Sal had changed drastically over those weeks. He remembered his big brother spending much time at the rectory at Blessed Agnes – aside from the normal “required” Sundays. During this time, Sal had been frightened as Little Joe had never seen him before. He remembered angering Sal whenever he so much as turned down the lights. He remembers finding a wooden crucifix under Sal’s pillow. It was one of the myriad from the kitchen table.
After they had come home from the hospital, Sal finally confided in Little Joe that he needed the ring. That he was going to keep it – that he needed it. Their dad always said that the ring had protected him while he lived in the deserts of Mexico with his father, but he never said from what. Sal confided that he was being followed by something evil,
