Silenced

by Jerry B. Jenkins

  “You believe the announcement could jeopardize your ability to personally connect with Magnor. Why?”

  “It will mark the boldest move yet by the International Government against the underground, against terrorists, and let’s face it, against Magnor.”

  “Um-hmm.” Dengler was plainly thinking again. Paul waited, praying. While his request was sincere and largely for the reason he stated, the benefit of giving believers even a few more days was at the heart of it.

  “I will tell you what I will do, Doctor,” Dengler said. “If you believe you have a serious inroad to Magnor, I will call off Intelligence and put them on the underground at large.”

  Ouch. “Okay.”

  “That will keep them from scaring off the prey, as you say.”

  “True.”

  “But I am not going to delay the announcement. We are much too far down the track with this. While I hope it comes as a pleasant surprise to the global community, my fear is that too many people already know about it—enough that if it were delayed, it would reflect poorly on us as the international government.”

  “I understand,” Paul said, knowing when to push and when to let go.

  “You do not sound as if you understand.”

  “I’m disappointed, sir. Obviously, it’s the opposite of what I wanted. But I understand your reasoning.”

  “You are a good soldier.”

  Oh, I hope so.

  “And, Doctor, the hotline number I gave you would have eliminated a lot of the delay in reaching me. I answer that one myself. I trust you not to abuse it.”

  19

  JAE WAS ALREADY FEELING GUILTY that she was spending less time with Brie and Connor than she had in Chicago. They didn’t seem to be suffering, though, as her mother lavished attention on them. Saturday evening Berlitz and Aryana came over, and while neither seemed to know how to interact with kids that age, their interest alone eventually won over Brie and Connor.

  Of course, Ranold used the opportunity to speak privately with Jae yet again. “The chancellor himself may be onto Paul,” he said.

  Oh no. “Why?”

  “You know what Paul wanted from Dengler? Rather transparent, if you ask me. Wanted him to delay the announcement of the pledge of loyalty.”

  Jae cocked her head, trying to make sense of it. “What possible reason could Paul have had for that?”

  “See,” Ranold said, “you’re thinking like me now.”

  “But seriously, Dad. Even assuming Paul has flipped to the other side, would he not know how obvious that request looks? Surely there had to be something else behind it.”

  “To his credit, Dengler turned him down flat. And in all fairness, the chancellor did not report on the full extent of the conversation.”

  “Did he indicate any suspicion?”

  “Well, I didn’t talk to him personally, of course, but he told the head of USSA NPO he thought Paul was a brilliant thinker.”

  “Then why do you think Dengler’s onto him?”

  “I said he ‘may’ be. It’s not what is said that is as important as what is not said.”

  Typical male thinking, Jae thought. Or at least typical Ranold thinking.

  Late that night Paul was drowsy, and despite his failure to talk Baldwin Dengler into delaying Monday’s decree, he felt strangely at peace. The next day he was scheduled to talk with Jae. And he would also strategize with Chappell Raison about Styr Magnor.

  Collapsing into bed, he slipped his book of John disc into the player and listened to a few verses before drifting into a sound sleep. It was a passage from the twelfth chapter, where Jesus tells His disciples that the time has nearly come for Him to return to heaven.

  “The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone—a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And if they follow me, the Father will honor them. Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from what lies ahead’? But that is the very reason why I came! Father, bring glory to your name.”

  Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought it glory, and I will do it again.”

  In the wee hours of the morning Paul roused. Had there been a tone in the chip embedded in his molar? Yes. But for how long? Had he already missed the call? He sat up quickly and saw it was 3:30. He pressed his fingertips together and answered.

  “Doctor Stepola?”

  “Yes. Who’s this?”

  “Lothair.”

  “Lothair, what’s up, man? Everything okay?”

  “He is risen.”

  “He is risen indeed. What’s the trouble?”

  “Chapp’s really upset. He can’t even talk. This brings back all the memories of what happened to his wife and kids.”

  “What does?”

  “One of our women was hauled in by the gendarmes under suspicion of running a house church. The thing is, she never ran one. She’s part of us, but she never did anything overt except show up to our meetings. I mean, she planted literature at a couple of malls and a park near where she works—”

  “What’s happened, Lothair?”

  “Yeah, sorry. She never got caught for that, or even suspected, as far as we know. But somebody turned her in for something, because they charged her with carrying out illegal religious activity.”

  “Go on.”

  “Her family doesn’t know she’s a believer, so they went down to deny the charge for her and plead with authorities to let her out. One—her uncle—said he saw her bound and gagged and demanded to know what the purpose of that was.”

  “Was she hurt?”

  “He thought she was, but he didn’t see any marks on her then. She looked terrified. Then later the Sûreté called and told the relatives to come back because she had died. This time her parents saw her and said she was covered with cuts and bruises on her head and face, hands, and one leg.”

  “Sûreté Nationale killed her?”

  “Of course they killed her.”

  “What can I do to help?”

