Samantha raised her hand and was immediately acknowledged by Kenneth.
“I would like to know what prompted this sudden need to appoint a permanent pastor,” Samantha said calmly. “It was my understanding that I would be given ample time to demonstrate to this body and the congregation at large that I am fully capable of serving in that position on a permanent basis. Is one month the trustees' idea of âample time'?”
No one spoke as Samantha waited patiently to see who would lead the charge. Finally, Percy leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the table. “Pastor Cleaveland,” he said, clearing his throat. “This is in no way a reflection on how we feel about your leadership during this trying time. I think I speak for us all when I say under the circumstances we feel you have done an amazing job in holding the congregation together and keeping the vision of Pastor Cleaveland alive and on track.”
“Then what is this all about?” Samantha asked. This was punctuated by a flick of her French-tipped nail on the table.
Kenneth stepped in. “It's just some of us feel we may have not fully factored in your feelings when we placed you in the position. We . . . I mean I feel we may have acted too hastily, and selfishly, I might add. You just lost your husband, the center of your life. Reverend Pryce is willing to step in and give you the time you and Jasmine need toâ”
“Reverend Davis, I am very aware that I just lost my husband,” Samantha interrupted, “but contrary to popular belief, he was not the center of my life. God is the center of my life, as I hope He is yours. I loved my husband, but I also love New Testament Cathedral. I helped found this church when it was in a storefront on Imperial Highway. Before any of you ever heard of the Cleavelands or the Cleavelands had ever heard of any of you.” Samantha leaned into the table. Her tone became firmer, and the words came more rapidly as she spoke. “Hezekiah and I built this ministry from the ground up, and now you think just because he's gone, you can snatch it from under my feet.”
“Now hold on, Reverend Cleaveland,” Percy said, jumping in and gesturing with both hands. “No one is trying to snatch New Testament away from you. We all recognize the significant contributions you have made to this church, and we all appreciate everything you've done to make New Testament what it is today. We're only thinking about what's best for you. That's all. This is not an indictment against you.”
“You
appreciate
my contributions,” Samantha said snidely. “I don't need your appreciation, Percy. It means nothing to me. Let me ask you something. How many millions of dollars have you brought into the ministry this year? How many new members have you brought into the church?”
Percy stiffened his back and said, “This isn't about money. It's about doing what's right by you. Hezekiah would have wanted us to look out for you, and by placing you in this position prematurely, we have failed him. You can wait a few years, can't you? Give it time, Samantha. You need time to heal.”
“Let's be honest, Percy. This isn't about me at all. It's about you, isn't it? Did your wife put you up to this?” Samantha said, looking him directly in the eye. “Because let's face it, you don't have the guts to come up with a ridiculous plan like this on your own. Hezekiah always said you were a small-minded, weak little man, and I see now that he was right.”
“That's uncalled for, Samantha,” Kenneth interjected. “Please, I know this is a difficult conversation for us to have, but let's at least try to be civil with each other.”
“Civil? You expect me to be civil when you jackals have plotted behind my back to steal my church. Well, let me say to you all, if you think you're going to pat me on the head and brush me aside, you are sadly mistaken.”
Kenneth cleared his throat and said gently, “I'm afraid we do have the authority, Samantha. According to church bylaws section IIA, it is the responsibility of this body to select the pastor.”
Kenneth reached for the single piece of paper in front of him and read it aloud. “A pastor shall be chosen and called whenever a vacancy occurs. A Pastor's Selection Committee shall be appointed by the churchâthat's usâto seek out a suitable pastor. The pastor's election shall take place at a meeting called for that purpose. That's this meeting. The pastorâfor the time being, that's you, Samanthaâshall be an ex officio member of all church standing committees, except the Pastor's Selection Committee.”
Kenneth returned the paper to the table and said, “Because you are the interim pastor of New Testament Cathedral at the time this agenda item will be called to a vote, you will, unfortunately, not be allowed to vote on this matter.”
“May I speak?” Scarlett said loudly.
Kenneth leaned back, relieved that someone else had entered the fray. “Please, Sister Shackelford, go ahead. You have the floor.”
Scarlett spun her chair to face Samantha and said, “I'm not basing my vote on you or your feelings. I actually don't think you need time to heal. Do you know why? Because I think you're relieved that he's gone.”
“Sister Shackelford!” Kenneth shouted.
“Let me finish,” Scarlett said deliberately. “My decision is based on the fact that I don't think you are fit to be pastor. You are an evil woman who has demonstrated over the years that you are more than willing to destroy anyone and anything that stands between you and whatever it is you want at the time. New Testament Cathedral deserves better than that. God deserves better, and I know I deserve better. I'm ready to call this to a vote.”
With her final words Scarlett spun her chair back to its original position. Samantha sat stunned and speechless.
Kenneth held his breath, waiting for Samantha to respond, but she remained silent. Kenneth then leaned forward and said, “We haven't heard from everyone. Mother Williams, do you have anything to add before we call for a vote?”
Hattie remembered the vision she saw in her garden of Samantha standing in the pulpit with thousands of lost souls standing at her feet, crying and raising their hands to the heavens. She clutched the handle of her cane and simply said, “I have nothing to add. I'm ready for the vote.”
“Very well then,” Kenneth said, reaching for the index cards and pens. “Please write your choice for pastor of New Testament Cathedral on these cards. Fold your card in half and pass it back to me when you're ready.”
“May I ask a question before we vote?” Samantha said calmly.
“The discussion is over,” Scarlett said. “Let's vote please.”
