THE CHURCH OF BLOOD

Chapter Eight - After School Visit

Detectives Beynolds and Nyles stepped up to the front door of the Ettison household, Beynolds ringing the doorbell.  It was late Thursday afternoon, close to when school let out for the day.

Anita opened the door cautiously.  "Yes?"

"Hello, ma'am.  I'm Officer Beynolds and this is my partner Officer Nyles.  We were wondering if your son was home?"

Confused, Anita nodded.  "Why, yes he is."

"May we come in?" Beynolds eyed the petite woman suspiciously as she stood in the doorway, saying nothing.

She snapped out of her daze.  "Um, yes, of course."  She opened the screen door and allowed the officers entry.

"Thank you, ma'am," Nyles said.

"Won't you sit down?"  Anita gestured toward the living room.  "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Both Beynolds and Nyles declined, sitting down on the nearest sofa.  "We shouldn't he long, ma'am.  I your husband home by chance?"

"No, he's working late.  I'll get Antony."  She slowly made her way upstairs.

Beynolds waited until Anita was out of sight before whispering, "Did she seem odd to you?"

Nyles considered.  "She seemed a little spaced out, I thought."

"Gentlemen!"

Antony made his way into the living room from the kitchen.  H was dressed entirely in black with his hair to match, a little spiked on top.  His face, although beaming, was outlined with a little black eyeliner.  He stood straight and tall, very confident if not a little arrogant.  "How may I help you?"

Beynolds' look expressed confusion.  "Your mother just went upstairs to get you," he said.

"I know," Antony replied.  "I let her know I'd talk with you gentlemen.  She a little tired.  She needed her rest."  He sat down opposite them and crossed his legs.  "So, again--how can I help you, Officers--?"

"Beynolds.  My partner Nyles."

Antony nodded, his demeanor unchanged.

"Is your mother okay?" Nyles questioned.  "She seemed a little..."

"Tired."  Antony kept smiling:  a thin-lipped but not tight leer; a cocky, presumptuous smirk.

Beynolds leaned forward, clearing his throat.  "Well, Antony, we were wondering if you know anything about this.". He produced the pentacle from hi inside jacket pocket, unfoldinf it and laying it on the coffee table.

"The Sixth Pentacle of Saturn," Antony answered without hesitation.  "Pentacle sixteen."

"What do you know about it?" Nyles asked,  he too leaning forward.

"Antony chuckled.  " It's a power from another plane.  Only certain of those can understand its true nature."

Beynolds returned an insolent smile of his own.  "Enlighten us."

"Reason?"

"We think it ties in with a murder several days ago."

"Those altar boys?"

Beynolds nodded.  "Yeah.  Any idea why they were murdered?"

"Wasn't it a suicide?"

"We don't believe so though it was made to look like a suicide, albeit a sloppy one."

"I have no idea, sir."

"Has this same drawing been making its way around your school?"

"It was," Antony answered.  "It was passed off as a game.  Like a Ouija board, you know?"

"But it's not?"

Antony's eyes were level.  His smile faded a little.  "It's not a game."

"What I the nature of this pentagram?" Nyles wondered.

"Pentacle," Antony corrected him.

Myles snickered.  "Whatever.  What does it do?"

"It's a conduit."

Beynolds' smile never wavered.  "For what?"

Antony said nothing.

"Young man, we're not implicating you had anything to do with murder," Beynolds continued.  "We want to know where you got this drawing from."

"My peers."

"Yeah.  From school.  Do you know where they got theirs from?"

"No."

"Do you know if any of them ever used theirs?"

Antony shrugged.  "I imagine.  I may have been the only one successful enough at using it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because all of the other guys got sick.  They all left school early."

"On the same day?"

"Over a three-day period."

"How many?"

"Five."

"'Five?'"

"Yes."  This time, Antony leaned forward.  "Did you not know this?  I mean, aren't you guys cops?  Shouldn't you be coin your job and questioning other people besides me?"

"We're asking you, son, because Father Clark, your priest,  talked to us about this pentacle because you ended up in the hospital sick and he's concerned.  So far, you were the only one we had a name to go with to find out what the hell this pentacle is and why we believe it I tied to a homicide," Beynolds ranted.  "Do you understand now?"

Antony again held his gaze.  "Father Clark."

"Yes.  He informed us that he spoke with you."

Again, Antony gave a vacant stare.

Beynolds tilted his head to the side.  "You hiding something?"

"You think I am?"

Beynolds' glare turned stern.

"Antony, don't play with us," Nyles warned, his anger beginning to show.  "There was a murder and that pentacle is the key to finding out what happened.  We would greatly appreciate you helping us in any way possible."

"Talk to Father Clark," Antony spat.

"Why?" Beynolds wanted to know.

"You don't find him suspicious?"

"He hasn't been labeled a suspect.  But we're questioning you right now."

"Question the parents of those kids."

"Don't tell us how to do our job!" Beynolds quipped.  "Tell us about this pentacle."

Suddenly the paper the pentacle was drawn on burst into flames, causing both Beynolds and Nyles to jump.  Antony remained motionless, watching with delight the reaction of the two police officers.  The paper burnt up within seconds and the flames then extinguished themselves.

"What pentacle?" Antony slyly asked.

Beynolds glanced at his partner then back to Antony.  His looksai it all:  they we were not dealing with anything nearly natural, at all.

"Son," Beynolds replied cautiously to Antony.  "What are you involved in?"

This time Antony grinned widely, exposing perfectly aligned teeth.  His voice was suddenly lower than usual.  Too low. Unnaturally low.

"Talk to Father Clark.  He's not telling you everything."

Beynolds and Nyles said nothing.  They were both taken aback at Antony's lowered octave.  He didn't even look the same.  He looked...dead.

His next sentence sent a chill into the room.  "Check on Father McClellan."  His brows furrowed.  "Or he's the next sacrifice."