“He’ll deny it,” Francine said, Toni’s tale of Bishop Payne’s denial ringing in her ears. “I know he will.”
“You can’t be sure.”
She thought about her last visit to Temple Church, when she’d spoken with Cassandra. The woman had been too bold in her attitude and lies. “You forget, I’ve been through this before. He’s going to deny it until it’s impossible to do so, and then he’ll put his own spin on it and beg his congregation for forgiveness. His life will go on without a hitch.”
“This is not the same situation. These are not the same people.”
Francine wasn’t so sure. “If it looks like a dog—”
The doorbell rang before Stuart could respond. He and Francine joined Dolores in the living room, and Stuart encouraged Dolores to go to the foyer and answer the door. He and Francine remained in the living room.
“You know better than to call me at home,” they heard a masculine voice say after Dolores opened the door. “You’d better get that daughter of yours in check. Between the two of you, you’re going to ruin everything.”
The voice grew louder as Rev. Campbell and Dolores came closer to the living room. Rev. Campbell stopped on the threshold of the room, his eyes taking in Stuart and Francine. “Judge Rogers,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to hide his annoyance.
Stuart stood and extended a hand to him. “Rev. Campbell.” He glanced at Dolores. “Why don’t we all have a seat?”
Dolores sat on the couch next to Francine. Stuart sat next to her, leaving Rev. Campbell to take the high-backed chair.
“What’s this all about?” Rev. Campbell asked Stuart. “I can’t believe you want to talk to me about BCN.”
“BCN?” Dolores asked.
Stuart turned to the women. “Rev. Campbell approached Faith Central a while ago about participating in a project he’s started to develop, a black Christian television network, BCN.” Looking at Rev. Campbell, he said, “May I introduce Francine Amen of Amen-Ray Funeral Home. She’s also a member of Faith Central.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rev. Campbell said automatically and with no emotion.
“I didn’t know you were interested in television,” Dolores said, turning everyone’s focus back to her.
“Well,” Rev. Campbell said, “there’s probably a lot about me you don’t know. We don’t know each other that well.”
Francine shot Stuart an “I told you so” glance while Dolores sucked in a surprised gasp.
“Let’s get to the point, Rev. Campbell,” Stuart said. “We asked you here tonight because Dolores’s daughter, your daughter, Monika, has run off to Savannah with some guy. We believe she’s acting out because Dolores won’t tell her who her father is. Dolores isn’t telling her because she has some crazy idea you’d deny parentage.”
Rev. Campbell sat straighter in his chair. “She’s right. I’m not the child’s father, that’s the truth. I don’t know why Ms. King persists in making that claim.”
Stuart eyed the man, daring him to repeat the lie. “Are you saying there’s no way you could be Monika’s father?”
Rev. Campbell was good. He didn’t even blink. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I did know Ms. King some years back, but we never had a physical relationship.”
“Oh, Teddy,” Dolores cried, “how can you lie like this?”
Rev. Campbell ignored her. “This type of thing happens a lot, I’m sad to say.” He directed his comments to Stuart. “Women get a fixation on a pastor. I try to counsel them, which is why I came over here tonight, but as you can see, some cases are too far gone.”
Stuart fisted his hands at his sides, determined not to let Campbell see his rage. “We could easily resolve this matter if you would take a paternity test.”
“No,” Rev. Campbell said. He straightened the crease in the leg of his dark brown slacks. “That’s a road I refuse to travel. Once it starts, I’ll be doing it every time some sick woman makes an accusation.”
“Wouldn’t a paternity test be the easiest way to stop the accusations?” Stuart reasoned. “Why would women continue to make false charges against a man with a record for successfully proving them to be liars?”
Rev. Campbell pursed his lips in annoyance. “It’s obvious you’re not married, Judge Rogers. Regardless of what the tests show, the allegations would reach my wife and they would hurt her. I can’t allow that to happen. We have to stop this lie right here, right now. I’m glad you’re both here. Now I have witnesses.”
“He’s lying,” Dolores appealed to Stuart and Francine. “You have to believe me.”
Francine patted her hand. “We believe you.” She shot an accusing glare at Rev. Campbell. “He’s the liar.”
Stuart ignored the women, keeping his focus on Rev. Campbell. “The paternity test doesn’t have to get back to your wife, and neither does the allegation—if the test proves false. We can keep this between us. You have my word as a judge and a brother on that. If the tests show Dolores is lying, we can get her the help she needs. If they show you’re lying, you can repent.”
“I take exception to your tone, Judge Rogers,” Rev. Campbell said in indignation. “You sound as though I’m already guilty.”
“Forgive me,” Stuart said quickly. “That’s not the impression I want to give at all. Now, what do you say about the paternity test?”
Rev. Campbell looked between the three people. “I’ll think about it,” he said.
Stuart stood. “You do that. Rev. Thomas will be following up on your answer in the next few days.”
“Rev. Thomas?” Rev. Campbell stood, uneasy now. “Why do we have to bring him into this?”
“He’s already in it,” Stuart explained. “As soon as this matter involved a member of Faith Central, he became involved.”
