Something Bad, page 30
“Yeah. That’s part of it. But the farm’s fine.” He felt the growing insignificance of his dreams. “It should work itself out this weekend.”
After Wanna went to bed, Gabe mentally regurgitated every part of his plan, once again measuring all possible outcomes. He needed to be in motion so he paced a circular path around the floor while his mind kept pace, lap for lap. He didn’t go to bed until two-thirty—about the same time Cory Dean awoke crying for the third time. Which of the two men in the house was in the most pain was difficult to judge.
There was one other person in the Tri-counties who collected less sleep than Gabe, and that was Reverend Sather. With what Wes had told him, he was desperate to find out what was troubling Gabe.
CHAPTER
54
GABE PULLED INTO the Herndon’s Edge parking lot at eleven fifteen. He was glad to have his old, familiar truck back, despite the pain of operating the clutch. The swelling in his knee was coming down, and with it, the discomfort was subsiding. The brace limited his mobility, but stabilized the knee so he could walk with a cane instead of the demon crutches.
Gabe blinked at the bright sky. It was clear in all directions, all the way to the horizon. He pushed through the door of the Edge and scanned the bar and booths. Reverend Sather was seated in a booth by the front window, far from any regulars at the bar. Gabe called out a generic greeting and made his way to the booth and a smiling Reverend Sather.
“Good morning, Gabe. I’m glad to see you’re getting around better. I heard about your altercation. Those people will be dealt with sooner or later.” He motioned for Gabe to sit across from him.
“I’m glad about it myself,” Gabe said as he lowered himself into the booth. “The crutches were hurting my armpits so bad the knee pain was nothing. You hungry? I’m buying.”
Reverend Sather gave a “thank-you” nod. “Don’t mind if I do. I’ll have the special.”
Gabe motioned to the waitress, who was halfway to the booth. “Two specials, please.” She was nothing like Deena Lee. About ten years older and at least thirty pounds heavier. But she had a friendly smile. Gabe’s eyes followed her retreat behind the counter. Reverend Sather brought him back to the booth.
“Gabe, what is it that’s bothering you about the baptism ceremony?”
Gabe didn’t make eye contact. “How’ve things been going for you, Reverend? Any strange stuff happening around your place?”
Reverend Sather frowned. “Nothing strange has been happening to me. What kind of things are you talking about?”
Gabe peered out the window. It was still clear. “How’s the missus? She still teaching that pre-school Sunday School class before service?”
Reverend Sather leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “She’s fine. Yes, she’s got about seven young ones who show up regularly. She really likes the little ones. We’ve been trying to have one of our own, but we haven’t succeeded yet. Because of that, she really dotes on them. Thank you for asking after her.” He leaned a little farther forward. “Now, what was it you wanted to do for the baptism?”
Gabe looked outside again. The sun beat in through the window without a hint of fog. “I can’t go into all I want to do right now. There are some things I’d like, so I wrote them down.” He slid a sealed envelope across the table to the Reverend. “Take a look at this later, when you go home. But I have to ask an important favor.” His look turned serious. “If there’s a fog outside, don’t open the letter until the fog’s gone. After you read it, burn it up. And don’t discuss it with the Missus if there’s a fog. Make sure the sky’s clear first. Can you do that?”
Reverend Sather looked out the window, then back at Gabe. “Gabe, is everything all right with you?”
Gabe looked at his watch. The minute hand clicked from eleven twenty-nine to eleven-thirty and he stiffened as a rolling mist surrounded the café—the bright light in the booth dimmed as the sun was eclipsed. Gabe watched Reverend Sather sit hard against the booth back.
Gabe paused as the waitress placed overflowing plates of food in front of the two of them, and he nodded his thanks. And waited for her to leave.
Reverend Sather looked outside again. “Gabe, what’s going on here? What’s with the fogs? Is there something I should know?”
