Chapter Twenty-One
Father Webber rode with us in Vanderburgh’s SUV and instructed Father Putnam to join us. With the two priests in the back seat, we headed for Chicago. It was a long ride, and that gave us all an opportunity to catch up.
“Who was this Enoch person?” I asked.
“Noah’s great-grandfather and seventh-generation descendant of Adam.” Father Webber looked out his window as he spoke. “According to several accounts, Enoch never died. He was taken directly to heaven to become a holy historian of sorts.”
“Does his book tell us how to destroy the Watchers?” I asked.
“They are immortals; they can’t be destroyed, only banished from earth.”
“Is that what your facility is for?”
If Father Webber was surprised I knew about it, he didn’t show it.
“It may not be the same as sending them to the abyss, but it’s the best we can do. If we can round them all up and imprison them until judgment day, only then will the rest of mankind—now and in the future—be safe from their corruption.”
“What about the hosts?” I asked. “By your account, my father was possessed by one of these Watchers. He didn’t seem evil. Despite the mistakes he made, his entire life was devoted to healing.”
“Time and again we’ve seen this kind of thing. When an evil spirit possesses someone, it cannot replace the host; it can only influence them. If the host has a strong personality, someone who is strong of intellect or faith, they can suppress the influence to a degree. There are others, weak-willed people who are already prone to evil, who have no resistance and allow the spirit’s nature to dictate their actions.”
“You mean, like Lawrence?” Hollingsworth said.
I had to ask, “If you had found out about my father, even though he was able to resist the evil all these years, you would have still locked him up and thrown away the key?”
“Yes,” Father Webber said without hesitation. “I’m sorry, Kyle, but it is the only way to ensure the world is completely safe.” He glanced at Father Putnam with a look of reproach. There was obviously something going on between the two priests, but it was probably none of my business.
I fell silent for a time. It was hard to accept the reality of the situation. I’d spent my life thinking empirically, not philosophically or spiritually. There were many of my colleagues who, in my position, would refuse to entertain the possibility of the existence of angels or demons, possession, or the elemental power the hosts were able to manifest. It surprised me to discover that I had an open mind when it came down to it.
“What’s his name?” I asked finally, turning in my seat to look at Father Webber. “Its name? Whatever.”
Hollingsworth, who’d been driving in silence all the while, glanced over to me at the question.
Father Webber said, “The Watcher who possessed your father?”
“Yes.”
“I believe the spirit who possessed your father, and who now possesses Lawrence, is Araqiel, the angel of earth.”
“Was he one of the twenty leaders?”
Father Webber nodded.
“So that’s why he can cause earthquakes? What about his ability for healing?”
“There’s a passage in Genesis 2:7. ‘Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground…’ Araqiel is a master of earth, and may have assisted God in the creation of Adam, who was formed from the earth. He would have intimate knowledge of the physiology of humans, including how to repair them.”
“What about these other two, Darcy and Richard?”
“Father Putnam?” he said, prompting his colleague to speak for the first time during the trip.
The balding priest, who had been looking miserable, took a deep breath. As he spoke, he seemed to liven up.
“Ezeqeel is the angel of the clouds. Richard, through the spirit possessing him, is able to manipulate air. He can cause windstorms, tornados, and can even use the power for transvection.”
“What’s that?” Hollingsworth asked.
“Flying,” Father Putnam said. “He can also see great distances, better than an eagle. It’s a secondary attribute though not near as powerful as healing.”
“And the woman?”
“Darcy Anderson is possessed by Shamsiel, the angel of the sun.”
“Fire,” I said. “That makes sense. And does Darcy have any extra abilities?”
Father Putnam’s face darkened. “Not only can she manipulate fire, she can create it out of nothing.”
“What’s the difference?” Hollingsworth asked.
Lowering his voice to a whisper, Father Putnam said, “Hers might be the most destructive secondary power of all. What if she were to form a ball of fire the size of a city, or create another sun…?”
Hollingsworth’s cell rang, and he listened for almost a full minute before saying, “Thanks,” and disconnecting.
“We’ve got some preliminary information on Enoch Enterprises,” he said. “It was incorporated two years ago as a holding company in Las Vegas, Nevada. The director listed in the incorporation documents is a nominee.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
Hollingsworth said, “An agent hired to put their name on the official documents in order to hide the identity of the real owners.”
“Is there any way to find out who the owners are?”
“Not without a warrant, and even then the company could turn out to be owned by an offshore corporation. In that case, there’s no way to get information without political pull. Still,” Hollingsworth said, “it’s worth getting someone in Nevada to start digging for information. I have some contacts in the LVPD.”
Father Webber, nodding to Father Putnam, said, “I’ll make my colleagues out there aware of them.”
Hollingsworth slapped the palm of his hand against the steering wheel. “Damn. I should have known something was up when we went there yesterday.” He glanced at me. “They were too perfect.”
The priest asked, “How many people did you say worked at Enoch?”
