Chapter 24

Part 1

 He sat back; leaning against the hard wooden back of the pew and he just stared at the ornate wooden cross that dominated the front of the chapel. His face was haggard and he could feel the stubble on his face, as he hadn’t shave yet this morning. Father Mark was feeling even more troubled than normal and he couldn’t put his finger on why either. There was something he was missing, he was sure of that but what was it? He glanced up at the figure on the cross and wished he could have an answer. 

As his eyes bore in on the figure, he noticed for the first time that there were tears etched into the cheeks, and he cocked his head to one side, wondering what it was that all of these statues were all different, and yet all similar. He brought out his own crucifix and sure enough, there were tears their too and yet, he had never really thought about. What was it that made his lord Jesus shed tears? Was it the pain of the moment, the despair of what his children were doing? Was it maybe his apparent abandonment by his father? Why was he always depicted as being so solemn, so pained?

Sitting on the hard wooden pew, he let his one hand hold the crucifix while his eyes turned towards the stained glass window behind the huge crucifix at the front. He could see the sun’s rays as they attempted to penetrate the ornate glass and there he saw another image of his Lord, standing tall while all around him men and women in garb of the time kneeled and as his eyes squinted a little, he saw the face and once more it failed to show his Lord smiling or at peace.

It was almost gloomy in fact as he traveled back in time to his own brushes with the Angel of Death. He had seen his handiwork first hand several times and as his fingers wrapped around the crucifix, he saw the faces of those he administered the last rites too. Strange, those who knew they were dying, despite the pain they were in, at the moment of passing from this place to the next, they grew silent and calm, their faces grew softer as the pain seemed to no longer torment them, it was almost as if something wondrous was being revealed to them at that very instant when they were to pass from this mortal realm into his realm.

Funny how certain things stood out in one’s memory, like the young mother of two who only recently had succumbed to the ravages of Cancer. For over a year he had visited with her at the hospital or at her home, and each time he had seen the pain etched in her face, and yet when it came time for her to finally surrender to the illness, there seemed such calmness, such peace that it had etched itself in his memory.

Her face was so calm, so at ease that it amazed him and yet at that instant, he knew her time on earth was being measured in seconds and yet when he looked into her eyes, all he could see was love and understanding. She had gripped his hand and thanked him for his visits then she had turned away to stare at her family and she smiled at them. He had never seen her smile before and it gave him a lump in his throat as he saw the lips spread apart, and for an instant he was sure he had seem a glimmer of her love for her family pass by.

She had embraced them all, the husband a corporal in the United States Marine Corps Green Berets, a veteran military man, reduced to a jabbering mass of tears and yet when her hand touched his cheek, he saw him gather his strength and they just stared at each other, the love they held for each other passing back and forth, and the two young children, even they too had stopped sniffling as they watched the love flowing all around the tiny lady in the bed. 

In a thousand years he couldn’t explain what he saw, but it was almost as if the weight of the illness was suddenly being thrust off everyone’s shoulders and for that one instant in time they were being held in the palms of their love for each other. It truly was something to watch and as he sat in the barren and empty chapel, he realized that in many cases of where he witnessed the final moments of a fellow human beings life, he saw that same calm, that same ease of the spirit take shape and hold the person in its grip.

It was as if they had been given a quick glance as to where their spirit was headed to and so they were finally at ease, no longer fighting to stay away from the unknown, because they now knew what awaited them, just as his Lord Jesus must have known too, so why was he crying? Was it from a sense of failure? Could it have been out of joy or was he still missing it all? 

Chaplain Mark “Oh Lord, Please, show me what I am missing, please dear father, I know there is something I should be doing, I know that, but what? What is your wish? Please, I need your guidance now, more than ever I need to know, what am I to do?”

He had fallen to his knees and his hands were clasped tightly as he had uttered his desperate call for help and he felt a strange chill in his body as tears rolled down his cheeks and he felt the cold as it invaded all of his body. The crucifix had fallen from his hand and now lay at his feet as he uttered over and over his plea for help and guidance.

Horrible images passed across his vision as he struggled to hold his focus, but he couldn’t deny the rolling images of blood and gore that passed before him. He could see twisted bodies of children amongst the ruins of apartment buildings; he could see thousands of young eyes dark and lifeless as they watched the funerals of their friends finish. He could even see the face of Adam Westbrook.

It was almost too much for him as he found himself boring in on Adam’s eyes and the darkness almost overtook him too as he saw nothing but emptiness inside the eyes. There wasn’t even a pretence of remorse, or even a hint of sorrow for the pain he had caused, just a sort of emptiness that frightened him more than anything else. He knew from his talks with Adam that he felt like he had been doing God’s work, and at first Chaplain Mark had thought it was an act, but the more he talked with Adam, the more he looked into his eyes, the more he came to realize that Adam was serious, that deep inside of him he really believed that he was merely a tool for God against homosexuals. It was too much for him to fathom and yet he now knew that if given the chance again, he would do what he did to those two poor boys all over again.

For the first time he realized that in Adam Westbrook, he was not facing death, he was facing actual evil and it scared him now, as the realization dawned on him and took hold of his soul. How could such a thing exist in today’s world and yet he now had proof that it did indeed exist. He shook his head and felt the cold in his bones, as he slowly opened his eyes to once more stare up at the statue of his Lord on the cross.

