'Of course not. A sorcerer's magic comes from this world.'
'Okay, fine, an evil spirit then. How do I get rid of it?'
'Benevolent or malign?' asked Mr. Clean.
'Definitely malign. As in, ritually skinning and crucifying guys.'
'In this case, the distinction I make refers to the effect on the host, rather than the moral quality of any actions that are performed in the course of the possession.'
'Well, I don't think Adan's getting any good vibes out of it, if that's what you mean. As far as I can tell, he isn't aware of it at all.'
'Malign, then. He probably will not be aware of it until the spirit gains full control and his soul is consigned to the Beyond.'
'How does the spirit gain full control?'
'The spirit will continue possessing the host, as frequently as it is able. You can expect more rituals. I have no way of knowing how many it will require. The more powerful the spirit, the more difficult it is to sustain itself in the mortal world.'
'So the more powerful it is, the more time I have before it gains full control?'
'Yes.'
'Great.' Wimpy and slow would have been even better, but at least this gave me some time. 'So why is it squeezing the murder victims?'
'I have no idea.'
'What?'
'I do not know the answer to your question.' This was the first time Mr. Clean had said this to me. I'd have expected him to admit it reluctantly, but it didn't seem to bother him. 'I can speculate, if you like.'
'Will that cost me extra?'
'Of course.'
'Damn. Okay, go ahead. But only a candy bar or two worth of speculation.'
'If the spirit is very powerful, it may need to prepare its vessel for permanent inhabitation.'
'I thought you said all it needed was full control?'
'In this instance, such a spirit would require full control of a host that was capable of sustaining it. The spirit may need to first prepare the host in order to possess it completely without unwanted side effects.'
'What kind of side effects?' I asked.
'Destruction of the host.'
'Oh. So why would it need to squeeze my guys for that?'
'The spirit needs to prepare the host, but filling it with juice from the Beyond would also destroy it. Think of it as interior decorating or home improvement. The host needs fresh paint and flooring, maybe some new cabinetry and granite countertops in the kitchen, but the spirit has no such materials of its own. It has to acquire them from somewhere else.'
'You watch way too much TV.'
'I'm missing Springer,' said Mr. Clean, the barb passing safely over his shiny dome.
'Okay, this is good. So how do I stop the spirit from gaining full control?'
'You could kill the host,' Mr. Clean suggested.
'I'd really like to go out with him again. Next?'
'You could find the spirit and destroy it.'
'But it's not possessing him all the time. Do I just follow him around and jump him if he tries to skin someone?'
'No, you cannot destroy the spirit in the mortal world without also destroying the host. You will have to confront the spirit in the Between.'
'What's that?'
'What does it sound like, ape-girl?'
'Uh, the place between this world and the Beyond?'
'Right.'
'There's a place between this world and the Beyond?'
'Yes.'
Damn. That one was going to cost me a Hershey bar.
'Fine. How do I get there and find the spirit?' I mentally congratulated myself on the twofer.
'That is two questions.'
Damn. 'Fine, just answer.'
'I can show you a spell that will allow you to walk in the spaces Between.'
'Cool, and?'
'Where the host is, the spirit will be. The Between is a shadow of this world. Find the place where the spirit possesses the host.'
'Like his loft?'
'Probably.'
'Okay, let's do it.'
'You will need a guide.' Mr. Clean arched his eyebrows. 'I could arrange one.'
'I can't find his apartment on my own?'
'Yes, the Between is an analog of this world, so you should be able to find this place. But something will probably find you first.'
'So it's dangerous?'
'It's the kind of place inhabited by evil spirits that possess mortals, and many other such things.'
I remembered the ghost dogs that attacked me when I tried to summon Jamal. 'Yeah, I can see that. A guide then. More Hershey bars?'
Mr. Clean shook his head. 'No, this is more along the lines of a fatted calf, once a month.'
'Pizza, once a year.'
'Extra-large Texas on the solstices.'
'Is that the one with refried beans and salsa?'
'Yeah.'
'Done.'
The spell turned out to be difficult. It was probably the most complex magic I'd ever tried, and it took me the rest of the day to get the knack of it. Mr. Clean, I had to admit, was a big help, but he wasn't very nice about it. Once I had the basics down, I picked a quotation for it and ran through the incantations until the pattern imprinted itself in my mind.
The guide was a lot easier. 'When you arrive, call Honey,' said Mr. Clean. 'She owes me a favor.'
'I can use my cell phone there?'
Mr. Clean glowered at me, his eyebrows bunching like two charging caterpillars head-butting each other. 'No. Just call her name. Put some juice into it.'
'Who is she?'
'A friend of mine,' answered Mr. Clean. That's all he would say, but his eyes twinkled. That made me nervous.
I still had Anton following Adan around town, and it was getting late. Mr. Clean said it would be best to cross into the Between during the daytime.
'There's daytime in the Between? I assumed, you know, shadow world, it was probably always night. Maybe twilight, that sort of thing.'
'I would ask you not to be daft,' offered Mr. Clean, 'but I know you can't help it. As I have already told you, the Between is an analog of this world.'
'Analog, yeah, so it's like an analogy.'
'It's not funny anymore, Dominica,' said Mr. Clean.
I called Anton to find out where he was, and then met him in the parking lot at Gold's Gym. Adan was inside
