The Lord Is My Shepherd (32 page)

Minutes later the phone rang, and it was Geanie. She came over to collect her laptop an hour later and ended up staying all day to watch movies with Cindy.

After she left Cindy went online to their local newspaper. The headline read: “Church Secretary Stops Killer!” She flushed with pleasure but felt bad that the title said nothing about Jeremiah. Included with the article was a picture of her and Jeremiah taken early that morning.

“Not bad,” she said with a smile. For a woman who had been terrified, held at knifepoint, been up all night, and was suffering from a broken foot, she looked pretty good.

She captured the article as a PDF and then emailed it to her parents and her brother with a feeling of satisfaction. “Top that one, Kyle,” she said as she hit send.

Next, she went to Ryan's blog. There, under his last post, she posted a comment letting everyone know that while Ryan had been killed by the same man who took the lives of his family, that killer was now dead. She hoped that it helped the people who visited the site believe that there was hope for closure for themselves. It was sad, but at least she felt like it was a small thing she could do for the man she had tripped over.

She slept better than she could ever remember sleeping in her life. When she woke up in the morning she took her time getting dressed. Then she picked up the phone and called her mother.

“Hello?”

“Mom, did you get the newspaper article I sent?” Cindy asked.

“Yes, dear, it was very nice.”

Nice? That was it?

“I was very sorry, though,” her mom said.

“That so many people died? That I had to go through so much?” Cindy prompted.

“No, that the nice young man is Jewish. It's too bad, really. He's quite handsome.”

Cindy stared in disbelief at the phone. “That's it? That's what you got from the article, that it was too bad Jeremiah's Jewish?”

“Yes, I'm sure he'll make someone a wonderful husband.”

“What about the rest of it, Mom? My life was in danger from a serial killer. And I stopped that serial killer. I saved lots of lives.”

“I'm sure you did your part.”

My part?
There weren't words for what she was feeling.

“Well, dear, I won't keep you from your work. Kyle sends his love.”

She hung up on her mom and pounded the ground with a crutch before she burst out laughing. Some things never changed.

I've changed
, she thought proudly. She grabbed some breakfast and then headed for the church. She had thought about calling in sick, but she had missed most of the previous week. Besides, she would have to deal with the gauntlet sooner or later. She might as well get it over with.

Everything seemed different as she drove to work. Colors seemed brighter, crisper. She finally pulled into the parking lot and realized she was the first one there. For a brief moment she remembered the Monday before. So much had changed since then. Even still she felt a moment's hesitation wondering what waited for her on the church property.

Jeremiah noticed that Cindy's car was already in the parking lot when he drove up. Marie's car was also there. Jeremiah got out of his car, slammed the door, and then noticed Marie standing a few feet away with her arms crossed, glaring at him.

“What is it?” he asked. “Things went really well the other night. The police caught the killer …” His voice drifted off as he realized that wasn't what she was angry about.

“The hospital called a few minutes ago looking for you.”

“Yes?” he asked, still not sure what she was so mad about.

“They wanted to check up and see how Mrs. Silverman was doing.”

“I can explain,” he said.

“I don't want to—”

Suddenly, there was a scream from next door, and Jeremiah recognized Cindy's voice. He turned and vaulted the hedge between the two parking lots and raced toward the church buildings.

Not again!

The sanctuary door stood open, and he flew through the door, skidding to a stop as he took in the scene.

Cindy hands were pressed to her mouth. A few dozen people stood in the sanctuary decorated with balloons and streamers. A huge banner read, “Thank you, Cindy!”

She turned to stare at him with wide eyes.

Jeremiah burst out laughing. “I take it you're not in distress.”

“I am, but not the bad kind!”

“Surprise,” Geanie said with a smile, handing Cindy a deck of cards. “To replace the deck you lost.”

“Thank you,” she said.

“Thank you,” several people chorused.

She turned and looked at him. “Thank you, Jeremiah,” she said softly.

He thought about the wild week that had ensued after he answered her first scream. He thought of everything that had happened and the lecture that he would get from Marie when he returned to the synagogue.

“You're welcome,” he said, giving her a wink.

Discussion Questions

1. At the heart of this book is the question of what is safe. In the first chapter Cindy thinks “no one is ever safe.” Has anything happened to you that robbed you of your ability to feel safe? What did you do about it?
   
2. At their first meeting (chapter 2) and throughout the book, the detective refers to Jeremiah as a Good Samaritan. What was the story of the Good Samaritan and why does Jeremiah object to the title?
   
3. Was there a time when you were a Good Samaritan? Was there a time when someone else was one for you? How did you feel either time?
   
4. There is the reality of being a Christian and there is the perception of the outside world to being a Christian. How do these two differ in your life? Are there things you do like Cindy's card playing (chapter 1) that some people wouldn't expect of a Christian? How do you educate nonbelievers about the reality of being a Christian as opposed to the stereotype?
   
5. In the opening moments of the first chapter, it is revealed that while Cindy is a Christian and works at a church she still struggles with understanding her place in the church and even what is and isn't church-like behavior. Have you ever felt you didn't fit into a church because people worshiped differently or had different expectations of church than you? What did you do?
   