His hand trembled as he reached down to pick up the fallen crucifix and as he bent down to pick it up his eyes glanced to the daily paper that he had brought with him, and he saw the faces of Janice and Reverend Hartwell and he was startled, as there too in the eyes he saw the same darkness, the same void as he had seen in Adam’s face and now he knew why Christ was crying, for it was for all the souls that he hadn’t reached yet, and he felt so sad for them, sort of like he was leaving when there still was so much for him to do in the mortal realm.

Captain Hollis “Chaplain, there you are, you almost ready to go? We should get there early in order to keep our seats.”

The voice startled him and he reached out to blot out the pictures of Reverend Hartwell, his wife, and the deacon of the Hartwell Ministries, John Childs. He knew the headline by memory and still he found it hard to believe all that had surfaced regarding Janice Hartwell. 

Chaplain “Uh, sorry Captain, I guess I lost track of time, I won’t be long really, do I have 10 minutes?”

Captain Hollis “Uh, well I suppose so Chaplain, but uh, would be nice if you could speed it up, I imagine there is going to be quite a crowd at Court today, after all, all the players are going to be there for the opening of the hearing.”

Chaplain “Yes, I can imagine it will be quite the media circus won’t it?”

Captain “Most likely, mind you ever since that Paul Jamison broke his side of things a week ago, he has kept very quiet and out of the limelight, so has two of the victims friends, but they will surface today, or so everyone expects. Come on Chaplain, the court bailiff said he wouldn’t hold our seats for more than fifteen minutes past time, can you step on it?”

Chaplain “Yes, certainly Captain, I am sorry, this all has me so confused and well, frankly, worried. I know there is something missing, some part of the puzzle here that I should know, should have, but I can’t get it, well…. That doesn’t help you or me get there any sooner does it? I won’t be long, just a quick shave and some cold water.”

Captain Hollis watched the Chaplain rush away to the front of the chapel and disappear into the door from where he normally entered the chapel to conduct the services. It was strange but there were rumours floating around the base that the base’s holly Joe was taking to walking aimlessly around the base in the dark of the morning, awake and all, but never saying a word, as if he was exercising some personal demon or such. Maybe he should discuss this with the Major, but then there was enough on his mind already, and come to think of it, the Major seemed rather distracted as well, almost as if his mind were elsewhere instead of focused on the case before him.

He glanced down to see an early morning edition of the local newspaper, and he noticed that still the news revealed by Paul Jamison a few days back was still front page copy. There was a great deal of speculation and the DA office was being bombarded with questions, which only added fuel to the already intense fire going on. The ramifications to the current case were enormous and yet neither the lead prosecutor nor the DA’s office had issued any comments. It was strange too, that Paul had surfaced for the initial interview but since then, no one could find him or two of the witnesses, Ashley Gibbons and Rob Mathews. It only added fuel to the speculation rumours, and today should prove interesting, to say the least.

PART 2

Stan Lawson scanned the front-page article once more, still shaking his head in disbelief as he read the recent news regarding Paul and Terry Jamison. He still couldn’t fathom the loss he was feeling for Terry and yet theirs had been just a business arrangement only. Strange the way he felt when he had read the news about Terry being attacked, and at how so many witnesses had just stood around watching, and he felt sad too, because he had know both victims. Terry wasn’t the only young street hustler that Stan had an arrangement with, but Terry was his favourite.

 His hand shook a little as he raised his coffee cup to his lips as he also recalled the evening visitor from last night. The man was not rude or anything like that, but still, he felt rather intimidated by him as he spoke and asked his questions. He was as evasive as he could be but the man seemed to have a lot of information about him and his activities and still, he didn’t really feel that scared, but more annoyed than anything.

It was too late in his life anyways for the man’s veiled threats to really bother him, but still, he rather wished he could have stayed out of the whole mess, but then his eyes looked away from the newspaper article to stare at the white folded paper that rested next to his breakfast plate. The man had given him the summons as he had left last night, and for a moment he had felt that fear, the numbing kind that had him holding the door open for several minutes after the man had left him.

Just the idea that somehow what he knew of Terry and Marvin would be of any help to the defense was sickening to him, and he had spent many hours after the man left contemplating all he did know of the two young men, and he still, even now, see how anything he could know or say would have any bearing on what that creep had done. Yet, the summons mocked that thought, and that worried him as he finished his coffee and proceeded to get ready to head off to the courthouse.

PART 3

Connor stood by the doorway, watching as Bruce was dressing and he couldn’t help but smile at the bustling figure of his lover. It really was amazing how much love he felt for Bruce, but then they were acting like two 16 year olds, the way every moment possible was spent together, either just holding hands or engaged in wild passionate sex. He could almost see the wanton desire in Bruce’s face when he would come home.

It wasn’t that he objected either, because he knew that he had the same look in his own eyes, it was just that he couldn’t understand why suddenly both of them had such a sexual appetite. Despite all the shit that was going on around them, they were acting like there wasn’t a damn care in the world. Maybe that was part of love’s secret for its success, it held a persons thoughts on something much more enjoyable than one’s problems, but could it really be that simple?

The smile on his face grew wider as he felt the ache grow in his groin, and he wished they had more time, because he really did want to plant his aching dick somewhere, but there just wasn’t thought. His smile started to fade as he turned back to stare at Bruce when he noticed that Bruce was looking right at him.

