“Sure—I said we can’t win this fight,” I replied.
He frowned. “So I understood your meaning perfectly. But why do you think we cannot win?”
I was in a bit of a tight spot here, because only Val and I knew the script to our ruse. We were the only ones who knew that Bob and Elizabeth had joined WorldWideSouls, and just before the meeting we staged a conversation between ourselves, for the benefit of our bugs and their listeners. We discussed how we’d try to convince Archie’s group to join with WorldWideSouls. Now we sat in the meeting, in front of Bob and Elizabeth, acting out the rest of that script.
Even though I knew we were doing the right thing, I still felt like a jerk. Archie had brought me in to fight—not to tell him to quit.
Ann banged her fist on the table. “Can’t win? You’d better explain yourself right now, buster.”
I took a deep breath. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You hired me to figure out who was trying to destroy Soul Identity. And now we know—it’s Andre Feret and his WorldWideSouls organization.”
“Right,” Archie said. “Now we stop them.”
“Wrong—we can’t stop them,” I repeated. “We can’t even slow them down. They’re pulling our strings and watching us dance. And if we keep fighting, they’re going to completely destroy Soul Identity.”
“But if we don’t fight, they’re still going to destroy Soul Identity. What in tarnation is the difference?” Ann asked.
Val turned to me as we had planned. “Are you saying that WorldWideSouls won’t destroy Soul Identity if we work with them?” she asked.
Now to see if we could build credibility for Bob.
“Bob, what do you think?” I asked. “You and Elizabeth went down to Baltimore to find out more about them. Are they trying to drive us out of business?”
He shook his head. “WorldWideSouls wants to cleanse Soul Identity and focus it back on its fundamentals. Not destroy it.”
“What does cleanse mean, Bob?” Archie’s face was flushed.
Bob stared at Archie. “They want to remove any leader who hides the truth from our members,” he said.
“I didn’t know we had any hidden truths,” Ann said. “Son, what truths are you talking about?”
Bob opened his mouth. I held my breath, but Elizabeth cut him off. “We’re not sure, Mom. The pastor didn’t say.” She squeezed Bob’s arm. “Isn’t that right, Bob sweetie?”
Bob smiled at her. “That’s right, Elizabeth.” He shot a brief glance at Val and me.
“Archie, I think WorldWideSouls will crush us in a head-on fight,” I said. “But if we work with them, we have a chance of survival.”
“Why do you think they’ll crush us?” Val asked.
I had been waiting for her to ask me that question.
“They’ve been ahead of us every step of the way,” I said. “Val and I are alive because we were lucky when they blew up the guesthouse. Berry and Madame Flora too—they got off Kent Island just in time. We’ve survived each stage through luck, and now I think we’ve run out of it.”
“Why’s that?” Ann asked.
I sighed. “Like I already said. They booted Val and me out today. You have nobody on the inside of the systems any more. Feret controls the new security, and his altered match program is still in effect.”
“So what do you suggest?” Ann asked.
“That we negotiate with WorldWideSouls and see what they want,” I said.
Nobody was smiling, and I couldn’t really blame then. I wouldn’t like the plan either.
“I will never, ever give in to these people.” Archie was shouting. “I will never, ever negotiate with WorldWideSouls.”
I crossed my arms. “Then everything in which you believe will die.”
“Hold on a second,” Val said. She turned to me. “That’s it? You want to quit? Just give up?”
“No,” I said. “I want to survive. We need to live to fight another day.” It was time for my dramatic pause. “Unless…” I let my voice trail off.
“Unless what?” Val asked after a few seconds of silence.
I shook my head. “Forget it. It’s too risky.”
“I would like to hear what you were about to suggest, Scott,” Archie said.
I shook my head again. “It was just a dumb idea.”
Ann cut in. “Damn it, son, spit it out already.”
“Okay—we could infiltrate.” I looked at Bob. “We could find out what Feret and WorldWideSouls are up to. We may even feed them some disinformation. And maybe, just maybe, we’d start to get the upper hand on these guys.”
