Chapter Three

PAMS Headquarters

Wednesday, December 17, 1997

12:00 PM

Laurie Mitford tried for the hundredth time to loosen herself from her
bonds, but they refused to give. Her wrists felt incredibly sore-she
knew they must be rubbed raw at this point. Logically she knew she'd
only been in this basement for a number of hours, but somehow it felt
like days. There was a familiar creek as the cellar door opened.
Laurie tensed as the Reverend Liam McIlvaney came towards her.

"Have you come to let me go?" Laurie said. The Reverend smiled.

"I don't think so," he said. "You see, Ms. Mitford, I think there's so
much more you can tell us." The expression on McIlvaney's round face
was beatific, but Laurie couldn't suppress a slight shiver. By now she
knew the real monster that lay beneath that face.

"I don't know what you mean," Laurie said. "I'm a loyal member of
PAMS, Reverend McIlvaney. This is all a big misunderstanding, but I'm
sure we can clear it up."

Before Laurie had time to react the Reverend's hand was around her
throat, squeezing slightly. Laurie fought to breathe while his voice
rang in her ears.

"Lies, Ms. Mitford," he spoke between gritted teeth. "If there's one
thing I hate, it's deliberate deceit." He squeezed harder, his grip
bruising. Laurie gasped frantically as her field of vision turned red,
objects swimming in front of her eyes.

"We've been watching you all along," McIlvaney said. "Did you think we
wouldn't? We heard your phone call last night. Don't try to pretend.
Tell us who you're working for and what you know about Nimrod."
Suddenly he let go of her neck and Laurie could breathe again. She
looked up at his face, and all the contempt that she felt was shining
in her eyes.

"Fine," Laurie said, deciding to fall back on her second cover and
thanking her lucky stars that she'd thought to arrange one. "You want
the truth? I'm an undercover investigative reporter for the Washington
Blaze and I think what you're planning to do is disgusting. I was
going to write an expose on you and your little organization."

McIlvaney sighed. "Rest assured, Ms. Mitford; we will verify your
story. And if that is in fact the truth, it's a shame you'll never
have a chance to write that story. Now- tell me who your contact is. I
very much doubt that you're working alone."

Laurie swallowed hard, wincing at the pain in her bruised windpipe. "I
don't think so, Reverend," she rasped. "That's all you're getting out
of me."

McIlvaney smiled again. "We'll see," he said. "I think I'm going to
enjoy seeing what I can get out of you, Ms. Mitford."

The Thomas Jefferson Community Center

5:00 PM

"School's out, forever!" Lisa sang under her breath as they left the
community center. They both had sweat suits over their leotards and
tights as well as coats, but it was still very cold outside. Jenna
wished she hadn't forgotten her gloves. Cars were lined up outside,
parents picking up their children. Jenna's eyes searched for her Dad's
car-he'd told her this morning that he'd be picking her up. Jenna was
hoping he'd use the Corvette because the other kids thought it was cool.

"School's out until January the second," Jenna said with a small grin

"You're a party pooper," Lisa said with a pout. "Maybe the school will
burn down over Christmas."

"That's a big maybe," Jenna said.

"I can dream," Lisa said. "Oh look-there's my Mom. Bye, Jenna-see you
tomorrow."

Jenna waved at her friend, still looking for her dad's car. Where was
he? She wondered. He wasn't usually late, and everyone else was just
about gone.

"Do you need some help?" a man's voice asked. Jenna turned around to
see a chubby man with round features peering down at her with eyes so
dark that they were nearly black. The suit he was wearing seemed like
it was too small for him, and on his lapel he had a button that read
Dancing is wickedness,' and another button that said Repent now'.
The protesters across the street, Jenna thought. This man must be one
of them.
"Can I help you?" the man repeated.

Jenna remembered what her parents had said about strangers. "I don't
need any help," she said. "I'm fine."

The man's expression darkened and he grabbed Jenna's arm. "Your soul
isn't fine, little girl," he said. "Do you realize that you'll burn
for eternity if you persist with this sinful behavior?"

