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Authors: Michael Lister
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can’t do is tell us how things felt, why things happened. It can’t really explain these things. And scientific facts can be cold and make things seem much more… ah… cold-blooded than they really were.”
Steve paused for a moment, but Father Thomas didn’t say anything.
“I’ve been doing this long enough to know that there’s always a context—you know, circumstances—that gives greater insight than the proof provided by cold, hard facts. So we’re here as friends to let you explain to us not so much what happened, but
why
.”
“We’re not friends,” Reid said.
“Father Thomas and I are,” Steve said, never taking his eyes off Father Thomas.
“Not in this room.”
“Tammy can’t tell us what happened,” Steve said. “She can’t explain to us why things turned out the way they did. Only you can. You get the final word. You can explain your side of it and no one can contradict you.”
When Steve stopped talking, we all waited, but Father Thomas didn’t say anything.
“Go ahead,” Steve said, “tell us why you did what you did.”
“Because she asked me to,” Father Thomas said, his voice small, dry, weak.
“She asked you to?”
“You know how she was.”
“Yes, I do,” Steve said, his voice full of enthusiastic empathy. “She was out of control. A real mess.”
“Far more miserable than most people knew. She wanted to change.”
“But she couldn’t, could she?”
“Exactly,” Father said.
“So she asked you to tie her up and—”
“Actually, she did that herself. I went to my office to get my things and by the time I arrived, she had undressed and strapped herself to the bed—well, all but one hand.”
“Father, I know this is difficult, but I need you to tell me exactly what she asked you to do to her.”
Father Thomas looked at him in impatient disbelief, as if Steve had not been listening. “What I’ve been talking about,” he said. “She asked me to perform an exorcism on her.”
“What?” Steve asked in shock.
“She asked me to drive out the demon inside her.”
“So what went wrong?”
“Nothing went wrong,” Father Thomas said. “He simply refused to go.”
“So you killed her?”
“Of course not,” Father Thomas said. “I didn’t kill her. He did.”
“Who’s he?”
“The demon.”
Chapter Fourteen
“You’re saying you didn’t kill her and a demon did?” Steve said.
Father Thomas nodded, his tired face somber and sincere.
“Father, come on. You can’t expect me to believe that. You’re a few centuries late for that defense to work.”
Father looked offended. “It’s not a defense. It’s what happened.”
Steve turned to Reid. “You gonna let him hang himself with this?”
Reid said, “Father, tell them the whole story from the beginning like you did me.”
He took a deep breath, sighed heavily, then hesitated a moment. “I still can’t believe she’s dead.”
He paused again, and in the intervening silence I had to keep reminding myself not to ask any questions of my own.
“Tammy was tormented. Out of control. Doing things she not only didn’t want to do, but found revolting—and that’s the things she even remembered. More and more she was losing time. Waking up with no memory of what she’d done. Later, when people would describe her actions, she was sure they were talking about someone else.”
“And this made you think she was possessed?”
He shook his head and gave Steve a look of frustration. “Made
her
believe it. She heard I was an exorcist and began coming to see me. At first, I refused to even talk to her, but she persisted and eventually convinced me—”
“That she was possessed?”
“That she was sincere,” he said impatiently, “that she really was asking for help.”
Reid patted him on the back, and I could tell he was trying to get him to relax and be more tolerant of Steve’s questions.
“So at this point you didn’t believe she had a demon?” Steve
Steve paused for a moment, but Father Thomas didn’t say anything.
“I’ve been doing this long enough to know that there’s always a context—you know, circumstances—that gives greater insight than the proof provided by cold, hard facts. So we’re here as friends to let you explain to us not so much what happened, but
why
.”
“We’re not friends,” Reid said.
“Father Thomas and I are,” Steve said, never taking his eyes off Father Thomas.
“Not in this room.”
“Tammy can’t tell us what happened,” Steve said. “She can’t explain to us why things turned out the way they did. Only you can. You get the final word. You can explain your side of it and no one can contradict you.”
When Steve stopped talking, we all waited, but Father Thomas didn’t say anything.
“Go ahead,” Steve said, “tell us why you did what you did.”
“Because she asked me to,” Father Thomas said, his voice small, dry, weak.
“She asked you to?”
“You know how she was.”
“Yes, I do,” Steve said, his voice full of enthusiastic empathy. “She was out of control. A real mess.”
“Far more miserable than most people knew. She wanted to change.”
“But she couldn’t, could she?”
“Exactly,” Father said.
“So she asked you to tie her up and—”
“Actually, she did that herself. I went to my office to get my things and by the time I arrived, she had undressed and strapped herself to the bed—well, all but one hand.”
“Father, I know this is difficult, but I need you to tell me exactly what she asked you to do to her.”
Father Thomas looked at him in impatient disbelief, as if Steve had not been listening. “What I’ve been talking about,” he said. “She asked me to perform an exorcism on her.”
“What?” Steve asked in shock.
“She asked me to drive out the demon inside her.”
“So what went wrong?”
“Nothing went wrong,” Father Thomas said. “He simply refused to go.”
“So you killed her?”
“Of course not,” Father Thomas said. “I didn’t kill her. He did.”
“Who’s he?”
“The demon.”
Chapter Fourteen
“You’re saying you didn’t kill her and a demon did?” Steve said.
Father Thomas nodded, his tired face somber and sincere.
“Father, come on. You can’t expect me to believe that. You’re a few centuries late for that defense to work.”
Father looked offended. “It’s not a defense. It’s what happened.”
Steve turned to Reid. “You gonna let him hang himself with this?”
Reid said, “Father, tell them the whole story from the beginning like you did me.”
He took a deep breath, sighed heavily, then hesitated a moment. “I still can’t believe she’s dead.”
He paused again, and in the intervening silence I had to keep reminding myself not to ask any questions of my own.
“Tammy was tormented. Out of control. Doing things she not only didn’t want to do, but found revolting—and that’s the things she even remembered. More and more she was losing time. Waking up with no memory of what she’d done. Later, when people would describe her actions, she was sure they were talking about someone else.”
“And this made you think she was possessed?”
He shook his head and gave Steve a look of frustration. “Made
her
believe it. She heard I was an exorcist and began coming to see me. At first, I refused to even talk to her, but she persisted and eventually convinced me—”
“That she was possessed?”
“That she was sincere,” he said impatiently, “that she really was asking for help.”
Reid patted him on the back, and I could tell he was trying to get him to relax and be more tolerant of Steve’s questions.
“So at this point you didn’t believe she had a demon?” Steve
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