I shot a glance at Val. “I’m not so sure we should go back,
Elizabeth
. It’s getting pretty scary in there.” I paused for a second. “Anyway, why is some guy in a gray suit sitting at your desk?”
Elizabeth
looked at Bob and then back at me. “He’s just a substitute. I decided to take the next couple days off,” she said. “I needed a break after our trip to
Baltimore
. I’ll be back to work on Monday.”
“I could use some vacation time too.” I leaned my head back on the cushions. “Though I do owe Archie a report on what we learned since our last radio conversation.”
Elizabeth
frowned at Bob, and Bob shook his head at her. “We’ll bring you to Ms. Blake’s where you two can rest a little bit,” he said. “Tonight at the meeting you can tell us what you learned.”
“Scott, you don’t owe them anything. They suspended your contract.” Val looked at Bob and Elizabeth. “Soul Identity didn’t protect us when we needed it the most.”
Bob and Elizabeth exchanged covert smiles.
I sighed. “What can you expect from this organization, anyway? They seem to be in it just for the money.”
Bob eyed me in the rear view mirror. “Does it seem that Soul Identity is just about the money?”
“To me it does,” I said. “Everybody talks about dollars and statistics instead of faith and convictions.” I shook my head. “I’ve been wondering if anybody here really knows what it means to have a soul line.”
He cocked his head to one side. “But you don’t believe in soul lines, do you?”
I needed to be careful here. “How can I possibly believe when the only exposure I’ve had has been with a bunch of hypocrites?” I upped my volume a notch. “Even Archie is happy that I’m not a believer. What does that say about his leadership?”
Val reached over and took my hand. “I hope I haven’t been a hypocrite to you.”
“No, Val, you haven’t been a hypocrite,” I said. “You’ve been a victim of this system, just like Bob.”
We sat silently for a minute. Then Val looked at Bob. “I do feel like a victim—I left my job and joined Soul Identity because I wanted to pay back the organization that helped me build the bridge to my soul line. But nobody even acknowledged my sacrifice.”
The limo was still idling in the parking lot of the gas station. Bob pulled a pamphlet out of his shirt pocket. It had been folded and refolded many times, leaving the creases worn and dirty. He held the pamphlet for a second then extended it toward us. “Scott, Val, I want to you read this little pamphlet,” he said. “It has changed my and
Elizabeth
’s lives.”
I took the pamphlet. “IT MEANS MORE THAN THEY ARE TELLING YOU” was written across the cover. The Soul Identity logo at the bottom had been modified: the top of the triangle was crumbled, and the eyes looked old and tired.
I opened the pamphlet. It started, “To Soul Identity members who deserve the whole story.”
I looked up. “Where did you get this, Bob?”
“In
Baltimore
,” he said. “Our church has a stack in their foyer. It really hit home for me.” He shifted into gear and pulled onto the road.
I read out loud, “When you joined Soul Identity, you made the most important decision of your current life. You chose to listen to your past, and you undertook the responsibility to guide your future.”
“So far so good,” I said.
Bob nodded. “Keep reading.”
“But if you’re an intelligent and enlightened member, you need more,” I read. “Your heart burns to know why your soul line exists. And once you know that answer, you need the truth about what you must do.”
“The truth?” Val asked.
“Just keep reading,” Bob said. “It explains everything.”
“You are not alone in your need,” I read. “Soul Identity has been hiding the truth from you. The truth you need to be complete. Without this truth, your soul line will die.”
“Why would they hide the truth from us?” I asked.
“They’re afraid,” Bob said.
I continued reading. “Is Soul Identity afraid of what would happen if we discovered the truth? They should be! They focus on your money, and not on your soul. And because of this, your soul is in peril. Shame on them.”
Val shifted on the couch. “I want to hear this truth.”
“You will, Val. Scott, keep reading,” Bob said.
I looked at him. “Does this describe you?”
“It describes how I was, Scott,” he said. “I now realize that I was enslaved by Soul Identity. They fed me scraps when I needed a feast. Once I learned the truth, I was able to throw off the chains that bound me.” He smiled at
Elizabeth
. “We are both charter members of the new order of Soul Identity.”
