Wings of Deception

by Pamela Carron

  Jacks was immediately concerned when child abuse was mentioned. Still, she was not sounding just right. For one thing she had never let him get away with swearing. His curiosity was peaked though and he said, “Okay, so I am listening, tell me more.”

  “The parents of this young girl are using her for questionable purposes. They take her to see people and have her tell them that she had some sort of vision or something and was sent to give them a message. Our client witnessed this while there visiting mutual relatives and on top of that the child has a terminal illness!”

  “Hmmm, sounds out of the ordinary. What are the parents gaining from this, money?

  “I have no idea Jacks. We are in New York and you are in Mississippi, so investigate it and get the girl away from her parents.”

  “I will look into it. Give me some names and what information you have.”

  He scribbled while she gave him details.

  “And Jacks, they want you to personally handle this for them. It is mixed up in the religious sect so we do not need a sympathetic Christian handling the case.”

  “We, since when are you anti-Christian?”

  “I am not aware of such things that are not relevant here. It is an awful situation. The client wants to make sure the little girl is protected.”

  “I see.” But he didn’t for she was talking strange, as if trying to give him a double meaning to her words. Knowing she was representing Morgan’s attorney made him nauseous.

  “Why are they having you contact me about all this? Why not someone else?”

  “They know you will listen to me.” She lowered her voice as if trying to keep someone from hearing. “I can’t really talk Jacks about how things are here, but you must be careful!”

  “Why can’t you tell me Sheila, how things are, really? What is keeping you from it or maybe I should say who?”

  There was a pause on the other end with a voice talking in the background and when she spoke her voice again became unfamiliar and cold.

  “We will be contacting you for an update on this soon, for our client.”

  “Sheila?”

  “As I said, we will be in touch for our client soon. Good-bye.”

  “Huh!” Jacks hung up the phone. Odd, but then so was having your kid go around delivering weird messages to people saying they were from God, Himself. He would be interested in this one but how even weirder that the call would come from New York and from the same men responsible, in a roundabout way, for him being in Mississippi. He supposed it could be coincidental and shoving the paper into a drawer for the next day, he left for the bar. He was already late and the game well under way. He was puzzled by Sheila’s demeanor over the phone but if she was going to talk in circles she could do it to someone else.

  By the end of the next day, Jacks had completed a thorough investigation of the girl and her parents deeming it a definite case of passive child abuse. Alerted officials cut through red tape and soon had all paper work in order. Within forty-eight hours the child was in the court’s custody to be placed in a foster home. The parents were charged with criminal intent to use a minor for exploitation and unjustifiable purposes.

  It was Honey’s day off and it was nice to have one with nothing planned. She spent the morning catching up on mail and email. Her oldest nephew, Rhett was in the military, serving in Afghanistan. She had just gotten a package off to him and was lounging with a book when the phone rang. She reached for the cordless lying on the coffee table without too much effort.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, could I speak to Honey Magill, please.”

  “You have her, how can I help you?”

  “Miss Magill, I am with the ACAA here in Jackson, Ms and our attorney Jacks, would like to speak with you. I will put him through.

  “Wait!”

  “Yes ma’am?”

  “ACAA represents abused children and I would love to oblige but I have the day off today. If you will just have him contact my office tomorrow I will be happy to speak with him then.”

  “Yes ma’am but...”

  “I will be in my office tomorrow, good-bye now.” She firmly hung the phone up.

  She had dealt with these people before and while she admired what they stood for, sometimes they irritated her. Anything that they needed from her could wait until she was in her office. She wondered who gave them her home phone number anyway and made a mental note to find out.

  The phone rang again. Surely not...

  “Hello?”

  “Honey, this is Dwight. I am afraid we have a serious problem and could use your help.”

  Sitting straight up in alarm at the tone of his voice, she said quickly, “Whatever I can do Pastor Dwight, just tell me and I will be happy to. I know, you need a babysitter and it’s my turn?”

  “Dear Lord, I wish that were it, but it’s not. Joe and Brenna Bowler have been arrested and they didn’t have a clue who to call, so they called me. They said you may be able to help as it involves Carol. They have taken her.”

  “They have taken Carol? Who, and what in the world could Joe and poor Brenna have done to get arrested?”

  “All I know is that they said something about some child protective agency and that they were arrested on child abuse charges. If you would like, I can pick you up and we can drive to the jail. Gus has a brother-in-law who is an attorney. He is already on his way there.”

  “I will be outside.”

  She threw the phone on the sofa and ran to her bedroom to pull on some decent clothes. Never mind her hair and her face would just have to do, for it would take the Pastor only a few minutes to drive to her house.

  In less than the fifteen minutes it did take him, Honey was waiting. It was a mistake, it had to be, for Carol was the most adored and loved child she had ever met. Her parents would never do anything to hurt her. Poor Carol, to be taken away from her parents, ill as she was.

