Chasing Deception

by Dave Milbrandt

  Just because Jeremiah Harmon wears designer T-shirts and jeans and flashes an energetic smile, that doesn’t make him any different than Don Corleone in “The Godfather.”

  Come to think of it, there is one difference between the two.

  At least there was never any question as to what kind of man Don Corleone really was.

  James T. Mitchell helps take a bite out of crime on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at [email protected]

  —

  8:55 a.m. Friday, September 5

  Student TV news crews from Foothill University and a nearby community college joined Melissa and the editor of Emerald Valley’s weekly paper. I bet Jeremiah is pretty mad the local network affiliates ignored this event, Melissa thought as she ate the doughnut she took from the conference table half-filled with breakfast snacks and bottled water. She also wasn’t too sad she didn’t have to fight for the choice morsels reporters ritually devour at morning press conferences.

  Despite the small crowd, Pastor Jeremiah insisted on holding the press conference from the stage behind the two TV news microphones. Jeremiah waited until everyone was turned toward him before beginning with his traditional enthusiasm.

  “I have called this press conference to announce the exciting changes in store for New Creation Fellowship. What was once adversity has been turned into opportunity. And through this opportunity New Creation will grow into the church God wants it to be.

  “Let’s get down to business, shall we? In compliance with the ballot measure passed this summer, New Creation Fellowship will have its last service in this building on Saturday, September 27th, and will vacate this theater before the October 1st deadline. But just because we are leaving this location that does not mean God has closed the door for this church to minister to people’s needs.

  “Instead he has opened up a new direction for this church to take. Today I am here to announce that New Creation Fellowship is on the move. We will be shifting our ministry from the suburbs of Emerald Valley to a mountaintop retreat in Crestline. This move will take place by the end of the month.

  “This move also gives us the opportunity to change the focus of our ministries here at New Creation. Among those changes is a modification in my role as leader of this church. With the support of my denominational order, I am changing my title from Pastor Jeremiah to Shepherd Jeremiah. My job will be to gently care for those whom God sends to me and I think my title should reflect that.

  “There are a number of things I could add, but how about I take a few questions first?”

  Melissa was truly shocked when he picked her first.

  “Pastor Jeremiah, what is your—”

  Jeremiah interrupted her. “Excuse me, Melissa, but it’s Shepherd Jeremiah.”

  She was flustered by the public admonition. “My apologies. Shepherd Jeremiah, what is your response to the charges that you are involved in a blackmail scheme involving relatives of New Creation church members?”

  “Those charges were manufactured by people who don’t support my ministries, and they are totally ridiculous. I think your Mr. Mitchell needs to stop writing fiction before he offends someone less of a gentleman than I. Next question.”

  Melissa just shook her head as she jotted down his response. She knew the rest of the press conference would be filled with his smoothly delivered lies. Just watching him con everybody made her sick to her stomach. She needed to talk to Jim so they could figure out how to expose Jeremiah and put an end to his fraud once and for all.

  16

  Melissa returned to the office well before the 11 a.m. budget meeting and quickly briefed Jim prior to going to her computer. She was thankful she had essentially already written her story. The computer file she had worked on the day before contained all the background information, including references to the incriminating documentation. All that was left to do was plug in what Jeremiah had said at the press conference, his denial about the allegations, and a quote from someone on the council. Melissa decided to call the mayor and get her reaction.

  She checked with Jim and got Marilyn’s cell phone number.

  The mayor picked up quickly, cutting off the end of the first ring. “Hello, this is Marilyn.”

  “Hi Madam Mayor, this is Melissa Jenkins from the Courier. I’m working on a story about New Creation Fellowship and their pastor’s decision to move the church to Crestline. All I need is a couple of quotes.”

  “OK.”

  “So, what is your reaction to their decision?”

  “Officially I had full confidence New Creation Fellowship would comply with the terms of Measure B. I am glad to hear they have found a new home.”

  “And unofficially...” Melissa hated obscuring who said what in an article and had rarely done so before this story came along, but she knew there was no other way to get the information she needed.

  “You can’t quote me on this, but I am glad someone else will have the responsibility of worrying about this man and his ‘church’. I just hope this doesn’t all end badly. Remember to keep my name off that last comment.”

  “What if an ’anonymous city official’ said it?”

  “Sure.” The mayor then quickly ended the call.

  Despite her qualms about going off the record, Melissa was excited about how things were developing. She felt the adrenaline rush as she typed the mayor’s official and unofficial comments into the story. Since she had done the majority of her work in the features department, Melissa had never been the sole reporter on such a hot breaking story.

  Finishing her story, she proofread it before sending it on to Dan Palms.

  Area pastor announces move, denies allegations

  By Melissa Jenkins

  Staff Writer

  EMERALD VALLEY - Jeremiah Harmon, pastor of New Creation Fellowship, announced Friday the church will move from the renovated Cottonwood Center theater to the former Crestline campground by the end of the month.

