Cassandra's face went stone white. The death of her newborn baby girl had been one of the hardest things for her and JT to get through. It almost destroyed their marriage and their relationship with God, and now this evil woman had the nerve to stand in her home and throw it in her face. Those were fighting words and Cassandra was about to slap the taste out of her mouth.
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” Diane asked with hands on hips, spoiling for a fight.
Cassandra’s hand was itching to slap this woman. But at the same time it was itching, she was silently praying for strength to endure yet another Diane Benson assault. She didn’t know how many more times she could turn the other cheek. But Cassandra dearly wanted to please God in all aspects of her life.
JT thundered down the stairs. His arm was outstretched as he angrily pointed toward the front door. "Get out of here, Diane. And don't you ever come back to our house again. How dare you come in here and insult my wife like that."
Diane put her hands on her hips, in protest. "I'll leave after I've seen my daughter."
"You'll leave now unless you want me to call the police." JT gave her a stern look. "We know that you just got out of jail for not paying your child support. I hope you don't want to rush back for disturbing the peace or on harassment charges."
She rolled her eyes, tossed her hair and then headed to the door. But before she left, she turned back to JT and said, "You're going to get yours for the way you messed over me. Just wait... you're going to get yours and I can't wait to see it," she said as she slammed the door behind her.
"That woman has a personality defect," Cassandra said as she shook her head. “As much as it pains me to do it, I’m going to have to pray for her tonight.”
"I'm sorry,” JT said, with his head bowed low.
"You should be," she said as she punched his shoulder. But then she lifted his chin with her finger and kissed him on the forehead. "But I forgive you." She then left him standing there as she went upstairs to finish getting their children ready for the revival.
Eighteen
Praise and worship had already started by the time Tony helped his mother to a back row seat. The place was packed and he was truly sorry that he hadn't made it there early enough to get her the front row seating as she desired. "I'm sorry about this, Mama. I had no idea there was an accident on the highway, or I would have come the street way to get you."
His mom turned, looked at him with the joy of a mother who felt she'd raised a good boy. "You did the best you could, Tony. Don't beat yourself up about this. Our seats are fine. And we'll get even better seats tomorrow."
He wished his mother hadn't been so adamant about coming to this revival. And he wished he could tell her that the revival would go on tomorrow night, even though one of the preachers would be dead, but he had no guarantees of that.
***
The choir was singing How Great is Our God as the congregation joined in. Margie had her hands lifted high in praise to her almighty God. Margie twirled around as she continued singing praises unto God. That’s when she saw Diane Benson in the back row, sitting next to a heavyset guy and an older woman. Margie’s conversation with Diane flashed through her mind…when Diane asked her to give her information on JT, specifically wanting to know about his schedule.
Margie danced her way to the back of the pavilion and slid in next to Diane just as she had done at Benson and Joy’s wedding. She leaned close to Diane and said, “Don’t start nothing in here. This may not be a church, but God is still present.”
Diane smirked as she said, “Come to knock me down again?”
“Don’t start none, won’t be none.” Margie told her. She hoped that she would not have to rumble during this revival, but to save another saint’s life, she was prepared to do whatever she had to do. The last thing Margie ever wanted to do was to sit idly by and watch another murder suicide.
“I can’t believe that you are taking up for JT,” Diane snapped. “You need to mind your own business, because you don’t know how he and Cassandra treat me.”
“There’s a time and a place to handle your disagreements, but this is not it.” The choir started another praise song as Margie walked away from Diane.
On her way back to her seat, Margie saw Cassandra handing off her children to one of the church assistants. She rushed over to her and said, “I need to speak with you for a moment.”
Cassandra gave her a questioning glance.
“It’s really important,” Margie said, hoping that Cassandra wouldn’t think that she was trying to start some drama and just ignore her.
Cassandra nodded and then walked off to the side with Margie. “What’s going on?”
Getting right to the point, Margie said, “I don’t want to alarm you, but Diane is here.”
Cassandra frowned a bit. “I mean, she’s annoying, but why would that alarm me?”
Margie whispered, “She asked me to keep an eye on JT while she was in jail.”
“You’ve been spying on my husband?” Caught off guard, Cassandra responded with anger.
Margie shook her head. “Of course not. When God restored me, He completely restored me. I’m only telling you this because whenever Diane shows up in a church setting, there is drama.” Margie sighed. “I just think you and Pastor JT need to keep an eye on her and be careful.”
“Sorry about jumping to conclusions.” Cassandra seemed to relax. “Thank you for giving me the heads up.” She headed toward her seat on the stage.
Feeling as if she had done all she could, Margie returned to her seat and continued with praise and worship. Plus a whole lot of watching and praying.
***
“I’m worried, JT, I don’t think you should do the offering tonight,” Cassandra said as she sat next to her husband on the stage behind the podium.
The praise and worship music was winding down. JT looked at his wife and said, “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t have a good feeling about this. Margie saw Diane in the audience and she’s up to something.”
