“What if you say something that you don’t want aired?” asked Zeke.
“Well, we can edit it out,” replied Jack.
Zeke hung around the studio until it was time for the show. Finally, he heard the floor manager say, “Everyone on set.” Once Zeke and Jack were in position, the floor manager gave the countdown. “Five. Four. Three. Two. One.” The red light on the camera directed at Jack came on.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We have a very interesting show for you tonight. The subject for tonight’s show is prosperity preachers. For those of you not familiar with the term, a prosperity preacher is someone who promotes the idea that health and wealth are the product of faith in God. Prosperity preachers state that the believing and trusting servant of God should, in fact, expect health and prosperity. There are many prosperity gospel preachers across America. However, I am not going to name them. From time to time, we’ve had them on the show. Tonight, however, we have a very special guest, our very own Zeke Jackson from our CBS affiliate WJOP in Washington, DC. Recently, you may have seen Zeke’s interview with televangelist Fernando Dollar, a prominent prosperity preacher headquartered in DC. Zeke, welcome to New York and the Jack Cong show. Tell us a little about yourself and your experience with Fernando Dollar.”
“Thank you, Jack. It’s great to be in New York City and on your show. New York is a far cry from my home state of Nebraska. I very recently came to work for WJOP in DC. Before that I was working for CBS affiliate, KOLN, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Harvey Schmidt, the news director at WJOP, offered me a job as a news reporter. My background was in news writing and investigative reporting. I had a speech impediment, a stuttering problem, which prevented me from going on air. Fernando Dollar healed me of the stuttering problem; however, he did not really heal me. He hypnotized me and admitted to it in the interview. Fernando Dollar is a very wealthy man and this year alone he has admittedly taken in twenty million dollars in seed money.”
“Now, Zeke, I understand that you have a special gift. Can you explain a little bit about that gift?”
“Sure. Fernando Dollar used what faith healers refer to as ‘slaying in the spirit’. In most cases, this is a hypnotic technique. Fernando Dollar is very good at it. When I awoke from the hypnosis, I discovered that I had the ability to see people’s spiritual condition manifested in a physical form. In the case of Fernando Dollar, he is a very thin man. When he extended his hand to help me and I grabbed it while looking him in the eye, I saw him as obese to the point where his belt was broken. I believe this was a reference to the area of truth or lack thereof in his life. I felt a prompting to ask him the same questions that we had asked him earlier in his office. One was, do you have the ability to heal? He said no and told me that he hypnotized me to remove my stuttering. Then, I asked him how much seed money he had taken in last year. He immediately replied, twenty million dollars. Before, he was not willing to divulge this. Then, I pulled my hand away and, instantly, he realized what he had said.”
“Have you had this experience with anyone else?” asked Jack.
“Yes,” said Zeke. “One other person, but I’d rather not say who.”
“Would you be willing to try this on me, right now on the air?” asked Jack.
“Yes, I could do that,” replied Zeke.
“We’re going to commercial,” said Jack. “When we come back, I’ll reveal what I want Zeke to ask me. “
After four minutes, they were ready to return. The floor manager counted them in motioning with his hands. Two fingers, one finger. He pointed at Jack to indicate he was recording.
“We’re back, and with me, I have Zeke Jackson. In a minute, I’m going to be asking Zeke to demonstrate his special gift on me. Zeke, I’ve been doing the Jack Cong show for the last ten years. I’ve been very open with my life and very honest with my audience, and they have rewarded me with their loyalty to my show. But, a few years ago something changed in my life which I thought I should tell my audience. However, I’ve been reluctant to do so for fear of losing viewership. Tonight, I am asking Zeke, to use his special gift to extract this information from me. Zeke, tell me what to do.”
“Jack, are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes,” said Jack,” let’s do it.”
“OK,” replied Zeke. “Take my right hand like you’re going to shake it and maintain a firm grasp and look me firmly in the eye.”
Jack followed Zeke’s instructions. Zeke’s saw Jack in the spirit. Jack appeared to be coughing uncontrollably.
“Are you okay?” asked Zeke.
“Yes, I’m fine,” replied Jack.
