Dead Harvest

dawned. 'You're saying someone else was in my head? That they killed my family?'

  'Not someone,' I replied. 'Some thing.'

  'Some thing?'

  'Kate, there aren't many folks like me out there, and we're kept on a pretty short leash. We never take what isn't ours to take; we just do our jobs – no argument, no deviation. Not to mention, I read the news coverage – there's no way someone like me could've mustered the kind of strength they're talking about. No, whatever did that wasn't human.'

  'Which leaves what, exactly?'

  'A demon, most likely.'

  'A demon.'

  'Yes.'

  'But that's insane.'

  'Any more insane than what happened in the bathroom? Demonic possession is far from unprecedented, Kate. Most possessions go unnoticed; the body chosen is simply a conveyance, a means to an end – when the task at hand is done, the possessor leaves, and no one's the wiser. Seems like your guy had other plans.'

  'How can you be so sure? How can you be sure I didn't just suffer some psychotic break and kill them myself?'

  'Because possession is by nature a violent act. You're forcing an unfamiliar body to succumb to your will. When you possess the living, you're also fighting the impulses of their conscious mind. That kind of struggle is sure to leave a sign.'

  Kate's brow furrowed. 'What kind of sign?'

  'It's hard to describe. You ever lend out a sweater, and when you get it back, it just doesn't fit right?'

  'I guess.'

  'It's kind of like that.' Kate seemed to accept that, which was fine by me. She didn't need to know the rest. That whatever had done this had violated her with such fury I'm surprised she'd even survived. That it had gouged and splintered her mind like nails against a coffin lid. That I'd been so terrified by what I'd seen, when I returned to this body, I hadn't stopped trembling for hours. No, she didn't need to know any of that. Which was fine, because I sure as hell wasn't going to tell her.

  Kate said, 'So where does that leave us, then? I mean, if I'm innocent, you'll be on your merry way, right? No harm, no foul. And I what – spend the rest of my days in a loony bin? And that's if I seem nuts enough to keep me out of prison. I mean, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, I'm still the one who killed them, right? Forgive me if I sound ungrateful – I'm glad I'm not damned and all, but this still pretty much sucks.'

  I sighed. 'It's not that simple. You're marked for collection, Kate. And once you're marked, you're collected – it's as simple as that.'

  'Can't you talk to your boss or something – explain there's been some kind of mistake?'

  I shook my head. 'Lilith's not exactly the understanding type, Kate, and even if she were, she's not the one calling the shots.'

  'Then who is?'

  'The short answer is, I don't know. The longer answer is, I don't know 'cause they don't want me to. Lilith is my handler, and she's the only one I ever deal with – I couldn't go around her if I tried. But she's made it very clear that babysitting me is nothing but a chore to her, something passed down from on high – or on low, I guess you'd say. Besides, I doubt an end run around Lilith would even do us any good. These are the denizens of hell we're talking about, Kate – I've got no reason to believe her bosses would be any more receptive than she would. No, I think the best thing we can do is stay off the radar for a bit, while we figure out what's going on.'

  'What happens if they find out that you're helping me?'

  'I don't know,' I replied. 'As far as I know, no Collector's ever willfully disobeyed an order before. But what we're talking about is mutiny – insubordination against the authority of hell. I'm pretty sure I don't want to find out.'

  'Why not just take my soul, then? It's not like I have anything left to live for.'

  'I can't. Whatever's going on here, your soul's not mine to take. My job is to collect the wicked, the corrupt. The taking of a pure soul is forbidden – the results would be catastrophic.'

  'Catastrophic how?'

  'We're talking some serious End of Days shit here, Kate.'

  'Oh,' she said. Her eyes no longer met mine; she seemed suddenly fascinated with a spot between us on the floor. 'OK, then. But if I'm marked for collection and you can't collect me, where does that leave us?'

  'I don't know. Being marked isn't something you can easily fake – whoever did this has got clout, to say the least. Which means this wasn't just some demon on a joyride – whoever did this had an agenda. The way I figure it, our best bet is to figure out who's behind this before they get wise to the fact that you're not in the ground and send someone to finish us both off. That is, if we can keep clear of the cops for long enough.'

  She surprised me with a laugh, full and throaty and beautiful. 'That's our best bet?'

  'Near as I can tell.'

  'Well, shit,' she said, and despite myself, I smiled.

  'Yeah,' I replied. 'Shit.'

7.