  Harmon also denied allegations reported in the Courier Friday about his involvement in a complex moneymaking scheme designed to blackmail relatives of New Creation members out of nearly $100,000 a month.

  “Those charges were manufactured by people who don’t support my ministries, and they are totally ridiculous,” he said.

  Regarding the move, he said the church was trying to adopt a more positive perspective on the relocation required under the terms of Measure B passed by voters last June.

  “What was once adversity has been turned into opportunity. And through this opportunity New Creation will grow into the church God wants it to be,” Harmon said.

  Melissa spent the next three paragraphs describing some of the particulars about the move. She described how the new location would facilitate members living on-site and worshipping together in a converted recreation room. She quoted Jeremiah as saying the facility would be self-sufficient within a year.

  Along with the change in location, the church will undergo organizational changes as well. Harmon said his title would shift from Pastor to Shepherd as he sheds much of his administrative responsibilities in favor of counseling and teaching.

  She transitioned into the positive comments from Marilyn and then moved to the mayor’s other comments.

  But not everybody in Emerald Valley will be sad to see the group leave. One city official who asked to remain anonymous expressed relief others would be responsible for dealing with the up-start church and Harmon’s shady past. The official also expressed concern about the church’s future.

  “I just hope this doesn’t all end badly,” the official said.

  Dan edited the story quickly, making a few cosmetic corrections. “Good story.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I just have one question. What’s with this whole ‘Shepherd’ thing?”

  “I don’t know. He said his denomination approved the idea.”

  “But didn’t you say the denomination was some nondenominational, interfaith group that advertis
es in Rolling Stone and will ordain anyone?”

  “Yes…” Melissa was a little confused as to what Dan was trying to get at.

  “So, why would they care whether he called himself Pastor or Shepherd or the Grand Almighty Pooh-bah? I got a feeling this is another one of his little power games. Call the people who ordained him and find out if they even have heard about this.”

  “If they’re clueless about this, do you want me to work it into the story?”

  “Nah. No need to crucify the guy on a little white lie. But check it out for me and let me know.”

  Melissa walked back to her desk and searched her notepad for the number to the main offices of the Universal Congregation of Peace. She explained what she was looking for to the person who answered the phone. Melissa was put on hold while the call was being placed through to the director’s office. One she got through, she explained to Director Abe Richards what she wanted to know. He was bewildered by the reports of Harmon seeking a title change.

  “No, we never heard from Jeremiah about anything like that. You see, Ms. Jenkins, we’re not the kind of group that cares what specific title you have. Most people who we ordain just want to make money by performing weddings and funerals. Only a handful of our members are full-time clergy. You know, I remember he sent us a copy of his Christmas letter last year and he was positively gushing about how well the ministry was going for him. As a matter of fact, Jeremiah Harmon is one of the most successful people we have ever ordained.”

  Melissa thanked Abe for his time and hung up. She went back to Dan’s desk to report her findings.

  “It appears Harmon never told the Universal Congregation people anything about his new title. But they were completely ecstatic about what a wonderful job he was doing. The group’s director said Jeremiah Harmon was the most successful person they ever ordained.”

  “Successful at what is the question.”

  17

  9:03 a.m. Tuesday, September 16

  Melissa was still experiencing a bit of an emotional high from reading her solo byline on the New Creation Fellowship move story as she skimmed the subject lines of the 17 emails sitting in her inbox. She noticed several bore some variation of the title “nice article”. She read three of them, including one from Jim.

  Nice job! See how exciting the life of an investigative reporter can be.

  Exciting indeed! Thanks. Her smile broadened as she typed.

  Two messages appeared to be tips for lifestyles stories, which she planned on reading in a few minutes. The second to last message caught her eye and she quickly opened it.

  The Real Gerald Hartley

  Dear Ms. Jenkins:

  I have been reading with great interest the articles you and Mr. Mitchell have been writing about “Jeremiah Harmon” and New Creation Fellowship. The man who calls himself Jeremiah is, as you know, Gerald Hartley. What you don’t know is that he’s my younger brother. I have attached a photo of him and me when he graduated from high school. I am worried about Gerald’s actions and would be willing to talk to you about him. Please contact me at the number below if you are interested.

  Sincerely,

  Ed Hartley

  The signature line of the message indicated he was an Associate Professor of Religion and Bible at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana. Attached to the message was a nearly 20-year old photo of Jeremiah Harmon in a blue cap and gown standing next to a man who appeared to be in his mid-20s. The close-up shot revealed that while they did not share the same eye color, the facial features were similar enough to prove they were brothers.

  Stunned by the message’s contents, Melissa quickly forwarded the email to Jim and then dialed his extension.

  “Jim, I just sent you an email.”

  “I’m reading it now.” Jim skimmed its contents. “Wow. Is this guy for real?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to check that out yet. Give me a few minutes.”

