“Really? I didn’t see that on the news.”
“No you didn’t. It wasn’t on the news. Morgan didn’t want it out and everyone kept it quiet. Everyone’s afraid at that store.”
Christopher cocked his head. “Afraid?”
“Yeah, you just don’t realize that Morgan owns us. We can’t go anywhere that he doesn’t approve of. It’s getting unbelievable.” He stopped. “Look, I had to sign the new contract if I wanted to eat. Now, I can only go in Morgan-approved businesses.”
“They made you sign?”
“Yes, I tried to go to work at other companies, but Morgan sent people ahead of me to warn them not to hire me.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, I’m not.” He gestured toward his back. “And they put a microchip under the skin in my back so they know where I am at all times.”
“It’s the tattoo all over again.”
“Yeah, but this one is more powerful.” He looked at Christopher. “My new job is watching employees to make sure they stay in line.”
“I can’t believe this,” Christopher said. “This is America.”
“No, it’s Morgan Retail. And Charles Morgan was so mad that I didn’t shoot the poor guy who took the hostages this week, he called my boss and told him to move me to the overnight shift. I start tomorrow and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Man, that’s going to be tough on your family.”
“Tell me about it.” Dillon looked again over his shoulder. “You know that guy, Boyd?”
Christopher leaned in.
“He works for Morgan. He’s what I call a blue dot. Which means he’s not from around here. I think Morgan sent him here to hurt you.”
Christopher’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”
“And that old boyfriend? Isn’t it strange that he suddenly showed up at your door – and he works for Morgan?”
“How could Charles Morgan be behind any of this? Do you really–”
Dillon cut him off. “All I’m saying is to watch your back. He’s had a couple of years to figure out how to get us back. That man holds a grudge and you better believe it.”
Rachel walked into the sanctuary. “Hey Dillon. How’s that new wife of yours?”
“Hi Rachel.” He hugged her. “She’s fine. I just can’t talk her into coming to church yet.”
“Well, when she’s ready.”
Dillon looked back at Christopher. “I better get home. I’ll talk to you guys later.”
Christopher locked the church and got into the car. Rachel sat beside him and Stephen was in the back seat. Christopher sat in silence for a while, then spoke. “Did you like the sermon okay today?”
“Great job. I hadn’t thought about some of that.”
He was silent again for nearly a mile. “Tell me again about Kurt. He didn’t tell you he worked for Morgan, right?”
“He told me he worked for an insurance company.”
“Does Morgan Retail own any insurance companies that you know of?”
She sat for a moment. “Well, they didn’t when I worked there. I’m not sure now.”
“Dillon just told me something that’s really bothering me.”
She looked over at him. “What?”
“He said Wesley Boyd works for Morgan. He thinks they may have been sent here to get back at me.”
“Dillon thinks that?”
“Yeah, and that may be why Kurt showed up too.” He turned into the driveway. “I’m just asking you to please be careful.”
“Okay,” she said. “I hope I never see him again.”
After lunch, Christopher kicked off his shoes and pulled his easy chair to a reclining position. Their dachshund, Rox, climbed up beside him. He was planning to rest and maybe watch TV the remainder of the afternoon. He was just about to drift to sleep when his phone vibrated in his pocket, startling him. It was a text from Sean, the church board president: Let’s meet tomorrow at 6pm.
Now he couldn’t sleep. What was this about? He called out to his wife. “Rachel!”
“Yes, sweetie.” She came into the room and stood near him.
“I just got a text from Sean. They want to meet tomorrow night again.”
She tilted her head. “Well, maybe they want to give you a raise or something. It may not be bad.”
He shook his head. “I hope you’re right, but I don’t feel good about. Not at all. This just can’t be good.” He found himself literally pacing the floor that evening. He knew better than to worry, but it was hard not to. He skipped supper and prayed much of the night.
Five board members were there Monday evening, including Travis.
The men talked small-talk for a few minutes, then Sean called the meeting to order. “I called the meeting because we’re starting to hear complaints from church members. One told me she wasn’t going to support the church anymore.”
Wesley Boyd strikes again, Christopher thought. He sat in silence as the members detailed some of the complaints they had received.
“I think Chris is doing a great job. I think this is all a bunch of nonsense,” Travis said. “Some couple has come in here and stirred things up. This is just the devil trying to ruin our good fellowship.”
Sean looked over at him. “Well, there’s a little more to this.” He opened an envelope that was on the table in front of him. This was sent to me. I got it in the mail Saturday.” He pulled several large photographs from the envelope and spread them out on the table. Christopher stood to see them more clearly. One photo was of Kurt Gregory leaving Christopher’s house. In another photo he was leaving again, but in a different shirt. Another photo showed Rachel sitting across the table from Kurt at Christopher’s favorite coffee shop. Kurt had his hand on Rachel’s. The last photo showed Kurt hugging Rachel in their doorway.
“Who sent these to you?” Travis said. He sounded angry.
Sean studied the envelope a moment. “I don’t know.”
