by Dave Dykema
Melissa took her stone out and followed Janet’s example. She felt like she was rubbing a talisman, but it did have a soothing effect.
“Thanks.”
“Are you waiting for someone? I live really close to here, and was about to walk home, but if you’d like, you can come with me and I’ll give you a lift once we get there.”
“No. That’s okay,” Melissa said. “I’m waiting for my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Yeah. He’s a great guy.”
“You should bring him by one of these nights. I’d like to meet him.”
“Kim said the same thing to me last week.”
“Why don’t you then?”
“I just don’t think he’d be into it,” she said, lying, knowing that Dan wanted to come to a meeting very much.
Janet nodded, familiar with the situation. Again she regretted never inviting Dan. “Sounds like you’ve never asked him. Have you?”
She shook her head.
“Why don’t you? Give it a try—you’ll never know his response until you do,” Janet said hopefully.
“Maybe…” Melissa said, trying to sound noncommittal.
“He might like it, you know,” Janet piped in. “Tell me about him: What’s he like? What’s his name?”
*6*
Dan headed for the white building from a different direction, twisting his Chevy through winding back streets in the kind of neighborhood that he once stalked in, lined with houses. It was perfect: empty streets dimly lit, no one to see him—especially Janet.
He knew that she liked to walk around her home turf. He lingered in his apartment a few minutes before he left to hopefully give Janet time to get home.
He could just make out the shape of the building. He wondered if Mel would be waiting inside or outside. Earlier, he might have hoped that she was inside, so that he could get a glimpse of the interior when he picked her up. Now though, he wanted her outside, so he could whip in and out as fast as possible. The cold weather probably put a damper on that, however. He slowed the engines, planning to cruise by languidly, checking out the lot for any sign of Janet before he pulled in.
*7*
“There you two are,” Stone said, butting in just as Melissa was about to unwittingly reveal Dan’s name. “I’ve been looking for you. How did it go tonight?”
“Everything went well,” Janet said. Melissa noted that she acted as if she was reporting to a superior officer. “Melissa is very eager to learn.”
His gaze shifted from Janet, where it rested wearily, to Melissa. His eyes sparkled when they alighted on her.
“Is that so?” he said in such a manner that Melissa wasn’t sure of his sincerity. “Glad to hear it.”
“There’s so much more I would like to know, though. I was wondering if you could help me,” Melissa said to him, playing out her part to Stone. She hoped that the urgency in her voice came across.
It did. “Janet, why don’t you leave us,” Stone said. “It’s been a long day. Go home.”
He tried to sound consoling, but it was clear that it was an order. Janet, deflated and hurt, said a quick goodbye and headed out the door.
“It was really nice to meet you!” Melissa quickly called before the door swung shut. She didn’t really like Janet all that much but felt sorry for the cold way Stone shunted her out.
Stone turned his attention back to Melissa.
*8*
Dan slammed on the brakes. He was about to turn in from the street when he saw the double doors thrust open and Janet step out into the dim light of the parking lot. He was too far away to distinguish her features, but he recognized the familiar stride she adopted when angry. Her head hung down as she marched home, arms swinging at her sides, determined not to let Stone bother her, but failing. His fingers fumbled for the headlight switch, turning on the windshield wipers before connecting with the proper button and extinguishing the lights, which dimly faded to black in a halogen glow.
Janet turned, sensing a change in the air behind her. She continued to walk as she looked back, really only glancing. Dan slithered down in his seat, feeling like Jerry the night he taught him to stalk.
Then she stopped, noticing the car in the middle of the street with its lights out. She drew one hand through her hair as she stood on the sidewalk, puzzling over the sight. She didn’t see a driver, but it sounded as though the engine was idling in low gear. She saw plumes of exhaust rising through the cold air from the muffler. She immediately got creeped out and accelerated her pace home.
Dan waited a good minute before daring to sit up. Discovery was simply too much of a possibility to be bold. As he did right himself, he had a vision of her standing in the middle of the street, hands resting on her hips, five feet from him, a horrible grin etched on her face as she glared at him victoriously. Fortunately, she was nowhere to be seen.
Did she see me? Could she recognize my car? For all he knew, she ducked back inside the church and was confronting Melissa about him right now. But that was a chance he’d have to take. He had dawdled long enough picking Melissa up, and he still wasn’t sold on the idea of her waiting alone with them. He wanted her out of there.
*9*
“Did you have a problem with Janet?”
“No. She’s fine.”
“What can I help you with then?”
Melissa sighed, hoping it was effective. “It’s just that I’m getting discouraged. Things aren’t happening as fast as I’d like them to.”
Stone chuckled an almost fatherly laugh. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know. It’s the same with the philosophies. They take a while to absorb. Exposure to them all at once can be very confusing.”
“I suppose I understand that,” Melissa said, “but I thought talking to you might help. When in doubt: go to the source, I say.” She did her best to flatter him.
“What exactly do you want?”
