Men like Paulo. He was a fighter, and he was strong, but even he was not strong enough to resist the lure of the Lords of Baal. I do not know what they promised him but as with most evil I am sure it was power and wealth, something to play on the greed of human emotions."
As Father Constantine spoke of those things Carter couldn't help but think of Seth. If there was one man who epitomized evil on Earth, then he was it, and he would have been in the prime position to recruit Paulo to this cult if it existed. But as far as Carter knew Seth had only ever been interested in money. Carter didn't know where the profit was in a satanic cult.
"If we stand by and do nothing we risk losing more innocent lives. I understand that this is a lot to grasp, and it seems unreal but the fact is that this is a real thing. I have studied it. When you told me that your suspect was speaking Latin it confirmed my fears. The Lords of Baal are an ancient group, lurking in the shadows for centuries until they reveal themselves and they strike, usually with devastating consequences. They are involved in necromancy and I believe that poor Paulo was used as a sacrifice. He was probably lured in with promises of wealth and riches, unaware that it was all just a pretense and he was being used. I am not a man prone to anger Detective McBride, but something needs to be done about this and if you are not going to investigate this, then I am going to have to take matters into my own hands."
"Let's not do anything drastic," Carter said, sitting forward. The last thing he wanted was for the priest to go off on some crusade and get himself killed. Carter still wasn't convinced that there was a satanic cult behind all this but one thing he knew for sure was that whoever was behind Paulo's death was dangerous and they would have to tread carefully.
"Please detective, I implore you to let me baptize the body to release Paulo from evil. Paulo made some mistakes, but he was a good man at heart and I don't believe he should be punished beyond the grave. It may hinder the plans of the Lords of Baal as well."
Carter considered Constantine's words for a long while. He furrowed his brow and stroked his chin. The conversation with Constantine had been so intense that Carter had forgotten about the pain coursing through his body. There was plenty to think about and the passion with which Constantine spoke was almost enough to convince Carter...almost. But it was too unbelievable. Carter was a firm believer in Occam's Razor - that the simplest explanation was often the correct one. Constantine was free to believe that there was a satanic cult running around but Carter just couldn't bring himself to believe it.
"I'm sorry Father, but there's just not enough proof. To me, it still makes sense that Paulo refused to throw a fight and Seth had him killed for it. That's what I'm sticking to for now until I get solid proof otherwise."
"What about his friends? What about the figures in his room?"
"It's not enough to convince me. I'm sorry Vincent, but I can't pursue this line of investigation when there's a more obvious path."
"I'm afraid that we're all going to be sorry if you refuse to see what is plain in front of you. Do not let your difficulties with religion cloud your judgment in this matter. Look at the whole picture with an open mind and you will soon be guided towards the truth," Constantine said. With that, he rose and excused himself.
Carter was left with much on his mind. Constantine seemed convinced that the Lords of Baal were real but to Carter, it seemed too fanciful to be true. Yet there were some things about Carter's own hypothesis that didn't quite fit, like Tanaka jabbering in Latin, or the fact that there were no obvious wounds on Hernandez's body. Carter still didn't know how the man had died. Also, Seth hadn't reacted when he spoke about Hernandez but he had flinched when Carter mentioned that Tanaka had spoken in Latin, and if there was a satanic cult, he thought it likely that they would speak in Latin.
Maybe Constantine was right and Carter just wanted to ignore the truth because it would make his life more complicated. The truth would always come out though, no matter how long someone ignored it for.
Carter leaned his head back against the pillow and let the pain wash over him. There was too much to think about, too much that was slipping out of his control and if he stayed in that hospital for much longer he would have gone crazy. Not wanting to wait for the doctor's permission, Carter released himself. He had a date to keep after all.
Chapter 9
C arter winced as he walked in the door.
"You're late, I was starting to think that you weren't going to come home tonight," Nicky said. She walked out from the lounge and gasped when she saw the state of Carter. Rushing to his side, she wrapped her arms around him and led him to the lounge where she helped him onto the couch. He breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened to you?" Nicky asked, her voice tinged with worry.
"Just got into a bit of a disagreement with some disagreeable men," Carter said.
"Really? God Carter, you're a wreck!"
"You look good too," Carter replied with a grimace. "It's not as bad as it looks. The doctors were worried but I feel fine now."
"I guess this is date night over then," Nicky sighed. Carter sat up and took her hands in his, kissing them lightly.
"No way. We made a promise to spend some time together tonight and we're going to. I'm going to go for a run to clear my head and then I'm all yours. It's been a crazy, long day and I just want to enjoy something normal tonight. I want to sit down and watch a movie with the woman I love and know that everything is alright in the world." He looked deeply into her eyes and then kissed her. Nicky had done a wonderful thing and taught him how to be a little more open with his emotions. When their lips met a fire sparked within his soul. It hadn't dimmed after all these years. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life. I love you," he said. Nicky smiled back.
"You haven't lost your charm. I love you too," she replied and then left to make him a bottle of water that he could take out with him on his run.
