Lie Down in Green Pastures

  Gerald opened the door and welcomed her in.

  "You're leaving?" she asked, noting the suitcases packed and next to the door.

  "Actually, you just caught me."

  "But have you finished gathering all the information for your book about Pine Springs?"

  "All that I intend to gather here, yes."

  "Were you going to leave without saying anything?"

  "Yes, my dear, I'm afraid so. Terribly rude of me, I know, and I do apologize."

  "Why?" she asked, sensing that something more was going on beneath the surface.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed and folded his hands over his knee. "I had planned to stay for another week or two, but something happened last night that changed my mind."

  "What?"

  "A man broke into my room in the middle of the night, held a gun to my head, and told me that my time here was finished.I believed him, so I'm going now."

  Cindy was stunned. "Someone broke in here and ordered you to get out of town?"

  "Very Old West theatrics, but that's the size of it."

  "And you're going?"

  "Did I mention the gun?"

  "But don't you want to find out who did this to you?"

  "Not as badly as I want to keep on living," he said.

  "But that's one mystery you can't walk away from!" she said, sinking into the chair near him.

  He reached out and grabbed her hand. "My dear Cindy. I'm not you. When someone threatens to kill me I have less of a desire to find out 'who' and more of a desire to avoid discovering 'how' the hard way. I did all my work in a laboratory, not the field. I'm not used to being threatened and frankly my life is too precious to me to risk it on trying to find out who was behind it. It's enough for me to know that it's not safe to stay.So, I'm going."

  She was deeply disappointed. For some reason she had expected more from him. Maybe it was because when he had said he enjoyed solving riddles she had felt like she could finally explain her own fascination with the mysteries that had come into her life. She cleared her throat and fought the urge to cry."Do you even have a clue why?"

  He shrugged. "I guess I asked questions of someone who didn't want to be asked."

  "About me?"

  He smiled. "I'm nearly done with your chapter, but I suppose it could be linked to you."

  "It's either me or the cult."

  "Like I said before. Some people find the past too painful to talk about. Apparently someone here finds it very, very painful."

  "But I was hoping to get your perspective on the recent happenings, see if you thought I was totally crazy."

  "You might be a lot of things, but crazy is not one of them," he said. He glanced at his watch. "I was going to call a taxi to take me to the airport. If you're willing to drive me, I'd be happy to hear your theories and give you my opinions."

  "Deal."

  "Then let's get going. I don't want to stay a moment longer than I have to," he admitted.

  Mark was frustrated. It had been two full days and they were no closer to finding whoever had attacked Larson and Cindy. Nor had they had any success in figuring out exactly where Dr. Tanner had been the morning he was killed. The only places they had successfully eliminated were his house, Randall's house, and the donut shop across the street from the police station.

  "We finally got something," Paul said, hanging up the phone.

  "What?"

  "A neighbor of Dr. Tanner's remembers seeing him driving downtown two hours before he crashed into the rabbi's car."

  "Downtown is not on the direct route between the doctor's house and the church."

  "And since the poison was lethal in an hour and most businesses downtown are closed that time of morning odds are good he was stopping somewhere to get some breakfast or some coffee."

  "Let's start canvassing the local eateries, see if anyone remembers him. It's a long shot, but it's at least a reasonable area to search," Mark said. "And let's start with Joe's since that's where Cindy and Larson were attacked."

  "It would be nice and neat and clean if it turned out to be where the doctor was poisoned," Paul noted.

  "Yeah, probably too neat and clean the way our luck's been running on this case."

  "We can always hope."

  Maybe it's time we started doing a little more than hope, Mark thought grimly. Maybe it's time we started praying.

  Driving Gerald to the airport was probably not what Cindy's physical therapist had in mind when she said to take it easy. Still, at least it was the local airport and she didn't have to drive him all the way to Los Angeles. Her arm really was feeling a lot better, too, and she began to think that everyone was being overly cautious.

