It was later in the day.

Colm Davies still didn't know what he was doing here.

He was tired, stitched together only by coffee and heartbreak, one more ingredient than usual. He wondered if Davenport had a really good hotel, four-star or so. Or better yet, Chicago. He had plenty of back pay, he was still getting paid throughout his suspension. Might as well blow it all, get a day or two of luxury treatment. Get some deep-dish, swim in a pool, find a casino and play some slots. But first he'd have to reach the damn place first.

Sitting in the basement of a Presbyterian church in Iowa wasn't helping.

444 Locust Street had been surprisingly difficult to find, despite the tall steeple and the town's seemingly straightforward grid. Maybe it was fatigue, but it seemed as though the church had abruptly appeared out of nowhere, showing up only when he had turned around from looking off in one direction. [i]That's what happens when you walk around an unfamiliar town, Colm.[/i] Not to mention he had been distracted a little bit. It was there, in windows and alleyways, peering at him. Hell, it was probably somewhere in this church, lurking in a dark corner, watching. As per usual. Did it ever take vacations or anything?

Colm found the meeting room inside the old, dusty, clapboard building, getting a smile from the waiting Deacon Blue, his messy hair still uncombed, still wearing the heavy sweater. "Hey there, Malcolm."

"Uh, hi, Deacon."

"Looks like you're the first to arrive. Help yourself to a snack, I insist," Blue said with a wave to a table covered in plates of various goods. Colm went over to pour himself a cup of coffee- might as well extend his wakefulness. He glanced at the snacks laid out. Crullers. Beignets- odd, he had never seen those outside of his sole trip to New Orleans. A bowl of sunflower seeds. Some dried fruits. A bag of organic mouse food. A plate of cuts of what looked to be raw, uncooked steaks. A small cage containing live mice. 

Brow creased in confusion, he looked over at Deacon Blue, busy arranging chairs in a circle. The man caught his look, gave a smile and a shrug. "I wasn't really sure what everyone would like, let alone their friends. I had to look up what mice, panthers, and owls eat, but I'm still uncertain about some of the others, you know?"

Colm had to hide his expression behind a raised mug of coffee. Maybe this was a very bad idea.