Their eyes locked and for a strange reason, Connor could see a wicked smile crossing Bruce’s face. He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, as he knew exactly what was on Bruce’s mind. The evidence pointed most prominently from between Bruce’s hips and he was sure his own erection was also giving away how he was feeling as well.

Connor “You know what they say Bruce…”

Bruce “Who? And about what pray tell Connor? Surely not about the sinful ways our bodies are acting? Haha”

Connor “Haha, yeah, that too, but know I was thinking about how I wished we had more time, and then I go look at you and see you have the same perverted idea as I did, so naturally, I thought of the old saying, ‘great minds think alike’ haha”

Bruce “And you are then saying that we both have great minds? Hmm, well okay, I can accept that, haha but yeah you are right, I was thinking about how I wished we had more time.”

Connor “Yeah, strange how, hell never mind, we got enough to deal with, don’t we? So, you nervous?”

Bruce “Yeah, kind of, sure didn’t like some of those questions that guy asked yesterday, then the summons, don’t understand that either, I was already on the witness list for the Prosecutor.”

Connor “Yeah, me too, but still, that guy was too damned nice, there is something fishy going on.”

Bruce “Yeah, I agree, what did your union lawyer say? That is who you were talking to this morning, I mean you don’t have some secret affair happening do you? Haha”

Connor “Haha, the only secret affair I have going is with that hot ass of yours, and if you don’t know it, boy do we need to get you checked over! Haha”

Bruce “Haha, yeah? And let me guess, you want to play doctor and do the exam work yourself?”

Connor “God yes… can I?”

Bruce “Haha, you are terrible, Christ just look at your face, it is like… shit, I love you Connor, I am sorry for all this.”

Connor “Sorry? Fuck Bruce, I am the one who brought them in, and I am damn proud of you too, so don’t apologize, besides… didn’t think Doctors ever apologized, just spoke fancy Latin terms. Haha”

Bruce was in tears really, the way his heart was pounding you would think he had just finished a wild sex session, not that it had ended almost an hour earlier. He loved Connor so much and it seemed like he was just finding out that the love was returned. He knew differently, yet each moment that he was with Connor, he felt like he was falling in love all over and he knew that Connor felt the same way.

Connor watched the way Bruce’s face was changing and then at how his hands started to tremble and he knew too just how much Bruce was in love with him. Before he doubted it, but ever since he had brought Terry into Bruce’s Emergency Room he never felt those doubts again. Strange how sometimes tragedy could bring out the best in a person. He still was amazed at how Bruce had fought for Terry and he knew that while Terry’s damage had been much more severe than they had imagined, his few extra hours of life were due to Bruce’s efforts.

He walked over to where Bruce was standing, the tie dangling from around his neck and his hands at his side, trembling as if in terror but he knew it was instead from the waves of love that just seemed to come and take hold when least expected. He too had felt those amazing tremors, and Bruce didn’t even have to be in the vicinity either, he just had to be thinking of him and he could become almost paralyzed by the love that filled his heart and soul.

Connor “Here, let me help you there Doc.”

Bruce “Yeah, thanks.”

Bruce couldn’t help but stare into Connor’s face as his hands came forward to grab at the tie and he felt so weak in his knees at the closeness of Connor to him. It was so weird really, because they had been together as lovers for so long, but each day now seemed like it was as if they were meeting for the very first time, and that they were just discovering the love they had for each other. It felt good, but it still scared him a little, yet each time he felt that way, he would just look at Connor, or a picture of him that he kept in his wallet, and he would see the love in Connor’s auburn eyes.

Just looking now into those eyes he could see that same love for real, hell he could feel it as it lanced thru every part of his shaking body and the warmth just seemed to ooze out from all over. He felt the heat and yet he didn’t sweat or anything, but he knew that his flesh would be hot to the touch, just as would Connor’s. God, he wished they had more time, as he breathed in the scent of Connor’s cologne and the ache in his groin and rectum was almost unbearable, making him fidget a bit too.

Connor “Geez, stand still there Doc, gawd you’d think you had ants in your pants.”

Bruce “Sort of do I think, its that Connor itch again, should see if I can’t get me a cream to help ease it.”

Connor “Oh? A cream huh, well I think I have some handy but don’t think we really have time, but later, I think I could oblige you.”

Bruce “Think?”

Connor “Haha, okay, I know I can help you with that mysterious itch of yours, wonder though, think you could handle my problem too?”

Bruce “Oh, that is no problem, it’s a persistent infection that I will need to attend personally to for years and years.”

Connor “Yeah? Not decades and decades?”

Bruce “Haha, well I didn’t want to scare you but to be honest, I think you’ll need my personal attention for that little problem for the rest of your life, and I sure hope you live to be over a hundred.”

Connor’s face broke into a wide grin and as he slid the knot up and adjusted the tie, he came in closer to Bruce’s body and he could feel the heat rising up from both his and Bruce’s groin as he walked in closer. He moved his face inwards and he stared into the wonderfully wide-open aqua marine eyes and he could just feel the love seeping inwards from every point that they touched. He was awed by how much love was between them and he closed his eyes for a second as he pushed forward just a bit, and let his own lips brush up close to Bruce’s mouth.

The touch of Connor’s lips against his mouth was unbelievable and he could feel his penis thickening and throbbing harder than ever before. His hands were around the thin waist of his lover and he pressed back, opening his mouth slightly and letting his hot tongue come snaking out to press against Connor’s lips. He pressed and the lips parted and the mouth opened and eagerly accepted the wanton invitation of Bruce’s tongue.

