“Apparently you’re part of the Friends of Jeremiah club.” He flashed a sarcastic grin. “How did you get to be so special?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Jeremiah is trying to show off how great he is doing away from the media spotlight.” She paused momentarily. “The invitation says I can bring a guest. Want to come along?”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Sign me up!”
She sent an email to Angela De La Cruz, who was coordinating the event. Melissa explained in the message she and Jim would be attending. Within 30 minutes, Angela confirmed the reservation.
“And she didn’t say anything was wrong with me coming along?” Jim asked when Melissa briefed him about the reply.
“Nope.”
“I wonder what he’s up to?”
“That’s a very good question.”
After Melissa left, Jim called his uncle and they talked about the dinner. Phil confirmed he and Patty had received an invitation and they were planning to go. They agreed to meet up at the event.
—
Saturday, November 22
The dinner was held the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and Jim took Melissa up on her offer to drive the 50 miles up to Crestline. The weather report had forecast light snow. Not enough for tire chains, but just enough to make the drive challenging. She was glad when they made it up the winding road from the valley and arrived in the small mountain town. It took 15 minutes and two wrong turns before they found the former campground, which was about a mile off Highway 138.
The exterior of the property had been renovated a great deal. A heavy-duty wood fence delineated the perimeter of the grounds and blocked the view of the inside. Cars were parked on a leveled-off dirt lot fifty yards from the camp entrance. As people walked inside the gate, they passed by a man and a woman who quickly but thoroughly searched everybody coming in.
Jim waited until they were well past the front gate before commenting on the pat-down search. “It appears Shepherd Jeremiah is a little worried about a wolf or two sneaking into his sheep pen.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Inside the compound, Jim and Melissa found that 12 cabins had been patched up and painted a dark brown to match the tall pines spread throughout the camp. As they proceeded across the grounds, Jim saw a white lattice archway with a sign to the left-hand side that identified the 30’ x 30’ enclosed area as the “Prayer Garden.” They made their way into the recreation center, which had nine large round tables that seated eight people. As they sat down, Jim placed napkins on the two seats next to his and waited for Phil and Patty. They arrived a few minutes before the 35 residents of New Creation Community served the dinner.
After the meal, Shepherd Jeremiah gave a short speech Jim and Melissa listened to intently. He said the time in the mountains had been truly inspiring and that he and the other members of the Community had been able to communicate with God much more clearly. It had been a blessed time indeed.
After his presentation the guests were given time to interact with their relatives. Melissa left Jim, Phil, and Patty to talk with Vince as she walked around and listened to bits and pieces of scattered conversations.
“-everything all right here? You don’t look like you are getting enough to eat, dear. What kind of food do-”
“-a great place to be, Marty. We pray and meditate for hours and have just a few chores to do. My soul hasn’t been this rested since-”
“-doing great, Mom. Is Justine in band again this year? And how’s Matt doing with-”
She saw Larry and Delores Holcombe talking with Angela. Melissa thought about interrupting, but she noticed Angela was visibly pregnant and figured it would be a bad time to interrupt. Melissa speculated Shepherd Jeremiah was intimately involved in the development of her condition.
Melissa interviewed a few people. When she figured she had enough for the 15-to-20-inch story she had planned, she walked back to Jim and his family. As she approached, she was surprised to see Jim taking notes as he talked to his cousin.
“Honestly, everything is wonderful.” Vince beamed as he spoke with his cousin. “I don’t even want to take drugs anymore for the first time in years. And Shepherd Jeremiah has shown me my life can be about something more than myself.”
“But at what cost?” Jim countered. “You live in an old summer camp, you don’t have a job and you never see your family!”
Vince maintained his smile despite Jim’s outburst. “I know I’ve had to make some sacrifices, but Shepherd Jeremiah has given my life a sense of fulfillment I never found before. He has made my life complete.”
Before Jim was able to reply, Melissa came up and put her hand on Jim’s shoulder. “How are things going?”
“I think we’re done here.” Melissa noticed the frustration in Jim’s voice.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.”
After they moved a few away, Melissa raised her concerns.
“Why were you taking notes back there?”
Jim exhaled slowly as he raised his hands. “I asked his permission first and he said it was OK. Besides, he said some stuff that can help the article out.”
“Jim, we’ve already talked about this. You can’t interview your own cousin. There is no way you can be objective when you’re talking to family. I didn’t like it when you said you would use him for background information, but now you want to put him front and center in this story, and that’s not fair to him no matter what he said.”
“But you should hear the way he talks! It’s like Jeremiah has programmed him like he’s a robot. It’s not the Vince I used to know. Listen, I’ll type up what I have and you can use it if you want to. Jeremiah is playing games with everybody up here, including Vince.”
“Yeah, but you’re playing games with Vince, too, Jim.” Melissa knew that last comment would sting, but if she was going to be a friend, she had to tell him the truth.
Just then, Phil walked up to them. “Sorry to interrupt, but we were just told the visitors need to leave soon and we wanted to get some pictures with Vince. Jimmy, can you help us out?”
