The Divine Appointment (31 page)

Cooper disconnected the call with Les Hughes and banged his hand on the top of his desk. He knew that without Les Hughes providing information, he would never find out who else was investigating Stella Hanover and Joe Moretti. And that meant Senator Proctor would be extremely angry. Cooper could feel the headache he’d had that morning returning. His problems were compounding more quickly than he could resolve them. Stella Hanover was a problem. Holland Fletcher was a problem. And now Leslie Hughes’s resignation was a problem. There was no end in sight.

Disobedient to Senator Proctor’s orders, Cooper dialed the number for Stella Hanover. “Stella, this is Cooper. Are you watching the news?”

“You mean the Hughes resignation?”

“Exactly. You realize that’s a problem, don’t you? It was Hughes who was running interference for you on Moretti.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone, then, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cooper.”

“Don’t give me that, Stella. You know you asked me to speak to Les Hughes for you.”

“I don’t remember anything like that, Cooper. You must’ve dreamed that. I would never have asked you to interfere with an FBI investigation. That’d be obstruction, and I wouldn’t do that.”

Cooper could feel Stella smiling on the other end of the phone. He had violated the cardinal rule of Washington politics. He’d failed to cover his own back. He had no proof—no tape recording, no letter, no nothing—of Stella asking him to talk to Les Hughes.

He sat upright in his chair. “Where’s Joe Moretti?” Cooper growled.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“I’m not going down by myself!” Cooper yelled.

He slammed the phone down—he was getting good at doing it—and yelled and cursed again. He stood and paced around the room, thinking.

Come on, Cooper, you can find a way out of this one. You always do
.

But this time his world was crashing in around him.

The law offices of Elijah J. Faulkner, Jackson, Tennessee

The DNA results from the tissue samples of Jessica Caldwell’s fetus arrived at Eli’s office from River City Laboratory midafternoon on Tuesday by express courier. Upon their arrival, the receptionist immediately delivered the envelope to Eli in his office. He sat behind his desk and ripped open the envelope. He unfolded the single sheet of paper and began to read.

“Wow,” he said out loud.

The results were unexpected and captivating. He stared at the sheet of paper for several minutes and read through it three times to make sure he saw it correctly.

“Wow,” he said again and then called out to his secretary, “Barbara, can you come here, please?”

Barbara appeared in the doorway of his office.

“Can you please get me Tag and Anna Grissom’s telephone number?”

Barbara disappeared and, in less than one minute, reappeared with the number. Eli removed the receiver from the phone on his desk and dialed the Grissom residence.

Anna answered after the third ring.

“This is Eli,” he said. “How was church?”

“It was great,” Anna replied. “But I still don’t understand everything that I hear.”

“Maybe we can talk about it tomorrow. Do you and Tag have time for me to visit? The trial is three weeks away and we need to discuss a few things.”

“Sure. What time tomorrow?”

“Is ten thirty in the morning convenient?”

“That’s fine. We’ll be here.”

“Great. See you then.”

Eli replaced the receiver and locked his hands behind his head. He had two things to talk with Tag and Anna about: the enlarged surveillance photo and the DNA results. He knew that both would startle Tag and Anna.

The Fletcher residence, Washington DC

Jill allowed Holland to sleep for two hours. He snored softly but often.

While Holland slept, Jill repeatedly peeked through the window at the parking lot. Each time, the man in the green Yukon was still there. His presence began to concern her, but she decided she wouldn’t tell Holland when he awoke. Maybe she was worried for nothing.

Finally she shook Holland’s shoulder. “Holland,” she murmured. Then louder, “Holland.” At last she nearly shouted his name: “Holland!”

Holland’s body jumped from the sudden awakening and his eyes flew wide open. “I must’ve dozed off.”

She chuckled at the understatement. “Yeah, for like two hours.”

“I’ve been asleep for two hours?” Holland sat up on the edge of the sofa. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

She crossed her arms defiantly. “Because I knew you needed to sleep. But now it’s almost two thirty. We need to get going.”

Holland shook his head, trying to chase the sleep away. “Going where?”

“Back to my motel. I’ve got things to do, and my flight leaves early in the morning.”

His shoulders drooped. “I thought you were staying a few days longer.”

“I was, but we—you—figured out that it was Cooper Harrington who got in the cab with Jessica Caldwell and then I found that article. I’ve done about all I can do here. I’ve got to get back to the office. The trial is less than three weeks away.”

Holland didn’t want her to leave, she knew. Dejection was written all over his face. But duty called and she had to go.

It was strange. She’d just met the guy, but even she hoped they would stay in touch.

“You’ve got my wireless number if anything comes up,” Jill told him.

“Yeah, but I was hoping you’d stay a couple more days.” His expression was hopeful.