He felt the ache deep in his heart as he licked the top of Connor’s own steamy tongue and he felt the raspy tip as it reached up to run under Bruce’s tongue. They kissed deeply and held each other tightly, and he knew that if time weren’t against them that the bed would be bouncing from their bodies this very moment. Bruce was amazed at how much control both of them had as they broke apart to stare into each other’s eyes. Their groins rubbing hard into each other but they knew in their hearts that they would have to wait to satisfy that particular need.

Connor “I’ll live to a thousand if it would mean having you next to me for every second of every day of those years, I never want to be apart from you.”

Bruce “Me neither, I love you so much.”

Connor “When this is all over, no matter how it goes, we should go somewhere, to just be alone.”

Bruce “I know, we should, maybe we could find a nice island in the Pacific, where we could sit on the beach all day and make love, and sit by a nice fire at night and do the same.”

Connor “I like that, are there any such islands?”

Bruce “I don’t know, but you know what Connor, wherever we do go, as long as you are there, it’ll be just as romantic and just as good.”

Connor “Shit, Bruce… Damn, I wish we didn’t have to, but we do, Uh, Bruce, thanks.”

Bruce “Yeah? I know… but when this all over…”

Connor “Yes, when it is all over.”

Connor reached up and gave a light kiss on Bruce’s forehead and then he left to see if the taxi had arrived yet. He still felt the warmth inside of him and just the idea of being alone with Bruce on a soft tropical pacific island was something that just made his heart thunder and his pulse race. He couldn’t imagine a better paradise, to be just alone with nature and with Bruce.

PART 4

He stared at the morning papers and at the morning digest of mail that had been received in the office. He just hadn’t thought that days could look as dark as they did these last few days, ever since that ungrateful pup had gone to the press and spilled it all. Shaking his head, his one hand reached down between his legs and adjusted the limp flesh of his penis and he thought back to those earlier days.

How could he have been so stupid as to fall for such a women, but she had her ways, and damn it she was indeed attractive then, even more so now, or at least until the last few days. She had changed so much in the last few days, the stress taking its toll on her face and her disposition too. She had stormed around the penthouse apartment like an uncontrollable whirlwind, as she tried to battle all that her eldest son had divulged.

The accusations were printed in large bold print in that morning’s paper, but the damage had already been done by the end of the 6 o’clock news the night before. It had led every local telecast and what was worse, it had led two out of three of the network broadcasts as well. His ministry was near extinction now as the news continued to pour out from the local stations, and even CNN had picked up on it and now it too dominated their daily programming.

Jerry Hartwell knew he should be angry at her, for allowing Paul to get away with this, but he had made the same mistake as her, he had thought the evidence had been destroyed. He also knew that while he had never been a party to the actions that Paul had revealed, he did know about them, and in fact had seen all of the pictures, many times over and never once did he object to them, or raise any concerns about what they showed. Instead he had felt excited by seeing them and some of his best memories of sex with Janice were from incidents when the pictures had been brought out and displayed for him.

The idea that the pictures were sexually explicit and included the women he was married to and her two young boys at the time didn’t bother him, after all she had pointed out how it wasn’t sex, how it was merely a unique way to cleanse them of their sins against God. It was more like an exorcism than sex, and he was taken by her explanation. There was no doubt in his mind that he was married to a true believer, and so he accepted her explanations. Maybe, in reflection he should have questioned her more, but then deep in his heart he knew that he never could do that, after all she was his guiding light and you didn’t question such a divine gift as she was to him.

While the donations that had started to pour in after their own news conference were tailing off, and the hate mail was growing, he still had faith that he could turn this whole mess around. He knew it would be tough, especially as Paul had named him as being a party to the whole mess too, and his lawyers seemed nervous too, but he knew that Janice would have the answer, after all she always did. Even when he first had met her, he knew she was the woman who could take his life and form it into a true weapon of steel for the Lord, and he still believed that, despite what his lawyers and John Childs said to him last night.

He wasn’t always the television evangelist that everyone now knew, a long time back he was just a rural pastor, and the Jamison’s were members of his flock. Leaning back in the opulent breakfast chair, he recalled how he had admired her the first time he had laid eyes on her. He had to admit too that back then, he would say several additional prayers asking for forgiveness, because he would always dream of possessing Janice Jamison in the true biblical sense even though she already had a husband.

Jerry never really knew how or when it happened, but he found that more and more of his time was spent over at the Jamison home, and he could see that Marcus Jamison was a fanatical tyrant, and there were moments during those times that Jerry had wondered if he shouldn’t be calling the police or maybe child services, because Marcus was one twisted person. The way he would rave against the Jews and how they controlled the government, or how the liberals were destroying the country with their laws and such, and he was talking about the Reagan administration no less.

In many instances he really couldn’t argue with Marcus’ logic, because he was right in most of the cases. The Jews in America did have way too much power in government and Hollywood, but he was smart enough to know then, that those things were slowly changing, but he could understand the frustrations that Marcus had to be feeling at how slowly it was changing. He was right too about how government had indeed let the people down, in getting prayer removed from schools as just one example. Another of course was the proliferation of those murder clinics, because that is what abortion was to him, out right murder but that too was on the way out.

