The Fall of the Prodigal (28 page)

“You sure you weren't seeing things?” Bill asked. “I don't want to look stupid when we go see the pastor. He's a busy man.”

Mindy wished he would stop asking her if she was sure about this or sure about that. “I'm not sure, Dad. That's why I need to talk with Pastor Keith.” She searched through the pile of sweaters on her bed until she found the cardigan that matched her dress.

Her father rushed her out the door. It was one silent ride until they pulled into the church parking lot.

“It's not that I don't believe you,” Bill said as they exited the vehicle.

“I know. I understand. FYI, I have been taking my pills. Let's go inside.” She lifted the handle and pushed the door to the church open. Now she wished she had come by herself because her father was hovering and it was getting to her. She entered the church office with Bill on her heels.

Mindy sighed with relief when she saw Pastor Keith approach. He must have been looking out for her. Mindy scurried over to him. “Greetings, Pastor. Thanks for seeing us early this morning.”

Pastor Keith had bags under his eyes. He looked like he had not slept in days. She felt bad for the early morning call, but Mindy could not rest until she spoke with him.

“It's not a problem. I decided to wait here in the hall to look out for you since Dianne isn't here yet.” Keith shook hands with Bill and said, “I have a lot going on but I will always make time for Mindy. I promised and I intend to keep my word.”

Pastor Keith ushered them toward his office. He unlocked his door and turned the lights on. “Dianne will be here soon with coffee and bagels.”

Mindy and Bill settled into the chairs. Then Pastor Keith zeroed in on her. “Are you still seeing Dr. Forrester? Are you taking your meds?”

“Yes and yes. I'm also reading the Bible, especially the New Testament.” Mindy had been enthralled with the scripture of Jesus saving the madman with the legion of demons. She knew she would be delivered one day.

“She lives in that book,” her father joked.

“Every time I feel any way out of the norm, I reach for the Bible,” she confirmed. “It helps. I've never felt so whole.”

Pastor Keith smiled. “Mindy, I'm amazed at your faith. You're teaching me what trust in God really means.”

“Tell him why we're here,” Bill chimed in.

“I came because when I was in church and it was time for the altar call, I thought I saw Elle G. It wasn't until last night my mind pieced it all together. She is real and I didn't make her up in my head.”

She braved a glance at Pastor Keith. He looked interested. “I thought it was only Mousie who had seen her, but I know her. I first met her outside of Dr. Forrester's office.”

He pushed his body across his desk. “I'm listening.”

Mindy had his undivided attention. She did not feel so stupid now. “She struck up a conversation with me, and introduced herself as Elle G but I saw her sitting next to Michael on Saturday—”

“Whoa. Back up!”

Mindy quailed at his tone.

“What is it?” her father interjected. He, too, must have noticed Pastor Keith was more than interested.

Keith waved his hand. “I'm sorry. I won't interrupt. Please continue.”

Mindy nodded. “You were introducing Michael and his friend Lauren Goodman and when I saw her, I wondered why it felt as if I knew her—”

Again, Keith interrupted her. This time there was no denying his jubilation. “Elle G is not a name, they're initials! Not a name. Oh, Lord, you've answered our prayers! LG is Lauren Goodman.”

She was not quite following his train of thought, but she would not be deterred. “Then last night, I remembered how I knew her. She was the person I met at Dr. Forrester's office. She was the one who befriended Mousie at the strip joint. It was Lauren who punched me and beat me up.”

“What!” Bill roared. “You didn't tell me that!”

“That's because I didn't want you doing anything crazy,” Mindy answered. “And, I'm the one who asked her to punch me. I didn't like myself. Sometimes the pain of being alive was too much and I'd cut myself. It was supposed to be one punch. It took me forever to persuade her but once she started, she couldn't stop. She enjoyed it. I was begging, begging for my life and she wouldn't stop.” Oh, Lord, the horror of that night was coming back to her. She hid her face as tears poured.

Seeing her distress, her father came to hug her.

“The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital,” she sobbed.

Pastor Keith came around holding a box of tissues in his hand.

“Thank you,” Mindy said, blotting her eyes and cheeks.

Pastor Keith took her hands in his. They felt small in his larger ones. “Thank you for telling me, Mindy. You don't know it, but you've helped Michael's case.”

She sagged. After all the hurt she had caused, this was great news. “How?”

“Lauren and Michael dated. She is the mother of his children. I'm thinking that's why she befriended you. Did you mention Michael at all when you first met?”

