Desperation and Decision (9 page)

"We learned it's happ'nin' with church
officials as well as secular types," Sue continued. "Then come th'
connections wi' th' threadbare business boys Prince Florizel talked
about an' th' soiled doves like th' one what compromised that-there
Collins feller. It's what we call a common denominator. They're
findin' out thangs an' funnelin' their information through th'
gossip columnists, as Miz Campbell discovered. Item appears in the
paper, pickpocket or housebreaker goes after the booty. The ship
Mr. Fun discovered was transportin' enslaved thieves t' other
locales. Connection there's th' name a' th' 'investor,' Dodge,
Ltd., and that's what really hog-ties it all t'gether."

"What was the name of the constable who took
our pickpocket into custody last night, Mac?" Mr. Campbell
asked.

"I – uh – I have to say I didn't notice,"
Doctor Mac admitted, reddening.

"Constable Dodge," Madame Phoebe supplied.
"Archie told me. And the alert that was to be attached to any of
the gossip columns that contained directions for a theft was some
variation of, According to my favorite informant, Dodge."

"And if poor Gertie had spoken a little
clearer when I recorded her," Oliver Twist said grimly, "you would
have heard her say, 'It were a dodge, 'at's wot it were.' Inquiries
have turned up an advocate by the name of Dodge listed as defending
suspects we have studied, who have never been found for further
proceedings, and Mr. Dodge is, it goes without saying, not known by
sight to anyone in chancery. At least, not by anyone who can be
found anymore to ask."

"You will recall my informant mentioned the
name Dodge in connection with someone having been killed," I added,
as if I had known the connection all along. In truth, it had just
clicked in my dull brain. Madame Phoebe positively beamed at
me.

"It is good hunting, Sue," Mowgli said with a
broad smile. "You have followed the sign well."

"Why would the fellow be so foolish as to
give out his name, over and over?" Doctor Mac asked,
astonished.

"It is not his real name," I said quietly,
building on Twist's conversation with Gertie. "A dodge is a
deception, a quick change of direction to escape a threat, so of
course he has chosen that name to laugh at anyone who tries to seek
him out. He will dodge us at every turn unless we somehow corner
him."

"More fool him t' keep usin' th' same
monicker," Sue said. "Showin' off's th' one thing a wicked man
cain't resist nohow. He'll brag on hisself an' make sure we know
it's him. Maybe Dodge ain't his real name, but it's real enough t'
him, an' he's proud to throw it around. And thet's how we'll bring
him down. He'll throw it out once too often and we'll be there t'
catch it."

"And the Alexander Campbell Foundation shall
be pleased to assist the Alexander Legacy in making the catch,”
Rose Campbell said firmly.

Other Books and products
from Findley Family Video Publications

Antidisestablishmentarianism
by Michael and Mary Findley

(Also available in an illustrated version,
with over 200 full-page illustrations throughout the book, and in
four separate sections, both illustrated and unillustrated
versions.)

The Bible is a Book of Science
Secular Humanism is a Religion of Mythology

Secularism in America has occurred in
defiance of the founding writings, which spelled out the dangers of
Government-Church union. But Christianity wasn't a contradiction of
the so-called "separation principle".

All the history of the world echoes the
message that man cloaks secularism, the worship of himself, in
religion. He demands unlimited power for his religion, Secular
Humanism.

Secularists have hijacked words like belief,
faith, and trust,. Secularists demand that Science depend on
presupposition, assumptions, and "deep time. " The Scriptures
themselves prove their scientific nature and worth.

from Chapter 14 What Does the Scientific
Evidence Prove?

Integrity without knowledge is weak and
useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and
dreadful.
Samuel Johnson

Christians, unfortunately, believe that
science is an enemy. There is good reason, since most who use the
word "science" have completely abandoned Johnson's demand that
integrity go hand in hand with knowledge, replacing truth with
selective evidence which supports preconceived conclusions.
Christians should not develop either an antagonism toward true
science or ignore the very real contributions of true science.
Neither should true scientists ignore the very real foundation of
science in Christianity. Dennis Prager, anthropologist and
historian, laments the unthinking reliance on pseudo-science in
today's society.

"In much of the West, the well-educated have
been taught to believe they can know nothing and they can draw no
independent conclusions about truth, unless they cite a study and
'experts' have affirmed it. 'Studies show' is to the modern secular
college graduate what 'Scripture says' is to the religious
fundamentalist."

Empire Saga
by Michael J. Findley (Also available as five separates
short stories and novellas, including the
Space Empire
Trilogy
)

Persecution of believers in Christ like that
in “City On a Hill” is already happening. One day soon the only
refuge for the faithful may be space. Follow the once-godly Space
Empire through its degeneration in "Sojourner," where a desperate
couple fight loneliness and equipment malfunction to pioneer
piloting a gas-collecting balloon ship to the outer planets. In
"Humiliation," the king of the Space Empire takes his son’s toy
away.

Forbidden romance leads to tragedy,
political turmoil, and a meeting with representatives of Earth's
mysterious Fourth Empire. Michael reconciles with his father but
must find a way to save the Palace, Randolph, and the earth woman
Aidan from the attacks of the Church and Earth's hopelessly corrupt
system. Michael’s shattering decisions may save or destroy the
Space Empire's last hope for the future.

from
"City on A Hill"

More than a dozen men worked on the
50,000-kilo shuttle in the lower shuttle bay. The main bay was
almost undamaged, but the batteries had been stripped or jumped,
causing extensive electrical damage. All of the smaller shuttles
were operational, but the largest shuttle, since it had the most
powerful electrical system, had been cannibalized the most.

