The headline screamed Will Brother Justin Be Deported?

"Fourth day in a row the headlines have been about him," Nate mock-complained. "Barely a mention of your acquittal and my legal brilliance."

"But they're the best kind of headlines about him," Dolan said happily. "I don't suppose there's any chance the Crowes could really be deported? Or either of them sent to prison?"

Nate shook his head. "No. But we always knew that. There isn't enough evidence to indict Iris for setting the fire, or Justin for committing perjury. A jury's believing you over him doesn't constitute proof. And they won't be kicked out of the country, not after having lived here since they were children. The courts will conclude that it is possible, if improbable, that Justin didn't know about their past, and Iris was so naive that she didn't realize laws were being broken.

"But still, they've taken a major hit. Well-read citizens, who followed the trial closely, believe the worst about them. Many of the less-educated--Justin's core following--have turned against him because he's not a 'true American,' or because they feel he deceived them.

"And, human nature being what it is, dozens of people are coming out of the woodwork to say--truthfully or not--that they've heard them either lapse into Russian, or slip up and address each other as 'Alexei' and 'Irina.' Next thing you know, someone will be suggesting they're Bolshevik spies."

He swept the paper into the wastebasket--to make room on his desk for his feet. "It's the best outcome we could have hoped for."

The men were back in L.A., relaxing in Nate's office. Sally was at her own desk, fielding phone calls and setting up appointments for prospective clients. Many prospective clients. Nate had joked that L.A. must be having a crime wave. And he was the lawyer of choice, for everything from burglary to gangland killings.

It occurred to him that Dolan had actually made a formal appointment. "Say, what can I do for you? Have you gone and committed another crime already?"

"No, it'll take me a week or so to get around to that." But then Dolan turned serious. "I just wanted a block of private time with you, so I can keep my promise."

Nate drew a blank. "What promise?"

Dolan looked him in the eye and said steadily, "I told you I'd explain what I meant about not being 'innocent,' remember? I think you should know everything."

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Nate was suddenly uneasy. He swung his legs down off the desk. "I-I thought that was made clear in the trial. What you said about believing 'the power of modern communications' played a part in causing the crime..."

"Uh, no."

Nate didn't like what he saw in Dolan's eyes. That faint amusement, again.

Dolan glanced toward the door, to make sure it was closed. "We still have attorney-client privilege, right? This has to be kept confidential. Please...don't even tell Sally."

"Yes, everything you say will be privileged information. And I won't tell Sally." He knew she could be trusted with anything--he'd trust her with his life. But Dolan couldn't be faulted for not knowing her as well as he did.

"You're not going to like this," Dolan said slowly. "But I guess I should begin by just spitting it out. Justin wasn't the only witness who committed perjury."

Nate didn't bat an eye.

He just said, "Shit."

He was serious about providing the best possible defense, within the law. He never countenanced perjury, if he knew about it in advance. He dealt with guilty clients by keeping them off the stand, and building a "reasonable doubt" defense that relied on witnesses who weren't committing perjury.

But he often suspected his clients were lying under oath. And more than one had admitted it, after the fact.

The problem was, he'd been sure Tommy Dolan was sincere. Now he felt as if his legs had been cut out from under him.

Dolan was saying, "I think I should tell you first about the minor perjury."

Nate wanted to scream There is no "minor" perjury!

But all he said, dully, was, "All right."

"I lied about my reaction when Iris gave me the brush-off--about being so understanding. Here's the truth. I realized what the problem was when I saw her with Justin. She was in love with him!"

Nate snapped to attention. "Wh-what? In love with her brother?"

"Yes." Dolan's expression was hard, angry. "He had an incestuous interest in her, too.

"I'm not saying they were actually doing anything. I don't think they were. They were just caught up in lusting for each other.

"But that really pissed me off. That she'd choose a fantasy, about a man she couldn't have, over the real thing with me.

"So from then on, I despised her. I started competing with her, trying to make myself Justin's chief lieutenant, just to spite her.

"When I was investigating the fire, I hoped she'd turn out to be guilty. I was sorry California doesn't hang women!"

Nate felt sick.

He said weakly, "That means...part of your explanation of the 'confession' was a lie, too?"

There was no anger in Dolan's eyes now, only regret. "I'm sorry, Nate. Everything I said about the 'confession' was hogwash. That was the major perjury."

Nate closed his eyes, and muttered a few things more colorful than "Shit."

Then he had a sudden thought, and his eyes flew open. "Wait a minute. When we first met, you swore you hadn't set the fire--"

"And I didn't," Dolan said forcefully. "Didn't set the fire, didn't commit any murders."

"So why the 'confession,' and the lying explanation?" Nate was becoming more confused and frustrated by the moment. "There must be a true explanation. What is it?"

Dolan sighed. "First, I should admit that what I called the minor perjury--pretending I'd been concerned for Iris--was just a ploy to score points with the jurors. I could have come up with a story that didn't include that.