“Hold on, Scarlett. Let her speak. Go ahead, Samantha. You have the floor,” Kenneth said, leaning back in his chair.
Samantha looked to Percy and said, “Reverend Pryce?”
“Yes?” he said suspiciously.
“Do you know someone named Lance Savage?”
Kenneth jerked forward in his chair and lunged toward the tape recorder. He quickly pressed the STOP button and, in doing so, knocked over his glass of water.
“Oh God, I'm sorry,” he blurted out. Water splattered down the center of the table, soaking the single white paper and forming a puddle around the tape recorder. Kenneth jumped from his seat and ran to the console for the cloth napkins. When he returned, the water had begun to drip onto his chair. Kenneth dabbed and blotted the table, the chair, and around the base of the tape recorder until much of the spill had been absorbed.
Samantha watched him curiously and noted the unexpected reaction to the name Lance Savage.
I'm so sorry, everyone,” Kenneth said with a shaky voice. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident. I'm . . . I'm sorry.”
Percy retrieved more napkins from the console and wiped the remaining drops of water while coolly saying, “It's all right, Reverend Davis. Calm down. It was just a little accident. Calm down.”
Kenneth sank back into the damp leather chair and said through labored breaths, “Samantha, I don't see what that has to do with the matter on the table.”
Samantha returned her gaze to Percy. “Answer my question, Reverend Pryce. Do you know Lance Savage?”
Percy looked helplessly to Kenneth and then back to Samantha and said, “No . . . I don't believe I know anyone by that name.”
“From Kenneth's reaction I think you do.”
“You're stalling, Samantha. What does this have to do with anything?” Scarlett said impatiently.
“To be perfectly honest, Scarlett, I'm not sure. But I'm curious. You see, my assistant gives me a monthly report on the church telephone records. I like to know if anyone is making any unauthorized calls. We had a problem with that a few years ago. You remember that, don't you, Mother Williams? Anyway, in doing so,” Samantha continued methodically, “she noticed two calls were made to a Lance Savage.”
Samantha looked around the room and said, “Did I forget to mention Mr. Savage was the
Los Angeles Chronicle
reporter who was found murdered in his home on the canals in Venice.”
She then looked back to Percy and said, “The calls were made from your extension to his cell phone and home. And, ironically, they were made on the very same day that he was murdered. Quite a coincidence, don't you think? I've been meaning to ask you why you called him, but I've been so busy burying my husband and running the church.”
There was silence in the room. All eyes were now on Percy. Kenneth sat stiff in his seat. The remnants of the spilled water soaked the seat of his pants. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, and his heart pounded in his chest.
“Looks like you might not remember right now. That's okay, though, because you see, if I'm not going to be pastor any longer, I'll have plenty of time on my hands to solve little mysteries like this.” Samantha leaned back in her chair and said with a smile, “All righty then, Reverend Davis, I think I have my answer. Now, let's get on with that vote.”
Kenneth's hand shook as he passed the cards and pens to Hattie, Scarlett, and Percy. He kept one for himself. He used a dry napkin to wipe the sweat from his brow, only to have it be replaced by even more.
Scarlett was the first to hand back her folded card. Hattie was next. Percy's hand rested on the table, with the tip of the pen suspended only centimeters above the card. Scarlett, Hattie, and Samantha watched him as the pen finally began to glide along the surface of the card. He stopped and started several times before he finished. He then opened his fingers slightly, and the pen dropped to the table with a thud that echoed off the walls of the conference room.
Percy stared at the card without moving. All he could think of was his wife's final words as he left their condo for the meeting. “Call me as soon as it's over,” she'd said, brushing imaginary lint from his lapel at the door. “And, Percy,” she'd added, “don't screw this up.”
Samantha leaned toward the table and said, “Fold your car, Reverend Pryce, and hand it back to Reverend Davis.”
Kenneth's card was soggy from the droplets of water that remained on the table in front of him. He was the last to fold his card and add it to the stack of four.
“Thank you, everyone,” Kenneth said nervously. “Here we go.”
“Wait a minute, Reverend Davis,” Samantha said calmly.
“Yes, Pastor Cleaveland?” Kenneth said humbly.
“I think it might be a good idea if you turned the recorder back on, for the record.”
“Of course . . . yes, of course. I'm sorry. I forgot.”
“No need to apologize, again,” Samantha said.
Kenneth reached forward and pressed the RECORD button. “Okay, where was I?”
Kenneth opened the first card and read out the name written on it. “Samantha Cleaveland.”
He opened the second card and said, “Samantha Cleaveland.”
Scarlett looked bewildered and betrayed. The numbing effects of the medication began to wear off rapidly with the reading of each card.
Kenneth unfolded the third card and let out a gush of air. “Percy Pryce,” he said with a hint of disappointment.
The last card seemed to levitate above the table in front of him. He reached for it, hesitated halfway, and then picked it up. He looked around the room at each person. Scarlett looked at him with a longing glare. Hattie's eyes were closed. She still clutched the head of her cane. Percy's eyes were closed, as well.
Samantha looked at him with the cold, clenched eyes of a woman who was about to lose everything.
Kenneth opened the final card and read it. “Samantha Cleaveland,” he said, dropping the card to the table. He then closed his eyes and released a puff of air. “Let the record show that Samantha Cleaveland is as of this day the permanent pastor of New Testament Cathedral. Congratulations, Pastor Cleaveland.” Kenneth slapped the table with his open palm and said, “This meeting is adjourned.”
Samantha stood immediately and walked over to Kenneth. She reached over his shoulder and pressed the
EJECT
button on the tape recorder, and the little cassette popped up.