“He’s an old boyfriend. He showed up a couple of weeks ago,” Christopher said, humiliated. He sat back down. He tried to suppress the anger that was welling within him. “I know about him.”
“Well, that doesn’t help our situation,” Sean said. “We need to know there’s nothing going on here. This could bring down the church.”
“There’s nothing going on,” Christopher said, shaking his head and leaning back in his chair. He looked over at Travis. “I think Charles Morgan is trying to hurt me.”
Sean laughed out loud. “Really? Charles Morgan, the owner of the biggest company in the world?”
Travis stood to his feet. “Don’t laugh. You know what happened when we went to Denver.”
“Yes, I remember that,” Sean said. “But don’t you think Charles Morgan has better things to do than send people over here to hurt our little church? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Don’t underestimate him,” Travis said. “We nearly took down his whole company and we got him thrown in jail. He’s not going to just let that go.”
Sean looked at him without speaking.
Christopher knew he couldn’t explain all he had been hearing from Dillon. He couldn’t explain about the blue dots and red dots, and they might not believe him if he did. He thought it best to see where this meeting was headed.
“You’ve been here ten years now, Chris, and I think you’ve done a good job,” Sean said. “But sometimes it’s just best for all parties to end things while it’s still going well.”
Christopher could feel his cheeks burning. “So, you want me to leave?”
“That might be best, just to keep things from getting out of hand on us,” an elder said. “I don’t know if our church can take a controversy like this one.”
The room was silent for several seconds. No one spoke.
Then another elder spoke up. “No, I don’t think that’s best. Letting Chris go could hurt us even worse.”
“I don’t like this at all,” Travis said, still standing. “Let’s not do
anything in haste – we don’t have all the facts.”
“It’s not that,” Sean said. “Once people start grumbling, you have a divided church. Sometimes it’s best to nip that in the bud. The last thing we want is to split the church.”
“If we fire Chris, I guarantee we’ll split the church right down the middle,” Travis said.
“How about a sabbatical?” Another member said. “Maybe just to let things cool off.”
“That might be a good idea,” Sean said, glancing at the photos in front of him. “A paid leave until we can sort through all of this and see what our next move should be.”
Heads nodded around the room.
Christopher felt a little relieved. At least they weren’t talking about firing him outright anymore. Maybe he and Rachel could use the break from his duties to see what his next move should be. This might just be a wise move. The last thing any of them wanted was to split the church. A sabbatical leave might be just the thing under the circumstances.
Sean looked around the room. “Okay, but just to be clear. How long should this sabbatical be?”
“Three months seems like a good time period to me,” an elder said.
“Agreed,” a couple of other elders said in unison.
Travis didn’t speak.
“And we’ll pay Chris his normal salary during the three months,” Sean said. “At the end of the sabbatical, we’ll meet again and see what we think we should do.” He looked around at each man. “I suggest we all pray hard for God’s wisdom.”
“Who’s going to preach?” Christopher said.
“We’ll have to look for speakers,” Sean said. “I know of a couple of guys who are looking to preach.” He looked around again. “So, we’re agreed?”
Each man did. Except Travis, who sat and frowned. The men stood and shook hands. Christopher turned the lights out and locked the door. Sean followed him out and asked he would like to give his key to him right then, or did he need some time to get his things out of his office first. Christopher asked for a couple of days to clean some things out of his office.
Christopher had mixed emotions as he drove home. He liked the idea of a short, paid break from his duties, but he was humiliated by the photos he had seen. They were burned into his retina even though he knew full well they were a set up to hurt him. He knew who was behind this. Those photos had hurt him, but he knew it could have been much worse. He was jealous of Kurt, but he trusted Rachel. He fought against the impulse to hate Charles Morgan.
He walked into the house and sat in his easy chair. “Honey?”
“Oh, hey sweetie, I didn’t hear you come in.” She had been in their bedroom. “So, how did it go?”
“Well, it looks like I just got a three-month paid vacation.”
Her voice went higher. “What? What does that mean?”
“They want me to go on a three-month sabbatical. I’ll still get my salary, and then we can all decide our best course of action after that.”
“Why? Are they unhappy with you?”
Christopher looked over at her. “One reason is they have photos of you and Kurt holding hands at the coffee shop, and a couple more of him leaving this house.”
She looked angry. “That’s the total number of times he was here. And he only came in this house once. The other time, he just stood at the door. You believe me don’t you?”
He nodded. “Actually, I do.” He paused. “No, you weren’t holding hands at the coffee shop, but he did have his hand on yours.”
She shook her head. “I don’t even remember that.” She paused. “Okay, yes, he put his hand on mine and I thought it was awkward. I remember that now.”
“Well, it got me fired.” He shook his head. “No, that’s not even true. They didn’t fire me, not yet anyway. They said some people are starting to grumble about us. They don’t want to split the church.”
“Why would anyone grumble against you? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Apparently the Boyd’s have turned some people against me.”
She frowned. “Well, they’ll answer for that.”
He looked at her. “I really think Charles Morgan is behind all of this.”
Her eyes grew larger. “No kidding? You really think so?”
