by Ray Garton
“He was … a peacemaker,” she said. “And I’m glad we had him. We didn’t exactly hit it off.”
Jordan laughed softly.
“I’m sorry he’s gone, Jordan.”
“Me too.”
They were quiet for a while and Lizzie watched the pregnant girl on the opposite side of the bus station.
“So,” she said finally, grinning at Jordan, “have you changed your mind about any of the things we discus—argued about?”
“Hah!” He shook his head slowly. “Well, Lizzie, I have to admit that, for the first time since I was a little kid … I prayed. I mean, I really prayed. And I meant it more than I ever did as a child.” He thought about that awhile, looking surprised at himself, then: “But the hand of god did not appear and smack Hester Thorne in the mouth. Where was he? Why didn’t he answer?”
“But he did!” She laughed happily. “You’re expecting Cecil B. DeMille stuff, special effects, but… like I said before, god works through people. He used Benjamin. Benjamin was our Eskimo.”
“Our what?”
“Eskimo. Let me tell you a story. There were these three guys talking over drinks in a bar. Two of them were talking about why they believed in god. The third one said, ‘There is no god. He doesn’t exist.’ The others asked why he thought that and he said, ‘A few years ago, I was exploring in the Arctic. I got lost, ran out of food, and I was dying. I prayed to god to save me. If he saved me, I promised I would stop screwing around, give up booze and go to church every week. I prayed and prayed and prayed.’ The others asked if god had saved him and he said, ‘Hell, no. Some Eskimo found me and took me home.’” She smiled at him. “Benjamin was our Eskimo.”
They fell silent again. Lizzie watched the pregnant girl.
Jordan stood. “I should go. Sure you don’t want to ride with us?”
“No sense in you having to drive all the way to Irving. Hey … keep an eye on Lauren. She’s going to need someone now. She and Nathan both.”
“Yeah, I will.”
“And let’s keep in touch, okay? I may need a private detective someday.”
“Well … keep it simple, if you do. No more Satan shit.” She laughed and gave him a hug.
Jordan went to the door and looked back once. Lizzie was seated next to the crying pregnant girl, speaking softly, her arm around the girl’s shoulders.
When Jordan got to the car, Lauren was asleep in the backseat with Nathan in her arms. She was completely relaxed and, as a result, her face looked different than it had since he’d met her; all the tension and fear were gone. She was, he realized, quite pretty.
He started the car and headed for the freeway.
45.
It was on the radio the whole way to San Francisco.
“Hester Thorne was a very dear friend of mine,” Sheila Bennet said. “But her loss will be felt by those who have never even met her. This fall, I will begin production on a two-part television movie on Hester’s life. I will be playing the part of Hester Thorne. I want the world to know the Hester that I knew. I want the world to know what she was trying to do for them when she formed the Universal Enlightened Alliance.”
The president released a brief statement: “Hester Thorne was clearly a leader for our time. Her work addressed the concerns that are unique to this era. Her message was one of unity and peace, of the value of this earth and the value of each and every individual living on it. I only hope that, although Hester has been taken from us in this horrible tragedy, her work will live on and accomplish the things to which Hester Thorne devoted her entire life.”
Jordan sighed behind the wheel. “That … is what I’m afraid of …”
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1992 by Ray Garton
Cover design by Open Road Integrated Media
ISBN 978-1-4976-2452-8
This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
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RAY GARTON
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