"Yes, Detective Ryan. You can't sit on the fence. We have to choose what side we want to be on. There is so much more to this and if you want to know more, I can meet with you and explain it," Dan assured.
Just then a knock came at the door and the door burst open. "Sorry to break up your little tea party," Jim’s face was aglow with a smile that nearly split him down the middle. "They’ve found Tina and she is alive."
"What?! When?!" Ryan jumped up, nearly knocking over Dan and his chair.
"She was found wandering, dazed, in bushland, but she is okay, just a little beat up. She's on her way to hospital," Jim replied excitedly.
Ryan’s face was a mass of relief and in a moment of euphoria, he strode for the door. Nearing the exit, he suddenly turned back to face a stunned chaplain.
"You coming, Dan?!"
*~*~*~*
Chapter 44
Megan woke early, excited as a child on Christmas morning. The week had dragged, but now the long awaited moment had finally arrived. She danced through her morning routine, while a sense of anticipation and happiness engulfed her. But when her exuberant actions boiled over into excitement, she had to chide herself.
"Steady on, girl, you are going to church with Gavin and the girls, not applying for a job."
Impatiently, she inspected the clock on the wall. It was 8.30 am and they would be here in an hour. Checking herself again in the mirror, she gave a herself an approving smile. All was neat and tidy.
Lost in a barrage of thoughts, she lowered herself to the edge of her bed and felt a sudden bout of nerves while the butterflies came again, remembering the comfortable warmth of her last conversation with Gavin. Something had happened in her heart over the past week, and she felt afraid of the intensity of her emotions, something she hadn’t experienced before. Gavin was the first man she had met who was a real gentleman. He had honour and integrity and he treated her like a lady, something she found so attractive in a man and so unusual in the men she had known in the past. Her thoughts tormented her while she replayed Gavin’s conversations and tried to ascertain from the things he said, whether he was feeling anything towards her. Maybe he was just being nice and didn't want anything more than friendship. Her thoughts collided, sending her emotions in a metronome of wild swings, until she finally called a stop to the rollercoaster and decided to just let things play out.
She sighed and stood to examine her face again in the mirror. Her cheeks had a deep, rosy glow, a direct result of her tormented musings. The voices of her past tried to push their way into her head but today, she wasn’t going to give them air space and let them ruin her happiness. After all, his family had accepted her without reserve and she felt clean, warm and valuable in their company. When she was with Gavin and the girls, she felt normal, complete and she ached to belong.
Her nervousness erupted off the scale as Megan heard a vehicle pull up outside and then the sound of running feet, closely followed by a multitude of knocks echoing into her flat from her front door. Her heart was pounding like a drum as she swung the door open, and was immediately engulfed in hugs from Lisa and Natasha.
"Megan!" the little twins squealed.
"Hello, my little beautiful ones!" Megan’s arms engulfed the two little girls and they revelled in her embrace.
Sedately bringing up the rear guard, Gavin was dressed in a grey suit, evoking an appreciative response from Megan, while her heart did a little skip. He smiled admiringly at her. "Wow! I'd forgotten how beautiful you are."
She blushed. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."
"I usually get that comment from the old ladies," he laughed. "Well, shall we go?"
Megan pulled the door closed behind her, while Natasha took her hand. Gavin offered Megan his arm and with an appreciative nod, she folded her arm over his. At the same time, Lisa took Gavin's free hand, and they all walked toward the car together. The chatter in the car came easily, laced with bursts of laughter. The girls, anxious to captivate Megan's attention, kept her busy with their detailed accounts of the happenings of their week.
Gavin's car pulled up at the front of an inoffensive building, which looked more like a garage than a church. Megan gazed around for a long moment. The memory of the woman's torment at the church she had met Gavin, came back to her.
'A woman like you, needs to be in a place like this.'
Gavin saw the trepidation on her face and read her thoughts. "I promise they won't bite."
She turned to him and smiled. "I trust you."
