by Traci DePree
Funny Money
Mystery
and the Minister’s Wife
Through the Fire
A State of Grace
Beauty Shop Tales
A Test of Faith
The Best Is Yet to Be
Angels Undercover
Into the Wilderness
Where There’s a Will
Dog Days
The Missing Ingredient
Open Arms
A Token of Truth
Who’s That Girl?
For the Least of These
A Matter of Trust
Funny Money
To Have and to Hold
How the Heart Runs
A Thousand Generations
Home to Briar Mountain
Flight of the Sparrows
A Firm Foundation
Off the Record
A Distant Memory
Tea and Sympathy
The Master’s Hand
Strangers in Their Midst
Mystery and the Minister’s Wife is a registered trademark of Guideposts.
Copyright © 2009 by Guideposts. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. Inquiries should be addressed to the Rights & Permissions Department, Guideposts, 110 William Street, New York, New York 10038.
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or occurrences is coincidental.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
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Cover design by Dugan Design Group
Cover illustration by Dan Brown
Interior design by Cris Kossow
Typeset by Nancy Tardi
Printed in the United States of America
For Amy Sue Hedden—
sister, friend, lover of children.
Chapter One
Jake Lourdes was always ill. Amy Lourdes, his mother, had told Kate Hanlon that he’d had a persistent cough practically from the time he was born.
Kate watched as the boy swung his skinny legs under the pew, his smiling face gazing adoringly at his father, who stood at the front of Faith Briar Church’s sanctuary. Early June sunlight, diffused by a stained-glass window above the altar, filtered across the congregation that had become Kate’s family in the small town of Copper Mill, Tennessee.
“When Pastor Hanlon told me that the church wanted to help with our medical expenses,” Jake’s father said, “well, I have to say I was humbled. As many of you know, we moved to Copper Mill a couple months ago. I work at the bank and am still learning my way around.” He raised his brilliant blue eyes to scan the faces before him, then smiled, revealing his straight white teeth. “The people in Copper Mill have been so gracious to us.” He smiled at his family.
His son gave him a little wave. Kate noted how the lines in Tim Lourdes’ face softened when he winked at Jake.
“You see, our son Jake was born with cystic fibrosis,” he went on. “I don’t know how many of you know about CF. It’s a genetic disorder that causes mucus buildup in the body. It affects all the organs, particularly the lungs and pancreas. That’s why Jake always sounds like he has a cold—it’s like chronic pneumonia. Plus, he has asthma, which is pretty common with CF.”
Tim glanced down at his notes. Kate looked over at Amy Lourdes. The young mother held her six-year-old’s small hand, stroking the back of it tenderly.
“The life expectancy for someone with CF,” Tim went on, struggling with his emotions, “is in the thirties or forties, which is considerably higher than it used to be, because of new medical advances. Eventually Jake will most likely need a lung transplant, maybe have to go on dialysis or insulin. We’re doing what we can to keep him healthy as long as possible.” He paused as if the thought of such drastic measures was too painful to consider.
Kate felt her own eyes sting with unshed tears. How hard it must be for Tim and Amy to watch their child suffer from birth, knowing there was so little they could do to relieve it.
Paul Hanlon, Kate’s husband and the pastor of Faith Briar, moved alongside Tim. Kate and Paul had been married almost thirty years, and she still enjoyed seeing him there at the front of the congregation, extending his kindness and wisdom to any who would hear.
“This has been a long, hard road for your family,” Paul said as he placed a hand on the man’s shoulders. “It takes a lot of courage to face what you face every day.”
Paul turned to the congregation. “We believe the body of Christ is called to serve those who struggle with illness, like Jake Lourdes. Matthew 25:36 says, ‘I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ These are the actions that tell the world we love God, more than any words we speak. If we show people his compassion, they’ll see who Christ is in us.”
Paul motioned to Jake and Amy to come forward. The six-year-old moved to stand next to his father, with Amy on the far side. He bit his lower lip and smiled shyly out at Kate before looking down.
“We’re going to take a collection in a few minutes,” Paul went on, “to help the Lourdeses with their many medical bills, but I also wanted to take this time to pray for Jake and his parents because we know that prayer accomplishes so much more than our own human strength. So if you’ll all join me...”
Heads bowed as Paul began, “Father in heaven, you care about this struggling family more than we can possibly imagine. In the Bible you healed a lot of people, and you can heal Jake, but you are sovereign. You know what’s best in the framework of eternity. Lord, help us as a church body to be sensitive to the needs of this family and all families that are hurting. Because that is what loving you is all about. You came to heal us in every way imaginable—physically, emotionally and spiritually. Work your will. We’re trusting you. I ask that you help the Lourdeses with their many medical bills. We know that can put a strain on any family—on a marriage—so meet their needs, through our giving and through your many means, which are unfathomable to us.”