“We can’t let Diane run our lives.” He patted her hand. “God will protect us, Sanni, I promise you that. Do you trust me?”
She nodded.
Then he asked, “Do you trust God?”
She nodded again.
He stood up, kissed her hand and then said, “Let me go take care of this offering and then I’ll come back over here and give you a real kiss.”
“You better not come back here acting crazy. We might be at a park, but we’re still at church.”
JT winked at his wife and then went to the podium. He smiled at the many who had gathered for the revival and said, "Truly it is a blessing for us to gather at this park, with the lovely view of the lake surrounding us. I am standing for the offering, because my Bible tells me that it is more blessed to give than to receive...”
***
As praise and worship ended and JT stood behind the podium, Tony, leaned over to his mother and said, "I'm not feeling so good. I'm going to go to the restroom for a while. If my stomach doesn't stop bubbling, then I'll just sit in my car and wait for you once service is over."
Tony’s mom put her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe you need to go to the hospital. You haven't been looking so good lately."
"I'll be all right, Mama. Don't worry so much about me." He walked off. And just as he'd told his mother, Tony went to the bathroom. But before going in, he stepped around to the back, reached down and pulled his compressed duffel bag out of the ground. His mom had bought this thing for him off of HSN, the home shopping network. When she gave it to him as a present, Tony knew exactly what he could use it for.
He stepped into the bathroom and decompressed the duffel bag and viola, the bag expanded revealing a plastic Kroger bag, his navy blue sweat suit, no name brand white gym shoes, ball cap and Dick Cheney mask. He liked VP Cheney, that dude was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs and didn't care who knew it.
Tony hurriedly put his clothes and mask on.
Tony then shoved his gun into the deep pockets of his sweat pants. He then put the clothes he had changed out of into the duffel, compressed it again and then put it inside of a Kroger bag. It wouldn't do to have his duffel bag spotted. Tony would hate to have to get rid of a present from his mother. He walked out of the restroom on his way back to the pavilion.
***
After the offering, the choir sang one more selection and then Walt grabbed his Bible and headed for the podium. He placed his Bible in front of him, said a quick prayer and then he said, "I want to thank everyone who gave in the offering. As you all know, it takes a lot to pull together something as spectacular as all of this is." He hesitated for a moment, and then said, "So, that is why I'm going to take a moment before I bring the Word, to allow for a special offering. How many of you know that the Lord sends out his blessings to those who give to his ministries?"
Hands went up all over the pavilion.
Lamont turned to JT and whispered, "What is he doing?"
JT shook his head. "I don’t know.”
“He is out of control. I’m going to stop him,” Lamont said as he began to stand up.
But JT lifted a hand, halting Lamont. “We'll deal with him later."
"Come on saints of God,” Walt encouraged the crowd. “Stand up on your feet and dig deep in your pockets for God." He took a twenty out of his wallet and threw it in the basket. "I'll even be the first partaker of this special offering." People began walking down the aisle, putting their money in the basket. Walt turned to the choir and signaled for them to sing something so he could keep the emotions running high. "That's right," he said as more people came to the basket, "Like Pastor JT said, it's more blessed to give than to receive."
Walt was having a good time, watching the people of God march down to the front of the pavilion with money held high, willing to give for the work of the ministry. He just prayed it would be enough to pay his stinking’ blackmailer, so he could continue living his charmed life. But then he heard someone yelling. He looked down from the stage and saw Dynasty with tears running down her face.
“How dare you cheat on me!” Dynasty screamed.
Stunned at seeing his girlfriend standing in front of the stage screaming at him, he recovered quickly. Walt bent down and tried to whisper, “Go sit down, Dynasty. I’ll talk to you later.” He shooed her away with his hand.
But she wouldn’t be moved. The tears kept coming as she said, “I saw your porno.”
“Go sit down,” he screamed as he looked back at Cynthia, who was seething.
"You lied to me. You lied to me," she said over and over, and then pulled a gun out of her purse and shot him.
Margie had taken off down the aisle the moment Dynasty began screaming at Walt. The shot occurred before she could get to him, but then Dynasty put the gun to her head. And Margie kept running and screaming at her friend. Begging her not to do it. How many times would she have to witness destruction in the church? When would the people simply decide to live right?
She reached Dynasty before she had a chance to pull the trigger again, grabbed her arm and pushed her down to the ground.
The cameramen looked at each other and said in unison, "We're going to be rich."
“I am so glad we came two days early. Let’s put part of this online and charge for the rest of it,” one of the cameramen suggested.
While the cameramen were high-fiving each other, Tony stood not far away, viewing all of the chaos that had unfolded. His mother had her hand over her mouth as if she were in shock. Backing out of the pavilion, he went back to the restroom and changed into his church clothes.
“Mom, what happened?” he asked when he came back into the pavilion.
“Tony, good Lord, where have you been?”