The comment was a great compliment to Gavin. He knew her trust was precious and worth working hard for.
The girls were competing for Megan's attention and by the time she managed to get out of the car, Gavin had to reprimand them gently. As they walked up to the church, Natasha had Megan's right hand and Lisa had her left. Gavin held Natasha's free hand.
Tonya Philips was on the door, welcoming people to the service. When she saw the four people walking up to the church, her face lit up in a huge smile. She knelt down and took the two little girls in a huge hug.
"Hello, Aunty Tonya," they cried.
"And this must be Megan," Tonya said, engulfing her in a hug. "Welcome to our family."
Megan was speechless that she knew her name.
"Thank you," she managed to squeak out.
"I may have mentioned to the family that you were coming," Gavin said sheepishly to Megan and hugging Tonya.
Megan was already starting to feel comfortable and when she walked inside, she was mobbed by people hugging and welcoming her as if she was a movie star. Jean and Graham came from somewhere in the crowd and engulfed her again in a warm hug.
"Hello, honey," Jean greeted. "Welcome to our extended family."
Dan called the assembly to order, while people found their seats and began to settle into quiet. Jean and Graham sat next to Natasha, who firmly had Megan's hand. Lisa had her other hand, while Gavin was on the other side of Lisa. Megan was sandwiched in by people, but she didn't look once to the door.
A tear ran down her face and she turned to Gavin and whispered a heartfelt, "Thank you."
Dan began. "Firstly, let me welcome Megan into our family gathering."
People began to clap and cheer, while Dan held up his hand for order. "We also have some good news from Juliana."
Dan motioned for Juliana to stand and take them through the happenings.
Juliana stood, her face glowing. "Father has heard your prayers. Des opened his eyes yesterday, for a few seconds."
A loud chorus of clapping and cheering went up.
"The doctors are saying what we knew all along. Father will restore him."
Another cheer.
Juliana continued, "I could not have walked the last three awful months without your love. You have been Jesus' hands and feet and I stand before you today, as a testimony to what Father can do with a sinful, bitter and twisted woman. There is still no word about Gracie, but we leave her in Father's hands, too."
Juliana's voice quavered and broke, as she fought to gain control. As she sat down, she was engulfed on all sides by hugs.
Dan asked the members to remember a man called Detective Ryan in their prayers. He prayed for him then and there, before leading the family through Jesus' teaching on extreme forgiveness. Megan's eyes were huge, as she tussled with the ramifications of his words.
"If Jesus can forgive my sins, future, present and past, then we who have been forgiven, have no right to hold judgement against a brother or sister."
After the service, the family gathered out the back in a separate room for a meal. Megan had a head full of questions and couldn't wait to start asking them.
Dan and Linda wandered up to her and engulfed her in a hug. "Welcome, Megan."
While she had Dan’s full attention, Megan was hungry for more of Dan’s wisdom. "How do you know that forgiveness is as easily attainable as you said?"
Dan laughed. "I am not trying to avoid your q
uestion, Megan. But all you need to do is ask the people around you. Each one of us has been forgiven much and each one has a testimony to Father's forgiveness."
Dan was interrupted and he excused himself and disappeared into the crowd. Megan's face had a questioning look written across it, when Gavin arrived with a plate of food for her.
"My goodness, did Pastor Dan say something to make you uncomfortable?"
She told him what Dan had said, before disappearing into the crowd.
"People wait to see Dan after the service. He is really busy and is pulled in all directions. But he always says that he is only one of the total amount of ministers in this church."
"Huh?!" Megan was really confused now.
Gavin laughed. "I didn't explain that very well, did I? He means that we are all pastors. That's his words."
Gavin's face took on a deep, faraway look and Megan asked what was wrong.
"Megan, I think Father is asking me to share my story with you. And I think that's what Dan was alluding to."
*~*~*~*
Megan sat on the comfortable lounge at Jean and Graham's place. Jean, Graham and Gavin sat in chairs surrounding Megan. The girls had been sent off to play.