“Dolores—uh, Ms. King—is a member of Faith Central?”
Stuart shook his head. “Monika is.”
Having no response to that, Rev. Campbell took his leave. After he left, Dolores said, “He lied like a dog. He sat there and lied like a dog.”
“I know he was lying,” Stuart said, “and he knows he was lying. Now he’s trying to figure out how he can get out of this with the least negative impact to him and BCN. He’s going to do something. I’m just not sure what it’ll be.”
“What options does he have?” Francine asked. “He has to admit it. He can’t bluff a paternity test, can he?”
Stuart shook his head. “Not hardly. If he’s smart, he’ll come clean with his wife before Rev. Thomas gets to him.”
“Is that why you didn’t press him tonight?” Francine asked. “You wanted to give him a chance to make it right with his wife?”
He dipped his chin. “She deserves that much.”
“She does.” Dolores sat back down. “I’ve only thought about how this is going to affect Monika. I haven’t really thought about his wife. I guess I never thought about her, especially not when I was having a relationship with Teddy.” She looked down at her hands. “How in the world do I explain all this to Monika?”
“Prayerfully and honestly,” Stuart suggested. He sat next to her on the sofa. “The half-truths aren’t working, Dolores. You need to tell Monika the truth and trust God to protect her heart when you do. You need to trust God in this. You can’t fix it yourself.”
Francine noticed the set of headlights in the driveway at the same time that Stuart and Dolores did, but Dolores beat the two of them to the door. She pulled it open and ran out to meet her daughter. Francine and Stuart followed behind her, with Francine smiling as Dolores pulled Monika into her arms. She stood back while mother and daughter reunited and Stuart thanked the officer.
Dolores pulled Monika to her in a tight hug. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, young lady” She pulled back and studied her daughter’s face. “You took a good ten years off my life.”
“I’m sorry, Momma,” Monika said when Dolores enfolded her in another embrace. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
&nb
sp; Dolores pulled back from her daughter again. “You lie to me, you go traipsing off to south Georgia, and you don’t want me to worry? Well, you have a funny way of showing it.”
Monika lowered her head. “I only wanted to go to the music festival.”
“That’s no excuse. You should have asked. Why did you have to lie and sneak away?”
Monika didn’t answer immediately.
Stuart asked the officer, “What about the boy?”
“Man,” the officer corrected. “We couldn’t hold him on anything, so we let him go. We have all of his information in case we need to get in touch with him. We also gave him a long talk about underage girls.” The officer tipped his hat to Francine and Dolores. “Y’all have a good night.” To Monika, he said, “Listen to your mother, young lady. She’s been where you’re trying so hard to get.”
“Yes, sir,” Monika said.
The officer pulled off, leaving Monika and the three adults standing in the driveway. “I’m going to kill you tomorrow,” Stuart said to Monika, “but tonight I need a hug.”
Monika walked into his arms. “I didn’t mean to worry everybody.”
Stuart pulled away from her. “You should have thought about that before you lied to your mother. There’s never a reason to do that, Monika.”
Monika cut a glance at her mother. “She lies to me.”
Dolores walked over to her daughter. “I guess I deserved that,” she said. “Well, my lies end tonight and so do yours.”
“Listen to your mother, Monika,” Francine said. “She loves you and only wants what’s best for you. So do we.” She pulled the girl into her arms for a quick hug. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
The teen rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to kill me too, are you?”
Francine shook her head, a smile on her face. “By the time you get to me, I have the distinct feeling you’ll already have been killed a couple of times.”
When Dolores led Monika to the front door, Stuart and Francine stayed in the driveway. “Aren’t you coming back in?” Dolores asked.
Stuart shook his head. “We’ll talk to Monika tomorrow,” he said. “Give me a call if either of you want to talk later tonight.”
“The same goes for me,” Francine said.
Dolores left her daughter at the door and went back to hug her two friends. “Thank you both for being here tonight. I’m not sure what I would have done without you.”
When Dolores and Monika were safely in the house, Stuart turned to Francine. “Going home?” She nodded. “I’ll follow you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know,” he said, “but I will.”
After escorting her to her car, he walked to his. He pulled out first, waited in the street until she pulled out, and then followed her the short distance to her home. He got out when she did.
“Thanks,” she said.
Shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks, he asked, “Aren’t you going to invite me in for coffee?”
“We’ve both had too much coffee. How about a soft drink?”
Returning her smile, he said, “Sounds good to me.”
He took her key, opened the front door, and then followed in after her. “Make yourself at home,” she said, leaving him in the family room. “I’ll get the drinks.”
Familiar with the home, Stuart plopped down in the armchair and placed his feet on the matching ottoman.
“Here you go.” She handed him a tall glass of diet Coke. “It’s caffeine free.”
He took a long swallow. “Just what I needed.”
She sat down in the chair facing his. “You were good with Rev. Campbell tonight, much better than I would have been. I would have pressed him too hard to confess. I was so angry with him for lying that I could have hit him.”
“Let’s pray he does the right thing.”
