Minutes dragged as Morgan uncuffed Rafe and transferred him to the boat with the other surviving prisoners.
As Morgan re-boarded and took a seat, the captain readied the boat to cast off.
Minutes later, they were underway.
Morgan leaned toward him. “Guess what we found on one of the guys. Brass knuckles. With triangular points.”
So. Maybe this trip had succeeded in closing their case after all.
And he’d definitely heard Russian accents on a few of the guys they arrested. Not to mention the woman he’d shot. Maybe one of her crew had been killed snooping around?
It would explain a lot.
Conversation died as the wind whipped around them.
Which was okay. Zander didn’t feel much like talking anyway.
The city drew closer.
As the boat approached the slip, Zander caught a glimpse of familiar copper curls.
Elly.
The boat had barely stopped moving before he was jumping off and racing up the walkway.
He pushed through the security gate and Elly crashed into his arms.
Holding her tightly, it was impossible to not notice the small shudders rocking her frame. Because she’d been worried about him? Or because she knew about Josiah?
With her, either option was possible.
Still, if she didn’t know, he had to tell her. “Josiah…”
She buried her face deeper into his chest. “I know.”
He’d learned long ago to stop asking her how she knew.
Instead, he simply held her, sharing the sorrow and grief that would forever define this day.
₪ ₪ ₪
Chloe followed the older detective as he led both her and Switch down the dock.
As they reached the pier, she saw the other detective embracing a woman with the most rocking red hair she’d ever seen.
No sign of her dad, though.
She’d finally gotten a signal as they pulled away from the island and had called her dad.
Gotten his voicemail.
As usual.
She’d left him a message. Hopefully he’d be able to understand it. The wind and boat noise had been pretty loud.
Course, even if he did understand it, it didn’t mean he’d come.
The older detective pushed through a security gate and held it open while she and Switch followed. “I’ve got a call to make, but I’m gonna need you two to stick around. We’ll need your statements…”
Switch’s stomach rumbled loudly, protesting the delay of food.
Her own hollow stomach agreed.
The detective grinned and pulled out his wallet, passing them a few bills. “I could use something, too. Howsabout you two hit up that food truck over there and get us all something to eat? I’ll take a hot dog with the works.”
She followed his nod to a food truck parked at the edge of a parking lot about twenty feet away.
Switch took the cash. “Sure. You want anything to drink?”
“Take a root beer, if they got it.”
She hobbled beside Switch, her ankle protesting every step. Probably oughta see a doc or something.
“You wanna sit down?” Switch pointed to a bench not far from where they stood. “I can bring somethin’ back for you.”
Yeah. That sounded like a good plan. “Thanks. Maybe some fries or nachos or something.”
He helped her to the bench before shuffling off.
Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes against the sun.
Her whole body ached, her head throbbed, and her stomach hurt.
After getting some food, she wanted to take a bath, then climb into bed and sleep for like, a week. Maybe more.
“Chloe!”
Her eyes shot open and she whipped her head toward the voice. “Dad?”
He raced across the pier toward her.
It didn’t even look like him. His askew tie flapped in the wind and one of his shirttails hung free. His pants looked wrinkled, as though he’d worn them for days, and his hair was a mess.
He dropped onto the bench beside her and stared. “Where have you been? When you didn’t come home last night, then were still gone this morning, I thought maybe…”
Really? “I didn’t think you’d even notice I was gone.”
His eyebrows dropped. “How could you think that?”
“You never notice when I’m there!” Hot streams trailed her cheeks.
Ugh. Would she never run out of tears?
“Of course I notice.” The protest sounded weak, like he was trying to convince himself.
Fire swept through her. Who did he think he was kidding?
“You never notice me! It’s always all about you and the latest party or some hot chick! Or your career! That’s all you ever care about!”
“That’s not true!”
“Oh yeah? When was the last time we even had dinner together, huh? I almost died today. Maybe I should’ve.” The tears overwhelmed her and she buried her face in her hands.
She wasn’t even completely sure why she was crying.
Maybe from the fear and stress. Maybe because she was tired. Maybe because so many people, including her friends and that guy Josiah, had died.
Maybe because both she and her father knew her words contained more truth than he cared to admit.
His hand landed hesitantly on her shoulder, then he slowly drew her to him. “That’s not true. I know I’m not good about showing it, but I love you. And I’m glad you’re okay.”
She sniffled. Maybe he really did care.
“And I’d like to hear about what happened. When you feel up to it.”
If she had a say in things, she wouldn’t feel up to it for a long time. Too bad she didn’t have a choice.
That detective was gonna be back soon and he’d want her to give a statement.
Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe it’d bring closure, or something.
“Were you out there all alone?”
She pulled back to see Switch still at the food truck. Looked like he’d just gotten to the head of the line. “No. My friend Switch was there. He helped me. And there were two guards, and a con.”
