13:18

The world spins
before the eye 
of a sleeping god
precessing slowly
leaves red orange
fly before the wind
spiral in courtyards
dance in the streets
courante
saraband
basse danse
gigue
the bonfires burning 
on all hallows eve
flame dance through the night
bonefires 
we are too wise for this
world
too wise


incandescent lighting
filled the shadows
killed the ghosts
laid the spirits
that once dwellt 
in a world 
lit only 
by fire.


[Sound of shoes on travertine.]


Ya beat me ta this one.

Not by much.

A blue hair this time. Bit of a change for our boy.

Yeah. She was sixty six according to the... her Priest.

Sixty six... sixty six... huh. Looks older.

Yeah, well, we can't all age as well as you.


[pause. look.]


Thanks.

Your welcome... none of them has looked great.

Havin your eyes removed 'll do that to ya. So she makes... lemme see now, how many ?

Counting this one? Six.

Six?

Six.

You seein any pattern here?

Pattern? Hell. I'm seeing patterns everywhere. I'm seeing them in my dreams. But they don't make any sense.

Same here. Ok... So... Review it for me. What'a we got so far.


[A moment. a look.]


Right. Let's see....
vic one, single female, age 25, out with friends, last seen alive at 2 am, by friends, standing next to her car, talking w single male she met at a bar. Male checks out clean. so far...
vic two, male, Biker, age 45, rap sheet with various drunk and disorderly, assault, battery, possession etc. Suspected in a couple of homicides. Nothing proved.
vic three, male, a priest fer chrissakes, age 54, found dead in the sanctuary like this one, but by the altar.
vic four, female, married but separated, age 45, found in her kitchen. Husband has alibi with no holes in it. So far.
vic five, single male, 25, Goth, found in his bedroom. No criminal record. Last seen leaving club with person unknown. apparently female, not a regular.
And now this one here, number six. Widowed female, age 66, parishioner, found by her priest here in the sanctuary, kneeling at the votive candles.

Three men, and now three women. Symmetrical. I like that. All killed by method or methods an person or persons unknown. All found in the same posture. All missing their eyeballs.

Symmetrical, that's a big word for you. Symmetrical. Yeah. There's your pattern.

I like ta use one every now an then. Keeps em guessin....   Symmetrical...  yeah right.

Two killed in a church.

Yeah, one in a parkin lot,  two at home, an one beside the road.

And no witnesses.

No witnesses so far. An no fingerprints, no fibers, no DNA, no nothin. How the hell does he do this an not leave a trace?... How about our friend? He been here?

Priest says he thought someone was standing by her when he first came in. But since she was kneeling  here, [gesture] at the candles, he figured she, or maybe they, were praying, you know. Or had come early for mass, so he went into the sacristy to dress. It wasn't till he came back out and she hadn't moved he came over to check and found her like this... like the others. Says he was sure she was dead, put he checked for a carotid anyway, then called it in, then went out front to keep... to let folks know there wouldn't be any morning mass today.

Kept his head... no hysterics, [looks around], protected the scene. That's good, that's very good. [sighs] He's the closest thing we got to a witness so far. Must'a been a hell of a shock, findin someone dead lookin like this in his church.

Not the sort of thing they teach you in seminary.... I ran him while I was waiting, ex-military.

No shit?

No shit. Special Ops.

And now a Priest. How dya like that.

You never know.

Might be tryin to atone for somethin.

Maybe.


[Door opens, conversation, footsteps, voices echo in the vault work.]


Huh. Sounds like forensics has arrived.

Yup... OK ladies an gentlemen, you know the drill.

Yeah... We're getting good at it. I see... Same posture as the others. And, [closes eyes, puts hand to forehead], I'm guessing no eyeballs?

No eyeballs. [smile] How'd ya know...

Oh, you know, you two, dead body kneeling in something that looks like prayer, so I took a wild guess. God damn, this is creepy. What is this... number...?

Yer tellin me...  number six.

At least he's consistent in his method.

Yeah, if only we could figure out what the hell it is. 

And how the hell he does it.

[observing]

What say you an me go talk to your Priest.

He's not my Priest. He's in the rectory.

You wanna do it?

Do what? Lead?

Hey, yer the ex catholic.

[pause, both.]

There's no such thing as an ex-catholic.

[laughter]

Yeah. Lets go talk to my Priest.