Mindy knew her eyes were bulging. “I don't know.” She clutched her forehead. “I might have. Because why else would she have been there at the hotel with me that night? I don't have all the answers.”

Pastor Keith patted her on the shoulder. “It's okay. You've done plenty, Mindy.”

“See, Dad?” Mindy gave her father a tremulous smile. She remembered something else. “Her hair wasn't red, though. She always wore a black wig.”

Pastor Keith snapped his fingers. He grabbed her to kiss her on the cheek. “I'll check the camera tapes the police confiscated to see if Lauren was there in disguise. I have a feeling Lauren is the answer to the condom found on the scene.”

Pastor Keith excused himself to make a phone call. He was barking orders in the phone to someone. She felt good she had been helpful.

“I'm ready to go, but I need to go to the bathroom, first.”

Her father gathered his belongings and hers. Mindy raced into the stall. When she came out to wash her hands, she gasped.

“Elle G? I mean, Lauren. You scared me.” Her eyes scanned Lauren from head to toe. Lauren was dressed in a wedding dress, complete with tiara. And they called
her
crazy.

Lauren came over to hug her. “Mindy, what are you doing here?”

Mindy's hands shook as she pretended she did not think it odd Lauren was dressed as a bride. “I was speaking to Pastor Keith.”

The older woman reached to touch her hair. Mindy inhaled, scared. She remembered Lauren's vicious beating and trembled. Normally, being this scared would make her switch personalities. Instead, a part of her favorite verse popped in her head.
“For God has not given me the spirit of fear,”
she recited internally.

“I'm here to see the good pastor myself,” Lauren said.

“Are you getting married?” Mindy had to ask. It might appear odd if she didn't ask.

“No. Not anymore,” came the cryptic response.

Something about Lauren's tone gave Mindy the creeps. She washed her hands and uttered a quick, “Okay, see you later.” Her hand was on the door when Lauren stopped her.

“Not so fast.”

Mindy faced her with dread. Her chest tightened when she saw Lauren held a gun pointed directly at her. “Wh . . . what are you doing?”

“I'm sorry, friend, but you're my insurance in case things don't go according to plan.”

Michael ended his call with Keith and shouted, “Thank God!” He threw on a sweater and jeans preparing to meet Keith at the church. His knees weakened when he heard Mindy had identified Lauren as her accomplice that night. Finally, all the pieces of the puzzle were in place. He could move forward.

After Lauren had left the night before, he had taken Keith's advice and confessed all to Verona. She had hit the roof a couple of times. He saw all the emotions on her face as they had used FaceTime to talk. But, Michael kept telling Verona how he loved her until she calmed. He showed her the pendant. He intended to give it to her as his wedding gift. That appeased her, somewhat. He knew their love was strong enough. It was the real deal. She was not going anywhere. Neither was he. He was ready to commit and spend his life basking in the love of a good woman.

John and Olivia were already up. He dressed them. They were now eating breakfast, prepared by Josie. The Jamaican lady was a godsend. She was a substitute grandmother to his children. He wished he could clone her but she had already tipped him off about her cousin, Pat Wilkins, in Jamaica. Michael hired her based solely on Josie's exemplary performance. He had already filed the paperwork for Pat's work visa. The Jamaican Embassy had approved her entry into the United States. She should arrive within two weeks.

Michael headed into the kitchen. “Josie, I have to meet Keith at the church. Would you mind if John and Olivia stayed with you?”

“Leave them. They'll be all right,” she said, washing the breakfast pots and pans. He'd never seen a more hardworking woman. She worked nonstop. Gina's house was immaculate.

Walking over to John and Olivia, Michael crouched to let them know he was leaving. “Daddy will be right back, okay? I won't be gone long.” John sniffed. Olivia's bottom chin wobbled. His heart melted. “Oh, guys, I promise I'm coming back.”

“Okay,” they said.

Olivia pulled on his pants. “Daddy, we go to closet?”

What did she say? Michael bent over. He asked her to repeat what she'd said.

“Do we go closet now?”

John wailed. “I don't want to go in closet.”

Did Lauren put his children in the closet when she would leave the house? Michael thought of the time Lauren showed up at his penthouse alone. Surely, Lauren had not left them unattended for hours.

Josie stopped her tasks, openly listening to the exchange.

Michael's eyes collided with her horrified ones. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

“Yes.” Josie nodded.

Michael was a strong man but his insides mushed up at that thought. Anything could have happened to them. The possibilities crippled him.

He gazed on his children. His love for them overflowed. The world could not contain it. He grabbed a paper towel to wipe their runny noses. “John, Olivia, you won't be going in the closet. You'll be here with Josie.”