Gabe noticed a hitch in the Reverend’s voice. But he couldn’t explain right now. He had a job to do. “Well, Reverend, I was thinking about how Deena Lee hasn’t been baptized, and how she really wants to be. You think you can give her a dunking at the same time as Cory Dean? It’d be a real treat to her. I know she’s talked to you about it, but I don’t think we ever discussed how to do it. Can you do them both at the same time?”
Reverend Sather looked out again at the dim grayness that was a brightly lit day only moments before. He seemed confused. “Umm … what?” He shook hid head a little as if he were trying to clear out some thoughts that didn’t belong there. “Umm … yes. I can do both Deena Lee and Cory Dean at the same time. Is that what you brought me here to ask?”
Gabe remained cheerful. “I wanted to make sure we worked out the change in the ceremony so it was special to both of them. Can you do Cory Dean first? You can read all the scriptures and say all the words together, but I want Cory Dean dunked first. That okay?”
Reverend Sather ignored the fog. “We don’t dunk anyone. I thought you knew that. We just pour some water over their foreheads.”
“It’s just a figure of speech. I was at Teddy Jr.’s baptism, so I know how it goes.”
The Reverend dug his fork into the mound of food on his plate, causing some to spill from the edge onto the table. The fork didn’t leave the plate. “Well then, yes. I can dunk Cory Dean first. Is there anything else you want said?”
Gabe paused while he swallowed. Teddy was in good form with the special. “Can you say something about how wonderful it is for a normal baptism, but since this one’s for a baby and his momma, it makes the ceremony extra special? Makes it an incredibly special day.”
The Reverend’s grin lasted only a moment. “I can work that thought in almost as you said it. It’s really a special day for your family, and for the community. It’ll be a beautiful addition. Is there anything else you want changed?”
Gabe slid his hand over toward the Reverend, keeping it on the table. He slowly extended his index finger to point at the envelope the Reverend had shoved into his left jacket pocket. He frowned and gave a slight nod toward the envelope. Without saying a word, he pulled his hand back and dug deep into the food on his plate. When he had a mouthful, he gave a wide grin to the Reverend.
Reverend Sather finished a bite and stared at Gabe. He hesitated, than spoke. “Wes told me you were acting kind of strange lately. Please tell me if there’s anything I can do to help. Are you in some kind of trouble?” He looked out at the fog again.
Gabe glanced out the window and then back. “Everything’s okay. I got some tax stuff to work out, but it’s nothing. I just got a lot on my mind lately, with the baby and all.”
Reverend Sather filled his fork. “What kind of tax problems are you having? You in danger of losing your farm? I have some contacts who can help with that sort of thing. And I’m sure our neighbors will help out.”
Gabe leaned back. “Naw. The farm’s in good shape. No problem there.” He reflected on his good fortune with the land. His financial health was second only to Wes Worthing’s. “It’s more of an aggravation than a threat. It’s just come at a bad time for me. It didn’t help that I got jumped by those Rother fellows. Thanks for the offer, but I’ll get it all cleared up in the next few days.” Gabe returned his attention to his plate of food. His next revelation was more for himself than for the Reverend. “I know I ain’t been myself lately, but it’ll all change soon enough.”
For the next fifteen minutes, Gabe and the Reverend engaged in small talk about their families and the Tri-counties as Gabe cleared his plate of any traces of Teddy’s special. The Reverend managed to down a few bites, but he mostly redistributed the piles of food on his plate.
Gabe slipped a few bills under his plate and stood to leave. He extended his huge hand to the Reverend, who returned the handshake with vigor. “Thank you for hearing me out on the ceremony. I appreciate your willingness to change it a little.” He slid his eyes down to the envelope projecting from the Reverend’s coat pocket and then smiled. “I’ll be in touch again about it to make sure we’re on the same page.”
Reverend Sather watched Gabe walk to his truck and start it up. He thought he detected an increase in the light level. As Gabe drove away, the sky cleared to a bright blue, and the Reverend had to squint to follow the pickup down the road. The fog bank moved along with the truck.
