Kill the Dead (Sandman Slim 2)

“That money belongs to the government. It funds what we do here. You don’t like it, run for office.”

I don’t want to run for anything. I want to shove this miserable cheap-ass check so far up Wells’s ass he can read the routing number out the back of his eyes.

But Max Overload is just limping along these days and I don’t want to have to find someplace else to live. Landlords in L.A. don’t want you to have pets. What am I going to do with a chain-smoking severed head? Dignity is nice but it’s money makes the lights and shower work.

I watch the welders working across the warehouse so I don’t have to look at Wells while I fold the check and slip it into my pocket.

“At the end of time, when your side loses, I want you to remember this moment.”

Wells narrows his eyes.

“Why?”

“’Cause Lucifer doesn’t expect you to thank him when he fucks you over. That’s why he’s going to win.”

Wells looks down at the floor for a minute. Puts his hands behind his back.

“You know, my mother watched a lot of Christian TV when I was growing up. Hellfire-and-brimstone hucksters telling Bible stories and yelling about damnation to get fools and old people to send them their welfare checks. I never paid much attention to ’em, but one day out of nowhere this one wrinkled old preacher starts telling what he says is a Persian parable. Now, that’s weird for a Baptist Bible-thumper.

“You see, there was once a troubled man in a little village near Qom in ancient Persia.”

“This is the story, right? ’Cause I don’t want to hear about you and your dad going off-roading.”

“Shut up. One day the troubled man got out of bed to work his fields and maybe he was killed or maybe he just kept walking, but he was never heard from again. The sun was shining through the door as the man left and threw his shadow on the wall by the hearth or whatever it is you call it over there. When the man’s wife and children came home and found the house empty, the wife sees her husband’s shadow and asks who he is. The shadow says, “The man is gone and become a shadow to this house. I am the shadow of the man who did not go, but will remain here.” The shadow stayed and over time became a man and he and the woman and her children lived there happily together for many years.”

Wells puts his hands together almost like he’s praying. It creeps me out seeing this side of him.

“Later, when I heard that the Golden Vigil was founded in Persia, I knew it was God speaking to me through the TV that day. He was telling me that here is where I’m supposed to be.”

“That story doesn’t even make sense, and what exactly does it have to do with anything we’re talking about?”

“It means we’ve done our job for more than a thousand years, so you can shove your disapproval.”

“That sounds like the sin of pride, Marshal. Better run downstairs and let Miss December flog it out of you. Webcam it and charge by the minute. You won’t ever have to take government money again.”

Wells looks at me. His phone goes off. He ignores it.

I want to tell him to go fuck himself.

“You done whining? You ready to work? I have something else for you.”

But I need this.

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to walk through a murder scene with me. The victim was Sub Rosa. No rough stuff. Just observation.”

“You have forensics people. Why do you need me?”

“I don’t want them getting too deep into this one yet. I want you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve been to Hell.”

“So?”

“I want you to take a look at a body and tell me what you think it means.”