The Soul Catcher - Alex Kava [120]
He pulled a towel from the rack and shook it out, making sure it was cockroach-free. He opened the shower door and reached in to turn on the water. One glance inside the tub made him jerk backward hard and fast, tangling his feet and sending him crashing to the bathroom floor. He scrambled to his feet, grabbed the shower door and slammed it shut, but not before he took one last look to make sure he wasn’t imagining things.
They had gone too fucking far this time.
Coiled inside his bathtub was a snake that looked big enough to swallow him whole.
CHAPTER 63
The Compound
Kathleen O’Dell sat on the floor next to Reverend Everett in his high-backed chair as they waited for the meeting hall to fill. Stephen sat on his other side with Emily. Stephen nor Emily had said much to her since they picked her up. Not a word of explanation the entire trip to the compound, just short, almost curt nonanswers to her questions. Kathleen wasn’t sure if it was anger or urgency. She hadn’t been able to read either one of them. Now as they sat, she stole a glance at Reverend Everett. He didn’t seem angry, either, but earlier there had been something in his voice and in his mannerisms. Kathleen wondered if it was panic.
No, of course not. She was being paranoid. There was no reason to panic. And yet, his morning phone call sounded just frantic enough to set her on edge. All morning, as she waited for Frank from Al and Frank’s and then for Stephen and Emily, she kept wishing she hadn’t finished that entire bottle from the back of her cupboard.
Reverend Everett hadn’t given much of an explanation as to why they had to leave so soon. When they arrived at the compound, they found the others scurrying around, preparing for another stretch of prayer rallies, the first being in Cleveland, the following night. That was all it was—preparation. But then, why did Reverend Everett call this emergency meeting? Why did Emily’s face look pinched with panic?
Kathleen wasn’t even supposed to be here. She wasn’t supposed to be going to the Cleveland rally. It had been Reverend Everett’s recommendation that she spend the holiday with Maggie. Except that she hadn’t had the chance to tell him about Maggie. Now it was best she didn’t mention it at all. Because now, it seemed as if everything had changed. Something terrible had happened. Something terrible enough to make Emily speechless. Something terrible enough that prevented Stephen from meeting Kathleen’s eyes.
Kathleen felt like she was in a fog, where nothing seemed to be quite clear. She still couldn’t believe all her things were gone, her apartment, her cheerful yellow curtains and her grandmother’s figurines. Perhaps that’s why her head had been throbbing all day. It was just too much to expect a person to handle in one day. Surely Reverend Everett understood that. Perhaps by the time they reached Cleveland, he would change his mind. Yes, she was certain he would be able to calm down and realize that everything would be just fine.
As he stood, the room grew silent, despite the nervous tension that spread through the crowd as they sat crossed-legged on the floor and waited.
“My children,” he began, “before those of us who are going on our mission to Ohio leave, I’m afraid we have some disturbing news. I’ve warned many times that we have traitors who wish to hurt us. Those who hate us because we choose to live free. Now I must tell you that one of those among us has betrayed us, has become a traitor. Has exposed us to those mongrel media hounds. And you know how the media can lie.”
He waited for the appropriate response, nodding at the few hisses that grew when he encouraged them. Kathleen looked around, hoping there would be no snake tonight. She wasn’t sure her nerves could handle that.
“I’m afraid this matter is much too personal and painful for me, and so I’m asking Stephen to take over from here.” Reverend Everett sat back down and looked to Stephen, who seemed surprised and perhaps a