Chapter Forty-Three
“Jules!” Carrie says in her high-pitched voice.
Jules walks over and they exchange a hug.
If it wasn’t for the giant neon cross at the top of the structure, one would think Church of the Heartland’s campus was a concert hall, not a place of worship.
The main area is a glass and steel atrium.
It’s the midweek service and a crowd of well-dressed parishioners makes its way into the auditorium.
“I’m so glad you came,” Carrie continues.
Jules’s family attended church only on Easter and Christmas, if at all, so she’s curious about the large crowd and what all the fuss is about.
“It’s great to see you,” Jules replies.
Carrie leads Jules through the crowd to a door manned by two muscular men wearing polos with walkie-talkies clipped at their waists.
She and Carrie are soon in box seats, like celebrities at a sporting event.
They engage in pleasantries, Jules mentions visiting Lucy at the jail, and Carrie seems uncomfortable at the topic.
“I’m praying for her,” is all Carrie says.
The auditorium soon goes dark and a man appears on stage in the center of a spotlight.
“Is that your father?” Jules asks. He’s less buttoned up than Jules anticipated. She expected a cheesy evangelist like from TV, but the pastor is handsome, dressed casually, looks like those older male models in outdoorsman catalogues.
Carrie smiles. Jules wonders if she’s ever told her father what happened to her.
Pastor Jim, as it says on the video monitors behind him, begins his sermon.
“Thanks for worshipping with Jesus and with us. For those who are new, I’m Pastor Jim. Today I want to talk about the warm glow of giving.”
That makes sense, Jules thinks. Somebody’s got to pay for this expensive megachurch facility. For their mansion. She glances at Carrie, whose eyes are glued on her father.
“Jesus said it’s better to give than to receive.
But what you may not know is that this is backed up by science.
” He pauses, scans the crowd. “Evidence from brain imaging shows that giving gifts activates areas of our brain associated with reward and pleasure, and even gives us a dopamine boost.” He goes on like this for a while, about the virtues of giving, until he offers the question: “So why wouldn’t you want that warm glow of giving? ”
Jules watches as everyone is eating it up, not realizing that the giving Pastor Jim is interested in is to the church.
She’s regretting coming. Regretting how she’s feeling about Carrie, who is either brainwashed or gullible or just looking for anything to stop the pain and fear they both feel every day.
After more giving talk, a band takes the stage. A Christian rock group complete with an elaborate light show. She looks over and Carrie has a tear rolling down her cheek.
Maybe this is okay, this is how she deals. Is it any worse than the alcohol and pills Jules needs?
At last, the sermon is over and Carrie asks if Jules wants to meet her dad.
“Sure.”
Backstage is like a meet-and-greet at a concert, VIPs surrounding Pastor Jim. Carrie grabs Jules’s hand and pushes to the front where her father is holding court.
“Daddy,” Carrie says, as a security guard lets her get close.
“Sweetheart,” Pastor Jim says, his arms open for a hug.
“This is my friend Jules,” she says.
The pastor gives Jules a once-over, his eyes reminding her of the wolfish stares of the older men at the Nepentha Club in Milan.
Jules sticks out her hand for a shake to avoid any attempt at a hug. She’s feeling the roiling in her gut she gets sometimes when surrounded by men.
Pastor Jim holds her gaze for too long, but then is distracted when a well-dressed man, presumably a church official, whispers something to him. The pastor turns, gives the VIP who’s been brought to the front a big smile and his full attention.
Jules does a double take when she sees who’s surrounded by church security. It’s Mr. Vanderman. Her former guidance counselor. She watches as everyone coddles him. Why are they treating him like royalty?
Then she remembers. Mr. Vanderman is from a wealthy family. Perhaps one that contributes to Church of the Heartland.
Mr. Vanderman locks eyes with Jules, and she loses her breath for a moment. He steps closer to her.
“Jules Delaney?”
She nods.
“Oh my goodness. It’s been—what?—four years?”
She nods again, not sure why the words are stuck in her throat.
Other than the fact that Jack and the FBI have been searching for any connections between the victims for years. And Jules just found one.