Stung (22 page)

Mark scratched his chin. He opened a computer filing cabinet filled with other e-mails.

“What are you doing?” Vicki said.

“That name sounds familiar,” Mark said. He did a search of the name
Meninger
and came up with nothing. Then he typed in the name
Carl.
A single e-mail appeared on the screen. It was John's last message.

“This is it,” Mark said.

At the end of the message John had written,
Someday I hope you meet Carl. He can tell you what happened here. No time now. Just enough to say I love you all. Keep fighting the good fight. We'll be cheering you on. Never give up. John
.

“You think it's the same Carl?” Vicki said.

“Has to be,” Mark said. “John says he hopes we get to meet him. That's enough for me.”

“What if it's a GC trick?”

Mark raised his eyebrows. “Now who's the one being too cautious?”

Vicki smiled.

Mark answered the e-mail, saying that he would love to meet Carl, but he could not get to South Carolina any time soon. Mark suggested that Carl write about his experience with John or set up a phone call.

“I wonder how he survived the meteor,” Vicki said.

When Judd awoke the next morning, he heard Mr. Stein and Nada talking in the next room. He called Hasina again but hung up when he reached her answering machine. By the time Judd joined them, Nada was gone.

Judd could tell that Mr. Stein was upset, and in the morning light he saw more clearly the bruises about the man's head. It was a miracle he had gotten out of the GC questioning alive.

Before Mr. Stein could explain what they had talked about, Jamal came in the room. He spoke through clenched teeth as he looked at Mr. Stein.

“Stay away from my daughter, and stop filling her head with these crazy ideas!”

“Believe me,” Mr. Stein said, “I told her I couldn't put her life in danger—”

Jamal looked at Judd. “You put her up to this!”

“Is this about Mr. Stein's money?” Judd said.

“You care more about your own lives than you do hers,” Jamal said.

Judd started to explain that Nada had volunteered to get the money, but Mr. Stein put up a hand. “Trust me; we will speak no more of this to her.”

Jamal stared at them. “I will not lose another child.” He slammed the door as he left.

“What was that about?” Judd said.

Lionel walked in. Mr. Stein offered him some breakfast. “Did Nada tell you how she became a believer?”

Judd nodded. “She said her mother believed first.”

“Did she say anything about her brother?”

Judd was puzzled. “I didn't even know she had a brother. Jamal never said anything about him.”

“Yitzhak told me their story while we were detained,” Mr. Stein said. “Just as the rest of the family believed that Jesus is the Savior, Jamal's son, Kasim, believed that Nicolae Carpathia was the way to peace and happiness. They had many arguments about it.”

“Just like in your family,” Lionel said.

Mr. Stein nodded. “Except I finally agreed with my daughter. Kasim was killed before he came to the truth.”

“What happened?” Judd said.

Mr. Stein sat back and folded his hands. “Yitzhak said Nada was very bold with her brother. Kasim was three years older, but she would not back away from telling him the truth.

“Kasim was so committed to Carpathia that he volunteered to become a GC guard. Even while he was training, Nada would come into the Global Community compound and speak with Kasim openly about Christ.”

“That girl knows no fear,” Lionel said.

“Maybe she just loved her brother,” Judd said. “Was he accepted into the GC?”

“He was assigned to security in New Babylon,” Mr. Stein said, “to the main building where Nicolae Carpathia kept his office.”

“The earthquake!” Judd said.

“Exactly,” Mr. Stein said. “He was on the ground floor when the quake hit. Jamal and his wife received a letter of sorrow and thanks from the potentate just after the mass funeral. They never found Kasim's body.”

“I'm sure Nick's letter meant a lot to them,” Judd said sarcastically.

“You see why I did not challenge Jamal,” Mr. Stein said. “He has been through much pain. I can understand him wanting to protect his only living child.”

“We'll have to get the money ourselves,” Judd said.

“How are we going to get inside the gymnasium?” Lionel said.

Mr. Stein pulled out a key. “Yitzhak gave me this. It is to the back entrance. Perhaps one of us should go, rather than all three.”

