“I am home Jacks and he will have to kill me now, because I won’t go back. I won’t! You know he probably will kill me!”
“Okay Sheila, he is not going to kill you. Having the courage to leave the freak was the hard part. Now, I want you to listen to me and do exactly as I say.”
“Okay.”
“Do not answer your phone. I remember your fathers old thing, doesn’t even have caller ID. When I call, I will let it ring three times and hang up. You can call me back. You got to get a cell phone girl!” He laughed trying to lighten the mood but it was not working, so he told her, “I am going to make some phone calls right now and take care of everything. Stay in and do not leave the house for anything or anybody.”
“Okay.”
“I have some friends I can trust on the police force there and I can get them to do me a favor. I will have the house watched. Now get off here so I can get this done. Sheila, you did the right thing. I was making plans to kidnap you and you have saved me the trouble.” This brought a giggle from her at least.
“Thank you Jacks, bye.”
He hung up and directly started making phone calls. He had done favors for some cops and now they could return them. Within an hour he pulled all the strings he could to protect Sheila and had the guys he knew he could trust watch her house around the clock for a few days. It would give him some time to decide how best to keep her protected.
Sheila wanted to call old friends but was afraid to involve them, so she went up to her room where she changed into an old gown and crawled into her old bed and cried herself to sleep, mourning her father. She slept a deep dreamless sleep until the sun awakened her the next morning and she cried again. Then she prayed.
At first Morgan thought of ways to get her back, then he thought of ways to punish her, but the thought of just letting her walk out of his life forever, never even crossed his mind. He paced the floor in their bedroom, the scent of her perfume still lingering.
He cursed her one minute and longed for her the next.
He always had anything he wanted and could buy a million women but she was the only one he wanted and now could not have.
He ranted and raved to Abe and Abe cautioned him to let her go. He cursed Abe and he cursed the council. For days he called and drove by where he knew she was but neither the phone nor the door was answered.
When he was served with a restraint, his fury knew no bounds and he called on all the evil spirits to come to his aid, but they too had abandoned him. He was no good to them in the condition he was in.
One of his servants discovered him the third morning after Sheila buried her father. He was face down on the floor of his bedroom, scattered all around him were clothes that belonged to Sheila, covered with blood. There were cuts all over his naked body and the object used for the cuts was imbedded in his abdomen. Morgan Belk was no more.
FIFTEEN
Everything was quiet for the next two weeks. Sheila did not attend the funeral services for her husband. There was just the bare mention of it in the paper.
His death was declared a suicide and Sheila inherited all that he left behind. Stunned when Garrett contacted her with the news, she adamantly refused to have any part of the estate worth millions until she thought about Jacks work at the ACAA. If the money were truly hers to do with as she pleased, and Garrett assured her it was, then she could give it all away to any charity of her choice.
She turned to Jacks, who was still reeling from Morgan’s death, for advice.
It was too much money, he told her, to just dump it into any one charity. He advised her to set up a nonprofit organization which could oversee the disbursement of monies to several different children’s charities. He would be happy to see Morgan’s fortune acquired by dubious means, go to help do some good for children. And of course the ACAA would be happy to have a fair share too.
He hooked her up with people he knew in New York and in no time the John Herbert Foundation for Children was established. She sold the mansion and all of his assets adding them all to the Foundation. While Sheila mourned her father’s death, she basked in the freedom Morgan’s gave to her.
Abe assured his master that Sheila could do them no harm and could prove to be useful at a later time, so she was left alone. The orders to continue to recruit Jacks disturbed him, for he sensed trouble in the man. For though Jacks was not above bending laws, Abe was convinced he would never cross the line he would have to cross, in order to be one of them. However, the order was from the master himself and not to be disobeyed. Morgan had told him that Jacks wanted to meet with someone of greater authority and now it was up to him to arrange the meeting, not to question it. It was exactly what Asa wanted.
He called Jacks himself and the meeting was set for two weeks later. Jacks was very much looking forward to it. Even with Morgan dead, he was compelled to seek out the person he suspected was behind all that had transpired in the last months.
The weeks Jacks had to wait were filled with his work and helping Sheila get the Herbert Foundation off to a good start with capable people running it. When it was done, she was free to live her life once again and while talking on the phone as they often did, she asked Jacks if he thought she might like to live in Mississippi.
“You are not saying…I mean you are not having feelings…”
“Good grief Jacks, no! I am not saying it would be to be close to you for any other reason than you are a dear friend and my hero. I was about to ask if maybe you could find me a job at the ACAA, that is all. I mean, Daddy is gone now and you know my relatives are scattered everywhere, except New York and my old friends try but can’t get past the whole Morgan thing. They act like I have the plague or something and I think I make them uncomfortable by even being around them. Jacks, I want to do like you did and just start all over.”
“I understand that, but it is quite a cultural shock here and not like up there at all.”
“I don’t care,” She persisted, “I want different and I miss working with you and helping kids like we used to. Come on, you know we worked well together as a team!”