“I don’t hold much hope for the guy myself. He’s rather smarmy.”
Stuart chuckled. “Don’t hold back. Tell me what you really think.”
“You think I’m being too hard on him?”
He sipped from his soda. “Sometimes it’s hard to see what the Lord is doing.”
“You think he’s doing something with Campbell?”
Stuart leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees. “We’ve been working with him on the planning for BCN. It’s never been clear that we—Faith Central, I mean—would get on board with it, but the Lord had us keep the lines of communication open with Rev. Campbell. I’m beginning to think this situation is the reason why. It’s all a part of the Lord’s plan to give him another chance to mend his ways.”
“So you don’t think it’s about Monika and Dolores at all?”
“Of course it’s about them too. The Lord’s going to teach them something, the same as He’s going to teach the two of us something. That’s the way He works.”
She arched a brow at him. “So what’s the lesson for us?”
“What do you think it is?”
“I haven’t really thought about it in that way, but I have wondered if the Lord was giving me a chance to help make a wrong situation right,” she said. Maybe that was why she had come back home, and when that job was completed, it would be time for her to leave.
“Because you couldn’t with Toni?” When she nodded, Stuart raised a brow. “Are you sure that’s not vengeance talking? Your desire to avenge Toni’s death, which you think was caused by another cheating minister?”
“Does it matter? If it is, it’s a righteous vengeance.”
Stuart didn’t speak for a long while, and when he did, he surprised Francine by changing the topic. “Why didn’t you come to the teen fathers’ and mothers’ get-together tonight at Nate and CeCe’s house? I thought you were coming.”
She put her glass to her mouth and didn’t answer him immediately.
“You were home when I called about Monika,” he persisted, “so I assume you didn’t have other plans for the evening. Am I wrong?”
“No,” she admitted. “You aren’t wrong.”
“Then why didn’t you come? I know you liked being with the boys, and you would have enjoyed meeting Nate and CeCe and the girls.”
How could she explain it to him in a way that he would accept, without going into all the details? “I didn’t think it was a good idea.”
“Because I invited you?”
She glanced away from him. “That was a part of it.” She turned back to him. “I thought it would be easier.”
“Easier for whom?”
“For both of us. I think you’re attracted to me and I admit that I could be attracted to you. It’s safer all the way around for us not to get too attached.”
He held her gaze with his own. “I took off my wedding ring,” he said with meaning.
Her eyes widened and then lowered to his left hand. She met his eyes again. “When did you do that?”
“Yesterday.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Because I’m ready to put the past in the past. I loved my wife, but I’m ready to look to a future without her. For the first time, I can actually see a future without her.”
She looked back at his bare finger. “I’m happy for you.”
“So, would you have come to CeCe and Nate’s if you’d known I’d taken off the ring?”
She thought about George’s threat and LaDonna’s advice. “Probably not.” She stood and turned to face the window. “I have a past that some people would call sordid. You don’t need that, especially not with your plans for the Georgia Supreme Court. The Lord has great things in store for you.”
Stuart put his Coke down and came to stand behind her. He turned her to face him. “Have you ever thought that maybe you’re one of those great things?”
She shook her head. “I come with too much baggage, Stuart. You’re ready to soar. I’d only hold you back.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Your past is a part of who you are. You don’t have to run from i
t or be ashamed of it. I thought you knew that.”
“I do,” she said, “but I don’t want it to hurt you or anybody else.”
“So your avoiding me is your way of protecting me?”
She looked down at her hands. “Something like that.”
He tilted her chin up and grinned at her. “It’s sweet but unnecessary.”
Taking comfort in the warmth his eyes offered, she asked, “So you’ll risk your chances for the bench for a relationship that hasn’t even started yet?”
He pushed her hair back off her forehead with his hand. “I’d risk it for a friendship, any friendship. If I have to deny my friends to get the position, what’s the point in having it? God opens a door, God closes it. If the position’s for me, it’s for me. I won’t have to compromise my principles or my friends to get it. How much would you risk for a friendship?”
She moved away from him and sat back down. “What do you mean?”
“Suppose somebody does try to make your past an issue. Are you willing to endure that kind of scrutiny because of your friendship with me? To have all of it, including Toni’s death, become a topic of discussion, not just among people who know you, but the general public?” Francine lifted her empty glass to her mouth. Stuart took it from her and placed it on the cocktail table. “Would you endure that scrutiny?” Stuart asked again.
“I don’t know,” Francine said. “If it was just me, I would, but what about the others involved? What about George and his family?”
“What if George is the one starting the talk?” Stuart asked. “He’s already started making waves.”
“Oh, no.” Francine pressed her fist against her lips. “What’s he done?”
“He made a few phone calls to a few influential people. I got a visit from the judge who originally approached me about the seat on the court.”
“What did he say?”
Stuart sighed. “He said a lot but the gist of it was that if George continues with the talk, your past could become an issue in the judicial selection and election processes.”
Francine sank back in her chair as if seeking refuge in its deep cushions. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. George isn’t joking around. He hates me so much that I believe he’d actually torpedo your chances for the bench to get back at me.”
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