Ten Plagues by Mary Nealy

go.”
    Paul was suddenly aware of O’Shea behind him. O’Shea held up a note that said, “Ask about your police days.”
    Paul nodded. “I’m sorry for what I did to you back then, Pravus. I did a lot of sinful things. I have asked God to forgive me; now I ask you.”
    “I’ll never forgive you.
Never!
And I’m glad they’re dead. It was my first act of rebellion against the pharaohs who tried to keep my genius enslaved, and you were too stupid to even know it. Oh, and tell the pretty detective she certainly is one of the fairest in the land.”
    A
click
ended the call. “Did you get it?” Keren asked O’Shea.
    “Give me a second.” O’Shea hit a button on his phone and waited. “I think they could at least narrow it down in that amount of time.”
    “He knows I’m working with the police.” Paul hung up. “He knows there’s a woman detective. He’s watching me somehow.”
    O’Shea held out two small metal disks. “We found these bugs. Nothing fancy. But he’s watching you closely.”
    “Listening devices in my apartment? I wonder how long those have been there.” It made Paul sick to think of it, though honestly, his apartment was close to the most boring place on earth. He didn’t spend much time there, and he certainly never brought anyone home. His life was strictly solo, except for work, since his wife’s death.
    “We’ll track his number.” Keren’s jaw tensed as she looked at the bugs. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and get a name and address.”
    “He’s not that stupid, Collins,” O’Shea cautioned.
    “Maybe he is,” Keren protested. “Your real bright people don’t usually go into crime for a living.”
    “Yeah, the fact that criminals are stupid really makes our job easier,” O’Shea conceded.
    Keren turned to Paul. “You handled that really well. Good job.” Then she and O’Shea began discussing what they gleaned from the conversation.
    Before they forgot him entirely, Paul said, “While Pravus was talking, I remembered something else.”
    Both of them looked up excitedly. They looked almost happy, almost like they were enjoying themselves. Paul’s fists clenched in a sudden flash of fury. He wasn’t being fair, he knew. They were excited that they might be able to stop Pravus. But he still thanked God he was no longer a cop.
    “What?” Keren demanded. “Did you recognize the voice? Do you know who it is?”
    “No, I remember I’ve heard the word
pravus
before.”
    Keren stepped closer to him. “What? What does it mean?”
    “Evil.
Pravus
is the Latin word for ‘evil.’
Pravus spiritu
is ‘evil spirit.’ “
    “Like a demon?” The color faded from Keren’s face.
    For a moment Paul thought she might faint, but he didn’t really believe it. He knew he was dealing with one tough cookie. “Does that mean something to you?”
    Keren shook her head. Finally, she said, “No, but it confirms something I have known … or … uh guessed all along.”
    Paul nodded.
    O’Shea sighed, and nodded, too.
    They were dealing with a demon. A demon straight from hell.

    Keren clapped the magnetic police light to the roof of her car as she drove back to the station.
    “Isn’t that overkill, Collins?” O’Shea asked.
    “I’m going to speed anyway.” She shrugged and added wryly, “This will save some uniform the bother of pulling me over and having me rage at him until he lets me go on my lawbreaking way.”
    “You could just try obeying the law,” Paul said from the backseat.
    Keren looked sideways at O’Shea.
    “You heard the citizen, kid,” O’Shea said. “The minute we get back to the station, I’m going to borrow a pad of tickets from a patrol officer and write you up.” He heaved his bulk around so he could look at Paul. “How’s a citizen’s arrest sound to you, Pastor P?”
    “It suits me, Mick. I’m in the mood.”
    O’Shea grinned at Keren, and she slowed down with a glowering look. She reached up and pulled the light back in. “Okay,