“You’re not coughing?” asked Zeke.
“No, not at all. Why? What do you see?” asked Jack.
“I’ll explain later,” said Zeke. “Jack, what is it that you’ve been hiding from your audience?”
“Two years ago, I had an affair with a young lady on my staff which resulted in a pregnancy. From this affair, I have a two-year-old son who I have been supporting.”
“Jack, do your wife and family know this?”
“No, they do not,” Jack replied. Zeke noticed that the coughing stopped, and he let go of Jack’s hand.
“What just happened?” Jack asked. “Did I just admit to having an affair?”
“Yes,” Zeke replied.
“Oh boy,” Jack said. “My wife will be devastated. Zeke, what was all the coughing that you thought you saw?”
“I was seeing your spiritual condition,” Zeke explained. “The coughing indicated something you were trying to get out that kept bothering you. After you told us, the coughing stopped. Eventually, this spiritual condition would have manifested in a physical ailment of some sort.”
“Thank you, I guess,” said Jack. “I’m not sure what to say. I could never have admitted that on my own, but now I have a huge mess to cleanup.”
“Jack, I think you did the right thing in admitting it. It would have eventually come out anyway. Your audience loves you. I don’t think they’re going to hold this against you. The real cleanup work will be with your family, especially your wife.”
“Zeke, Fernando Dollar may be a fraud, but I think you’re the real deal. Folks, we’ll be right back after this commercial.”
The floor manager motioned to Jack. “This is sure to get people tuning into the show by the tens of thousands,” said the floor manager.
After four minutes, they were ready to return. The floor manager counted them in again motioning with his hands. Two, one. He pointed at Jack to indicate he was recording.
“We’re back, and with me I have Zeke Jackson. Before commercial, I asked Zeke to demonstrate his special gift on me. If you did not see it, you can catch the replay at one am. Amazing, truly amazing. My next guest is from Oral Roberts University and is here to help us understand the concept of seed money by prosperity preachers today. Meanwhile, we’ll say goodbye to Zeke. Zeke, thanks for coming on the show.” Zeke went to shake Jack’s hand. “Nope, not gonna do that again,” Jack said. Instead, Jack gave him a fist pump.
Zeke walked off the set and went over to the page. They walked back to the green room where Zeke removed his jacket and tie and handed it to the page to give back to wardrobe. Zeke picked up his own jacket which he left there. The producer of the Jack Cong show, Jim Stelling, who was in the green room, congratulated Zeke on his performance on the show. Zeke ran his fingers through his hair and scratched the back of his head.
“Thanks,” said Zeke. “But I don’t feel very good about it. I’d feel a lot better if I hadn’t caused Jack to spill his guts like that.”
“Well, Jack is a TV veteran. He knows just how far to push things. Anyway, if there’s something he doesn’t want to air, we still have time to edit it out. I’ll tell him that you’re concerned for him.”
“Thanks,” said Zeke. “It’s been a long day,” said Zeke to the page. “Can you get me a cab to the Roosevelt Hotel?”
“Sure,” said the page. “Let’s go.”
Zeke and the page took the elevator down to the lobby. They went out to the street, and the page hailed a cab.
“Goodbye, Mr. Jackson,” said the page and then extended his hand to Zeke.
Zeke hesitated. He was exhausted. Then, he reciprocated with a fist pump.
“I’m a bit of a germaphobe,” said Zeke.
“Right,” said the page.
“Thanks for escorting me around today. Good luck in your career,” said Zeke.
Zeke got in the cab. “Roosevelt Hotel, please,” Zeke told the driver.
After arriving at the Roosevelt Hotel, Zeke payed his fare, grabbed his overnight bag, and checked in to his room. Facing another red-eye flight, Zeke quickly fell asleep. The next thing he heard was a 4:00 am alarm clock. Zeke got out of bed, washed up, and went to the lobby to hail a cab to JFK. He would grab a cup of coffee at the airport.
Not surprisingly, there was a cab in front of the hotel waiting for a fare. The doorman motioned to the cabbie to pull up.
