“Leaving so soon?” The voice came from behind him.
Startled, he turned to see the older gentleman walking through an archway near the front of the church. It was a familiar sight—worn overalls, raggedy T-shirt, and work boots.
“No, I . . . uh . . .” Stephen wasn’t sure where to start.
“You want to talk about something. But just like before, you are of two different minds.”
“Kind of, yeah.” He realized Pastor Buchanan had an uncanny aptitude for reading people.
“Did you find out what you wanted about the Mighty and Fallen?”
“Yeah, at least I suppose I did.”
The old man played with the rim of glasses. “So, you’re here about something else.”
“I am.”
“Why don’t you sit?” Pastor Buchanan sat on the pew and motioned to Stephen.
“I . . . uh . . .”
“Just sit.” The preacher seemed a little forceful. But it worked. He sat. “What about that friend of yours, the man that raised you? You aren’t asking him for advice?”
“I can’t.”
“Ah. That was his funeral I saw you at.”
Stephen looked at him, surprised he had remembered him.
“Surprised? I seldom forget a face. I’m sorry to hear he passed.”
“Thanks.” Stephen needed to find an answer but wasn’t sure what the question was.
“The last time we spoke, you seemed nearly as burdened as you are now. Did you make your choice?”
Stephen looked at the floor. “No, I still haven’t made a choice. I guess I’m not sure that a choice needs to be made. This battle between God and Satan, Lucifer and Christ—why should it concern me? Why can’t they just hash it out and leave me, all of us, alone?”
“James four, verse seventeen. Do you know it?”
Stephen shook his head.
“I’ll paraphrase it for you. If a man knows to do good and doesn’t do it, that is evil enough. Stephen, we were put here, from the beginning, for the purpose of serving God. He also made us stewards of this world he has given us. If we do not recognize His authority first, then why would people want to take care of anything? Look at the world today. It seems more and more like it’s falling apart. So many people simply do what they want, believing they alone decide what is good in their lives. That doesn’t make it so. They simply ignore God, believing the lack of choice causes Him to not exist.”
Stephen shifted in his seat, searching for comfort. “So, their refusal to make a choice is a choice.”
“You’ve got it.”
“I’m not sure if I’m ready for it.”
The pastor patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll pray that you’re ready before it’s too late, then.”
“Thank you, Father—sorry, Pastor Buchanan.”
“Anytime.”
Stephen got up and walked out the door, not sure if he would see him again. He got onto his motorcycle and rode to Delmar Loop. He walked the loop for most of the morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of a memory, or to hear a thought that might tell him where Bernard hid.
Around noon, he went into a convenience store to grab a snack. As he stood in line, strong, raw emotions of hurt, despair, and self-pity began filling the atmosphere. He looked around, unsure of what he might see. Seated near the entrance was a young man, barely of college age. He wasn’t the one Stephen had been looking for. Still, the young man intrigued him.
The man got up and walked down the sidewalk. Stephen paid for his snack and soda and followed behind. As the man entered an apartment building, Stephen waited a moment and entered the building too, knowing something was off.
People came and went as he made his way up the stairs and down the hall. He listened for thoughts, trying to find him. There was pain, a lot of it. The young man had no one. His girlfriend had left him a couple of weeks ago. His parents had recently passed from injuries in an auto accident. And he had no real friends to lean on.
Stephen rushed to a door and beat on it. “Hey! You in there, man?” He beat on the door again. The door opened.
“Hey, bro, I think you’ve got the wrong apartment.” The young man’s stringy black hair nearly covered his puffy red eyes.
“No, this is the right place.” Stephen pushed the door open and went into the living room, where he found a rope tied to the balcony. The other end had been tied into a noose.
“What are you doing?” the young man shouted.
“Look . . . Brandon, right?” Stephen thought about the memory of Patty’s brother.
The man nodded; a confused look fell on his face. “D-do I know you?”
“No, you don’t. Listen, I saw you outside the market. You looked like you could use a friend. I was going to talk to you, but you took off. I was trying to chase you down. I had a bad feeling.”
“Yeah? You wanna hang and be buds then?”
Stephen thought about how stubborn he had first been with Waltz. “Look, I get it. You don’t know me. But I was an orphan. I had no dad, and my mom passed when I was young. This man took me in after I ran away from a boys’ home. It changed my life. And, he recently died. I get it if you don’t want to talk to me.” Stephen pulled his wallet out. Inside was the folded pamphlet he’d gotten the first time he’d met the pastor. “Talk to Pastor Buchanan. He’s a good guy. I don’t go to church there. Still, he’s easy to talk to.” He pointed to the rope. “This is not a good choice. Things can get better.” Stephen snapped the rope from the balcony.
Brandon looked blankly at Stephen, over to the balcony, and back down at the pamphlet. “Thanks.” He took the pamphlet. Then he grabbed Stephen’s wallet.
“Hey!” Stephen complained.
“Whoa, take it easy, man. This picture . . .” Brandon pointed to a picture in the wallet of Stephen and Bernard when they were kids. “I swear this is the same.”
