The Mayan Apocalypse (29 page)

“Yeah, I did. I forgot many things, including what is important.”

Morgan walked back to his plane.

“Leave something behind?” Donny wore a slight smile.

“Yup. My sanity.” Morgan looked in the cockpit. “I've changed my mind, guys. Let's get out of here.”

“Um, yes, sir.” The pilot exchanged glances with his partner. “Back to Oklahoma City.”

“Not yet. I want to make another stop first.”

“Hey, boss,” Donny said. “Some skinny guy is headed this way. He doesn't look happy.”

“Raise the stairs and close the door. I've wasted enough time.”

Morgan looked out a left-side window and saw Charles Balfour with a cell phone to his lips.

Lisa had just set her suitcase down when the doorbell rang.

“What now?” She opened the door. “What…Aren't you…?”

Morgan smiled, crossed the threshold, took Lisa's head in his hands, and kissed her. The kiss was long, gentle, and thrilling enough to weaken her knees.

Although she couldn't see him while in Morgan's embrace, she recognized Donny's voice. “Now that's what I'm talking about.”

Morgan pulled back, and Lisa took a deep breath. For the first time in her life, the reporter was short on words.

“Good, I see you're packed.” Morgan pointed at her suitcase.

Lisa raised a hand to her chest as if she could slow the machinegun rate of her heart. “Yes…I'm going to my parents. To spend… you know…tomorrow with them.”

Morgan stepped to the side and nodded at the luggage. “Do you mind, Donny?”

“Nah, my pleasure.” He stepped into the foyer and grabbed the bags.

“What are you doing?”

Morgan answered. “He's helping me kidnap you. You're coming to my place.”

“Your place, but—”

“I'm not going. I'm going to spend the time with you.”

“But, my parents. I told them I was coming over.”

Morgan shrugged. “No problem. I have a big house. We'll bring them too.”

“I don't understand.”

Morgan kissed her again. “All you need to know is that I love you.”

“But—”

“I hate that word. Are you coming, or do I have to carry you?”

For a moment, she wished he would carry her.

M
organ never imagined he'd spend this day of all days like this. Donny's family—his wife, two grade-school-age children, and several nieces and nephews filled the area around the pool with noise and laughter. Lisa's parents sat in the shade of an awning away from the hubbub, drinking fruit juice. Donny, as promised, was playing Ping-Pong with his brother, an army sergeant on leave. Like Donny, he was thickly built and looked like he could bench-press a house.

Morgan, wearing a blue swimsuit and a plain white T-shirt, reclined on a lounge chair. Lisa did the same in a matching chair. He pretended to have a good time, playing with the children, helping with the barbeque, and giving tours of the house. He even shot hoops with Donny and the older children, but the pending disaster was never far from his mind. The laughter was temporary. But temporary laughter was better than nothing.

“We need to talk, Andrew.” Lisa's voice was soft.

“Let me guess—you need to tell me how irresistible I am.”

“Lying is a sin.”

“Hey.”

She chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn't resist.” She rolled to her side. “I'm serious. We need to talk.”

“I'm listening.”

“In private.”

Morgan turned his head toward her, removed his shades, and raised an eyebrow. “Are you propositioning me?”

“You know the answer to that. Let's go to your office.”

Morgan felt a sudden sense of foreboding. He rose, held out his hand, and helped Lisa up. A few moments later, they were in the upstairs office. Morgan closed the door. They sat in a low-backed sofa beneath a large window that overlooked the gated front yard.

“Okay, Ms. Mysterious, you have my attention.”

She chewed her lower lip, and Morgan prepared himself for the rejection he was sure would come. He had swept her off her feet yesterday, but she had had an entire night to think things over. As the day progressed, she seemed more introspective. He assumed it was because of her knowledge of what was due to occur.

“I haven't been honest with you.”

“You? Dishonest? I don't buy it.”

She touched his arm. “When I was here last year, you read a verse from a Bible you said belonged to your son. That got me to thinking.”

“Thinking is permissible.”

She saddened. “When I first met you, I did some research. You already know that. I even pressed you for an interview you didn't want to give for an article that never came to be. Turns out, no one in your Quetzal group would talk to me. Anyway, during my investigation, I learned more about you and your family's deaths.”

“We talked about that on the trip back from Roswell.”

“Well, I let it all slide, but I couldn't let it go.”

Morgan felt defensive. “Where are you going with this?”

“I read the article about the funeral, where it was held, and who officiated. From there, it was a small matter to link the ministers to the church your son attended.”

“You contacted them?”

She nodded. “I did. I spoke to the youth pastor. He oversees the spiritual lives of the senior high school students. He remembered your son very well. Did you know he was thinking of going into the ministry?”

“No. We talked about him going into engineering of some kind. You're saying he was lying to me?”

“No, of course not. Thinking about going into the ministry is a long way from committing to it. Many ministers train in other fields before going to seminary. No doubt he was thinking of engineering too.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Do you still have his Bible?”

“Of course.”

“May I see it?”

Morgan was slow to move. He felt manipulated. He rose, disappeared from the office, and returned a few moments later with the well-worn study Bible. He handed it to Lisa. He noticed her hand was shaking when she took it. It hurt him to see her so nervous.

“The pastor I spoke to said they did a faith exercise.”

“I don't understand.”

“He asked them to list five things they wanted God to do in their lives. He had them write it in their Bibles.” Lisa began thumbing through the Bible. He watched as she checked front and back leafs. “I don't see it.”

“Maybe he chose not to participate.”

“The impression I got from the youth pastor makes me think otherwise. Wait. He said that that he based the exercise on Matthew 7:7-8.”

“Which is?”

