den.
“Tell me you got something,” said Nick.
“I think Trinity’s in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Serious trouble. Out of control. I saw him snort cocaine.”
“Get pictures?”
Trinity had told Daniel everything, including the reason for the cocaine. The story had been so wild that Daniel was left not knowing what to believe. “You sent me to debunk the guy. The fact that he snorts coke doesn’t debunk anything.” He put the camera down. “I met with him. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think he’s in control of the tongues. He claimed no knowledge of the predictions. When I told him, he was pretty shaken up, and I think he’s telling the truth. Maybe.”
Nick snorted a rough laugh in Daniel’s ear. “Trinity hasn’t told the truth since Carter was in the White House. Bottom line, we have to undermine his authority and get him off the air. And you’re wasting time. A coke habit will do the trick.”
“What about the oil refinery?”
“Forget about it. You have a job to do.”
“People are going to die, Nick.”
“If that’s God’s will.”
Daniel’s blood surged, and he tamped down his temper. “You can’t be serious,” he said. “We have the knowledge to stop this from happening.”
“Give your head a shake, kiddo. God is
not
talking through Trinity. Let’s get that straight.”
“I know that.”
“Then the knowledge in our possession did not come from God. Which means we are not supposed to have it. You think Trinity’s tongues act is otherworldly? Don’t forget, Satan speaks through people too.” Daniel didn’t answer. “What now?”
“I don’t even know if I believe in demonic possession,” said Daniel. Thinking:
I don’t even know if I believe in Satan.
Nick sighed into the phone. “Whatever’s happening to Trinity, it’s not God.”
“But—”
“Listen. Disasters happen every day, and people die every day. We can’t know why that is, but if nothing else, we
must
believe God has a larger plan, beyond what we can see. Because if we can’t believe that much, then all is chaos and there’s no point. You need to take the larger view. If the oil refinery explodes, that is God’s will. Who are you to mess with that? Don’t presume to take God’s place. You are not Him.”
Daniel unclenched his fist, forced himself to breathe deep. “I’m not trying to be God. But Trinity’s batting a thousand so far. Innocent people are probably going to die, and I find it hard to accept that God would not want us to save them.”
“There are no innocent people, Dan. And you need to stop trying to read God’s mind. Now go get me pictures of Reverend Trinity fucking up.”
Nick broke the connection without saying good-bye.
Daniel’s hand shook as he put the phone down. How could Nick be so callous? Why not step in to save those refinery workers? And—
Jesus
—he’d barely reacted to the news of the altered transcripts.
Did he already know?
And what would that imply? The questions swirled in Daniel’s mind. He adopted a fighter’s stance and shadowboxed for a few minutes, burning off the excess adrenaline. Still his mind reeled, and the thought of doing nothing made his stomach churn.
This was asking too much.
Daniel dropped to his knees, clasped his hands together, and squeezed his eyes shut.
I know I have been a bad son, and my faith is weak. But Father in Heaven, I need your help, even as I don’t deserve it. I need you to strengthen my faith, because without it, I cannot sit back and do nothing while people burn to death. Please, give me something to hang my faith upon…
But there came no answer. No sign.
Just like always.
After a few minutes, Daniel stood up, feeling vaguely foolish, and wiped his eyes dry.
He picked up the camera again. Trinity made millions hustling poor people with the false promise of prosperity, and he did it in the name of God. He was the worst kind of con man. But as Daniel scrolled through
“Tell me you got something,” said Nick.
“I think Trinity’s in trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“Serious trouble. Out of control. I saw him snort cocaine.”
“Get pictures?”
Trinity had told Daniel everything, including the reason for the cocaine. The story had been so wild that Daniel was left not knowing what to believe. “You sent me to debunk the guy. The fact that he snorts coke doesn’t debunk anything.” He put the camera down. “I met with him. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I don’t think he’s in control of the tongues. He claimed no knowledge of the predictions. When I told him, he was pretty shaken up, and I think he’s telling the truth. Maybe.”
Nick snorted a rough laugh in Daniel’s ear. “Trinity hasn’t told the truth since Carter was in the White House. Bottom line, we have to undermine his authority and get him off the air. And you’re wasting time. A coke habit will do the trick.”
“What about the oil refinery?”
“Forget about it. You have a job to do.”
“People are going to die, Nick.”
“If that’s God’s will.”
Daniel’s blood surged, and he tamped down his temper. “You can’t be serious,” he said. “We have the knowledge to stop this from happening.”
“Give your head a shake, kiddo. God is
not
talking through Trinity. Let’s get that straight.”
“I know that.”
“Then the knowledge in our possession did not come from God. Which means we are not supposed to have it. You think Trinity’s tongues act is otherworldly? Don’t forget, Satan speaks through people too.” Daniel didn’t answer. “What now?”
“I don’t even know if I believe in demonic possession,” said Daniel. Thinking:
I don’t even know if I believe in Satan.
Nick sighed into the phone. “Whatever’s happening to Trinity, it’s not God.”
“But—”
“Listen. Disasters happen every day, and people die every day. We can’t know why that is, but if nothing else, we
must
believe God has a larger plan, beyond what we can see. Because if we can’t believe that much, then all is chaos and there’s no point. You need to take the larger view. If the oil refinery explodes, that is God’s will. Who are you to mess with that? Don’t presume to take God’s place. You are not Him.”
Daniel unclenched his fist, forced himself to breathe deep. “I’m not trying to be God. But Trinity’s batting a thousand so far. Innocent people are probably going to die, and I find it hard to accept that God would not want us to save them.”
“There are no innocent people, Dan. And you need to stop trying to read God’s mind. Now go get me pictures of Reverend Trinity fucking up.”
Nick broke the connection without saying good-bye.
Daniel’s hand shook as he put the phone down. How could Nick be so callous? Why not step in to save those refinery workers? And—
Jesus
—he’d barely reacted to the news of the altered transcripts.
Did he already know?
And what would that imply? The questions swirled in Daniel’s mind. He adopted a fighter’s stance and shadowboxed for a few minutes, burning off the excess adrenaline. Still his mind reeled, and the thought of doing nothing made his stomach churn.
This was asking too much.
Daniel dropped to his knees, clasped his hands together, and squeezed his eyes shut.
I know I have been a bad son, and my faith is weak. But Father in Heaven, I need your help, even as I don’t deserve it. I need you to strengthen my faith, because without it, I cannot sit back and do nothing while people burn to death. Please, give me something to hang my faith upon…
But there came no answer. No sign.
Just like always.
After a few minutes, Daniel stood up, feeling vaguely foolish, and wiped his eyes dry.
He picked up the camera again. Trinity made millions hustling poor people with the false promise of prosperity, and he did it in the name of God. He was the worst kind of con man. But as Daniel scrolled through
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