Whirlwind (Rachel Hatch Book 8)

by L T Ryan

  "Well, she’d just turned ten." Thorpe walked over to a drawing. "McKenzie Blackmore, she drew this."

  Savage stepped closer to examine the picture. It looked like a stick figure with arms like tree branches. Swirls of black crayon formed a recognizable tornado and set inside it were dark black eyes.

  "I ran a full forensic interview. This is the drawing she made for me, and the one she swore tried to take her. I know what it looks like, but when I talked to the girl, she was onto something."

  "Let me guess." Savage looked around the confines of the room. "Your bosses didn't see it that way."

  "Nope. Thus, Thorpenado was born. The man responsible for hunting the Twister Man, a boogie man, but one I knew existed. Too bad another child had to die before we could put a face to the monster."

  "At least it's over now." Savage scanned the ten-plus years of investigative efforts strewn across the Thorpe's cave. His eyes settled on McKenzie Blackmore's depiction of her attacker; the monster Billy Graver had put to rest. The killer's death left Savage with more questions than answers.

  Sixteen

  Hatch passed the carriage back in town and was now miles ahead, having already passed Clem's red mailbox. She turned onto the dirt road to the Eternal Light compound. Ben sat in the passenger seat, twirling a cigarette between his middle and forefinger.

  "I'm going to park at the bend where you were posted last night." Hatch slowed to a stop. "I want you to wait here."

  " Are you kidding?"

  "If I'm going to have any chance of meeting with the preacher, it's going to be without you at my side." Hatch could see from the distraught father's pained expression that this was not sitting well. "It'd look a bit off if I walk in with the father of the missing girl. It’ll be a lot harder to sell my backstory."

  "I get it."

  Hatch grabbed her notepad that was tucked between her seat and the center console before exiting the Jeep. She held the door open for a moment. "Remember when you asked me what my specialty was?"

  Ben stopped the cigarette in mid twirl and nodded.

  "Interview and interrogation." Hatch closed the door and followed the dirt path around the bend.

  The wooden gates to the compound were open wide. A light drizzle fell, settling the dusty road. She heard a voice rise over the gentle rustle of leaves in the late morning breeze. Beyond the gates was a circle of people, like the night before, except there was no fire roaring and no singing.

  Instead, one man stood at the center in front of a large stone altar, commanding the full attention of all present. The others sat cross-legged on the ground and held their hands up in worship. They swayed like branches in the wind, entranced by the sermon or the man delivering it, or both.

  Hatch came to the gate and saw no sign of the shadowed giant who blocked her access the previous night. She stood at the threshold of the entrance and listened.

  "When Eve was led astray in the Garden, her innocence was unprepared for the devil's forked tongue. And with the hissed words whispered in her ear, Eden was shattered. We will not be led astray. We see the innocence of our young, the eyes with which they behold the world, the purity of their hearts and souls. It is our duty to take refuge and shelter from the evils of this world, to protect our young before that age of transcendence, that moment when child and woman meet at the turning. We don't turn our eyes from it. Instead, we look upon that change, and we ready the child for the world that awaits, a world we keep at bay. How long have our walls stood while those outside of them are ravaged by the forces of nature commanded by God's heralding angels? When the water rises after heavy rains, and the river that runs through floods our banks, what do we do?"

  "Rejoice," the group chanted in unison.

  "Rejoice and celebrate." The Shepherd smiled and nodded, taking the time to make eye contact with each of his followers, even the young children who sat attentively by their mothers’ sides. "What the world has stolen from you, I cannot give back, but I can assure you that the harms of the outside world will not touch you again, for I am The Shepherd. "

  "And we are your flock," again the chant in unison.

  "In the fold you shall stay, my care I shall provide. The gift of Eden has been reclaimed. Those who seek it will find us, as they always do. Like Noah before the flood, we shall stand against the rising tides and avoid the temptations of man. When furious winds blow and uproot trees, what do we do?"

