GRIMMY ENTERED THE CONVENT over five months ago but she was in the city during the past week's All Souls Day to visit her mother's tomb.

     And on that they she kissed a man for the first time.

     She shook her head, trying to dismiss the mirages of the kiss that were teasing her mind.

     But like a bad movie trailer, they kept showing up on her mental screen in between thoughts.

     Thursday, All Souls Day

     I KISSED A MAN (ACCIDENTALLY) FOR THE FIRST TIME

     Midnight. We were in an abandoned wine cellar at the Catacombs. He lied on the wine tasting table like a sleeping handsome prince. And I was standing beside him like a beautiful princess (in my Catholic nun's habit!) who had come to rescue him.

     I bent down to check if he was breathing and my lips ACCIDENTALLY brushed against his lips. I didn't know what's gotten into me but my veins throbbed and my muscles shook in small movements, weakening my knees, forcing me to press my lips harder on his lips. It felt like I was sucking honey from marshmallow and my lips decided to have more of it.

     Then he groaned softly, his arms circled me, pulled my face down to him, and kissed me, stealing my breath, and making my heart explode like I was being wonderfully punished for not kissing a man for the last twenty-nine years. We kissed a hard, deep, infinite kiss that made me realize I'd never ever have enough.

     My God, did I sin?

     Cromwell and Heap waited by the door of the ladies room, hearing a violently agitated urinating sound as Grimmy used one of the cubicles.

     "This doesn't look very good, Grimmy," Cromwell said.

     "So?" Grimmy said.

     "I need my baddest demon slayer," Cromwell said. "I need THE Grimmy Reaper."

     Grimmy farted long and loud.

     Cromwell smiled. Heap sighed and looked away.

     "Thanks," Grimmy said. "I'll take that as a compliment. But I'm retired. Grimmy Reaper is dead. Nice seeing you again."

     "Grimmy, I need your magic."

     "I'm deader than dead. And I'm taking the veil. Can't you see I'm on my way to becoming a real nun?"

     "Don't fuck with me, Grimmilda," Cromwell said. "The sanctity in your flesh wouldn't constipate a fly! You didn't retire. You quit! And you left with one unfinished business..."

     Grimmy flushed the toilet.

     "When you walk with unfinished business, and you're not a cop, you become just like one of those mere mortals we fondly call fugitives," Cromwell said.

     Grimmy came out of the cubicle with a scowl reddened by a restrained rage over what she saw as the chief's disdainful maneuvering. She threw away a box of tampons into a trashcan.

     "You know where you stand," Cromwell said.

     "I hope you do, too." Grimmy washed her hands.

     Grimmilda drop any illusions about bullshitting your way out of this, okay? Cromwell is right—you know where you stand. Maybe you just got confused for sometime and tried to convince yourself that you had a choice when you didn't...including your own death.

     Heap was quietly staring, listening as he ate his apple.

     "We got a major bogeyman walking the streets," Cromwell said, "barged into a Christian cult's prayer meeting—murdered the pastor and twelve ministers."

     "How?"

     "Gave them a heart attack...each one of them."

     "Interesting."

     "Then he killed Reverent Dick Badden and his two bodyguards."

     "Looks like he doesn't like Christians very much."

     (Oh, that kiss. Our tongues played with each other, fell in love, got married, had three kids, and grew old together in that one moment.)

     "Does it make him a demon?"

     "Well, if that's how you put it, there are millions of regular people around the world that are not very fond of Christians. Pick your demon."

     "But how do you know it's your business?"

     "When I know it's my business."

     (I gotta have that kiss again or the whole world will explode.)

     "HERE HE COMES," Chief Hannibal Cromwell said.

     They were now at the briefing room, watching a video of Reverent Dick Badden's death caught on CCTV camera.

     Grimmy was sitting on the chair facing the monitor while Cromwell stood at the side holding the remote control. Heap stood at the door, fidgeting with an unfinished apple.

     "This is the part where the spook shows up," Cromwell said.

     Rev Badden's bodyguards shot at a blur slithering toward them

     The blur got in their midst

     Rammed the big man into the wall

     Hurled the tall man to the ceiling

     The bodyguards dropped dead on the floor

     The blur settled and became a tattooed man in black Gorgoth leather outfit looking at the bodies

     And the CCTV got a clear picture of him.

     Cromwell froze the scene. He zoomed in on the Infinit's face. "You're looking at Dr. Judah Godling, a.k.a. the Infinit."

     "Shit," Grimmy Reaper muttered.

     He was the man she kissed.