Josiah’s gentle smile filled her mind. “And this good guy named Josiah. But he didn’t make it.”
Something told her that, even though he was dead, his influence would live on. Not only in the lives of those who knew him well, like Rafe and that detective, but also in her own life.
She’d only met him, but somehow she knew her life would never be the same.
₪ ₪ ₪
Josiah would have liked the service.
Elly turned from the one way glass, where she, Bethany, and Bethany’s kids had watched the service remotely.
The pink-haired girl, who’d introduced herself as Chloe, crossed her arms over her chest and sniffled.
Elly still didn’t understand quite how the girl fit in, but clearly Josiah had touched her life, too.
With her was an older man, probably her father, and a skinny African-American kid who tried way too hard to look indifferent.
There was a story here. Maybe someday, when she wasn’t so drained, she’d get to hear it.
Making the decision to have the funeral at the prison had been hard, but also obvious.
It’s what Josiah would have wanted.
However, that meant that some of them had to view the funeral from a watch area normally reserved for prison guards rather than actually being part of the service.
But it had been worth it.
Zeke had preached the gospel powerfully, which would have also pleased Josiah.
Whether or not the message had any impact, only God knew. These men were good at giving nothing away.
At least a hundred inmates had chosen to attend.
Josiah had touched many lives.
The inmates were escorted out. Rush returned a minute later to collect Zander, Zeke, and Morgan.
They’d be next. She ought to say some
thing to the girl, who seemed emotionally precarious.
The girl fixed watery brown eyes on her.
Elly surveyed all three of them, although it was fairly clear that the girl was the one who had wanted to attend.
“Thank you so much for coming. I’m Elly. Josiah was my brother.”
The girl’s eyebrows knit together. “Your… brother?”
The expected response brought a smile. “Sometimes the strongest family ties are not forged in blood. He was my brother in every way that counted. How did you know him?”
The girl gestured to the skinny kid beside her. “We were on the island. I think he helped save our lives.”
If she only knew.
“Then you must be Chloe. And Switch?” Elly turned toward the skinny kid, who managed a single nod.
The girl’s eyes widened. “How did you…? That’s right. I saw you. At the dock. With that cop.”
“My husband.”
A buzz at the door indicated their time was almost up.
“I think I wanna know more about him.” The words burst from Chloe like a cracked dam. “And what he believed. He was different.”
Yes, yes he was.
Elly nodded. “I’d be happy to talk to you. Anytime. Let me make sure you have my number and you can call me if you want to talk or ask questions. Or you can find me at the youth center most days. If you ever need a safe place to hang out, you’d always be welcome there.”
While she hadn’t heard all of the story, especially parts that were still under investigation, she’d heard enough to know that these kids shouldn’t have been on Alcatraz.
The girl was likely headed for trouble, but maybe, just maybe, she was ready to change the course of her life.
Maybe it would be the final way in which God used Josiah for good.
“Yeah. That sounds cool.” The noncommittal tone didn’t indicate a firm yes or no, but Chloe didn’t sound like she was completely discarding the idea.
Elly pulled a pen and paper from her purse and jotted down both her cell number and the youth center’s address.
A guard stepped into the room and gestured for the group to follow him.
Ten minutes later, she and Zander left the prison hand-in-hand.
“Did you get a chance to talk to Rafe?” She looked over at him.
“For a few minutes. I’ll come back soon for a real visit.”
She was glad they’d reconciled. Life was too short to allow that kind of distance.
They reached Zander’s Mustang and he walked her to the passenger door, but didn’t open it. “I’ve been thinking.”
He took both her hands in his and looked at them for a second before lifting his eyes to hers.
“If it’s a boy, I think we should name him Josiah.”
Needles pricked her eyes and his image swam before her. “I love it. And I have the middle name.”
He lifted his eyebrows and waited.
“Rafael.” She blinked the tears clear to look into the eyes of this man she loved. “Let’s call him Josiah Rafael.”
Epilogue
The Pacific shimmered like a broad highway leading to Alcatraz Island.
A shudder rocked up Rafe’s back.
Five years had passed since he’d been on that island. If he had his say, he’d never set foot there again.
He turned from the window and surveyed the empty room, a prayer enveloping his mind.
In a few moments, those seats in front of him would fill with lost souls, men with no hope.
Men who needed Jesus.
His stomach tangoed. It didn’t seem to matter how many times he got up here to talk, his stomach always gave him fits before the men filed in.
But once they were seated, the Spirit would give him peace.
And power.
Today was different, though. Because today, today he was back in the same prison he’d once inhabited.
Not much had changed here in the years that had passed.
Yet he was an entirely different man than he had been the first time he walked through those doors and listened to Josiah tell him about Jesus.
Rush was still here.
He’d seen the guard upon being escorted in. Maybe they’d have time to catch up later.
The back door opened and the first inmate appeared.