“Hey, weren’t you just on the Jack Cong show last night?” asked the doorman.
“Yes,” replied Zeke.
“You’re that guy who gets people to tell the truth, some kind of modern-day prophet.”
“Is that what they’re calling me now?” asked Zeke. “I’m just a news reporter. I’m no prophet.”
Then, he opened the rear door and Zeke got in.
“JFK, please,” Zeke told the cabbie.
“It’ll take about thirty minutes this time of the morning,” said the cabbie.
Zeke noticed a TV monitor in the cab containing news highlights. On it was the headline, “Jack Cong Reveals Love Child to Modern Day Prophet”. Yes, it was a report on last night’s show.
After the cabbie dropped him off at the Southwest terminal, Zeke checked in and went through security. Then, he stopped by a coffee shop. The cashier stared at him as he bought his morning coffee. He looked down at the newspaper rack, and realized why. His picture along with Jack Cong was on the front page of Newsday, the New York Daily News, and the New York Post, all popular, high circulation papers for New York. He did not purchase the papers to keep as a souvenir of his time in New York on the Jack Cong show. For the first time since moving to DC and taking the job at WJOP, he started to regret his decision. He didn’t want to ruin people’s lives. He didn’t want to be known as a sleaze journalist. The gift, it had to be meant for something other than this. To Zeke, Lincoln County, Nebraska, was looking better every day.
Zeke went to his gate and boarded the plane for his flight back to DC. He noticed more and more people staring at him. The trip was a quick hour-long flight back to Reagan National Airport.
5
More Trouble with the FBI
After Zeke deboarded the plane, he took a shuttle to long term parking to pick up his car. When he arrived at the station, he saw Julie at the reception desk.
“Harvey wants to see you,” she tells Zeke.
“OK. I’ll go right up,” said Zeke. As Zeke walked down the hall toward Harvey’s office, Harvey saw him.
“Zeke, come on in here. I saw the show. That was quite a performance, kid. CBS headquarters is thrilled. Jack’s viewership doubled during the time you appeared on his show. They’re even talking about including you on some show on a permanent basis.”
“Boss, we need to talk,” said Zeke.
“Sure, kid,” said Harvey. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’m not sure about all this,” said Zeke.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I came here to report the news, not be it. More and more, I’m becoming the story. Yesterday was a perfect example.”
“Zeke, don’t you realize what an incredible position you’re in? You haven’t even been here a month, and the CBS network is considering you for a major network show. This would change your whole life. You’re talking big money, fame and fortune, book deals. I’m salivating just thinking about it,” said Harvey. “Let me tell you something, kid. I’ve been trying to get to CBS headquarters for the last five years. I was being considered for CBS News Division Director two years ago. I’ve got a lot of contacts at BlackRock headquarters. I could be a big help to you there and vice versa. Anyway, losing your security clearance is not exactly advancing your career around here. This is a government town, and you’re not much good without a clearance and access to the inner sanctuaries of the White House, Pentagon, and State Department to name a few. Think about it hard, kid.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that,” replied Zeke.
“Meanwhile, tell Sly I want to see him,” said Harvey.
“Yes, Boss,” said Zeke.
Zeke went to Sly’s cubicle, seething over what Harvey said to him.
What a nasty guy, he thought.
“Boss wants to see you,” he said to Sly.
“Heard you were a big hit at BlackRock,” Sly replied. “Too bad about the clearance, though. Once the FBI thinks you’re lying, it’s impossible to convince them otherwise.”
Oh, great, Zeke thought.
After Sly went into Harvey’s office, Harvey told him to close the door.
“What’s up, Boss?” asked Sly.
“Look, I know it hasn’t been easy for you around here lately. I mean you’ve been here several years and you were pretty much my main reporter. Then, Zeke comes in and right away he becomes the star of the show. Gets promoted to News Reporter II after the first week.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll admit it’s bugged me a little,” replied Sly.
“Come on. Admit it. You were more than a little bugged.”
“OK. I’ll admit it. I was very angry.”
“Angry enough to blow the whistle on Zeke?”
“How did you know that?” asked Sly.
