Page 35 of Samson

“Gang violence, sure, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Who has he killed?”

“You hear about that drive by downtown where the priest got killed?”

“You mean at the Armenian church?”

“I don’t think it was Armenian.”

“When was this?”

“I don’t know. About a month ago, I think.”

That didn’t fit with the shooting in the file. “I take it that’s not the only one?”

“There was also a Baptist pastor in the suburbs.”

“Didn’t hear about that one.”

“The only reasonIknow is because Marc was boasting about it. Police said it was a home invasion gone wrong, but that’s not what it was. The drive by wasn’t gang related either. It’s part of something else. My friend Monica—” She looked up at the roof and took a breath. “She went off at him. She had some kind of religious experience at some church in the city and said they were the only people who cared about us.”

“Marc didn’t like it?”

“He shot her. Right in the chest.”

“Did anyone call the police?”

“Why bother? What good would it do us? Besides, they found her themselves a few days later. I’m sure they’re working hard to find her killer.” She rolled her eyes.

Samson sighed. “You said the murders were part of something else?”

“I don’t know exactly. Marc’s gone kind of weird.”

“Weird how?”

“Kinda like religious or something. But not. I don’t know what it is. He talks about killing people like it’s a cleansing, but it’s hard to tell if he means it or not.”

“Cleansing of what?”

“Christians. Can you believe it? Of all the people we need to get rid of. I’m not saying Christians are my favorite people, but killing them all? That’s crazy.”

“So you believe he’s after Christians? All of them? Any denominations?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s like he’s repeating someone else’s words. I do know he’s getting paid well, though. So it could be the money talking.”

Samson brought a picture of Demir up on his phone. “You know this guy?”

She studied it for a second. “Don’t think so.”

“What about the name Burak Demir?”

“Nope. Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“Has Marc ever talked about the Armenians?”

“Not that I can remember.”

Maybe Demir was trying to continue the work Samson had been trying to stop a decade ago and extending it to include any followers of Jesus.

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