Blessed are the Merciful (13 page)

One officer in uniform said, “Many of us thought the jury handed down the wrong verdict. All of us who doubted you are truly sorry and ask your forgiveness.” Several policemen nodded in agreement.

“Fellas, I admit it wasn’t easy to get the cold shoulder and to hear some of the accusing remarks,” Seth said. “It hurt pretty deep. But since you’re man enough to confess you were wrong, and you’re asking my forgiveness … I’m man enough to forgive you. Consider it done.”

There was more applause, then one of the officers said, “Seth, let me say for those of us who never doubted you, we’re just happy that you’ve finally been cleared. You’re an excellent police officer and a great guy!”

When the applause started up again, Chief Bennett took a step closer to Seth and said, “Officer Coleman, as you know, we’ve got men here who need to get out on the streets, including yourself. But
before we break up this meeting, there are two men in my office who would like to see you, and they want to say something to you in front of all of your fellow officers.” Bennett looked behind him and said, “Tell them to come out.”

The two witnesses to the murder of Lawrence Sheldon stepped out of Bennett’s office. The officers made a path for them, and when they approached Seth, they had tears in their eyes. Seth shook their hands, assuring them they too were forgiven.

The meeting broke up, and as Seth headed for the street to begin his shift, he found Hank Moldow and Keith Dailey waiting for him. The two men had just been reinstated after receiving a reprimand from the internal affairs committee.

“Seth,” Moldow said, “Keith and I just want to say we’re sorry—and to thank you for the kindness you showed us when you could have shown us scorn.”

Seth shook hands with them and said, “I hold no grudges, guys.”

Claude Ralston sat at the breakfast table, clutching his morning edition of the
Philadelphia Enquirer
. His eyes ran over the headlines for the dozenth time since he had read the story to his wife and daughter. The two other chairs at the table were unoccupied, and the food on the plates and the coffee in the cups had grown cold.

Claude could hear sobs coming from Bettieann’s bedroom. He shook his head and mumbled to himself, “How could I have been so wrong?”

Finally, he folded the paper, dropped it on the table, and shoved back his chair. When he reached his daughter’s bedroom, he tapped on the door and then stepped inside. Bettieann lay face-down across the bed, her body quaking. Lillian sat beside her. Lillian looked up at her husband and shook her head, tears running down her cheeks.

Claude started to speak, but Lillian touched his arm and said, “Let her cry it out.”

He nodded and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

“When Bettieann finally stopped crying, Lillian pressed a clean hanky into her hand, and she sat up, sniffling.

“Oh, Papa, how could I have been such a fool? How could I have been so wicked and so mean to poor Seth? He told me he was innocent, but I wouldn’t believe him! I told him that attorney had hypnotized the jury. How horrible of me!”

Claude squeezed her shoulder tenderly. “Honey, your mother and I are as guilty as you are. We didn’t believe him either.”

“I know, but Seth was in love with me. I’m sure he was on the verge of asking me to marry him. He trusted me when I told him that I loved him. Then I cut his heart out! I told him I stopped loving him when I found out he had been arrested. And that wasn’t true! I didn’t stop loving him. I thought I had, but I’ve known I still love him ever since he came by the house to see me!”

“Honey,” Lillian said, “if you still love Seth, you need to tell him.”

Bettieann brushed the hair from her eyes and shook her head. “He wouldn’t believe me, Mama. And besides, I can’t face him. Not after what I said to him … and did to him. I’d be too ashamed to look him in the eye.”

“But if you really do still love him,” Claude said, “you ought to find the wherewithal to go face him. Tell him how sorry you are … that you still love him. You owe him that much.”

Tears filled Bettiann’s eyes again. “I owe him a lot more than that, Papa, but I just couldn’t face him! I’m a coward, too, I guess.”

Lillian patted her arm. “Let a little time pass. Time has a healing balm of its own. When you feel better about yourself, you can go to Seth and talk to him.”

That evening, Seth Coleman returned to his room at the boardinghouse after eating supper with the other boarders in the dining room. He sat down in the overstuffed chair by the front window and looked down at the traffic on the street below.

