CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“‘But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hurt you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you.’”
Walter surveyed the congregation, his face filled with compassion.
That congregation had grown considerably.
Aside from the original crowd of worshippers, Faith counted over a dozen MPs and Metropolitan PD officers along with the entire Channel Six news crew.
Bridgette was among them, beaming in absolute joy as she reported on the culmination of the case of the Apostate, as she was calling the killer.
She was the only person present who didn’t seem affected by what had happened, maybe because she didn’t arrive until several minutes after or maybe because she was a reporter, and this was the biggest story of her career.
Faith didn’t have the energy to be irritated.
In fact, she was grudgingly impressed that the woman had pieced together the same conclusion she and Jessica had.
Before starting her broadcast, she confided in the agents that after learning about Jimmy’s service in Syria and Walter Brennan’s own service alongside his near-victim daughter, she had immediately decided that Jimmy would come after Walter.
She finished with, “Too bad I wasn’t here to film it. ”
“It’s easy to give into hate,” Walter continued. “Hate is comforting. It’s safe. We convince ourselves that by hating our enemies, we have power over them. We can hurt them, and by hurting them, we alleviate the hurt we feel. That is one of Satan’s most prevalent and most insidious lies.”
He gripped the edges of the lectern and fell silent for a moment, considering his next words.
“The young man earlier who came here to kill me committed terrible acts because of hate. But behind that hate is a simpler and far less volatile emotion. Grief. James Sullivan grieved the loss of his brothers and sisters in arms. For a time, he sought solace in anger. It wasn’t until he released his anger and accepted love that he found peace.
“I could have been angry,” he said. “I could have been angry for the death of my friends, the injury to my daughter. Indeed, I was angry. But I know as well as anyone what the cost of anger is. So, I chose love. I chose to follow God’s commandments.
Instead of losing another life today, God saved two. I thank him for His love.”
He lifted his hands and led the congregation in prayer.
Faith closed her eyes in respect. It would take more than today’s events to change her mind about religion and the afterlife, but she was glad to have witnessed what happened today.
Whether due to God’s grace or human resilience, she was grateful to witness an end to a case that was hopeful rather than tragic.
***
Later, after the crowd departed, Faith approached Walter. The chaplain smiled at Turk, who wagged his tail and allowed himself to be scratched behind his ear. Faith smiled at her dog for a moment, then asked, “So how do you do it?”
Walter grinned at her. “God’s grace.” Seeing Faith’s expression, he said, “I see you don’t believe me. I hope you change your mind one day.”
“Well, whatever the case, sir, it was very impressive. My partner and I would have protected you successfully, but it would never have occurred to us to protect Jimmy Sullivan.”
Walter straightened and nodded. “The Lord works in mysterious ways. Had you not arrived, your dog wouldn’t have been here, and we might not have noticed that Chester was suffering.
Had Jimmy not chosen to kill me, he wouldn’t have been here to save his life.
Had I not been willing to let go of my fear and anger, I could have stood in the way of God’s forgiveness rather than acted as its conduit.
” He chuckled. “You know, from time to time, I have doubts, but each time they arrive, the Lord finds a way to remove them. The Heavens really do declare the Glory of God.”
He looked at Faith. “Faith. That’s a good name. Do you know what it means?”
“Belief in something regardless of evidence to support that belief.”
“That is the dictionary definition, I’m certain,” Walter replied, “but I prefer the Biblical definition.”
Faith smiled slightly. “And what’s that?”
“Faith is the evidence. Of things not seen. The substance of things hoped for. I said that verse backwards, but I felt it would drive the point home a little further considering your own definition of the word.”
Faith nodded. “It’s a good definition, sir. I’m just not entirely sure what it means.”
He smiled. “It means everything’s going to be okay.”
He squeezed her shoulder, then left the auditorium.
Faith stood where she was for a long moment, letting herself process everything that had happened over the past three days.
She looked at Turk, who returned her gaze with a love as pure and compassionate as the chaplains.
Perhaps as pure and compassionate as God’s.
“What do you think, boy? Will everything be okay?”
Turk barked firmly. Faith laughed and reached down to ruffle his fur. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Pattering footsteps pulled Faith’s attention away. She looked up to see Bridgette approaching, a bright smile on her face. Faith tried not to imagine the grin of a crocodile and almost succeeded.
She pointed a finger at Faith. “You owe me an exclusive. Your partner was good, but let’s be honest. No one’s Faith Bold but Faith Bold.”
“I don’t owe you anything. I never agreed to give you an exclusive.”
“Ahem,” Bridgette said, smiling sweetly. “You said, and I quote, ‘Yeah, yeah. We’ll talk about it.’”
Faith opened her mouth to argue, but she was too exhausted. Besides, Bridgette had given them their lead. She sighed and resigned herself to her fate. “Lucky me.”
Bridgette winked. “Some might say blessed.”
“They might,” Faith agreed. “All right. Let’s get this over with.”