While rolling around on the floor, trying to extinguish some stubborn flames, three things intruded on my senses:

First, there were seven… I do not really know what to call them - I would say “lights” but one was jet black and seemed to absorb light - that just appeared in midair and then rushed out of the room

Second, there was now a sound of pounding from upstairs, accompanied by the much louder siren, as well as general panic in the room.

Third was that odd gaggling voice seeming to talk directly to my brain: “You meddling fool, I will remember you, Jack Diamond, and you WILL suffer.”

I would have made a witty retort, but there was a sudden sound like a thunderclap and Morgan Price and his wheelchair were both gone

The flames were out now, and I noticed one other person in the room did not seem to be in a blind panic. Carmine Gorman had come over to where I was and helped me to my feet.

“Jack, I had nothing to do with Linda and I can help you here. Carol will never forgive me, but I can take that. I know most of what happened here and in the restaurant.”

I wanted to tell him he deserves to swing with the others but instead I asked: “Those seven lights, do you know what they were?”

He went pale: “S-seven? I only saw three but yes, unfortunately I know what they are.”

I wondered for about three seconds then said: “Okay. You were my inside man, feeding me information in the hopes that I would be able to save your darling daughter, got it?”

“Yeah, I got it.”

“Speaking of Carol, you know how to get her out of those cuffs?”

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“You have the Girdle of Antaeus and the Gauntlets of Hephaestus. They were made to confine mortals, as long as you are careful not to burn her, snapping them open should be a breeze.”

Well, he already gave me potentially useful information. Maybe this was not such a bad deal after all.

I walked over to where she was bound to the altar. “I am going to try to be careful here, but I can’t make any promises. Hold very still.”

“Jack, why is your skin gray?” she asked, but I pretended not to hear.

I grabbed the band holding her right hand in place and, as carefully as I could, pried it open. It snapped and made a sizzling sound as it fell off of her arm. As I moved to the left arm, I said: “Ask your dad, he seems to know more about this than I do.”

I quickly got her out as cops started swarming the place. I managed to get the belt buckle to the neutral position and slipped out of the gloves, which folded up into a surprisingly small bundle, before anyone got to our position.

Fortunately, it was Milt who got there first: “Jackie, any chance you can tell me what happened here in a way that is not going to make me feel well both need some time in a padded cell?”

“Might be a nice vacation at that,” I mused. “But no. I think we can get the real story together with Carol and her dad and then come up with something believable from it, though.”

He met my gaze for a full second before speaking again: “Damn, kid you sure know how to draw a good first case. Mine was just a murdered prostitute who tried to keep money from her pimp.”

Then Carol pulled me away: “Jack, I do not know how exactly, but you saved me from something horrible. You deserve a reward.”

I was half expecting some cash but the kiss she laid on me was worth more than our combined weight in gold. She stuck to my side as we worked with her dad to construct a story that kept the cult angle but left out the monsters and the weird gear from the Witch Hunter’s Chest.

Outside, everyone was being loaded into squad cars; Vito was one of the last to be hauled off, and Carol walked up to him with fire in her eyes.

“You saved her, Jack,” Vito said, managing to finish just before her slap landed. I felt it from almost twenty feet away.

“I deserved that,” he said when he could talk again. As they pushed him down into the seat, Carol said “And I plan to get a divorce.”

He just nodded and repeated: “You saved her, Jack.” And then the door closed, and the parade of squad cars headed downtown.