Take Four

  Once she started talking, she kept on for the next ten minutes, telling him about the other women in the study and how much life they, too, had traded for their addictions. “I used to think the world was against me, that I was someone to be pitied because everything bad always happened in my life. But now…I’m starting to see it differently. The right choices are always hard.”

  “That’s why you need Jesus.” Cody felt tired, worn out from the emotions of the day. But every word was filled with passion. Because only God had saved him from the same sort of addiction. “He’s the only one who can help you choose life.”

  “Yes.” She smiled for the first time since he’d walked into the room. “Something else, Cody.” Her eyes sparkled the way he’d rarely seen them before. “I gave my life to Jesus. I pictured putting myself in His big Father God hands, and I asked Him to come into my heart.”

  Cody thought about all he’d lost in the last month, all the ways his life had changed. But, in that moment, every torturous loss was worth it just to hear his mom say those words: She’d given her life to Jesus. He wanted to get up and circle around the table, hug her tight, and cry with her over what this change could mean in her life—now and in the future. But the guards didn’t like sudden movements, and hugs were generally saved for the end of visits. So he squeezed her fingers instead. “It’s a beginning, Mama. It is.”

  “I know. I feel that way.” Her smile dropped off again. “I just wish…I wish you didn’t have to see me like this. It isn’t right. You taking care of me.”

  It wasn’t right, Cody agreed. But it had been this way since she’d gotten out of prison three years ago, and their relationship would probably stay this way for a long time. Maybe always. He wouldn’t coddle or carry her—and he would constantly point her to the cross—but he would not walk away from her. She was his mother, and he would treat her with respect and love as long as he lived.

  They read the Bible together, Philippians chapter four, about finding peace in God and knowing His strength was enough for any task, and then they prayed. Cody hugged her at the end of their visit, and she clung to him. Her eyes held a slight panic, as if each time he said goodbye the reality hit her again that she couldn’t leave. Her freedom was a thing of the past. She whispered close to his face, still holding onto him. “I love you, son.”

  “I love you, too.” He kissed her cheek. “Keep reading the Bible.”

  “I will.” She held onto him until he gently pulled back. One last wave, and then he headed with the guard back down the hallway through the waiting room. As he passed by the table full of magazines, he picked up the one with Bailey on the cover and looked back at the guard. “You mind if I take this one?”

  The guy shrugged. “Don’t matter to me.”

  “Thanks.” Cody tucked it under his arm and followed the hallway past several stations on the way out. Back in his truck he stared at Bailey’s picture once more before putting the magazine on the seat behind him.

  He was five minutes into the drive home when his cell phone rang. He hoped it was Bailey. Now that they were talking more, he could hardly wait to hear her voice again. But as he checked the caller ID he saw it was Dave, an Army buddy he’d served with in Iraq.

  “Hello?”

  “Coleman! Is that really you?”

  “Dave…” Cody smiled, his heart warmed by the sound of his buddy’s voice. “I thought you fell off the edge of the earth.”

  “Practically.” He chuckled. “You don’t know what it does to me, hearing your voice like that. It’s been too long, man, how you been doing?”

  “Good…good.” That was the only answer, of course. No one wanted the truth with a question like that. “How ’bout you, man? You been hunting and fishing or what?”

  The conversation felt good, even if it was shallow. Cody needed this right now, and God must’ve known it. Someone to talk to, someone to help him remember he had a life outside football and school, missing Bailey, running from Benny and driving to Indiana Women’s Prison. At the end of the conversation, Dave invited him to a dinner at the house of another of their Army buddies. One who didn’t make it home from Iraq.

  “His mom lives in Indianapolis. She wants us to come for dinner next weekend—to celebrate Veteran’s Day a week late.” Dave’s tone was more somber now. “I guess today she wants to be alone. But next week a bunch of his family will be there and the girl he was gonna marry.”

  It sounded like a sad occasion, and Cody said so. But Dave assured him that wasn’t what their friend’s mother planned. “She wants everyone to play games and tell funny stories. She said she wants her house to feel alive again.”

