The Devil's Lullaby

by Chris Scalise

  “Counter-deal,” Aren said. “Just answer Allison’s question, and we’ll get out of here faster than you can say ‘trespassing.’ I mean, how is it possible that you don’t know who owns this place? You’re the police, for god’s sake.”

  Officer Jacobs smiled. “You are really testing my generosity.”

  “What he means,” Allison said, “in his own charming way, is that we’re trying to figure out the same thing. We couldn’t find this house listed on any rental sites, or really anywhere for that matter. It’s like it doesn’t exist. We’re just looking for the same answers you are, and I’m just looking for justice for my friend. Can you please just tell us that much? How is it possible that someone can even buy a house without having a legal record of the owner?”

  Officer Jacobs grabbed Aren and Allison by the shoulder and firmly guided them both out the door. “Listen,” he said, “if you really care about your friend, you’ll let us do our job. If I catch you guys snooping around again, I’m going to have no choice but to take you in. Got it? It’s nothing personal, but you’re interfering with police business.”

  He released his grip on their shoulders as soon as they reached the staircase, and then he followed them down the stairs to the busted entrance door, making certain they walked through it and returned to their vehicles. When they reached the front porch, Allison turned to him one last time, looking defeated.

  “Can you just call me if you find anything out?” she said. “You have my number.”

  Officer Jacobs sighed. “Look, maybe it makes me a bad cop, but I believe everything you’re saying to me. I don’t think you had anything to do with that girl’s disappearance, but I’m gonna find out who did.”

  “Thanks,” Allison said, staring down at the dusty concrete.

  “And,” Officer Jacobs continued, “if someone wanted to buy a house and make it real hard for people to trace it to them, they might start an anonymous LLC in New Mexico and use it to secretly buy the house with cash. I’m just saying, someone could do that.”

  Allison looked up and met his gaze, puzzled. “An anonymous LLC in New Mexico? Isn’t there some way to find out who registered it?”

  “We’re working on it,” Officer Jacobs said. “Like I said, just let us do our job. We’ll find out what happened. Now get moving. I’ll call you if there are any breaks. I promise.”

  He turned and stepped one foot inside the house.

  “Just one more question,” Allison said, “and then I promise, we’ll get the hell out of here. Did you know we were in there the whole time?”

  The officer turned to her. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I thought I heard you walking around upstairs like an hour ago.”

  Officer Jacobs shook his head. “Sorry. I just got here five minutes ago.”

  Allison paused. “Oh. Well, huh...I guess we’re all a little paranoid.”

  “I guess so.”

  17

  “So tell me about this awesome con that’s going to bring down the Las Vegas Exorcist,” Aren said from the driver’s seat of his Tesla.

  They were now coasting along the i-215, heading westbound toward Las Vegas. Far off to the northwest, they could see the vast row of towering structures that made up the Vegas Strip, from the northernmost Stratosphere observation tower to the southernmost Mandalay Bay resort and casino. It represented so much beauty and decadence surrounded by so much brown desert sand and decaying urban architecture.

  Allison turned to him from the passenger seat. “What do you care? You’re too morally self-righteous for that kind of deception.”

  These were the first words they had exchanged since leaving the house in Henderson over ten minutes ago. Despite her initial attraction, Allison was now wondering if she liked Aren at all.

  “I just want to make sure you’re not doing anything that will get you killed,” he said. “This isn’t a game. People are dying.”

  “And you think I’m not aware of that? That’s exactly why I have to do whatever it takes.”

  “No you don’t. The only way you’d even have a chance is to use yourself as bait, and—”

  “I’m not using myself as bait,” Allison said. “I already tried that. He wouldn’t go for it. Apparently, I’m not the ingenue type he’s looking for.”

  “Oh. Well, I guess that’s sort of a relief.”

  “I’m using my niece as bait,” she continued.

