Everyone did, so Jamie added, “There are ten Disciples and only four of us. The math isn’t in our favor. Each one of us has to inject as many Disciples as we can. Okay?”
Once again, everyone nodded. “Good. And you have your loaded handguns ready. But remember, it’s last resort. The Disciples don’t want to shoot us. They wouldn’t want to risk getting caught before they’ve fulfilled their mission. But if they do shoot, they’ll shoot to kill.” Jamie looked around, and everyone was sufficiently worried. “Should we go knock on their door?”
“No,” Ellen said. “We’ve got to surprise them.” She ran toward a room service cart that was left in the hallway, and they followed her. Covering up the dirty dishes, she made it look like a fresh order. “Since the Disciples have never seen me before, I can pretend to be the waiter.”
Jamie sighed. “But you’re not dressed like a hotel employee. They’ll know something’s up.”
“Probably,” Ellen admitted. “But that’ll be after I’m inside.”
“You’ll be in there alone, though.”
“Only for a few seconds, and I’ll leave the door open. I’ll have a syringe tucked up each sleeve, so I’ll try to inject two of them.”
“What about the others?”
“Hopefully, the injected Disciples will scream, causing confusion. That will be your cue to enter.”
“Okay.” Jamie wasn’t confident. He, Eddie, and Peter hugged the wall while Ellen approached the suite’s door and gave it a knock. “Room service.”
A man’s voice shot out from the other side. “We didn’t order anything.”
“Really? It’s on my ticket, sir. Suite 612, right?”
A second man shouted, “Yeah. But we told you, we didn’t order anything.” He opened the door and stuck his head out. “Now get the hell out of here.”
Ellen didn’t listen and pushed the cart inside. “Well, it would be a shame to let all this food go to waste…”
There was a brief pause. Then the first man shouted, “Fuck.”
And the second man yelled, “What the hell?”
A moment later, Disciples were yelling. That was Jamie’s cue. They ran into the room, syringes drawn. Jamie looked at the two men on the floor. They were in their underwear. The first was Raamiah. His eyes were open, but he had a bizarre look on his face. Jamie didn’t recognize the second guy, but he was out cold. Spit dribbled down from his mouth.
Other Disciples sprinted into the room. They were in the process of getting dressed in formal military uniforms. Most didn’t have weapons, but some did. Jamie handed two more syringes to Ellen, and they started injecting the enemy in the legs, the arms, the butts, or any other body part they could.
Another Disciple entered the room with a pistol in his hand. He aimed it at Eddie. Jamie spotted him and threw a plate of poached eggs in his face. While he wiped off the yellowy goo, Eddie shot him a dose.
At that moment, Raamiah started getting up and making a ruckus; he was so fat that Jamie guessed the dose wasn’t large enough to put him under. “Oh my God,” Raamiah said, holding each vowel as long as he could. “I’m so handsome, I’m a godsend!” He started pulling off his shirt.
“Don’t worry about him,” Ellen cried, injecting her third Disciple. “He’s hallucinating.”
“And my arms are so muscular,” he continued. “I’m an Adonis.”
Another Disciple approached Raamiah, attempting to help him. Peter injected him before he could do anything.
“Geez, since my arms got so big, I wonder what my private part is like.” He pulled down his pants and started wailing. “Oh my God. It’s gone! Somebody stole my dick!” He spotted another Disciple and got mad. “You’re the fucking thief, aren’t you?” Raamiah approached the Disciple with his fists clenched. Eddie followed. As the Disciple fought off Raamiah’s punches, Eddie injected him.
Raamiah turned around and looked at Eddie. “It was you!” He pulled his arm back for another punch and promptly fell to the ground.
Two more Disciples entered, their guns drawn. Peter and Ellen immediately pounced on them with their syringes.
Then Jamie heard Andy’s voice. He looked up and saw the head Disciple, Sharar, grab Andy and put his gun to Andy’s forehead. They were dressed in formal uniforms, and Sharar had a couple of M16s over his shoulder.
“One move, and your friend dies,” Sharar shouted. He headed for the door, dragging Andy with him.