Rafe forced himself to relax as the inmates entered. Fear wouldn’t suit his purposes, especially since these men could smell fear.
Hey God, please give me strength. And the words to break through.
Peace flooded him.
Whether he succeeded or failed, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was his obedience.
The Lord did the work.
The last man shuffled in and the door closed. Rush took up position right in front of it and nodded at Rafe.
It was time.
He pushed away from the window and approached the podium.
A quick scan gave him a rough head count of around sixty.
Most were only here for something to do, but he’d take it.
You never knew when those first seeds would be planted.
He let his eyes travel over the faces in the room. Tired faces, defiant faces, hopeless faces.
“Yo, thanks for comin’.” He smiled, hoping his love for these men came through in that smile. “I’m just here to tell you my story. You’re probably wonderin’ why you should even listen to some crazy homey. But I gotta tell you, I get it. Know why? ‘Cause I’ve been exactly where you are.”
He paused, then pointed at a man who sat in the next to last row. “In that spot. ‘Cause I used to wear orange inside these walls.”
As expected, that got their attention.
Some dude coming in and preaching at them was one thing, but someone who had once walked among them… well, that was another matter altogether.
That connection would open the door to the gospel, for Jesus had done the same thing when He’d shed His deity for human flesh.
But he’d get to that in a few minutes.
He pulled in a deep breath. “I’ve looked at a dude standin’ up here, a homey who said he had something to tell me. His name was Josiah. And he introduced me to Jesus.”
Dedication & Acknowledgements
Dedicated to the amazing pastors and their wives, all of whom have had a profound impact on my life. Listed in the order in which I met you: Marc & Michele, Del & Janet, and Tom & Pia – thank you. Your faithfulness to the Lord and commitment to the call He’s placed upon your lives has blessed me and untold others. I’m challenged by your witness, touched by your kindness, and humbled by your friendship. Life is richer for just having known you.
Jamie Lee Grey: could I do this creative journey without you? Probably, but certainly not well. You are a gifted writer, insightful editor, and dear friend. You’ve been nothing but a blessing since that “unlikely” plane trip when we met! Readers, if you haven’t discovered the treasure that is Jamie’s writing, you are missing out! Check out her books today for adrenaline-laced adventures!
Words cannot express how thankful I am for my amazing team of editors: Linda, Janet, & Del. You read my rough writing, offer feedback, and make me a better writer. I am beyond thankful for each of you!
A special thanks to Barbara, my content editor on this book. Your expertise was invaluable on this novel and I am so grateful for your input.
Last, but certainly not least, thank you to each of you who holds this story in your hand. I am blessed that you have chosen to pick this book up and thank each of you who has written such kind reviews and shared your life with me via facebook or email. Without you, I am just another person with too many words!
Most of all, thank you Jesus. Without You, life would be empty, pointless, and hopeless. I am so blessed that You chose me, called me, and provided a way for me to have a relationship with God. My life would be nothing without You.
A note from the author
Wow, what a ride! When I first started The Fallen Series, I nev
er anticipated any of this! Yet God clearly had plans so much bigger than me and my petty thinking.
If you enjoyed this book, could I ask you to do me a huge favor and leave a review on Amazon? Positive reviews are so critical to my success as an author – they help other readers decide if the book is worth reading – and also encourage me to persevere.
For those of you who preferred the flavor of the Deadly Alliances series, never fear. My next trilogy will take us back to the straight-laced mystery and suspense novels I typically write. Keep reading for a sneak peek of Nameless, book one in the Sinister Secrets Series, which I anticipate releasing summer 2020. I’m excited to share this story and think you’ll really like Kevyn & Dakarai.
If you’d like to receive notification of new releases, check out candlesutton.com and sign up for my monthly newsletter. In addition to updates on what’s next in the Sutton world of suspense, you’ll get reading recommendations and an inspirational thought for the day – plus a chance to win a free ebook. Every month through the end of 2019, I am giving away 1 free ebook each month – details on how to enter for your chance to win are included in my newsletters.
There’s great power in our interactions with others. It’s easy to look at a fictional character like Josiah and think: 1. Its fiction and 2. No way could I ever impact others like that.
While the first point is very true – Josiah is fictional, as is the idea that there are any sinless people in this world – the second point is absolutely false. God has given YOU a story and a power that will work in ways you can’t comprehend, if you’ll let Him work in and through you to impact others.
I think too often we float through life, determined just to get by. We live reactively as we try to just make it through one crisis after another. Believe me, I get it! Life is crazy sometimes.
Yet God has given us His Spirit, so we can choose to live differently. What would happen if, instead of reacting in the face of a crisis, we lived intentionally? What would happen if we viewed crises as opportunities to point others to Jesus?
God has given us the potential to impact countless people in everyday interactions. Be bold, courageous, and intentional! You never know how God might use you to touch someone else.
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