Page 6 of Dead Evil
“What do you mean?” Cisco asked.
“They have the con schedule, which includes all of the attendees. I’d bet the house that they’ve done their homework on all of us. You, especially, we need to turn the tables and do the same thing for them. I’m sure these people have a rabid following on social media, just like other white hate groups. I’ll see if I can get into those groups and get a feel for the clowns who are coming to town with this circus.” Ronan would do whatever it took to keep Salem safe.
“Good plan. I’ll also put you in touch with my FBI and state police contacts. If you want to liaise with them, I’m all for it. To be honest, I’ve got enough on my hands at the moment dealing with wrongful death lawsuits that are being filed on behalf of Oliveri’s victims. I hate to say it, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve seen a huge uptick in the number of criminal convictions being appealed. Most of them were cases that Oliveri worked, which puts me in the line of fire since we were partners for several years. It’s all one giant shit show and has me considering resigning.”
Ronan could see the heartbreak in Cisco’s eyes. “You were born to serve and protect. We all know what a rough time this was going to be for the Salem Police Department, but I also know that there’s only one man who can get us through the shit and back into the sunshine.”
“Captain America?” Cisco asked with a tiny upturn of his lips.
“No, dumbass,you!” Ronan shot back. “There’s no one I trust more than you to protect this city. You’re going to remind every single voter why they chose you for the job in the first place.”
“Maybe,” Cisco said, sounding noncommittal. “Just get out there and do what you do best. Get me everything you can on the members of this church and other protests they’ve attended. Try to work up a profile of the organization. What are the hallmarks of their protests? If we can get ahead of this, maybe we can avert another crisis.”
“We’ll be in touch,” Fitzgibbon promised before leaving Cisco’s office.
What had been placed in front of them was a tall order. Not only did they need to be on high alert to protect their families, but theconference attendees, vendors, and talent, not to mention the city and citizens of Salem.
What could possibly go wrong?
3
Tennyson
Tennyson sat with Cope and Jace at the patio table overlooking the pool at Fitzgibbon’s house. The kids were in the pool, swimming, splashing and laughing, while Jude sat on the steps in the shallow end, serving as the life guard. Ezra played with the big kids, while Lizbet was content to float in her bright pink unicorn swim vest with an attached inner tube, her dainty fingers trailing in the water. She wore a pair of matching pink sunglasses and had her Zen on. Ten had never seen such a relaxed kid. He wished he could join his niece in the pool and forget all his troubles, but it wasn’t possible.
Ronan had sent a brief text after the detective’s meeting with Cisco. All it said was that none of them were in any trouble, but that a family meeting was in order. Ten had no idea what this meeting was about. Neither did Cope. They each had a feeling it had to do with Paranormal Phantasmagoria, but beyond that, both psychics were drawing blanks.
“Five minutes, everyone!” Fitz called out.
“Okay, kiddos, time to get out of the pool to eat,” Jude announced, standing up.
All of them groaned, with the exception of Wolf, who bolted out of the pool like he was on fire. Ten helped Ronan dish out the cheeseburgers, while Cope got drinks out of the coolers, and Jace put salad in each of their bowls and added dressing.
By the time the kids were all set and the adults had served themselves, Ten was exhausted. “Okay, spill it.”
Ronan opened his mouth, looking like he was about to say, “Spill what?” but seemed to change his mind at the last minute. “Cisco wanted to talk about Paranormal Phantasmagoria.”
Cope and Ten exchanged confused looks. “So why all the secrecy about this meeting? It’s hardly a surprise that the chief of police would want to speak to his three best detectives about a major convention coming to town in less than a week.”
Jude sighed. “It wasn’t the con itself that Cisco wanted to discuss. He’s had a law enforcement plan in place for the convention for weeks, but there’s a fly in the ointment, so to speak.”
“What kind of fly?” Ten asked, his senses on high alert. Something was coming. Something bad, but he couldn’t see what it was.
“A right-wing megachurch is planning a protest here in Salem. They’re ostensibly here to protest the occult, but we have a feeling it’s going to go beyond that. We have a high concentration of LGBTQIA+ people and families here, along with a lot of liberal voters. There’s no doubt in our minds that the church is going to come after us.” Fitz turned to Ronan and Jude, who nodded along with their boss.
Ten’s heart pounding like it was trying to burst free from his chest. During his years living in Union Chapel, Kansas, he’d seen the kind of damage these megachurches could cause, not only to people and families, but to the towns they tore through like a category five hurricane. “Which church is it? Those Westboro Baptist fuckers?”
Fitz shook his head. “It’s not them. This church is one that I’ve never heard of. It’s called King of Deliverance.”
Ten froze. He couldn’t possibly have heard Fitz correctly. “What did you say?”
“King of Deliverance. They’re a church out of-”
“Sioux City, Iowa,” Ten said.
“That’s right. How did you know?” Fitz narrowed his eyes on Tennyson.
“Because my parents dragged me to two of their tent revival meetings. One in August of 2005 and one in October of the same year.”
