I Know Who Did It (A Jack Nightingale Short Story) by Stephen Leather Read Free Book Online Page B

There
was no sign of any demon. He frowned, wondering if he had missed something out.
Then there was a loud boom that hit him in the chest like a punch and he
staggered back. There was a second boom, even louder than the first and then
something appeared in front of him. It had no real form, it was greyish-green
and constantly shifting. Nightingale saw a glimpse of what might have been a
claw and then a wing but they were there only for a few seconds.
    ‘Who are you?’
asked a surprisingly soft, almost feminine, voice.
    ‘My name is Jack
Nightingale and I have summoned you to offer my respects and to respectfully
request you bestow on me the gift of everlasting life. Are you Paimonia?’
    ‘You summoned me,
so you should know.’
    ‘Then can you
grant me my wish?’
    ‘That can be
done,’ said Paimonia. ‘But there is a price that has to be paid.’
    ‘My soul?’
    ‘Yes, of course.
But the gift of immortality does not come so cheaply. You were baptised?’
    ‘Why do you need
to know that?’
    ‘Because a
baptised soul has more value.’
    Nightingale shook
his head. ‘No. Not baptised.’
    ‘Are you Jewish?
Or a Muslim?’
    Nightingale shook
his head. ‘I’m a Christian.’
    ‘I shall require
a sacrifice.’
    ‘I will do
whatever you ask,’ said Nightingale.
    ‘A girl.’
    ‘You want me to
kill a girl?’
    ‘No, merely to
provide the sacrifice. I will do the rest. All you need to do is to bring her
to me.’
    Nightingale
nodded. ‘And then I get to live for ever?’
    ‘For ever and
ever. For as long as you want, anyway.’
    ‘And you take my
soul?’
    ‘Only if you
die.’
    ‘Let’s do it,
then,’ said Nightingale.
    ‘It’s not as
straightforward as that,’ said Paimonia. ‘I will require more sacrifices, in
the future.’
    Nightingale
frowned. ‘What? So we don’t have a deal?’
    ‘We have a deal,
my friend, you give me your soul and I grant you eternal life. But I require a
sacrifice first and then sacrifices at regular intervals. Every five years.’
    ‘So I have to
provide you with a sacrifice every five years? And if I do, I live forever?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘And I don’t get
any older?’
    ‘Not a day.’
    Nightingale
nodded thoughtfully. ‘What about every ten years?’
    ‘Ten years?’
    ‘How about I get
a sacrifice for you every ten years?’
    ‘You want to
negotiate with me?’
    ‘It’s a deal,
right? So let’s deal. I’ll get you a sacrifice every ten years.’
    ‘Ten is not
acceptable.’
    ‘What is
acceptable?’
    ‘I told you.
Every five years.’
    ‘Nine.’
    Paimonia sighed.
‘Seven. And that is my final offer.’
    ‘When? When do
you want the sacrifice?’
    The door opened
and Jenny McNeil stood there, a look of surprise on her face. She was wearing a
leather flight jacket with a sheepskin collar and blue jeans. Her hair was tied
back in a ponytail. ‘What the hell are you doing, Jack?’ she said.
    ‘Jenny, what are
you doing here?’
    ‘You’ve summoned
Paimonia? You did it?’
    Paimonia roared
and the floorboards shuddered. ‘She is perfect,’ he said. The grey-green shape
began to harden. It became darker, and smaller.
    ‘No!’ shouted
Nightingale. ‘Not her.’
    Paimonia laughed
again. There were wings now, grey and leathery, and a reptilian jaw, lined with
teeth. Eyes opened, a fiery red, that glared at Jenny. ‘She is the price,’ said
Paimonia. ‘She is the sacrifice.’ There were legs now, covered in scales with
large hooked talons. And a tail, with a vicious barb at the end.
    Jenny turned to
run from the room but the door slammed shut. She whirled around, her eyes wide
in terror. ‘Jack, what’s going on?’
    ‘What are you doing
here?’
    ‘Your phone’s not
working. I thought you might be in trouble.’
    Paimonia laughed
and the walls and floor vibrated. ‘You’re the one in trouble, my dear,’ he
said. ‘But if it’s any consolation, you’ll be helping Mr Nightingale to get his
heart’s desire. Eternal life.’
    ‘Jack,