Janice however had surprised him the most by her almost feverish and biting attack against gays. At one point she even said that Jews, who were secretly trying to undermine the basic Christian morality that had built America, converted most gays to their sick perversion. It certainly was a strange hypothesis, but one he could see as possibly existing, after all the Jews were notorious for deceit and for promoting non Christian values. She pointed out how it was Jews who marched hand in hand with the blacks in the civil rights movement, and that it was jewfish money that backed them, so that the white Christian majority would be divided and thus help to be thrown from power. She even had an answer of how so many Christian clerics had also marched with the blacks, saying that the Jews tricked them into believing that God really envisioned a totally free and equal society, and as such had bamboozled them.

Now, several years later, almost ten years really, and he was seeing first hand that she had been right back then. There was no doubt that it was Jewish money that was forcing the DA to take such actions as he was. To order an investigation into his Ministry was tantamount to blasphemy as far as he was concerned, and to even suggest that his wife had committed sexual abuse against her own children was absurd, but that is what he was saying, and worse, had ordered a grand jury investigation into the charges made by that self confessed sinner Paul.

Well, it may be dark days right now but he trusted in the Lord and more importantly he had absolute faith in his wife’s uncanny ability to seize an opportunity and turn it to the Lord’s path. She already was managing to at least calm herself, and this evening he would be meeting with Horst and his group, and that in itself could bring him sufficient support to weather the storm. It was also nice to know that he still had the safety net of his Bermuda bank accounts that Janice had him establish at the beginning.

His thoughts on Horst and the Bermuda accounts were shattered by the arrival of John Childs and his lawyers. He was beginning to resent John Childs even though he knew that John was only thinking of him, after all he was making John a rich man too and that meant something to him. He had similar views or so he thought, but as he waited for the men to position themselves in the living room of the suite, he wondered just how much should he trust John? His advice so far hadn’t been stellar, in fact it was his own bungling of the situation with Paul that most likely brought all this down on them, so he felt a twinge of anger as he gathered his robe around him and stomped down to start the meeting.

John “Jerry, I think we may have hashed out a solution that can save the Ministry and your reputation too. It isn’t an easy situation, but I think we can manage it.”

Jerry “Oh? Well at last, it is nice to know I wasn’t a complete idiot in believing in your abilities then, where is Janice? Shouldn’t she be here?”

John “Uh, I think it’d be better if she wasn’t here Jerry.”

Jerry “And just why is that John?”

His eyes grew smaller and John could actually feel the venom that oozed from Jerry Hartwell at that moment. He couldn’t believe how venomous and angry Jerry was becoming when it concerned Janice, almost as if she had held him in a trance or something. He was losing his perspective, but if they wanted to save the Ministry, he would have to be made to listen.

John “Look Jerry, this isn’t easy for any of us, but we have to think of the bigger picture, we can’t abandon all that we have worked for because of Janice’s’, well, because of her warped sense of what is abuse and what isn’t.”

Jerry “Stop right there John, how dare you! If it wasn’t for Janice there would be no ministry, so don’t, don’t even dare think that I will abandon her in her hour of need, besides, as far as I can see, she really hasn’t done anything wrong, and…”

Janice “Thank you dear, Gentlemen, I see you all decided to have your own little meeting without me, now is that very nice? After all, I am the President of the Board of Directors of this Ministry, I would think I would be an integral part of any discussion regarding the situation we find ourselves drawn into.”

John “Uh, well Janice, it seems that, well…”

Janice “Excuse me Deacon Childs, but please, it is Mrs Hartwell or Madam President, not Janice.”

John was taken aback by her words and he sat there, his jaw open and no words coming from his open mouth. She hadn’t yelled or screamed, but in a soft gentle voice she had set the tone for the meeting. It no longer was a group of friends trying to solve a tough problem; instead she had made them adversaries of hers and somehow, had managed to make the Ministry her ally, them her enemies, if they so chose.

Jerry Hartwell sat there smiling as he watched his wife work her magic. Now this, this was the Janice he had married and he felt easier, knowing now that she had collected herself and was ready to once more do battle for the Lord and insure the continuation of his Ministry. The despair he had felt during the night was suddenly gone and he knew that today was going to be their day, after all the case against Adam Westbrook would soon be the day’s topic, not the wild accusations of some hysterical queer step son. No, this would once more be their day and he could just feel the excitement rising inside of him.

Jerry “Yes Gentlemen, I do think some decorum is required here, however I would also suggest that this is not the time to discuss this matter, after all we have important business ahead. There is the commencement of the hearing today which we all have to attend, and then we do have some heavy meetings planned for later tonight, Madam President, might I suggest we schedule this meeting for, oh, ten tonight? Is that agreeable to all?”

Janice “That is an excellent idea Reverend, anyone object?  No? Good, oh and maybe you can leave your proposal so the Reverend and Myself can go over it prior to tonight’s meeting? Will save us all some time don’t you all agree?”

John “Uh, well, uh, Jerry, really, this shouldn’t wait…”

Janice “Now Deacon, didn’t we just determine that this is not a family coffee meeting, but a board of directors meeting, so please, could you refrain from trying to trivialize our positions here, and refer to the good Reverend as just that, Reverend?”