Lisa turned to the Gospel. “Here it is. Jesus is speaking: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.' ” She stopped suddenly, turned the Bible to Morgan, and pointed at the margin.

He took the book and read the notes. The sight of his son's handwriting jolted him.

Five things I pray that God will do:

1. Give me clarity about my future.

2. Help me know more about Him.

3. Make me a good student of His Word.

4. Protect persecuted Christians around the world.

5.
Help me lead my parents to Christ.

 

The last item was underlined twice. The pit of Morgan's stomach dropped like a stone, and his eyes began to burn.

“It's a very unselfish list.” Lisa spoke softly.

“That's the way he was.”

“Andrew, this may be the last time we have an opportunity to talk about such things. I don't know what the next hours will bring, but if you're right, if the Hammer of God—I despise that name— is going to kill most life on earth, then we need to be thinking about the next life.”

“Lisa—”

“No, no more debate. No more give and take. So far you haven't been willing to listen to me. Maybe you'll listen to your son.” She took the Bible back and turned to another passage. “Romans 3:23. It's underlined. I shouldn't be surprised.” She scooted next to Morgan. “What's this say?”

Morgan read the words, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

“Do you need proof that we are all sinners?”

He shook his head. “No, that's pretty obvious.”

“Okay, now this. Romans 6:23.” She turned a few pages and pointed at another underlined verse.

“The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He looked up. “Lisa, look, I know you mean well—”

“Andrew Morgan, we are going to get through this without interruption.”

He smiled. “Yes, ma'am.”

“There are scores of these, but I'm going to make you read one more.” She moved deeper into the book and found what she was looking for. “This one—Romans 10:9-10—is underlined too.” Again she gave him the Bible and he read the words aloud.

“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” He handed the Bible back.

“Why do you suppose these verses are underlined?”

Morgan shrugged.

“What did your son want God to do?”

“He listed several things—”

“You said you love me. If you love me, then stop playing games. What on that list struck you?”

“He wanted help sharing his faith with his mother and me.”

“Do you think he talked these matters over with your wife?”

Morgan squirmed in his seat. “Before they started back, my wife and I talked. She mentioned she and Hunter had had a long talk. I didn't pay much attention…I was distracted with work.” That admission felt like a punch from a prizefighter.

“How did she sound to you?” There was something soothing in her tone.

“I don't know, maybe a little different. Like I said, I was distracted.”

Lisa set a hand on Morgan's knee. “Do you think it's odd that Hunter left his Bible behind?”

“I never thought about it. To me, it was just a phase he was going through, or another way to meet girls. It's probably a coincidence.”

“Coincidence?” For the first time that evening, he heard heat in her tone. “Was it coincidence that we both show up late for Quetzal's presentation in Roswell? Was it coincidence that we got the last two seats available in the theater? And my canceled flight and your offer to fly me to San Antonio—was that also coincidence?”

“Look, the way you're stringing these events together may make it sound like everything happened by some plan—”

“I'm not finished. How about everything else that happened? My editor assigning me a story that required I get in touch with
you again, and despite your reluctance to see me, you ultimately caved.”

“Caved? That's a little harsh.”

“Was it coincidence that you used his Bible to show me that verse in Revelation?” She took a deep breath. “Your son's spiritual wish was to share the truth about Jesus with you and your wife. I can't be sure, but he may have done that on the trip that ultimately took their lives. He left his Bible behind, and here we are on the eve of destruction reading it, reading verses he underlined—verses he meant to share with you. God has honored his request.”

Something warmed inside Morgan. He looked away. To make eye contact with Lisa now would undo him. What she was saying made sense, and he didn't want it to. After all, it was God who let his wife and son die. He had said so to Lisa.

“I would never do anything to diminish their deaths or your sorrow, but you know as well as I do people die daily…some tragically. Besides, you can't blame God unless you acknowledge His existence.”

He started to speak, but nothing came. She had him with that last line.

“Andrew, if that asteroid slams into us today, it won't be because the Mayans saw it coming. It will most likely be an occurrence of nature, or…”

“Or what?”

“Or the beginning of God's judgment on the world. Either way, you need to be ready.” She lifted a hand and laid two fingers beneath his chin and pulled his face close. She gave him a slow, lingering kiss. It was devoid of sexuality. It was not the kind of kiss a woman gave a man to seduce him. It was a simple act of unassuming, nonjudgmental love.

He savored her lips, her smell, the texture of her lips, but most of all, he appreciated her concern.

Anger melted away. Uncounted months of bitterness dissolved. Tears trickled down his cheeks. “Will you pray with me?”

“Yes.” Lisa slipped from the sofa to her knees.

For a moment, Morgan felt foolish. This was what children did at bedtime. The moment passed. His heart twisted in his chest, and his mind felt on fire.

Ten minutes later, there was knock on the door. Morgan rose and Lisa returned to the sofa. Donny stood in the wide hall outside the office.

“Sorry to disturb you—” He caught Lisa's eye. “Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything.”

“We're just talking, Donny. Rein in your imagination.”

“Of course. I didn't meant to imply…Never mind. Did you know someone has bugged your home?”

Donny put away the electronic sweeping gear. It took him an hour to retrieve the equipment from the security company Morgan Natural Energy retained to provide protection for its executives. It took another two hours for him to sweep the structure and grounds, even with the help of his brother.

“Okay, there were remote cameras in the bushes near the gate, a camera in your living room and office, and there were remote mikes throughout the house, including two in your bedroom. There were also two cameras in the backyard.”

“I knew they were keeping an eye on me, but I had no idea it was to this extent.” Morgan clinched his fists.

“Who you talking about, boss? The competition or that Mayan guy?”

“Quetzal.” Morgan's fury rose. “The competition might bug my office. I can't imagine them bugging my home.”