“Ah, sweet relief!” he said. “No more suspicion-filled eyes at the station, on the streets, or at the table here in the boarding house.” He closed his eyes and whispered, “But, oh, Bettieann, I still love you. I’d be so happy to hear you say you still loved me. I’m sure you’ve heard about Jake Wilson’s confession by now. If I could only—”

There was a knock at the door. Seth went to answer it, his heart pounding like a trip-hammer. His heart sank when he saw Jack and Thelma Sheldon standing there.

“Officer Coleman,” Jack Sheldon said, his voice barely audible, “we need to talk to you. Could you spare us the time?”

Seth felt a desire to slam the door in their faces but pushed the urge away. “Certainly,” he said, his voice calm and steady. “Come in.”

He led them to the love seat and invited them to sit down. Then he turned the overstuffed chair away from the window and positioned it facing them. “What can I do for you, Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon?”

Jack cleared his throat and fidgeted with his hands, then said, “Thank you for letting us see you.” Seth nodded but said nothing.

“Officer Coleman, we … we learned today about the confession of Jake Wilson. We realize how wrong we were to accuse you of killing our son even after the jury acquitted you. Thelma and I have come to ask your forgiveness. We want you to know that we’re truly sorry for the way we acted that day in the courthouse.”

“We mean that sincerely,” Thelma said. “Will you forgive us?”

Seth stared at them for a long time. “That moment in the courtroom when you would not believe I was innocent of Lawrence’s death was a very painful one, Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon. For days afterward the scene came back to me, and in my mind I could see your accusing eyes. I remember you saying that you’re Christians, and that even though I did kill your son you had forgiven me.”

“We were so wrong, Officer Coleman,” Jack said. “Christians are far from perfect, and we proved that to you.”

“We had to ask the Lord to forgive us before we could come and ask the same of you,” Thelma said.

“I know you were going through a horrible experience that was tearing your hearts out,” Seth said. “Sitting in the courtroom throughout the trial had to be a terribly painful thing. Maybe if I had been in your place I would’ve done the same thing you did. So let me say that I appreciate your coming to see me, and I appreciate your willingness to admit you were wrong in the way you treated me. Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon, I forgive you.”

Thelma pulled a hanky from her purse and wiped away the tears streaming down her face.

Jack thumbed his own tears away, and said, “Thank you, sir. If you had not forgiven us it would have weighed on us the rest of our lives. Are you aware of what the Bible says about people who show mercy to others?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

“It says a lot about it, but I have a particular passage in mind. Do you have a Bible, Officer Coleman?”

“Yes, it’s in my bedroom closet. I’ll get it.”

Seth returned with the Bible, and said, “This was given to me when I was a boy.” He handed it to Jack. “I was nine years old at the time.”

“Looks in pretty good condition. Do you read it much?” “Well, no, I don’t. I suppose I haven’t looked inside it since I was a teenager.”

Jack opened the Bible to the New Testament. While he was flipping pages, he said, “Officer Coleman, do you believe this Book is the Word of God?”

“Yes, sir. I was brought up in Sunday school and church. I … ah … got away from church when I was seventeen. My parents were killed … well, you don’t want to hear my family history. Anyway, what was it you wanted to show me?”

Jack flipped a few more pages. “Here … Matthew 5:7. Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.’ ”

“Yes, I recall that verse.”

“You see, Officer Coleman, you—”

“Call me Seth, sir. You too, Mrs. Sheldon.”

Thelma smiled for the first time since entering the apartment.

“All right … Seth,” Jack said. “Mercy is what you showed to Thelma and me. Jesus said that the merciful shall obtain mercy. He said that if we are merciful to others we’ll have mercy shown to us when we need it.”

Seth smiled. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Sure is. And of course as guilty sinners before God, all of us are in need of His mercy. The whole human race has sinned grievously against God, including me and Thelma, including you. Right?”

Seth rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes, sir. I remember Sunday school lessons and sermons that made me feel so guilty for my sins.”

“That’s because whenever we hear the Word of God taught or preached, it isn’t long until it shines its light on our sins. We learn quickly that God hates our sins, though He loves us. It was God’s marvelous love that caused Him to send His Son to the Cross. He died for sinners so that we could be saved. He paid the price that God—in His holiness, righteousness, and justice—demanded for our sins.”

