Drama in the Church Saga

by Dynah Zale

  The judge dismissed the hearing, and Val strolled out of the courtroom with Olivia on her heels.

  “I should have hired you as my lawyer,” Val cracked a joke.

  “I’m sorry, Val. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, but I couldn’t sit still and allow Caitlyn to make you look like the culprit when she had no right being at the cemetery.”

  “It’s not her fault I lost control.”

  They stopped at a bench and sat.

  “I’m glad you came with me today. I don’t think I could handle seeing Caitlyn today without finishing what I started. I think what made me so mad about seeing her again was how guilty I feel about Julian.”

  “Why would you feel guilty?” Olivia asked.

  “I’m the reason Julian died in that crash. I begged him to take that flight. He knew it was too dangerous to fly, but he boarded that plane to please me. If he would have waited for the morning flight, we would be married right now.”

  “Val, you can’t blame yourself for something that was set in motion before we were even born. God called Julian home. It was his time, and you have to let this go. What I’m saying may seem impossible, but if you don’t let go of that anger, you will never be able to feel God’s love surrounding you.” Olivia grabbed hold of her cousin’s hands. “Close your eyes. Can you see God’s hand reaching out toward you? He wants to stop the hurt, but you won’t allow Him to heal you because you’re punishing yourself for something that wasn’t your fault. Are you going to take God’s hand and love, or are you going to leave God hanging?”

  Val wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes.

  “If you don’t move on with your life, then you will never experience the abundance of blessings He has waiting for you.”

  Danyelle grabbed her duffle bag from the front seat of her car and ran up the church steps. She was running late, and if she didn’t hurry, the kids in the children’s choir would leave and say it was her fault for being late.

  She swung open the church doors out of breath. The church was full of children. There were thirty-two kids in the choir, and today every one of them had shown up for rehearsal. Instead of publicizing her arrival, she took a moment to observe how the children acted without parental supervision. She wasn’t pleased.

  More than half the children jumped over church pews, ran across the altar and played in the pulpit. The few remaining kids who were serious about rehearsal surrounded the piano exercising their voices.

  “That’s enough.” She stormed inside and dropped her bag on the first pew. “You know better than to play in the house of the Lord.”

  The children dropped their heads in shame.

  “Let’s get started.”

  Everyone quickly shifted into formation like soldiers in the Army. Danyelle handed out copies of a song she had written herself. It was an upbeat a cappella song that she was sure would bring the congregation to their feet.

  She softly clapped her hands to establish a beat. At her direction, the choir sang softly and tapped their feet. Danyelle picked the two strongest voices in the choir to sing the lead. When she pointed to them, they performed a duet like Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson. She was so excited, she couldn’t wait for the congregation to hear them Sunday morning. They practiced the song several times before she could finally call it perfect and dismissed rehearsal.

  “Well done,” a deep voice drifted to her ears from the back of the church.

  Danyelle was surprised to see Colin standing behind her. She turned back around embarrassed that he was watching them.

  “That was beautiful.”

  This man is always sneaking up on me when I least expect it.

  “Colin, I had no idea you were here.”

  “I was in my office working, but when I heard the children singing, I had to come witness their divine voices for myself.”

  “I hope we weren’t too loud.”

  The children raced out of the church, and Danyelle cleaned up any papers left behind.

  “No. I’m glad for the interruption.” Colin shoved his hands in his pocket. “How are you making out at the college? I already know you’re the star pupil in my class, but what about your other classes?”

  “They’re going well.” This time Danyelle was ready for him. The last time they were alone together Colin caught her off guard with the way his eyes seduced her, but not this time. If it happened again, she was prepared to give him a dirty look. “Thanks for asking.”

  His eyes followed her every move.

  She abruptly spun around and caught him looking. She marched up to him. “Is there something you wanted?” Danyelle stood eye to eye with Colin.

  “Well”—He paused a moment and swallowed hard—“if you’re not in a hurry, I was thinking maybe we could get a bite to eat.”

  “Dinner?” She didn’t expect him to ask her out. She was sure he would have backed off from her once he realized she wasn’t intimidated by him. “You want to take me out?”

  “That is what I said.”

  In his suit underneath the church’s lighting, Colin looked even better than he did on Sunday’s or even in class. His sleepy, dark eyes were alluring. She felt like she was under a spell.

  Danyelle lightly shook her head to regain consciousness. She playfully wagged her finger at the reverend. “Colin, why are you playing games with me?”

  “What? I didn’t do anything wrong. All I did was ask a beautiful woman out to dinner.”

  “Did you forget that you’re not only my pastor, but also my teacher?”

  He snickered a bit.

  “Isn’t it against the rules for a professor to date his students?”

  “Actually, that is true, and I apologize if I overstepped my boundaries, but you and I are both adults, and like you said, we do attend the same church. Now, if someone saw us out together, they could get the wrong impression and assume you were a straight-A student because we were dating.”

  “That’s why I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go out together.”

  “But, again, we are both adults, and it’s only dinner. I just want to get to know Danyelle Benson a little bit better.”

