Burning Twilight Read Online Free PDF Page B

them.
    “We don’t need to summon them,” said Rabbi Loew. “They are already here.”
    Jelena’s eyes grew wide and she bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling.
    “If we only had the power to see them, we would be amazed,” said Rabbi Loew, citing Rabbi Huna. “For we would realize that we are surrounded by spirits at all times, a thousand on the left and ten thousand on the right.”
    Even Father Stefan started to look worried.
    “Some of them are good-natured,” I added. “Especially the ones that follow the Torah.”
    That’s right. Thanks to the laws that keep the Jews separate from the general population, we even have our own demons.
    “And some of them are harmless household elves, like the shretele ,” said Kassy, but the villagers just stared blankly at her.
    “In Polish it’s called the skrzat ,” I said, and the villagers’ faces filled with relief.
    “How do we defend ourselves against all these spirits?” Jelena asked.
    “Light is good,” I said. “They hate light.”
    “And we all know that water’s a nice cleansing medium that neutralizes their influence,” said Kassy, glaring at the villagers.
    “And you can make noise.”
    “What kind of noise?”
    “You can ring a bell, or rattle nuts in a jar—” said Rabbi Loew.
    “Breaking pottery can be very effective,” I said.
    “And if none of that works you can always spit in the Devil’s eye,” said Kassy.
    Rabbi Loew and I looked at her sharply.
    “I’ve seen you both do it,” she said defensively.
    Rabbi Loew explained that we don’t really believe in the Devil as such, but the Evil Impulse, which can invade any man’s heart. In fact, the more pious the man, the harder he must fight against such impulses.
    I caught the priest’s eye, but he looked away. I turned back to the body that lay before us, and noticed something that I had missed before.
    “Why aren’t his nails blue?” I asked. “How did you clean the dye off?”
    Jelena held her head up and said, “Jan didn’t work the vats. He oversaw the operations for Lord Strekov.”
    “I see . . . ”
    “Vos zeyst du, mayn khaver?” said Rabbi Loew, leaning close and speaking Yiddish in a low voice. “Have you noticed a pattern of some kind?”
    “Yes. I thought this man was a dye worker, but—”
    “But now you realize that all three of the victims were men of some standing in the community.”
    “Yes.” I turned to Jelena. “What was your husband’s job at the dye mill?”
    “He did what His Lordship commanded.”
    “Does that mean he ran the men hard?”
    “If that is what His Lordship commanded.”
    In that case, I had to wonder why the nobleman’s wounds were the most severe.
    “N u , did you notice anything peculiar?” Rabbi Loew asked as we marched up the road toward Lord Strekov’s manor house.
    “The attacks are becoming more violent,” I said.
    “Which means?”
    “Either the Evil Impulse is growing stronger within the killer’s heart, or else the first two victims were taken by surprise, while the nobleman had a moment to prepare, and, unique among the victims, was ready to fight back.”
    Rabbi Loew agreed with my theory. “It all started with the bloody Hosts. They were a sign of some kind.”
    “Not necessarily,” said Kassy. “For I have heard that the flour used in making the Eucharist may, under certain conditions, develop a type of mold that appears rusty red in color. That’s why I asked to see the wafers.”
    “Ah. I didn’t know that,” said Rabbi Loew, raising an eyebrow at Kassy’s display of wisdom. “This is why the Talmud instructs us that ‘a woman recognizes the worth of a guest quicker than a man.’ ”
    Kassy dipped her head and smiled like a self-conscious schoolgirl in acknowledgment of the compliment.
    We had almost caught up to the funeral cortege. The full moon was rising over the misty fields, bringing out the villagers’ fears of spirits, demons, and the undead coming to suck their