He handed the wallet back to Stephen, hurried into the kitchen, and pulled something from off the door of his fridge. “Yeah, I thought so.” He walked back to Stephen with a picture in his hand. “I had a roommate, a really quiet guy. Other than clothes and stuff, this was the only thing in the apartment that was his. See?” He held up a picture identical to the one in Stephen’s wallet. “Bernard left a couple of days ago. He said he had to go.”
Stephen didn’t know whether to be excited, worried, or sad. He had found where Bernard had been staying. But did the picture mean that pieces of their old friendship remained? Or was it simply a picture of a target?
“Did he say anything?” Stephen asked.
“Not really,” the boy replied. “He seemed a little worried though. I guess you know him?”
“When we were younger, like family. I heard he was living here now and came to find him. Guess I was too late.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Stephen handed Brandon a card. “Hey, if you see him around, call me, will you? And if you need to talk or just want to hang, call me.”
Brandon smiled. “This has been weird. But I can do weird. I think I might give this church guy a go. Maybe you’ll hear from me afterward. You know, to let you know how it goes.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Stephen turned to walk out of the apartment.
“Hey, how did you know my name?”
Stephen tried to come up with something but was stunned for a brief moment before seeing his deliverance. He pointed to a school folder in the middle of the floor. The man’s name was written across the top, Brandon Teague.
“Oh. For a second there I was beginning to think you were some kind of mind reader.”
Stephen laughed. “That would be something, wouldn’t it? See you around.”
He walked out the door, then closed it behind him. He listened for the kid’s thoughts, then smiled once he knew that Brandon had changed his plans. The odd turn of events had given the young man hope that someone did care what happened to him.
Delmar Loop got hotter as the day went on. The crowds seemed to grow. Stephen
had actually considered an apartment in the loop right after Waltz died. This day trip made him very glad he had decided against it. Although he was a people person, he both liked and needed his space and privacy.
After a few more hours, he realized that he wasn’t going to find any new information on Bernard’s whereabouts. He made his way back to his motorcycle and called Patty along the way. “Hey, babe.”
“Is everything okay?”
He could barely hear Patty for all the noise around him. “Yeah, I’m heading back. I didn’t find him. He’s moved. How’s Vincent?”
“Good. They’re letting him go home in the morning,” she replied.
“That’s great. Listen, I’m gonna head back to the apartment. It’s been hot out here. I need a shower. See you in the morning?”
“Yeah, that’ll be fine. I love you.”
“Love you too.” Stephen hung up. He pulled his helmet on and started the bike, taking one look back in the direction of Brandon’s apartment.
Where did you go, Bernard? But no one answered.
Chapter 20
Stephen opened the car door. Vincent placed his feet firmly onto the ground. The cane also pressed firmly against the concrete as he made his way to his feet. Although Vincent continued to recover a little more each day, he seemed frail and less confident than when he’d left Stephen’s apartment just over two weeks ago. As long as Stephen had known him, Vincent had always held his head high, until now. His feet shuffled, his shoulders sagged, and his smile awkwardly drooped. Together they went up the elevator and down the hall. Vincent looked pitiful. He always dressed nicely. The aluminum cane, however, looked out of place.
Stephen accompanied Vincent to his office and opened the door. “Surprise!” the staff yelled in almost unison. Vincent jumped, then smiled. Everyone had shown up early to welcome him back to the office.
He turned to Stephen. “You knew about this?”
“Yes, I did.” Stephen grinned.
“Hey, Vincent.” Johnathan patted him on the back.
Vincent grunted.
“Glad you’re back. Perhaps Stephen won’t mope around the place now. You should have seen him this past week. It was depressing.”
“Oh, I know,” Vincent replied. “He was horrible at the hospital. Then, I told him he had to stop coming to the house when I was released. He made me want to come back to work.”
They laughed.
One at a time, they all came by to say how much they had missed Vincent and how glad they were to know he was okay. Stephen had come to realize that they were mostly decent people. He saw things inside each that he didn’t like. For the most part, however, each person worked hard to be better than their struggles. Lying to them about what happened to Vincent proved harder than he’d thought it would. He didn’t like it. Still, thinking Vincent had been hit by a car had to be much better than knowing the truth.
Patty came by last. She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a light hug. “We’re glad you’re back.”
“Thanks, Patty. It is good to be back at work. Can you get me up to speed?”
“Sure. But I think Stephen wants a word first. I’ll be back when you two are done.” Patty left, closing the door behind her.
Vincent looked at Stephen. “You want to talk?”
“Kind of.” He pointed to a long wrapped box on the desk, which seemed to have gone unnoticed.
Vincent walked over to the package and unwrapped the box with meticulous care. He didn’t tear the paper except around the tape. With the scissors from his desk, he cut the tape holding the box closed.
“It is very nice. You did not have to, though.” Vincent pulled a cane from the box.
“I hope you like it. It’s Italian, made from beech wood. The handle is real silver.”
“I love it.”
“You said you may be using a cane for a while. You deserve something with style. Besides, I feel responsible for what happened to you.”
Vincent whacked Stephen’s arm with the new cane.
