A Moment of Weakness (26 page)

For all the time and energy he and his staff had put into the battle, Tanner had the sense lately that things were not getting better. If anything, they were heating up. Many times instead of gaining ground, they seemed to be treading water: clinging to basic freedoms while watching others erode with case precedence.

He took a swig of water and glanced at the restaurant’s entrance. Matt Bronzan would be there in five minutes. He’d told Tanner he had an urgent issue to discuss. Something about a case that needed their immediate attention.

The cases they handled now would have been unthinkable five years ago. Churches whose tax-exempt status was being called into question, private business owners forbidden by city council from bearing a Christian fish on their store sign, teachers fired on the spot for mentioning God in a public classroom.

The CPRR won nearly all their cases, but not before much money and time was devoted to the matter. Tanner ran his fingers over the water drops on the side of his glass. Fired for
mentioning God? He still couldn’t believe the case had actually made it to court. Tanner and Matt had won the decision, but barely. How far had they come from the days when teachers were directed to lead prayer in school, how far from the days of even setting aside a moment of silence?

He sighed and stared through his water to the blurry images on the other side. The problem was public opinion. More often than not, his cases made their way into national headlines leaving people with the impression that—in the case of the dry cleaner operator—a Christian fish symbol was somehow illegal. Regardless of the fact that they’d won the case.

The attack by the liberal left and the ACLU was relentless and had served to erode the way the public viewed religious freedom as a whole. Anymore, churches felt thankful that they still had the privilege to meet on Sundays. Forget the freedoms they’d lost in the process.

Tanner spotted Matt heading for the table. At least he had this one friend. Matt had been with him since their first big case—the one with the student who wanted to sing at graduation. A former district attorney, Matt had once prosecuted mainly drunk-driving cases.

Then he met a widow, a Christian woman named Hannah Ryan, whose husband and daughter were killed by a man driving under the influence. Matt took the case and wound up winning a first-degree murder conviction. The drunk driver was given twenty-five to life, and Matt earned national attention overnight.

But something else happened.

Matt fell in love with Hannah. One year after the case was resolved—two years after the accident—the couple married. They had one daughter, Jenny, a sixteen-year-old who was the only survivor from the accident. Shortly after the wedding,
Matt decided he’d spent enough of his life convicting drunk drivers. It was time to branch out. He had heard of Tanner’s law firm and contacted him, looking to help.

Tanner liked him immediately. Matt was sharp and sincere and devoted to the Lord. He had won numerous cases since joining forces with Tanner and was, without a doubt, as great a fighter in the cause as anyone at the firm. Occasionally, Leslie and Tanner shared dinner with the Bronzans, and Tanner had always been impressed with Hannah’s quiet strength. Whatever nightmare she’d been through, she’d made it to the other side by God’s grace. Clearly she and Matt shared a bond that spoke volumes.

The kind of bond he couldn’t imagine sharing with Leslie, no matter how wonderful she was. The kind of bond he once thought he’d share with—

“Hey, did you order?” Matt was breathless. He’d probably kept four appointments back-to-back before arriving at the restaurant.

Tanner shook his head. “Just the loaf.” Once a month he and Matt met at Tony Roma’s for lunch, and the onion loaf was a given. The men were both in exceptional physical shape and knew their monthly indulgence would not make a difference. “How’d the meeting with Swires go?”

“Good.” Matt gulped down half his glass of water. “I think I convinced him to give up. Showed him documentation, precedence.”

“Good. We might live in a tolerant town, but even Los Angeles isn’t ready for the ‘Mother God Transvestite Club’ to march in the Boy Scouts’ Easter Parade.”

Matt set his water down. “I told him they didn’t stand a chance. Even if they
did
wear merit badges on their dresses.”

Tanner laughed. Matt was the only one at the firm he could
lighten up with. They played basketball at Racquetball World and on Saturdays met at seven in the morning for tennis. Time had earned them the right to joke with each other, even when the matters were utterly serious and close to their heart. “Is it just me, or is it getting crazier all the time out there?”