The ushers moved forward to take the collection. When the young family returned to their seats next to Kate, she saw tears streak down Amy’s face.
Amy was a pretty young woman, in her late twenties, with pale blue eyes and straight dark brown hair that hung like a curtain. Kate had taken to her almost instantly. The love Amy felt for her son was evident in the looks she gave him, as was the strength of her connection to her husband.
Finally the ushers finished collecting the offering, and the organ burst forth with the doxology. Kate held the hymnal for the little boy, but he obviously didn’t need it.
He sang loudly, enthusiastically, a child accustomed to intimacy with God.
“WE CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH,” Amy said to Kate and Paul as the congregation mingled after the service in the foyer. Jake had gone off to find his friends, and Tim had stayed behind in the sanctuary as others had gathered around him.
“If there’s anything else you need,” Kate said, “just let me know. We know how challenging it can be to move to a new town.” She nodded to Paul, remembering their transition from Texas to Tennessee.
“I think we have everything unpacked.” Amy smiled. “Finally. And Jake’s made friends with the neighbor boy and some of the kids here at church. That’s a huge relief.” She glanced at her son across the way. “With all his hospitaliz
ations and medical needs, I homeschool him, so making friends is his biggest hurdle.”
“It must be hard for you too.” Kate touched the young woman’s arm.
“It can be. I’ve wanted to move home to Memphis for the longest time. There’s an excellent cystic fibrosis hospital there, and my family’s still there. But we’ve had a string of bad luck, so when Tim got this job in Copper Mill...well, it seemed to be God’s answer to our prayers.”
Kate nodded her understanding.
“I’m taking Jake to the T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital in Chattanooga tomorrow,” Amy went on.
“Is there something new going on with him?” Paul asked.
Amy shook her head. “Not specifically, though with CF, there always seems to be something new. No, the doctors are talking about putting him on a new regimen of drugs for his asthma.”
“That must be exhausting,” Paul said.
Amy shrugged. “Unfortunately, you get used to hospitals after a while. Jake doesn’t know anything else, so it isn’t a big deal to him, though fitting in time for school can be tricky.”
Just then, Tim came up to join their conversation.
“Where you been?” Amy said, smiling at him and caressing his arm.
“Chatting.” He smiled.
The couple looked like models out of a fashion magazine, he with his blond Beach Boys look, and she, a dark-haired beauty.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Kate said.
“How personal?” Tim said, teasing.
“Not too.”
“Sure,” Amy said.
“How did you two meet?” Kate asked.
Amy smiled up at her tall husband. “Tim was my tennis coach in college.”
“Not really a coach,” Tim corrected. “I taught private lessons to earn a few bucks, and Amy was trying to pass her phys-ed requirement—she was pathetic.” He quirked a brow.
“That didn’t stop you from asking me out,” Amy retorted.
“I knew if I didn’t, you’d never improve that serve.” They laughed.
“Do you still play tennis?” Paul asked.
“Not so much anymore,” Tim said. “Once Jake came, he kind of filled up our lives.”
“Children do that, sick or not,” Kate said.
Jake’s cough could be heard amid the laughter of his peers across the small foyer.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Amy said.
Just then, Joe Tucker, a Faith Briar regular, came up. He walked with a cane and a bit of a limp. Tufts of white hair that fringed his mostly bald head stuck out from the back, refusing to be orderly. The elderly man held out a hand to Tim Lourdes.
“I have to shake your hand, young man,” he said.
“Really?” Tim took the older man’s hand.
“I appreciate what you said up there this morning.” He paused before going on. “You see, my niece’s little girl had CF too. It was a cruel, cruel thing...” His words fell away. Finally he shook his head. “Well, I just wanted you and your wife to know that we at Faith Briar are glad you’re here. Anything we can do to make things easier, well, don’t be afraid to ask.”
Chapter Two
The deposit can wait until Millie gets back from vacation on Friday,” Paul said of the church secretary the next morning as he finished shaving.
Kate leaned against the door frame, a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. She’d just come from her favorite chair after her morning prayer and Bible reading. Young Jake Lourdes had been heavy on her mind.
“There’s no reason to wait,” Kate assured. “Besides, Millie asked me to take care of it, and I’m sure Amy and Tim could use the extra money right away.”
“Would you like to write the church newsletter while you’re at it?”
“Are you serious?”
“No.” He smirked.
Kate swatted him playfully as he scooted past her into the hallway.
“And, honey...” Kate leaned close to his clean-shaven face, which smelled of soap.
“What?” He turned to look at her.
She kissed his cheek. “That’s all,” she said with a wink.
PAUL OPENED the church safe where each Sunday’s deposit was kept for Millie Lovelace to process each Monday. He set a large manila envelope as well as a smaller envelope marked “Lourdes” on Millie’s desk.