“I wish I could, but I can’t. I really need to go back to Jackson. There’s too much to do before the trial starts.”

Holland went to his bedroom and retrieved his shoes. They were soon out the door and bounding down the flight of stairs from Holland’s second-story apartment. When they emerged into the parking lot where his Camry was, Jill glanced in the direction of the green Yukon. It was gone.

Maybe I was just being paranoid
, she thought.

Holland was quiet for most of the drive to Arlington. He only spoke when Jill prodded. They ate an early supper—they hadn’t eaten since breakfast at the IHOP—at the same Mexican restaurant as the night before. Holland was noticeably quiet during their meal. Jill decided he was pouting and thought it was cute. He really didn’t want her to leave, and she’d begun to appreciate that it wasn’t just because of the investigation.

On the ride from the restaurant to her motel, Jill was trying to press more pieces of the puzzle together.

“The police detectives found an unidentified set of fingerprints in Jessica Caldwell’s apartment,” Jill said. “They ran it through the FBI database. If it belonged to Cooper or Senator Proctor, I wonder why there wasn’t a match?”

Holland shrugged. “Doesn’t the FBI database only contain fingerprints of people arrested?”

“I thought all federal employees were fingerprinted and identified.”

“They are, but I think that’s through the Office of Personnel Management, not the FBI,” he added. “That’s part of a presidential directive from a few years ago.”

“So if we need to compare the prints with ones from Senator Proctor and Cooper Harrington, then we’d have to do that through the Office of Personnel Management?”

The Camry turned onto Jefferson Davis Highway. “That’s my understanding,” Holland replied as the car merged into traffic. “But I’m not positive. I just remember seeing something about it when the president’s directive came out. But that doesn’t cover Mrs. Proctor.”

“I’m not worried about her,” Jill said. “I’m convinced it’s not her. But if we can’t get a match, then I can still subpoena her.”

Jill glanced at her watch. It was 7:45 p.m. eastern time. She knew Eli wasn’t in the office, and it would do no good to call him at home. He’d have to go to the office to look at the file and what she needed could wait until she returned. She’d be back in Jackson after lunch the next day and they could strategize about the fingerprints then. She glanced at Holland’s profile as the Camry entered the Hampton Inn parking lot. He was still frowning. The car came to a stop behind Jill’s rented Ford Taurus, parked in front of the door to her motel room.

“I do hope you’ll call sometime,” Jill said. “And you have my email address.”

Holland faced her and finally smiled. “I will. And I hope you win your case.”

“Do you think you have enough for a story even without any information from me?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ve got to talk to my editor. But above the fold would be a feather in my cap.”

“Well, good-bye, Holland.”

“Good-bye.”

Jill smiled at Holland again and exited the car. She waved as he drove away, then entered her room.

The Grissom residence, Brentwood, Tennessee

Anna Grissom was alone in the den on Tuesday night when she heard her doorbell ring. It was almost 7:00 p.m. central time. She and Tag had finished a light supper thirty minutes earlier. He was in his study reading or on the computer or something. Anna didn’t know what. She had been watching television alone—as always.

Anna opened the front door to the house and was surprised to find Dr. Graham Frazier standing on the porch. He was taller than she expected but otherwise looked the same as he did on Sunday mornings. He even had on a suit.

“Mrs. Grissom,” Dr. Frazier said kindly. “I’m Graham Frazier from New Hope Baptist Church. I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time. May I come in?”

Anna smiled. She was glad to see Dr. Frazier and opened the door wider. “Certainly. Please come in. I’ll see if I can find my husband.”

Anna and Dr. Frazier walked into the den just as Tag emerged from his study.

“Tag, this is Dr. Frazier from New Hope. You remember him from Sunday, don’t you?”

Anna saw the startled look on Tag’s face. Dr. Frazier extended his hand, and Tag took it reluctantly.

“Nice to meet you,” Dr. Frazier said and glanced back and forth between Tag and Anna. “Did you say your first name is Tag?”

“Todd Allen Grissom, but most people call me Tag. It’s nice to meet you as well,” he said stiffly.

“Why don’t we sit down?” Anna waved at a leather chair for Dr. Frazier to sit in. Anna and Tag sat beside each other on the sofa.

“I saw you visited our church this past Sunday.”

Tag flung his “I told you that you shouldn’t have put that card in the offering plate” look at Anna. She grinned meekly.

“Was that your first time to visit?” Dr. Frazier asked.

“I’ve been there several times,” Anna replied. “But it was Tag’s first.”

“We’re glad to have you. Is there anything I can tell you about our church?”

Tag and Anna both shook their heads.

“I think we know enough,” Tag responded.

“Good. We hope you’ll come back again.”

“We will,” Anna said before Tag could say anything else. “I enjoy your service very much.”

