Of course you are right mrsmel. It is absolute evil to murder an innocent child.
Would it be double the absolute evil to murder two innocent children?
The point I want to make is, that the depredations of the devil are ALWAYS in tension against the grace of God.
If we cannot thank God for the protection that we take for granted but is actually due to His grace, even when a degree of permission has been granted to the devil, then we might find ourselves with less protection in the future — not more.
If there something like an absolute evil, an evil that operates without a single restraint, it is found in hell; not on earth.