As Carter changed into his running outfit he looked at the bruises all over his body and winced. Seth's guards had really gone to town on him. In truth, he probably should have stayed in the hospital but he would have gone stir crazy. Soon enough he was outside in the twilight of the evening, feet pounding against the sidewalk. The world was quiet around him and there were barely even any cars driving by. The sun was dipping low below the horizon. Streaks of orange speared through the blue sky and it was all so peaceful. It was moments like these that Carter cherished because he could push the darkness of his job out of his mind and remind himself that the world was indeed beautiful. Still, on this occasion, it was even harder after what Father Constantine had told him. Carter wanted to dismiss it easily but there was a gnawing feeling inside that there was something to what Constantine had said.
Sweat trickled along his temples and down the middle of his chest although Carter wasn't pushing himself as hard as usual because of the wounds he had suffered. As he rounded a corner Constantine's church came into view. It was an impressive building. A narrow spire rose into the sky and a white cross glowed, shining a beacon, a lighthouse to all the lost souls. The wooden doors were open and through the glass windows, Carter could see candles glowing. Constantine must have been in there, convinced that he was right about the satanic cult. Carter hoped that the priest wouldn't do anything drastic or stupid and go after them. He had half a mind to go in there and talk to Constantine again but it had been a long time since Carter had stepped foot in a church, and if he had his way, he would never step into one again.
Just as he was passing it he saw someone step out of the doorway. To Carter's surprise it was the same vagrant he had seen earlier in the morning, the one who he suspected had been rummaging through his trash the previous night. The man was eating food out of a Styrofoam container. Carter nodded to him as he passed but the man merely stared at him through gray cloudy eyes. Carter wondered if he was even aware that Carter had given him money earlier that morning. In a way, Carter envied him. The man didn't have to worry about dead underground fighters or bookies spouting random strin
gs of Latin words, or the possibility of a satanic cult talking hold of the city. Then again, he would have his own problems. What was that old proverb that Jesus had said about men who took their problems in a big pile would look at the others and take back their own? Carter had never entirely agreed with that but he knew that nobody else would want his problems.
As he ran past the church and left it behind him he thought back to the time in his life after his brother had died. His parents had turned to religion. They had thrown themselves into it as though they had been religious their entire lives, but up until that moment, they had never shown any sign that they believed in God. Carter had never quite understood why they chose that moment in time to start believing. If anything he had been convinced more that God had no place in the world because of what happened.
Eddie had been shot by a drug dealer when he was just 17. He'd had his entire life ahead of him and someone had just ended it in a moment. How could God let that happen? When his parents found religion Carter had wrestled with that question over and over again. He could never come up with a satisfactory answer, and neither could anyone else. He suspected that his parents had turned to religion out of a need for comfort, to know that Eddie was up there in heaven smiling down upon them. They were trying to make sense out of a senseless world but it wasn't going to work. Turning to religion hadn't made a difference to their lives. It hadn't made them happier. If anything it had only caused more problems.
Carter had wanted to make a difference. Instead of chastising the evils of the world Carter had made plans to enlist in the police force and get out on the streets in the hope that he could prevent what happened to Eddie happening to someone else. It was better to be out there doing something rather than sitting in a church bemoaning the evils of the world. His parents turned into bitter people. They started to criticize music and movies, they blamed the state of the world for Eddie's death and were quick to condemn anyone for what they saw as moral vagrancy. Eddie's death should have brought them together as a family but it only served to tear them apart. A deep schism had formed between them. Carter felt as though he hadn't just lost Eddie when he died but he had lost his parents too.
Neither of them had been the same after that. His father had been swallowed up by grief and eventually killed himself. His mother had turned catatonic and just like that Carter was alone. It had almost destroyed him. What else was there left to live for? He had turned to justice and thrown himself into his career, and of course, there was Robbie. Without his son, Carter didn't know what he would do. He and Nicky were his family now and he would do anything to protect them. But still, he was saddened by the events that had torn his parents and Eddie away from him.
It always seemed to him that religion preyed upon people who were suffering. They saw the emotional vulnerability and then struck, offering them hope and comfort in the face of existential terror. Most people weren't able to cope with such emotional trauma and it was easier to believe that some big guy in the sky was looking after everyone when the truth to the contrary was evident. Carter smirked to himself. It was a bit rich for Constantine to be worried about a cult when in Carter's opinion religion was just like a cult; except legitimate.
It would be easier for Carter if he was able to stay away from it all. Religion had already played too much of a part in his life, had already destroyed too much. Justice was the only thing that mattered. If Constantine was right and there was a secret cult of Baal in the city, then justice would find them. Whoever killed Paulo Hernandez would be charged with murder and that would be the end of that.