“I was in the restroom. What happened?” he asked again.
She pointed toward the stage. “Some woman shot Pastor Walt.”
He grabbed his mother’s hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Mm, mm, mm, what is this world coming to?” Tony’s mother asked as they made their way to his car.
Nineteen
Walt lay on the ground moaning for help. Cynthia jumped from her seat and ran to her husband. “Oh my God, somebody help us,” Cynthia screamed as she held onto Walt for dear life. Victoria, Walt’s office manager ran onto the stage and pulled Cynthia off of Walt and began holding him herself.
Lamont pulled Victoria off of Walt, so Cynthia could be near her husband. He sat Victoria in one of the chairs on the stage and said, “We’re going to let his wife take care of him now, all right?”
Victoria nodded and then burst out in tears.
JT dialed 911, then he grabbed the mic and said, “Come on saints, don’t just stand there looking and doing nothing to help... pray for our brother,” he pointed to Walt as he continued to moan on the floor. And then at Dynasty as Margie held the woman in her arms as she cried from some deep inner wound. “and our sister in Christ. They both need the Lord’s help right now.” Walt had either caused this woman to snap or she already had emotional problems that aided in her destruction, just like the young woman he had used and tried to toss aside. Cassandra had gotten hurt because of his misdeeds. JT would never forgive himself for that. He was just thankful that Dynasty hadn’t decided to shoot Cynthia in order to get Walt free and clear of his wife. “Lord, help us all,” JT said into the microphone as the saints kept praying.
The police and the paramedics arrived at the same time. Dynasty was put in the back of the police car, kicking and screaming as she declared that she had to ride to the hospital with her man. Walt hadn’t heard a word that Dynasty uttered because he had blacked out by the time he had been put in the ambulance. Cynthia followed behind the paramedics, looking as if her world was being shattered into so many pieces that she would never be able to piece it back together.
JT told Cassandra to take the children home. He then told Lamont that he was going to the hospital with Walt.
“W-what do you want me to do? Maybe we should just send them all home. I’m not sure if I’m prepared to handle this on my own,” Lamont said nervously as he looked out at the sea of people.
JT glanced in the direction where Lamont was looking. Some of the people were earnestly praying, some were confused, and some had a look of hopelessness on their faces. He turned back to Lamont. “You’re prepared. Just tell the people what God has been showing you. I can’t imagine a better time to get the people’s minds focused on consecration and living holy, can you?”
Finding the courage to do God’s will, Lamont said, “Okay JT, you go with Walt. I’ve got this.”
JT slapped Lamont on the back, and gave him an at-a-boy smile. “That’s the man of God that I know. You’re ready.”
As he was walking away, Lamont tapped him on the shoulder. With sorrow filled eyes, Lamont said, “I know that I have a lot to say against Walt, but I never imagined that something like this would happen. I’ll be praying for him.”
“Keep him lifted, God is a wonder worker.” JT was talking about a God that he knew that he knew, and nothing could make him doubt Him... not the bullet lodged in Walt’s body, not Walt being unconscious, not Dynasty being hauled off to jail. Nothing.
***
Praying as he walked over to the podium, Lamont truly believed that he felt the Lord guiding his steps. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the microphone and said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus, our healer and deliverer.” People began lifting their hands and shouting their agreement. “I know that we have witnessed a tragic situation tonight, and I don’t have any answers for you on why that woman decided to come here tonight and shoot Pastor Walt.”
Lamont had suspicions, but since he didn’t know the woman and had never seen her in Walt’s presence, he would keep his thoughts to himself. “But the Lord has been dealing with me on some things that I believe I’m supposed to share with you all tonight. So, please take your seats and bear with me.”
Half the chairs were empty. So, some might have left the moment the bullet was fired, fearing that the next bullet might have their name on it if they didn’t get out of there. But for the people who were still in their seats, Lamont felt compelled to tell them what had been weighing so heavy on his heart. “Turn with me to the book of Joshua, chapter seven. Let’s start at verse eleven.”
Once they were there, Lamont read for their hearing the scriptures in the same way he had read them when God first directed him to them. “Christians have sinned...”
After reading, Lamont said, “What it all boils down to, is that we simply forgot that living holy is a mandate that God has for our lives. And now we sit around and wonder why so much tragedy and pain is happening in the world. Why God doesn’t seem to be hearing our prayers? There’s too much sin in Christiandom, that’s why.” Lamont answered. “Get the sin out and then God will dwell with us again.”
He then turned his Bible to Psalm chapter thirty-two and began reading: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. “I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.”
After Lamont read the part about acknowledging his sin and about God forgiving him, he realized that he had been doing just that for years, as he would continually go to God about his guilt for how Sonya died. At that moment, Lamont truly accepted the fact that God had forgiven him and he wanted the same thing for other Christians.
He continued reading in the book of Psalm. He was now at verse six: “For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.”
Forgotten (Book 3--Forsaken Series) Page 12