Soon Kate was immersed in numbers, first counting out the loose cash, then recording each gift on the computer. Not all the donations were in marked envelopes; some cash gifts were in unmarked envelopes as well.
Once she’d finished the general collection, Kate turned to the gifts for the Lourdes family in the second envelope. Since these were designated for an individual family and not for the church, Kate could simply add up the monies without all the tax-regulated rigmarole.
She was halfway through counting when she noticed a plain white business-sized envelope with “Tim Lourdes” scrawled in cursive across its front. It lay on top of Millie’s stack of in-box items with a Post-it note that read, “Don’t forget: twenties and fifties,” in a slanted handwriting. Kate reached for it, wondering if it was another gift meant for the needy family. It wasn’t sealed, so she looked inside. There was cash in it, with a second note that read, “Add to the Lourdes’ gifts on Sunday.”
Kate added the cash to her pile and continued counting. All told, there was more than three hundred dollars for the Lourdes family, a very generous gift for a church the size of Faith Briar.
Kate began to count the money a second time to make sure she hadn’t miscalculated. Halfway through, however, one of the bills caught her attention. There was something odd about it; the color wasn’t quite the same as the other bills—it was a little bluer than it should have been. She held it up to the light. Maybe it was the fluorescent fixtures creating the illusion. She studied it closer.
No. It still didn’t seem quite right. She took it to the window and opened the blinds. Morning sunlight streamed in. Kate looked at the bill again and pulled several other bills from the regular collection to compare them. Sure enough, the color of the twenty-dollar bill was noticeably bluer than the bill of the same denomination from the offertory. When she studied it closer, she saw that Jackson’s image seemed slightly blurry. Hardly a perfect forgery, but good enough to fool someone who didn’t have the time to examine it.
“Paul...,” she called.
“What is it?” His voice sounded distracted in the next room.
“Can you come here?”
She riffled through the other bills on the desk, studying each closely. Sure enough, there were several other bills with the same bluish hue in the stack.
“What are you doing?” Paul studied her as he came alongside the desk.
“Take a look at these.” Kate held the questionable money out for him to examine. After giving her a curious look, he took the first bill and bent his head to study it.
Finally he lifted his head. “What’s the problem?”
“Does it look right to you?”
“Why? Do you think it might be counterfeit?”
Kate nodded.
“It feels like real money.” He rubbed his thumb and forefinger across the surface, then he wadded up the bill and flattened it out, even giving it a snap at the end to demonstrate its clothlike properties.
“But look at the printing”—she handed him the bill she’d taken from the regular offering—“and compare it to this.”
“They do look different,” he said as he examined to see if it had the magnetic strip. It did.
“There are several others.” Kate held up the other bills. “Fifty dollars’ worth.”
“So, what do we do?”
“We call the sheriff.”
IN THE TIME it took Sheriff Roberts to arrive in his black-and-white SUV, Kate had looked through the general donations again to see if she’d missed any fake bills in there. All of the counterfeits were in the offering for the Lourdes family.
Alan Roberts was now bent
over the desk studying the currency notes as Paul had done earlier, using a magnifying glass for closer inspection. After a long silence, he lifted his head.
“Do you know who put this in the plate?”
Kate shook her head. “It was part of a special offering.”
“And that was for...?”
“To help Amy and Tim Lourdes. They have a son with cystic fibrosis.”
“Isn’t Tim the new loan officer at the bank?”
Kate nodded.
The sheriff’s brow puckered, and he gave the bill another perusal before placing it in a plastic evidence bag and removing the latex gloves he’d put on earlier.
“I’m assuming these will have your prints all over them?”
“Probably,” Kate said. “Both Paul and I handled the bills.”
“We’ll need to get you fingerprinted, then, if you can stop by the deputy’s office later today. It’s routine, so we can rule out your prints and distinguish them from the counterfeiter’s.”
Both nodded that they would.
“So,” Paul began, “these are counterfeit?”
“I’m afraid so.” He eyed the plastic bag. “I’m going to need a record of everyone who was in attendance. Do you have something like that?”
“Sure,” Paul offered, “We have attendance sheets that most everyone signs. We can get you those later today.”
The sheriff nodded, though his expression clouded.
“To be honest,” he said, “there have been other bills passed in town. But with these bills...” He looked away and sighed. “Apparently our counterfeiter attends Faith Briar Church.”
Chapter Three
The counterfeiter was one of their own?
Kate couldn’t get Sheriff Roberts’ comment out of her thoughts. Who among their faithful would do such a thing—and then add insult to injury by putting the phony bills in the offering plate for the needy family? It didn’t make sense.
As soon as Sheriff Roberts left, Kate pulled up the list of declared donations she’d just entered into Millie’s computer. She printed off two copies, then took the sheets from the attendance pads and typed up an additional list of those who’d been in attendance the previous morning. She’d drop both at the deputy’s office later in the day when she and Paul stopped in to have their fingerprints taken.