  She had come to know the family in the last months and considered them her good friends. All the sorrow the family already had to endure, now this. What could have happened to cause the law to become involved? Then she remembered the phone call she got just before the Pastor called. She moaned to herself, “The ACAA, It was Carol they were calling to talk about!” She ran back into her apartment and got her phone and when she found the number, dialed it. The same girl answered and said the person who wanted to speak with her was now out of the office. Dang! She hung up and by the time she got back out the door Dwight’s car pulled up.

  She jumped in and told him everything she knew about the people that had instigated the action.

  “This organization is the best of its kind and all about protecting children. I just wonder why they think they have to protect Carol. I could kick myself for not taking that call!”

  “Let us not borrow trouble. Would you mind praying with me before we go in?”

  He parked across from the police station and turned to face her.

  “Of course I will.”

  She closed her eyes and they prayed for God to guide them in how to help the couple’s situation.

  As Gus promised, his wife’s brother, Andrew Springs was already there and in the process of getting the terrified couple bonded out of jail and back home. He had a no nonsense personality. In his fifties, he was a medium sized man with a nondescript face. He shook Dwight’s hand firmly and turning to Honey took hers more gently.

  “You must be Honey. Gus said you were coming but there is really nothing either of you can do here. I will have them out before you know it and when they get home they are going to need some good support from their friends.”

  “I am concerned for Carol. What have they done with her? Do you know?”

  “She has been hospitalized, at least for the night. I have requested that Judge Langley consider an emergency hearing tomorrow but I’m afraid there is nothing we can do until the court does hear the case. The ACAA is behind this. What I don’t understand is what proof of child abuse they could have. They cl
aim there are eyewitnesses, but Joe and Brenna are clueless. This thing has hit them blindsided, but listen, why don’t you two go on back home until I call you. It will be a long evening for the Bowler’s after they get home without their daughter. They will need ya’ll more then. No sense in just sitting here waiting. They are not going to let you see them.”

  Dwight agreed, “I know you are right. Will you tell them we did come and will see them at home?”

  “Do you think I could see Carol? I know it would make her feel better to have someone she knows with her.”

  “Not a chance without ACAA’s consent and that’s not going to happen tonight. I did have them check on her a little while ago and they have her pretty heavily sedated, so she will most likely sleep ‘til morning.”

  Honey sighed heavily and said, “The poor thing must have been scared to death! I may could have helped her if only I had taken that call.” She explained the call she received from the ACAA, to Andrew.

  “Don’t go beating yourself up my dear. Chances are you couldn’t have done a thing before morning. I am fairly certain Judge Langley will fit us in for tomorrow. Just concentrate on Joe and Brenna for now.”

  Dwight agreed, “We will do that and thanks, Andrew, for getting here so fast.”

  “Not a problem. They have been my friends longer than not.” He smiled and opened the door for them.

  “It was good to meet you Andrew. Tell Joe and Brenna that I will see them later too.”

  “Same here, I just wish it was better circumstances and I will tell them you both were here.” Saying that, he turned and walked the other way.

  Dwight and Honey did not go home. Instead, they decided to share a meal at a nearby café. Dwight called Mildred, who was with Gem and since he would be out as long as needed, she said she would just stay the night.

  Since meeting Honey, Dwight had had several conversations with her, but mostly concerning things of a spiritual nature. She was an avid Bible student and he loved people hungry for God’s Word.

  While they ate their dinner, he found himself telling Honey all about Kim and she was touched that he would share his feelings about his wife with her. It surprised him how easy talking with her was and by the time the phone call came from Andrew, he felt he had made a friend in Honey.

  When they reached the Bowler home, he was ready to help Carol’s parents make some sense of all that had taken place.

  *****

  Back at the ACAA Jacks screamed at his assistant. “What do you mean she said to call tomorrow? Who the hell has a day off in the middle of the week when a child is involved?”

  Jacks was not just a little irritated at the Magill woman; he was furious.

  “Call her back...naw, give me that phone, I will call her myself. Of all the rude unprofessional nerve…”

  He dialed the number but there was no answer. After three tries he quit.

  “Are you sure you got the right woman?”

  “I am sure; she told me who she was. She just said no business on her day off. That’s all.”

  “So we call her tomorrow and won’t worry about it now. Maybe then she will feel like helping a kid. I am going to run down to the diner and get a sandwich. Then let’s work on that case where the mother’s boyfriend burned her baby with cigarettes. I want him real bad! Do you have the papers ready for me on that one?”

  “Yes sir.”

  When he returned the girl forgot to mention that Honey had called back. After working another hour, he was still thinking of the little girl, Carol, who had to be hospitalized after they forced her from her mother’s arms. She had become hysterical and then just passed out. Not being sure of her medical history, they were taking all precautions. Magill was the only child therapist at the mental health facility in the town in which Carol lived. He had hoped to have her go with him to see Carol at the hospital since she was supposedly an expert with children.

  He was thinking the woman was probably a snotty, stuck up, old stick in the mud type and he took a perverse pleasure in picturing a wrinkled up old prune face who would be shocked at what he could say to her!

  “What did you say?”