  He listened intently while she explained what had been happening and what she thought it all meant.

  "What do you think?" she asked at last.

  "While I agree that clearly it is all connected and that Max Diamond would seem to be some sort of instigator with his proposed purchase of Green Pastures all the evidence you have against him is completely circumstantial. I truly don't believe that in the end he's your killer."

  "That's not what I wanted to hear."

  "I know. And it's possible I'm completely wrong. It wouldn't be the first time."

  "What am I going to do?" Cindy asked.

  Gerald laughed. "I don't know, but I can't wait to find out."

  "Thanks."

  "I can tell you one thing. Whatever you do, it won't be what I would do in your shoes."

  They had pulled up to the terminal and Cindy turned to look at him. "Promise to call and tell me how it all turns out," he said.

  "I will," she said.

  "And I will let you see your story before it's in print. That's something I don't do."

  "I appreciate it."

  Jeremiah thought the workday would never come to an end.His backpack sat ready in the corner of his office and he had brought jeans and a polo shirt to change into before the bus left for camp. Fortunately the girls' counselor was no stranger to Green Pastures or weekend camps. She assured him that she knew where everything they would need for the weekend, including candles for Sabbath ceremonies, were located in the administration building.

  He could tell when the kids had started to arrive by the noise from the direction of the parking lot. After a few minutes he took a deep breath and went to change his clothes.When he was finished he grabbed his backpack and presented himself to Marie, who looked him over.

  "You sure you got everything?"

  "I packed everything on the list you gave me," he said. "I was surprised at how detailed it was. Seriously, who forgets to pack underwear?"

  "You'd be surprised at what people forget to bring," Marie said. "Most people read the list and don't think beyond it, boys and girls. That's why underwear and deodorant and pajamas are all on the list."

  "Sounds like the kids are here."

  "And already hyper. It's going to be a fun bus ride," she said, almost to herself. "Here, I'll walk you outside."

  The bus was in the First Shepherd parking lot, right near the break in the hedge that separated the two parking lots from each other. The girls' counselor was already present and already lining people up and checking them off.

  On the other side of the hedge Pastor Dave Wyman was doing the same with their kids. Finally the bus doors opened and kids streamed inside. Jeremiah followed slowly, until he, Dave, and Marie were the last ones standing outside.

  "Guess I'm going to get to see firsthand why all the kids call you Wildman," he told Dave.

  "Lucky you," the youth pastor said with a grin.

  "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Marie asked as he got ready to board the bus.

  "I'll be fine," he assured her.

  "You got everything you're going to need?"

  "I believe so. Got my clothes, my toothbrush, some lesson plans. I should be just fine."

  "These camps can be brutal, you know, screaming kids driving you crazy all the time. Someone w
ill get homesick; someone will just get sick."

  "If you'd prefer I didn't go," he said, making as though to step away from the bus.

  "No, no, I'm sure everything will be just fine. I mean, it's just sleepaway camp. What could go wrong?"

  "Absolutely. Listen, could you do me a favor?"

  "What is it?" she asked.

  "If you see Cindy could you tell her that I'm sorry. I kind of snapped at her the other day."

  "I'm sure she deserved it," Marie said icily as she folded her arms across her chest.

  Just like you deserved it when I snapped at you? he thought.He didn't say it out loud, though.

  "I was pretty harsh with her."

  "Fine, if I see her, I'll tell her," Marie said. He could tell from the look on her face that she was planning on going out of her way to avoid seeing Cindy. He sighed. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment.

  Dave clapped Jeremiah on the shoulder. "Glad to have you with us!"

  "Glad to be here," Jeremiah said, faking his smile.

  "All your kids loaded up?"

  "Yup and Mrs. Goldstein as well."

  "Awesome. That just leaves you and me."

  Reluctantly Jeremiah climbed onto the bus ahead of the youth pastor. He found an empty seat toward the back behind a couple of his kids and claimed it.

  Dave took up position at the front of the bus facing everyone."Anyone forget anything? Speak up now."