  How could Cody say no? He asked about the location and time of the dinner, and he gave his word he’d be there. He tried to picture gathering around their dead friend’s house, playing games and telling jokes like everything was okay, like it was possible to find life again after such a loss. This was the theme of his life these days—something God must want him to learn: helping people find life where there was none. And if that was the case, he was up for the challenge. After all, this was God’s calling for humanity, really. He could do this, even while his heart was breaking from missing Bailey, even when all he wanted to do was drive to the Flanigan house, join their family in whatever happy thing they were doing today, and never, ever leave again. The visits to his mom, the dinner with the family of his dead Army buddy. It was possible because the Scripture from Philippians chapter four rang in his heart the whole ride back to Bloomington. No matter how difficult the road ahead seemed, the truth was this: he could do all things through Christ who gave him strength.

  Even this.

  Fifteen

  KEITH HAD WORKED AROUND THE CLOCK finding the right Bloomington locations and hiring electricians, tech guys, cameramen and grips. Dayne and Luke Baxter took care of the contracts, and finally it was the first day of filming. Most of the shots would be filmed in the new, unopened wing of a local Christian high school—complete with a state-of-the-art theater and auditorium. Behind the campus was a quaint football field, and beyond that endless scenic woods. The perfect setting for the story’s outdoor shots.

  The sun wasn’t up yet, but Keith and Dayne had long since planned to meet here at the school’s bleachers to pray. Keith arrived first, the crunching of his feet through the fallen leaves the only sound. He stared out across the blackened field. A hundred memories filled his mind. The times when he and Chase had met with the author of Unlocked, and the times when it looked like NTM Studios would keep them from making this picture. The time not long ago when Chase pulled out, and Keith was left wondering whether God wanted him to do the same.

  But he’d taken every enormous roadblock to God, and he’d done the only thing he could: he’d waited. Waited and prayed and believed the Lord wouldn’t have moved him back from Indonesia to make movies unless something very big and very life-changing were at stake. The day figured to be unseasonably warm, same as yesterday, but for now the morning was cool with a gentle breeze that sifted across the fresh-cut grass. Keith breathed in deep and he was filled with a supernatural peace.

  God had cleared the way as only He could do, and now here he was. About to film the biggest movie of his career, the biggest movie of the year by any standard, for any producer. Based on the runaway New York Times bestseller, Unlocked was a movie the whole country was talking about. Even now, a year before it would show up in theaters.

  Yes, there were great elements of newsworthiness. Brandon Paul—coming off a run of bad decisions and now aligned with a Christian production company. The fact that autism was in the news more and more lately, with a general raised awareness about the condition and how it might best be treated. Even Bailey Flanigan, in all her innocence and naiveté, had created quite the buzz in the preproduction stage. People were intrigued by her. Bailey’s mother, Jenny Flanigan, would be on the set most of the time, and Keith had talked to Bailey. She had her head on straight. The tabloid incident was behin
d her now, and Keith wasn’t worried about the experience changing her, though he sensed Brandon did have a crush on her.

  “I’ve read about him,” Bailey had told Keith when they talked a few days ago. “He’s talented, but he’s a mess.” She told him she was committed to praying for Brandon and that she was sharing every detail with Cody Coleman, the boy she loved. But Bailey was also mindful of the opportunity she had working with Brandon. “Being in this picture could change him.” Her voice rang with sincerity. “Imagine what that could do?”

  Keith lifted his chin and breathed in deep. He could feel God here, sense His Holy Spirit around him and in him. If Bailey believed the Lord could save Brandon Paul through the making of Unlocked, then Keith and Dayne would believe it too. His prayer from the beginning was that God would use them to change the culture,make faith in America a mainstay once more. That could happen through the power of the movie, or it could happen with a changed Brandon Paul. Keith was determined to expect a miracle—one way or another.