The reverend’s hand shook as he pulled the envelope from his pocket and laid it flat on the table. He turned it over. There was writing on the sealing flap, so small he had to bend his head close to read it. “Don’t open if there’s a fog around. Burn this after you read it.”
Leaning over so his forehead nearly touched the window, he looked in all directions—no fog. He sat back, slid his finger under the envelope flap, and slowly pulled out the letter. He squinted at the handwritten message.
He re-folded the letter and returned it to the envelope, bent the envelope in the middle, and pushed it into his pocket. He would burn it as soon as he got home. His thoughts turned to Gabe. Must be in some kind of trouble, he thought. But now, he had second thoughts about getting involved.
CHAPTER
55
THE NIGHT BEFORE the baptism, Gabe’s dream returned in its entirety. Once again, he sensed the old Gabe, the good Gabe, was being pushed further and further into insignificance by the new Gabe. His inability to change the dream, or end it, triggered a burgeoning panic and he bolted upright in his bed, his bedclothes soaked in sweat. To keep from waking Deena Lee, he deliberately swung out of bed and retired to the living room where he half-reclined on the couch, both waiting for and dreading the break of day. It was Sunday, the day of the greatest battle of his life.
Thibideaux paced in the great room of the rectory. He found the impending procurement both invigorating and stressful. This time, however, his planning extended beyond the immediate business with Deena Lee’s child. He had begun to formulate plans for the acquisition of his secondary target in Boyston, the Child of Special Circumstance—Gabe and Wanna’s baby.
This would be his seventy-ninth CSC procurement—he had seventy-seven successes with only one failure. Was that a record for the Organization? He knew he was one of the oldest Recruiters in North America. After all, he was born in 1784 and had begun serving the Organization upon completion of his training and internships in 1801. Long ago, he had lost count of his successful acquisitions of primary targets. How many of his seventy-seven CSCs ended up as Councillors, and how many made it to the Provost level?
He loved the prospect of procuring a CSC, and actually envisioned himself as a former CSC. He rationalized his low level in the Organization as due to his physical appearance, which was well outside of the normal limits of the ideal phenotype. How else could he be allowed to go into the field with such severe physical limitations unless he was a CSC? And, how could his special powers be explained? He knew, early on in his training, that his abilities were well in excess of those of his fellow trainees. On more than one occasion, he was able to shock the Councillors with his powers. He remembered, with pride, how he was allowed to give a demonstration of his abilities to a panel of Provosts on his sixteenth birthday. That led to his early graduation and his first internship. One more time he would repay the Organization with a CSC dividend, for supporting him despite his physical shortcomings.
As the sun topped the horizon to the East, the two generals independently prepared for battle. Both checked and re-checked their plans to make sure no detail was left dangling—no flank was left exposed. Time was now listed among the enemies for the two. For one, it moved way too slow. For the other, it passed much too quickly.
CHAPTER
56
GABE FIDGETED IN the pew. The service passed in an instant and the hymns were sung in double time. He hadn’t heard a word of Reverend Sather’s sermon—it seemed like the words were strung together in a quickened gibberish.
Before Gabe knew it, Reverend Sather announced to the congregation that the baptism of Cory Dean and Deena Lee Petersen would take place immediately following the benediction, and that all were invited to remain for the special occasion. Gabe’s mind searched for comfort.
The organ music brought his full attention back to the church, and a single drop of perspiration released from his forehead and streamed to the bridge of his nose. He yawned, bowed his head, wiped the drip, and looked around to see if anyone noticed. The church was full, everyone’s eyes were on Reverend Sather.
Gabe noticed a familiar, small figure slip into the church and stand in the back, along the wall to the right.