John “Uh, yes, sorry, I am a bit rattled by all this, but you are right of course, it really isn’t a family meeting is it? And maybe you are right, maybe we should have all of the board members present when we discuss this, so yes, I think we can all be here at ten tonight, if that is your wish Mrs Hartwell?”

Janice “Oh I don’t think we need to have the full board here Deacon, I am sure we have enough members here to determine if your proposal is worth taking to the whole board or not, so, why don’t we just have you and your friends here be present at Ten, I’ll inform the remaining board members should there be any need to contact them.”

John “Well… uh with all due respect, I disagree, seeing as how you wish this to be so formal, we should maybe have all of the board present.”

Janice “Yes, but as President of that Board, and with the Reverends consent, I don’t think so, and as we are two to your one vote, well, I would say your opinion has been defeated, don’t you?”

John “I see, and if I don’t accept that vote?”

Janice “Well now come Deacon, surely you don’t want to try to steal the board from Reverend Hartwell, now do you? Besides, without him, you really have nothing worth stealing, so if you wish to remain an active member of this ministry, in your current positions, well, I would strongly urge you to accept this vote of the executive board.”

He could feel the unease of the two lawyers that sat next to him, and he could feel the discomfort in the other two lawyers too. They all enjoyed fat retainers from the Hartwell Ministries and they all knew who signed the paycheques, and he knew he was licked before he could even start. The last hope of saving the Ministry was being tossed without even a hearing. The pain in his stomach grew as he sat there, knowing he had once more been bested by Janice, and in less than five minutes of conversation.

Jerry “I think Deacon, gentlemen, that we are in concurrence now? Yes? Good, we’ll see you all at ten then, in the meantime, you’ll excuse me as I have to dress and we need to be on our way to the courthouse, to be present as the opening rounds of our battle against evil begins. Deacon, is the car ready?”

John “The car? Oh, yes Je… sorry, Reverend, it is ready and will be in the parking garage in fifteen minutes.”

Janice “Parking garage? I thought the press are camped out front Deacon?”

John “Well yes, they are, that is why I thought we’d all go out from the parking garage, so as to avoid them.”

Janice “I see, well I am sorry Deacon, but why would we wish to avoid the press? After all, they are our friends and can be of immense help in putting these vicious charges aside, so no, have the driver bring the car to the front, the Reverend and I shall depart from there, you of course can follow from the parking garage if you prefer.”

John Childs looked deep into the dark orbs that were Janice Hartwell’s eyes, and he could see the smoldering anger and hatred burning deep within her. She was wrong, the press were not friends of the Hartwell Ministry, and even if they had been, it wouldn’t matter now. Pandora’s box had been opened and there was no putting back the demons of her past, no matter how much she wished for that. He felt a strange sense of sorrow and pity for her, and he also knew that she would curse him for feeling that way. It was like she actually did believe she could turn this mess around, but deep in his heart he knew it was useless.

John “As you wish, the car will be out front.”

PART 5

The cigar smoke hung heavy in the air of his office as he once more went over the rather thin file that Victor had reluctantly given him. The whole case had been one royal fuck up after another and it was his job to try and extradite his client from under this fucking mess. His forehead ached and his eyes watered as he once more went over the sparse file and he knew in the pit of his stomach that there really was no case here. No matter how much Judge Stilton would love to issue a death warrant for Adam Westbrook, the odds of the good judge even pronouncing a sentence was slim to none.

There just wasn’t any way around the whole mess. Victor had gone into this case head first and hadn’t sat back to properly assess the case. At best, he should have had one of his assistants handle the arraignment proceedings, it might not have gone any differently but he wouldn’t have been the one tagged with being unsure or upstaged by a judge. No, he handled the whole thing wrong, and now it was up to him to get this cleaned up or there would be no run for DA this coming fall.

His best bet was going to be to get the case withdrawn with prejudice, cite mitigating circumstances, rush to judgment or something like that, but get the case off the docket, let the little puke go with his fancy lawyer and evangelist backer, and in time people would forget it, they always did and everyone knew that the voting public had a really short memory span. After all, they still supported Clinton despite all his flaws, hell they even elected his wife as if she was a saint when she was worse than her husband. Goes to show you, politics is not what you did yesterday but how good of a spin you put on it later.

Thinking about the Clinton’s always made his stomach churn and he had enough headaches without dredging up other ones. He had to admit though, they knew how to tell the lie, get caught, and still put a spin on it that made them look like the victims, only trouble was they didn’t care, but he did. He didn’t want Adam Westbrook to walk on this, he hated these types of people who thought it was morally right for them to take the law into their own hands, but he had to think of the big picture too.

If Victor took this to trial, and that was a big if given all the facts in the case, and lost, a murderer would be set free to continue his murderous ways. Worse though would be that it would also send a signal to all the other psycho’s out there, giving them a green light to embark on their own murderous paths and the streets could very well run red with the blood of innocent people, and all because his stupid ass client hadn’t read his own damn reports and was anxious for political points instead of protecting the law.

Should Judge Stilton rule against the evidence, and should that fancy ass hypocrite Smith get the case dismissed, it would virtually end Victor’s chances, and despite all of his blunders here, Norm really did think that Victor would make a good DA on his own. Trouble was, how to get him out of this mess without ruining that chance? 

