Body Bags & Blarney (13 page)

Pastor
Kilpatrick finished his prayer. “I have felt his healing energy flow through me
and into you, Margie. You are no longer burdened with this crippling pain.” He
looked up at her. “Toss your walker aside and trust that the Lord’s arms will
guide and protect you.”

Margie
released her grip and pushed the walker away and the audience erupted into
sporadic applause. She stepped toward the choir with open arms. “I am healed.”
She cried out joyfully. “The pain is gone, praise God.”

“Praise God.”
Pastor Kilpatrick shouted with all the righteous fury he could muster. Rising
up from the floor, the tech crewman handed the microphone back to him and
disappeared away from the spotlight. “She has been healed. Brothers and
sisters, you are all witness to the power of His glory.” Seamus pointed to
Margie. “You are all witness to the miracle.”

“Amen.” The
crowd shouted back in unison as the choir members clapped their hands together
and burst into an impromptu gospel song. Margie reached upwards, her once bent
and gnarled fingers now blissfully relaxed.

Seamus strutted
up the ramp as one of his tech crew escorted Margie off to the side. The
overhead lights pulsed and flashed again as he took his place at the front of
the stage. “What a glorious way to open the night here. We are a beacon of holy
light shining through the darkness that surrounds this town.”

The sides of
the canvas tent began to flutter as a gust of wind whistled outside. Seamus
paced the stage as he continued his sermon. “When I first came to this town a
few months ago, it was to help my sister recover from a terrible accident. A
God-fearing Christian woman, thoughtlessly run down by a careless driver and
left to die on the side of the road.”

“Eunice wasn’t
that bad off.” Kathy whispered to Vivienne. “He makes it sounds as if he
personally yanked her back from the brink of death.”

“I know.”
Vivienne whispered back. “He’s got a smooth way of rewriting history.”

“As I nursed
her back to health, I realized that He had called me here for another reason.”
He rubbed his hands together. “They say that God works in mysterious ways and I
certainly can attest to this on many occasions.” He pointed out to the crowd
again. “I was told that you sir, the one who used to work on cars before your
back gave out, that you can no longer physically do the work that used to pay
your bills.”

“Me?” A
gruff-looking man dressed in what looked like a mechanics work uniform slowly
pulled himself up, his posture quite stooped.

“Yes.” Seamus
smiled back.
 
“God told me about your
troubles. He said that you were losing your faith and you were starting to
think that God had turned his back on you.”

“I’ve asked
for help to make things right again.” The mechanic shouted. “I prayed and
prayed every night as the bills piled up. I looked for a sign that things were
going to change. I waited but I can only wait so long.”

“God heard
your prayers, my brother.” Seamus nodded. “There is nothing beyond His power
that can’t be fixed.”

“My house is
in foreclosure.” The mechanic added. “I’m going to be homeless in less than a
month and still I’m waiting for God to fix me.”

“God helps
those who help themselves.” Seamus answered.

The mechanic
shook his head and stepped into the center aisle. “I’m not lazy. I want to work
and pay my bills. But I can’t do the big jobs with my back all messed up.”

“My brother,
you must trust that the Lord will provide for you. You must not have any doubts
or lose your faith simply because you don’t have the patience to wait for the
miracle to happen.”

“Patience
isn’t going to stop the foreclosure. Faith isn’t going to heal my back.” The
mechanic turned to leave, his steps awkward as he relied heavily on a cane to
assist his balance.

“God is going
to heal you tonight, right here in front of all these people.” Seamus shouted
back. “That was his plan all along. To restore not only your health, but to
strengthen your faith.” He rushed down the stairs from the stage, the spotlight
following his every move. “Let me be the conduit to deliver his blessing.”

The mechanic
stopped and turned to face Pastor Kilpatrick. “I’m ready.”