Jim took Phil’s old Nikon and snapped a couple of photos of Phil and Patty with their son. Just before they left, Patty told Jim she wanted a picture of the two cousins. The two stood next to each other. As Patty counted to three, Vince put his arm around Jim and flashed the broad grin that had been his trademark as a teen. Jim had a nice smile, but Vince, as usual, had outdone him. After the picture was taken they hugged and then left.
Jim and Melissa spent the ride home talking about the evening. She told him about Angela’s pregnancy and he agreed Jeremiah was probably the father. She also told him about the conversations she overheard and how all the New Creation people sounded way too happy to be believable. “They all sounded brainwashed or something. Their answers were too smooth, almost like they were rehearsed.”
“But isn’t that what people who are ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ and everything sound like?”
“When Christians are filled with God’s Spirit, they don’t sound like programmed robots. That’s what the people at New Creation Community sounded like. The souls of those people aren’t overflowing. They are completely empty. And I’m sure Shepherd Jeremiah has been actively involved in the process.”
“You’re probably right. The question is, now that he has drained their souls, what else does he plan to do to them?”
—
5:26 p.m. Wednesday, December 24
Christmas Eve came faster than either of them expected. They both had been busy covering holiday stories. Melissa was writing about a living nativity scene while Jim blew the whistle on the president of a local charity who was skimming money from the organization’s bank account. They had spent most of the time at the office holiday party talking to each other. They even exchanged cards and small gifts. Even though Jim and Melissa enjoyed their friendship, they both felt awkward they weren’t a real “couple”, but just friends. Neithe
r one said anything to the other, but they both felt a sense of loneliness.
As Jim checked the clock on his computer, he figured he had about an hour before he had to leave the office. His first stop would be at his place to get the presents. Then he would pick up his mom. They would drive to Phil and Patty’s house for Christmas Eve dinner, which would be served promptly at 8 p.m. He was daydreaming about the prime rib Uncle Phil always prepared for Christmas dinner when the phone rang. He picked up and immediately recognized Vince’s gregarious voice. He sounded like he was at a pay phone.
“Merry Christmas, buddy.”
“Merry Christmas to you too, Vince. How’d you know I would still be here?”
Vince laughed. “Because you’re always there, even on Christmas. Besides, Mom and Dad don’t get home from Christmas Eve service until at least seven-thirty. Oh yeah, give them my best would you?”
“Sure thing, Vince.” Jim paused. “Are you alright?”
“Never been better, buddy. Never been better.”
“Are you still coming to Christmas dinner?”
“Sorry. I can’t leave the compound. Maybe in a couple of weeks, OK?”
Jim didn’t trust Vince’s casual brush-off. He felt there was something else his cousin wanted to say. “So, you just called to wish me a Merry Christmas? Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?”
“Man, you’re right! I almost forgot the other reason I called. Shepherd Jeremiah announced today he has a special message for us in the next few days. He said he’s been talking to God directly and he is going to share with us what God has revealed to him!”
“People talk to God all the time, Vince. It’s called prayer. What’s this special message all about?”
“The Shepherd won’t tell us. He doesn’t want to ruin the surprise!” Jim thought his cousin sounded almost ecstatic. “The Shepherd said this message from God will help us remain loyal to Shepherd Jeremiah as our earthly leader. It’s supposed to be a secret, but the Shepherd said he would tell the whole world about it soon enough. I figure it wouldn’t hurt to tell you a little early.”
“Yeah, I guess not.” Jim’s reply was noncommittal. This is sounding just a little too weird. Jim contemplated how to phrase the next sentence. “Vince, I want you to be careful. Don’t do anything rash, no matter what Jeremiah Harmon tells you to do. OK?”
“Don’t worry buddy, everything’s going to be just fine. Besides, he’s my Shepherd. He won’t let me get hurt.”
Noticing the exaggerated reassurance in Vince’s voice, Jim recognized where he had heard it before. He sounds just like Jeremiah!
They talked for a couple more minutes before Vince ran out of change.
“Take care of yourself, Vince.”
His cousin’s carefree attitude momentarily sobered. “I will Jim. I promise.”
As Jim hung up the phone, he saw Melissa opening the back door of the newsroom. He called out her name and quickly paced across the newsroom to catch up with her. Jim told her about his conversation with Vince. She noticed something in his tone she hadn’t heard before. Fear. They talked for a minute and agreed to go up to the old campground on the 26th.
“Don’t worry, Jim. He’s probably going to find a way to pervert Scripture to show what a great leader he is. While I don’t like heresy, I doubt it will be any worse than what he’s done already.” Melissa had placed her hand on his upper arm for reassurance.
“We’re talking about a homicidal con man with a major God complex. You think we can trust him to keep his word and be a good little boy? I’ll be happy when we see Vince on Friday and make sure he’s OK.”
20
7:36 a.m. Friday, December 26
Having gone to bed early on Christmas Day, Melissa was up and dressed and even had a good breakfast. She had turned on CNN and had just finished the mid-hour headlines when she heard the knock at the door. She answered it and saw Jim dressed in his standard coordinated set of shirt, tie and slacks.
“Come on in while I grab my stuff.”