“Your old boyfriend shows up on the doorstep, and the Boyds show up at church this summer. I just don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
She softened her voice. “Are you mad at me?”
“No.” He looked at her for a moment. “This may all be part of God’s plan. You know? Maybe we’re supposed to go somewhere else. I just don’t know.”
“Oh, I hope not. I’m happy right here.” She looked at him for a moment, then glanced down the hall. “And I want Stephen to graduate before we move anywhere. He’s so close.”
Christopher nodded, thinking. “If we have to move, I bet your mom will let him move in with her until graduation. I wouldn’t like it, but he can finish here.”
“Yeah, I bet she would.”
“So I’ve got three months off.” He shrugged. “Maybe I’ll do some writing.” He glanced at her and picked up his laptop computer. “I think I’ll see if any churches are looking, maybe down in Texas.”
Chapter Ten
“I still don’t like coming in here,” Travis said to Julia. They were walking into the Morgan Retail Store the week after the elder meeting. “I just don’t trust this place.” It was after dark and they were going to the store to get a new coffee maker. Theirs had just quit and they both knew they would want coffee in the morning. They had also agreed to get some acetaminophen, filters, batteries and a couple of other items on the list in her pocket.
Julia adjusted the scarf covering the scar on her neck. “I don’t either, but this is the only place to get one this hour of the night.”
They walked into the store toward the small appliances where the coffee makers were. They passed in front of the videos. “Hey, I want to see what movies are out,” Travis said.
“Okay, I’ll go get the pain killer, then head over to the coffee brewers.”
“Sounds good, I’ll see you over there in five minutes.” He glanced at his watch. It was just before nine. He thumbed through the videos, not seeing anything that really interested him. He looked again at his watch. Four minutes had passed. He thought he better head over to Julia.
He got to the aisle where the coffee appliances were and browsed the products for a moment. Julia wasn’t there yet. He found what he thought would be the right one for them at the best price and made a mental note of it. He would see if Julia agreed.
He backed into the main aisle and looked over toward the health supplies area. Couldn’t see her. He glanced again at his watch. Ten after nine. He stood a couple more minutes, then started toward the health aisles. He walked right up to the pain killers. She wasn’t there. He pulled out his phone and texted her: where are u? No response. He made his way to the restrooms and stood outside the women’s door for several minutes.
A teenaged girl came out of one of them.
“Excuse me,” he said. “Was there a lady in there, about my age?”
She tilted her head. “No, I think I was alone in there.”
He walked back to the coffee makers, determined to wait for her there. He stood in front of them for more than ten minutes, listening to the sounds of store, hoping to hear her voice calling out to him. He could hear people talking and the sound of the registers. Well, did I miss her? He pulled out his phone again and called her. No answer. He began to feel panic, but tried hard to suppress it. He stood and waited five more minutes. He reminded himself that they had gotten separated in here before. Do not panic. What else was on that list? He walked up to the service desk and had them page her. He stood and waited for ten full minutes, holding his phone in front of him. Now it was a quarter until ten.
He could feel sweat on his cheeks and neck. Maybe she went to the car. He walked out of the store and found their car. No one was inside. He walked all the w
ay up and opened the door to make sure. He strained to study the parking lot. He listened. Only crickets chirping.
He went back inside to the small appliances’ aisle and waited for several more agonizing minutes. She was gone. He could stand there all night, but she wasn’t coming. He pulled out his phone again and tapped 9-1-1.
*****
Christopher had already gone to bed when his phone rang. He wasn’t asleep, but was working on it. It was after eleven. He saw that it was Travis. “Hello.”
“Sorry to call you so late, but I’m trying not to panic.” He sounded like he was losing that battle.
“What happened?”
“It’s Julia. We were in Morgan Retail a couple of hours ago, and she, she disappeared.”
“Disappeared? You can’t find her?”
“No, I called the police and they came up here. I’m talking to them now.”
“So you’re still at the store?”
“Yes.”
Christopher rubbed his eyes, trying to think how he could help. “You know, there should be video surveillance in the store. We need to take a look at that.” He paused. “Have you tried talking to Dillon?”
“No, I didn’t know what to do.” He sounded like he was crying. “I just thought to call you.”
“I’ll meet you at the front entrance. Give me ten minutes to get dressed and get there.”
“Okay, okay, that sounds good.”
Christopher ended the call and texted Dillon: are u at work?
Yes
I’m coming to store. Meet me at front
A police car had its lights on, illuminating the building with blue and red flashing lights when Christopher pulled in. Travis and Dillon were standing in the front entrance, talking with two police officers. Christopher hugged Travis. “I’m so sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say. He looked at the officers. “Nice to meet you, I’m Travis’ pastor.”
Dillon spoke. “Let’s go check the surveillance video and see what the cameras recorded.”
The five of them walked to the back of the store and into the business part of the building, past the workers lounge and to the surveillance center. Dillon opened the door and let them in. The video screens glowed blue in front of them and servers hummed on the right wall.
The Dead Peasants' Contract: A Sequel to The Dead Peasants File (The Dead Peasants' Series Book 2) Page 7