  Jim chatted with editorial cartoonist George Conway and Opinions Editor Ken Flaherty about the development, with George suggesting a cartoon of Jeremiah depicted as the two-faced Roman god Janus. Ken wasn’t sure the editorial board would approve running the cartoon, to which George listed off other controversial cartoons he had drawn that had been approved. After a few minutes of the debate, Jim left the cluster of four desks that housed the Courier’s Opinions department and passed Dan Palms and the Metro section before arriving at the Lifestyles department. As he approached, he saw Melissa was on the phone.

  “-OK, very good…Thank you for your time, Professor Hartley. I’ll call you back tomorrow before noon your time, so I don’t interrupt your lunch again. Thanks again.”

  “So, you’ve tracked down Shepherd Jeremiah’s older brother?” Jim said as Melissa hung up the phone. “Is this legit, or does it sound like a scam?”

  “It actually sounds legitimate. I asked him a few questions about Jeremiah, and his answers made sense. I told him I would call tomorrow before lunchtime, unlike what I did today. I thought he was in the Central Time Zone, but he told me he was just across the Eastern Time Zone line.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Melissa looked at Jim with a mix of irritation and incredulity. “How did you know which time zone a small town in northern Indiana was in?”

  “What town is right next to Mishawaka?”

  “South Bend…Oh yeah, Notre Dame.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s all about football with you, isn’t it?”

  “Actually, Indiana is more famous for basketball—“

  “Jim…” She glared at her coworker.

  “Shut up, right?” Jim smirked.

  “Something like that. At any rate, I’m going to call him tomorrow with a list of questions. He offered to send us more pictures and even suggested we fly back there, meet his parents and see where he and his brother grew up. I think he was kidding, mostly. I told him our travel budget is a bit more austere than The New York Times. We both laughed at that.”

  Jim’s eyes came alive. “Why not?”

  “Why not what?”

  “Why not go to his hometown and do a story on the place that spawned Shepherd Jeremiah?”

  Was he serious about this? “Come on, Jim! This is the paper that won’t approve overtime unless a natural disaster has occurred. Do you really think they’ll pay for a trip to the Midwest so we can do a background piece on our favorite con man?”

  Jim smiled in reply to her question. “Like Jesus said: ‘O ye of little faith.’ Just follow my lead, OK?”

  What’s he up to? Melissa wondered as she followed him to the office of Executive Editor Ted Nelson.

  —

  For his plan to work, Jim knew he needed to be confident but not arrogant, a mixture of emotions he had not always demonstrated in the past. He knocked on Ted’s door and waited for permission to enter.

  “Hey Jim, How can I help you?” Ted acknowledged Melissa with a quick nod.

  Jim took a breath as he focused his thoughts. “Actually boss, I’ve got a pretty big favor to ask. Melissa got an email today from Jeremiah Harmon’s brother, who lives in northern Indiana. The guy sent a picture of Jeremiah at his high school graduation. Melissa called him back and the story checks out. Now we could interview Ed Hartley over the phone, but he offered to take us around this town and introduce us to Jeremiah’s parents and everything. I think we need to there to tell this story right.

  Ted’s eyes went wide and his voiced was raised higher than normal. “Are you kidding me, Jim? We’re a newspaper, not a travel agency! We don’t have the budget to give you the time off, fly you two to Indiana and put you up in some hotel so you can do a story you could do over the phone.”

  “Ted, we’re not trying to waste the paper’s money.” Jim spoke in a calm voice he hoped would lower his boss’s frustration level. “We’ve spent months on this story and we keep getting bits and pieces. Now we have a chance to get some real insight into why Jeremiah Harmon is the person he is today. Our readers deserve for us to give t
hem the best story we can!

  “Look, we’ll take personal days off for this story. Right, Melissa?” Jim looked at Melissa hoping she would agree. Trust me on this one. He breathed a sigh of relief when she nodded her head. “All the paper needs to pay for is airfare and hotel rooms.”

  “Wow, you must really be desperate if you are invoking ‘the readers’ for your argument.” Ted shook his head.

  Got ‘em, Jim told himself.

  “OK. The Courier has a frequent flyer account with United. I’ll get Gary Keating to sign off on plane tickets and a hotel room—“

  “We need two rooms.” It was the first time Melissa had spoken during the meeting.

  “Melissa, it’s bad enough you and Jim are asking to fly to, where is it?”

  “South Bend, Indiana,” Jim said. “We can fly from LAX to O’Hare and catch a puddle jumper across Lake Michigan to South Bend.”

  “Sounds like you’ve already made plans.”

  “Actually, I’ve always dreamed of flying back someday to watch the Trojans beat the Irish on their home turf.”

  “Good for you,” Ted snapped before calming down. “Anyway, like I was saying, it is bad enough you’re asking for us to pay for two plane tickets, now you want us to spring for two hotel rooms as well?”

  Jim mentally admonished himself for mentioning the football game. What a dumb thing to say. He needed to make things right with his boss. “Ted, if it’s that big of a deal, I’ll pay for the extra room.”

  Ted waited a moment before replying. “That’s very noble of you but since you’re already taking vacation days to cover this story, I think I can talk Gary into paying for the extra room.”