The Exorcist

Kinderman reviews his case notes. He now knows that Karl is innocent—he was with his secret daughter on the night of the murder. Analysis from the desecrated altar card found the fingerprints of a child, while its typeface matches that of Sharon Spencer’s typewriter, connecting the church desecrations to Burke’s murder. Kinderman also knows that Chris’s daughter Regan spent time in a mental health clinic, but he cannot bring himself to believe that a child killed Burke. 

That night, a black cab brings a tall elderly man in a black raincoat to the MacNeil house. Inside the house, Karras and Karl pin down Regan while Sharon administers a sedative. Karras had hardly slept as Regan’s condition worsened. He expects Father Merrin soon; Merrin’s reputation precedes him. Karras knows that an exorcism can last “weeks, even months [and] frequently it failed altogether” (191). Karras knows that his own fleeting faith may hinder his efforts. 

Chris has been reading Merrin’s books and she shares a passage she finds particularly beautiful with Karras. Chris still cannot bring herself to tell Howard what has happened. Regan falls silent just as the doorbell chimes—it is Father Merrin, who has arrived a day early. He greets her with a