  "Rejoice."

  "That's right. When the wolf is at our gates, I will be your Shepherd."

  "And we will be your flock."

  The preacher shot a gaze at Hatch. A thick rope loosely wrapped around the preacher's midline kept his tunic down. He held out his left hand, moving it back and forth in the air, the congregation bowing their heads as it passed by overhead. The long wooden staff in his right hand remained firmly planted at his side. The scene reminded Hatch of her religious education classes and the picture of Moses parting the Red Sea.

  "There is plenty of work to be done in preparation for tomorrow's Rise." The preacher locked eyes with Hatch. "We fear not the approaching darkness, because I am the light!"

  "Light eternal." The crowd lifted their voices skyward.

  The circle dissolved into a whirl of white. Standing at its center was The Shepherd.

  The sermon ended, and the followers began collecting themselves, returning to whatever chores lay waiting. Hatch waited until The Shepherd finished speaking with the congregants who lingered. She watched as he met each person with a kind hand and warm smile.

  As the last cleared, Hatch locked eyes with the preacher. She offered a friendly wave of her hand and held up her badge while standing at the entrance.

  The Shepherd leveled his gaze at Hatch. The smile he'd shared with the other worshipers was gone. He planted the long staff in the earth before him and began making his way to her. Hatch noticed that the walking stick was not just a showpiece. The Shepherd favored his right side and walked with a slight limp he worked hard at hiding.

  Seventeen

  The Shepherd made his way over to Hatch. As he drew closer, his mouth turned up in a friendly smile, one that to Hatch appeared to be more forced than when he'd delivered his sermon. He was younger, or at least younger looking than she'd expected. Hatch guessed at late thirties or early forties. It was hard to tell. Although draped in a similar tunic worn by the others, Hatch noticed his trim build and athletic shoulders. His jet-black hair was long, with ends that curled before touching his shoulders.

  Hatch stood her ground and played the part of the eager, but polite, reporter. "I'm Rachel Hatch, with The Blaze. I stopped by last night but was turned away. I left a card with someone, but—"

  "Yes…I heard." The preacher stopped a few feet from Hatch, his smile never leaving his face. His eyes burned with intensity. "Mathias is our gatekeeper. No visitors are allowed after dark."

  "I didn't know." Hatch feigned ignorance.

  "No matter. How were you to know?" The smile dropped. "I hope you didn't misinterpret his note as a means of disrespect. Long ago Mathias took a vow of silence."

  "Is that a requirement within your community?"

  "Oh, no. Silence is not for everyone. For some, it proves too much. Not for our Mathias. He has shouldered its burden for a very long time."

  "How long is long?" Hatch asked as she adjusted the notepad in her hand.

  "Fifteen years, give or take."

  "Fifteen years is a long time to hold one's tongue." Hatch thought of the fifteen years she'd spent away from her home and the path she was on now that continued to delay her return.

  The Shepherd fanned a hand out in a wide sweeping motion toward the scattering crowd of followers dressed in white. "Everybody chooses their path. For some, silence is a way to turn a better ear to God's word."

  Hatch counted a total of twenty-eight who'd gathered for the morning's sermon. She scanned for Kyla's mother, using a dated picture shown to her by Ben. Hatch caught a glimpse of her disappearing behind
a wood house. She wondered if a mother who'd just lost her child would remain silent.

  "How can I help you this morning?" The Shepherd asked.

  "I'm doing a piece on your community." Hatch said.

  "Why?"

  "My editor assigned it to me yesterday. I go where the story takes me." Hatch held back, in asking about Kyla. Effective interview and interrogation always started with rapport building. Trust, even if the basis of its formation is built around a ruse like Hatch's cover, was the foundation of every successful intel gathering session.

  "And what do you hope to accomplish in this journalistic pursuit?"

  "The truth." Hatch caught a slight narrowing in The Shepherd’s eyes. "A lot of people say the Eternal Light is another Branch Davidian in the making."

