Authors: Pamela Carron
“Sang-Mi could never teach me about God because I was so angry I refused to hear anything about him or any sort of religion. However, she knew if she showed me kindness and values, one day I would no longer be angry. She said that she had a dream that in time, He would open the door for someone else to teach me about Him, and that dream happened. It was when all of you came into my life that I had my eyes opened and was ready for Jesus to come in to my heart. For this, I am ever grateful and I want you all to know how much you mean to me.”
He was standing behind Honey’s chair with his hands on her shoulders. He reached down and kissed her head.
“Honey, you are truly the other half of my soul. I cannot imagine life without you.”
“You know I feel the same.”
Honey looked up at him. It was unusual for Jacks to show so much emotion and she was sure there was more for them to hear. She also knew he was saving the worst for the last.
“Okay,”
Dwight spoke softly. He also felt that Jacks had some bad news for them.
“We agree and we all know that God works in mysterious ways. We also know when you are avoiding the most important thing here, Jacks. You might as well give it to us. What is it?”
Jacks shook his head in admission.
“There is no easy way to say this. I received a message before I left New York that there is a woman who is still a prisoner of
Asa’s
.”
Sheila interrupted him.
“We know that there are a lot of people still there in the mountains, Jacks!”
The sadness returned to his eyes.
“This one is supposedly my birth mother.”
“What?”
“You don’t believe another of
Asa’s
lies do you?”
Dwight insisted, while Honey stood up and wrapped her arms around her husband.
Asa’s
lies had tormented him before, when he pretended to be his grandfather.
“Oh no…surely you do not believe this!”
Jacks looked miserable, but he continued for there was more.
“The man who told me this was at the airport when I was about to board. He told me that it was not over between Asa and I, and that he did have proof of this claim and it would come to me soon. He also said that not everything Asa told me before was lies. There was some truth and I would soon know why he could not leave me alone.”
Dwight shook his head.
“Well, we certainly do know that the devil has a way of polluting the truth with untruth. Did he say what this proof was?”
“Just that it would come to me soon and when it did, I would bend to his wishes.”
Dwight was adamant when he stood.
“We will just see about that! Come on let us pray. In no way will we bow to this evil. We will not even entertain the thought! Father, we believe that we can claim Daniel 10:12, where the angel tells Daniel: Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”
Honey remembered her strange dream the night before and shivered as Dwight continued,
“We know that it is also recorded in Daniel chapter 6 that an angel “shut the mouths of the lions” (verse 22) that would otherwise have maimed or killed the prophet Daniel, who had been thrown into a lions’ den. We know that even the apostle Peter who was imprisoned,
was awakened
in his cell by an angel who caused the chains to fall off his wrists and led him out of the prison to freedom! Though these are dramatic incidents Lord, what we four witnessed that night on the church top was very real as was the miracle of our escape from the devil in the mountains and we are convinced that Jacks was chosen before the foundations of this Earth for your service. Lord, we pray your protection on Jacks and us all as we now go about your work. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!”
25
Another Deception
3
D
etective Cranford headed down the hall towards the lounge. He needed to take a break from all the paper work that had piled up on his desk since his last partner demanded to
be placed
elsewhere. He was really in a mood and his long time partner, Purcell’s death was weighing heavily upon his mind. How he would love to get his hands on the person responsible. That would not happen for it was determined that his death was caused by some retard found with the knife, but had no idea where it came from. Cranford was sure he had no knowledge of the crime either but somebody wanted that case closed and closed is what it got.
“Conroy Cranford?"
The voice came unexpectedly out of nowhere, pulling him back to the present. Cranford slowly turned from where he was fixing himself a cup of coffee. The voice belonged to a man he had never seen before. He looked at him apprehensively.
“That’s me and who might you be?”
“Captain Davis told me I could find you back here. My name is Frank, Frank Dear, sir! I...I am your new partner.”
He could easily tell the new ones. They always bought a new suit for the job. Cranford had to admit though that this one had good taste. Looked like a real good suit, even if he did not personally like the tie…
oh well, hell, let’s get on with it.
“You call me dear?”
“No, sir!
My last name is
Dear
.
“Hmm.”
Cranford narrowed his eyes at the much younger man. Rookie was all he could see and it ticked him off that Davis would stick him with another young, wet behind the ears, rookie! After having Purcell for so long, how was he supposed to settle for such? He sighed deeply before taking the extended hand in his for the new
buddy
shake. Still wondering what was wrong with the way men used to shake hands, he thought such is life, as he silently thanked God this was his last year before retiring.
“Ok son, let’s set some boundaries right up front, so we get along and all. To me you are just a kid, but if you swear not to call me Conroy, I will not call you kid either. You are welcome to call me Cranford or some call me Roy. Either one will do. Another thing...you smoke?”
“Uh, yes sir! Sometimes I do, sir!”
“Drop the sir already, this is not the military and do not smoke around me. I am allergic. Got me?”
“Yes...uh,”
“That’s all, except...”