Matt rested his forearms on the table and leaned forward. “That reminds me.”

Tanner rocked back in his chair. “The case you mentioned earlier?”

“Right. It’s a doozy. Don’t know if it’s legit, but it has the earmark of a national headline grabber. And then some.”

They were all worthy of such attention, but Matt had always had a keen sense for knowing when a case had the potential to shake Americans.

The waitress appeared with the onion loaf, took their order, and made a hasty exit.

“Gotta love these onions.” Matt dug his fork into the loaf as Tanner raked a section onto his plate.

After a few bites, Tanner wiped his mouth and exhaled loudly. “Okay, I’m listening. Tell me about this case of the century you’ve discovered.”

“Might be nothing.” Matt shrugged. “But if it’s true …” He took two more forkfuls of onion rings and then leaned back in his chair. “It’s a custody case.”

“Custody? As in divorce?” Tanner had handled only a few cases that involved divorce. Usually battles over which church a child would attend or whether the mother or father could force attendance if the child wasn’t interested. That kind of thing. “How’d you hear about it again?”

“I got a call yesterday afternoon.” Matt hesitated. “Anyway it’s this woman, and she’s terribly nervous. Says she doesn’t want to give her name, but her husband is divorcing her and
suing her for complete custody of their son.”

Tanner finished the plate of onions and cocked his head. “Where do we fit in?”

Matt wiped his mouth. “He wants custody because he thinks she’s an unfit mother.”

“Unfit because …?” Tanner was struggling to see the connection.

“Because she’s a Christian.”

Tanner felt the winds of outrage blow against him. “Are you kidding? He wants custody because of his wife’s faith?”

“I’m serious. She told me her husband hasn’t been involved in their son’s life. The marriage fell apart when she discovered her husband was having an affair. Apparently there’s more to it. The caller said she’s fairly vocal on the school board or something. Hasn’t kept her beliefs a secret.”

Tanner was beginning to see the picture. “Now her husband wants to make an example of her.…”

Matt raised an eyebrow. “According to the divorce papers, he’s out to prove the woman brainwashed the boy into believing and that she’s an unfit mother because of her extreme religious beliefs.”

Tanner anchored his elbows on the table and brought his fists together. He had feared it would come to this one day but never dreamed with the ushering in of a new century that they were there. If the man were to win this case, parents across the country would have to fear losing their children because of their faith. “What’s her name?”

Matt sighed. “That’s just it. She wouldn’t give it to me.”

“Why not?” Tanner was suspicious of people who called anonymously. If they needed help, if the situation was what they said it was, why not be honest about the facts. Including revealing their identity?

“Didn’t say. Apparently she called for advice.”

“What did you tell her?”

“The truth. No one could take her son away from her because of her faith. I asked her if she wanted someone from our office to help her, maybe represent her at the hearing.”

“And …”

“She said no. Real adamant about it, too.”

“Is it a financial concern?” Tanner thought it strange the woman would call but then refuse help.

“I told her there was financial assistance available, but she said she wasn’t interested. Just wanted our advice.”

Tanner sighed. “Strange. How did you leave it with her?”

“She said she’d get an attorney right away and she thanked me. I think she was relieved when I said her husband didn’t stand a chance.”

“Hmm. When’s the hearing?”

“A week or so, apparently.”

Tanner thought about the missing details. “We might never hear from her again, but you never know. Did she tell you where she lived.”

“Yeah, I got that much. She lives in Portland.”

“Why don’t you put someone on it. Have them scan
The Oregonian
for the next few weeks, see if anything comes up. If she loses custody of the boy at the hearing, the paper will definitely cover it.”

They changed the subject then, but Tanner’s mind was stuck on the strange case Matt had shared. His heart ached for the woman—whoever she was—who was living in terror somewhere for fear that she would lose custody of her son.

All because she had chosen to identify herself with Jesus Christ.

