Show of Evil

girlfriend, Linda, and I decided to live together…' I thought, Maybe it's just a coincidence - two women named Linda, so…' St Claire selected one of the photos of Linda Balfour, a close-up of her head and shoulders, and handed it to Vail. 'She look familiar?'

Vail studied the photograph for several seconds. 'That's a horrible picture. I can't really—'

'I checked the records in Carbondale, where she and her husband got married. Maiden name's Linda Gellerman, from Akron, Ohio.'

Vail looked up at St Claire and his memory suddenly was jolted back ten years.

A tiny waiflike creature, huddled in a yellow rain slicker, her fearful eyes peering up at him as she stood in the rain.

'Mr Vail?' her tiny voice asked.

He took her inside, gave her a Coke, and asked her about her boyfriend, Aaron Stampler.

'You think Aaron killed the bishop?'

'Doesn't everybody?'

'Were you there, Linda?'

'Where?'

'At the bishop's the night he was killed?'

'Of course not!'

'Then how do you know Aaron did it?'

 'Well, because he was hiding in the church with the knife and all…'

'How do you know it wasn't Peter or Billy Jordan?'

'You know about that?'

'About what?'

'Nothing.'

'Linda, why did you come here?'

' 'Cause I can't help Aaron and I want you to stop looking for me.'

'Maybe you can help him.'

'How?'

'I need you to testify.'

'About what?'

'The Altar Boys.'

She panicked, backing away from him like a cornered animal, then running for the door. Vail caught her arm as she reached for the doorknob.

'I won't do that! I'll never admit that! I'll lie. I'll tell them it isn't true.'

'Linda, it may help for the jury to know what really went on. What the bishop made you do.'

'Don't you understand? He didn't make us do anything! After a while it was fun. We liked it.'

She had turned and run out the door and vanished into the dark, rainswept night. He never saw her again until a moment before when he looked at the picture of the dowdy housewife, sprawled in her living room, covered with blood.

'Linda Gellerman,' said Vail. 'Aaron Stampler's girlfriend.'

'I'm thinkin' maybe we got us a copycat on our hands here,' St Claire said.

'Except for one thing,' Stenner added.

Vail finished the thought for him. 'The Altar Boys.'

Stenner nodded.

'Who the hell're the Altar Boys?' St Claire asked. 'They were never mentioned in the trial.'

'That's right, they weren't,' said Vail.

'But whoever killed Linda Gellerman knew about them. Had to,' said