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we can,” Rosa said. “I suggest not leaving the premises in case the demon influences you to wreak havoc upon all who cross your path.”
    “Wouldn’t want that.” She swallowed hard. “And what should I do in the meantime to… to…”
    “Ward off the demon’s evil power over you?’
    She touched her stomach. The tingles that indicated Darrak’s presence were barely noticeable now. “Yeah. That.”
    “I suggest, if you have one available, that you read aloud from the Bible. Perhaps wear a crucifix, although that might backfire and burn your own flesh, so make sure you have a glass of water— not holy water!—nearby to douse any potential flames. I would suggest the liberal use of salt, but since you’re the one who’s possessed that could also be detrimental to you. The Bible reading may be enough to keep the demon in a weakened state.”
    Eden glanced at the bookshelf next to Andy’s desk. “Okay, I see one I can use.”
    “Very good. Bless you, dear. We will see you very soon.”
    She hung up and went to go grab the black, leather-bound book. Her stomach grumbled and she froze, listening for Darrak’s voice, but it was only her previously eaten donuts settling down in her already upset stomach.
    “Hey, Darrak, are you still… here ?” she asked the empty room.
    Nothing.
    She waited with the Bible clutched to her chest, on edge and jumping at every sound.
    The front door swung open ten minutes later, the bell above it jingling, and Eden sprang to her feet expecting it to be the exorcist. She’d had her eyes locked on the phone, wondering if she should call anyone else who might be able to help—no one came to mind—so she hadn’t seen anyone approach.
    It wasn’t an exorcist.
    Detective Ben Hanson stepped inside the office and smiled at her. “Just wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing. Santos said he dropped you off here a little while ago.”
    She let out a long sigh of relief. “I’m so glad to see you.”
    He raised his eyebrows. “You are?”
    Eden walked directly over to where he stood by the door and hugged him tightly. Then she realized what she’d done and backed away with embarrassment. “Um… sorry about that.”
    His lips quirked. “That’s definitely not something you need to apologize for.” He glanced at the Bible she tightly held onto. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”
    She shook her head. “That man earlier—the—the serial killer.”
    “I know that was a very traumatic experience for you. I’m surprised that you decided to come back to your job today.” He glanced around the embarrassingly shoddy office. “You should be taking it easy.”
    “It’s not that. Well, it is. But… when he grabbed me he told me that he was possessed by a demon.”
    “Yeah, I heard him say that, too. He was completely crazy. Listen, if you want to talk to somebody qualified to handle post-traumatic stress, then I can easily arrange that for you. It’s the least we can do for you after everything that happened.”
    “No… I…” What did she want to do? Tell him everything? That the killer had been serious and was possessed? And now she was, too?
    “Eden…” Darrak said wearily from inside of her.
    Oh shit.
    “Can you hear that?” she asked Ben.
    “Hear what?”
    “It took me a while to recover from losing form,” Darrak continued, “but I’m feeling better now.”
    Ben touched her shoulder. “Eden, it’s going to be okay. He’s dead. He’s not going to hurt you again, I promise.”
    “I know that.”
    “Then why do you seem so scared?”
    Scared didn’t even begin to cover what she was feeling. “It’s… it’s the demon he was talking about.”
    “Demons don’t exist,” Ben said firmly.
    “But—”
    “Eden,” Darrak interrupted her. “Are you trying to tell him about me?”
    She stopped talking.
    “But, what?” Ben prompted. He leaned against the small table next to the front door where they kept the coffeemaker. He unhooked a pair of