The Devil's Lullaby Read online

  “Yes, Kristen! As I recall, I briefed you on that in the car. That’s exactly why we came here, in fact. You didn’t exactly help matters with your little ‘false prophet’ tirade!”

  “But he is!” Kristen retorted, a bit too loudly again.

  “Then help me bring him down.” She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. “What you did in there is not the way. That guy’s a professional showman. Don’t you think he knows how to deal with hecklers? If you seriously hate what he’s doing as much as I do, then you need to trust me and do as I say.”

  “I’m not going to lie!” Kristen shot back, not quite as loudly but still significantly louder than Allison.

  Allison sighed and turned away from her niece, taking two more half-hearted steps toward the half-empty parking lot. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. With her gaze fixed north, she could see the towering silhouettes and bright lights of the golden Mandalay Bay; the blue Luxor pyramid; and the emerald green MGM Grand, one of the largest hotels in the world.

  One thing was apparent: Dominic didn’t want her; he wanted Kristen. If Kristen wasn’t willing to play his game, however, it would be virtually impossible for her to expose him. She closed her eyes tightly and thought for a moment. In the total darkness, she became more aware of the sounds of cars whizzing by on Las Vegas Boulevard. The sounds seemed to muffle her own racing thoughts, which were searching in vain for a solution.

  Until the solution presented itself in a sudden and unexpected epiphany.

  Allison opened her eyes and smiled. She then turned once again to her niece, who was leaning against the wall of the chapel and pouting with her face pointed toward the ground.

  “How about this?” Allison said. “You don’t have to lie to him; just don’t insult him.”

  “What do you mean?” Kristen asked, looking up.

  “He wants to see you when the service is over, and like it or not, you’re the bait now. You’re the one he wants.”

  “I’m not gonna lie–”

  “Let me finish. I don’t want you to lie to him. I just want you to...humor him. He wants to talk to you after the service, and he’s going to use every manipulative trick in the book to try and hard-sell you on this exorcism shit. If you think it’s bullshit, go ahead and tell him. Just don’t say it like that. Say, ‘I’m skeptical about what you’re saying.’ Just be polite, and he’ll think he’s winning you over. If he asks to pray with you, let him. If he tries to make a one-on-one appointment, say yes. You don’t even have to pretend like you believe any of it. He’s used to dealing with skeptics, so it’s okay.”

  “How does that help stop him?”

  “Just let me worry about that,” she said.

  This was the part of the plan that Allison was hesitant to reveal to her niece, as it definitely constituted lying. Excessive lying. Thankfully, Kristen didn’t have to do the lying, so the plan should go off without a hitch. All Kristen needed to do was play his game long enough to receive some kind of attempted exorcism. She didn’t have to be responsive to it. She just needed to be in the room. Most likely, she would stand there emotionless and then be sent on her way.

  When that was over, Allison would wait a few days and return, alone, to Dominic’s chapel. Distraught and adorned with a hidden recording device, she would corner the exorcist in his office and insist that his attempted deliverance had angered the demon and provoked Kristen to commit suicide that morning.

  It was dark, yes, but she knew she would have to play hardball with someone like Dominic. To really sell the con, she would arrive with an “attorney” and threaten him with terms like “civil liability” and perhaps even “involuntary manslaughter.” Within minutes, he would surely crack like an egg and deny all liability on account of his ministry being a complete farce – or, as the TV psychics liked to say, “for entertainment purposes only.” In her head, it seemed almost too easy.

  “Here’s the deal,” Allison said. “When the service is over, Dominic will come to you. All you really have to do is smile and nod. If something sounds wrong to you, like he’s misquoting the Bible, go ahead and say it. Just don’t be a jerk about it. And here’s the important part. If he asks you to come back next week, or if he asks you to make an appointment for a private exorcism, just say ‘okay.’ Can you do that for me?”

  “I guess,” Kristen said.

  “Good. Let’s go back inside.”