  He heard footsteps and turned to see Dayne. He wore a longsleeved thermal, jeans, and a white beanie. “Hi.” Keith patted to the place beside him. “It’s early.”

  “I’ve been up for three hours.” Dayne sat down and grinned at Keith. “Couldn’t sleep.”

  “Chase called last night.” Keith had talked to his former co-producer a couple times since Dayne had come aboard. Chase thought the two of them made the perfect team.

  “Does he wish he was here?” A couple frogs battled it out in the distance. “I know I would, if I were him.”

  “Actually, he doesn’t.” Keith was still surprised by his conversation with Chase. “He loves being a youth pastor. Feels like he was born for it.” Keith chuckled, remembering the way his friend had sounded. “They’re already making plans for next summer’s Vacation Bible School. The best ever, Chase says.”

  Dayne laughed a little. “I bet it will be.” He paused, and the two of them listened to the frogs for a minute. “He and Kelly doing well?”

  “They are. Better than ever. The whole change has been great for them.” Keith still missed Chase, but he was happy for him. “He said he’s praying for us.”

  “We’ll need it.” Dayne uttered a low-sounding whistle. “An awful lot at stake over the next six weeks.”

  “Definitely.” Again they were silent, and Keith went through a mental checklist of all that needed to be done. “I’m meeting the caterer in half an hour. We should probably get to praying.”

  “Did you get who you wanted?”

  “The caterer?” Keith grinned. “Absolutely. She’ll be our secret weapon on the set, no doubt.”

  He told Dayne a little about how in all of Bloomington the best caterer was Danielle Laatsch, owner of Dessert Oasis. She wasn’t more than five feet tall and a hundred pounds, but she made the best meals anywhere in the state. Desserts were her specialty, and Jesus was her passion. If you came through the catering line with a slice of cheesecake, you wouldn’t leave without knowing how much Danielle loved God.

  “The cast will love her, of course.” Keith gazed at the horizon. The first pink streaks of daylight were breaking over the tops of the far off trees. “Danielle’s a triathlete. She can speak three languages.” Her husband was in the military and, after they had their two kids, Danielle gave up her dream of becoming a spy. She turned instead to catering, where her clandestine and covert operations involved helping people find faith in Christ. Keith could hardly wait to hear the conversations that would play out at the food tent in the coming weeks.

  “Glad we have her.” Dayne grinned at him. “You ready?”

  They bowed their heads, and Keith was overcome by emotion. This was the dream, the place he wasn’t sure they’d ever reach. He asked God to give them supernatural wisdom and insight, and an ability to oversee the moviemaking at every level—so every phase of the project would bring Him honor. “Let this movie prove that with you, our powerful God, nothing is impossible. And please let the impact of our work in the coming weeks bring this nation to its knees. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

  As the prayer ended, Keith looked up and saw the sky was completely streaked with brilliant pinks and blues. “Time to meet the caterer.”

  “We’ve got an hour before the cast is here.”

  “I have a feeling about this day,” Keith grinned and stuffed his hands in his jean pockets as they walked to the front of the school where the food tent was already set up. “Like it’s the beginning of something extraordinary. The sort of day we’ll look back on and remember, because we never could’ve known exactly what sort of unbelievable things were ahead.”

  They reached the food tent a few minutes later, and the walk through the school grounds reminded Keith that this was yet another detail that had worked out beyond his wildest imagination. Until three weeks ago they faced filming the movie in half a dozen different locations throughout town. But then someone at church mentioned the new school.

  “It’s not open yet, but it looks finished,” the man had told him.

  Sure enough, after a five-minute phone call that Monday, they worked out a deal to provide funds for a covering over the football stadium bleachers in exchange for free run of the new wing for the length of the shoot. The site was perfect. The only other location they needed was the house where Holden Harris lived. The house was supposed to be across the street from the school, and on the first day visiting the campus, Dayne had spotted a ranch house nearby with a For Sale sign out front.

  Again, a quick call to the real estate agent and they had a two-month lease on the place. The rate was high enough that the owners—both retired and desperate to sell the place—could live on the proceeds for half a year.