“The new order?” I asked. “George and Sue heard people talking about the new order in
Venice
. And we saw it on the Internet. Is this that same one?”
He smiled. “Yes, Scott. The new order will right the wrongs brought on by the leadership at Soul Identity, and leave us with an organization where only deserving members are rewarded.”
I held up the pamphlet. “And that’s explained in here?”
“It’s all there,” he said.
“Then I’ll keep reading.” I held the pamphlet so Val could also see, and we read through the next section together.
When we were done, I looked at Bob and Elizabeth. “That was interesting.”
“What did you think?”
Elizabeth
asked.
I raised my eyebrows. “It’s a lot to absorb at one sitting.” The pamphlet said soul lines only existed for people who believed in the truths that WorldWideSouls taught, the truths they claimed Soul Identity hid from its members. If you didn’t believe the truths, it was over: your soul line would die with you and never return. “Only those who believe get to the next level, right?” I asked.
Bob nodded.
The pamphlet went on to explain that those with long soul lines were heirs of refined souls. They were ready to hold high offices in the new order. Anyone at level three or above was eligible to be a leader in WorldWideSouls.
This must be what attracted Bob to the new order. I looked at him. “You must be very valuable to WorldWideSouls. Where are you, level eight?”
“You remember!” he said. “Yes, they were thrilled when I joined. In fact, I’ll be flying to
Venice
tomorrow night to be at the opening ceremonies on Saturday.” He glanced at
Elizabeth
. “You’re coming too, by the way. Mr. Feret just approved it.”
Elizabeth
giggled. “Oh, Bob darling, this is wonderful!” She reached out and stroked his hair. “My big, strong, powerful man.”
“Now, now,
Elizabeth
, we must act with dignity.” He stared in the mirror at me and Val. “So what do you say?” he asked. “Will you believe the truth?”
I looked at the final section. It was entitled “The Secret Truths.”
“Hold on—we need to read them,” I said.
Val pointed at the first. “Truth one: you have a very special soul,” she read. “You are alive today because this is either your first life, or because you accepted the truths in each of your past lives.” She looked up. “That’s pretty straightforward.”
Bob and Elizabeth nodded.
I read the next. “Truth two: your duty is to learn and accept the truths. There is no other way.” I frowned. “I’m not thrilled with this one.”
Bob nodded. “It was hard for me too, Scott. But there is only one way. All other paths will destroy your soul.”
Val cleared her throat. “Truth three: if you do accept the truths, you will be reborn, refined, and rewarded in your next life.” She looked at
Elizabeth
. “I like the rewards part.”
“Me too,”
Elizabeth
said.
I turned the page. “Truth four: your purpose in this life is two-fold: to bring the message of the truths to others, and to help your leaders weed out the unbelievers.” I glanced up front. “How do you weed them out, Bob?”
He looked at me in the mirror. “That’s not covered in this pamphlet, Scott. It’s only available to level three and up members.”
Special knowledge for special people like Bob.
“And here’s truth five,” Val said. “Your soul’s destiny is in your control. The truths give you the power to direct the outcome of your future lives.”
Elizabeth
smiled. “I like the last truth. Bob’s pastor said you can even choose who your parents, siblings, and spouse will be in your next life.”
“Amazing,” I said.
Elizabeth
nodded. “Isn’t it? I wanted us to get eternally married right then and there, but Bob says we need to save up for it.”
Bob cleared his throat. “
Elizabeth
, let’s keep our private lives just between believers, okay?”
She smiled back. “You’re right, Bob darling.”
As we pulled into the driveway, I said to Bob, “When we were driving to
Maryland
last week, you told Val and me that it didn’t matter what you believed, because you’d find out the truth when you reached heaven.”
He frowned. “I did say that, and I know now that I was wrong. I have grown so much over the past two days.”
I nodded. “It must feel good to find what you’ve been searching for.”
“I feel at peace,” he said.
I had heard this before. I raised my eyebrows. “Do you know you told me the same thing last week?”
Bob paused for a minute. “You are right, Scott. The evil ones medicated me with half truths.” He turned around in his seat and stared at me with wide eyes. “They almost succeeded in stealing my soul away from me. Could you imagine how happy they would have been to destroy a level eight, refined soul? But I was able to fight them off and find the true path.”