"But I lied about the 'confession' because I had to. No one would have believed the truth. They would have thought I was either insane, or a killer trying to fake insanity.

"To understand what really happened, you have to know this." Eyes locked on Nate's, he said, slowly and clearly, "Justin Crowe possesses supernatural powers."

Nate stared at him for a full minute. Then he said, "That's a crock. No one possesses 'supernatural powers'! I don't even believe, literally, in the miracles attributed to Moses."

Dolan shrugged. "Neither do I--or the ones attributed to Jesus. Stories about old-time holy men grew over the years, became exaggerated.

"But Justin Crowe exists in the here and now. He may call himself a minister, but he's no holy man--he's evil. And I know he possesses supernatural powers because he used them on me."

Nate thought he saw utter sincerity in Dolan's dark eyes. But I thought that before, too. He heard himself saying, "I sensed all along that you cared more about publicly discrediting him than about clearing your name, or even surviving..."

Dolan nodded. "Yes. I thought Justin and I were allies, and he betrayed me. I'm not the forgiving sort."

Nate couldn't shake the feeling that the man was really leveling with him this time...and was completely sane. "Tell me what happened."

"We'd exposed Iris," Dolan said steadily, "and it was supposedly agreed that she'd own up to the crime. She made an oral confession to Justin and me, and I wrote it down--taking dictation, like a court stenographer. It was her confession, nothing in it about advancing anyone's career! I saw her sign it.

"We agreed that I, as spokesman for the movement, would read it aloud to a gathering in the tent--and the large radio audience--because Iris wasn't emotionally able to do it herself. The identity of the arsonist would be revealed at the end, when I read the signature.

"But when I actually was reading the damn thing aloud, I blundered into saying words that were on the page, that I had no memory of having written--words that amounted to an admission I had set the fire! Naturally, I panicked. When the police grabbed me, I turned desperately to the end of the document, trying to show them Iris's signature.

"But the signature was mine."

Nate looked into Dolan's now-icy eyes, and couldn't suppress a shudder. "So you think--"

"I know Justin either compelled me to write things I didn't intend, and also tampered with my memory, or he magically changed what was on the page. Either way, he was using powers no normal man possesses."

Nate remembered the half-serious thought he'd had when he first discussed the case with Ellison. "Hypnosis. He used hypnosis to make you write what he wanted, not 'supernatural powers'!"

But Dolan shook his head. "Years ago, I let professional hypnotists try to hypnotize me—for the fun of it, and to report on the experience. Three different ones tried and failed. They told me I can't be hypnotized. And I hadn't been resisting. I wanted it to work.

"Besides, after what Justin did to me, I remembered other things. Twice--the first time, before I knew him--he wanted property, and somehow got the owners to donate it to him, when their donating land to anyone was completely out of character. That first man killed himself the very next night.

"I suppose Justin could have hypnotized him, or blackmailed him. But he never met the second man, only spoke to him on the phone, immediately after learning who owned the property. He hadn't had time to learn anything--in a normal way--that might have made the man vulnerable to blackmail.

"And about the supernatural powers, in general? There was something else, a strangeness associated with Justin that many people noticed. When he delivered sermons on Kay-Zack, we'd find that we were broadcasting with increased power, being heard at greater distances. It gave us the creeps, till we somehow got used to it.

"When I think about it now, the idea that the staff of a radio station could 'get used to' such a thing seems unnatural in itself."

Nate couldn't come up with another suggestion.

Dolan said quietly, "But I still haven't explained the importance of my not being 'innocent.'

"I lied when I said I never suspected Justin of having set the fire. When I heard about the car, he was the first person I suspected, not Iris.

"And that was a problem for me. Iris as the culprit, I could take--if she'd been able to deceive Justin for months, it would be understandable that I hadn't seen through her, either.

"But Justin as the culprit? I was the one who'd gotten the public to believe in him! It would have reflected badly on my judgment, maybe destroyed my career.

"So I resolved that if he was the arsonist, I'd help him cover it up. I hadn't thought it through--I don't know whether I would have gone along with framing someone else. But I was willing to help cover up a crime. And my motive was completely selfish.

"I never told Justin that. But I didn't have to. I saw in his eyes that he knew.

"I can't explain why I'm sure of this, Nate, but I am. My having made that morally wrong choice--okay, I'll use the hokey word 'sin'! My having committed that sin gave Justin power over me. That was the reason he was able to twist the confession, and turn it against me."

After a long silence, Nate asked, "Why are you telling me this?" I wish you hadn't.

"I don't know." But then Dolan continued, "I was afraid to tell you before or during the trial, Nate, because I thought you'd walk out on me. And I believe you really are the best lawyer in the country. There was a case to be made here. But no one but you would have had the dedication, and the know-how, to find all those witnesses and put it together.

"I guess I'm telling you now because you have a right to know how dangerous a man we've been dealing with.

"But I don't think you're in any danger. It's only sin--sin that he can sense--that enables Justin to control another person, and in the process, possibly destroy him."