“The FBI investigator told me that someone from WJOP reported an SF-86 discrepancy on Zeke Jackson. So, what exactly did you tell the FBI that caused them to suspend his clearance?” asked Harvey.
“I told them that he failed to disclose a crime he committed when he was in high school.”
“How did you know that?” asked Harvey.
“He told me.”
“What?” asked Harvey. “Why would he tell you that?”
“I oiled him up, and he spilled his guts,” replied Sly as he snickered.
Harvey smiled. “That sounds like something I would do. I think I’ve trained you too well. What else did he tell you?”
“Not much,” said Sly. “He was a minor, so his records were expunged.”
“What did he do?” asked Harvey.
“He called a bomb scare into his high school. Looks like it was just a prank.”
“Not the kind of prank the FBI likes to hear about,” said Harvey. “But I sure would like to see that he doesn’t get that clearance back.”
“Why?” asked Sly. “I mean I know why I called the FBI whistleblower line. I didn’t like the way he came in here and took over, but you hired him. Why would you not want him to succeed?”
“I do want him to succeed, but not here,” said Harvey.
“Why not?” asked Sly.
“Because I want him to go to BlackRock and establish a career there. He’s more good to me at headquarters than he is here. We’ll have an inside man that can help us get things we want from headquarters.”
“Look Boss. I can try to dig up some dirt on him. Since his records were expunged, I won’t be able to find out any more info from the usual sources, but I could go to his hometown and high school and talk to people who have firsthand knowledge,” said Sly.
“No, I expect the FBI will be making a trip to Lincoln, Nebraska seeing all the records have been expunged. Let’s just leave it to them. I’ll monitor the situation by talking with Zeke.”
As Zeke saw Sly coming back to his desk, Zeke got a call on his cell and left his cubical to take it. It was his Aunt Becky.
“Aunt Becky?” answered Zeke.
“Joseph, I saw your interview with Jack Cong. That was amazing. Y
ou definitely have a prophetic gift.”
Zeke shook his head and sighed. He was so tired of the whole thing.
“Well, that may be, but I don’t want it. That’s all people seem interested in. Let’s watch Zeke make someone spill their guts. No thanks. If I can’t get the truth out of people by honest investigating and reporting, then I don’t deserve to get it. I don’t want to get it by trickery.”
“Joseph, it’s not trickery. God gave you this gift. He must’ve had a reason for giving it to you. He wants you to have it and use it. Mark my words. He’s gonna use this gift. There’s gonna come a time and situation where God is gonna use this gift in a big way for something very good. You just stay the course and wait.”
“OK, Aunt Becky. By the way, did Mom and Dad see it?” asked Zeke.
“Yeah, they called me,” said Aunt Becky. “They wondered how you could do such a thing to that nice man, Jack Cong, and embarrass him, not to mention them.”
“That figures,” responded Zeke. They’re always worrying about their image. “Look, Aunt Becky, I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure,” said Aunt Becky. “Blessings on you.”
Zeke returned to his desk.
FBI Agent Harry Jones pulled up to Lincoln High and got out of his rental on a Tuesday morning in early September. The parking lot was full. Kids were back in school. He entered the school’s office and asked to speak to the principal, Mr. Jim Slaughterback.
“Hello, I’m Special Agent Harold Jones.” He opened his suit jacket revealing his FBI badge attached to his belt. I’d like to speak with the principal.”
“Have a seat, Mr. Jones. I’ll tell Mr. Slaughterback. you’re here to see him,” said Rita Sykes, the school secretary. After she returned from the principal’s office, she asked, “Would you like something to drink? A cup of coffee, perhaps?”
“No thanks. I just had a cup,” said Harry. From his seat, Harry looked around the office. He spotted a football trophy on Mrs. Sykes’s file cabinet. “Looks like you guys are pretty big in football.”
“Oh, yes,” replied Mrs. Sykes. “We were state champs last year. That trophy usually sits in our display case in the entrance hallway. Mr. Grosscamp, the P.E. teacher, asked me to get it out for him. Some pep speech he has in mind.”
Soul Reader Series: Book1: Touch Enabled Page 5