10/28/2025 Snippet, TOM VARGAS AND THE MEDDLING PRIEST.

No, I don’t think I like this title.

Mike needed to go look at the crime scene, so I went with him. It was just as bad as you’d think it was, and you don’t need more of a description in your head than that. I don’t want it in my head. My line of work doesn’t deal with the sick stuff often.

Unfortunately for Mike, his line of work does. “Yes, this was a ritual murder,” he told Lacy as soon as the door was opened. “Done by demonologists. It needs to be purified immediately, before it attracts more spiritual corruption. The other residents have to be checked, too. I can do both, if you don’t have anyone to do that.”

“We might have somebody on staff who could handle it.” Lacy looked at him. “She’s not a specialist, though.”

The priest shook his head. “It’s not that bad,” he told us, to my relief. “I’m going to bless this room before I leave it, but anybody who knows what to look for should be able to make sure that any bystanders are clean. —Although you should all go to Church next Sunday, just to be on the safe side.”

I repressed a snort at that. I didn’t know how much of the Lore Mike knew, but he had definitely heard of Always Be Closing.

“I’ll remind our Christians to keep up with their stuff,” Lacy said while scribbling notes. “Now, you said, demonologists, right? Did the murder have any oomph behind it?”

“No,” Mike said after another look at the scene. “They wanted it to, but the rituals were poorly executed. I’m sorry to tell you this, but these people aren’t competent demonologists.” Lacy gulped, and I was only a half-step behind him. Demonologists are bad. Demonologists who don’t know what they’re doing are worse.

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