Jamie figured if Sharar shot Andy, he’d blow his chance at getting into the Easter Service unnoticed. Andy was his only remaining accomplice.
But Eddie cried out, “Please, don’t…”
Sharar and Andy disappeared out the door, and Eddie began to chase them. The strain on his legs must have been too much. He fell.
Jamie did a quick head count of the disciples. “Eight down. We still have to get Andy and Sharar.”
He helped Eddie off the ground, and they rushed out of the room in search of them.
Chapter Fifty-six
Outside, the harbor looked like a carnival. The service was to begin at any minute, yet there were hundreds of people still waiting to get in. Parents held crying children in their arms and others sang Easter songs to pass the time.
Demonstrators were out in force, too. Some picketed against the council’s homophobic policies. Others opposed their stance on reproductive rights. Jamie checked the area for security. He couldn’t see any, or even any metal detectors at the entrances. The only thing he saw was the police department’s mobile trailer parked about a half mile away. Even with its flashing red lights, it was too far away to do any good. Jamie wished he could run to the police and tell them about Sharar and the Disciples, let the police take care of everything. But he needed evidence before they would listen to him.
Jamie thought if he could point Sharar out to them, it might do the trick. He scanned the area for Sharar, but couldn’t see past the crowds. But Jamie did spot Mordecai down the street, waiting. Wearing his cape and crown, he sat tall on the white horse, and his Faithfuls clamored around him. But Jamie refused to think about them. He needed to focus on preventing the massacre.
Jamie fought his way to the entrance gate and nervously stood in line for admittance. Outside the tent, a choir sang gospel songs and a large military honor guard stood at ease. It appeared that both groups were waiting for their entrance.
Ten minutes later, Jamie decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He jumped over the turnstiles without a ticket, ignoring the protests of the people in front of him. Eddie, Ellen, and Peter followed and luckily, nobody stopped them. Inside, they surveyed the area. A large platform was positioned at the far end of the tent. It acted as the church sanctuary, with a large altar and a cross taking center stage.
Without notice, organ music played from the loudspeakers and a man announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the national anthem.” The congregation stood, and the choir and honor guard made their entrances. They marched to the front of the platform and the choir performed a medley of patriotic songs.
Jamie made his way to Ellen. “I don’t know where Sharar and Andy are, but I see your father.” He pointed to him, sitting in the front row with his so-called security men. “Let’s get your father out before we do anything else.”
Ellen agreed. The four snuck up behind Mr. Rhodes. They kept their guns concealed, ready if needed. “Daddy, it’s me,” Ellen whispered.
He turned around. “Ellen?”
“Daddy, you’ve got to leave.” He started to argue, but Ellen cut him short. “Don’t ask questions. For once, just do as I say.”
He obeyed and hesitantly made his way to a side exit. The security men rose, too, but Jamie was confident they wouldn’t do anything that would compromise Sharar’s mission. He moved his hand to show them he was packing a weapon under his shirt. “If you even think about reaching for your guns, I’ll shoot.”
They didn’t need any more convincing. Jamie led them out, with Eddie and Peter following th
em.
Outside, Ellen still argued with her father. Television satellite trucks hid the area, so Jamie felt comfortable taking the guns out of the security men’s jackets. He held them up for the elder Rhodes to see, and the fighting stopped. Peter tied up the men with a couple of plastic shopping bags that he found in a Dumpster, and Jamie handed Ellen the guns. “I think we have enough evidence to get the police involved. So why don’t you and Peter escort them to the police trailer? Eddie and I will go back and find Sharar.”
“Just be careful,” Ellen said. She gave her prisoners a kick in the shins, and they started walking.
Jamie and Eddie went back to the Pavilion and searched for Sharar.
With a big flourish, the choir stopped singing and the honor guard finished twirling their rifles. As the groups took their places at the rear of the platform, the congregation rose, singing a rousing version of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus. The ministers processed to the platform. Most of the preachers wore traditional black suits, although a few had put on colorful vestments for the occasion.
