Bones of Fire (The Fire Series #1)

Chapter 4

Harry Thompson and the others sat stone-faced and silent. The others were Edwin Styles, Larry McGuire, Henry Jennings, Carl Briarwood, Scott Bridges, and Terrance Knox. This was another of Harry's get-over-here-right-now meetings.  He liked to have the church business meetings at his oversizedhome.  The place unabashedly reaffirmed his enormous ego and reminded his guests that he was an important man.  At least he liked to think that he was important.  

Harry controlled the church because he controlled these men.  Edwin was at the mercy of the deacon board, and the board belonged to Harry.  Larry's adulterous affairs had long been known to Harry, and he never hesitated to remind the wayward minister. Henry was engaged to Harry's daughter. Carl's plumbing business received a good portion of its contracts from Harry and his contacts. Scott was Harry's nephew. And Terrance was just a cantankerous old man who Harry was content to let stay on the board until the old man died. That couldn't be too far off.  

Edwin, Larry, and the four deacons sat in silent subservience. They were like school children awaiting the principal's paddle. 

Finally, Larry broke the awkward silence.  "How's the home business?"  

Everyone shrunk at this out of place question.  

The demon inside of Harry was furious for the events of the night before.  "We didn't come here to talk about Harry's, urr, my business."  The words were gurgled, as though something was stuck in Harry’s throat.  "We came here to talk about what happened last night."  

He was the only one who wanted to talk about last night.  The others would gladly have put all memories of that horrid evening in the basement of oblivion.  But as much as they would have liked to have forgotten, they knew that if they ignored last night's fire it would eventually burn down their tranquil religious structure.  

"How did this dagger gain entrance to our church?"    

Bewildered expressions hopped from face to face.  

"Jonathan!  How did Jonathan get in our church?" he corrected himself.  

Almost all eyes went to Edwin.  

"Ohhhh, no.  I'm not taking the blame for this.  This was cleared by you."  He pointed to Harry.  

"Me?"  The demon was incensed beyond his own intelligence.  "You idiot!  Do you think I would authorize a man of God to speak in our church?"  

Edwin didn't know what to say.  Neither did the others.  Harry seemed beside himself.  His words didn't make any sense.  

"Do you think I would let a servant of Christ disrupt our peace and bring spiritual anarchy to our church?" 

Edwin didn't answer. 

"Do you!?" he yelled.  

Edwin was thoroughly unnerved now.  "Terrance said you okayed it," he cowered.  

Harry spun on his heels.  "Is this true?  Did you use my name to further your own warped plan?"  

"Nope."  

"You most certainly did!" Edwin defended.  

"Nope, I did not."  

The demon in Harry peered at the old man.  There was something strange about him.  Something foreign.  

"You approached me about this Jonathan guy and said that Harry approved," Edwin recounted.  

"No, I told you the boss approved."  

"That's what I said.  When I asked you if Har—"  

"Shut up!" demanded the spirit that had invaded Harry.