The Devil's Labyrinth: A Novel

Author:John Saul [Saul, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-02-09T15:48:32+00:00

Chapter 30

The last place Sofia Capelli wanted to be was exactly where she was. But she had no choice; Sister Mary David had made that very clear when Sofia had made the mistake of telling the nun that she wasn't going to Kip Adamson's funeral. So now she stood in the foyer as the entire student body and faculty of St. Isaac's filed into the chapel, and despite what Sister Mary David had told her, Sofia still did not want to go, and was planning to slip out the door unnoticed as soon as everyone was in the sanctuary.

The moment came, and Sofia turned to make her escape. But even before she could take the first step, Sister Mary David emerged from the dark shadows of the corner to the left of the door, her eyes boring into Sofia. Sofia felt a flash of cold fury and for just an instant imagined blood gushing from the nun's neck as if Kip Adamson had slashed her rather than the woman he'd actually killed. But the vision faded as quickly as it had come, and, accepting defeat at least for now, Sofia turned to follow the crowd into the chapel, the nun close behind her.

Then, just as she crossed the threshold, it hit her. A wave of nausea that twisted her gut and threatened to overwhelm her before she could even fight it. She sank onto the end of the back pew, barely inside the door, then closed her eyes and tried to quell a growing sickness, but it only increased as the doors were closed and the mass began.

She was trapped.

She felt an overwhelming urge to bolt from the pew and burst through the door to suck in the fresh air outside, but Sister Mary David was standing sentry, her only apparent purpose being to make certain Sofia stayed for the funeral.

As Father Laughlin stood in the pulpit above Kip's flowered casket and began to pray, Sofia bowed her head like everyone else, but instead of praying for Kip's soul, she prayed that she'd be able to endure the service to the end without either becoming ill or fainting.

Or both.

* * *

Melody Hunt sat in the fourth pew with Clay Matthews on one side of her and Ryan McIntyre on the other. Darren Bender was at the end nearest the aisle, and still trying to save enough space so that Sofia could sit next to him if she showed up. As the organ played softly, Melody leaned across Ryan and touched Darren's shirtsleeve. "Why isn't Sofia with us? Did something happen at lunch that you didn't tell us about?"

Darren shook his head and shrugged helplessly. "You saw what happened, for God's sake," he whispered a little too loudly, earning a dark glare from someone in the pew behind him. "She just freaked out. I don't know what's going on--I couldn't talk to her!"

Melody sat still in her seat trying not to look like she was searching the rows of students and faculty for Sofia.

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