’t sure any of this would help her, but she couldn’t be too careful. “Is there anywhere nearby with free wireless?”
It seemed ridiculous to worry about using too much data on her phone plan now, but at least her worries about money were partly under her control.
“There’s a coffee place a few miles down the road.”
It took Haley a while to find it, but once there, she searched for churches within twenty miles and called them to ask about gift shops. By the time she left, with the name of only one church gift shop in her hand, darkness had fallen. As she walked to the rental car, Haley put her hand in her pocket and felt for her pepper spray. The stakes and rosary didn’t give her much reassurance, but the spray gave her a little.
She got lost twice on the way to the grocery store for garlic. She wanted to buy some food for the evening and next day, too, as it didn’t seem right to raid Joe and Diana’s kitchen. She stuck with a few protein bars and some fruit, as it would transport better than milk or other fresh foods and didn’t cost too much. She’d need to find a way to pay Joe and Diana back at some point.
Next, Haley headed for the church.
? ? ?
Devon felt surprised to see a Catholic church in Hollywood, though there was no reason Catholics couldn’t live there, like anywhere else. And he wasn’t sure he was in Hollywood anymore. Wasn’t sure what he’d been doing the last few hours, either, or what had brought him here.
The doors opened easily. The varnish around their handles had rubbed off, and their windows were scratched. Perhaps the church was left unlocked deliberately, or the locks had been broken. The vestibule was small, and it smelled of lime cleaning solution. A sign that read Gift Shop This Way pointed visitors to a wrought iron stairwell that spiraled through a narrow opening in the low ceiling. An old man huddled on the floor in a corner near the stairwell, muttering in his sleep. Devon averted his eyes, troubled by a hint of a memory of a similar scene, but he wasn’t sure from what or when. He hesitated, tempted to step back outside, as he felt sure Haley was nearby, that she had drawn him here. But better he stay away from her. He couldn’t remember why, but it was better.
He breathed more easily inside the nave of the church. Its ceiling soared, and wide aisles of pews on either side made the space feel sprawling. Devon crawled into a back pew and closed his eyes.
? ? ?
From the instant she’d stepped into the church vestibule, Haley had felt uneasy and wondered if she ought to leave. She hadn’t because she’d driven so far and walked the neighborhood for so long looking for the church. No other church within twenty miles had a gift shop, let alone one open this late.
The nametag of the woman at the cash register read Cecily. Her silver-gray hair and plump face reminded Haley of Sister Margaret, a nun who had been one of Haley’s aunt’s friends and who always took time to chat with Haley during family parties. Cecily glanced at the clock over the doorway leading to the stairwell. “You’re just in time. We close in ten minutes.”
The tiny gift store’s air conditioner groaned and labored, but had little effect. Despite the heat, Cecily wore a cable knit sweater.
“Yes, I’m glad I made it,” Haley said.
She could tell Cecily wondered why she needed holy water, but she didn’t want to repeat the story about a party. She guessed a vampire party would appall Cecily, though if she were like Sister Margaret in other ways, she might think it was fun. Haley handed over her credit card, crossing her fingers the charge would be approved.
The scents of incense and paraffin from the church below took Haley back to Sunday mass throughout grade school. She wished for a moment to be a child again, despite how unhappy she’d often felt when her parents fought, or to be anywhere but here.
Cecily handed the credit card back. “Anything else I can help you with, dear?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Sometimes it helps to talk.”
Haley felt anxious to leave for Joe and Diana’s, but arriving there early would do her little good given the idea she had in mind. Cecily seemed so kind, and after all, where would she be safer than in a church?
“It’s my husband,” Haley said. “There’s something very wrong with him.”
“The holy water is for him?”
“In a way.”
“Why don’t we sit for a moment?” Cecily motioned Haley to two metal folding chairs near the dormer window. For the second time that night, Haley told her story, though this time a shorter version. The older woman listened quietly, her eyes fixed on Haley. She seemed neither surprised nor skeptical.
“Do you think it’s possible?” Haley said. “That vampires could be real?”
It was the first time Haley had articulated the thought, and she expected it to sound absurd. Yet somehow in this closed space behind the choir loft, with its wood floors and metal tables, it seemed both possible and impossible, but not absurd.
“I can’t answer that.” Cecily glanced at a crucifix that hung over the back table. “A lot of things the Church teaches seem impossible if taken literally. If the host literally turns into the body and blood of Christ as we’re taught, we all drink blood every Sunday. Whether there are people, or beings, who drink the blood of living persons, I don’t know. It’s hard to believe.” She touched Haley’s elbow. “But isn’t the important question whether you or anyone else is in danger from your husband?”