  "The judgments cast by those outside these walls hold no relevance. My goal is to spread the Word. I believe nothing happens by chance. Maybe your article will shine a light and become a beacon calling any lost souls home."

  "Then you'll be willing to speak with me?"

  "Oh course. As long as you take no photographs or videos."

  Hatch had hoped to photograph as many of the Eternal Light followers as she could and send the images to Jordan Tracy to run against facial recognition software. She wanted to compile as much as possible about the people within the confines of these walls. "Are you sure I couldn't snap a couple of photos? Readers love a good picture. Helps sell these days."

  "I'm afraid it's out of the question. You're going to have to paint any pictures with your words."

  "Fair enough." Hatch fumbled with her cellphone as she exchanged it for the notepad and pen in her satchel, snapping a photo of the preacher as she dropped the phone into the bag. "Let's start with why you call yourself The Shepherd."

  "Because that is what I am."

  Hatch jotted a note in the pad.

  "What’s your name? I'd like to note your true name for my article."

  "That is my true name. No other one exists now. The me of before is not connected with the me of now, although tendrils of the past always linger."

  The Shepherd led Hatch inside. The other followers were moving about, carrying on their daily tasks. A woman nearby, whose tunic was held by a sash rather than a rope, worked the handle of a butter churn while the three-year-old at her side held the wooden rod.

  "Everybody does their part here, even the children."

  "To what end?" Hatch asked.

  "Enlightenment. Here, we tune out the outside world. We listen to the call of nature. We believe that the word of God can be found there if one is willing to listen. I try to provide a place for that connection, unimpeded."

  "How many people live here?"

  "There are twenty-eight among us now, myself included."

  Hatch wondered if Kyla was listed in that twenty-eight or if he had already deleted her from the roster. "How do you recruit?"

  The Shepherd laughed to himself. "I don’t ‘recruit,’ as you put it. The Lord does all the recruiting I need, calling to people in different ways. The lives these people lived before they came to me, and the reasons why, all differ. Some seek refuge from a world that treated them harshly. Others sought divinity."

  "Tell me a little bit about the Eternal Light. It’s based in Christianity, correct?"

  "Every house needs a foundation. When I first took to this calling, I took a vow of silence myself. Unlike my friend Mathias there, after a year I broke mine at God's command so that I may share the word that I discovered in my silence, a year without speaking."

  Hatch scribbled into her pad, playing the part of the reporter to a fault. "That must've been tough," Hatch said, looking up.

  "It comes with its challenge, yes, but it opened my ears and eyes to things that I had missed. During that time, I went line by line through the King James Bible, rewriting it in my own hand, word by word. I found myself transfixed by the deeper meaning, by the words that weren't written. I heard it in the screech of the hawks above. I saw it in the winds and rains, floods and famines, and I added those things that were missing, the parts that weren't whole for me, the parts that I heard whispered in my ears."

  "So, you hear God speak to you?" Hatch put a notation with a question mark.

  "Yes, I do. Is that so strange to believe?"

  Hatch thought of her father, and his voice that had come back to her on more than one occasion, typically in a time of need. There were times when she could feel him standing there with her as she faced the darkness.

  "I guess not," Hatch said.

  "Being human, we naturally see things through our own skewed perspective."

  "And you're not?"

  "I guess it could be seen by some that my interpretation is a perversion of scripture. I see it more as a rewriting. In the thousands of years since the writing of the Bible, much has been changed, much has been interpreted. Divisions and wars have been fought, and more lives lost and blood spilled in the name of God than any other cause in history, and we just continue to rage. His ideologies are challenged. But I am just one voice. Hopefully, someday it'll be heard above the noise."

  "Were you raised in a religious household?"

  "Not in comparison to what I am doing now, and not any stricter than most, church on Sundays, Bible school as a kid. I doubt my family even goes anymore."