“Okay Sheila, I will see if I can get Tina moved into someone else’s office. You just paid mine and everyone else’s salary for the next twenty years, so I do not foresee a problem getting you anything you want with the ACAA. Besides that, I think I could use an assistant I can trust.”
He laughed when she squealed her delight.
“I am going to rent the house out up here and I will store the furniture until…Jacks can I stay with you until I find a place? I don’t want to stay by myself in a strange hotel.”
“We will figure all that out later, for now just get your stuff done and let me know when you are ready to come…if you don’t change your mind.”
“I don’t think I will, no, I will not change my mind. I am moving to Mississippi!”
“Bye Sheila.” Jacks folded his phone and put it in his pocket. Now there was something to contemplate. Who would have thought she would even consider a move from New York. Automatically, he dialed Honey’s number. It had been a couple of days since he talked to her, and he felt like sharing this with her. He also wanted to see how the little Bowler girl was doing.
After a brief conversation, he decided to drive over to see Carol. It looked bad for her. The last time he saw her was in the court room which seemed eons ago. Honey was going to meet him at the hospital in Philadelphia.
She was waiting for him and they went in together. Seeing Jacks worried look when they came into the room, Joe went over and shook his hand. In his simple way he said, “No room for hard feelings here, you are welcome.”
His action was impressive and Honey was so proud of him.
“Thank you Joe, how is she?” She said quietly, as Carol was sleeping.
They looked at the little girl laying there looking so frail and helpless.
“She’s not seeing at all now and she sleeps a lot ‘cause of the medicine you know. But every now and then she wakes up and still knows who we a
re, but they say…” Joe choked up, “They are saying any time she sleeps there is a good chance she won’t wake back up. We just keep praying though, it keeps us going.”
Jacks bit back his usual sarcastic reply to such a comment, thinking, if praying helps them, what the hell. Anything for relief would be welcome.
They found chairs and sat down making small talk in low tones. Thirty minutes passed before Carol made a noise causing all four of them to jump.
“Carol darling, Momma’s here.” Brenna took her child’s hand in her own.
“Poppa too?
“I’m here baby. Poppa is here.”
Brenna rolled her bed into a sitting position and gave her a drink.
“The stranger is here too, and Miss Honey.”
“Yes they are, they came to see you.”
“I know.” She smiled sweetly and Honey’s heart hurt for her as she reached over and rubbed Carol’s arm, “Hi Carol, we thought you might want some visitors. I brought Mr. Jacks with me.”
“I know, and his angel is by your angel.”
Honey looked at Brenna, “What angels?”
“The big ones over there,” She pointed to behind where Jacks was standing and Jacks took a step backwards, startled and almost falling.
Carol giggled, “It’s okay, they are good angels like mine, and they are all friends too.”
Her voice was weak but when her momma would have her rest and not talk, she said softly, “But I need to tell him, Momma.”
“Mister?” Carol said, and Jacks moved closer to her.
She looked towards him with eyes that did not see and she reached up finding his hand and pulled it down to her, holding it in her own.
“That bad man wants you really bad forever but Jesus wants you too.” She gave a little smile. “Your angel sure is nice.”
She let go of Jacks hand and asked for another drink. When she finished with it she said, “I’m tired now, can I go back to sleep?”
“Sure you can. We will just say good bye now.” Honey kissed her check and the little girl said sleepily, “Tell him not to go into the ring with the man. It won’t be safe.”
She then slid down in the bed and was asleep instantly.
“That’s how it has been the last week. The drip feeds her pain meds often now, to keep away the pain. When it kicks in, she’s out for a while. When she is awake, she doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Brenna.
Joe walked out with them, thanking them for coming and for the beautiful flowers Jacks had sent a few days before.
Children and their welfare was his life’s work and though he could fight to protect one from abuse, an illness like Carol’s, he could do nothing to help. He thought, I wonder where her God is in all this sickness. His old wounds and hurts came back to haunt him, for he grew up saying, if there is a God, how could he let children suffer so much.
“I am really sorry Mr. Bowler. She really is a great kid.”
When he and Honey got to the parking lot Jacks pondered on what Carol had said to him. He also heard what she said to Honey.
“What do you suppose she meant by that?” He questioned her.
They were approaching Honey’s car and she popped the lock before answering. “I have no idea Jacks. I did not want to tire her; the poor darling is barely here.”
Tears filled her eyes and they both felt sad.
“Of course not, for that my dear, would be classified as child abuse.”
She shook her head smiling for she sensed he was trying to cheer her.
“If you like, we can have coffee before you leave.”
“I was waiting for you to suggest something but how about lunch instead, my treat.”
“Okay, I know a small place here I really like to eat at and one of my friend’s daughters works there too.”
He was not too familiar with Philadelphia, so agreed to follow her to the City Limits, a small square of a building that had a parking lot full of cars which indicated to him the food must be pretty good.
