“I was never mad at you,” Jeremiah said.
“Liar.”
Liam finished with his calls and walked back over to crouch down next to Mark. “Since you’re feeling so chatty, why don’t you tell us what happened?”
“I saw a biker have a blowout. I stopped to see if he was okay. He asked me if I could call a tow company. I went to get my phone and he must have hit me. When I came to he had stolen my car I guess. Wait until I get my hands on him.”
“No need to worry about that.”
“We have to find my car.”
“We found it,” Liam said.
“Did he mess it up? Did you find him?” Mark asked.
Liam looked up first at Jeremiah and then at Cindy. He cleared his throat. “We’ll talk about it later.”
Mark struggled to sit up again. “Let me at him.”
“No worries. He’s dead,” Jeremiah said briefly.
Mark blinked up at him. “You killed him for me? You didn’t have to do that.”
Cindy bit her lip. Mark was clearly a bit delirious. It was frightening but at the same time what he’d just said was funny.
“He won’t bother you ever again,” Jeremiah said seriously.
Cindy noticed that he didn’t bother to deny killing the guy. It was clear that Jeremiah was very concerned about Mark’s head injury and was probably trying not to upset him needlessly.
“Thank you,” Mark said.
“Now, you just rest and we’ll talk about it later,” Jeremiah told him.
“Okay,” Mark said, his voice notably weaker.
After a moment Jeremiah stood up and walked over to her. He looked troubled.
“He passed out.”
Liam’s phone rang and he answered it, stepping a couple of feet away.
“He passed out, but he’s okay, right?” Cindy asked.
“A head injury like that is nothing to mess around with. I just want to make sure he’s okay before he gets his blood pressure up,” Jeremiah said.
“Makes sense.” She paused and stared at him for a moment. “Are you okay?”
He smiled faintly. “You are getting to be quite the mind reader. No, not really. I don’t like any of this. What started out as something seemingly impersonal has become very, very personal. It’s one thing to have someone targeting a class of people you are a part of. It’s another to have them targeting your friends and family specifically.”
“Mark seemed to think you were mad at him,” she said, gently prodding. She was sure whatever that was about was bothering Jeremiah as well.
“Our last conversation wasn’t as civil as it could have been,” he admitted.
She smiled and grabbed his hand. “Good thing it wasn’t your last conversation,” she said, trying to get him to let go of whatever weight was on him.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding. His eyes were still dark, brooding, though.
“He’s going to be okay,” she said. “I know it. I feel it. God didn’t save him from the arsonist to let him die from a bump on the head.”
Apparently, that was the right thing to say because Jeremiah noticeably relaxed. “You’re right,” he said. “It’s easy to forget that sometimes bad things are saving us from much worse things.”
“Exactly. Getting hit in the head and having your car stolen isn’t a fun time for anyone, but it’s much better than getting blown up,” she said, forcing a smile. “It’s a miracle, like you said earlier.”
She saw Liam walking toward them.
Jeremiah actually smiled. “You’re right. It’s a miracle.”
“I agree,” Liam said. “It is a miracle. Now we need another one.”
“Why, what’s happened?”
“He’s hit another synagogue.”
Cindy’s blood turned to ice. “Which one?” she whispered.
Liam heaved a heavy sigh. “Guess.”
16
“Mine?” Jeremiah whispered.
“What? No. Sorry,” Liam said. “The first synagogue that was burned, the one Mark was at a few hours ago. Apparently, yours isn’t next. Unless, of course, he’s not counting his repeat visits.”
Jeremiah felt relief course through him. He realized for the first time just how lost he’d be if he didn’t have a synagogue. No, that wasn’t even entirely accurate. He realized he’d be lost if he wasn’t a rabbi.
The realization surprised him. He’d wanted to be a rabbi when he was a kid, but those dreams had been shelved when he’d been recruited by the Mossad while he was in the army. Then, when he’d been forced to retire and relocated to the U.S. where he was installed as a rabbi, it somehow had always felt like a cover to him. It was like he was playing rabbi. Oh, he had all the education, all the knowledge. And he counseled people just like any other rabbi, but he’d always felt a bit of a disconnect.
After all, he’d never felt like he belonged and it was hard to be close with people when you were hiding an entire part of your life, who you were actually, from them. That had changed with Cindy and the others, but none of them were part of his synagogue. His relationship with them wasn’t as their rabbi but rather as their friend. As a result, those real bonds he had made felt apart from his job.
“I love being a rabbi,” he blurted out.
Both Cindy and Liam looked at him like he’d gone crazy.
“You’re just realizing this… now?” asked Liam.
“Yes. I am,” he said, marveling at it.
He thought about the lives he got to be a part of. Some of them it was in a very peripheral way. There were people who came to services and were part of the congregation that he knew nothing about other than their names. Then there were the couples and families he’d had the privilege to counsel. He had made a real difference in their lives.