  “Oh, Jesus fucking Christ,” Aren said. “Please tell me you’re just busting my balls right now.”

  “Oh, relax. I won’t have her out of my sight for a second. I brought her with me to the exorcism service and tried to get his attention, but he went straight for her instead. So that’s what I’m working with now.”

  “I’m terrified to ask, but how old is your niece?”

  “Sixteen, I think? No, maybe fifteen..and a half.”

  “So you’re going to stop Dominic from killing people by having him kill your niece?”

  “I told you, I’ll be watching her every second. And it’s not going to go that far. She’s actually been talking about wanting to come live with me. It was sort of what her mom wanted, for some bizarre reason. But that’s a long story. So if she comes to stay with me at my gated apartment complex, it will be easy for me to keep an eye on her. And when she has to confront Dominic, I’ll be just a few feet away.”

  “And when she’s at school?”

  Allison thought for a moment, but she didn’t have a good answer. Even if her plan worked, it wouldn’t lead her to Cassidy or prove Dominic’s hand in murder. The whole game had changed.

  “I just don’t know,” Allison finally said, leaning her head against the window of the passenger-side door.

  Aren gazed sympathetically at her. “Now you see what I’ve been dealing with. It all sounds so simple until you realize just how fucked up the whole thing really is. You’re not going to trick this guy into incriminating himself. Look at how he’s able to manipulate people in that chapel of his. He’s a master of human psychology. Do you seriously think it’s just a fluke that he targeted your vulnerable niece instead of you? He can spot skeptics and bullshitters from a mile away, just by looking at you.”

  “So what the fuck are we supposed to do then?” she snapped, pivoting toward him with her hands in the air. “Just walk away?”

  “No,” Aren said. “Not at all. But we need to be smart about this. If we go in with guns blazing, someone’s going to get killed. There are other people besides Dominic who can give us information.”

  “Like who?”

  Aren paused for a moment. “Well, for quite a while, I’ve been trying to get ahold of the head pastor at Dominic’s old church in Riverside, California. Unfortunately, it’s kind of a megachurch, so the pastor’s really hard to get on the phone. I’ll probably need to pay him a visit if I ever want a chance to talk to him.”

  “You think he might know something useful?”

  “Well, I know that Dominic used to be the music minister there. Like, for more than ten years. He was really loved at that church. But then, out of nowhere, he was suddenly asked to leave. At least, that’s the rumor. No one seems to know why, and believe me, I scoured the web for information. All I know for sure is that he left without notice, and the congregation seems to believe he was excommunicated by the head pastor directly. Are you up for a drive to Riverside?”

  “Yeah,” Allison said. “I don’t have anywhere else to be. But just for the record, the con is still very much happening. I just want to have as much information as possible when it goes down.”

  Aren frowned. “This should be interesting.”

  18

  Kristen quietly closed her bedroom door and tiptoed over to the white corner desk near the window. It was five minutes to nine, and Grandma was just settling in to bed. For the past hour, Kristen had been anxiously calling and texting Aunt Allison in desperate need of advice and guidance. In only five short minutes, she would receive her scheduled Skype call
from Dominic, and she had no idea what to say or do next.

  Aunt Allison had been strangely unresponsive not only in the past hour but over the past couple of days. Kristen had sent her at least a dozen texts and left her no fewer than five voicemails, but each correspondence was met with radio silence. The whole thing made Kristen wonder if perhaps her outburst at last week’s exorcism service had upset Aunt Allison more than she let on.

  Kristen took a seat at her computer desk, removed her phone from its charger and sent one more text message to her aunt:

  Aunt Allison i’m really sorry i didn’t do a good job last week at the church. I promise to do better tonight. I promise i’ll try hard to make you proud of me.

  She then sat in her chair and stared at the conversation history on her screen, hoping and praying that her Aunt would respond. She waited for nearly two minutes, but nothing. Finally, she tossed the phone on her bed and opened up the laptop on her desk.