Cranford searched the young man's brown face. He felt a certain pity for him. He still remembered how innocent and enthused a person who was coming in a rookie, untarnished and unsoiled was, and he also remembered how the real truths chipped away at that innocence until the finished product was what he saw every day when he looked into a mirror. The reflection never lied and it never told secrets either. Yeah, there was pity.
“Shift starts at eight sharp so do not be late. I won’t wait, just so you know.”
“Yes, sir!”
Cranford could not help but smile as he walked away. He had a lot to learn, this new
guy
, but he looked like a bright, intelligent young man, so he should learn fast anyway. He would try hard not to run this one off. Making retirement would be so nice! This was his third partner since Purcell...poor Purcell...poor dead Purcell. Just like that, he was back in the past, remembering. Not wanting it to, he felt it sucking him in...Like a fan in reverse until he was reliving the horror of the evil which had taken Purcell's life and would have his too, if he was not careful.
He went back to his office and did due diligence on his new partner. He shook his head when he read that the man was twenty-nine and his honors through the academy were exemplary, though the last few years were a bit sketchy. Rookie hell, the
guy
was a bloody genius!
Cranford mused over the file for a while and after satisfying himself that the match may not be a bad one after all, he was actually thinking it was nice in one aspect to have a younger partner. They had more energy and they always wanted to please their superiors…well, at first anyway. He laughed, thinking about the last partner he ran off by his ridiculous demands. Maybe he would go a little easier on this one…
just need to make the year out…
The phone rang, startling him from his thoughts and answering it, he responded to the person on the other end with,
“Be right there!”
Another sore spot and reason for Cranford’s early retirement was he had been passed over again for the empty captain slot made available a few months earlier. It was the third time and another slap in his face, when the department brought yet another outsider in to fill the job that obviously he would never get.
Making his way to the boss’s office, he knocked on the door.
“Come on in! Cranford, thank you for coming promptly, we got a situation and I need your help out in the field. Do you remember a few months ago when there were several murders connected to the Abraham Cannon case?”
“Not likely to forget when all that happened.
I lost a partner remember?”
Cranford’s words, meant to be sarcastic
were ignored
, along with the resentment flashing in his eyes.
“Yes, Purcell was a fine officer and great loss to this department.”
The captain’s name was Gary Davis, but somewhere along the way, he picked up the nickname of Boots. He was a nice-looking man and extremely fit. He wished for more height but his five' ten" frame worked well enough for him.
He told Cranford to take a seat and asked him if he would like coffee. Cranford declined the coffee and took a seat. He felt uncomfortable. His gut feeling was that he was not going to like what was coming. He went over all the cases that had come in recently as he sat waiting while the Captain answered a phone call. After that, there was another interruption, which caused him to have to leave the room. Apologetically, he assured Cranford that he would be right back and left.
Cranford stood and stretched, then walked to the wall where there were several framed credentials and certificates hanging. When he had studied them extensively, he wandered around to the back of the desk looking at personal photos, which were sitting around. There was one of a pretty woman, probably the wife, and another of the same woman with two small kids. They have to be his. They both look just like him…he did not mean to meddle, but his eyes fell on the papers laying on the desk and without thinking about it, he read the memo on the top. Wishing he had not, he hurried back around the desk and sat back in his seat.
Calmer when the captain came back in full of apologies, Cranford forced a bit of a smile and patiently waited for the dreaded assignment, he knew he was about to get. When he left the room, it was with full disclosure of the project and he was sick to his stomach. Ignoring his protest, the Captain insisted he was the only one available that was capable of handling such a highly classified mission. Eight months left to go and sitting behind a desk would have been his preference.
Back in his office, he stood at his window and watched the cars dart in and out of the lanes. Five stories up and he could still hear the everyday noises of the concrete city. People yelling, whistles blowing and horns warning people to watch out, dominated the air. Maybe he would miss all the excitement when he retired and again, maybe not. At sixty, he had already given the force thirty years and that was after twelve years of serving in the military. Ever since the age of eighteen, he had worked in law enforcement. There never was a time he wanted to do anything else. Now he just did not want to do it anymore. He had seen too much, knew too much, to believe in the integrity of the system anymore.
There had been two marriages. The first one produced a son he never had a chance to see grow up. His ex-wife remarried and moved to the west coast. The second one lasted thirty-five years. Nancy…she certainly had been the better half where they were concerned. She never complained and was chipper no matter what. Even when they could not have children, she was the stronger of the two. Then after years of centering her life on him, she died from cancer. Wasting away, never blaming, and never giving up, until the very end when she asked him to let her go. She was tired and he loved her enough to do as she asked. He quit begging her to stay and she slipped away into that other world she so desperately believed came after death.
He indulged her in this belief although he was never convinced that there was anything after a person died. He went to church with Nancy and believed in God. He just was not sure about what came after death, but he sure hoped Nancy got her hereafter, for she truly deserved it.
A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts and realizing his brown eyes had grown misty with tears, he quickly dabbed at them before gruffly bellowing,
“Come on in!”
He studied the excited face of his new partner and whispered under his breath,
“God help us!”
29