  "Do you have any contact with them?"

  "The rules of my community would be nothing if I didn't follow them myself."

  "How long has it been since you had contact with them?"

  "Since we came here."

  "How long have you been here in Jericho Falls?"

  "Going on fifteen years now."

  "Why here?"

  "Why not? But it was my Shepherd that led me here. Others followed or joined along the way."

  Hatch cocked an eyebrow. "And where is he now?"

  "He is no longer with us."

  "So he left?"

  "We parted ways and he passed his staff to me."

  "Where is he now?"

  "Your guess is as good as mine. Once a member leaves the community, there is no other contact unless they return."

  Hatch looked at the walking staff in The Shepherd’s hand. There were misshapen figure eights of varying sizes burned into the wood throughout, covering the stick from top to bottom. "Does the eight hold significance to your belief structure?"

  "Not an eight, Miss Hatch. It’s the infinity symbol, because we see God in everything, most importantly at the point of transcendence."

  Hatch looked around at the houses, counting ten in two neat columns of five, with several fire pits staged at the center of the divide between the two rows.

  "How much of the land beyond the commune is yours?"

  "Three hundred acres belong to the Eternal Light." The Shepherd scanned his flock and the woodland area beyond.

  "That must've cost a pretty penny."

  "My previous life, which I don't wish to talk about, provided many things in the way of resources. It is to that end that I was able to secure the land. Since it was bought outright, we have no dealings with taxes since there is no profit within these walls."

  "How do you ensure the safety of your people?"

  "The gate that kept you out last night holds strong. Built from fallen timbers, it has served us these many years." He gestured toward the opening. "And God willing, for many more to come."

  "Beyond barring outsiders, how do you provide protection within its walls? How do you know that the people who come here are not criminals?"

  "Simple. The Lord has bestowed me with the ability to see into the heart of man."

  Hatch's understanding of how to read people was grounded in the kinesthetic science, supporting the interpretation of body language as a measure for which to read deception. Listening to The Shepherd and analyzing the micro gestures as he spoke, Hatch had drawn two conclusions. Either the leader of the Eternal Way truly believed the things he was saying, or he was an incredible liar. For Hatch, it was t
oo early to tell which.

  "So no background checks or inquiries into new members?" Hatch asked.

  "Our ears are always open to listen should someone feel compelled to discuss their life beyond the walls. But to answer your question more directly. No, we do not check."

  "Then in theory, anybody, regardless of their past, could move undetected among your people."

  "Anything is possible." There was a dismissiveness in his tone. "But that is why I'm here. When one does not embrace our way of life, they are simply asked to leave. When they come, their slate is wiped clean. When they leave, the responsibility for how they carry forward with that clean slate is upon their shoulders."

  "So, a criminal could come in here, no questions asked, and join your flock?"

  "Potentially. Sure. But if you remember the Bible, Saul, who later became known as Paul and is often referred to as the thirteenth apostle, was responsible for the murder of the Apostle Stephen. He heard God's word call out to him in his darkest hour. He became a voice of Christianity. So, we here at the Eternal Light do not judge anyone by past indiscretions. Those who walk through that gate and join my flock are judged by the actions they take while they are with us, not by their past, no matter how good or how bad one might be."

  "And can those who come here choose to leave?"

  A smile spread across The Shepherd’s face. "You think they're held against their will? Free will was a gift given to man. It's the same gift that I give each and every one of my flock. Should they desire to leave, they are free to do so. Over the years, some have. Our ranks diminish and then they're replenished."

  "What about medical care and schooling?"

  "We have all of that. Our schooling is somewhat different from what you may have experienced, but the fundamentals of interacting with the world around us are intact. We teach community. We teach how to love and cherish each other. Regardless of anyone's prior life experience, they are all taught the trade of the Son. And we use that skill when life demands, both for us and for those beyond our walls."

  "Like when you helped to rebuild the town last year?"