“Ouch. What was that for?” Stephen said.
“We talked about that. It is not your fault. I am a man and make my own choices. I would do it again and likely will. Afterall, I am a protector.”
“You’re really taking this whole priest-protector thing to the next level.”
Vincent sat down behind his desk. “You do not really understand. I know you have doubts about the Mighty and the Fallen. I also know that you still feel a bit like a monster sometimes. You are not quite ready to take your place. For me, I had hoped that the stories were not true.”
“Really?” Stephen sat across from him.
“Mom was one of the Fallen. Dad, too, is one.”
Stephen realized what Vincent’s concern had been. “So you’ve been worried all these years, that if it was all true, you would become one of the Fallen.”
Vincent took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “It was such a relief to know that I got to choose my own fate. And I have made my choice. I made it years ago, a choice to serve Christ and do good. So, you see, my burden has been lifted. What about your burden?”
Stephen wondered for a moment which burden he was referring to. Was it the choice? Or, could Vincent sense his conflict over hunting down Bernard. He picked up a pen and fussed with it.
“I don’t know. You’re right, though. I still feel like a monster sometimes. That boy died because of me. Waltz died because of me. You nearly died. I don’t feel worthy.”
“I am not saying you have made no mistakes. However, you did not kill either of them. Someone else made that choice.” Vincent paused for a moment. “Something else is bothering you.”
“Bernard. What if it comes down to one of us killing the other? He’s like my big brother. When I came to live with Waltz and Uncle Bernie, some kids down the street picked on me. Bernard stood up for me. He was always there, helping me to get by. My senior year, he came back from Alabama just to watch me graduate. What if Bernie’s right, and someone else is controlling him?”
“I have not known you very long. However, what I do know of you is that you are always trying to do the right thing. I think you merely overthink the solution sometimes.”
Stephen became intrigued. “Really? How so?”
Vincent’s fingers tapped the top of his walking stick. “You have been looking for someone to oversee the warehouses, right?”
“I have.”
“I think you already know who you want to run it.”
Stephen halfheartedly shrugged and nodded at the same time. The decision proved to be more complicated than he would have preferred.
“So, why has nobody been named?” Vincent questioned.
“I see your point,” Stephen relented.
“Do you? I believe you have a solution, a good solution. But I also believe you see or perceive issues or problems where they might not exist.”
“You know, I really want to be successful, to make Waltz proud in the way I handle this business. What if I’m not as good as I want to be? What if that person isn’t what I expect?”
“Stephen, you are one of the brightest men I have ever met. And you are a diligent and committed worker. But that’s not always enough. Where’s your faith?”
“My faith?” Stephen raised his voice only a bit.
“Yes. You’re good with people. But you aren’t very trusting. You gave Johnathan a promotion, and he’s done very well. But you continue to have him bring every little thing to Patty for approval first. You need to have faith in your decisions. Have faith in the people you put in those positions. Above all, have faith in God to see you through it all.”
Stephen tossed the pen into the box. “You sound like Waltz.”
Vincent smiled. “Thank you.”
Stephen stood and headed toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
Stephen stopped with his hand on the door. “I’m going to offer someone a promotion.” Then, he left. He walked down the hall, past hi
s own office and into Patty’s.
Patty looked up as Stephen entered. “Is Vincent ready for me?”
“Yeah, but I need to talk to you first.”
“Can you walk with me?” Patty grabbed a file and started walking toward Vincent’s office. Stephen followed alongside her.
“You know, I’ve got the warehousing business ready to go.”
“Yeah, I’ve been following it. But you haven’t named someone to oversee it yet. What’s with the secrecy?”
“What do you mean?” Stephen replied.
“Well, I haven’t seen you do any interviews here. I haven’t really noticed any phone calls either. I assume you’ve been keeping interviews and stuff off the radar.”
“Oh, no. I know who I want to head it up. You.”
Patty froze after having opened Vincent’s door. She let the door close back. “Me? You’re joking, right?”
“No.”
“I can’t do that.” Patty chuckled.
“Hear me out. You have a master’s degree. You’ve been highly involved in this business at a very high level.”
“I’ve only been an assistant,” Patty interjected.
“Only? You know all the right connections to get this business up and running. You know all the other businesses and their needs. You understand logistics. You’ve helped Vincent to make sure all the right people were hired in this office from the very beginning. You have more than proven you are capable.”
“What if I fail? You’ll have lost a lot of money. I’ll be jobless.”
“First, you won’t be jobless. You can have your old job back. Second, I’ve looked at the history of this company. There have been failures. This wouldn’t be the first. But, we will survive if it fails. Last, I will not accept ‘no’ as an answer.”
The door opened, and Vincent stuck his head out. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” Patty turned to Vincent. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Am I to guess the ‘yes’ was not meant for me?” Vincent asked.
“Correct. Patty just accepted a promotion.” Stephen knew this was the right thing to do. Patty had more than proven her abilities. She only lacked confidence, which Stephen could help with. Although he worried that this would affect their relationship, he understood it didn’t have to have a negative impact.
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