  The service continued, surprisingly without incident, for another half hour. After the closing prayer, Dominic proceeded to the exit doors to shake hands with people as they left the building. Allison was about to guide her niece to the exit, but then she noticed that Cassidy had quietly re-entered the chapel and was seated in the back row. Cassidy’s gaze was fixed on the departing crowd, and it looked like she was waiting for everyone to clear out so that she could have a bit of one-on-one time with the exorcist. That could potentially disrupt Allison’s plan, so she decided to kill two birds with one stone.

  Seated in the center aisle, Allison turned to Kristen. “I’m going to go talk to that woman again,” she said. “Start heading toward the exit. When you pass Dominic, he’s going to stop you and give you some kind of spiel. You remember what to do, right?”

  Looking somber, Kristen nodded. Without saying a word, she stood up and sauntered toward the exit. Allison jumped to her feet and rushed over to Cassidy.

  Kristen stood in the line of exiting parishioners, all of whom were waiting to shake Dominic’s hand—and in some cases, hug him—before returning to the parking lot. She could feel her heart pounding, her mind wrestling with a million thoughts. On the one hand, she knew it was a sin to lie. On the other hand, she remembered Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

  Dominic smiled from ear to ear as each new person greeted him. He hugged them tightly with his powerful arms, spoke to them while looking directly and—so it would seem—compassionately into their eyes. He prayed over them, laughed with them, took photos with them. He even autographed copies of his books on spiritual warfare, which struck Kristen as especially odd. These books were supposedly meant to share the power of Jesus and free people from spiritual bondage, and he was signing them like comic books at a fan convention.

  Dear Jesus, Kristen prayed upon realizing that there were now only two people separating her from the extremely large preacher. Please give me the wisdom to do the right thing, and please protect me.

  The frail, heavily wrinkled man now standing before Dominic was explaining how he had driven all the way from Twin Falls, Idaho, just to attend this service. He spoke enthusiastically about how inspiring the message had been and how Dominic was truly an anointed man of God. The whole time, Dominic smiled warmly and kept his hand on the man’s shoulder.

  As the man departed the chapel, Dominic greeted the next guest in line: a short, stout woman of about fifty who wore oversized glasses and a white, wide-brimmed hat. She was the only person remaining between Dominic and Kristen.

  Kristen’s heart continued to pound. Trembling slightly, she lowered her head to the tiled floor. Lord, I don’t know what I’m going to say. Please help. Please send your Holy Spirit. I don’t want to disobey your Word, but this man is a dangerous false prophet. Please give me guidance.

  She looked up just as the woman was exiting the chapel. Kristen felt a cold chill as Dominic’s eyes met hers. The smile on his face was warm, but the gleam in his eye was almost sinister. She hesitantly shuffled toward him but found it difficult to move.

  “Hello Kristen,” he said softly. “Thank you so much for coming out tonight. And for being so honest and candid. That took a lot of courage.” He placed a hand on her shoulder but quickly removed it upon sensing her discomfort.

  “I guess so,” Kristen murmured.

  “I don’t know your real reason for coming tonight, Kristen, but I’m glad you did. Sometimes, the Lord has a way of placing us right where
we need to be. I want you to know that you have an incredible spiritual gift. With your passion, determination, and heart for the Lord, I have a strong feeling that you’re going to go on and lead thousands, maybe millions of souls to salvation in your lifetime. Do you believe that, Kristen?”

  Kristen was stunned by the man’s words. She had long dreamed of one day starting her own television ministry to reach the world with the message of salvation. “Thank you” was all she could manage to say.

  “You possess the same qualities that define all of the world’s most influential preachers and evangelists, and to an extent that I have seldom seen. There’s just one important quality that’s missing.”

  Kristen gazed up at him. “What?”

  “Joy. You have the passion and the wisdom. All that’s missing is the joy. I sense a tremendous sadness in you, and it breaks my heart. At your age, you should be having fun and laughing and frolicking with your friends without a care in the world. And yet, there’s this cloud of sadness that hangs over you. I don’t know your story, Kristen, but I sense that you’ve had to deal with pain and adversity far greater than people twice your age.”

