The Policeman and the Prophet - Day 59

 “Oh crap,” said Frank, “you got any idea where she might have gone?”

“Not a clue.”

“Come on Bill, you knew here better than anyone else, at least on the outside. She trusted you.”

“All that is true, but I still don’t have the foggiest idea where the woman could have gone.”

Frank began pacing the room. He still had the phone in his hand but said nothing. Then, he put the phone to his ear. “You think the woman would have gone back to Taylor?”

“God, what a thought, Frank.”

“I know, but is it possible?”

“I guess it is possible, but my guess would be no.”

“Why do you say that?” asked Frank.

“Because she’s left him once. He would have looked at that as betrayal, and I don’t think a man like Taylor would take kindly to betrayal. She knows that.”

“She also knows, a whole lot better than we do, what he’s capable of. Let’s not forget, the man has done time in stir. A prison is a training ground for how to take things to the limit, including people, including Lynn Powell.”

“Good lord, Frank, he is the father of her child.”

“I can’t say how every man thinks, but I doubt fathering that child meant any more than a good screw in the hay. Don’t forget, Lynn is a good looking woman. I doubt seriously if the kid means a thing to Taylor.”

“Okay then, where does that leave us?” questioned Father Bill.

“Truthfully, no where.”

The Policeman and the Prophet - Day 58

 “Neither did I, but I’m like you, I didn’t read every page.”

“There’s more. That’s why I asked you what they had asked Father Bill that night. The four people they called who had their accounts drafted by Jesus were all uneducated.”

“You mean high school drop outs?”

“No, I mean uneducated, second, third grade and like most of those people, they were devoutly religious.”

“So Taylor’s crowd knew exactly who they were targeting.”

“They knew exactly who they were targeting.”

“The DA has the file. If it’s in there, he can find it.”

“That’s the problem, it’s not in there. We need to talk to the Powell woman, but you never told me where she was.”

“Okay, no problem, Father Bill has her hidden away. I’ll call him and arrange for us to meet with her. Tomorrow at Birdie’s be okay? About ten o’clock?”

“That’ll be fine. I don’t want to mention Powell, because there is no such thing as a secret in Washington and if it gets out she has the file and where she is, she and the kid are dead.”

“I’ll agree. I’ll call Bill right now.”

Frank hung up the phone and immediately called Bill. He told Bill to arrange to pick up Lynn in the morning and bring her to Bertie’s. Bill said he would call the convent right away and arrange everything.”

In a matter of seconds, Franks’ phone rang.

“We got a problem.”

“Bill?”

“Yes. One of the nuns just told me that Lynn was in the common room watching television and when the news came on about the Billy Taylor investigation, she got up and left.”

“Left the room you mean?”

“No, left the convent, she and the boy. She left most of her stuff.”

The Policeman and the Prophet - Day 57

“Did he say anything about them asking about his education?”

“I believe he did, I think they asked him if he had gone to college, Bill didn’t understand it, but he told them a couple of years.”

“Then nothing more about education?” asked Gibbs.

“I don’t think so. If they did, I don’t remember him saying anything about it. I can call—“

“No, don’t worry about it.”

“What about the guy from Phoenix?”

“Actually, there was several. The guy from Phoenix was the first. He claimed he had made a contribution to the Taylor crusade, and a month or so later, another contribution was drafted out of his checking account, but it was alright, because Jesus had needed it. Jesus had drafted his account. It was on the news, didn’t you see it?”

“Ain’t nobody that stupid,” yelled Frank into the phone.

“Yea, this guy was. I don’t know how they found him, I don’t know where they dug him up, but they found four more just like him, accounts drafted by Jesus. One of the accounts was for a thousand dollars a whack.”

“Unbelievable!” shouted Frank. “But what does that have to do with the file?”

“The attorney asked to see the records on these people and their contributions.”

“Okay,” said Frank matter-of-factly.  

“Parker said they could not locate the records, they were in the missing file.”

“The file Lynn Powell showed us, but I didn’t see anything in it anything like what you’re talking about.”

The Policeman and the Prophet - Day 56

The hearings continued for the next few weeks. Witnesses from the ministries of the six preachers were brought to Washington and gave their testimony, but for the most part, except for the Christian community, few people even found the hearings newsworthy.

Then, on a Thursday afternoon, Frank’s phone rang. It was Carby Gibbs.

“You remember that file the Powell woman gave us?”

“Sure I do. What about it?”

“Didn’t I give it to the DA?”

“That’s what you said you were going to do.”

“Good.”

“Why?” asked Frank confused.

“Evidently, all hell just broke loose in Washington. You remember Taylor’s buddy, the other ex-con?”