  Just as she had been instructed, she opened the Skype video conferencing app and waited for his call. Her heart was pounding just as it had on the night she first met him. She closed her eyes and prayed quietly, but as soon as she muttered the words “Dear Jesus,” a boisterous chime beeped from her laptop speakers.

  She opened her eyes to find a pop-up message from Skype on her screen. The bold heading read, “This person would like to connect…” The username LVXdominic appeared just beneath the heading. He was two minutes early.

  Kristen clicked the “Add to Contacts” button to accept his invitation, and a few seconds later she received an incoming call from him. She took a deep breath, adjusted her hair and her red blouse, and click the green “Accept” button.

  Within a few seconds, a large window appeared on her screen with a live, somewhat grainy video feed of Dominic wearing a black cassock. He was seated in a massive leather chair in what appeared to be his office. Religious paintings hung on the wall behind him, each illustrating a scene from Jesus’ life and ministry.

  As Dominic adjusted both his screen and his posture, the image became less grainy and his face became clearer. “Hello, Kristen,” he said, leaning toward the camera. “I’m so glad you were able to take some time to chat tonight. How is everything going?”

  “Good,” Kristen said. Then, after a long pause, “how are you?”

  “Wonderful,” Dominic said. “The Lord is doing some amazing work, and this is a very exciting time for my ministry. I was hoping we could have this brief one-on-one chat because you know how hectic things can get at the church when it’s a full house. I thought this would give us a chance to really talk. That way, I can share some things that the Lord put on my heart and maybe help you to work through some of these issues you’re struggling with.”

  “Right,” Kristen said, staring down at her keyboard.

  “That’s why I got into this ministry, you know? To help people overcome the darkness in their lives and live in the full abundance of God’s blessings. But sometimes it’s not enough to help people from the pulpit. I have found that connecting with people individually is how real breakthroughs are made, especially when we’re dealing with years of pain and torment.”

  “Yeah, totally,” Kristen said, forcing herself to look up at the screen and acknowledge Dominic with a fake smile.

  Dominic smiled back. “So why don’t you tell me a little about your mother? If you’re comfortable with that. You said you lost her when you were just ten?”

  Kristen nodded. “Yeah. She got in a car accident.”

  “I’m very sorry. It’s devastating to lose your mother at such a young age. Believe me, I know. I was only twelve when I lost my mother to breast cancer. It shook up my entire world. For a long time, I thought I would never recover. And, though it saddens me to admit it now, I found myself blaming God for a really long time. Do you ever feel that way, Kristen?”

  Kristen thought for a moment. She opened her mouth to respond, but finally she just shook her head.

  “It’s okay if you feel that way,” Dominic said. “In fact, that’s the first and most important lesson that I can impart to you tonight. It’s okay to feel anger toward God. Even Jesus on the cross proclaimed, ‘My god, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?’

  “If you keep up the internal conflict of secretly resenting God while also forcing yourself to praise His name, you only deepen your own misery. Do you understand what I’m saying? Read the Psalms of David. So many of them represent David’s heartfelt cries of rebuke against God. And yet, God never abandoned David nor his descendants. Do you understand what I’m saying to you, Kristen?”

  A single tear trickled down Kristen’s cheek. She had been warned about Dominic’s manipulative abilities, but she was determined not to let him get to her.

  “I feel sad about it,” she said, wiping the tear from her eye. “But it’s not my job to question God. God said, ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, and—’”

  “And neither are your ways my ways,” Dominic interrupted. “And you are absolutely correct, of course. Like I said, you’re wise beyond your years. It’s astonishing. But I fear you’re intellectualizing the tragedy to avoid feeling the natural and necessary emotions that go along with it: the grief, the sorrow, the anger. It’s not blasphemous to have these feelings. In fact, to bury these feelings only leads to greater pain that lasts much longer. It weakens you, and that opens the door to demonic intervention.”