Seamus closed
his eyes. “Lord, this member of your flock has been lost. We ask that you
bestow your healing blessings and guide him back to your fold.” He reached out
with his free hand and spun the man around so that he was facing his back. “Let
His holy light shine down and heal the wounds, both physically and spiritually,
that plague you.” He ran his hand up and down the mechanic’s back. “By the
power of God, you are healed.”

The mechanic
stood still for a moment and then straightened his posture to near-perfect. He
released the cane from his grip and it fell to the aisle. “It’s a miracle.”

Seamus opened
his eyes and smiled. “Praise God, he has been healed.”

The audience
erupted into claps again and several people shouted out praise in response.

“I’m healed.” The
mechanic raised his arms in the air. “Thank you, Lord.”

“The rest is
up to you.” Pastor Kilpatrick added. “God helps those who help themselves.”

“I believe
that.” The mechanic shouted back. “I’ll never doubt again.”

The audience
clapped once more as Seamus stood beside the newly-healed man “There is no
limit to the power of His miracles tonight.” He motioned for one of the tech
crew to escort the man back to a seat as he walked back up to the stage. “Now,
as I was saying earlier, Cayuga Cove is a town on the brink. There is a war
going on outside, between those of faith and those who want the darkness to
conquer.”

Vivienne kept
her eye on the healed mechanic. She desperately wanted to talk to him, ask him
what had just happened. She watched as the tech crew member picked up the
discarded cane and walked it over to the backstage area behind the choir. He
handed it to a woman who stepped out of the shadows for a moment before
disappearing again. Vivienne was thankful that she had the good vision gene
passed down to her from Nana Mary. If not, she might have missed noticing the
familiar face of Eunice Kilpatrick.

“I am calling
upon all of you here to join with me in protecting what is good here. We must
not back down or hesitate because it is in those moments that the devil sneaks
in and corrupts all of the good work we are trying to do.” Seamus continued to
preach to the mesmerized crowd inside the tent. “We are going to pass around an
offering plate, and I ask you to open your purses and wallets to spread the
word that tonight we draw the line in the sand against evil here. Tonight, with
your help, we will start the process of making Cayuga Cove the center for a new
spiritual awakening in this great country of ours. We will build a new church
that will draw the faithful to us, like a moth to a flame.”

Vivienne began
to understand what was really happening behind the miracles inside the tent.
With Eunice’s help, her brother was getting an earful of who had what problems
and whatever other gossip she gleaned while working at the bank. She hadn’t
recognized the two people who had been healed as residents of Cayuga Cove,
which further convinced her that there was something fishy about that situation
which she couldn’t prove at the moment. Seamus Kilpatrick was putting on a
show, worthy of Broadway. With each new miracle performed, he was creating an
army of devout followers who were willing to give their time and their money
for whatever plan he had in mind for Cayuga Cove. She needed to discover what
that plan was, but she certainly wasn’t going to accomplish that sitting idly
in the back row. She had to take action. “I need to use the restroom.” She
whispered to Joshua.

“Are you
serious?” Joshua eyed her suspiciously. “We’re in a tent outside. The restroom
is the hedge out in front of the church.”

“Fine.”
Vivienne sighed. “There’s something I want to check out behind the stage area.”
Vivienne confessed.

“Wow.” Joshua
gave her a little smile. “I didn’t think you’d actually tell me the truth so
quickly.”

“Well, time is
of the essence.” Vivienne pressed. “I saw Eunice Kilpatrick behind the stage
just a moment ago. I think she’s working with her brother and I want to find
out why.”

“I’m going
with you.” Joshua insisted.

“Who’s going
where?” Kathy asked.

“No one is
going anywhere.” Vivienne answered. “I just have to check something out,
quietly.”

“I’m coming
with you.” Kathy grabbed her purse. “You’re not leaving me here with all the
grinning idiots.”

“Fine.”
Vivienne gave in. “Let’s slip out the back while we can.”