Most of all he thought about the kids, particularly those who had dubbed themselves Rabbi’s Rangers. He still kept tabs on all of them. And all of them dropped by the synagogue just to say “hi” every once in a while. Even the ones who weren’t Jewish. He’d saved their lives. Even more than that, he’d changed their lives. He thought of Noah who had joined the military a few months before. He had sent Jeremiah letters every week while he was in bootcamp, talking about his experiences, confiding in him, and thanking him for encouraging him to follow his desire to enlist.
He could feel tears stinging his eyes. He was so grateful that nothing had happened to his synagogue although he was well aware that could change at any moment. He did feel a deep sorrow for the rabbis who had been forced to watch theirs burn.
Of course, a synagogue was more about the people than the building, but for Jews especially the building often held so much significance, so much importance. It stood in for the Temple, the one that had been destroyed and would one day be built again.
“Are you okay?” Cindy asked.
He nodded slowly. “I want to be a better rabbi,” he whispered.
He wished they were alone, but he had to say it, even if Liam was standing there listening as well.
Liam put his hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder. “Then maybe it’s time for you to learn more about the prophecies and decide for yourself what’s true and what’s not.”
Jeremiah jerked, stunned to his very core. Liam never talked about religion. He’d made a veiled comment one Halloween suggesting he was Protestant, but he never actively talked about it. To hear something like that come out of his mouth was shocking. In some ways it was even more unexpected than if Mark had said something like that.
“What do you mean?” Jeremiah asked.
Liam blinked at him and took a step back, his hand falling to his side. “What?”
Jeremiah grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him slightly. “What do you mean?”
Liam looked bewildered and more than a little alarmed. “What are you talking about?”
“What you just said, what did you mean by it?”
“I asked you if you were really just
figuring out that you loved being a rabbi. It seemed a little late in the game to come to that conclusion.”
“No, what you said after that, when I said I wanted to be a better rabbi.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Liam said.
Staring deep into his eyes Jeremiah realized the other man was telling the truth. He let go of him and stepped back, his heart beginning to pound in his chest. He turned to look at Cindy who looked slightly dazed.
“Did you hear him?”
“I… I think so,” she said. “It was… odd.”
“Okay you’re both starting to scare me,” Liam said.
Before Jeremiah could answer he heard the whir of an ambulance in the distance.
“Finally,” Liam muttered, turning toward the street. “It took them long enough.”
Jeremiah was still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened. He didn’t know how and he didn’t know why, but he knew that G-d had just spoken to him through Liam. Suddenly the words of one of the prophets echoed in his mind.
Behold, to obey is better than a peace-offering; to hearken is better than the fat of rams.
He didn’t know what it meant, but he felt the awesome power of G-d in that moment.
“I hear and I obey,” he whispered.
~
It was nearly six in the morning by the time Cindy and Jeremiah made it back to the mansion. The only one who was up was Geanie who was having a cup of coffee in the kitchen.
“What are you doing up?” Cindy asked.
“Couldn’t sleep and I finally gave up trying. We’ve got work in a couple of hours and the volunteers from the synagogue are coming in this morning.”
“That’s right,” Cindy said.
It felt like several days had passed since the dumpster fire at Ezra’s church on Wednesday, but in reality it was only Friday.
“Where’s Mark?”
“Hospital is keeping him for tests and observation given the head injury. He should be okay, though,” Cindy said. “He was awake before we left and none too happy to be left behind.”
“We can fix that. We’ll just hire a private nurse and have him transferred here. It’s not much different than when Joseph and Jeremiah were blown up before our wedding.”
Cindy groaned remembering. “How much carnage have we all gone through.”
“Too much,” Geanie said, taking a swig of coffee. “Why don’t you guys go get some sleep.”
“I have to go into work,” Cindy said.
“So do I,” Jeremiah echoed.
Geanie shrugged. “If you’re not under house arrest or police protection or whatever.”
“Hanukkah starts tomorrow and we’re hosting another synagogue. I can’t miss today,” Jeremiah said.
“And so are we. Besides, you’re going in,” Cindy said.
“Yeah, but so far the arsonist doesn’t know or care who I am. You can’t say the same for the two of you.”
“You’re awfully cheerful,” Cindy said sarcastically.
“We were roommates for a while. You should remember I’m not a morning person,” Geanie said.
“I had forgotten. You have no edit chip when you first wake up.”
“Not really. Joseph’s had to learn not to ask me any sensitive questions first thing in the morning, particularly if he wants me to answer with any kind of tact.”
“Good for him,” Cindy said.
“We should at least get a couple of hours sleep,” Jeremiah said.
“Sensible,” Geanie said.
“Alright, but just a couple. I’ve managed to go six months without having to take a sick day, personal day, or hey I’ve been kidnapped or blown up or forcibly detained day. It’s been nice.”
Geanie laughed. “Yeah, there for a while Sylvia was wondering if you still actually worked at the church.”
“Ouch! She didn’t, did she?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief.
“A couple others did, though.”