“I’m glad you do and glad you plan on attending again. Well, I’ve taken up too much of your time. I just wanted to visit with you for a minute since you’ve visited with us.”

“We appreciate your coming by,” Tag said.

Anna could tell from his tone that he was trying to hurry Dr. Frazier to the front door.

“But before I go, may I ask each of you a question?” Dr. Frazier gestured with his hands. His face seemed inquisitive, as if he wanted a response from Anna and Tag before saying anything further.

“Sure,” both Anna and Tag replied almost simultaneously.

“Are you both Christians?”

Anna saw Tag recoil. She could feel him putting up the same defenses—the same walls—as he had when Eli had asked a similar question.

Anna’s heart began to race. Her hands turned clammy. It was the same feeling she’d had when Eli had talked to Tag and her. It was the same feeling she’d had on each of the past four Sundays. She took a deep breath and exhaled quietly. She could tell that Tag was about to give the same speech that he gave Eli.

But before he could start, Anna looked directly into the eyes of Dr. Frazier. “I’m not sure,” she said.

“Anna!” Astonishment rode on Tag’s words. “We can talk about this later.”

“Would you like to be certain?” Dr. Frazier asked. He gazed right back at her.

“More than anything.” Anna’s voice was hopeful.

“I don’t believe this.” Tag glared at Anna and stood abruptly. “And I’m not listening to any more of this.”

Dr. Frazier tried to get Tag to stay in the room and listen. He apologized several times for upsetting him. But Tag simply said he wasn’t upset, though Anna knew he was. Tag claimed that he just didn’t want to listen to what Dr. Frazier had to say. But if Anna wanted to listen, then that was fine with him.

Tag went to his study, leaving Dr. Frazier and Anna alone in the den.

Dr. Frazier moved from the leather chair and sat beside Anna on the sofa. “I’m sorry I upset your husband.”

“He’ll be fine.”

Anna saw compassion in Dr. Frazier’s eyes. Despite Tag’s rude departure, she still felt a yearning inside. The fluttering heart and clammy hands had not gone away. The disruption had not distracted from her thirst—her desire—to hear more from Dr. Frazier.

“Tell me how to become a Christian,” Anna whispered.

So Dr. Frazier began to explain gently to her what it meant to be a Christian. He explained that she had to recognize that she was a sinner, because no one was pure in the eyes of a righteous God, and that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, had died on the cross for
her
. That without accepting the sacrifice of Jesus’s life for her, personally, she would be forever separated from God when she died. If she accepted his sacrifice, she would live with him in heaven. If not, she would go to hell, the place of torment and separation.

“Jesus is waiting for you to accept him,” Dr. Frazier said. “He loves you. He longs for you to walk into his arms. All you have to do to become a Christian is to ask him to come and live in your heart.”

Anna was drawn by the love in Dr. Frazier’s eyes. “It’s that simple?” she asked.

“It’s that simple. Would you like to do that?”

Without hesitation Anna nodded and softly said, “Yes.”

Dr. Frazier’s smile grew wider. “I’m glad, and so is Jesus Christ. He sees you right now and is smiling down from heaven. Will you pray this prayer with me?”

Anna and Dr. Frazier bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Dr. Frazier said the words and Anna repeated them. She acknowledged that she was a sinner and that Jesus Christ had died on the cross to save her. She thanked him for his sacrifice. Tears streamed down her face as she comprehended the magnitude of what Jesus Christ had done for her. A chill ran over her body, but at the same time warmth stirred inside. And she felt as if she were talking directly to God because she
was
talking directly to God! For a moment it was as if Dr. Frazier wasn’t even there. Anna relaxed, and her arms fell limply in her lap. She released the tension in her neck and turned her face toward heaven.

“And, Jesus,” Anna said without any prompting from Dr. Frazier, “please come into my heart and be Lord of my life.”

“Amen,” Dr. Frazier said.

“Amen,” Anna repeated.

Anna and Dr. Frazier smiled at each other, and Anna wiped tears from her cheeks. The fluttering heart and clammy hands were gone. She felt full inside. She could tell that something was different. She’d never felt like this in her entire life!

“You’re glowing,” Dr. Frazier said.

“I can’t stop smiling.”

“You’ve been redeemed, Anna. Jesus Christ now lives inside you. He wants to build a strong personal relationship with you.”

“That’s what I want, too.”

Dr. Frazier and Anna visited for several more minutes. Dr. Frazier explained that Anna needed to grow in her faith in Jesus Christ. Two things she could do were to attend church consistently and study her Bible regularly. They discussed the need for Anna to publicly declare her faith in Jesus Christ and what it meant to be baptized. They became so engrossed in their conversation that before they were aware of it, the clock read 8:00 p.m.