Mean Streets by Jim Butcher Read Free Book Online Page A

things. They make mistakes.”
    “But it isn’t the Church,” he said. “If this person is part of the Church, he isn’t acting with their blessing or under their instructions.”
    I shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t think they were too happy with me when I was a couple of days late turning over the Shroud.”
    “But you did return it, safe and sound,” Michael said.
    “How many people know about the swords? How many knew that I had Amoracchius ?”
    He shook his head. “I’m not certain. Given the sorts of foes they contend with, the knowledgeable people within the Church are more than mildly secretive and security-conscious.”
    I gestured around us. “Ballpark it for me.”
    He blew out a breath. “Honestly, I just don’t know. I’ve personally met perhaps two hundred priests who understood our mission, but it wouldn’t shock me if there were as many as six or seven hundred, worldwide. But among them, that kind of important information would be closely kept. Four or five, at most. Plus the Holy Father.”
    “I’m going to assume that Il Papa didn’t personally attempt to blow me away,” I said gravely. “How do I find out about the others?”
    “You might talk to Father For—”
    “Been there, did that. He isn’t talking.”
    Michael grimaced. “I see.”
    “So, other than him—”
    He spread his hands. “I don’t know, Harry. Forthill was my primary temporal contact.”
    I blinked. “He never talked to you about your support structure in the Church?”
    “He was sworn to secrecy,” Michael said. “I just had to trust him. Excuse me.” He stood up and called to the softball team, “Thank you, ladies! Two laps of the park and we’ll call it a day!”
    The team began discarding gloves and such, and fell into a line to begin jogging around the exterior of the park, in no great hurry, talking and laughing as they went. I noticed that Kelly was among them and felt a little less like a complete incompetent.
    “I’d really like to keep my brains on the inside of my skull,” I told him when he sat down again. “And if one of the Church’s top guys is leaking information or has sprung a gear, they need to know it.”
    “Yes.”
    I stared out at the now-empty softball diamond for a minute. Then I said, “I don’t want to kill anybody. But Buzz is playing for keeps. I’m not going to pull any punches.”
    Michael frowned down at his hands. “Harry. You’re talking about murder.”
    “What a shock,” I said, “after taking one of those monster rounds in the back.”
    “There must be some way to end this without bloodsh—”
    Over his shoulder, I saw Molly abruptly spring to her feet and whip off her sunglasses, staring across the park with a puzzled frown on her face. Then the girls from the team appeared from the direction Molly had been staring. The girls were running as fast as they could, screaming as they came.
    “Coach!” screamed Kelly. “Coach! The man took her!”
    “Easy, easy,” Michael said, rising. He put his hands on Kelly’s shoulders as Molly came hurrying over. “Easy. What are you talking about?”
    “He came out of the van with one of those electric stunner things,” Kelly babbled, through her panting. “He zapped her and then he put her in the van and drove away.”
    Molly drew in a sudden breath and almost seemed to turn green.
    Michael stared at the girl for a second, and then glanced at me. His eyes widened in horror. “Alicia!” he called, stepping past Kelly and looking wildly around the park. “Alicia!”
    “He took her!” sobbed Kelly, her tears making her face blotchy. “He took her!”
    “Kelly,” I said, to get her attention. “What did he look like?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t, I can’t . . . White, not really tall. His hair was cut really short. Like army haircuts.”
    Buzz.
    He’d threatened Michael to get me to bring a sword out in the open, where it was vulnerable. Then he’d tried to kill me before I locked it