Page 45 of The Unseen
T HE WEATHER WORSENED, A DOWNPOUR THAT TURNED THE GROUND outside to thick, oozing mud and battered the stained-glass windows of the church.
Lucas spent the rest of the day and late into the night in prayer.
After what had happened to Christian Villard, he was more worried than ever, certain the entity he would be facing was even stronger than he had believed.
Knowing he would need every ounce of his strength, he returned to the carriage house, sometime around two in the morning, for some badly needed sleep.
Nicole had left a note on the kitchen counter, saying that her aunt had been feeling ill and that she was spending the night in the main house.
After what had happened earlier with Villard, at least for now, Simone wouldn’t be a threat and the women would be safe.
Lucas hoped Rachel’s condition improved and that Nicole could come home, but in some ways, it was easier being away from her. Where Nicole was concerned, his celibacy came at a price. He needed to keep his mind clear and his thoughts pure.
Lucas slept a deep, dreamless sleep, then awoke to find the rain had lessened, but the air remained thick and humid.
Heavy gray clouds hovered ominously overhead, and the hours ticked past. Determined to stay focused, he left a note for Nicole that he would be returning to church, but would be back that afternoon.
As he walked into Our Lady of Mount Carmel, he felt rested, his strength and energy returned. He felt God’s presence, and he felt connected.
The hours passed and the afternoon slipped away from him.
He left the church and returned home. Strangely, he had begun to think of the place that way, though being with Nicole was the reason he felt as if he belonged there.
It worried him to imagine how he was going to feel if things went wrong between them.
She was standing in the doorway when he pulled up in front of the carriage house.
“I wasn’t sure when you’d get back,” she said as he climbed out of the Jeep and walked toward her.
“How’s Rachel?”
“Much better. I tried to get her to let me call her friend Maggie and ask her to come over, but Rachel refused. She said she was feeling her usual self and wasn’t ready to have a babysitter quite yet.”
Lucas felt the pull of a smile. “I’m not really surprised.”
“I guess you’re beginning to know her.”
“Rachel deserves to live her life the way she wants. I can’t help but admire her for that.”
Nicole nodded. “I just worry about her.”
“You love her. Rachel’s lucky to have you.” They headed for the front door.
“I thought you might not be home until later,” Nicole said.
“It’s time I got started. I’ve done the basics, but there are other things I need to do. I want to be ready to start the exorcism as soon as it gets dark.”
“What else is there to do?”
“To begin with, I need to anoint the walls of the cabin with holy oil, drawing the shape of the cross. Normally, I’d say the Epiphany Blessing of the Threshold, asking that peace and grace surround the doorways and all that pass through them.
But this case is different. The entity doesn’t reside in the cabin—we’re going to have to lure her there.
Which means I’ll have to leave a path open for her to come in through.
After she arrives, I can move things along as I should. ”
“If she comes, won’t she realize what you’re planning to do?”
“She’ll know.”
“Then why would she stay?”
“She’s a demon. An exorcism is a battle between good and evil, God and the devil. She’ll be driven to win the battle.”
“Can she?”
“Depending on what happens, it’s possible.”
Uncertainty flashed in her eyes. “In that case, what would happen to you?”
“I have to put my faith and trust in God to protect me. That’s how it works.”
Her chin firmed. “If you’re going to be in danger, then I’m glad I’ll be with you.”
Just the thought made his stomach burn. “You’re still determined to go? There’s nothing I can say to discourage you?”
She just shook her head. “I have to go in order to finish the canvas.”
“You could finish it here, and I could come back and get it.”
“I can give it more authenticity if I’m there, and I think watching me work is what’s going to draw her.”
He took a deep breath, knowing Nicole was right. They needed to confront Simone at the cabin. Playing to her vanity was the best chance they had of getting her there. If Simone didn’t appear, this wasn’t going to work.
Resignation settled over him. “All right. You can work on the painting while I’m finishing what I have to do.
There’s no way to tell how long it will take before Simone arrives—if she shows up at all.
Assuming this works, I’ll start the exorcism as soon as I feel her presence.
At that time, your part in this will be over.
Take the pirogue back across the bayou and wait for me at home. ”
“I’m staying.”
“You don’t understand how much time this could take.
It could last several days, even longer.
During my last exorcism, things got so out of hand, people’s lives were in danger.
I had to stop. I couldn’t return until several days later.
I’ll admit, it was an unusual circumstance involving more than one demonic entity—and I don’t think that’s the case this time—but I want you to understand, anything could happen. ”
“I’m not leaving you there by yourself. I don’t care how long it takes.”
He could read her determination—and her fear. She was afraid for him. He wanted to hold her, reassure her, tell her how much she meant to him, but until this was over, he had to keep his emotions in check.
He thought of what had happened to Christian Villard. Even if Nicole stayed someplace else, there was no way to know what Simone might do.
He forced the muscles in his jaw to relax. “I hate to say this, but as much as I’d like to see you somewhere safe, there really is no such place. Simone is totally unpredictable. No matter how bad it gets, you’re probably safer with me.”
The smile she gave him made his chest clamp down. “Okay, then.”
Lucas nodded, resigned. “I need to collect the last of my things. Round up whatever you need to finish the painting and we’ll head on over.”
He grabbed the hard-sided wheeled suitcase he had brought from his town house, while Nicole gathered her painting supplies, a canvas bag that carried miscellaneous personal items, and the partly finished canvas.
They loaded the stuff into the Jeep, and Lucas drove down the gravel lane until it turned into a dirt road that followed the meandering, muddy, barely moving water of the bayou.
He pulled to a stop in front of the wooden dock and started unloading the Jeep. Nicole pitched in and they loaded their stuff into the pirogue.
“You sure you have everything you need?” Lucas asked.
“I hope so. I think I have it all.”
He took her hand and helped her aboard and waited for her to get settled.
The heavy, waterlogged wood tipped only a little as he climbed aboard himself.
Picking up the long pole, he slid the end into the murky water and began to push the pirogue toward the opposite bank and the vine-covered, tin-roofed, ramshackle cabin on stilts across the bayou.