Page 42 of The Chain House

He had. Sam did his best to ignore Batise’s satisfied grin, and tried again.

“What was your failure, Sal? Most cult leaders failed at something. Jaime Gomez failed at everything from acting to dancing to porn. Manson failed at music. He wanted to be a rock star and failed. What was your great failure? Where does your anger start? When does your anger start?”

“In the womb,” said Batise, with an undercurrent of menace that chilled Sam’s blood.

He took a few seconds to regroup. Time to get to the picture Jennifer sent. “At trial, you played off any notion that Justice Minks was a real person. But now, you’re claiming he does exist, and that you believe he has taken Bethany Hawthorne.”

“Is there a question in there, Sam Harper?”

“Why now? When back then, you and every follower were interviewed …”

“Interrogated.”

“Fine,” said Sam. “Interrogated. Not one person admitted under oath to knowing someone named Justice Minks. Beth Hawthorne was made to look like a fool, as if she’d imagined him in delirium. Except Nancy Tanner, at trial. What did she call him, a wisp?”

“Fire smoke.”

“Because he vanished in the wind, but you could still smell the remnant of something having been burned.”

“Something like that,” Batise said. “But she recanted. Said she was under the influence of drugs.”

“Until the mural was found inside that closet,” Sam said. “You’ve seen it?”

“I’ve seen it. I saw it at trial, and yes, I saw the image of the mask. That girl is a special talent. And she’s grown into quite the beautiful woman. You failed to answer my question of her during the interview, Sam Harper, because it has dawned on me that you just might be a true … gentleman. But you do like her, right? I mean, I can tell.”

“I just met her yesterday,” Sam said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” But the fact that he’d been asked the question now had Sam asking it of himself. Jennifer was convinced she’d seen his father before, and now he wondered if she had thought the same of him. He pushed on. “But you’re saying Minks does exist.”

“Yes.”

“But he didn’t back then?”

“Oh, he did. It was just that everyone was afraid of him.”

“Even you?”

Batise raised a finger in warning. “Don’t test me, son. Sal Batise is afraid of no one. Not then and not now.”

Sam swallowed over the lump in his throat. “Then why the change of heart?”

“Quite simple … I only have hours to live, and therefore much more to lose.”

Sam opened his phone, got permission from the guards to approach Sal Batise. He showed Batise the sketch Jennifer had just drawn of Justice Minks.

“Where’d you get that?” Batise asked abruptly.

Sam returned to his seat and didn’t answer.

“She drew that, didn’t she? How?”

“From memory.”

“Impressive memory from a girl as young as she was.”

“Nightmares have a way of embedding.”