****
His parents had blamed the world for Eddie's death but they couldn't see the truth. Eddie was killed as a result of his own decisions. Carter didn't agree with them and he wished that his brother had made different choices in his life but his death was a result of all the decision he had made. Just like Hernandez. The city was filled with people who had made wrong choices and it often led to an inevitable end. But the criminals would pay as well. It would take time for some of them but eventually, they would bear their fruits of their labor. There was a fine line between good and evil. Carter didn't think it was as black and white as Constantine seemed. People had a bit of a mixture in them. Hell, he had done a lot of things that he wasn't proud of but when it came down to it he liked to think he did what was right, no matter what. Where other people served God he served the law, and he would do everything in his power to see that justice was evenly distributed to everyone.
Yet despite his differences in opinion with Constantine, Carter admired and respected the strength of the man's faith. The priest was willing to put himself in danger for the sake of someone he cared about because he thought it was the right thing to do. Hernandez was fortunate to have someone like Constantine in his life.
Carter sighed because he knew where this train of thought was heading. He had been assuming this entire time that Hernandez had been killed due to refusing to fix a fight but that's all it had been, an assumption. There was no hard proof pointing to that and Constantine had been right. He'd been refusing to consider the possibility of this cult because he didn't want to consider that it might be real. But Constantine had the testimony of Hernandez's friends and the presence of figures in his room. There was also the fact that Hernandez had been conflicted in his last days, according to Constantine. That could have been because he had refused to throw a fight or it could have been because he was going against his religious upbringing.
The more Carter thought about it the more he realized that Hernandez's friends probably weren't the type to invent a story about a satanic cult. It was unlikely, but that didn't mean it wasn't real and if Carter was truly serving justice, then he had to do it without prejudice. Father Constantine had been convinced, and he wasn't a fool. With a heavy heart, Carter had to admit to himself that there was a possibility of these Lords of Baal being a viable theory. He still hoped that the simplest explanation was correct but he wouldn't be doing his job properly if he didn't consider every possibility, so as Carter headed home and the light of the day gave way to the darkness of night, he made the decision to investigate the Lords of Baal and see if there was anything there.
Before that, however, he returned home, washed away the grime and sweat of the day and then relaxed with his wife. She had cooked dinner while he had been out for a run and they talked about everything but work. They smiled and laughed and then lost themselves under a blanket while a movie played in the background although in truth they didn't pay attention to the movie. Their limbs and bodies entwined until it was impossible to tell where one of them ended and the other began. Carter lost himself to the passion, love, and desire for Nicky. Heat rose between and quickly turned into an inferno that swept over their bodies. They moved to the bed, and the house was alive with the sounds of passion. They took full advantage of the fact that Robbie was away with his mother and surrendered to the overwhelming need that throbbed and ached all over.
****
Carter slept well that night, with a beautiful woman draped over him and a silent house. His mind was still, and he slept right through until dawn when a new day would present itself with new challenges, but while he was lost in the ethereal realm of dreams, he could forget all about the murder and the dark cloak of Baal that was stretching across the city. Peace reigned within his mind and Carter's soul was free of trouble and anguish.
Chapter 10
W aking the following morning, Carter felt refreshed and ready for action. He stretched out his arms and turned his head to look at the crack in the curtains. The golden light of the morning shone through. Once again the world had rotated, and the sun was high in the sky. There would have been many people celebrating that there was no rain but for all that Carter enjoyed the sun he also knew that there was a darkness seeping through the city. He didn't know if the Lords of Baal were real but either way, there was an unsolved murder. It was a taint on the city and until Carter solved it, it would weigh heavily on his sou
l. Ever since Eddie's death, Carter took these kinds of cases personally, sometimes too personally.
Rising out of bed, he threw open the curtains and let the sun pour in. Nicky grimaced and groaned, pulling the cover over herself to protect her from the bright light. Carter smiled and kissed her on the forehead before he went downstairs and grabbed some fruit for breakfast. He allowed himself a few moments to indulge himself on the memories of the previous night, a night where he was allowed to have a normal life with his wife, one that wasn't plagued by satanic cults. As Carter crunched an apple, he wished that the Lords of Baal weren't starting to make more sense to him. The more he thought about it the more he started to believe that there was something to what Father Constantine was saying. He'd certainly see what turned up when he investigated them, although he didn't know where exactly to start.
As he walked to the station house, he looked for the vagrant he'd seen the previous day. The man wore a US Army jacket. He wasn't visible that morning though. Carter hoped he was okay. It was terrible the way the country forget about the army vets. They gave their lives for their country but their country didn't do anything for them. In some ways, Carter was a soldier himself and he wondered if he would be forgotten if he was forced to leave the police, not that that would happen. Carter was a lifer. He'd make his way up the chain to Chief and then make a real difference in the entire district. The sky was the limit, and he hoped that at some time in the future when he retired, he would be able to look back on his time as a cop and see that he had made a tangible difference. The war against crime was a war of attrition. It wasn't one that could be won outright but progress could be made, and as long as justice was upheld Carter could sleep well at night.
BELIEVE in DEMONS: A Carter McBride Supernatural Thriller Book One (Demon Wars 1) Page 5
