Page 39 of Brush with Death
“How do you know my name?”Albert asked.“What do you want from me?”
“We want to talk about the Master,” Cyril said.
Vale was a bit surprised because he expected his boyfriend to stay silent through all of this, but clearly, Cyril needed this.
Albert paled so much that Vale had expected him to faint.The man had to reach for the counter to hold himself up, and the knife clattered on the floor.
“Did he send you?”Albert asked.
“Samsent me,” Cyril spat out.“You know, the man you drowned in the lake.”
Albert shook his head.“It wasn’t me.It was the Master.”
“Maybe, maybe not.Why don’t you tell us what happened and let us decide?”
Russell and Vale exchanged a glance.Vale was stunned by the way his boyfriend was behaving.He hoped Cyril wouldn’t regret any of this later.He was pretty sure that Cyril was allowing his anger and pain to drive him, but what would happen once they vanished?
“He said that if we summoned a demon, we’d be able to tie it to us and make it do our bidding.We could use the demon to kill people and become rich.”
Cyril cocked his head.“Who did you want to kill?”
Albert shook his head.“No one.I never really believed it was possible.”
“I don’t believe you.Who was it?Your wife?”
Albert looked like he wanted to run.Cyril was probably right.
Russell bumped his shoulder against Vale’s.“He’s good,” he murmured.
“Shut up and listen,” Vale snapped.
Russell mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.Vale rolled his eyes.
“It wasn’t like that,” Albert said.“Please.I didn’t kill Sam.I didn’t even know him before that day.I didn’t realize thathewas the thing the Master would be bringing along to summon the demon.I didn’t know we’d have to kill someone for it to work.”
“Did it?”
Albert looked confused.“What?”
“Did it work?Did you summon a demon?”
“No.Nothing happened, not even after Sam died.The Master told us to leave before someone came by and saw what we did.”
Cyril slowly nodded.“I see.”
“I had nothing to do with any of it, I swear.”
“You’re going to tell me everything that happened in detail, including the names of the other people involved.And don’t give me that crap about the Master.I want hisname.”
The scent of urine hit Vale.He wrinkled his nose, wishing he could be anywhere but here.
“He’sverygood,” Russell whispered.
He was right.
* * * *
CYRIL HAD NO IDEA WHAThad taken over him, but he wanted answers, and he had them.