They stepped onto the front of the platform, taking center stage. But Jamie’s attention stayed in the back of the platform. The number of riflemen in the honor guard looked larger than it had before. He looked at each of their faces and his heart skipped a beat. At some point, Sharar and Andy had snuck into the honor guard lineup. They wore the same uniforms and cradled identical M16s, only their rifles had real bullets.
Jamie pointed them out to Eddie. “What should we do? Storm them now, or wait for the police to come?”
Eddie shook his head. “If they see us approaching, they might start shooting. We should play it safe and stay here.” Jamie agreed, and Eddie added, “But remember, we won’t do anything to harm Andy.”
“I know,” Jamie said.
The Hallelujah chorus ended, and the congregation sat down.
Chapter Fifty-seven
A woman wearing a flowery dress walked up to the lectern. Zacchaeus listened to her read from the Gospel, but the message didn’t comfort him. He trembled. Back in the hotel, Sharar had turned on him and made him his captive. But now Zacchaeus wasn’t sure if he was still a prisoner.
When Sharar dragged him to the Pavilion, he’d asked Zacchaeus to be forgiven. “I had to pretend that I didn’t love you,” he told him. “I said those things to trick Jamie, so you could be saved. You understand, don’t you?”
Zacchaeus told Sharar that he understood.
Sharar leaned over and whispered to him, “My little soldier, do you see them?”
Zacchaeus looked around, but nobody appeared familiar. “Whom am I supposed to see?”
“Your so-called friends, Jamie and Eddie. But they’re not your friends. They want to kill you. They want to kill me, too.”
Zacchaeus darted his eyes back and forth until he spotted them sitting in a pew at the back of the Pavilion. “What should we do, Disciple?”
“We need to complete our mission. You need to act like the man you are.”
Zacchaeus took a breath. “As you wish, Disciple.”
The woman finished her Gospel and the congregation sang “Christ Has Risen.” Zacchaeus followed Sharar’s instructions to the letter. He snuck off the platform while Sharar quietly walked to the side of the Pavilion and hid behind a stage curtain.
Zacchaeus went backstage and climbed up a ladder to the lighting grid. He followed the grid’s path until he was directly above the altar and had a straight line of sight to the pulpit. Nobody but Sharar knew he was there.
One of the ministers stood up for his sermon. He walked center stage with a Bible in his hand. But he didn’t take his place behind the pulpit. His actions deviated from Sharar’s plans. Instead, the minister delivered his words of wisdom while walking around the platform.
Zacchaeus raised his M16 and had his finger on the trigger. He followed the minister as best he could. He knew what he was about to do was wrong. He trembled and was scared. He wasn’t the man Sharar thought he was. He couldn’t complete the mission. He started crying and put down his rifle.
Zacchaeus looked at Sharar to say he was sorry, but Sharar angrily spat on the ground. Zacchaeus looked over at Eddie, and Eddie looked back at him. They locked eyes. Eddie stood and ran up to the altar. He shouted, “Andy, please don’t do it.”
The minister stopped his preaching, and the Pavilion went silent. Everyone looked at Eddie, especially Sharar, who raised his rifle, aimed it at Eddie, and prepared to fire.
Zacchaeus had to act to save his friend. He took aim at Sharar. But Sharar saw Zacchaeus’s movement, changed his target, and shot him in the chest.
An explosion of pain ran through Zacchaeus’s entire body. He fell from the grid, toppling onto the altar’s cross. He heard the congregation scream and saw Eddie run up to him. He felt Eddie holding him, but he knew it was too late. He told Eddie that he loved him, and closed his eyes for the last time.
Chapter Fifty-eight
Jamie stood helpless as pandemonium swelled throughout the Pavilion. People ran to escape the shooting and ended up blocking the exits so no one could leave.
Choir members scattered in all directions. Some fell getting off the platform, and were trampled by the members behind them.
The ministers were no better. They ran for the stage door, hitting and scratching each other to get out first.
Then Mordecai entered the Pavilion riding his white stallion. In the midst of the chaos, he held his sword high and called for his Faithfuls. They came running in, armed with bandages and first aid kits.