Joshua stepped
into the aisle and allowed Vivienne and Kathy to exit the row. They had just
turned to leave when Pastor Kilpatrick’s voice boomed from the speakers. “Have
you so little faith left that you cannot stay to hear his message?”

The spotlight
swooped onto them as the assembled crowd turned in their chairs to see who he
was addressing. Vivienne, Joshua, and Kathy slowly turned around as the wind
picked up with another strong gust that rattled the tent supports.

“Oh, crap.”
Kathy mumbled. “Is this the part where the cult kidnaps us?”

Vivienne felt
her face burn with embarrassment. “I’m very sorry, we have a situation we need
to attend to.”

Joshua nodded.
“Don’t let us interrupt.”

Pastor
Kilpatrick walked slowly down the stairs as he addressed them. “But, it is my
sacred duty to interrupt those who are walking out into the darkness.”

“We’re just
fine.” Kathy spoke up. “Honest.”

Seamus stood
at the end of the aisle and reached out to them. “I cannot turn my back on
those who need help the most. What is it that frightens you?” He asked.

“We’re not
frightened.” Joshua spoke up.

Vivienne shook
her head. “Actually, Pastor Kilpatrick, we are frightened.”

Seamus’ face
brightened at her response. “I knew you were because God told me to reach out
to you tonight.”

“What are you
doing?” Kathy whispered urgently at Vivienne.

“Trust me.”
Vivienne winked back at her.

“I hope you
know what you’re doing.” Joshua spoke softly.

Vivienne
started walking slowly up the aisle toward Pastor Kilpatrick. “He spoke to you directly,
did he?”

“Well, it’s
not like placing a long distance phone call.” He gave a little laugh which in
turn caused several of the audience members to join in. “He speaks to me just
like everyone else, through the heart.”

“Oh, I have no
trouble in believing in that.” Vivienne continued to walk up the aisle toward
Seamus. She could feel all the eyes of everyone there riveted to her every
move. “You see, I have faith too.”

“Do you
really?” He asked her. “Because I haven’t seen you in any of the churches here
in town lately and that sort of makes me wonder.”

“My
grandmother, and some of you locals here tonight probably know her well, is a
very wise woman. She has seen and experienced a great deal of history during
her many decades living in Cayuga Cove.”

Pastor
Kilpatrick nodded in agreement. “Our elders are our greatest treasure.”

“Yes they
are.” Vivienne added. “She always told me that you didn’t need four walls and
roof over your head to worship as you please.”

“That’s true.”
Pastor Kilpatrick smiled. “But, there is something to be said for creating a
space where communal worship can be shared and enjoyed by all.”

Vivienne
stopped just a few steps away from him. “I agree with that too.”

“Then what is
troubling you?” He asked. “You said that you were frightened of something.”

“There are a
few things that can keep me awake at night if I think too much about them.”
Vivienne replied. “Politics, is one of those things. You see, I find it scary
that a select few people in the world seem to think that they know what is best
for the planet. They bluster and give impassioned speeches about how patriotic
it is to spend billions on weapons of warfare, yet they don’t even blink when
it comes to signing off on cutting funding to educational programs like art and
music that might actually add beauty and culture to the world.”

“We are the
greatest nation on Earth, blessed by God himself. There is evil out there that
would like nothing better than to see us destroyed.” Seamus countered. “It is
not only our patriotic duty, but our spiritual duty as well, to keep our guard
up and fight back any threats from foreign governments.” His response was
greeted with enthusiastic applause.

“I find it
scary how many American families are living below the poverty line, even while
holding down two jobs.” Vivienne argued back. “As a small business owner, I
know how expensive labor can be. Could I afford to pay my only employee a wage
of fifteen dollars an hour and stay open? Doubtful. But, at the same time, I
pay her a fair wage that is several dollars above the state minimum because I
see it as an investment. Investing in my labor force, just makes sense. I want
to give superior service to my customers, so I pay superior wages to harness
the best in my employee.”