“I might know what to do, if you’ll trust me.”
Cautious hope entered the man’s eyes. “You know how to perform an exorcism?”
“Yes, one version,” Luca answered. “Do I have your permission to proceed?”
The man nodded fervently.
Luca placed the palm of his hand on the man’s forehead. He caught sight of Joe pausing in the hallway but ignored him. In an authoritative voice, he declared, “In the name of Jesus Christ, evil be gone!” He repeated it twice more. At the end of the third time, he thought he’d add a little Latin and used the only phrase he could remember off the top of his head. “E pluribus unum!”
The man collapsed on the floor. Joe rushed in, and Luca kneeled beside George, placing his fingers against the man’s carotid artery. His heartbeat was fast, but at least he wasn’t in cardiac arrest.
Joe, to his credit, didn’t make a sound. Luca half expected some kind of outburst, like, What the hell are you doing? Instead, he just asked, “Is he okay?”
Luca shook the man’s shoulder. “Hey, George. Are you all right?”
George’s eyes fluttered open. “I—I think so.” He tried to sit up. “I’m dizzy.”
“Lie back down. Take a few slow breaths first. We’ll help you up in a minute.”
A short while later, George said he felt better than he had in weeks. They left him resting in a comfortable chair, sipping some water.
As soon as the two cops were safely ensconced in their cruiser, Joe grinned. “Is that what they taught you to do in college? Do you have ‘performs exorcisms’ on your résumé?”
“No, but maybe I should add it. I was hoping the power of suggestion might help.”
Joe burst out laughing. His reaction suddenly had Luca wondering if the call was a ruse. Did the cops set up this whole thing? If so, they found the most convincing actor on the planet. Nah. I’m just being paranoid. Thanks a bunch, Dawn Forest.
“Hey, you won’t tell the guys at the station about this, will you?”
“Why not? It’s hilarious! You’re nothing if not creative, kid.”
“I’m afraid they’ll use it to make fun of the rookie.”
Joe piped down to a chuckle. “Okay. I can’t wait to see what you write in your report. And I hope you’ll share the story over a beer at our favorite bar sometime. I’ll take you there to celebrate the end of your first week.”
“Sure. If I make it that far. Let me think about it.”
Joe just grinned and drove down the street, ready to resume their patrol.
As they drove down a side street on a hill, Luca’s eyes went on alert. That girl, Dawn, had told him about an older neighborhood that looked just like the one they were driving through. Homes with front doors close to the street. He recalled she said that there was a drag race, and a kid on a bike was heading into the street…she could see it unfold through his eyes. For some reason, he knew she was telling the truth. She wasn’t just another troubled soul like George.
He sat up and unfastened his seat belt. Joe either didn’t notice or care. Then he saw them—two cars at the top of the hill, facing the same direction. “Hold it!” Luca called out. The cars’ engines revved. “These assholes are getting ready to race.”
Joe pulled over. Luca hit the roof’s lightbar and jumped out of the vehicle. He saw the kid on the bike, and one of the cars screeched as it took off. The other one may have seen the flashing blue lights and decided it wasn’t worth it. Good decision.
Luca kicked up his speed as the car zoomed forward. Apparently, the driver was an idiot and wanted to win by default. Luca leapt to the sidewalk and grabbed the kid off the bike a split second before the speeding car whizzed by.
When the car reached the bottom of the hill and turned the corner, Joe hit the siren and made a U-turn, following the drag racer.
“Are you okay, kid?” Luca asked.
“Yeah.”
“It’s dark. Do your parents know you’re out riding your bike?”
The boy shrugged. “They don’t care.”
Luca was tempted to take the kid by the shirtsleeve up to the house and ring the bell. But something told him not to. The resigned look on the kid’s face maybe.