He reached over the partition and grabbed our hands. “Elizabeth and I want you and Val to be part of the new order,” he said. “Won’t you accept these truths with us?”
I sighed. “I’d love to, Bob, but I think today is not the day. We just flew in from
India
—we need some rest before we make any eternal decisions.”
Bob gave me a sad smile. “
Cras credemus, hodie nihil
.”
Even Bob was speaking Latin. “What’s that mean?” I asked.
“
Tomorrow we believe, but not today
.” He gripped our hands tightly. “Be careful, my friends. Don’t take too long to decide. Soon it will be too late.”
Val and I both promised to ponder on the truths.
I held up the pamphlet. “I’d like to review this.”
Bob hesitated before he answered. “Sure. But just for tonight. I’ll need it back tomorrow before my century party.”
We waved goodbye to Bob and Elizabeth and walked up to the house. “Don’t forget that we’re still bugged,” I whispered.
Val nodded. “I remember.”
We were bug-free
for the meeting, but not trouble-free.
Archie interrupted me about twenty minutes into the discussion. “Could you repeat that, Scott?” he asked. “I am afraid I have misunderstood what you mean.”
“Sure—I said we can’t win this fight,” I replied.
He frowned. “So I understood your meaning perfectly. But why do you think we cannot win?”
I was in a bit of a tight spot here, because only Val and I knew the script to our ruse. We were the only ones who knew that Bob and Elizabeth had joined WorldWideSouls, and just before the meeting we staged a conversation between ourselves, for the benefit of our bugs and their listeners. We discussed how we’d try to convince Archie’s group to join with WorldWideSouls. Now we sat in the meeting, in front of Bob and Elizabeth, acting out the rest of that script.
Even though I knew we were doing the right thing, I still felt like a jerk. Archie had brought me in to fight—not to tell him to quit.
Ann banged her fist on the table. “Can’t win? You’d better explain yourself right now, buster.”
I took a deep breath. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You hired me to figure out who was trying to destroy Soul Identity. And now we know—it’s Andre Feret and his WorldWideSouls organization.”
“Right,” Archie said. “Now we stop them.”
“Wrong—we can’t stop them,” I repeated. “We can’t even slow them down. They’re pulling our strings and watching us dance. And if we keep fighting, they’re going to completely destroy Soul Identity.”
“But if we don’t fight, they’re still going to destroy Soul Identity. What in tarnation is the difference?” Ann asked.
Val turned to me as we had planned. “Are you saying that WorldWideSouls won’t destroy Soul Identity if we work with them?” she asked.
Now to see if we could build credibility for Bob.
“Bob, what do you think?” I asked. “You and Elizabeth went down to
Baltimore
to find out more about them. Are they trying to drive us out of business?”
He shook his head. “WorldWideSouls wants to cleanse Soul Identity and focus it back on its fundamentals. Not destroy it.”
“What does cleanse mean, Bob?” Archie’s face was flushed.
Bob stared at Archie. “They want to remove any leader who hides the truth from our members,” he said.
“I didn’t know we had any hidden truths,” Ann said. “Son, what truths are you talking about?”
Bob opened his mouth. I held my breath, but
Elizabeth
cut him off. “We’re not sure, Mom. The pastor didn’t say.” She squeezed Bob’s arm. “Isn’t that right, Bob sweetie?”
Bob smiled at her. “That’s right,
Elizabeth
.” He shot a brief glance at Val and me.
“Archie, I think WorldWideSouls will crush us in a head-on fight,” I said. “But if we work with them, we have a chance of survival.”
“Why do you think they’ll crush us?” Val asked.
I had been waiting for her to ask me that question.
“They’ve been ahead of us every step of the way,” I said. “Val and I are alive because we were lucky when they blew up the guesthouse.
Berry
and Madame Flora too—they got off
Kent
Island
just in time. We’ve survived each stage through luck, and now I think we’ve run out of it.”
“Why’s that?” Ann asked.
I sighed. “Like I already said. They booted Val and me out today. You have nobody on the inside of the systems any more. Feret controls the new security, and his altered match program is still in effect.”