The more he thought about it, the more he leaned towards having Victor simply withdraw the case for insufficient evidence, place the blame on the Police, they deserved it too but that would give him an out, a way to spin the story to his advantage too. Besides, he was sure he could convince that Smith to accept the withdrawal, given all that was happening with his client’s supporter, it would be a smart PR ploy as well. He could give his financial people, the Hartwell’s, a hollow victory and be able to thus deflect some of the more recent press that they had been receiving. It would be short lived but sometimes having some breathing room made all the difference between sinking and getting pulled out of the water.

Thinking about it, he began to smile to himself as the pieces began to slip into place. Victor could site the police for failing to develop evidence other than a shaky dying confession, or relying on an eye witness who may or may not have had a grudge against the defendant. No, this was definitely a way out, and he could still point that he could refile at anytime, when or should more evidence was found. Christ, if he worked this right, his client would come out smelling like a rose while the DA himself would look like shit for pushing this case forward when it wasn’t ready.

Damn, that was the hook and besides, he did have now two potentially high profile cases that could further enhance Victor’s reputation, once more diminishing the obvious fact that a murderer was let loose. Norm Cochrane looked at his pocket watch and as he saw the hands sweeping on, he knew he had little time to get this in gear and he belched, then reached forward for his phone. He quickly pressed the numbers and waited impatiently for the phone to be answered.

Norm Cochrane “Mr Smith? This is Norm Cochrane, aide to ADA Victor Neilson, yes, that’s right, uh look, I think we should meet before court this morning, and yes I know it doesn’t give us much time, but I think it will be of some importance to your client and his friends, yes Mr. Smith his friends, that we talk first, so what do you say?”

Zachariah Smith “Well Mr. Cochrane, not sure if I should or not, after all I do have a case to present, and I don’t know of anything you could offer me that would induce me to attend such a meeting, unless of course you are talking about dropping this case against my client, is that what you might be suggesting?”

Norm “Well, that is certainly possible Mr. Smith, assuming we meet in absolute confidence for the moment, for at least until you hear us out, then of course you are free to go public, but until then, I’d want your word that this will remain among us three, so?”

Smith “Well you have my interest, hmmm, you say that is possible huh? Very well Mr. Cochrane I’ll accept your terms for now, but know this Sir, if this is just some ploy or trick designed to embarrass or mislead the press, you can count on me setting the record straight, both in and out of the courtroom, clear?”

Norm “Wouldn’t have it any other way Mr. Smith, so when you get to the courthouse, I’ll have the bailiff direct you to a secluded room where we can discuss this, okay?”

Smith “Yes, fine with me, see you then Mr Cochrane.”

Zachariah Smith hung up the phone and turned to stare at the worried face of his guest. He beamed a long slow smile at her and rose up from his chair, adjusting the suspenders on his shoulders.

Smith “I think we might just have that miracle you were looking for Ma’am, yes indeed I do think so.”

Janice Hartwell “Good, now just what do you think it is?”

Smith “I think that the ADA has just blinked, big time and our boy Westbrook may just be spending his last hours in the care of the county.”

Janice “OH? Well that would certainly give us some positive press, not for long but it would certainly give us some time to implement our own strategy for the next round wouldn’t it?”

Smith “Yes, that it would, and we could use a break in the media cycle, so yes, this could indeed be a good day after all.”

Janice “Good, well I am sure you’ll handle this the right way, we’ll be eagerly awaiting your report immediately after your meeting then, good luck Zachariah.”

He watched as she rose up from the couch and offered her cheek to him. He knew she expected a peck on the cheek and he obliged her, after all she held the purse strings and he never antagonized those people unless it was absolutely necessary. His stomach was a bit squeamish about it, but hell, this was no time to get religion and he chuckled to himself silently.

PART 6

The nurse her head as she once more switched off the chirping alarm from the heart monitor. It was the umpteenth time so far during the early hours of the morning and each time it was wrong. This was again a new machine and its second false reading and she just shook her head, wondering what was doing all this?

They had discussed the patient, wondering if there could be something they had missed that would cause the false alarms from the machines, but so far nothing had come to mind. It was in some sense rather freaky because each nurse that had Terry, always swore that there was a persistent ocean type scent each time an alarm went off. It was all quite mysterious to them all, and she noticed several times that some of the more, religious types or was it superstitious types, were now prone to crossing themselves as they passed, as if their was some spirit in the room.

For herself, she didn’t believe in all that mumbo jumbo but sitting in this room, she did feel like she was never really alone with the patient. She looked down once more at his face, the scent of the crisp clean ocean finally dissipating and she felt his pulse, realizing that it was just barely there, as was his breathing, and yet he was still alive. She couldn’t understand it, because by all accounts he should be dead by now and yet here he was, hanging on by a thread and as he hung on, his body continued to heal itself, as bruises were gradually fading and cuts were gradually closing and healing too.

She turned around to return to her chair and was startled to find three young men standing at the doorway. It took her by surprise and she startled a bit but quickly regained her composure as she recognized Paul, Ashley, and Rob from previous visits and from the morning paper too. She had been present when the patient’s mother and Reverend Hartwell had held their news conference revealing their personal connection to the patient. It had been a rather tiring conference because every damn machine in his room seemed to take the opportunity to squeal and ping and chirp. It had forced the conference outside from its original place inside the ICU room and yet, despite that change, the machines had continued to erupt through the entire news conference, as if they were annoyed even at the presence of all the reporters or could it be the mother and Reverend that had offended them?