“We only met with Sam Lancaster, the CEO,” I said. “He was highly charismatic. He radiated confidence. We also spoke with his receptionist. The three of us had a very physical reaction to her.” I tried to say it as pragmatically as I could, but I found myself blushing at the memory of her.
Hollingsworth concentrated on the road ahead.
I said, “Everyone there was above average looking, though I only got that odd feeling when I was around the receptionist and the director.”
Father Putnam made a noise in his throat. “Fallen angels are vain; they prefer to surround themselves with those they consider beautiful.”
Father Webber nodded in agreement. “It’s possible you met with the hosts of Semjaza, the leader of the Watchers, and Danel, one of the many angels of fertility. We’ve had our suspicions that they’ve been operating in this area.”
I asked, “The leader? Is he more powerful than the other Watchers?”
“Not in absolute terms. His gift is the power of persuasion. After all, he organized the two hundred Watchers and convinced them to rebel against heaven.”
“You think Darcy Anderson and Richard Riley are working for him?” I asked. “Sam Lancaster sent them to bring Lawrence in?”
“It makes sense,” Father Webber said.
Hollingsworth said, “You think they got to him yet?”
“Well, have there been any other reports of Lawrence’s activities?”
“No.”
I felt a tightening in my throat. “It’s possible Enoch Enterprises has been behind this all along. I can’t believe my father was a part of this.”
Father Putnam said, “He may not have known anything at all.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, noticing the sharp questioning look Father Webber shot at his subordinate.
“Not every host will be suitable to Enoch’s purpose, even though they have the necessary bloodline. I have no idea whether they tried to recruit your
father to their cabal or not, but my guess is he was nothing more than a pawn. When Sam Lancaster became aware of your father’s research, he had an alternative purpose in mind.”
I snapped my fingers. “Genetic transfer.”
Father Putnam nodded. “If, somehow, the Watchers could supply hosts of their choosing for their brethren, then they wouldn’t have to rely on chance. There are many in the bloodline who are able to resist the influences of the Watchers.” A moment later, he added, “Like your father.”
I asked, “So, you think it’s the other way around, that it’s Lawrence who has been working for Enoch?”
Father Putnam said, “Darcy and Richard have not shown any affiliation to Enoch Enterprises so far. They’re simply lost souls.”
“Then Lawrence was a plant?”
“He is a killer for hire. My guess is they arranged to have Lawrence volunteer as the subject of the experiment to your father, with instructions to kill him once the genetic transfer was completed.”
“They had my father killed?” I asked, feeling the anger grow inside me.
Father Putnam nodded. “I think Enoch was pulling the strings all along, but I don’t think they prepared Lawrence for what happened next.” He looked downright miserable as he illustrated his thoughts. “From what you’ve described, the transfer wasn’t completely successful. The Watcher possessed him, but Lawrence must have too much of his original DNA to be fully compatible. His psyche and his physiology couldn’t handle the strain. He, influenced by the needs of the Watcher, must believe that he can complete the transfer by absorbing more genetic material from your bloodline. That’s why he keeps coming after you.”
Father Webber said, “It is foolish and arrogant to attempt to control the Watchers in any way.”
Flushing, Father Putnam looked out his window.
The older priest said, “There is only one solution: permanent containment.”
“Do you think Lawrence will be there?” I asked. “At Enoch Enterprises?”
“It’s a strong possibility,” Father Webber said. “If Enoch is pulling his strings, they may be helping him to find you. If he can become a viable host for a Watcher, he will be more valuable to their organization, since they can control him.”
I snapped my fingers. “That might be how he found me at the university.”
I glanced at Hollingsworth, who said, “They probably had some of their people following you.”
Before he could say anything more, his cell rang again, and he answered it. When he hung up, he turned to us.
“I have three tactical teams gearing up,” he said. “They’re going to meet up with us a few blocks away from the Enoch building. We’ll be there in less than half an hour. We’ve got until then to come up with a plan.”
Father Webber leaned forward. “Make sure your men understand that their quarry should be considered armed and dangerous, and that they shouldn’t engage them unless they are attacked. Your men should concentrate on securing the area from innocent passersby.”
“You mean crowd control.” Wryly, Hollingsworth said, “I got the feeling a straight-on assault wasn’t what you had in mind.”
Father Webber said, “We mustn’t arouse their suspicion. If they know we’re coming, they’ll be prepared, and nothing we do then will work. Don’t forget, an angel’s primary purpose is as a soldier of heaven. Minor angels can hold their own against a small army, and Watchers are the most aggressive of their kind. I don’t want any of our good policemen to lose their lives unnecessarily.”
“What about the hosts?” I asked.
“If the hosts were killed somehow, the Watcher would simply possess the next closest candidate in the bloodline. Then, we would be at a greater disadvantage, not knowing that person’s identity.”
“All right,” Hollingsworth said, dialing his cell. “I’ll fill in the tac team leader.”
“It’s important that I and my priests get close to the building unnoticed. Then, we can set up a spirit barrier, effectively trapping them inside.”