  There were no takers so the youth pastor continued."Welcome campers! And for those of you who are here with First Shepherd I want you to welcome aboard our neighbors from the synagogue."

  "Hello!" dozens of kids shouted.

  Jeremiah's kids waved and smiled. It was an adventure for all of them.

  "All right remember stay in your seats, no bugging the driver. If you need something raise your hand. Now who's ready to go crazy!"

  All of the kids including his screamed and Jeremiah winced at how deafening the sound was. He stared in disbelief at Wildman.

  How does he handle this week in and week out?

  "Okay, let's get this party started!"

  More excited screams as the bus lurched forward.

  "Let's start singing. We'll begin with 'Father Abraham.' "

  Jeremiah blinked in disbelief at the title.

  "Ready? Go!"

  And then kids and counselors alike began to sing. "Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them and so are you. So let's all sing along. Right arm. Left arm. Right leg. Left leg. Right hand. Left hand.Right foot. Left foot. Let's all praise the Lord!"

  Two of his students who were sitting in the seat in front of him turned and looked at Jeremiah in bewilderment. He understood their confusion. It was going to be a long bus ride, though. Best to make the most of it.

  "When in Rome," he said with a smile. Then he began to sing along.

  There's no turning back now, Jeremiah thought as the bus headed onto the freeway.

  11

  THERE'S NO TURNING BACK NOW," CINDY TOLD HER REFLECTION IN THE mirror. She had come home after dropping Gerald at the airport and wrestled with herself while she came to a decision about what she was going to do.

  Fear rippled through her, but mingled with it was another sensation, one she had almost forgotten she could feel.Excitement strummed her nerve endings making them vibrate and sing. So many momentous things had happened in the past year and yet she had only felt the fear.

  Maybe it's because that's all I let myself feel; that's all I know. It made sense. She had worked so hard to be safe, built a nice little life for herself, so simple, so confined in a little bubble of her own design.

  What would Lisa have thought if she could have seen it? Her sister wouldn't have approved. Cindy knew she would have made it her mission to push her out of her comfort zone.Just like she always used to. She was too busy pushing me to worry about herself.

  Maybe that had been Lisa's secret all along. In Cindy's memory her sister loomed large as a reckless, fearless character. Had she really been those things or were her memories tainted by that final, chilling one that still haunted her dreams?

  What if she wasn't reckless?

  The thought gave her chills. If Lisa wasn't reckless then it was true that safety was merely an illusion. Cindy almost stopped breathing.

  What if she wasn't fearless?

  Then she did the things she did because she could overcome her fear. She had made it her servant instead of her master.

  And so can I.

  Cindy began to breathe again. And then, very slowly, she began to smile at her reflection.

  Mark threw his half-eaten hamburger in the trash. The feeling in his gut that had started the morning of the car accident had continued to grow with the passing of the days. Even though he was sitting in a cool, temperature-controlled building he was sweating like a guilty man under the interrogator's lights. Something was wrong.

  No matter how many ways he went over it everything pointed to Max Diamond. Still, he'd bet his paycheck that the man wasn't behind the murders. "What are we missing?"

  Paul only grunted at him. The stress was clearly getting to him as well. He was becoming far less communicative.

  Cindy found Max Diamond in his hotel's lounge, texting and looking at his watch. It appeared as if he was waiting for someone.

  "Mr. Diamond?"

  He glanced up at her. "Yeah, sweetheart?"

  "I'd like to talk to you."

  "I don't need another drink at the moment."

  "I'm not a waitress," she said, taken slightly aback. That gave him pause and he really looked at her for a moment.

  "You know, St. Patrick's Day isn't until tomorrow," he said, eyeing the green blouse she was wearing.

  "I'm aware." Just being near the man made her angry.

  "Let me guess. You're here because you have some sort of beef with me, am I right?"

  She nodded.

  He waved to the empty chair at his table. "My guest is late, so come, entertain me."

