“I’m not sure I follow you, sir.”
“It’s clear to me and the God-fearing people around the nation what is going on here. I do not think I need to lower myself to Miss Lowell’s level by answering her charges.”
“No charges were leveled, Reverend Sanders,” Sara broke in, putting her wire-rimmed glasses back on her face. “Are there facts in the report you would care to dispute?”
“Do not be so sly, Miss Lowell. I know what you are really after.”
“What is that, Reverend Sanders?”
He smiled. “A name for yourself. A quick reputation. What better way than to try to drag the good name of a simple preacher through the mud? A man who preaches the Bible in all its glory, who helps those less fortunate —”
“Reverend Sanders,” Sara interrupted, “your personal income last year is estimated at over thirteen million dollars, yet you paid no income taxes. Can you explain this?”
The remark did not faze him. “Unless I’m mistaken, Miss Lowell, your family is not exactly economically strapped. I seem to recall that your father has a rather spacious mansion of his own. Should his finances be questioned, too?”
“My father declares his income every year,” she replied. “My father can explain where every penny comes from. Can you do the same?”
“Of course,” he stated emphatically. “Your lies and innuendos do not fool God’s chosen people. Many have tried to distract the righteous from the path of the Lord, but the Holy Crusade will march on. The Holy Crusade will not allow Satan to succeed.”
“Can you address these supposed lies?” Sara asked. “Can you be more specific?”
Sanders looked up and shook his head. “Satan uses words to twist goodness and righteousness and make it appear evil,” he explained like a schoolteacher lecturing an insubordinate student, “but we will not be fooled. We live in a society today that is overrun with immorality, but we stand firm. What has happened to family values and ethics in this country, Miss Lowell? God-fearing people like my wife, Dixie, and I can’t raise our children in this society anymore. Children are forced to attend public schools where God has been expelled but homosexuals are welcome. Does the Lord not tell us—”
“Excuse me, sir, but you were about to address the issues raised in our report.”
“What issues? Your show does not address the real issue in America. I’m talking about Armageddon, Miss Lowell. The members of the Holy Crusade understand what is happening. They understand that we are living in an era of Sodom and Gomorrah, that heretics and infidels are attacking God. Dixie and I are doing the Lord’s work, but He helps us along. He gives us signs which you choose to ignore.”
“The report spoke of your financial—”
“Take what you call the AIDS virus, for example,” Sanders interrupted, his voice rising to a fever pitch. “What you call the new phenomenon of AIDS is just the final chapter of Sodom and Gomorrah. God is clearly striking down the wicked, immoral homosexuals and perverts with His plague.”
“Reverend Sanders—”
“Why is that so hard for you to believe?” he asked quietly, his smile brighter now, his eyes twinkling. “Most Americans believe in the Lord’s work as transcribed in the Bible. Why, then, is it hard to believe He can still act in our present age? We have no trouble accepting the plagues of ancient Egypt. So why is it so hard to accept the plague of modern America? And woe to him who does not take heed. The sinners, Miss Lowell, there is no place left for them to hide. If AIDS is not a sign of what is to come, if AIDS does not make you accept the Lord as your only salvation and repent, then nothing will show you the light. You are doomed.”
Sara closed her eyes and tried to keep her temper in check. She knew that she should keep to her line of questioning, that it would be a mistake to get off the subject of his financial improprieties. But her temper had other ideas.
“And what about the other victims, Reverend Sanders?” she asked, struggling to maintain an even tone.
“The other victims?”
“Yes, what about the so-called innocent victims of AIDS, the newborn babies born with the deadly disease or the people who contract the virus through blood transfusions? How do you explain the fact that AIDS is now the leading cause of death among hemophiliacs?”
Again that damn smirk of a smile. “I do not explain it, Miss Lowell. I explain nothing. The Bible does it for me. Read the Lord’s words and you will see for yourself. The Bible tells us that not all living creatures in Noah’s time were cruel and heartless, yet the Lord chose to save only the creatures upon Noah’s ark. And in the story of Moses, why were the innocent forced to suffer through the hosts of plagues that besieged Egypt? The Bible gives us a simple answer, Miss Lowell. The Lord moves in mysterious ways. Who are we to question His ultimate plan? I know, I know, it’s an old cliche, but it happens to be true. You cannot deny that the vast majority of those stricken with God’s plague are abnormal people with perverse lifestyles, but yes, the innocent must on occasion pay for the sins of their brethren. That is why I ask all of you to return to God now, repent before it’s too late. God will not allow a cure to be found until he rids the planet of the immoral—”
Donald Parker sat back and watched. He did not want to interrupt. The show’s director signaled for a commercial break, but Donald waved him off.
“Miss Lowell, you know the law as well as I do. This great country of ours works to protect religious freedom, despite what some communists and atheists try to do. You may have temporarily succeeded in throwing God out of school and murdering unborn children, but the tide is changing—”
“Thank you, Reverend Sanders, but we were talking about your taxes. Please try to answer the question.”
“I am answering your question, Miss Lowell. Dixie and I are law-abiding citizens. We pay our fair share of taxes.”
“How much income tax did you pay last year, Reverend Sanders?”
“Churches do not have to pay taxes. It’s called separation of church and state. You can read all about it in the Constitution.”
Sara readjusted her spectacles. “I’ve read the Constitution, Reverend Sanders, but with all due respect, sir, you are not a church. You would certainly not suggest that people who work in the church should slide by without paying taxes, forcing hardworking Americans to carry the load for them, would you?”
His smile wavered, and for a brief moment there was a crack in the facade, allowing a quick peek at the cold soul beyond the smile. “Of course not,” he said. “You twist everything around to suit your purposes, and the righteous know that. The righteous will not be swayed off the path of the Lord by your lies. I repeat what I have said all along. I have paid my fair share of taxes. This whole issue is nothing but a play by secularists to ruin my good name.”
Donald Parker finally broke in. “Thank you, Reverend Sanders. Well take a break and be back after this message. Don’t go away.”
“Dr. Lowell? May I speak with you for a moment?”
John Lowell looked up, obviously annoyed. “Can’t it wait until after the show, Ray?”
“There’s a commercial on now,” Raymond said. Dr. Raymond Markey worked for the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington. A small man, his arms and legs looked too short for his body. Thick glasses magnified his small dark eyes fivefold, making him look more like a classic movie nerd than a medical doctor. In truth, Markey rarely practiced medicine anymore. His job as assistant secretary of the department threw him more into the political realm than he cared to admit.
With a deep sigh, John Lowell stood and walked out of the room. The two headed down the hallway together. When they were alone, Lowell said, “Okay, what is it?”
Raymond Markey’s giant eyes scanned the hallway like two searchlights across a prison courtyard. “He’s coming to your party tonight.”
Lowell’s face turned red. “What? I don’t want that man in my house. I thought I made that clear.”
“You did.”