  Colin’s brown eyes made her vulnerable. “I guess dinner would be fine.” Danyelle was not sure why she agreed to eat with him, but there was no turning back.

  “Great!” He was so excited, he jumped in the air and clicked his heels together.

  Danyelle laughed at his animated performance.

  “I know a small restaurant that has great food. It’s not that fancy, but I like to support the small businesses.”

  In the car, Colin wouldn’t stop talking. When he was nervous he had a tendency to talk for long periods of time. This was an example of one of those times. With Danyelle sitting so close to him he couldn’t keep his mouth closed. He talked so fast, he held up both ends of the conversation by himself.

  A short ride later, Colin pulled his car over in the heart of North Philly. Danyelle looked around. She was quite familiar with the area. She used to frequent this part of the city often to buy her weed. But, with the rise in violent crime and the drug task force storming the weed corners, it was too much of a risk. She couldn’t endanger her life or her freedom over a dime bag of weed. Now, she traveled the short distance to New Jersey to get her stash.

  The Cabana Club’s sign hung above the front door of the building.

  “A club?” Danyelle gave him a critical look.

  “It’s not just a club. It’s also a restaurant.”

  They got out of the car, and before they could enter the establishment, Danyelle heard a familiar voice call her name.

  “What’s up, girl? I ain’t seen you in a while.” Javier was walking by and noticed her. He reached out to give her a hug.

  Danyelle gave a quick wave of her hand and tried turning away. She prayed he would leave her alone. Danyelle used to be one of his best customers. He would look out for her and often sold her herb at the lowest price.

  “Listen, if you
need anything, look me up. I just got in a supply and I’m telling you this stuff will set you off.” Javier bounced up and down as he talked.

  Danyelle could see he was high by his sleepy eyes. Then Javier chuckled to himself and swayed to one side. “I got a few bags on me now if you need something.” He dug into his pocket, and Danyelle stopped him before he pulled anything out.

  With her eyes she tried to hint to him that this was a bad time, but he was so high he was unaware of what was going on. She knew that standing in front of her pastor with a drug dealer trying to sell her a bag was just as bad as a crack addict trying to buy a bag in front of the cops. She desperately wanted to shake him and scream for him to wake up.

  “Excuse me.” Colin inched himself between the two of them. “I don’t think Danyelle will be buying anything from you tonight. We came here to eat. Nothing more.”

  Javier looked at him strangely, as if the reverend had just appeared out of thin air.

  “Oh, okay.” He turned away, but turned back as if he forgot something. “Girl, you know where to find me.”

  Danyelle slightly nodded her head and rushed into the restaurant. When Colin caught up with her, he acted like nothing happened. He told the hostess they needed a table for two.

  “My name is Rosa. I’ll be your server for the evening.” She led them to a table and placed their menus down.

  “If you don’t mind I’ll order for the both of us,” Colin politely requested permission from Danyelle before proceeding. She agreed, and without hesitation Colin ordered them Spanish entrées.

  This was Danyelle’s first time at a Latino restaurant. Vibrant colors brightened the dining area. Miniature Puerto Rican flags sat on every table, and Latin music playing from the radio filled the air.

  “The way you accurately pronounced those Spanish meals, I assume you speak Spanish fluently?” Danyelle snapped her fingers to the beat.

  “Yes, I used to live in Spain for two years.”

  “Rev, it seems like you’ve done so much to be so young. You haven’t lived in Philly long. What brings you to the city of brotherly love?”

  “I’m searching for my mother. My parents divorced when I was still an infant, and when my father walked out on my mom she also walked out on me. My grandma raised me, but after she passed away two years ago, I figured it was time I try and find my mom.”

  “Does she live in Philly?”

  “I’m pretty sure she does, but the trail has gone cold.”

  “Don’t give up. God will place her in your path when you least expect it,” Danyelle replied.

  “That’s what I like about you. You have unshakable faith.” Colin found something special in Danyelle that most men couldn’t appreciate. The day Reverend Simms introduced them he was immediately taken by her enthusiasm for Christ. The way she worked with the youth was endearing, and the passion in her voice put him under a spell.

  He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him, but a few times he had to scold himself for watching her hips shake from side to side as she walked down the center aisle during Sunday service.

  Rosa returned with their meals. Danyelle looked from his plate to hers. Their meals were identical.

  “I thought I would order you something simple for your first time.” Colin blessed the food, and they dug in.

  Right away, Danyelle tasted how spicy and full of flavor her meal was. The rice, beans and meat were filling.

  “Are you enjoying the meal?” Colin asked after he saw her plate was half empty.

  “It’s delicious.” Danyelle pushed another mouthful of beans in her mouth.

  The table was silent as they ate, and afterwards Rosa came around to clear the table. “Would you like dessert?” she offered.

  Danyelle declined, while Colin ordered a cup of coffee.

  After Rosa left their table, the proprietor of the place began moving chairs and tables out of the way to open up the small dance floor. On Friday and Saturday nights the restaurant turned into a small nightclub. They sat long enough to watch a band set up, and soon that conga sound entered Colin’s body and stirred his soul.