"Can't we stay?" they moaned.
"No, darlings," Jean gently replied. "We adults need some adult time."
Megan took both girls up on the lounge and hugged them. "I will spend some special time with you when we have finished, okay."
Their little faces beamed after Megan's speech and they happily ran off to play.
All eyes turned to Gavin and he cleared his throat, looking for a place to begin.
"First of all, the person I am about to describe is not who I am now. You have to know, that when Jesus entered my life, He gave me a new mind and heart. I was abused as a baby, having been taken from my fifteen year old mother and placed in care. By the time I was a teenager, I had been in countless foster homes, abused by men and women alike and I was living on the streets. I was addicted to cocaine and had become a petty criminal, to support my habit. One day, I broke into an old man's home to get more money for drugs. I hadn't had a hit for a day and I was a mess. The old man approached me and tried to stop me from stealing his belongings and somehow, he had a heart attack and died. I was caught and spent five years in jail for manslaughter."
Megan's eyes were wide, staring at the man sitting across from her, not being able to connect him with his story.
"I found Jesus in that nightmare prison. Susan, being Susan, wanted to write to an inmate. We conversed for a few years and then, unannounced, she visited me. I fell in love with her and she took the biggest chance of her life. Jesus turned my life around, gave me a family and a loving wife."
Gavin choked back the tears.
As he looked around the room, tears were flowing freely.
"So you see, Dan was trying to explain how Father's extreme forgiveness works. Each person in the church has their own story to tell. He was exhorting us not to condemn another brother or sister because of how much we have been forgiven."
*~*~*~*
Chapter 45
Ryan perched his big frame on the end of Tina's hospital bed. The small framed policewoman was an inspiration to her colleagues. She had fearlessly put her own safety behind her and deliberately set about to lure this psycho into a situation where he would be drawn into a trap and no longer prey on her gender.
Tina seemed unable, or at least unwilling, to speak about her experiences with Dan present. After all, he wasn't one of them and worse, he was a minister. Dan read her intentions and had left Ryan to his own. It was nearly time to finish for the day, anyway.
Ryan walked Dan to the door. "Don't take her snub personally, Dan. We coppers have to look after each other, and thanks for your words of wisdom before. It really helped."
Dan placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "I don't take her snub personally. It's good to be able to debrief with someone who understands the game. It is also good to have the other side's help, though, when the game becomes too much of a burden. Sometimes a fresh eye helps you see the trees in the forest, not just the forest."
Ryan shook Dan's hand. "See you on the next round."
As Ryan wandered back into Tina, she made a snide remark. "Hanging out with the Holy Joes now, Ryan?"
"It was management's idea and give him a break. He understands a lot more about what we do than you give him credit for. You seem awfully talkative, for someone who spends her time hanging with the likes of the Magician, anyway."
Ryan's face took on a teasing smile. "The bob hairdo suits you, too."
"You wait, Ryan, till I can get out of this bed! Anyway, it will grow out. What's your excuse?"
Ryan ran his eye over her face. She was bruised and beaten, but in remarkable condition, considering her ordeal. He had to admit, he had a soft spot for Tina and she knew it.
"Okay, back to police work. Shoot. Tell me all about it," Ryan commanded.
*~*~*~*
Dulcet picked up the newspaper and read the headlines.
Miraculous escape for Magician's victim.
He had read enough and strode for the phone. The phone rang twice and clicked.
"Senior Detective Ryan."
"Ryan, it's Dulcet. Is Sam alright and what are these headlines about: a miraculous escape from the Magician? Did you use her as bait? I want answers! No more fobbing me off and I intend to contact Sam. I have let you play cat and mouse with her long enough. I trusted you. Now this!"
"Steady on, Dulcet. You sound like a jealous boyfriend," Ryan teased. "Go for your life. Ring her. She is staying with Leanne Bates, safe and sound, and has been for the past few days. We just used her apartment and her identity, that's all. A specially trained police woman took her place and she was used as the bait. Yes, she is alright and thanks for asking."