"Let go of my arm," Jenna said, her voice shaking. She tried to pull
her arm back but he was too strong. "Please let go." But instead of
letting go the man tried to pull her closer. Without thinking Jenna
stomped on his foot as hard as she could. The man howled in pain but
he still didn't let go.

"Now you're going to get it," he told her, lifting his other hand.

"Is there a problem here?" Her dad's voice said. Jenna looked around
to see him standing behind her. Dad was looking at the other man
-Jenna didn't think she'd ever seen Dad looking so angry before.

"This wicked child was being disrespectful to me," the man said. "I
was going to teach her a lesson."

"This child," Dad said, "Is my responsibility. And I believe she asked
you to let her go."

Instead of letting go the man gripped Jenna's arm tighter, causing her
to gasp. "She still needs to learn her lesson," he said.

It happened so quickly that Jenna didn't have time to take it all in.
Dad's hand chopped sharply downwards onto the man's arm. With a howl
the man let go and Dad grabbed Jenna, quickly pulling her behind him.

"Stay there and don't move," Dad told her.

Jenna watched in amazement as Dad stood over the man, who was down on
his knees clutching his arm.

"I can't move it," the man said.

"Just be glad I didn't break it," Dad said. "If you touch my child
again, or any of the other children here, you're going to answer to
me. Got it?"

Just then a woman ran across the road. She knelt beside the man, her
sign clattering to the pavement.

"Are you hurt, Liam?" She said.

"I'm fine, Grainne," the man said, pushing the woman's hands away.
"Let's go." Jenna shivered as the man, Liam, glared at her dad. "This
isn't over," Liam said.

Dad said nothing, just watched as Liam and the woman stumbled
together across the street. Once they were gone he turned around and
knelt down beside Jenna.

"How did you do that to that man's hand?" Jenna asked.

"That?" Dad said. "Oh that was just something I picked up. Are you
okay, munchkin?"

Jenna nodded. "I'm fine," she said, even though her arm did hurt a
little.

"You sure?" Dad asked.

"I'm sure," Jenna said.

"What did he say to you?" Dad said.

"He asked me if I needed some help, and I said no," Jenna said. "Then
he grabbed my arm and said something about burning for eternity."

"Is that all?" Dad said.

"Well he wouldn't let go of my arm and he started pulling me," Jenna
said. "So I stomped on his foot, but he still didn't let go."

"That was still good thinking to stomp on his foot," Dad said, "What
were you doing out here all by yourself, anyway? Wasn't Lisa here today?"

"She was, but her mom already came to pick her up," Jenna explained.

Dad's expression suddenly turned serious and he gripped her shoulders,
his eyes peering intently into her own. "Jenna, if someone isn't here
to pick you up right away, I want you to wait inside. I don't ever
want you out here all alone. Do you understand me?"

"I will," Jenna said, her voice small. She was shivering, but she
wasn't sure if it was from the cold or something else.

"Sweetheart, I'm not trying to scare you," Dad said. "I just –I don't
want anything to happen to you, that's all. Okay?"

"Okay," Jenna said. Dad stood, scooping her up in his arms. Ordinarily
Jenna would've protested-she wasn't a baby anymore-but right at the
moment she didn't really mind. Jenna leaned her head on Dad's shoulder.

"Let's get you home, huh?" Dad said, ruffling her hair. "Your Mom'll
be wondering where we are. She's making her world-class chili tonight,
you know."

SMK SMK SMK SMK

"No one humiliates me and lives to tell about it."

The Reverend Liam McIlvaney muttered those words while rubbed his
bruised arm, watching balefully as the tall man put his daughter
inside the silver Corvette and drove away. His wife, Grainne, leaned
her head on his shoulder.

"What will you do to him?" She asked her husband.

"I'm not sure," Liam said. "Did you see what he did to me? That takes
some sort of special training, like a cop or a soldier, maybe."

"Someone who could interfere with our plans?" Grainne said.

"It's a possibility," Liam said. "But this is personal. Get in touch
with Nimrod, Grainne. I want to know everything there is to know about
that man-and his kid."

One way or another, Liam thought, vengeance will be mine.

TBC