Choice of Evil

by Andrew Vachss (Alfred A. Knopf Publishers) 293 pp. $ 23.00
by Thomas Christian

“A rally in Central Park, a rally against gay bashing. A murderous drive-by. Five people down, two dead. One of them Burke’s girlfriend, Crystal Beth.”

“I was driving through a time warp. Nothing had changed. The same car, the same streets. And, when the Plymouth’s headlights picked it out, the same house. I drove around to the back, the way I always had. The garage door was closed. The house was dark. I got out, walked to the back door.”

“The whole crazy scene hadn’t taken long. There was enough of the night left for me to reach out for a woman who loved the dark.”

“She cooed, licked the side of my face like a cat. A silk-tongued cat, but one with fangs and claws.”

“Then she turned and grabbed my hand, leading me through the house to that ice sculpture of a living room I’d spent so much time in. Terror time. The chair was still there too.”

“She pulled my jacket off my shoulders. I sat down.”

“She went off somewhere. I closed my eyes.”

“She strolled over, hauling the sweatshirt over her head with both hands as she moved. Underneath was a white jersey bra with heavy shoulder straps.”

“The only light was somewhere in the back room. No noise. She came out with a hypo, hit herself on a fleshy part of her upper arm, and pushed the plunger.”

“It’s your time now. Your time to choose.”