Dulcet regained his composure and sighed in relief, knowing Sam was safe. "Sorry, Ryan. I can see what you have done, but couldn't you have trusted me with your plan?"
"When you guys plan an operation, do you blab it all around the world?" Ryan retorted.
The penny dropped and Dulcet regained his professional outlook. "Okay, point taken."
"Well, what happened?" Dulcet asked.
"Meet you at Sygh's in an hour. Got some work to tidy up first," Ryan suggested.
"Okay. I am ringing Sam, anyway," Dulcet commanded.
"Give her my regards," Ryan teased.
*~*~*~*
As Ryan sat across the table from Dulcet, he began to appreciate the growing friendship he had forged with the skinny special operations soldier. If it weren't for Dulcet, he would still be chasing his tail, instead of showing the Magician he was up for the game.
"Sam okay?" Ryan teased.
"Yes, she is safe and getting on famously with Leanne. She sends her regards. Apparently, old Tom has been fussing over the two ladies like they were royalty," Dulcet smiled.
Ryan gave him a look that said, what did you expect?
"Okay, everything," Dulcet pleaded, "and don't leave anything out!"
Ryan drew in a large pull of air into his lungs and blew it out noisily. The operation had been an emotional merry-go-round and the sigh was more of an exhausted reprieve to his jangling nerves.
"When you rang me with your thoughts on the Magician...” Ryan tapered off suddenly. “…well done, by the way, for nailing him. Are you sure you're not telling me something?" Ryan eyed him suspiciously.
"Like what?!" Dulcet pondered.
"You seem to know how this guy thinks," Ryan mused.
"Yeah, right. I'm Blair's puppet by day and a slime ball at night," Dulcet responded. "They call me Edwin Ripper Dulcet," Dulcet teased sarcastically.
"Just checking," Ryan smiled.
"You would suspect your own grandmother, Ryan!"
"Sign of a good cop," Ryan boasted.
"Can we get on with it?" Dulcet’s impatience was growing.
"When you rang and pointed out the g
ame plan, I got the idea to substitute Sam for one of our policewomen, specially trained in this sort of thing. She had a tracking device fitted to her and we had police tactical tracking her. The Magician broke into Sam's apartment about 2 am and drugged the sleeping woman. In the dark, he didn't know it was a policewoman, instead of Samantha Young and after he drugged her, he wrapped her in a blanket and carried her out.
“After a while, he must have twigged and figured there was some sort of tracking device when he saw one of our cars following him. He found the tracking device; pulled it from the policewoman; smashed it and threw it out the window. We lost him for a while, but it would have been about then that he realised it wasn't Sam and he literally shoved the policewoman out of the car as he was racing along. We found the car a few hours later, abandoned and it was stolen. Fortunately, the policewoman wandered out of the bush a couple of hours later and is now in hospital, recovering."
"What about the mark on her neck?" Dulcet asked.
"Nope. Not a scratch on her neck."
Dulcet took a mental note.
"What are you thinking, Dulcet?" Ryan prodded.
"I think he will try again, for Sam. I don't think someone like this can give up until he has finished his job, especially since he made such a public statement and it looks like he is getting a bit sloppy," Dulcet declared.
"Yeah, I think I agree."
"Did he leave any clues?" Dulcet asked.
"Nope, clean as a whistle. He must be wearing some kind of black rubberised stretch clothing, covered from head to toe," Ryan assumed.
"And the policewoman didn't see him?" Dulcet wondered.
"Nope, she only remembers waking up in some thick scrub, close to a bush track and feeling battered from being thrown out of the car. The lab has taken a swab of her mouth to see what kind of drug he used to knock her out."
"Hmm," Dulcet murmured. "I guess the ball is back in the Magician's court, until he makes contact again. I don't think you will have to wait long, though."
"In the meantime, Sam needs to keep away from her apartment," Ryan suggested. "She may be best protected staying with Leanne for a while longer."