6. Two of Cindy's coworkers, the pastor and the music director, can't get along, and their squabbles hurt the
   rest of the staff (chapter 8). Are you involved in a dispute with a coworker or fellow church member that is hurting other people? If so, what can you do about it?
   
7. What is Passover? How does it relate to Christianity? What part of the Jewish Seders did you find most intriguing or relate to most strongly?
   
8. In chapter 7, Cindy reveals that her sister died when she was younger. It clearly has a great impact on her. Have you experienced the death of a loved one that changed how you interacted with life and other people?
   
9. In chapter 7, Samuel struggles with whether or not to invite his neighbors to a Seder at his house even though they have expressed interest. Do you know someone who has expressed interest in your faith that you have not followed up with?
   
10. If there is someone you haven't followed up with regarding faith, what is standing in your way?
    
11. Like Oliver is there some truth from your past that you've been hiding from and that has been slowly destroying you (chapter 19)? What can you do to let the past go and to move on?
    
12. Cindy feels like she is constantly being overshadowed by her brother, Kyle, and that her mother favors him. Do you also struggle withaz the feeling that a relative, friend, or coworker overshadows you? If so, what can you do to focus more on your own talents than on wishing you had theirs?
    

Bonus chapter from book two in The Psalm 23 Mysteries

I Shall Not Want

1

C
INDY PRESTON LOVED FRIDAYS. ANYTHING-CAN-HAPPEN FRIDAYS WAS how she liked to think of them. As First Shepherd Church neared the holidays, Fridays became even more deserving of their names. Being a secretary at a church was a far more chaotic life than most people imagined.

For Cindy, the job had gotten even more exciting a few months earlier when she had stumbled across a dead body in the church sanctuary. The week that followed had seen several people murdered by a serial killer. Along with Jeremiah, the rabbi at the synagogue next door, Cindy had been an important key in halting the killing spree.

For a couple of months afterward the church had seen a swell in attendance as people came to gawk at the woman who survived an attack by the Passion Week Killer and helped the police turn the tables on him.

Their interest had gradually waned, and aside from three new members who actually joined the church, things had pretty much returned to normal. That was just how Cindy liked it.

The one unfortunate downside was that her friendship with the rabbi—forged in shared danger—had slowly faded as well. They still exchanged pleasantries over the hedge that separated the parking lots of the church and the synagogue, but not much else. It made sense, really. They had nothing in common.

But Cindy had grown increasingly restless. She blamed it on the fact that the spice of her friendship with Jeremiah had deflated like a birthday balloon. She, Cindy, who had always walked on the safe side of life, had actually been considering doing something a little daring for once.

Of course, participating in a speed-dating event would rank low on most people's danger scales. It wasn't exactly bungee jumping. To Cindy, though, it was bold and risky. She was always so selective about the men she dated, thoroughly getting to know a guy before spending time alone with him. People had told her she was paranoid, but it wasn't like she didn't have reason. After all, the last man she had eaten dinner alone with had turned out to be the same one who had killed the man whose body she had tripped over in the sanctuary. A girl didn't get over that quickly.

No, anything-can-happen Fridays were her idea of excitement. Even showing up at work on a Friday was a big risk. It was the week before Thanksgiving, and people were starting to get that crazed look in their eyes that said Christmas was coming.

Poor Thanksgiving. It had been relegated to the lone Thursday holiday that heralded the biggest day of the year—Black Friday—when every mall was packed with Christmas shoppers. It was a shame, really. It was such an American custom, and in a world that seemed like it was on the verge
of constant chaos, people needed that oasis of time to contemplate what had gone before and to be grateful for having survived it one more year.

Geanie, the church's graphic artist, flopped down in the chair at her desk. Her red leather mini-skirt and black silk blouse might have looked odd on someone else, but on Geanie it was almost elegant. By contrast, Cindy's long black skirt, white sweater, and sensible shoes felt boring.

Just then, the front door to the church opened, and Joseph, one of the church's most prominent members and Pine Spring's most eligible bachelor, walked in. One of his dogs, a large white poodle, paced beside him. Joseph walked right up to her desk without hesitation and sank into the chair across from her. The dog lay down next to her master.

“How's it going?” she asked.

He smiled that bone-tired smile people gave when the answer was “crappy” but they were too polite to say so.

“Fine.”

“Are you all set for the big event?” Cindy asked.

He nodded and closed his eyes. “You're still coming tonight, right?”

“Of course, I wouldn't miss it. This is huge, and I want to support it,” Cindy said.

“I knew you wouldn't let me down.”

In addition to all of his church activities and running his own media empire, Joseph was constantly involved with charity work. His latest project, targeted at helping the homeless to improve their lives and find the inspiration and help to get back on their feet, was ambitious. Many critics said he was crazy, but Cindy believed in what he was doing. The church, along with all the others in the area, supported
a local homeless shelter, and Cindy dealt with several of its regulars. After weeks of preparation, a new program would be launched that evening on the lawn outside of Joseph's family mansion.

“How's it going, Clarice?” Cindy asked, addressing the dog. “I haven't seen you since you had your puppies.”