He did enjoy his lunch, blackened fish with the New Orleans twist he found appealing. They talked about the food, the town and finally got around to talking about Sheila. Honey was curious about his friend who planned to move to Mississippi and work with him. Jacks had shared some of her background and she was surprised when he told her that Sheila was a lifelong Christian. When she remarked on it he teased, “What, do you think I am prejudice or something? I hang out with you and you are one.”
She made a funny face at him. “No, that is not what I think. I was just saying, before I became a Christian, I avoided them fiercely.”
“Yet, now that you are one, you have no problems consorting with us non- Christians?”
She had to laugh at his attempt at humor. She relaxed over the fresh cup of coffee Glenna delivered to them. Looking around at the almost empty room, she realized they had lingered over their lunch until it was almost closing time. She knew they closed at two, reopening at five for the dinner crowd.
“Let’s just say I am a better person now than before, when I judged people for what they believed or didn’t believe in. I used to have compassion only for children, now I have compassion for all people. God is love and we are here to learn to love His way, unconditionally.”
She halfway expected him to jump up ready to leave but instead he leaned over the table and said with some pain showing in his eyes.
“If what you say could be truth, then tell me where is that special love your God is supposed to have for Carol? I am not seeing it; as a matter of fact I have never seen it! Honey, believe what you will but do not try to convince me that someone with as much power as a God would have, if there was one, would let people suffer.”
Pity filled Honey as she saw raw hurt in his eyes and knew that Jacks was not talking about ‘people’ in general, but himself. She opened her heart for the first time in a long time to a man. It was not something she planned to do, it just happened. They had a lot in common, both had endured traumatic childhoods. They both had made helping children their life’s work. At that moment she wanted to help him more than anything she ever wanted to do. She prayed for God to help her with words that would sooth old wounds and give Jacks hope.
“When we hurt, He hurts too and even when we do not believe, He gives us the strength to survive whatever we have to. You did survive didn’t you Jacks? We both did.”
“And the ones who do not survive, what about them?”
“They abide with Jesus, in a dimension where everything is perfect. They are home, where we all long to be.” She changed her tone of voice from the soft soothing one to a brisk challenging one.
“Tell me, do you ever feel homesick but you have no idea what for?”
He shrugged his shoulders, “I suppose, why?”
“Because, even without believing deep down inside, you know you are missing something. To miss something, you have to have had it at one time, yes?”
Not waiting for an answer, she kept on. “Think about this and I promise, no more lectures. We had it all at one time, with God who was and still is, our Father. We lived here on Earth in the first Earth Age, happy, until there was an uprising and rebellion.”
Jacks laughed uncomfortably, “Come on, I think they want us to leave...say that I believe what you are saying. Again, if He had all this power, why would He let suffering happen?”
They got up and Jacks left money lying on the table for the check and tip. It was obvious that the café was waiting on them to leave so they could close. Once outdoors she said,
“Freewill.”
“What?”
Her car was closer to the restaurant and he opened her door and waited while she got in.
“Freewill, God gave us freewill, that’s why.”
“Sorry, not buying, but great lunch and I enjoyed your company. Will you keep me posted on Carol?”
“I will.”
He shut her door for her and went around to his own vehicle and waved as she passed him.
Honey sighed. She just had this strange feeling that she knew Jacks from before but she knew she would have remembered meeting him, “I just feel like I have known him forever!” She exclaimed this to no one but herself. “God, please do not let me fall in love with this man!” But something told her that it was too late.
SIXTEEN
The last thing Sheila did before leaving New York was visit the cemetery. Fresh flowers in hand she asked the cab driver to wait for her. It was early morning and the sun was shining brightly through the trees that were scattered throughout the fenced in garden of the dead. Only Sheila knew both her mother and father were not lying dead in their marked graves but alive and with the one true God of all.
Knowing this made it easier to leave and she laid the flowers between the two graves, silently praying for strength to live the life her parents taught her to live. She was having a hard time dealing with the events of the past year and when she prayed she felt no emotions but she determined that her faith would stand.
She climbed back in the cab and told the driver that she was ready to go to the airport. And she was. Excitement filled her, thinking about a fresh start, away from all her memories in New York, both good and bad.
Honey had invited her to stay with her until she decided where she wanted to live. Jacks thought it was a better idea than staying with him with all the work he was doing to his cabin. She was fine with that, for having talked to Honey several times on the phone she was thinking she would like her. Of course, it meant she would have a nice little drive to work every day, but an hour’s drive on an open road kind of appealed to her.
Her parent’s home was now being occupied by a young family with two children and all the furniture was in storage. She had tied up all the loose ends with the John Herbert Foundation for Children and she dropped the Belk from her name, reverting back to Herbert.
The drive to the airport took a good hour with traffic at its worse. There was plenty of time, so she let the driver do the worrying and relaxed in her seat reflecting on the past twenty-five years of her life and day dreaming about the new chapter she was about to begin.
Wings of Deception Page 11