  From twenty yards away they could already see Danielle bustling about in the tented area. Steam curled up and around the edges of the tent, and the smell of eggs and waffles filled the air.

  “Smells like heaven.” Dayne grinned. “I can’t tell you how many food service trucks don’t smell like that.”

  “We wanted the best.” Keith chuckled. “With Danielle we got that in spades.”

  They rounded the corner and Danielle held up both hands. She had a spatula in one and an oven mitt on the other. “Ten minutes till breakfast!” She looked like she’d been awake for two hours preparing the feast. “Belgian waffles are my kids’ favorite.” She waved her spatula toward the spread, as if it were a magic wand of sorts. “Pastries, fruit, blintzes, and an egg soufflé. That’ll give these people a good start to the day.”

  “Amazing.” Keith laughed and patted Danielle on the back. “All that and you’ve probably been praying for the cast since you woke up.”

  “Of course.” She jabbed the spatula in the air. “What’s about to happen here in the next six weeks is nothing short of what the Lord did at the Red Sea. I can feel it.”

  “You go, Danielle!” Dayne high-fived her.

  Keith did the same, and they kept walking, checking on the trailers for each of the stars. A gift basket had been placed inside each of them, welcoming the actors and reminding them to ask if they needed anything during the shoot. That was especially true for their youngest cast member—Annie Sullivan, who was playing Holden’s sister in the movie. Her mother would be on hand throughout, but her basket included things to make her feel like this was her home away from home—a doll and some soft stuffed animals and a Bible storybook. Annie and her family were Christians, and Keith wanted this first day to go especially well for the child actress. As they headed for the first trailer—the one belonging to Brandon Paul—Keith thought about what Danielle said. God was about to work a miracle here.

  Now it was only a matter of watching it happen.

  BRANDON SIPPED A CUP OF COFFEE at Dayne and Katy’s kitchen bar. She was his driver—at least for today. He planned to ride around with Bailey Flanigan after they had a chance to reconnect this morning. In the meantime, he’d spent the past half hour getting to know Katy a better. She was a pretty young mom,
patient with little Sophie and very in love with Dayne.

  Back when the tabloids could only talk about Dayne and Katy, Brandon had been a junior in high school. He remembered thinking Katy was hot, and that she would certainly move on to another actor—the way most Hollywood girls did. Especially after Dayne’s car accident. But clearly Katy wasn’t like most Hollywood girls.

  “So, you stayed with him, right by his side while he got better?” Brandon planted his elbows on the counter and breathed in the steam from his coffee. “Even after everyone had him matched up with that other girl, whoever she was?”

  Katy laughed and pulled a small bowl of oatmeal from the microwave. She stirred it, added milk, and tested it. Then she took it to Sophie, who was a few feet away in her high chair. As she set the bowl down, she looked straight at Dayne, the memories of those days gone by alive again in her eyes. “He loved me. It didn’t matter what the tabloids said…I knew the truth. I would’ve stayed by him as long as it took for him to walk out of there.”

  “Impressive.” Brandon liked these two. Clearly what held them together was their faith—something Brandon never saw in Hollywood. People thought Dayne had become some sort of recluse, leaving LA, and living on some lake in Indiana. But staying with them here, it was clear Dayne was happy and thriving, living an enviable life here in Bloomington.

  “What about your family?” Katy poured him a little more coffee. “What do they think about your fame and the way the NTM series took off?”

  Brandon felt the walls in his heart fly up. He didn’t talk about his family. Not in interviews and not here. “They’re private people.” He took a long drink. “Can’t say they really approve of acting.” He grinned, intending to put an end to the topic. “Some days I can’t say I blame them.”

  They talked for a few minutes about the Christian element of the film. Katy leaned against the counter and looked intently at him again, her eyes warm with kindness. “Dayne tells me you don’t really want to be associated with the Christian part of the film. With reporters…that sort of thing.”