Chapter 53: Turning up the heat

Miriam Harbinger was stoned. Again. But this time it was different. Something inside her felt deliciously wicked. Her husband had left her after the last in a long list of tawdry affairs. Her current boyfriend and father of their 3-month-old baby girl, whom they had named, "Baby," was out on the street trying to secure another hit of their favorite drug.
   Miriam and her boyfriend, who called himself "Steve," had been fighting over drugs, money, and what to do about "Baby." Steve wanted to get rid of the bulky, cumbersome burden that got in the way of drugs and sex with its constant crying. "All that crappy creature thinks about is itself," he shrieked at Miriam. "I told you to take your pill, told you to get rid of it. Now if you don't get rid of it, I'll get rid of you. One of these days I'm gone."
   Miriam had been through many boyfriends before, but "Steve" was especially adept at getting drugs. She didn't want to lose him. She took an extra sniff of the swirling smoke, and things began to swirl within her.
   Her mother had always badgered her about cooking. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" she told Miriam a thousand times. Miriam was sick of hearing it. So she decided to cook. She went to the oven and opened the door. She removed the old clothes and shoes crammed inside. Then she went and picked up a squirming bundle. She shoved it in the oven and shut the door. She set the oven on 350 degrees. Then she went and breathed in deeply, taking in all the fumes she could hold. By the time her baby began screaming, Miriam Harbinger was already dead.
   Sizzlewaithe's report was music to Screwtape's ears. He reached for the phone and called Glubwart. "While you're out chasing one girl, Sizzlewaithe is turning in real results," Screwtape snarled. "Are you going to let yourself be down staged by an upper demon?"
   Brother Holloway/Glubwart did not take the bait. He knew Screwtape was just trying to draw him off the case so he could take all the credit. Project Sugarloaf was "cake in the oven" (the Underworld's expression that corresponded to the human "pie in the sky." This Mary thing had real significance. He let Screwtape rave on, then quietly asked, "Are you ordering me off the case? He knew a direct order would put Screwtape's own head on the chopping block. He still had the advantage. Screwtape slammed down the phone.