"If we can get this shuttle up and running,"
said Jon Newton, "we'll be ready to start shipping when the last of
the products are packaged. You sure your ladies' aid society can
get those vegetables packaged in time?"

"I have complete faith in them," said John
Winthrop. "They'll be ready when we are. Just one more -- "

Winthrop collapsed, scattering tools. Several
men ran over to him.

"Get the doctor!" shouted Mike, the first
man to reach him.

Nehemiah, LLC
(This book takes place between
Sojourner
and
Empire One: Humiliation
in the Space Empire
Universe.)

Why doesn't Tony know what a paper cup is?
What is it about a "Glop Drop" that kids can't resist? How can Joan
keep the goats where they belong? And, most important of all, can
Tony and Joan make the launch window to see the Sojourner on its
way to the outer planets?

No light sabres. No warp drive. It's more
like the real thing -- an Apollo mission plus floating farms plus
Martian underground parks. "It won't fail because of me" takes on a
whole new meaning.

from
Chapter Nine: The Task

"So we can move people in three or four
days?" asked Anthony.

"Well, after we finish sandblasting..." said
Joan.

"So this is sandblasting?" asked Anthony.

"Well, he can say something besides 'How long
will this take?'" said Joan. "After the sandblasting is finished,
however long that takes, then the room is sprayed with foam
insulation. The foam stabilizes the temperature and seals the room
from air leaks. It also protects the room from minor vibration. At
that point the people who build the room come in with plumbing,
electrical, temperature control, walls, air quality and pressure.
The next day after they are finished the furniture moves in, and
then the people. So, it's a minimum of a week. It's more if you
leave because there is no one else to operate your sandblaster.
Then we train them how to build more rooms and we go on to
something else."

"Like what?" asked Anthony.

"You spend your entire life dreaming up ways
to give other people work," said Joan. "Stick around and do some of
the work yourself. Let me give you a list. We could do more
sandblasting. There are at least a hundred projects that need
enlargement. If that's not to your taste, we could fill with foam
insulation, finish rooms, weld, install furniture, work on making
the roof of the production area open to the surface, enlarge the
life support systems to cover the new area, synthesize more air and
water, transport materials ... "

"I really like one thing you said,"
interrupted Anthony. "That's the 'we could' part."

The Baron's Ring
by Mary C. Findley

Prince Tristan tumbles a hundred miles
downriver and a world away from his kingdom. How does cloak
bartering get him a place in impoverished Larcondale? Why does his
best student suddenly disappear from the tiny school?

Disaster might blot out his last hope for
love and a future. Will he survive his confrontation with a Witch
Queen in the King’s Hole?

Psalm 33:16

There is no king saved by the multitude of
an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.

"Do not continue to oppose me, prince,"
Shneea warned. "This man you have loved since childhood will die
here, and he will only be the first."

"I have no choice but to oppose you," Tristan
said. "You feed off innocent men's flesh."

"You will submit," Shneea said. "You and I
shall wed, or I will destroy you without touching your body. Prince
Tristan will cease to exist."

"How can you do such a thing?" Tristan was
baffled.

"Do not tempt me to show you," Shneea said.
"Marry me, handsome prince."

"It's impossible," Tristan gritted. "You have
a husband, and I have a wife."

"My husband will be dead almost any moment,"
Shneea laughed. "But you have got yourself a wife, have you? The
marriage will be annulled."

"I have no desire to be rid of my wife, nor
to wed you."

Benny and the Bank Robber
by Mary C. Findley

Benny Richardson and his widowed mother have
to move to his uncle’s Missouri farm. John Clancy saves them from a
sinking barge and when his mother is injured agrees to get Benny to
Missouri. But a bag of disguises, a long, sharp knife, and too many
secrets to make him anything but a safe traveling companion.

A fleeing bank robber, a savage black
stallion, and a "cougar evangelist" all play a part in Benny's
journey to accept of God's will when it isn't at all humanly
sensible or safe. Benny faces an implacable bully and finds a
long-lost treasure from his dead father.

from
Chapter Three – "He'll Go Far!"

"How come you stopped the barge if you
already had a good horse? And why were you hiding that black bag
under your saddle?" Benny kept talking, so fast that Mr. Clancy
couldn't have answered his questions if he had wanted to. And he
certainly didn't seem to want to.

"It looked just like the bag Mr. Carlisle put
on the train -- and the one that man in the black suit was
carrying. What was in all those bags? Or -- was that you pretending
to be somebody else again? Were you the one that killed that man at
the bank and stole the money?"

Mr. Clancy had been staring at him all this
time without moving. Suddenly he jumped forward and grabbed Benny.
He covered Benny's mouth with one hand and with the other pulled
out a big, long knife. Holding Benny so tight it hurt, he laid the
knife up against his throat and whispered in his ear.

"I guess you do get to go along with me,
after all, Benny my boy," he hissed. "But somehow I don't think
we'll make it to Uncle Tom's. The chickens'll be so
disappointed."

Benny and the Bank Robber 2: Doctor Dad

A new marriage for Benny’s mother should be
a time of rejoicing. But why is Uncle Tom so angry? While
substitute teaching for his mother Benny meets twin girls who turn
his world upside down. A terrifying mystery at a private boys'
school in Detroit includes gambling, extortion and attempted
murder. Benny makes the mistake of trying to impress members of a
secret society, discovers he may have a double, and hopes to
survive a meeting with someone who may already have murdered to
enforce his will.