The stallion became skittish, and Mordecai couldn’t control him. The horse bucked and reared out of fear. The nearby Faithfuls were kicked and hit, falling to the ground. The stallion stomped on them as he cantered away. He only stopped when he ran into one of the tent’s guylines. Mordecai fell off and cried out as the horse trampled him.
It was mayhem. Jamie forced his way to Eddie and watched him check Andy’s pulse. He shook his head. He couldn’t find one; he began crying. Jamie wanted to help his husband cope with the tragedy, but all he could say was, “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” Eddie replied, and gathered his composure. “But we have work to do now.” They began searching for Sharar.
They found him hiding behind the pile of broken choir risers. He looked pathetic, wearing a discarded choir robe as a disguise. Eddie grabbed him by the robe’s stole and started dragging him to the police, but he didn’t have to go far. The police arrived, with Christian in tow. He was handcuffed.
It took several hours and many more police officers to control the mayhem. All the news networks came out to cover the tragedy. Helicopters hovered over the harbor, taking aerial shots of the tragedy.
Jamie sat with Eddie in a corner. Ellen and Peter eventually came into the Pavilion and sat beside them. They silently watched as the police did their work.
Chapter Fifty-nine
Three Months Later
Sitting in a rental car, Jamie watched as the trees zipped past. The Catskill Mountains used to remind him of bad memories. But today he was ruled by other emotions. He looked over at Eddie, who kept his eyes fixed on the interstate. He turned to Ellen in the back. “You doing okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetcakes.” She leaned forward and massaged his shoulders. “How about you?” He gave her a slight nod.
Eddie broke his silence. “We should be getting to Stratburgh soon.” Jamie looked over and saw a tear running down his check. Jamie wanted to comfort him, to make all the sad feelings go away. But instead, he looked out the window. “It’s too bad Peter couldn’t make it.”
Leaning back in her seat, Ellen said, “I hear Daddy’s been keeping him pretty busy.”
“Yeah,” Jamie said, “I’m glad your father hired him. That was very nice.”
“Trust me, Daddy didn’t hire him to be nice. Daddy needed his computer knowledge.”
Jamie smiled. “Yeah, not to mention his family’s connections.”
“Wel
l, that, too.” Ellen tapped Eddie on the shoulder. “So, how’s your job search going?”
“Well, it’s going,” he replied. Jamie felt a jolt of remorse. As Eddie had predicted, Chef Bardot fired him for missing Easter brunch. “I hope we can continue to make ends meet.”
“We’ll do fine. We only have to hold out a little longer,” Jamie said. “At the end of the month, I start work at Empire Investigations. I’ll be a private eye. Well, an assistant to one, anyway.”
Eddie exited off the tollway and onto a county road. He ignored the sign for the university and headed toward the park and the Hudson River. When they arrived, Jamie was amazed at its beauty.
“Andy always loved this area,” Eddie said. “I’m glad we could do this.”
Jamie nodded and put his hand on Eddie’s knee. “The river is so pretty when you get north. Just looking at the water gives me a good feeling.” Jamie wished he felt good today, but all he could think about was Andy’s life. His sadness. In the end, Andy didn’t have any family or friends. When Jamie had called Andy’s father to tell him about the funeral, he refused to acknowledge he had a son.
Eddie parked by the side of the road. Getting out of the car, he straightened his tie and asked if he could carry the urn. Ellen gave it to him, and the three walked to a grassy overlook.
There were a few sailboats floating on the river below, but other than that, the park was empty. The sun shined in Jamie’s eyes, but he preferred to squint rather than put on sunglasses. “Should we say anything? A prayer, maybe?”
“No,” Eddie said. “I’m not sure it would be appropriate.”
“Perhaps you’re right.” Jamie took Ellen’s hand.
Eddie opened the urn and let Andy’s ashes scatter down the overlook. He was crying.
Jamie tried to comfort him by saying, “You know, Andy died a hero. If it wasn’t for him, Mordecai’s plan might have been successful. You might even call him a martyr.”
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