“Yay! Josie,” Olivia yelled and ran over to hug the older woman around the leg. John followed gripping her other leg.

“Go ahead, Mr. Michael, they'll be fine. Go, do what you have to do.” He noticed her cheeks were red and knew she had also been moved by the situation.

Michael drove to the church with record speed. The entire drive he replayed John and Olivia's faces as they asked about going in the closet. To children that age, the closet was a dark and scary place. He thought of Lauren and wished her dead. A feeling akin to hate rose within him.

When he sped into the parking lot, Michael noticed the three cars. One was Keith's; one was Bill's; and the other? Wait. That was Lauren's car.

Michael punched the steering wheel. He was going to knock Lauren to the floor when he saw her. He stomped into the church. It was eerily quiet. Michael senses went into overdrive. Something did not feel right.

He made his way to Keith's office and peered inside but it was empty.

His heart rate increased. Where was everyone? He heard a yell and spun around. Cautious, he made his way toward the sound, hating every echo and creak of his shoes on the tile.

When he turned the corner, he stopped. Garbed in her wedding dress, Lauren had a pistol waving it around in the hallway leading to the children's room. She raged, “I have four bullets and I'm not afraid to use them.”

Mindy's eyes rounded and her huge intake of breath alerted Lauren to his presence. She greeted him with a maniacal smile.

“Well, bullet number four has found an owner. Come and join the rest.”

Her cackle bounced off the walls. Lauren was cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. Michael eyed the gun. He made up his mind he was not going down without a fight. “Lauren, put the gun away and let's have a conversation.”

“No! I'm done talking. You and your brother took my children. All my years of planning are ruined.” She gave Michael a spiteful look. “When I shoot you, I'll be sure to watch you bleed out.”

Michael blurted out, “We'll see about that, you poor excuse for a mother. You locked our children in a closet? Why did you do it?”

“I . . .” Her face filled with shame. “Nothing happened to them. I . . .”

Keith gestured to him to keep her talking as he inched closer to her.

“What did you mean last night when you said if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have children?”

Her chin rose. “I saved the condoms. I knew you couldn't have children. I collected your tired, slow semen and paid good money for artificial insemination.”

Michael glared. “That's illegal and plumb crazy you'd do something like that without my consent.”

“Well it worked.” She snorted. “Only you didn't believe me. You kicked me out. It wasn't until I watched your brother professing his love for Gina that a plan formed.”

A light bulb went off. He jabbed a finger at her. “You planted the condoms at the hotel and in my house!”

“Bingo,” she boasted.

“Why would you keep those condoms all these years? They were old and of no use.” To Michael that was sheer stupidity.

Lauren shrugged. “I don't know.” For once, she seemed a little unsure. Then she squared her shoulders. “It worked, didn't it? They still served their purpose.”

“You used me and took advantage of me and my family,” Keith hurled.

She lifted her chin. “Yes, you were too in love with your wife and God not to see it. I wanted Michael. I wanted the fairytale. Your God was taking too long. I took matters into my own hands. Imagine my good fortune when you presented me with your home on a platter.”

“My daughter was impressionable. Why did you have to include her in your scheme?” Bill stormed toward her. Michael knew from past dealings Bill was not a man to be messed with.

“She was stupid. An easy pawn. It was fate when I met Mindy at Dr. Forrester's. I've been her patient for the past two years and had never met another patient. There must have been some scheduling snafu that day. Whatever, Mindy and I became fast friends. I never met somebody so desperate for attention in all my life.” Lauren rolled back on her heels. Looking at Michael, she said, “I had to endure Mindy's childish mooning over you but it was worth it to see your name plastered all over the papers.”

“Bill, get back!” Michael shouted.

“Yeah, Bill, you'd better listen to your friend.” Lauren snorted. It was only when Mindy grabbed his arm that he retreated.

Keep her talking,
Michael told himself. He crossed his arms. “If all this was to get me, why didn't you accept my proposal the first time? Why tell me about a boyfriend?”

“A girl can't appear too eager. She has to play a little hard to get,” Lauren said. “And, how did you not miss that Martin Weston has your initials? You should've figured that out but then I forget that underneath those tailor-made suits is an imbecile. You were dumb to let me go.”

“No, kicking you out was the smartest thing I ever did,” Michael shot back.

Keith gave him the signal. Both men pounced. Caught off guard, Lauren swayed in several directions. The gun fell from her hand and hit the floor with a bang.

“No!” Michael screamed as it expelled a single, fatal shot.