They drew straws. Lionel's was the shortest. “Looks like I'm headed back to the university,” he said.

In the excitement of Mark's return with Melinda and Janie, Conrad hadn't forgotten what he had seen in the tower. The next day he climbed to the top and inspected the board again. He put a foot on one end and tried to pry it loose, but when he did, he noticed something he hadn't seen the night before. Four boards were attached together.

Conrad inspected the others and found a tiny hook barely visible under the middle boards. He retrieved a screwdriver and tripped the hook. The boards lifted easily.

Conrad gasped when he saw the ancient box in the daylight. It was two feet square with fancy carvings on top. The box was made of thick metal, and a huge lock hung on the front.

Conrad knelt and strained to lift the box. It was almost more than he could carry. He struggled down the stairs into the meeting room and dropped it on the floor. It fell with such a crash that the kids came running from all over the house.

Vicki ran a hand over the ornate etchings on top. “You think this is what Z was talking about?”

Conrad shrugged. “When he talked about a safe, I thought it would be five feet tall. But this is sure old.”

Mark looked closely. “This lock's going to take some time to open.”

Janie stepped forward. “Are we gonna split what's inside evenly?” When Vicki didn't answer, Janie said, “I mean, if there's anything valuable inside. I just want to be fair.”

“This isn't our house to begin with,” Vicki said. “If there's anything of value inside, Z would need to make that call.”

“Right,” Janie said. “I didn't know this wasn't your house. Sorry.”

Shelly, who had wandered off, called for the others from the next room. “Judd just sent a message. He asked us to pray for Lionel. He's evidently doing something pretty dangerous.”

Lionel felt queasy about going to the university but glad that Jamal had agreed to drive him in his small car. In the afternoon, Lionel and Judd helped Jamal move large boxes up the freight elevator and into the hideout. Jamal spoke very little, clearly still upset about what he thought they had asked Nada to do.

“What are these for?” Judd said.

“You will see” was all Jamal would say.

Lionel put on a long robe and turban Nada had found. “One of the witnesses left it behind,” she said. The outfit dragged the floor, and Lionel felt goofy.

“I don't care if it makes me look less American,” Lionel said “If they catch me, they'll call the GC.”

Lionel left the disguise and climbed into the tiny backseat of Jamal's car. He lay on the seat as Jamal wound through the Old City. Several times Jamal warned Lionel to keep down as he spotted Global Community squad cars.

Finally, they came near the university. Lionel sat up. Teddy Kollek Stadium was deserted. Yellow tape circled many of the university buildings where the witnesses had stayed.

Jamal pulled close to the gymnasium and handed Lionel his cell phone. “This is in case you have trouble finding what you're looking for,” Jamal said. “I'll wait on the other side of the street until you give the signal.”

Lionel felt inside his pocket for the flashlight. He hoped there would be no cameras or alarms in the building.

Judd and Mr. Stein prayed for Lionel as they waited for him to return. Nada handed Judd the phone. It was Samuel again.

“Did your father catch you outside last night?” Judd said.

“No,” Samuel said, “but I don't have time to talk. I called to warn you.”

“About what?” Judd said.

“The GC found something at the university where Mr. Stein was staying,” Samuel said. “They have guards there in case someone shows up!”

“Thanks,” Judd said. He hung up without saying good-bye and ran for Nada. “What's your dad's cell phone number?”

Lionel let his eyes adjust to the darkness and tried the key. Wrong door. He walked to the end of the building and tried again. This time the lock clicked, and he walked inside.

The cots had been removed from the gym floor. Lionel tiptoed across the hardwood floor, but his footsteps still echoed. He scanned the door for anything suspicious.

Lionel pulled out the map Mr. Stein had drawn and found the hallway leading to a small office. He looked along the wall for the fire extinguisher but couldn't find it.

He pulled out the cell phone and dialed Jamal's house. The line was busy.

Something moved in the gym. Footsteps. Voices. Lionel turned off his flashlight and darted into an open doorway. He was in the men's room. He backed against a wall and listened, his heart pounding furiously.