“Ugh. Who?” Cindy asked.
“Sorry, even in my current state I know that no good would come from naming names.”
“Then why did you say anything in the first place?” Cindy asked in exasperation.
Geanie just shrugged. “Tell you what, come in after lunch. Things should be a bit less crazy then and you can wrap up things for the weekend.”
“I think that’s fair,” Jeremiah said.
Cindy yawned and looked at him. “When are you planning on getting up?”
“In about three hours.”
“You need the sleep, too.”
“How about we discuss that when we’re both more awake?”
She had to admit that was sounding like a very good idea.
~
Jeremiah only slept about two hours before he got up, got dressed, and headed in to work. When he got there it looked like Marie hadn’t slept much either and she was barking directions at a couple of women Jeremiah didn’t recognize. The two hurried off shortly after he entered the office.
“Who was that?” he asked.
“A couple of volunteers from Rabbi Kravitz’s group. They’re here to get things ready for this weekend.”
“So, I take it we worked out an acceptable schedule?”
“Yes, you and Rabbi Kravitz are going to jointly preside over Shabbat services.”
“He’s a lot more orthodox than I am.”
“That’s not hard to do,” she said sarcastically.
“It should be interesting.”
“Well, interesting is just our middle name around here,” Marie said.
“Sounds about right.”
He headed toward his office and his hand was on the door when Marie called after him. “Are they close to catching the arsonist?”
He turned back to her. There was naked fear on her face.
He might love being a rabbi, but this was like home for Marie. She would be devastated if anything happened to it.
“I hope so,” he said.
“Oh,” she said, clearly having hoped for more positive news.
“They have some theories,” he said, wishing there was something he could say to relieve her anxiety.
She rolled her eyes. “So do I. It’s someone who is Anti-Semitic.”
He sympathized. “I’m sure they’ll catch him before Hanukkah,” he said. It was more of a fervent hope on his part than actual belief.
“I hope so. I’d hate to see him try to set synagogues ablaze each night as if they were so many candles.”
It was a chilling thought and it even made Jeremiah queasy as he contemplated it.
“We won’t let him do that,” he said softly.
He turned back to his office. There had to be a way to find and stop the psychopath before things got any worse.
~
Cindy ended up getting in to work at eleven. When she walked through the office door Geanie looked up at her in surprise.
“I didn’t expect you for at least another hour.”
“Yeah, well I couldn’t sleep as well or as long as I would have liked.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Now that you’re here, though, I can use some help.”
Cindy spent the next couple of hours running around the church campus helping out the synagogue volunteers who were preparing to take over the Fireside Room. In view of current events it seemed morbid that the room the group was using was Fireside. Cindy even contemplated changing its name for the next week and putting up a temporary sign. Finally, she let it go.
The women she worked with were friendly and asked her a lot of questions which she was happy to answer. One of them turned out to be the synagogue’s secretary and when she asked Cindy if there was anything she could do for her or the church, Cindy was quick to answer.
A few minutes later she triumphantly waved a small stack of papers at Geanie.
“What is that? If yo
u say it’s last minute information for the bulletin I’m going to say you’re crazy and out of luck.”
“Nope. The bulletin’s fine as far as I know. This is about the directory of the synagogue’s members.”
Geanie looked surprised. “Thinking about recruiting? It might be a tough sell.”
“No, I’ve got something else entirely planned for this and these papers are just the tip of the iceberg,” Cindy said, sitting down at her desk.
“Yeah? What’s the rest of the iceberg?
“You’ll see,” Cindy said as she picked up her phone and called Marie.
“Hi, Marie, it’s Cindy. I was wondering if you could help me out. Can you get a copy of the membership directory for the synagogue you guys are hosting?”
“Sure. I’ll have it for you in an hour.”
“Oh, great! Uh, do you need to know what I want it for?”
“I assume this has something to do with catching the arsonist?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s all I need to know,” Marie said. “I’ll call you as soon as I have it.”
“Well, that was easy,” Cindy said as she hung up. “Two down, three to go.”
An hour later she had membership directories for three of the synagogues that had burned down plus Rabbi Ezra’s. The first synagogue which had been reduced to rubble a second time just a few hours earlier had lost all their records in the second fire. The secretary assured her that if she needed any help he would do his best to answer any questions. Cindy thanked him and hung up.
“So, Geanie, got any plans tonight?” Cindy asked.
“Nothing particular. Why, what do you have in mind?” Geanie asked.
“Want to catch a killer?”
17
Mark knew two things. His head was pounding and he needed to get out of the hospital before he lost his mind. Given how badly his head hurt and the fact that he got dizzy if he moved it too quickly he figured that a jailbreak was out of the question. That just put him in a worse mood.
On top of it all he was having a devil of a time getting a straight answer out of anyone about anything. He still didn’t know what was going on with the investigation, the doctors wouldn’t say how long they planned to hold him, and no one had even told him where his car was. He was just about to have a fit when a shadow darkened his door.
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