Page 27 of All He Sees
Nicky frowned, but she knew that Ken was right. There was something about this place that was just… off. The music was playing, and they could see lights on inside the building, but nobody came to answer the door. Nicky knocked again, and that was when the door flew open, revealing a curly-haired woman in her mid-thirties. She looked at them with confused, wide eyes. Warmth spilled from inside the boat/church, and the organ music was louder here. Behind the woman, there were various people milling about, all dressed in plain white clothes. The boat resembled a typical Christian church, and Nicky suspected it was at one time—before “Richter” took over and they remodeled. On the wall, there was a picture of a man--a man in an old war uniform, probably from the Second World War. The whole thing creeped Nicky out, but right now, she had no reason to suspect it was them who had anything to do with Mira’s disappearance.
Unless they… sacrificed her or something insane like that.
But the people, they seemed normal and nice enough. For now, Nicky had to stay on track. She couldn’t make assumptions just because they followed a religion she didn’t understand. It didn’t automatically make them deranged killers.
"Oh, are you here for worship?" said the woman. "We're just about to start--"
Nicky cut her off by holding up her badge, and Ken did the same. "Ma'am, we're with the FBI," Nicky said. "I'm Agent Lyons and this is Agent Walker."
"Oh, my! What's happened?"
"We're looking into the disappearance of Mira Phillips," said Nicky. "Could we speak to who's in charge around here?" Nicky asked, peering over the woman's shoulder.
"Well, um..." She glanced into the church. "Oh, dears. Worship is just starting. I can't pull Father Michaels off stage. Can't you stay for just a bit?"
Nicky looked at Ken. She wasn't keen on wasting time at a worship when she had a crime to solve, but she wanted to talk to the person in charge--a person who might know Mira.
But if she had to sit through it, then so be it.
Nicky nodded at Ken, beckoning him to follow, and they stepped into the warm, dimly lit church. The floor slowly rocked beneath them.
"You must be here for the evening service!" a young man with shaggy brown hair and a solemn expression said as he passed by. "If you would like to take a seat, we'll get started."
The congregation moved to an area in front of the stage as Nicky and Ken took a seat in the pews. A young woman who looked to be in her early twenties walked up onto the stage, wearing a long white skirt, white headdress, and a simple white blouse. She looked like she was ready to sing. A man in the same white garb walked up the stage behind her, carrying an ornate book. This must have been Father Michaels. The organist played a few more bars, and then everything went quiet.
"If there is anyone here who has not yet made Richter their Lord and Savior, would they please do so now," Father Michaels said. "You do not need to be afraid. Richter loves you. All you have to do is open your hearts."
Nicky and Ken shared a look, awkwardly shifting. Nicky had respect for all forms of religion, and people's right to practice it--but being an FBI agent sometimes made it a bit hard to see on the brighter side. Still, it didn't hurt to sit back and listen until the Father was done. Then, they would get answers on Mira.
If she really was a member of this church, then maybe she went missing near here, not her home.
The music swelled, and the congregation sang. Nicky wasn't sure what she expected, but this wasn't it. The song was upbeat, the congregation was lively, and the woman on stage was beautiful. She had a voice like an angel, and Nicky found herself mesmerized. Nicky and Ken remained quiet as the service continued, and Nicky found her mind wandering as she listened to Father Michaels's words, and to the music.
She thought of Felix Anderson, rotting in his cell. He would probably toy with her forever, never giving a single concrete clue as to what had happened to Rosie--or whether he actually knew something.
Nicky couldn't shake the feeling. In her heart, she felt like Felix was the key.
But he had said it all led back to her father...
For the first time in a long time, Nicky pictured her father's face. The last time she saw him, drunk, as always, he looked like he'd been through hell and back. Sagging skin, a grizzled beard, brown eyes that had long lost their light. He was overweight and red-faced in his old age. When he was younger, when Rosie was around, Nicky remembered he'd go hunting and chop trees sometimes. He'd been strong in some ways, at least physically, but when Nicky saw him last, he was a deteriorating shell of the man he was once.
The thought of ever talking to him again sounded far from appealing. In fact, Nicky dreaded it. Maybe that was why she was so quick to dismiss Felix's words.
But right there, in that church, she considered that for a moment--Felix had already given her the clue she needed.
Maybe... maybe she really did need to talk to her father.
Nicky's stomach rolled at the thought. No. She could never do that. Felix was just lying, toying with her to get in her head.
That had to be it.
Nicky refocused on the scene in front of her, and before she knew it, it seemed the service was coming to an end.
Father Michaels was closing in on the end of his sermon, and the organist was playing softly. The man on stage was speaking softly, too.
"And that is why, dear friends, I urge you to open your hearts and your homes to the Lord. He will bring you great joy and comfort if you will only give him a chance. Richter can heal you of your sins, even the ones you haven't committed yet. Richter will take away your pain. And Richter will give you a whole new life--a life of purpose. A life of joy.”
"There is no better time than tonight to accept Richter as your Lord and Savior! If you would like to accept Him, please come up."