“So what do you suggest?” Ann asked.
“That we negotiate with WorldWideSouls and see what they want,” I said.
Nobody was smiling, and I couldn’t really blame then. I wouldn’t like the plan either.
“I will never, ever give in to these people.” Archie was shouting. “I will never, ever negotiate with WorldWideSouls.”
I crossed my arms. “Then everything in which you believe will die.”
“Hold on a second,” Val said. She turned to me. “That’s it? You want to quit? Just give up?”
“No,” I said. “I want to survive. We need to live to fight another day.” It was time for my dramatic pause. “Unless…” I let my voice trail off.
“Unless what?” Val asked after a few seconds of silence.
I shook my head. “Forget it. It’s too risky.”
“I would like to hear what you were about to suggest, Scott,” Archie said.
I shook my head again. “It was just a dumb idea.”
Ann cut in. “Damn it, son, spit it out already.”
“Okay—we could infiltrate.” I looked at Bob. “We could find out what Feret and WorldWideSouls are up to. We may even feed them some disinformation. And maybe, just maybe, we’d start to get the upper hand on these guys.”
“Infiltrate?” Madame Flora asked.
I nodded. “Bob and Elizabeth could pretend to join WorldWideSouls. They have already established a relationship in
Baltimore
, and WorldWideSouls would welcome two insiders.”
As expected, Bob acted surprised at the suggestion. I just hoped he was smart enough to play along.
“Would it be dangerous?” he asked. “I’d do anything for Soul Identity, but I’d hate to put
Elizabeth
at risk.”
“Speak for yourself, Bob darling,”
Elizabeth
said. “I’m in, Scott—just tell me what to do.”
Bob and Elizabeth reacted better than I expected.
“If you and Bob were to join WorldWideSouls, you might be able to find out what Feret has planned for tomorrow,” I said. “You may even get them to send you to
Venice
.” I shook my head. “But it’s risky, and it’s a long shot.”
“But it is the best idea we have.” Archie gave me a stern look. “A lot better than negotiating with those people.” He turned to Bob and Elizabeth. “Are you two willing to take on this dangerous assignment?”
Elizabeth
nodded at Bob.
Bob cleared his throat. “Yes, Mr. Morgan, we’d be happy to do it for you.”
“Thank you, Bob,” Archie said. “I knew I could count on you.”
Now to get them going. I stood up. “They need to start right away,” I said. “It’s already late, and they must try to find out what WorldWideSouls is attempting to do tomorrow.”
“Scott is right, Bob,” Archie said. “Talk to Mr. Feret tonight if you can.”
The two stood up.
Elizabeth
gave her mother a hug, and they walked toward the door.
Now I had to get them going. I stood up and said, “Bob, I left some papers in the limo. Let me come with you and get them before you take off.”
On the way to the limo, I snuck Val’s yellow pouch and a small tube of glue out of my pocket. “What do you think of my idea?” I asked Bob.
He grinned. “You were brilliant, Scott. You solved my biggest problem. Now I don’t need to explain my attendance at WorldWideSouls events, or my meetings with Mr. Feret.”
“Yeah, well, don’t forget about Val and me. We’re sacrificing here to get you two out.” I tried to sound worried. “Let me find those papers.” I climbed in the back and pretended to search. When Bob and Elizabeth climbed in, I reached through the partition and held out my hand. “Good luck, you two.”
While Bob shook my hand, I dropped the transmitter down behind the driver’s seat and stuck the bug to the back of his headrest. This was close enough to keep them on the air for the rest of the evening.
Bob and Elizabeth drove off, and I hurried back to the meeting. I saw Val typing on my laptop while the rest of the team sat silently.
Val nodded at me.
I cleared my throat. “I just bugged Bob and Elizabeth,” I said, “and Val is accessing Soul Identity security to listen in on what they’re saying.”
“You bugged my daughter?” Ann asked.
“I did, and it will all make sense shortly.” I looked at Val. “Turn up the volume.”
We heard Bob and Elizabeth laughing.
Elizabeth
spoke first. “Bob darling, you were so strong in that meeting. I am so proud of you.”
“This is sick,” Ann said.
