@@@@@ Alex laughed softly, reflectively“Did you
@@@@@
Alex laughed softly, reflectively“Did you ever actually read them? The Scriptures, I mean
“Most of it—most of them
“Because you had to?”
“Hell, noMy father and mother were as agnostic as any two people could be without being
branded godless pariahsThey shut up about it and sent me and my two sisters to a Protestant
service one week, a Catholic mass on another, and a synagogue after thatNever with any
regularity, but I guess they figured we should catch the whole sceneThat’s what makes kids want
to readNatural curiosity wrapped in mysticism
“Irresistible,” agreed Conklin“I lost my faith, and now after years of proclaiming my spiritual
independence, I wonder if I’m missing something
“Like what?”
“Comfort, Peter
“For what?”
“I don’t knowThings I can’t control, maybe
“You mean you don’t have the comfort of an excuse, a metaphysical excuseSorry, Alex, we
part companyWe’re accountable for what we do, and no confessional absolution can change that
Conklin turned his head, his eyes wide open, and looked at Holland
“For what?”
“For sounding like me, even using a variation of the words I’ve usedI came back from Hong
Kong five years ago with the banner of Accountability on my lance‘Beware the pitfalls of ecclesiastical presumption and selfabsorbed
thought ”
“Who the hell said that?”
“Either Savonarola or Salvador Dalí, I can’t remember who
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, cut the crap!” laughed Holland
“Why should I? It’s the first chuckle we’ve hadAnd what about your two sisters? What
happened to them?”
“It’s a better joke,” replied Peter, his head angled down into his chin, a mischievous smile on his
lip