Jim entered and looked around the house while Melissa picked up her bag. The bag was really an oversized purse, which doubled as her reporter’s briefcase filled with four pens, two notepads, a voice recorder, her press credentials and some business cards in addition to a small Bible she also carried with her.
“I already left a voice mail for Dan telling him we are researching a possible story and would be back around noon,” Jim said and then paused. “Do you have a camera?”
“Yes.”
“Can you bring it?”
“Yeah, sure.” Melissa went back in and retrieved her camera bag, which contained a Canon digital SLR that one of the Courier photographers recommended she buy. Besides, you never know when a reporter is going to need a good camera.
On the drive to Crestline they passed the time talking about their respective Christmas experiences. Jim chuckled as Melissa described the lop-sided handmade picture frame her niece, Rebecca, had given her. Melissa laughed as Jim told her about how Aunt Patty was helping Uncle Phil do some last-minute cleaning and forgot to check on her cheddar biscuits. The very-overdone creations were so badly burned even Reggie, their pet dachshund, wasn’t interested and he normally would eat anything. Then they started sharing humorous stories about past Christmases.
“What’s the worst gift you ever gave someone?”
“That’s easy,” Melissa answered. “Remember when those nylon parachute pants were popular? Well, Elizabeth and I thought dad was so totally uncool so she dared me to buy him a pair. She told me later she was just kidding, but I went to the store the next week and got two pairs, one in red and the other in black. I wrapped them up and put them under the Christmas tree.
“Dad was a good sport about it. He even tried them on for us, but we all just laughed, even Mom. So he just stuffed them in the closet somewhere. A couple of years ago we had an ’80s-themed New Year’s Eve party and there was Dad, parachute pants and all. You could hear him coming all the way down the hall. Boy, was that funny. What about you?”
“Hmm, let me think.” Jim’s eyes lit up. “OK, I’ve got it. Remember Betty Coolidge?”
“Yeah, the home and garden writer. She retired my first year at the Courier. What was the name of her column? Oh yeah, ‘Cobwebs in the Attic’.”
“That’s Betty. Every Christmas she used to give out a dozen home-baked fruitcakes to people she thought deserved a little something special. This tradition was legendary since it had been going on for about 20 years. It was also legendary because the cakes themselves were just awful. Dan got one when he first started at the Courier and it made him sick for a week. So, no one ever ate them, but you told Betty they were wonderful if she ever asked.
“Well, a little fruitcake magically appeared in my mailbox my rookie year at the paper. I had planned to throw it away that night and lie about it later. But then my mom called and reminded me about the Christmas party she was having at her house that night. I tried to get out of it but she told me Sandy McCollum would be there and was looking forward to meeting me. She even had a gift for me, all wrapped and everything. Sandy McCollum had a crush on me, and my mom had been trying to set us up for several months, but I wasn’t interested. Tina and I had just broken up the summer before and I wasn’t ready to date again. And I didn’t exactly share Sandy’s feelings and had ducked out of every arranged get-together I could.
“But I didn’t want to be a jerk, since she had bought me a gift and everything, so I conceded to go to the party. I was getting ready to leave, and I still hadn’t figured out what to get Sandy. Then I eyed the fruitcake on my desk, and it all came together. When we exchanged gifts, I got ‘The Greatest Polka Hits of All Time’ on CD and she got the fruitcake wrapped in cellophane and tied with a green ribbon. Mom told me later Sandy loved the fruitcake, which meant she was either a great liar or just plain crazy.”
They pulled into the flattened dirt parking lot that was lightly covered with snow and exited the car.
Jim noticed things seemed too quiet. When they had been there before, people had been bustling about. But now the only sounds he heard were birds singing in the trees.
Jim’s eyes darted around. “Something’s wrong.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.”
They walked to the gate, which was partially opened. Melissa commented on the barbed wire on top of the wood fence. It was a new addition since their last visit. Melissa watched Jim as he looked around and then pushed the gate all the way open.
“What are you doing? This is trespassing!”
“No, it’s not. It’s just questionable investigative techniques. Besides, if something is wrong, then we can call the police and let them know.”
“You’ve got a point there. But if anyone asks, it was your idea.”
“Oh, thanks for the backup there, partner,” he scoffed.
As they walked onto the compound, Jim was looking at the snow-covered ground. “Didn’t it snow up here late Wednesday?”
“I think so.”
“That was at least 36 hours ago. Do you see any footprints?”
Melissa scanned the undisturbed ground. “No.”
Passing two cabins, they proceeded to the recreation room.
“I don’t get it. Vince just called me Christmas Eve. That wasn’t even 48 hours ago. Did they all just pack up and leave?”
“I don’t know. Let’s check to see if we can find any clues in the rec room.”
When Jim opened the recreation room doors, the intense heat and a horrid stench caught him full force. Holding their hands over their noses and mouths, Jim and Melissa ventured into the room trying to comprehend what they were seeing.
Melissa gasped. “Dear Lord!”
“No, I don’t think this is quite His style.” Jim’s sarcasm was a reflexive response to the horror they saw before them.
Chasing Deception Page 17