III. The Believer

At 2:30 Wednesday afternoon, the thick scent of cigarette smoke wafted into Detective Findhorn's nose. He looked up.

"I understand you followed my advice." said Briggs.

"Yeah." said Findhorn, letting no emotion into his voice. "There was a sale."

"Not to mention a wanted fugitive."

"Coincidence. Interrogation of McAllister showed he had never met anyone of your description."

"That only proves that I know more than he does."

Findhorn studied the tall man. Briggs lit a cigarette as he watched. After a few moments of contemplation, Findhorn beckoned for him to sit. Again leaving his coat on, Briggs sat, staring across the desk at Findhorn as if he expected something. Finally, Findhorn spoke.

"All right then, how did you know McAllister would be there, vulnerable?"

"Ah, that information isn't free. Perhaps we can trade?"

Findhorn took out the file on Hosanna of Bethany. There was a time when it would have been kept on a computer database, but mass communication had been crippled to the edge of extinction during Rehnquist's takeover.

"Tell me this, then; why are you so interested in this case?" Findhorn demanded.

"The Reverend Carter made a deal with one I work for. In return for services rendered in the past and those pending in the future, Carter was loaned an item of considerably worth and function. Since Reverend Carter is now incarcerated and unable to perform any future services, my employer has declared the bargain to be void, and sent me in to retrieve his possession." explained Briggs.

"Who is it you work for?" asked Findhorn.

Briggs scoffed. "I'd have more than just a scolding on my hands if I told you."

"For someone in search of information, you give precious little in return."

Briggs leaned over the table. The smell of cigarette smoke was overpowering. "I can give you some more advice, in exchange for more information on Hosanna of Bethany. Better advice." Briggs leaned back.

Findhorn caved. "All right. Upon investigation of the church site, we found video recordings of seven people--including Carter Jr., Klepacki, Brainard, and four others--ritualistically molesting as many children.

Briggs looked surprised. "Video recordings? How did they get a camera?"

"It was an old model, probably thirty years old. They must've hidden it during the transfer of power, when the ban on private video equipment was instituted. The thing had a big enough memory card that it could have been running continuously since coming off the assembly line and wouldn't be full yet."

"And IDs on the victims?"

"The footage goes back eight years, according to the camera's date recorder. Some of the kids are adults by now."

"Really?" Briggs paused. "Some of them were older, then?"

"As far as we can tell through ID checks, the victims ranged in age from 6 to 13." said Findhorn.

"One last thing." Briggs threw his cigarette out the window. "What happened to the victim's you've been able to identify?"

Findhorn sighed. "Two of them are in the New Liberty Hospital for the Mentally Ill, dealing with the psychological damage of their ordeal. Four others are missing, most of them from a time shortly before being recorded at Hosanna of Bethany. We suspect foul play."

Briggs held a freshly lit cigarette next to his ear. "And the last?"

"Bill Hayden was the first child on the tape, age thirteen at the time of the incident. He was also the last abuser recorded. He would have been twenty-one at time; he's twenty-two now."

"A believer." muttered Briggs.

"Excuse me?"

"Hayden believes whatever the Reverend taught him. Why else would he come back? Now, where can I find him?"

"He goes to court tomorrow. He's in a holding cell until then."

"How would I go about setting up a meeting with him?"

"You don't. He's not allowed visitors. Considering they've got him doing the act on video, he'll be convicted by noon tomorrow. They've already reserved a slot for him at the penal colony for a 7PM execution."

"Justice is swift in New Liberty."

"Only if you can't pull any strings." Findhorn conceded. "Now, I've fulfilled my part of the bargain."

"Of course, of course." said Briggs. "My advice is to take your four o'clock coffee break ten minutes early."

Findhorn waited for more, but Briggs rose to leave.

"Wait, that's it?" he demanded.

"That's it." said Briggs, straightening his coat.

"How could that possibly be worth what I told you?" Findhorn demanded, feeling cheated.

"It's about equal in value to the benefit of stopping at a grocery store instead of a pharmacy."