Ten Plagues

for the lives of sinners.”

“Let her go, Pravus. Please, let her go. The way to cleanse the world of evil is to change hearts. To bring people to Jesus Christ with love. Killing people just spreads hate. You don’t want the evil to spread, do you?” Paul hesitated over the next words, but they felt right. And when you’re dealing with a madman, maybe it’s all useless anyway, so he spoke as he felt led. “I’ll help you face the demon that’s keeping you away from God.”

Keren gasped when he said it. She gave him a strangely intent look.

The soft, rhythmic voice broke, and Pravus snarled, “Don’t speak such foul words to me! I’m not evil. They are evil. They are the ones who won’t let my people go.”

Paul was suddenly aware of O’Shea behind him. O’Shea held up a note that said, “Ask about your police days.”

Paul nodded. “I’m sorry for what I did to you back then, Pravus. I did a lot of sinful things. I have asked God to forgive me; now I ask you.”

“I’ll never forgive you. Never! And I’m glad they’re dead. It was my first act of rebellion against the pharaohs who tried to keep my genius enslaved, and you were too stupid to even know it. Oh, and tell the pretty detective she certainly is one of the fairest in the land.”

A click ended the call. “Did you get it?” Keren asked O’Shea.

“Give me a second.” O’Shea hit a button on his phone and waited. “I think they could at least narrow it down in that amount of time.”

“He knows I’m working with the police.” Paul hung up. “He knows there’s a woman detective. He’s watching me somehow.”

O’Shea held out two small metal disks. “We found these bugs. Nothing fancy. But he’s watching you closely.”

“Listening devices in my apartment? I wonder how long those have been there.” It made Paul sick to think of it, though honestly, his apartment was close to the most boring place on earth. He didn’t spend much time there, and he certainly never brought anyone home. His life was strictly solo, except for work, since his wife’s death.

“We’ll track his number.” Keren’s jaw tensed as she looked at the bugs. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a name and address.”

“He’s not that stupid, Collins,” O’Shea cautioned.

“Maybe he is,” Keren protested. “Your real bright people don’t usually go into crime for a living.”

“Yeah, the fact that criminals are stupid really makes our job easier,” O’Shea conceded.

Keren turned to Paul. “You handled that really well. Good job.” Then she and O’Shea began discussing what they gleaned from the conversation.

Before they forgot him entirely, Paul said, “While Pravus was talking, I remembered something else.”

Both of them looked up excitedly. They looked almost happy, almost like they were enjoying themselves. Paul’s fists clenched in a sudden flash of fury. He wasn’t being fair, he knew. They were excited that they might be able to stop Pravus. But he still thanked God he was no longer a cop.

“What?” Keren demanded. “Did you recognize the voice? Do you know who it is?”

“No, I remember I’ve heard the word pravus before.”

Keren stepped closer to him. “What? What does it mean?”

“Evil. Pravus is the Latin word for ‘evil.’ Pravus spiritu is ‘evil spirit.’ “

“Like a demon?” The color faded from Keren’s face.

For a moment Paul thought she might faint, but he didn’t really believe it. He knew he was dealing with one tough cookie. “Does that mean something to you?”

Keren shook her head. Finally, she said, “No, but it confirms something I have known… or… uh guessed all along.”

Paul nodded.

O’Shea sighed, and nodded, too.

They were dealing with a demon. A demon straight from hell.

Keren clapped the magnetic police light to the roof of her car as she drove back to the station.

“Isn’t that overkill, Collins?” O’Shea asked.

“I’m going to speed anyway.” She shrugged and added wryly, “This will save some uniform the bother of pulling me over and having me rage at him until he lets me go on my lawbreaking way.”

“You could just try obeying the law,” Paul said from the backseat.

Keren looked sideways at O’Shea.

“You heard the citizen, kid,” O’Shea said. “The minute we get back to the station, I’m going to borrow a pad of tickets from a patrol officer and write you up.” He heaved his bulk around so he could look at Paul. “How’s a citizen’s arrest sound to you, Pastor P?”

“It suits me, Mick. I’m in the mood.”

O’Shea grinned at Keren, and she slowed down with a glowering look. She reached up and pulled the light back in. “Okay, fine. I’ll slow down.”

“What’d he mean with that ‘fairest in the land’ crack?” O’Shea wondered.

“I know what he meant.” Keren tried to think of a way to change the subject. “It was just his way of letting us know he’s keeping close track. He’ll probably say something about you next, O’Shea.”

“Yeah, but how did ‘fairest in the land’ mean he knew you? I don’t get it.”

“Me neither,” Paul said.

Keren squirmed. It was no big deal, really. It was just personal. On the other hand, it meant Pravus had done a pretty thorough background check on her. “I’ll explain later. Every time I get to talking I start speeding, so shut up and let me drive.”

After a few more minutes of blissful silence, Paul cleared his throat. Keren glanced down and saw that her speed had built back to fifteen miles over the speed limit. She forced herself to slow.

“It’s just that I’m so anxious to get back and examine your old case files.” She glanced into his eyes using the rearview mirror. “It’s almost noon now. If we push hard, we can get through them tonight.”

“Don’t forget, I promised Rosie an escort to the bus station.”

“I’ll send a squad car for her. They can see her to the bus station or drive her wherever she needs to go.” Keren waved his reminder away. “We don’t have time to let you go help ladies cross the street.”

“If I’d have told Rosie I was going to do that, I would agree. But I made a promise to a very special young woman. One who has done me the huge honor of trusting me when she never trusts anybody. I’ve got to go.”

“Call her, Paul,” Keren suggested. “She’ll understand.”

“The people in that neighborhood aren’t comfortable with the police. If I send a policeman to take her anywhere, she might just react by ducking out the back door and hustling to the bus stop on her own.”

Keren tried to burn through his overblown sense of duty by banking a blazing look off the mirror. He merely settled more stubbornly into his seat.

“If you go, at least one of us has to go with you,” O’Shea pointed out.

“I’ll be fine for an hour on my own. I can take care of myself.”

“Not if Pravus phones. Having us there when you got the earlier call helped, even if you don’t want to admit it.” Keren could have easily gone back to sparring with him. “All of us thinking together helped come up with the right questions for him.”

“Fine then.” Paul crossed his arms. “You’ll have to come. We can bring case files along and work while we drive. Figure something out, because I’m going.”

O’Shea shook his head in disgust. “I’m going to play the tape again. Listen for specifics. Maybe we can narrow our search.”

The odd voice of Pravus-the-demon haunted them as they drove. It did nothing to improve Keren’s mood. She could tell they were all edgy by the time they’d heard it through three times. Keren pulled into an empty spot near the precinct and threw her car into PARK with more force than necessary. “Let’s get to work.”

They hurried into the station, all of them nearly frantic to cull the files for information.

“Pravus said, ‘I’m glad they’re dead. It was my first act of rebellion against the pharaoh, and you were too