  He realized Tina had spoken to him.

  “I asked if you wanted me to have Sandra file this at the court house first thing in the morning.”

  She always looked at him with these funny little looks which were very annoying and he found himself thinking I do not like this woman very much. Realizing that it was probably his rotten mood that was at fault he said a bit nicer, “Guess I am just preoccupied....why don’t we call it a day? I am ready to get the hell out of here and I am sure you are too.”

  She was. They wrapped it up and left the office to others who were working late.

  Jacks stopped on the way home and picked up some steaks for the grill thinking he would invite someone over for dinner. He would enjoy some company and there was this Billy Ann he met the week before who indicated an interest in seeing him on a more personal level. Maybe he would call her.

  By the time he got home, he had called her and two other women he knew and none could make it to dinner. Well, he chided himself, it was a last minute thing, what did you expect? He was not discouraged and was determined to grill anyway. He had bought one of those homemade barrel-looking grills from one of the guys at work, whose uncle made them and had yet to try it out. He said to himself, “Who said you need company to enjoy a good steak?” Then he laughed and answered himself, “You did, you fool!” It was true, he always said to enjoy a good meal a person had to share it with someone or it just was not good.

  He made a salad and toasted some garlic bread while his steak marinated and he thought about Sheila’s phone call the day before. Something still bugged him about it but he could not figure out what. She was not the Sheila he remembered from the office. Was she trying to warn him of something? It seemed so, but what? He was certain she was being monitored on the call, but why? And why did they want him personally to handle the case? He was not the only non-religious person who could have handled the Bowler case.

  He cleared his mind of Sheila and work related things, put some jazz on and went out to grill his steak. It was a beautiful evening and he was going to enjoy it even if it was by himself. A strange feeling of revelation came over him as he suddenly realized he was feeling lonely. He brought his dinner out to the deck and went back in for a beer. He popped the tab off, taking a long drink. For the first time in his life, he wondered what his life would be like if he had married and had a family like most of his friends and peers.

  As he prepared for bed later that night, he had the weirdest feeling he was not alone. Could he have seen into the spiritual realm, he would have witnessed a war being waged and the prize? His immortal soul.

  SIX

  Brenna had cried until there just were no more tears and Joe wore a bewildered woe-be-gone look that made Honey’s heart ache. Honey made them all hot tea and they were sitting around an old fashioned kitchen table trying to make sense of what had happened that day. Andrew had brought them home and stayed for a short while but then had to leave. He aimed to get their case heard the next day because of Carol’s illness. The judge had said if at all possible she would hear their case.

  Before he left, Andrew pointed out that they needed to be at their best the next day and advised them to get some sleep. Dwight and Honey stayed until Joe and Brenna had plenty of Chamomile tea down them before saying goodnight.

  Joe and Brenna knelt at their bedside and prayed for God to keep their baby safe. They both cried until sleep gently took over and gave them a reprieve from their grief.

  For Dwight, it had been a long day and night. He let himself in his house silently after dropping Honey off, trying not to disturb Mildred or the baby. It had been a trying day with the Bowlers but he couldn’t help but feel a burden had been lifted from him and knew it was because for the first time since Kim died, he was able to talk about her to someone. Since her death he had to be strong not only for his
daughter but because everyone expected him to be. As a pastor, it was his job to do the listening and his feelings had been shut up for months until today. He had just blurted it all out to Honey. She was a good listener and he could understand why she was considered a good therapist. He went to sleep with prayer on his lips interceding for the Bowlers.

  Honey crawled into her bed thinking about what she could say to the people at the ACAA the next day to undo any damage she may have done earlier. If she had taken the call, they would know what this was all about. She had mentally kicked herself a dozen times for putting them off. Hopefully she would have another go at it tomorrow, if it was indeed about Carol.

  She fell into a dreamless sleep minutes after she lay her head on the pillow.

  But sleep eluded Jacks who was restless. His mind kept reflecting on his move to Mississippi and his life in general. He was glad he made the move but now he just felt like something was out of sync. He kept thinking about the lonesome feeling that had washed over him. It was a new feeling for him, as he was self sufficient and needed nothing or no one. Something he learned from a very early age was that you could count on no one but yourself. He had been disappointed too many times. When he did sleep, it was a disturbing dream filled sleep that left him tired and aching when he woke.

  He was still not in the best of moods when he arrived back at the office the next morning. His scowl caused Tina to hurry with a fresh pot of coffee she knew he would be calling for. When she delivered it, his grin was sheepish for he knew she was trying to avoid his bad temper. Without saying a word she returned to her work leaving him to get into better spirits. It was less than an hour later he called her.

  “Tina! That woman….what’s her name from yesterday….get her on the phone and kindly ask if she is in a working frame of mind today. I would like to meet with her. Preferably before noon, as I just got word that Judge Langley intends on hearing the case before the end of the day, so looks like I will have to spend the afternoon at the courthouse. And Tina, let me know as soon as you get something. It’s an hour’s drive there give or take.”