Good Omens(34)

“Sometimes the old ways are best,” said Crowley. He turned to the impassive woman.

“Were you a nun here eleven years ago?” he said.

“Yes,” said Mary.

“There!” said Crowley to Aziraphale. “See? I knew I wasn't wrong.”

“Luck of the devil,” muttered the angel.

“Your name then was Sister Talkative. Or something.”

“Loquacious,” said Mary Hodges in a hollow voice.

“And do you recall an incident involving the switching of newborn babies?” said Crowley.

Mary Hodges hesitated. When she did speak, it was as though memories that had been scabbed over were being disturbed for the first time in years.

“Yes,” she said.

“Is there any possibility that the switch could have gone wrong in some way?”

“I do not know.”

Crowley thought for a bit. “You must have had records,” he said. “There are always records. Everyone has records these days.” He glanced proudly at Aziraphale. “It was one of my better ideas.”

“Oh, yes,” said Mary Hodges.

“And where are they?” said Aziraphale sweetly.

“There was a fire just after the birth.”

Crowley groaned and threw his hands in the air. “That was Hastur, probably,” he said. “It's his style. Can you believe those guys? I bet he thought he was being really clever.”

“Do you recall any details about the other child?” said Aziraphale.

“Yes.”

“Please tell me.”

“He had lovely little toesie.. wosies.”

“Oh.”

“And he was very sweet,” said Mary Hodges wistfully.

There was the sound of a siren outside, abruptly broken off as a bullet hit it. Aziraphale nudged Crowley.

“Get a move on,” he said. “We're going to be knee.. deep in police at any moment and I will of course be morally obliged to assist them in their enquiries.” He thought for a moment. “Perhaps she can remember if there were any other women giving birth that night, and.. ”

There was the sound of running feet downstairs.

“Stop them,” said Crowley. “We need more time!”

“Any more miracles and we'll really start getting noticed by Up There,” said Aziraphale. “If you really want Gabriel or someone wondering why forty policemen have gone to sleep.. ”

“Okay,” said Crowley. “That's it. That's it. It was worth a try. Let's get out of here.”

“In thirty seconds you will wake up,” said Aziraphale, to the entranced ex.. nun. “And you will have had a lovely dream about whatever you like best, and.. ”

“Yes, yes, fine,” sighed Crowley. “Now can we go?”

* * *

No one noticed them leaving. The police were too busy herding in forty adrenaline.. drunk, fighting.. mad management trainees. Three police vans had gouged tracks in the lawn, and Aziraphale made Crowley back up for the first of the ambulances, but then the Bentley swished into the night. Behind them the summerhouse and gazebo were already ablaze.

“We've really left that poor woman in a dreadful situation,” said the angel.

“You think?” said Crowley, trying to hit a hedgehog and missing. “Bookings will double, you mark my words. If she plays her cards right, sorts out the waivers, ties up all the legal bits. Initiative training with real guns? They'll form queues.”

“Why are you always so cynical?”

“I said. Because it's my job.”

They drove in silence for a while. Then Aziraphale said, “You'd think he'd show up, wouldn't you? You'd think we could detect him in some way.”

“He won't show up. Not to us. Protective camouflage. He won't even know it, but his powers will keep him hidden from prying occult forces.”

“Occult forces?”

“You and me,” explained Crowley.

“I'm not occult,” said Aziraphale. “Angels aren't occult. We're ethereal.”

“Whatever,” snapped Crowley, too worried to argue.

“Is there some other way of locating him?”

Crowley shrugged. “Search me,” he said. “How much experience do you think I've got in these matters? Armageddon only happens once, you know. They don't let you go around again until you get it right.”

The angel stared out at the rushing hedgerows.

“It all seems so peaceful,” he said. “How do you think it will happen?”

“Well, thermonuclear extinction has always been very popular. Although I must say the big boys are being quite polite to each other at the moment.”

“Asteroid strike?” said Aziraphale. “Quite the fashion these days, I understand. Strike into the Indian Ocean, great big cloud of dust and vapor, goodbye all higher life forms.”