“I was wondering if I could meet with you tomorrow, one on one. There’s much I’d like to discuss.”
“That goes against procedure, you realize. There is a very hierarchical system to the instruction. Why should I make an exception for you?”
Dan’s car horn sounded. Melissa looked out and saw his blue Chevy pull up close to the door. She was running out of time.
“Is that your ride?” Stone asked.
Melissa damned Dan’s timing. Stone was changing the subject, and she couldn’t afford him the luxury. Her series would fall apart. On the other hand, she couldn’t stand by the door forever. Dan could clearly see her through the windows.
“Yes it is,” she said quickly. “Now about—”
The horn sounded again.
Melissa stared daggers outside. What bug crawled up his ass? she seethed.
“It sounds like your ride is a little impatient.”
“I’ve got to go,” she said, pulling her coat around her shoulders, “but will you see me tomorrow? Please?”
Stone came around behind her and helped guide her arms through the sleeves. In a way, Dan’s urgency worked in her favor, for Stone didn’t have time to debate the pros and cons of speaking with her. Plus, his ego liked the attention.
“I guess so,” he relented. “What time would be good for you?”
“Around ten tomorrow morning?” Melissa asked, trying not to let on her feeling of triumph.
“Okay. I’ll be here, but I can’t make any promises.” He finished helping her with her coat. “You’d better go now.”
“You don’t know how much this means to me,” Melissa said, opening the door. “See you tomorrow.”
She left. Stone watched her dash over to the waiting car and got a good look at the man sitting behind the wheel when the overhead light came on as Melissa climbed inside. It appeared they were beginning to argue. He locked eyes with Dan’s when Dan glanced over. Stone didn’t like what he saw, but he held his glare. Dan dropped his eyes. A moment later he drove off.
*10*
“How’d it go?
” Dan asked as Melissa slid in.
“What was the damn rush?” Melissa chided, ignoring him. “I was starting to make some headway with Stone.”
“I’m sorry,” he shrugged, looking over at Stone. At least he would have the opportunity to see the man. He suddenly knew what Melissa meant when she said he was magnetic. For a moment he seemed to get sucked into the cold pools of Stone’s eyes, but then he broke contact, shifted into gear and pulled out. He drove in the opposite direction of Janet’s apartment. Seeing her once tonight was plenty. He didn’t feel comfortable again until they were well on their way.
Melissa sulked in the front seat, arms folded across her chest. Finally, barely audible, she said, “I thought you had a stake in this series too. I thought you wanted it to turn out.”
“I do!” Dan said, surprised, overreacting. “I just think that you’re doing it in a dishonest way, and that could cause trouble later. Why can’t you just be upfront with these people?”
“Because it’s a very closed society,” she snapped back. “They wouldn’t open up to outsiders.”
“Do they consider you one of them now?” he asked, inwardly horrified at the thought.
“I think so,” she said, though not very convincingly. “At least they might have if you hadn’t come buzzing up, honking your ass off.”
“I said I’m sorry,” he replied, trying to remain calm. It was unfair for him to get angry with her because his ex-girlfriend happened to be at the same meeting she was. He took a deep breath. “Do you think I ruined your chances with Stone? Will we get him on tape?”
She frowned. “I’m not sure Stone will talk on camera at all. He’s kind of crafty, inherently suspicious, but also conceited. I’m seeing him tomorrow, and when I do, I’m going to try and convince him to go public. My strategy is to play up to his ego.”
Dan bit his lower lip, trying to suppress his anxieties. She didn’t seem to hear any of his earlier reservations. He didn’t want to make them an issue again, but then he thought of that look in Stone’s eyes…
“Don’t you think you might be getting a little out of your league? This ‘investigation’ is beginning to go beyond the realm of your usual profiles and features. Do you think Laura would approve?”
“Laura approved of it when she gave me the okay to go ahead. The methods I choose to use are my own business. I was hoping they’d be yours too.”
“We’re a team, Mel. I am on your side.”
“But it’s not the same with me as it was with Jerry, is it?”
No, it’s not. Jerry was my best friend, but I love you.
Confessions
*1*
“If all goes well,” Melissa said, organizing some items in her purse, “we’ll come back this afternoon with the camera.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you and wait in the van?” Dan asked. “That way, if he agrees, I can come in and we’ll have the camera all ready to go, saving a trip.”
“No. I have to approach him humbly. If he agrees and you suddenly waltz in with a camera, he’ll think I’m a smug little bitch who set him up. He has to think that I’m still a loyal follower who wants to use my position to help spread his word.”
“Turning him into a televangelist. Just what the world needs.”
“I’m hardly about to turn Stone into another Jim Bakker. God knows I’m not willing to become the next Tammy Faye.”
Dan smirked at this, and it felt good. Some friction still existed between them from last night. After Melissa’s comment comparing her to Jerry, not much was said, except curt goodbyes exchanged as Dan dropped her off. She didn’t invite him up, but then Dan didn’t expect her to either. They both said something about it being a long day, and how tired they were, and that seemed to take care of the subject neatly without having to deal with it directly.