  He snapped his fingers and bounced his shoulders to the beat. “Can you salsa?”

  “There’s not much I can’t do,” she got up and shook her hips seductively.

  Colin smiled broadly as he took her hand in his. “Would you care to dance?”

  Danyelle was never one to turn down a challenge, but she had never done the salsa in her life. The two joined several other couples already on the dance floor.

  Colin gripped Danyelle’s hand tightly and spun her out until she was arm’s length away from him. She felt a bit out of place in the midst of seasoned dancers, who obviously knew what they were doing. This music wasn’t like the hip-hop music she kept in her car’s sound system.

  She stood for a moment and watched the reverend move like a well-trained dancer, until he noticed her watching him.

  Placing his hands around her waist, he pulled her close to him and this was where their love affair started. He led her in a simple two-step, until the music spoke to her heart through the sounds of each instrument.

  Each beat of the drum drew a pattern for their footsteps to follow. The beat was fast, and they worked up a sweat as the music hypnotized every movement of their body. With every backward step taken by Colin, Danyelle would step in.

  For thirty minutes they danced like professionals. Then Danyelle’s footsteps started to get sluggish. Colin could see she was tired. Salsa dancing could be exhausting. He spun her around once. Twice. Three times. Then he called it quits.

  Colin dragged Danyelle off the dance floor and back to their table. He gathered their things, tipped the waitress and they departed the restaurant together.

  “That was fun.” Danyelle danced in her seat. “I enjoyed myself. Thanks for the treat. If I didn’t go out with you, I would probably be at home studying.”

  “No problem. It’s good to get out of your usual routine and do something a little different every once in a while.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “I haven’t done that in a long time.” He laughed to himself. “You didn’t do so bad yourself. I was kind of worried when I saw you standing their watching everyone else, but you did better than I did my first time.” She smiled.

  “Would you like to do it again sometime?”

  This time Danyelle’s heart dropped. She couldn’t believe the reverend was asking her out on another date. “Okay, Colin, what’s up with you? In your office you kept looking at me with those sexy bedroom eyes and then you ask me out to dinner. Now you want to see me again? What is going on? You don’t have enough women chasing you around church?”

  He was shocked at how confrontational she was. “I like you and I want to get to know you better.”

  Colin pulled his car next to Danyelle’s in the church parking lot.

  “Okay, I’ll go out with you again, but don’t think I’m easy.”

  He laughed. “I never thought that.”

  “Because, I’ll probably be the hardest woman you ever worked for.” Those were her final words before she got out of the car.

  “I never doubted it for a second.” Colin watched her get in her car and pull off.

  Chapter 7

  The steel door slammed shut. “West, get up.” Still in a comatose state, Judge West lifted his head up off the table before closing his eyes and falling back off to sleep.

  “Old man, you have to get up.” Instead of sitting in one of the other chairs in the room, the federal agent sat on the edge of the table. “Sorry, I’m late. I was in a meeting.”

  “They brought me down here three hours ago,” the judge mumbled.

  “West, it’s not like you have anywhere to be. I thought you would be happy to get out of that cell for a while.”

  The judge replied with a sarcastic smirk. “How long am I going to have to stay cooped up in this miserable jail? I thought being in federal custody meant I would be living the good life. For weeks
, I’ve been in solitary confinement. If you didn’t know it or not, total isolation is enough to make a man go insane.”

  “I’m fully aware of that. That’s why we have it.” The cocky agent winked his eye. “But that’s not why we have you in exile from the other inmates.”

  “Can I make at least one phone call? I’ve had not one visit.”

  “That’s what protective custody means—No contact with the outside world. We’re trying to protect you.” He slammed a file folder down on the table. “Listen, if you want to leave, I can call a guard and you’ll be released within the hour, but if you leave, I can no longer guarantee the safety of you or your family.”

  Judge West knew the man was serious. He released an aggravating moan and grabbed at his hair. “How did they find me?”

  “I’m not sure, but the important thing is that we got to you before they did. Somebody must have tipped them off that we were bugging their offices, because they started feeding us false information to take us off their trail. They pointed the finger at you for most of the crimes we’re trying to tie them to, in particular, the murder of that little boy.”

  “You must have a mole inside your organization.”

  “Yes, but that’s why we have to be careful of who we talk to. Only the highest-ranking officials in the FBI have access to your case. We have hundreds of agents who don’t know the real truth.” The agent saw the leery look in West’s eyes. “You don’t have to worry. The FBI has conducted a comprehensive look into my background. I’m clean.”

  “Since I’ve worked with the FBI before, I’m fully aware of the fact that they will only tell me information on an as-needed basis.”

  “You’re right about that.” The agent laughed.

  “Well, what can you tell me?”

  “The brotherhood is fully convinced that you’re going to be prosecuted. We leaked incriminating evidence to the press, and if you were to go before a jury they would definitely send you to the chair.”

  West did a gesture with his hands for him to continue.

  “We plan to release you as soon as we get enough evidence to prove that they were the ones responsible for that kid’s murder in nineteen sixty-one.”