It hadn’t been a thought until later that evening when she witnessed the second revelation of the day, when Paul, the victims brother, had his own news conference. It was during that conference that she felt like maybe there was more to the machines than she had first thought. On returning to work that morning, she heard the night nurse telling her how during the time when Paul Jamison was giving his version of life with Mother, the heart rate, pulse, breathing and other vital signs all had almost reached a normal rate according to the machines. No one could explain those odd changes when they did occur but as she took over, she wondered if maybe those superstitious types might not just have something.

Paul “How is he doing this morning nurse?”

Nurse “Uh, no change sir, uh, you on your way to the courthouse?”

Paul “Yes, but, well if you’ll excuse us, I’d like a private moment with my brother?”

Nurse “Certainly Sir, I’ll just be out by the door, if that’s okay?”

Paul “Yeah, sorry for the inconvenience”

Nurse “no problem Sir, take your time”

Paul smiled a thin smile at the Nurse and stepped into the room and walked slowly over to where Terry lay. He looked up at the machines that said his brother was alive, how they didn’t say but they did at least say he was alive. He leaned over and with one hand he wiped away the dark lock of hair that was always falling across his eye.

He reached back and pulled up the chair so he could sit and then he reached out and took Terry’s hand into his. His fingers laced themselves within Terry’s own long thin fingers and they felt chilled a little but then that was to be expected. Paul just stared at Terry’s soft face, feeling the love building up between them once more, almost as if they were just holding hands out on the wharf or swimming dock, almost as if it was back in times that their only real joy was when with each other. 

His heart ached for Terry and yet he knew that if Terry was able to feel, that he too ached for Paul. Strange, almost ten years had passed and yet it was like yesterday that he had seen his brothers smile or felt his touch, but it was all an illusion. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes and leaned forward, and without thinking he just rested his head on Terry’s breast, feeling the flesh against his cheek and he softly cried for his brother.

The clock continued to tick away and slowly Paul began to stop his flood of tears and the images of a hurt Terry no longer flashed before him. Once more his memory showed him happier times and he began to feel the pain around his heart ease a little as he turned his face and now rested his head on Terry’s young body with his eyes staring up into the sleeping face. Looking at it, he was sure he saw a small flutter of one eyelid, but then the doctors explained those as involuntary muscle reactions, still, it was freaky to see and somehow, well somehow he just didn’t believe the doctors explanation.

Paul “Hey bro I don’t know if you can hear me, hell yes I do know, you can hear me, you always could even when I never spoke you could hear me, couldn’t you?  I know right now you maybe can’t answer me like you’d like, and I don’t know what God has in store for you either, but as long as you can take a breath, as long as that wonderful heart of yours continues to beat, at least then I know you can hear me, silly isn’t it?

Not sure why I feel this way, and I know many of the professional people that see me here talking to you think I should go the psych ward but screw them, I just know you can hear me.

It is court day now, I wish I had come by these last few days, but I couldn’t, too much press and all. Terry, I did it, I finally did it and just like you told me, it was hard at first, but once I said no, that very first time, you were right Terry, it was like a whole new world suddenly opened up for me. I mean I was nervous, Christ I thought my legs were going to fall off they were shaking so damn much, but Terry, I did it, and I still can’t believe it, but it is like being reborn I guess.

I still don’t know if it was enough, but that really doesn’t matter now, I am finally free of her clutches and her evil ways, and so are you Terry, she can’t hurt you anymore, she will have to face it, her hold over us is gone, just as you said it would be, and it is because of you bro, you gave me that courage, I mean, hell I can’t explain it in words but I think you can understand. You always had that way of knowing how I felt inside, and I guess, well so did I but I never wanted to go there, only when I was with you did I dare, and yet now, it is like there is no other place for me to be.

Terry, I know how much pain you feel, they can’t fool me and I see it each time I come to visit, but Terry I also know how much of a fighter you are. I never told you this, but you have always been, well, my idol in a way. I mean, you never whimpered or cried when they, shit, you know, you just stared at them and made some grunts or groans, and well, how could I not do less? I was the older one, so I didn’t fuss either, but you are the one who kept me sane, still do bro, even lying here like you are, you keep me sane, you keep me going.

I know you probably want to just leave, those were your wishes so I did what you asked, I have to tell you bro, I hated doing that, I still want to tell them to hook everything up again, no, don’t panic, I won’t do that, but God knows I wan to, I can’t bear the thought of not being able to hold your hand, or talk to you or just feel you presence. Shit Terry, I miss you so much, and I know its selfish, greedy maybe but if you can, if you really think you can, please, don’t leave me? 

Fuck, I know you are tired, I know how much pain you are in, and I know that if you try to fight this you are going to have a ton more pain, more days than not where you will be in extreme agony, and all I can tell you is I’ll be here, I’ll hold your hand like I am now and let you break it even if you need to, it is just, well I know I did it, I know I am free of her now, but I still need you to help me, to stand with me, and yeah, it is selfish, but we are brothers, I can’t do this without you, at least, not as well. I know you can hear me, and I know how much you want to just leave, but please, think it over?

They all think I am nuts the way I talk to you, well screw them, they just don’t know how it is between us. Ashley may actually, he seems to have tha connection with you too, even Rob might at least comprehend it, but still, he has so much of his own pain. You were right Terry, he really is sweet, and maybe you are right too that their just might be something there for him and me, but Terry… you can’t leave, I mean, if there