Reverend Sather walked to the baptismal fount, on the extreme right of the altar, and invited Gabe, Deena Lee, Cory Dean, and Cory Dean’s godparents, Teddy and Rachel Rosewald, to join him. They surrounded the fount in a semi-circle, facing the congregation.
Gabe looked to the back of the church. Thibideaux slowly paced back-and-forth, three shuffling steps in each direction. His hands hung straight at his sides, but his fingers were in constant motion, flexing and extending in unison. His gaze was fixed on the altar and had the intensity of a lioness in the final stalk of prey.
Reverend Sather took out a hymnal and addressed the congregation. “Please turn to hymn number thirty-six in your hymnal and join us in singing, “Jesus Loves Me.”
The congregation erupted in song, and Gabe looked back at Thibideaux again. The little man scanned the altar, and Gabe imagined him verifying the layout, planning his abduction.
At the conclusion of the song, Reverend Sather exchanged the hymnal for a Bible, and opened it to a page marked by a red ribbon. “Mark 10: 13-16 says, And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, ‘Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter at all.’ And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands upon them.”
With the reading of the scripture, Gabe felt a sense of clarity sweep over him. He was always uplifted by his worship, but this sensation was different. The feelings of insignificance and hopelessness were easing with the return of self-control. In contrast to the preceding church service, Gabe not only heard every word Reverend Sather said, he focused on them, savoring their meaning. In a way, this was more than a double-baptism. Gabe felt like he was being cleansed and re-dedicated as well.
Reverend Sather placed the Bible down on the fount and bowed his head. “Dearly beloved, the family is a divine institution ordained of God from the beginning of time. Children are a heritage of the Lord committed by Him to their parents for care, protection, and training in His glory. It is important that all parents recognize this sacred obligation and their responsibility to God in this matter.”
CHAPTER
57
THIBIDEAUX LISTENED TO the words of the Reverend, and he was struck by how they all made sense, as long as he substituted “the Organization” for every reference to “God” or “family.” Then, he broke his concentration on the ceremony and visually homed in on a statuette of John the Baptist placed in a small alcove above the baptismal fount. He mentally rehearsed his plan. He would create a small temblor throughout the church—just enough to steal the attention of the congregation and create a sense of confusion. The statuette would rock with the motion. As Deena Lee presented Cory Dean to Teddy and Rachel, the statuette would fall on Deena Lee, and the procurement would be on. He was ready to unleash the plan as soon as Cory Dean was clear of Deena Lee’s arms.
Reverend Sather looked up at the congregation and smiled. “These parents, recognizing the sacredness of their charge, now bring back to the Lord the treasure which He has entrusted to them. In so doing, they publicly acknowledge their responsibility for the nurture and admonition of this child in the ways of righteousness and godliness.”
Thibideaux’s hands twitched uncontrollably now, and he slightly hunched at the shoulders. He was pure sinew and muscle, ready to pounce on his prey. He felt the rush of adrenaline, and he relished it. He had memorized every part of the ceremony when he had attended Teddy Jr.’s baptism. It was time for his prize. His focus was jarred when Reverend Sather walked around to the center of the altar and addressed the congregation.
“Gabe and Deena Lee want to add to the joy of this special occasion by inviting members of the congregation to participate.”
Thibideaux took two steps toward the altar before he realized what he was doing. Something wasn’t right; there was no way he could do anything until he saw what the Reverend was going to do.
Reverend Sather continued. “Since this is a special event for the children, Gabe would like to invite the young children to participate in the ceremony. Would all of the children in the pre-school Sunday School class please come forward?”
Thibideaux felt a wave of panic sweep over his body. What was Gabe up to?
“And I would like to invite some of the older children up as well.”
As seven members of Mrs. Sather’s Sunday School class and six other children came forward, Gabe directed them to surround the fount, with Deena Lee, Cory Dean, and the Rosewalds within the circle. The three youngest children were positioned close to Deena Lee. As the circle formed, Reverend Sather entered it and proceeded with the ceremony.