  Kristen’s eyes began welling up with tears. “My mom died when I was ten.”

  At that point, tears emerged in Dominic’s eyes as well. He gave her a tight, powerful hug. “I lost my mother when I was very young too. Kristen, is it okay if I pray with you?” he whispered into her ear.

  Kristen nodded.

  “Heavenly Father, I want to lift up young Kristen to you this evening. You see the pain and the grief that is stealing her joy and keeping her in bondage. Father, I ask that you would deliver her from the pain, the sadness, and the ongoing torment and fill her with the joy that only comes from you. If the enemy’s forces are using her grief to keep her in shackles, I pray that you would break the chains and shower her with your loving mercy and protection. I ask these things in Jesus’ precious name, amen.”

  “Amen,” Kristen muttered.

  Dominic released his grip and wiped the faint tears from Kristen’s face. “Kristen, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to keep in touch. I know people are waiting to speak with me, so I don’t have a lot of time right now, but I do have some practical suggestions to help you walk in the joy that God has already gifted to you. Can we maybe schedule a time to speak next week?”

  Kristen nodded.

  “Excellent. Let’s exchange contact information, and we can talk one night next week.” He pointed across the room to a slender young woman with dark red hair and thick-framed glasses. “That’s my assistant, Autumn,” he said, and Kristen immediately recognized her from the service.

  Dressed in a vintage Alice Cooper T-shirt and skinny jeans, the young woman looked like an out-of-place hipster at a funeral procession. She had stood quietly near the back of the stage for most of the service, but now she was speaking and praying with visitors near the front pew.

  Kristen had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach as she turned and made her way toward the young woman, but she wasn’t about to turn back now. She hadn’t told a single lie in this entire exchange; in fact, she had hardly said a word at all. As long as their communications remained this simple, she just might be able to pull this off.

  She approached Autumn and smiled awkwardly. Autumn was talking to a senior woman about whether SSRIs could open the door to demonic possession, but the young hipster quickly turned to Kristen and smiled back.

  “I don’t really know much about depression drugs or what they do,” Autumn told the woman, “but Dominic can probably provide some perspective on that. He’s really knowledgeable, and he’s studied this stuff for a lot of years.”

  When the old woman departed, Autumn turned to Kristen. “Check you out,” she said. “I gotta say, I’ve been working these services for quite a while now, and I’ve never seen anyone as gutsy as you. Kudos.”

  Kristen forced another smile. “Thanks. Dominic says he wants to talk to me next week, and I need to give you my contact information.” She felt terrifyingly vulnerable as she said the words.

  “Oh yeah, no problem,” Autumn said. She jogged over to the pulpit and grabbed an iPad with a green case. Then she tapped the screen a few times and returned to Kristen. “Your name is Kristen, right?”

  Kristen nodded, and Autumn tapped the screen several more times.

  “How about next Tuesday night? You don’t have to come here to the church. Dominic can just FaceTime, Skype, or Google chat with you if that works.”

  Kristen nodded again. “That’s fine.” She gave Autumn her phone number, and Autumn typed it in.

  “Awesome. How about Tuesday at nine o’clock?”

  “That’s fine,” Kristen said.

  “Terrific. Dominic will hit you up on FaceTime. He prefers to communicate face to face because it’s more personal and meaningful. If he’s a few minutes late, don’t be surprised. I’ve worked for this guy for a long time, and between you and me, he’s rarely on time for anything.”

  Kristen was barely paying attention. “Do you trust him?” she asked Autumn, staring at the floor.

  Autumn set her iPad on the pew. “Honestly, I would trust that man with my life.” She placed a hand on Allison’s shoulder. “Look, I know this can all be pretty confusing and overwhelming, but this guy’s the real deal. A few years ago, I was exactly where you are: young, confused, depressed, frustrated. Then Dominic came along, and he completely changed my life. Just keep an open mind, and he can do the same thing for you. I promise.”

