A Criminal Game by D.L. Wood

Author:D.L. Wood [Wood, D.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silverglass Press
Published: 2019-10-26T22:00:00+00:00

31

The old church sat on a quiet corner—or at least it was quiet at this time of early morning—of a street on the east side of SoHo. Though this part of the city lacked the jungle of massive skyscrapers of Downtown and Midtown, the city had still grown up around the nineteenth-century Protestant house of worship, the umpteen-story buildings that surrounded it dwarfing the mere two-story structure. Gas lamps inside the property cast an ethereal glow across the front entrance, piercing the last shades of night. Hewn stone blocks formed the base of the building, and a pointed steeple added another two stories to the structure’s summit. A waist-high wrought iron fence enclosed the modest patch of green at the church’s entrance, with a double gate serving as sentinel. A brass plaque affixed to the gate read, “Life Church.”

The short subway trip to get there had given Evie a moment to breathe, to slow her racing mind. Rune had shared his plan with her while the train sped through the underground tunnels, and she had thought it was a good one. She had exited the subway station feeling calmer, more in control—her heartbeat nearly normal. But now that they stood there, in front of the gate, her insides began to churn.

“Are you sure about this?” Evie asked, cutting her eyes at him.

Rune nodded. “Come on.”

He unlatched the gate panel on the right and pushed it open, a shrill squeak sounding as it moved. He re-latched it after Evie came through and directed her to a narrow path between the left side of the church and the building next door. She followed him wordlessly down the path, which led to a portico-covered side entrance. The heavy oak door, criss-crossed by iron slats and rivets, was from another age, but a very modern electric lock with a keypad had been installed alongside its frame. Rune tapped a six-digit security code into it, and the red light on the lock turned bright green followed by a soft click. Rune grinned and opened the door. “After you,” he said, ushering Evie inside.

The interior of the church was dark, lit only by dim sconces mounted down the length of both sides of the sanctuary and two lamps perched on a communion table at the front of the room. A high ceiling soared a full two stories, supported by lofty buttresses that stretched into the space above their heads. Without the sunlight, the half dozen stained glass windows on each side of the sanctuary were a less luminous version of themselves, though patches of color showed through where light from street lamps or other exterior sources struck the glass, illuminating the jewel tones of red, blue, and purple.

“Here,” Rune said, directing her to the first pew. Evie sat, easing into the red velvet cushion and reclining into the bench’s hard, wooden back, feeling the gun in her waistband pressing against her skin. At the front of the sanctuary, a podium occupied the center of a raised platform, flanked by floral sprays set atop marble plinths.

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