“I’m not sure there’s enough in the police budget for a siege,” Hollingsworth said. “Not to mention that might bring attention from the media.”
“No one wants that,” Father Webber said. “If we can separate the Watchers from each other, we can perform the Ritual of Binding on them, and then transport them to the facility.”
I asked, “What if they see the priests before you complete the spirit trap. Won’t they attack?”
Father Webber took a deep breath. “We have some spiritual defenses against a direct attack, but we will be susceptible to secondary effects.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, for example, if Darcy Anderson were to cast her unholy fire at me, the offending flame would dissipate upon contact. However, if she were to light a building on fire, and a beam from the structure fell on me…”
“Oh.”
As we entered the city limits, Hollingsworth said, “We should be there soon.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
When we arrived, and Hollingsworth explained what he wanted and that there was a possibility that Lawrence Bukowski was inside, the sergeant in command of the tactical team looked like he was going to pitch a fit.
“What do you mean, you want to send a bunch of priests in there? The suspect killed three cops and at least four civilians. And we’re supposed to stand out here with our thumbs up our asses?”
Hollingsworth squared up against him. “You have your orders, Sergeant.”
Father Webber stepped between them. “Look, Sergeant, I understand how dangerous Mr. Bukowski is. You think of him as a murderer, but the fact of the matter is, he’s a psychopath who believes he’s been gifted with supernatural powers by a demon who has possessed him.”
At the statement, both Hollingsworth and I blanched. I wasn’t expecting Father Webber to be so forthcoming.
The priest added, “He’s obviously delusional.” He pulled out a business card. “I’m a trained psychologist as well as a priest, and I’ve worked with the police several times before. You can call your supervisor and check my credentials, if you like.”
The sergeant took the card, maintaining his doubtful expression.
“How do you even know he’s in there?” he asked.
Hollingsworth said, “It’s possible he isn’t, but we have strong indicators that he is associated with the director of the company.”
Father Webber glanced toward his cadre of priests. “If he’s in there, we’d like to try to talk Mr. Bukowski into giving himself up. I’m sure we can convince him we’re going to try to save his soul if he surrenders.”
The sergeant still looked unconvinced.
Hollingsworth spoke in a reasonable tone. “We’ve tried direct confrontation before, and it hasn’t worked. I think this is worth a shot.”
Finally, the sergeant said, “All right. We’ll play your game, but the moment it goes south, I’m giving my men the order for a full assault.”
“That’s all we ask,” Hollingsworth said with a concessionary smile.
We moved off as the sergeant gathered his men to give them instructions. Within a few moments, the teams spread out around the wider perimeter. They blocked the streets with barriers in case any drivers entered the area with their vehicles.
Hollingsworth said, “I’m still not comfortable withholding information. The sergeant deserves to know there could be anywhere up to five Watcher hosts in the building.” A moment later, he added, “There could be dozens of them in there, for all we know.”
“It does not matter how many there are, or that the sergeant is aware of this,” Father Webber said. “If we fail to put up the spiritual barrier around the building and the Watchers get past us, they will most likely ignore the police as an insignificant annoyance.”
“I hope you’re right,” the detective said.
Father Webber excused himself and conferred with the other priests.
I asked Hollingsworth, “What if t
hey’re not even in there?”
He shook his head. “Then we have to figure out where they are.”
Their briefing finished, the priests fanned out as they marched toward the Enoch Enterprises building. Eight of them in total, they positioned themselves one at each corner, and one at each side of the building. Once they were in position, they approached the building in concert and extended their right hands to touch it. Together, they prayed for several minutes. I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“What are they doing?” I asked. I’d expected to see some kind of spectacle.
“I’ve seen them do this before,” Hollingsworth said. “I’m not sure if it’s the right word, but they’re consecrating the outside of the building, basically erecting a spiritual barrier to bind unholy spirits inside the perimeter. The Watchers can pass inside, but once there, they can’t get out. It’s kind of like an ant trap. The effect, apparently, degrades over time.”
“They did this when they caught the Casanova Killer and the other one?”
“Yes.” Hollingsworth nodded in their direction. “They’re almost done. We’ll wait for Father Webber’s signal, then we can go in.”
To me, it looked like nothing tangible was happening, just a collection of priests praying. Soon enough, however, they finished.
Father Webber waved us closer.
“The spirit trap is set,” he said.
I asked, “Are the Watchers in there?”
“There’s no way to know, but I hope we caught something.” He turned to Hollingsworth. “They are still very dangerous, but at least their power is contained and will not spill out to the public.”
I asked, “What now? I assume we can’t just go in guns blazing.”
“No,” the priest said. He motioned to the other priests. “We will go in first. Should we encounter one of the possessed, we will begin the binding ceremony.”
“What if they attack you?” I asked. “Don’t you want Hollingsworth’s men pointing their guns at them to keep them behaving while you … do your thing?”
As if understanding my confusion, the priest said, “Mr. Chase, we have no leverage over these hosts.”
The Complete Book Of Fallen Angels Page 54