  Kristen was immediately reminded of a printed quote that hung from the bathroom mirror in Aunt Allison’s apartment: There’s a distinct difference between having an open mind and having a hole in your head from which your brain leaks out. - James Randi.

  Allison casually took a seat beside Cassidy in the back row of the chapel. “Hey there,” she said, “sorry to bug you again. I just wanted to apologize for earlier. That was wickedly inappropriate of me to come along and start fan-girling you in a place like this. I have no idea what you’re going through, but I’m sure I can relate if we’re both sitting here trying to get delivered.”

  Cassidy slowly turned to her, and for the first time that night, she had a look on her face that seemed almost hopeful. “Why are you here?” she asked.

  “Oh, didn’t you see me up there earlier?” Allison asked. On the contrary, she was trying to make certain that Cassidy had in fact not seen the debacle with her and Kristen.

  “Sorry, I was outside,” Cassidy said.

  “No worries,” Allison replied, relieved. “Just the usual stuff, you know? I had some bad experiences with a Ouija board when I was young and stupid, and now I’m living with the consequences. Just trying to get delivered like everyone else here.”

  Cassidy nodded and stared off into the distance. She wasn’t watching the exit anymore, though. She just appeared to be in deep thought. After about a minute, she replied, “I thought I was delivered already. Sometimes it’s not as easy as you think it’s going to be.”

  “I hear that,” Allison said. “I feel like I’ve tried everything. Prayer, church, baptism. I even shacked up with a guy because I thought the thing wouldn’t terrorize me if I wasn’t alone. After seeing one of my episodes, that guy took off like a deadbeat dad. It’s getting better, though, God willing.”

  Cassidy turned to her, a look of puzzled fascination on her tired face. “How?”

  “I have someone I can call whenever I start feeling—not right. She’s the best. I can call her at two in the morning, and she never complains. She just prays for me right there. It doesn’t always help, but it does more often than not. More than anything, it’s helped make me less afraid. And that seems to have made the thing less powerful, you know?”

  “So it’s kind of like having an AA sponsor?”

  “I guess, sort of. I can, maybe, help do that for you if you’d like.”

  As the words exited Allison’s mouth, she realized she had no idea what her en
dgame was. She didn’t actually need Cassidy’s help to take down Dominic, at least in light of her current plan. But perhaps Cassidy still had some damning information she could provide if Allison were able to establish enough trust. Maybe there was a smoking gun. The more Allison thought about it, though, the more she considered the possibility that she just selfishly wanted to deliver Cassidy to her father on a silver platter. Perhaps that would even earn her a larger reward. She felt a sudden and unexpected tinge of guilt.

  To Allison’s surprise, Cassidy retrieved her smartphone from her designer purse and handed it over. “Can you put in your phone number?” she asked with eager anticipation.

  “Yeah, definitely,” Allison said. Game on.

  9

  Cassidy awoke from a dead sleep. Total darkness. Complete silence. But how late was it? Ever since the rental home in Henderson had gone Amityville on her, she had adopted a more nocturnal sleep pattern, sleeping through the afternoon and early evening and then spending the twilight hours awake. Most nights consisted of a church service followed by a visit to the nearby Sunset Station hotel and casino, where she would catch a movie at the hotel’s massive cinema and then perhaps watch some live music or karaoke—anything to wait out the night.

  The chiming slot bells and boisterous laughter of the casino didn’t prevent the visions; often, she could still see that horrifying face off in the distance, waiting for her. Nevertheless, she felt safer, less hopeless.

  On this particular day, she had fallen asleep at about one in the afternoon. This would enable her to awaken at around eight and make her way to Sunset Station, where she would grab a light dinner at the hotel’s casual Mexican eatery and then probably watch the latest Tyler Perry film for the fourth time. She preferred to watch slapstick comedies because it meant that the theater would likely be filled with continual, uninhibited laughter. That sort of positive energy helped her to reclaim some sense of calm.

  But she wouldn’t make the nine o’clock show tonight. She knew this for certain.