“Infiltrate?” Madame Flora asked.
I nodded. “Bob and Elizabeth could pretend to join WorldWideSouls. They have already established a relationship in Baltimore, and WorldWideSouls would welcome two insiders.”
As expected, Bob acted surprised at the suggestion. I just hoped he was smart enough to play along.
“Would it be dangerous?” he asked. “I’d do anything for Soul Identity, but I’d hate to put Elizabeth at risk.”
“Speak for yourself, Bob darling,” Elizabeth said. “I’m in, Scott—just tell me what to do.”
Bob and Elizabeth reacted better than I expected.
“If you and Bob were to join WorldWideSouls, you might be able to find out what Feret has planned for tomorrow,” I said. “You may even get them to send you to Venice.” I shook my head. “But it’s risky, and it’s a long shot.”
“But it is the best idea we have.” Archie gave me a stern look. “A lot better than negotiating with those people.” He turned to Bob and Elizabeth. “Are you two willing to take on this dangerous assignment?”
Elizabeth nodded at Bob.
Bob cleared his throat. “Yes, Mr. Morgan, we’d be happy to do it for you.”
“Thank you, Bob,” Archie said. “I knew I could count on you.”
Now to get them going. I stood up. “They need to start right away,” I said. “It’s already late, and they must try to find out what WorldWideSouls is attempting to do tomorrow.”
“Scott is right, Bob,” Archie said. “Talk to Mr. Feret tonight if you can.”
The two stood up. Elizabeth gave her mother a hug, and they walked toward the door.
Now I had to get them going. I stood up and said, “Bob, I left some papers in the limo. Let me come with you and get them before you take off.”
On the way to the limo, I snuck Val’s yellow pouch and a small tube of glue out of my pocket. “What do you think of my idea?” I asked Bob.
He grinned. “You were brilliant, Scott. You solved my biggest problem. Now I don’t need to explain my attendance at WorldWideSouls events, or my meetings with Mr. Feret.”
“Yeah, well, don’t forget about Val and me. We’re sacrificing here to get you two out.” I tried to sound worried. “Let me find those papers.” I climbed in the back and pretended to search. When Bob and Elizabeth climbed in, I reached through the partition and held out my hand. “Good luck, you two.”
While Bob shook my hand, I dropped the transmitter down behind the driver’s seat and stuck the bug to the back of his headrest. This was close enough to keep them on the air for the rest of the evening.
Bob and Elizabeth drove off, and I hurried back to the meeting. I saw Val typing on my laptop while the rest of the team sat silently.
Val nodded at me.
I cleared my throat. “I just bugged Bob and Elizabeth,” I said, “and Val is accessing Soul Identity security to listen in on what they’re saying.”
“You bugged my daughter?” Ann asked.
“I did, and it will all make sense shortly.” I looked at Val. “Turn up the volume.”
We heard Bob and Elizabeth laughing. Elizabeth spoke first. “Bob darling, you were so strong in that meeting. I am so proud of you.”
“This is sick,” Ann said.
Then Bob answered, “I’m doing it for us, my love.” He laughed. “This worked out better than we could have hoped for. Now
nobody will question why we’re spending our time with WorldWideSouls.”
“You are so smart, Bob darling. WorldWideSouls is lucky to get you.”
There was silence for a minute. Then Bob said, “I’m going to call Mr. Feret right now and tell him the good news.”
We waited for a minute. Then we heard, “Hello, Mr. Feret. This is Bob… No, there’s no problem. You’ll never guess what happened, sir, at the meeting tonight.”
A pause, and then Bob said, “No, they don’t know anything new. Your plan is working. I told them they should give up, but Mr. Morgan didn’t agree.” He laughed. “So I suggested that they make us spies!”
I nudged Val. “He just stole my lines. The nerve of him!”
After a couple of yes sirs, Bob said, “We’ll be at the reception hall in ten minutes, sir. See you then.”
“What did he say?” Elizabeth asked.
“Great job to both of us,” Bob said. “And that we need to make final preparations for tomorrow.”
