nodded to the folder. “I held it back because until now this hasn’t done anything except to turn our pain into a media-circus freak show. Nobody really cares,” he said. “The Chosen abused us, the media used us, law enforcement failed us, and justice is a farce. I was afraid,” he said, “that maybe you would be no different.” He looked up from the folder and met her eyes, and with tears welling in his, he handed it to her.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Munroe reached for him, held him tight, and said, “I’ll bring her back, Logan. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll bring her back. You have my word.”
The information on Hannah’s whereabouts had come from Maggie, Charity’s sister, who was still a follower within The Chosen, her reticent confession a breaking of rank that had pinpointed the child’s location to the city without going so far as to betray the details that could bring them to the doorstep of the Haven in which Hannah was hidden.
Needle in a haystack, and there were four ways to find it: dumb luck, taking the stack apart piece by piece, using a magnet, or burning it to the ground. On this assignment, luck was out of the question, time was at a premium, and destruction was not an option.
Gideon and Heidi would be Munroe’s magnet.
They had each, at different periods, lived in Havens within or around Buenos Aires. But even if either one had a clear recollection of specifically where, even if they’d had an address, the information would have been worthless.
The Prophet believed that owning property tied The Chosen to the Void, and this meant that Havens were transient, relocating often, renting from landlords who had no idea that the couple who signed the lease agreement would the next day turn the property into a commune. When a stay had been worn-out, when neighbors had begun to complain, or the number of people attracted too much attention, the place would close down and The Chosen disperse.
Havens varied in size—some housed as few as thirty people and others upward of two hundred—but one constant was the necessity of clothing and feeding the many members. Havens needed cash to operate.
The Prophet also believed that working to earn money within the Void was the equivalent of serving Satan, and so The Chosen refused any form of work-for-hire that would enslave them to the world. What income the Havens did have was acquired, not through industry or providing any service to society, but rather by begging, by selling overpriced trinkets to the good-hearted under the guise of sponsoring humanitarian projects, or through donations.
But begging, although time-consuming, was not highly lucrative, and the resources required to feed and house so many far outstripped the supply. The solution to the disparity came by way of donated goods, clothing, shoes, and food—usually perishables too old and spotted to sell, and cartons or cans nearing or passed the date of expiration. There was a fine line between garbage and sustenance, and The Chosen walked it well.
Once a Haven acquired a donor, the members made a great effort to maintain a positive relationship in order to continue receiving the goods over the long term. Typically, donors knew little about The Chosen, often did not even know that it was to this group that they gave, but they knew the smiling faces that greeted them every week, knew the children who occasionally came to sing for them, and truly believed that by contributing they were, in a small way, making the world a better place.
A trip to visit a donor was a special occasion for the children; itmeant seeing life beyond the confines of the Haven, and special occasions created clearly formed memories.
Gideon suspected that at least some of the donors who had been giving while he had lived in Buenos Aires would still be doing so, and Munroe believed that with the donors they would find the map to the Havens—the magnet.
Instead of renting a car, they rented a taxi, and the
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Munroe reached for him, held him tight, and said, “I’ll bring her back, Logan. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll bring her back. You have my word.”
The information on Hannah’s whereabouts had come from Maggie, Charity’s sister, who was still a follower within The Chosen, her reticent confession a breaking of rank that had pinpointed the child’s location to the city without going so far as to betray the details that could bring them to the doorstep of the Haven in which Hannah was hidden.
Needle in a haystack, and there were four ways to find it: dumb luck, taking the stack apart piece by piece, using a magnet, or burning it to the ground. On this assignment, luck was out of the question, time was at a premium, and destruction was not an option.
Gideon and Heidi would be Munroe’s magnet.
They had each, at different periods, lived in Havens within or around Buenos Aires. But even if either one had a clear recollection of specifically where, even if they’d had an address, the information would have been worthless.
The Prophet believed that owning property tied The Chosen to the Void, and this meant that Havens were transient, relocating often, renting from landlords who had no idea that the couple who signed the lease agreement would the next day turn the property into a commune. When a stay had been worn-out, when neighbors had begun to complain, or the number of people attracted too much attention, the place would close down and The Chosen disperse.
Havens varied in size—some housed as few as thirty people and others upward of two hundred—but one constant was the necessity of clothing and feeding the many members. Havens needed cash to operate.
The Prophet also believed that working to earn money within the Void was the equivalent of serving Satan, and so The Chosen refused any form of work-for-hire that would enslave them to the world. What income the Havens did have was acquired, not through industry or providing any service to society, but rather by begging, by selling overpriced trinkets to the good-hearted under the guise of sponsoring humanitarian projects, or through donations.
But begging, although time-consuming, was not highly lucrative, and the resources required to feed and house so many far outstripped the supply. The solution to the disparity came by way of donated goods, clothing, shoes, and food—usually perishables too old and spotted to sell, and cartons or cans nearing or passed the date of expiration. There was a fine line between garbage and sustenance, and The Chosen walked it well.
Once a Haven acquired a donor, the members made a great effort to maintain a positive relationship in order to continue receiving the goods over the long term. Typically, donors knew little about The Chosen, often did not even know that it was to this group that they gave, but they knew the smiling faces that greeted them every week, knew the children who occasionally came to sing for them, and truly believed that by contributing they were, in a small way, making the world a better place.
A trip to visit a donor was a special occasion for the children; itmeant seeing life beyond the confines of the Haven, and special occasions created clearly formed memories.
Gideon suspected that at least some of the donors who had been giving while he had lived in Buenos Aires would still be doing so, and Munroe believed that with the donors they would find the map to the Havens—the magnet.
Instead of renting a car, they rented a taxi, and the
Similar Books