Nate said slowly, "Tommy--there's something I've been keeping to myself, too.

"Something you should know."

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"This may just be the ravings of a crank," he stressed. "But it has preyed on my mind. And taken in combination with what you've experienced...

"Well, here goes.

"After I agreed to take you on as a client, I was swamped with letters and phone calls. Most of them saying I should be lynched! But not all.

"There was one caller--only one--who wanted to give me the same helpful tip I'd already gotten from you. That Justin and Iris were Russian children who'd survived a train wreck, and they'd probably never become U.S. citizens."

Dolan frowned. "One of the Crowes slipped up with someone else? I'm surprised they'd be that careless."

Nate shook his head. "No. The man who called me had undoubtedly gotten his information from another source.

"I didn't tell him I already knew--just let him talk. And he knew more than you did, the Crowes' real names. He said he'd met their father, but the father was dead now, so there'd be no point in my looking for him.

"He gave me information about their father, that he said I could check out. Said the father's name was Lucius Belyakov, and he'd served in the Russian military during the World War, till he was seriously injured. Not wounded in action--mauled by, of all things, a trained bear that had escaped from a carnival."

"Good grief," Dolan muttered. "Did you check it out?"

"Yep. All true. But the Russians lost track of Lucius Belyakov after the war. No one over there knows what became of him."

Dolan asked the obvious question. "Any chance your caller really was Belyakov?"

"No." Nate was sure of that. "The voice was almost certainly American--and young. Besides, the idea of his being the Crowes' father wouldn't jibe with other things he went on to tell me.

"I asked him his name, of course. He wouldn't give me his full name, but he said, 'You can call me Ben.' Does that mean anything to you? An enemy of Crowe's, named Ben?"

Dolan thought for a few seconds, but had to say, "No, it doesn't ring a bell. What else did he tell you?"

Nate swallowed hard. "This is where it gets...disturbing. This Ben said he wanted, not only to give me a tip, but to warn me about who we were dealing with.

"He never mentioned supernatural powers. But he said Justin Crowe had murdered his father! Not Crowe's father, Ben's father.

"He said that after that, he tangled with Crowe, and they 'did some violence to each other.' He told me that's the real reason Crowe is 'unwell.' And he, Ben, isn't in great shape, either."

Dolan had gone pale. "Hell. I've suspected Justin somehow caused that landowner's suicide...and he was willing to kill me, indirectly, by sending me to the gallows for a crime I didn't commit. But for some reason, I've never thought him capable of physical violence.

"Him or Iris, beyond the one incident of the fire. I never believed either of them was really to blame for Eleanor McGill's death, let alone Norman Balthus's."

Nate cleared his throat. "This gets, in a way, worse. Ben said he hadn't seen Crowe kill his father, though he was sure he did it. But he personally saw him murder Norman Balthus!"

"Murder...Norman Balthus?" Dolan echoed. "A minister...old enough to be his father...who'd been like a father to him?"

"And who probably hadn't given him power over him by 'sinning.' But, remember..." Finally saying all this aloud, Nate realized his voice was shaky. "Remember, I have no proof it's true. The only reason I ever gave this Ben any credence is that his story about the Russian background checked out.

"I believed Crowe was misusing his power as a preacher. And since I didn't have any doubts about your story, I knew he was willing to go to appalling lengths to make someone else pay for a crime his sister had committed. But I'd seen no evidence of other criminal behavior.

"If, as you're saying, he's actually some kind of evil supernatural being...

"Tommy, if what Ben told me is true, Crowe's capable of extreme physical violence. Probably against anyone. He said Crowe beheaded his father, with some kind of scythe. A gardening tool. And he used the same weapon to disembowel Rev. Balthus, with one stroke!"

The men sat, staring at each other, speechless.

Until it gradually dawned on Nate that the phone was ringing in the outer office. He'd heard quite a few rings, and it hadn't been answered.

"Huh. Sally must have stepped out to use the bathroom. But she usually tells me--"

What he saw in Dolan's eyes must have mirrored his own.

As one, they leapt to their feet and raced for the door.

As they burst into the outer office, the phone stopped ringing. But not because it had been answered.

And then Nate began to scream.

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The next thing he knew, he was huddled on the floor, cradling Sally in his arms. He wasn't sure why they were on the floor...

But then he heard Tommy Dolan's voice, and realized Dolan was on the phone.

"I need to report a murder...yes, a murder.

"This is Tommy Dolan...yes, the Tommy Dolan! I'm in Nathan Stern's law office. While Nate and I were in his inner office with the door closed, his secretary, Sarah Feldman, was murdered...

"Yes, I'm sure she's dead...

"I think Nate's in shock...

"No, there's no blood. I think the girl has a broken neck."

Clutching her tightly, Nate had the inane thought At least she wasn't hacked to death with a gardening tool.

After giving the police a few more details, Dolan hung up.

And then he immediately dialed again--to phone in the scoop to KZAK.

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The End