  She sat down, slamming the folder she was carrying onto the table hard enough to make the ice in his drink rattle.

  "So, why are you here, honey?"

  "I'm here because you've been killing everyone who opposes you buying Green Pastures."

  He blinked rapidly, then said, "Sorry, what?"

  "Don't play innocent with me," she said. "Dr. Tanner, the chairman of the board, was against the sale. You had him poisoned last Thursday. Randall Kelly, the environmentalist, was planning on rallying the community against the sale and you had him killed and his body burned also last Thursday.Monday night you sent someone after Larson Beck, another board member opposed to the sale, with orders to shoot and kill him. Larson was shot and I was injured in the attack, but we both survived."

  "Another board member was almost killed?"

  "Three days ago, at your behest."

  Max Diamond put his hands on the table. "I knew the police were looking into Tanner's and Kelly's deaths, but no one said anything to me about Beck. Now, I don't know where you're getting your crazy ideas, but when those people were hurt I had a lot of witnesses who saw me."

  "I'm not saying you did the dirty work yourself. I'm saying you hired someone to do it for you," Cindy hissed.

  "That would be the smart thing to do if I had anything to do with this, which I didn't. I want that land, lady, but I'm not willing to kill for it. I'm not that kind of man. Frank Butler, he might kill for a land deal, but not me."

  "Really, because you've done it before," Cindy said, pulling the picture of the rancher's wife out of the file and putting it on the table. "I know it wasn't an accidental overdose. You killed her. What was the problem? She didn't approve of her husband selling that ranch to you?"

  Max turned completely white when he saw the picture. He reached to touch it with a shaking hand. Then, he lifted his eyes to her and she saw pure rage in them. "Get out. Now," he said, raising his finger and pointing to the door. "Your five
minutes are up."

  She reached for the picture but he slammed his fist down on top of it. "If I ever see your face again, I'm calling the cops and I'll have you in court so quick your head will spin. Do you hear me?"

  Cindy didn't know what to do. She had honestly believed that he would say or do something to give himself away. For just a moment she wondered if she could have made a mistake, but looking at him she knew that if there hadn't been a dozen people nearby he would have choked the life out of her with his bare hands.

  Cindy turned and fled the hotel.

  The bus was on its final leg of the journey as it climbed farther up the mountain. It eased over a bridge crossing a stream and twisted along the road for another fifteen minutes, making several of the kids around Jeremiah turn slightly green.

  "If you're going to be sick, warn somebody," Jeremiah cautioned one youngster.

  Another of his charges, Bobby, leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder. "Rabbi, I'm going to be—" and the boy vomited on the floor at Jeremiah's feet.

  "I meant before—" Jeremiah ground out as all around him kids flew to open windows.

  Shrieks and choruses of "eewwws" announced up and down the length of the bus exactly what had happened.

  "Hold tight, we're almost there!" Dave shouted from the front of the bus.

  Jeremiah lifted his legs, keeping his hiking shoes out of the mess as the bus made a hard turn. The bus came to a stop with an anguished screeching of brakes and the kids pushed and shoved each other in their hurry to disembark.

  Bobby was the last to exit, still looking green and more than a little embarrassed. He muttered something that Jeremiah guessed was supposed to pass for an apology.

  Dave came back with paper towels and set to work cleaning up. "Worst part of camp. Seems like every year someone has to throw up," he sighed.

  Jeremiah reluctantly exited the bus and found his nine charges clustered together, waiting as the bus driver offloaded luggage. As the bags started coming offJeremiah eyed them dubiously. Most were duffel bags, some seemingly longer and heavier than their owners.

  What on earth did these kids pack for a three-night stay? he wondered. For himself, everything he needed was in the backpack that he had taken on the bus with him. While he waited he pulled out of it a crude camp diagram that Wildman had given him, which showed the location of their cabin. A schedule was also attached and Jeremiah was pleasantly surprised to see that so far they were right on target.