“Yea, Parker, Clark Parker. He did time with Taylor in—“

“Yea, that’s him. Well, this afternoon, some attorney on that committee questioned Parker and must have made him crack. He got him to spill that they use those letters Lynn Powell showed us to try to get donations. The attorney went ballistic and demanded to see the file. Parker said the file was missing. He said they had searched all over for the file and had no idea where it could be. Did you read the file?”

“I did like you did, I glanced through the file. Everything in it looked fairly generic to me.”

“Did you read every page?”

“What? No. It was just form letters. I figured if you read one, you read them all.”

“Obviously, there was more in the file.”

“More?” questioned Frank surprised.

“Yes, a lot more. They also brought in some guy from Phoenix… Wait a minute, before I tell you about the guy from Phoenix, did Bill say anything about  what they asked him the night he went onto the stage?”

“Yea, they asked him what he did for a living. I think he told them he was a carpenter or something.”

The Policeman and the Prophet - Day 55

For two weeks Father Bill heard nothing. He was wondering what was going on but decided to leave the matter alone. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him and he called Frank and arranged lunch.

“I hope no news is good news. Is it?” asked Bill.

“Actually, probably, yes.”

“Actually, probably, what do you mean.”

“Taylor and the others were served a week ago.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” asked Bill.

“What good would it have done? Why should I tell you? If you knew, what would you have done?”

I guess you make a good point, but I would have wanted to warn the Powell girl.”

“I know you would have, and what good would that have done? You would have just alarmed her for nothing.”

“You’re probably right,” said Bill, “but what’s going on?”

“The same thing that goes on whenever you have lawyers involved. One side makes a claim, the other side denies it. One side asks for something, the other side refuses it. From what I gather, the subcommittee has asked for six of the preachers records. All of their records.”

“Including Taylor?” asked Bill.

“Including Taylor,” answered Frank. “For right now, the best thing you can do is just forget about it. Every day that goes by is better for Lynn. Like I say, just leave it alone.”

The two sat at Birdies for another hour eating their lunch. During that time, neither Lynn Powell nor Reverend Billy Taylor was mentioned.

The Policeman and the Prophet - Day 54

“So, you’re not saying all preachers are crooks?” asked Bill with his eyebrows raised and a slight smile.

“No, Holy Man, I’m not saying all you preachers are crooks. It would be a sad world if they were. I’m just saying—Okay, I’m a cop and money wise, I get by. But what if it got out that I sometimes would… shall we say, look the other way, for a fee.”

“You mean become a dirty cop?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. You don’t think I’d make more money?”

“Oh yea,” answered Father Bill. “A whole lot more.”

“Same thing… dirty cop, dirty preacher.”

Bill nodded his head. “I see what you’re saying.”

“You asked what would be the next step?” I don’t know. That will be up to Taylor. You’re talking about for Lynn Powell.”

Father Bill nodded his head.

“When he gets served, his first call is going to be to the other TV evangelists. That, I will bet. They will circle the wagons. They’ve done it before. He won’t stand out there alone. But…, as far as Lynn… she is a threat. He’ll see her as that. Her and that boy… I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Bill stared directly at him.

“But for now, we have no hint that Taylor knows where she is. The best place for her is exactly where she is.

The Policeman and the Prophet - Day 53

After a pause, Bill looked at him. “What do you think will happen next?”

“I don’t know. I believe the investigation will probably start soon. Unless I miss my guess the end of this week.”

“You don’t know?”

“No, the feds don’t share that stuff with anyone, but the end of this week would be about right. But keep in mind, when they do whatever they’re going to do, they’re not just going after Billy Taylor. Senator Booth said he was going after that whole TV Evangelist crowd.”

Father Bill smiled.

“What?” asked Frank.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re smiling. I was just wondering why.”

“I was just wondering.”

“Wondering? Wondering what?”

“Isn’t there a possibility that there is someone in that group that maybe… just maybe, might be sincere? I mean isn’t there a chance there is one of those electric preachers whose not there for selfish reasons? I mean wants something other than just to make money?”

“You mean who actually loves Jesus?”

“Yes, I mean actually loves Jesus,” said Bill.

“Not at that level, no I don’t.”

Bill looked at him with a questioning face.

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t doubt for a minute that there were some good people with sincere hearts that got into it with a love of Jesus and everything holy. Like I say, I don’t doubt it for a minute, but that’s when they first got in, before they joined the ‘gang’.”

“Gang?”

“Poor term, maybe. But I actually think there are politicians who go to Washington with all the best intentions. And, I believe there are preachers who begin their work with only good intentions. Yet, it’s not long before they see others with, shall we say, less than good intentions, enjoying great prosperity and privilege. It takes a hell of a man to stand up against that temptation just to do what’s right. Most can’t.”