T
HE NORTH ANNEX OF THE
C
LACKAMAS
C
OUNTY
C
OURTHOUSE
was not an impressive structure. It consisted of a single hallway with various offices and courtrooms on either side. Jade arrived thirty minutes early so she could read the Bible. Matthew, chapters 5 and 6 and part of 7. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount always soothed her fears, no matter what she was facing.

She had read it by herself in a hotel room on the Oregon coast more than a decade ago, and again while waiting for Jim to regain consciousness after his accident.

And she read it now, as the hearing to decide whether she would lose custody of Ty was about to begin.

If ever there was a time she needed a reminder from Jesus it was now.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life.…

Jade stopped reading and closed her eyes.
I’m trying not to worry, Lord. Help me believe what that man from Tanner’s office said. No way can they take Ty because of my faith. Please, Lord, help me trust you
.

She had survived the previous weeks by telling herself there was nothing to worry about. It was craziness. Pure craziness. No judge in his right mind would penalize a parent for her faith. She was sure of it. The man from Tanner’s office had made her confident of the fact.

The day after Jade received the divorce papers, Jim had moved out. He and Kathy shared an apartment now,
unabashedly driving to school together. From what she’d heard, Jim was still treated with utmost respect, though several staff members apparently didn’t approve of his leaving his wife and moving in with another woman. But then, Kathy was one of them. And she wasn’t a religious fanatic.

In the wake of Jim’s decision to sue for complete custody, he had become the devoted father. He was suddenly attentive to Ty’s needs, showing up on weekends to take him out for ice cream, engaging him in conversations about basketball and evolution, the professional football draft and alternative lifestyles. Kathy was often present.

Almost daily Jade found herself putting out fires Jim had started in the child’s mind.

One night after spending an evening with Jim and Kathy, Ty had come home and approached her curiously “Mom, did you know scientists have found the missing links that prove evolution is true?”

She had taken Ty in her arms and held him tight. “Honey, where’d you hear that? There’s a lot about evolution that has never been proven. A lot of very smart scientists have actually stopped believing in it altogether.”

Ty scrunched his handsome face sadly. “Dad and Kathy said you’d say that.…”

There had been several similar incidents, and Jade wished she could forbid Ty from leaving the house with Jim. But her attorney had advised her to cooperate. Otherwise she would only support Jim’s accusations and come across fearful and fanatical. Jim’s discussions about evolution and other hot topics were probably only intended to bait her.

“Do whatever you can to get along.” Her attorney had repeated that just last week, and Jade knew she had no choice.

Jim’s relentless attention toward Ty continued, and Jade was
helpless to do anything to stop it. Clearly her son was torn by the situation and had been moody and sensitive as a result. Jade understood. Ty wanted to maintain his fierce loyalty to Jade, but there was no denying how much he enjoyed his father’s sudden attention.

Jade glanced at her watch. Fifteen minutes had passed. She heard voices from the other end of the courthouse, and she stared down the hall. Nothing. No one headed her way. Jade twisted her fingers nervously. Her attorney should have been there by now. He hadn’t been good about returning phone calls, and Jade feared he might show up late.

Her thoughts drifted back to Ty. Most recently, over the weekend, Ty came home from Jim’s almost belligerent toward her.

“Daddy and Kathy say you’re intolerant of people, is that right, Mom?” They had been to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and Jade wondered how such a discussion could possibly have related to their visit.

“What people?”

Ty shrugged. “Different people. Like when two guys fall in love and get married.”

Jade had to lean back against the kitchen counter for support. Why was Jim doing this? The boy was too young for such discussions. “Well, sweetheart, it’s not that I have anything against those people. But God has something against the way they act.”

“You mean God doesn’t like it when two men fall in love?” Ty seemed genuinely confused, and Jade was sick about it. Jim was turning the child into a pawn for his own interests.

“Right, dear. God says it’s a sin.”

Ty studied her. “Daddy and Kathy said you’d say that.”

Jade struggled to maintain her composure. “Daddy and
Kathy aren’t Christians, Ty.” Jade had pulled her son close and hugged him. “We still love people who live like that, and we pray for them. But it isn’t something God likes, and that’s the truth, Ty.”