Seth remained silent, but he was listening carefully to Jack’s words.

“By dying and then raising Himself from the grave, Jesus provided the one and only way for guilty sinners like you and me to find mercy from God. Salvation is ours when we repent of our sin and believe that Jesus did all that was necessary to save us.” Jack searched Seth’s face, then said, “From what you told us a minute ago, Seth, you’ve heard the gospel before.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you ever sought God’s mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ and His shed blood?”

Seth slowly shook his head. “No, sir. I came close to being saved when I was about fourteen years old. An evangelist was preaching at
our church and he really got to me. I almost walked down that aisle to be saved, but I was afraid of what my friends at school would think of me if I became a Christian.”

“Seth, just as Thelma and I wronged you and needed your mercy, you’ve wronged God and need His mercy. There is no mercy from God apart from His Son.”

Seth’s hands began to tremble. “Yes, sir. You’ve brought it all back to me tonight. I’ve been a fool to go on in life as a lost sinner. I want to be saved, Mr. Sheldon.”

“Well, Seth, Romans 10:13 says that whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

“Will you help me do that?”

Thelma wiped tears as her husband knelt with Seth Coleman beside the love seat and led him in prayer.

The following Sunday, Seth attended the Sheldons’ church, publicly professed his faith in Christ, and was baptized. The congregation swarmed him after the service, not only to let him know how happy they were that he had been saved but to express their joy that his name had been cleared by Jake Wilson’s confession.

During that week, Adam Burke handled one court case after another. Every night he had to prepare for the next day’s case. There had been no time to talk with Philipa.

On Friday night, August 31, Adam’s busy week had come to an end and he sat at a table in one of Philadelphia’s finest restaurants, looking past a pair of flickering candles at the woman he loved.

“I’m sorry about neglecting you this week, honey,” he said.

Philipa warmed him with a smile. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m a lawyer’s daughter, remember? I’ve seen Daddy under that kind of pressure many times over the years. I understand.”

“I’m glad you do.” He took a bite from his plate. “You’ve had more than a few days to think about the Nebraska venture we discussed. How do you feel about it now?”

“Well, darling, I certainly appreciate a man with your drive and the courage to step out on your own. But this is such a big step.”

“I know. But a turtle never gets anywhere without sticking his neck out. And I really want to get to North Platte. If we’re going to change the wedding to the middle of September, we’ve got to move on it quickly.”

Philipa made no attempt to hide the fire in her eyes. “We can’t change the wedding date. Everything is planned! This is going to be a big wedding. It’s got to stay as we have it now.”

“But Philipa, we can’t wait very long. Some other attorney is liable to move into North Platte ahead of me.”

Philipa put a hand to her forehead. “Will you take me home, Adam? I’m developing a headache.”

“Of course. Let me get the waiters attention …”

When they reached the Conrad mansion, Adam walked Philipa to the door. The porch lanterns illuminated the couple with a yellow glow.

Adam took Philipa’s hand and said, “I won’t come in. I want you to take some powders for that headache and get to bed.” He kissed her tenderly, then pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Are you angry with me? You seem distant. Have I done something wrong?”

Philipa looked down for a moment, then raised her eyes to look at Adam. “I wish you’d reconsider this move to Nebraska and let Daddy make you a partner.”

“But Philipa, my heart is in the West. It’s drawing me like a magnet draws iron.”

Philipa touched her hand to her forehead again. “Let’s talk about this later.”

“All right. Later.”

Philipa’s Kiss was a bit warmer this time. She went inside and closed the door, waiting until she heard Adam drive away, then went to the library where she found her parents in their favorite chairs, reading.

“Have a nice time, dear?” Millicent asked.

“Of course.” Philipa replied. Then, moving to stand over her father, she said, “Daddy, couldn’t you go ahead and make a partnership offer to Adam? It would make me so happy if he was part of your firm.”

Philip reached out and took her hand. “I’d like that myself, honey, but I really have to give George Benson a little more time.”