  Kristen continued to stare down at her keyboard, saying nothing.

  “When I say ‘demonic intervention,’” Dominic continued, “let me make myself very clear. I don’t mean to suggest that you’re possessed. I don’t think that’s the case at all. However, my work isn’t simply about casting out devils. It’s about preventing those dark forces from ever taking hold in your life.

  “The enemy is cunning, and he’s always looking for ways to exploit your weaknesses and vulnerabilities. That’s why we have to be ever vigilant. I’m actually starting up a new Tuesday night series for a handful of select students, where I’ll be providing in-depth instruction on how to overcome past trauma and defeat the dark forces in our lives. I believe that with a bit of teaching, you can bury this cloud of sadness once and for all and truly become the world-changing evangelist you were meant to be. Does that sound like something that would interest you?”

  The answer, of course, was no. But she wasn’t about to say that aloud. He had awakened some intense feelings inside of her, but she knew she was being manipulated, and she knew the sales pitch was coming. Everything was unfolding just as Aunt Allison had said it would, and Kristen wasn’t about to disappoint her again.

  “That sounds interesting,” Kristen said, forcing a smile.

  “Wonderful. It’s a six-week course, and unfortunately, there are some costs involved. These are my most closely guarded teachings, and every student is given personalized instruction and one-on-one training that is completely life-changing, so I do have to cover the overhead costs. However, given your age and incredible potential, I’d like to work with you to give you the best rate possible, a rate not given to anyone else. Do you think you might be interested?”

  Kristen nodded. Aunt Allison had said something about Dominic preferring young women with a lot of money, so she figured she should say something to reassure the pastor.

  “My aunt has a lot of money,” Kristen said. “She’s also my godmother, so she’s sort of responsible for taking care of me since my mom died. She owns her own business, and she just got a big new client, so she told me I don’t have to worry about money.” Kristen was proud of the fact that she had just presented herself as affluent without telling a single lie.

  Dominic smiled, clearly pleased by the response. “That’s wonderful to hear. However, I won’t make you pay for the first session. That one is on me, because I don’t want you to pay a penny unless you absolutely feel good about the course. Does that sound fair?”

  Kristen nodded. “That’s fair.”

  “Terrific. The cours
e starts next Tuesday, seven o’clock at the chapel. Each session should last about two hours. Can you be there?”

  Kristen nodded. “I’ll see if my aunt can drive me.”

  “Very well. If you’d like, I can also arrange for transportation.”

  “Okay,” Kristen said.

  Dominic leaned back in his massive chair. “I truly believe this will be a life-altering experience for you.”

  Kristen felt a chill. “Okay,” she said, this time with greater hesitation.

  I’m not going to let you down again, Aunt Allison. I’m not afraid. I’m going to do what he asks, and I’m going to make you proud of me.

  19

  One of the oldest communities in Southern California, Riverside resembled a city lost in time. Much of the city’s downtown architecture had stood for over a century, including a number of churches and theaters, several former government buildings, and the city’s famed Mission Inn, an opulent turn-of-the-century hotel built in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style.

  Allison had never been to the Mission Inn, but she recalled having read about it in an Anne Rice novel. However, words on a page simply didn’t do it justice. As Aren pulled his Tesla into the valet entrance, Allison found herself entranced by the expansive castlesque facade, the towering palm trees, and the semi-circular arcades that surrounded the enormous fortress. Off in the distance was a massive bell tower, and in front of each dome-shaped window was a wrought-iron balcony that appeared handmade. Clearly, Aren wasn’t the kind of guy who was content to stay at the Holiday Inn.

  As they stepped out of the car and Aren handed his keys to the valet attendant, Allison took one more look around the ornate property. The sweet scent of eucalyptus wafted through the air, and the cool California breeze further complemented the picturesque surroundings. “Was this your plan all along?” she asked. “Just take me to a fancy hotel so you could have your way with me?”