  “There is nothing we can do, Doctor. We don’t dare do or say anything with the announcement coming Monday. That’s so frustrating; we’re climbing the walls here. But Chappell wanted me to tell you that he has changed his mind about helping with Magnor.”

  “No! Now, he can’t—”

  “I am just passing on the message, Doctor. He will get back in touch with you when he is able to speak.”

  “When will that be? I’ll wait up.”

  “No. Not before tomorrow. I am sorry to have to bring this news.”

  By early evening Jae already found herself exhausted from one of the worst days of her life. She thought it had been bad when first she had heard that Paul was not the man she had married. To have him admit to flings—again, such a light word for a nearly lethal injury to their relationship—seemed to suck the life from her. It had taken her more than a year to deal with that, and in many ways it was never far from her. And just when she thought she had gotten over the hump, he would “slip” again. Why wasn’t there appropriate terminology for heinous decisions and actions that nearly killed her?

  But this. This was the worst. Just when she had more hope than she’d had in a decade, it turns out Paul may be worse than a philanderer. The kids were busy with Grandma and seemed content, so Jae stole upstairs and sat on her small bed, cheeks resting on her fists, staring out the window at a light snowfall. She was chilled and yet she chose not to don a sweater. She deserved to be cold, deserved to suffer for her blindness and stupidity.

  Strangely, though, some small part of her remained loyal to Paul. What was that? Where did it come from? She was an intelligent woman. She wouldn’t protect him for no reason. She didn’t want him at any
cost just so her kids could have a live-in dad. Jae would throw him over in a second if all of what the NPO suspected was true.

  And it might be. But if they couldn’t convince her beyond reasonable doubt, the woman who had been betrayed by this man enough times to have justified dumping him years ago, would they trash his career anyway?

  Jae already deeply regretted having shown her father the devastating letter. What was this need she had to pour fuel on an already raging fire? Did she need the points with her dad? For one thing, Ranold needed no more ammunition. His mind was clearly made up.

  Jae stretched out atop the covers, fully clothed. She lay staring at the ceiling, her mind racing. The New Testament discs seemed to magnetize her. What drew her back to them, especially after a day like today? She reached for them and several fell on the carpet. She grabbed them, selecting one blindly, and fed it into the machine. When she inserted the earplug and hit the button, she found she had chosen a letter from the apostle Paul to a man named Philemon.

  The first words said Paul was writing the letter while in prison for preaching. That happened back then too?

  I am praying that you will really put your generosity to work, for in so doing you will come to an understanding of all the good things we can do for Christ. I myself have gained much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because your kindness has so often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.

  Faith that will grip others too. Is that what’s happened to my Paul, if anything? Jae had to wonder if anything about her had ever refreshed anyone’s heart. That, she decided, would be a worthy goal.

  That is why I am boldly asking a favor of you. I could demand it in the name of Christ because it is the right thing for you to do, but because of our love, I prefer just to ask you. So take this as a request from your friend Paul, an old man, now in prison for the sake of Christ Jesus.

  Talk about manipulation, Jae thought. This Paul put her father to shame. Who could deny this request, regardless of what it turned out to be?

  My plea is that you show kindness to Onesimus. I think of him as my own son because he became a believer as a result of my ministry here in prison. Onesimus hasn’t been of much use to you in the past, but now he is very useful to both of us. I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.

  Asking a favor on someone else’s behalf! It wasn’t self-motivated at all. And he did this while enchained in prison? No wonder her husband’s father had named him Paul. Mr. Stepola had wanted a son like this. “With him comes my own heart”—what a way to say that!

  I really wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf. But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. And I didn’t want you to help because you were forced to do it but because you wanted to.

  Jae had to smile. No, Philemon would feel no pressure at all! In the rest of the letter, Paul admitted that Onesimus was a runaway slave who wound up in prison with him. The apostle asked for Onesimus’s freedom, reminding Philemon that he owed him “his very soul.”

  Yes, dear brother, please do me this favor for the Lord’s sake. Give me this encouragement in Christ. I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more!

  How could Philemon do anything but? Paul expected to be released soon, and he asked Philemon to prepare for a visit from him. Even if she never shared this Paul’s faith, there was much Jae knew she could learn from him.

  20

  UNABLE TO SLEEP NOW, Paul decided to call Jae. It would be the middle of the evening in Washington. Regardless of the international situation, he could not let anything keep her from being his first priority.

  Besides loving her and caring more deeply for her and the kids than he ever had before, Paul sensed that when the truth came out, if she didn’t run from him—which was, of course, entirely possible—she had the potential to be his greatest ally. If there really had been a noticeable change in him, if she had seen anything that would help convince her that he was now living in the light of eternal truth, he trusted that God would confirm it to her and that she would become a believer too. The price of that, naturally, was that she and Brie and Connor—like Paul—would soon become fugitives. It would not be beyond Ranold Decenti to go to any length, in his way of thinking, to rescue the kids.

  Ranold had never cared that much about them before, but Paul knew the man was capable of attacking his own daughter and son-in-law at their most vulnerable point. The kids would be merely chips he would play to get his way.