“Bob darling,” we heard Elizabeth say, “don’t you feel weird using your century party as the place where it will happen?”
“Not at all. It is a privilege and an honor for Mr. Feret to start the new order at my party.”
“Will it be dangerous?” We could hear the fear in Elizabeth’s voice. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you, Bob my love.”
“Now, now, Elizabeth. Remember Mr. Feret told both of us that we must be ready to risk it all for the truths.”
We heard Elizabeth sigh. “Yes, and we know the price of curing Soul Identity is very high. Do you think we could get eternally married tomorrow morning? Just in case?”
There was dead silence on the end as we looked at each other around the table.
“Did we lose them?” Berry asked.
“I think Bob’s trying to field a curve ball,” I said.
Finally Bob answered. “Ah, Elizabeth, I’ve been meaning to tell you something. We can’t afford an eternal marriage.”
“Why not, Bob darling? Mr. Feret paid you a big signing bonus when we joined WorldWideSouls. How much does it cost, anyway?”
“Fifty thousand. Mr. Feret only gave me twenty-five.” Bob’s voice was glum. “Not nearly enough. We’ll have to wait until after Venice, when we’ll have the other two hundred.”
Silence for a minute, and we all looked at each other. Then Elizabeth’s voice came on strong. “Bob darling, you are a very powerful level eight member. You will be a centuriat tomorrow, their prized possession. WorldWideSouls owes you this. Get on that phone again and tell Mr. Feret to grant us an eternal marriage first thing tomorrow morning.”
“But I—”
“No buts about it. Do it now.” Her voice went from sharp to sweet. “Bob my love, show me how powerful and important you really are.”
A long pause. “Hello, Mr. Feret, it’s Bob again…No, everything is fine. Hey, Elizabeth wanted me to ask you if we could be eternally married tomorrow morning. With all the danger that we’ll be going through, she thought it was a good idea.”
Another pause. Then Bob said, “That’s what I told her, sir. But she’s rather insistent. You know how they care about these kinds of things.”
Bob paused again. Then we heard him laugh. “You will? Thank you, sir. That’s really good news. Yes, I’ll tell her. Thank you again, sir.”
“Is he going to do it?” Elizabeth asked.
“I was just about to tell him that he had to do it, or I’d quit,” Bob said. “But he saved himself by agreeing to do it at eight tomorrow morning, after the planning breakfast.”
“Oh, Bob darling, you are the best,” Elizabeth said.
Val turned down the volume on the computer. “I think everybody has heard enough,” she said. “I’m recording the rest.”
Silence in the room.
“How did you know?” Ann finally asked.
Val answered. “We hacked the WorldWideSouls Web site and found their names in the membership lists.”
Ann shook her head. “Why would they do it?”
“It’s not just them,” I said. “Archie, we also found Brian in the lists—and you may want to go easy on the coffee and bran muffins. We think he’s sedating you.”
Archie’s face fell. “After his trip to Venice I was expecting to learn of Brian’s betrayal, but it still hurts to find out I have been played the fool.”
“We’re both fools.” Ann’s voice was sharp. “My own daughter and her brand new fiancé tried to trick us.”
“Mr. Feret must be stopped,” Archie said. “Before he destroys us.”
I held up my hands. “Before we get into how we stop them, do we know why members and employees are switching sides?”
Madame Flora cleared her throat. “They want more.”
“More what?” Ann asked.
“More meaning,” Madame Flora said.
Archie threw up his hands. “Soul Identity is all about meaning—how can you say otherwise?”
The old Gypsy lady shrugged. “You focus so much on the bridges and the technical proofs that you’ve forgotten that people just want to it all to mean something. Andre Feret has come up with a great story, and he uses it to make people feel valuable, important, and relevant. Of course he’s attracting your members.”
Archie clenched his hands into fists. “As long as I have been the executive overseer, I have drawn the line between business and spirituality. It always has worked in the past, and it always will work in the future.”
She stared at him. “You know I have never agreed with you on this, Archibald.”