Melissa scratched Dan’s back. “I’ve got to go, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I’ll log some of our other field tapes while you’re gone and try to locate some good soundbites.”
Melissa smiled. “That would be great.”
“One more thing,” Dan said as she started to leave. “Does anyone recognize you from being on the air?”
“A few people, but it’s not a factor in how I’m treated,” she answered, though not thoroughly believing it.
“Does Stone know?”
Melissa speculated for a moment. “I’m not sure.”
“It’s just that you said something about setting up Stone. I wonder: do you think he could be setting you up to be his conduit to television?”
Melissa pondered. “That’s a thought. I guess we’ll soon know.”
She turned and left.
*2*
The sun cast a warm glow over everything. Melissa wore sunglasses to keep the glare out of her eyes, but it was nice to see the sun again after the overcast skies of the last few days.
Stone’s church looked very different in the daylight. In the dark it took on a persona of foreboding. She supposed that tied in with her first feelings of dread when she began her infiltration. In the sun, it only looked bland.
When she pulled up, Reverend Stone greeted her warmly at the door and invited her in.
“It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?” Melissa commented, not sure how to begin talking about what she came to discuss.
Stone poked his head out the door quickly before shutting it. “I haven’t really looked. I painted over most of the windows because I don’t like distractions. It’s too easy for me to get caught up in what’s going on outside and forget about what I’m supposed to be doing.”
He smiled at Melissa and gestured for her to follow him, and they walked to Stone’s office in an awkward moment of silence, their footsteps the only sound. Each didn’t know what to make of the other. Melissa tried to be smooth, clever, but couldn’t come up with the right approach. Stone waited her out, not wanting to make any offers.
“I guess you know why I’ve come,” she finally said.
“Not really,” Stone replied. “You were somewhat vague last night. I got the impression you had a problem with Janet.”
“Janet was very kind to me. She’s not the problem.”
“Then what is?”
“I don’t even know if ‘problem’ is the right word. It sounds a lot stronger than it actually is.”
“Last night you said you were impatient…”
“I am. I want to know all there is to know. When I’m here, I feel welcome. I look around and see happy people. There’s a family feeling. I want to share in that. I want to know their secret. I—” she paused, aware of the grave lie she was about to tell. “I want to become a member of your church.”
“Confirmation is a very serious thing,” Stone answered. “I assume you’ve got some sort of religious upbringing in your background?”
“Methodist. Pretty conservative.”
“Then if you belonged to the church for any length of time you understand what it means to join. You probably took some classes taught by the minister or an elder, didn’t you?”
“Six weeks worth, after normal services,” Melissa remembered.
“And when you finished you had to state your intentions before the consistory, am I correct?”
Melissa knew where this was heading, and reluctantly nodded her head.
“We’re not that much different here. The process is basically the same. I’m glad you like us, and that you want to be part of us, but you still have to go through the steps.”
Melissa smiled, knowing she was stopped on this particular track. “Well, if you can’t help me at this point in good conscience, maybe I can do something to help you, in effect, proving myself.”
Stone raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
“I believe in the things you’re teaching,” Melissa continued, “and I think your views should be spread.” She paused, thinking back to Dan’s questions. “Do you know what I do for a living?”
“You work in tele
vision. You’re a reporter,” Stone answered, realizing there was no purpose in hiding the fact that he already knew that from her.
“A reporter, yes. But what I mostly do is features. I think you and this church would make a fascinating piece.”
So that’s your game, he thought. “I don’t know. I’m not sure the time is right.”
“But think of all the people we could reach.”
“Do you think people will accept me? Don’t you think the mainstream will find all this a little strange?”
“That’s the point of the piece. It’s a comparative look at new religions and what they stand for—the choices they offer a new generation who feel the old standards don’t apply.”
Stone looked her firmly in the eye. “Is this why you came to us? To do your story?”
Melissa found herself in an awkward position. If she told him the complete truth, he might throw her out with nothing to put on the air. If she lied, she would only be found out later when she stopped coming. And she wasn’t a hundred percent sure she wanted to break all ties with the church. Although she didn’t believe in the powers of the crystals, she had found a new friend in Kim. Just because her religious beliefs didn’t jibe with hers didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends. In college one of her best friends was a Muslim, and there were several Jews at the station she liked.
“Initially, yes,” she confessed. “Kim’s beliefs fascinated me when I met her. They seemed so strong compared to mine. I wondered what the source of her inspiration was.”
Stone stood up and paced the room, finally stopping with his back to her, his hands clasped behind him. Melissa watched his shoulders rise and fall as he let out a tremendous sigh. His fingers were wrestling in his grip, squirming to be free. She could only guess at the thoughts running through his mind.
“You’ll be doing yourself a favor,” she added, trying to sway him to her side.
“And you’ll only ask about the religion itself, and nothing else?” he asked, still facing away from her.