  At sunrise, Paul would make arrangements to get together with Chappell Raison again. What the man had to be going through was beyond Paul’s ability to understand. Chapp would resist Paul’s attempts to talk him back into helping catch Styr Magnor, but everything depended on that. There were so many reasons to do it—despite several compelling arguments for why it would be more convenient not to—that Paul hardly knew where to begin. He had an idea how to talk Chapp into at least getting together, but past that, Paul was in no-man’s-land.

  Jae and the kids were finishing a bedtime snack with her parents in the kitchen. Brie and Connor were excited about going to a Washington Native American football game with Uncle Berlitz and Aunt Aryana the next day, though neither had ever shown the slightest interest in the game.

  “Berlitz never liked football either,” Ranold said. “I ought to go so the kids at least learn something.”

  Margaret rose to answer the phone, calling back over her shoulder, “Berl said he had only four tickets, so . . .”

  “Bet Aryana would love a reason to stay home,” Ranold said.

  “Jae,” her mother called out, “it’s Paul calling from France.”

  Jae surprised herself at how eager she was to hear his voice, as if she had forgotten what she’d really like to say to him.

  “Can I talk to Daddy?” Brie squealed.

  “Me too, me too,” Connor hollered.

  “You two can talk to him down here until I get on the phone upstairs,” Jae said, hurrying toward the stairs.

  Her father was following her. She stopped on the steps and spun. “Dad! Do you think I can do this without you hovering?”

  “I just wanted to remind you, Jae.” He tapped his temples with his index fingers. “Focus.”

  “Well, maybe if you just go back to the kitchen, I can.”

  Jae rushed up the stairs so quickly she had to stop and catch her breath before picking up the phone. Brie was still on with Paul, and Connor was begging her to hurry. Jae waited until Connor got on and ran out of things to say.

  “Tell Daddy good-bye, Connor,” she said. “You can talk to him again soon.”

  “Hi, sweetheart,” Paul said, and he sounded so sincere that Jae had to slow herself. She didn’t want to get sucked in, but neither did she want to give anything away. She was not great at playacting.

  “Hang up the phone, Connor,” Jae said, still hearing downstairs sounds.

  “Grandpa!” Brie said. “Don’t listen in!”

  “Hi, Ranold,” Paul said.

  Click.

  “Sorry about that, Paul,” Jae said.

  Paul was chuckling. “He really thought he could get away with eavesdropping in front of the kids?”

  “I guess. You know Dad.”

  “NPO born and bred. Jae, it’s good to hear you. I love you, and I miss you so much it hurts.”

  “I miss you too, Paul.” She did not have to fake that. Could he be this good? Was it possible he was lying to her, playing her, seeing other women, betraying his country, and could still come off this sincere without sounding smarmy? She couldn’t imagine. “How’s it going? It’s what, the middle of the night over there?” Had he just come in from seeing someone else and called her out of guilt? She had to admit, it didn’t sound that way.

  “Oh, couldn’t sleep. But I’m making some progress. It’s slow. Can’t talk about it, obviously.”

  “I know. Any idea
on a timetable yet?”

  “No. I wish. Tell you what I really wish, Jae. I wish you could be with me here.”

  “I’d love that.”

  “Would you?” He sounded genuinely surprised.

  “I would.”

  “You start your job Monday?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Looking forward to it?”

  “Not really. It’ll help pass the time. I don’t like being a single parent, Paul.”

  “I’m sorry. I won’t stay any longer than I absolutely have to.”

  As they finished with incidentals and courtesies, Jae found herself incapable of allowing her resentment over what she’d seen on the screen today—not to mention the suspicion her father and his associates had tried to engender in her—to grab a foothold in her mind. Yes, someday she had to tell Paul that she was aware of Trina Thomas. Jae wanted, needed, to know that that predated the new Paul. If she discovered any evidence that he was still fooling around behind her back, Jae had no doubt her forgiveness reserves would be spent.

  His mention of her joining him in Europe was only wishful thinking, she knew. But the more she thought it out, the more it gained purchase. Paul couldn’t do his work with her there as a distraction. And he had not been serious in the least. But it was fun to think about.

  As much as Paul hated the idea of Jae’s being exposed to her father the whole time he was overseas, he had to admit she had sounded good. She had a quick mind, strong character. She thought for herself. Maybe Ranold would have less influence on her than Paul feared.

  And the kids sounded good too. Jae had told him they resisted the move as the time came for it, and he had hoped maybe that his and Straight’s opposition would have changed her mind. But maybe this was all for the best. He had prayed fervently for her and had to believe that if her being in Washington was against His plan, God would have prevented it.

  Having had such a warm conversation with her made Paul miss Jae all the more. He had to concentrate.

  By 9 a.m. Paul had caught a few more hours of sleep, shaved, showered, dressed, and eaten. When he couldn’t get Chappell Raison to answer his phone, he called Lothair. “Chapp and I have to get together.”