Then Bob answered, “I’m doing it for us, my love.” He laughed. “This worked out better than we could have hoped for. Now nobody will question why we’re spending our time with WorldWideSouls.”
“You are so smart, Bob darling. WorldWideSouls is lucky to get you.”
There was silence for a minute. Then Bob said, “I’m going to call Mr. Feret right now and tell him the good news.”
We waited for a minute. Then we heard, “Hello, Mr. Feret. This is Bob… No, there’s no problem. You’ll never guess what happened, sir, at the meeting tonight.”
A pause, and then Bob said, “No, they don’t know anything new. Your plan is working. I told them they should give up, but Mr. Morgan didn’t agree.” He laughed. “So I suggested that they make us spies!”
I nudged Val. “He just stole my lines. The nerve of him!”
After a couple of yes sirs, Bob said, “We’ll be at the reception hall in ten minutes, sir. See you then.”
“What did he say?”
Elizabeth
asked.
“Great job to both of us,” Bob said. “And that we need to make final preparations for tomorrow.”
“Bob darling,” we heard
Elizabeth
say, “don’t you feel weird using your century party as the place where it will happen?”
“Not at all. It is a privilege and an honor for Mr. Feret to start the new order at my party.”
“Will it be dangerous?” We could hear the fear in
Elizabeth
’s voice. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you, Bob my love.”
“Now, now,
Elizabeth
. Remember Mr. Feret told both of us that we must be ready to risk it all for the truths.”
We heard
Elizabeth
sigh. “Yes, and we know the price of curing Soul Identity is very high. Do you think we could get eternally married tomorrow morning? Just in case?”
There was dead silence on the end as we looked at each other around the table.
“Did we lose them?”
Berry
asked.
“I think Bob’s trying to field a curve ball,” I said.
Finally Bob answered. “Ah,
Elizabeth
, I’ve been meaning to tell you something. We can’t afford an eternal marriage.”
“Why not, Bob darling? Mr. Feret paid you a big signing bonus when we joined WorldWideSouls. How much does it cost, anyway?”
“Fifty thousand. Mr. Feret only gave me twenty-five.” Bob’s voice was glum. “Not nearly enough. We’ll have to wait until after
Venice
, when we’ll have the other two hundred.”
Silence for a minute, and we all looked at each other. Then
Elizabeth
’s voice came on strong. “Bob darling, you are a very powerful level eight member. You will be a centuriat tomorrow, their prized possession. WorldWideSouls owes you this. Get on that phone again and tell Mr. Feret to grant us an eternal marriage first thing tomorrow morning.”
“But I—”
“No buts about it. Do it now.” Her voice went from sharp to sweet. “Bob my love, show me how powerful and important you really are.”
A long pause. “Hello, Mr. Feret, it’s Bob again…No, everything is fine. Hey,
Elizabeth
wanted me to ask you if we could be eternally married tomorrow morning. With all the danger that we’ll be going through, she thought it was a good idea.”
Another pause. Then Bob said, “That’s what I told her, sir. But she’s rather insistent. You know how they care about these kinds of things.”
Bob paused again. Then we heard him laugh. “You will? Thank you, sir. That’s really good news. Yes, I’ll tell her. Thank you again, sir.”
“Is he going to do it?”
Elizabeth
asked.
“I was just about to tell him that he had to do it, or I’d quit,” Bob said. “But he saved himself by agreeing to do it at eight tomorrow morning, after the planning breakfast.”
“Oh, Bob darling, you are the best,”
Elizabeth
said.
Val turned down the volume on the computer. “I think everybody has heard enough,” she said. “I’m recording the rest.”
Silence in the room.
“How did you know?” Ann finally asked.
Val answered. “We hacked the WorldWideSouls Web site and found their names in the membership lists.”
Ann shook her head. “Why would they do it?”
“It’s not just them,” I said. “Archie, we also found Brian in the lists—and you may want to go easy on the coffee and bran muffins. We think he’s sedating you.”
Archie’s face fell. “After his trip to
Venice
I was expecting to learn of Brian’s betrayal, but it still hurts to find out I have been played the fool.”
“We’re both fools.” Ann’s voice was sharp. “My own daughter and her brand new fiancé tried to trick us.”