It seemed like Archie and Madame Flora were having an old, well-worn argument with each other.
Berry wiped his palms on his lap. “I know I’m just a guest, but I’d like to say something.”
Archie nodded. “Please, Mr. Berringer, you are steps away from being sworn in as an overseer. I would very much like to hear your perspective.”
“Thanks,” Berry said. “From what I see, you have a successful financial gig going on.”
Archie smiled.
“But,” Berry continued, “Soul Identity doesn’t seem to have a soul.”
“Of course we have a soul,” Archie said loudly. “How dare you say that?”
Ann put her hand on Archie’s arm. “I’d like to hear the man out, Archibald.” Her voice was gentle, soothing.
Archie slumped back in his chair. “Fine.” He stared at Berry. “Continue educating us, Mr. Berringer.”
Berry didn’t falter. “You know my story—I almost didn’t make it in because everybody seemed so caught up in following their rules that they forgot about why people needed you in the first place.”
“Go on,” Archie said.
Berry stayed silent for a moment. “I didn’t want to join because of your science,” he said. “I wanted in because you offered me something worth living for.”
“That is good, is it not?” Archie asked.
Berry nodded. “It’s great. But once I came here, you focused only on the science and the business. You talked about membership counts instead of the members, and depositary totals instead of the depositary contents.” He paused. “Mr. Morgan, I’ve been here almost a week now. We’ve had, what, seven sessions together?”
Archie nodded.
“In those seven meetings, you’ve never once asked me what it meant for me to become a member.”
“Of course I did not ask you this,” Archie said. “You joined for your own reasons, and I respect that privacy.”
Berry sighed. “But what if I want more, like Flora says? Will you send me to a church for that deeper meaning?”
“That is the idea,” Archie said.
I jumped in. “But if that church is after your throat—like WorldWideSouls is—then you’ll be screwed.”
A long moment of silence.
Archie let out a big sigh. “Scott, you are not even a believer. How can you possibly have an opinion on this?”
I p
ulled Bob’s pamphlet out of my pocket and held it in the air. “I read this WorldWideSouls pamphlet. Bob said two things—it changed his life, and it convinced him that Soul Identity needs to be cleansed.”
I read them the first few paragraphs, and there was silence around the table again.
“These guys are fighting dirty,” Ann said.
“But it’s effective,” Val said. “Everybody loves a conspiracy. If they think you’re exploiting them, they’ll get angry enough to leave.”
“Angry enough to mutiny,” I said. “That’s what Feret’s planning, isn’t he? We know he’s paying your employees to join WorldWideSouls. He ordered Brian to blow up the guesthouse. He’s plotting to hurt us at the party tomorrow. He’s sucking the money out of the depositary. Feret won’t stop until he wins it all.”
“Why would Mr. Feret do this?” Archie asked. “Is it for his personal gain?”
“It’s revenge,” Val said. She shared what we learned about Feret’s past from the speech we found online. “Soul Identity destroyed his family, and now he’s out to destroy us.”
“But he won’t,” I said. “Ignore my talk about quitting. That was so Bob could go and share that with Feret.” I grabbed Val’s hands under the table and took a deep breath. “For the past two weeks, I’ve been flip-flopping on whether you guys ran a freaky cult or a sophisticated con job. But I get it now—the promise of Soul Identity is that it can let us focus on spiritual matters without having a religion rammed down our throats.”
I looked at Archie. “The Soul Identity bridges carry us across the most important chasms in our lives. I’m now a believer, and I believe we can win, and we must win, this fight. An independent Soul Identity is too important to too many people to be destroyed.”
Val squeezed my hands hard, then let go and wiped the tears from her eyes. Somebody started clapping, and everybody joined in.
“That’s the spirit, son,” Ann said. “Now where do we start?”
“First we fill in the gaps.” I pulled out the ring Tinless had given me. “Does anybody know what this is?”
Madame Flora held out her hand, and I passed it to her. We waited while she examined it. “Where did you get this?”
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