Ch 8 Holy Gun

Reverend James stands behind the pulpit. He wears an all-black suit that clashes with his dusty brown hair and mustache. He breathes into the microphone, the sound travels through the walls of the church. The entire congregation present, all seats were full. Bradley sat along with Olivia and the entire horde of crusaders in the front row, including Enrique. Enrique looked back and saw Ronnie and Kessler standing in the back looking out of place and dressed casually unlike everyone else wearing suits and dresses. 

Reverend James was raised on a platform. He was in his element, his natural state, this was sport to him; the boundless preacher.

“Anyone hear or read ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ by Jonathan Edwards?” He began. Everyone looked around to see who would raise their hand. No one did. 

“No one? Good. Now you’ll have to hear about it from me.”  Reverend James catches a boy’s eyes in the corner closing and his head tilting.

“Hey you! Boy! Don’t you fall asleep! Wake up! I ain’t teachin’ English, you can do that to your teachers but not to me, I ain’t teachin’ English, I’m teaching eternal salvation.” The kid looked mortified, he turned red. Ronnie held his hand to his mouth to prevent his jaw from dropping.

“This is the house of God, not a motel” Reverend James returns to his pulpit.

“I know that most of you know that God loves, does he not?” He gets an approving nod from the crowd.

“But as much as God loves, he also hates with the same strength, the same power that he loves… And you ask ‘What does he hate?’ I’ll tell you what he hates… he hates you! Now I know what you’re gonna say ‘but God loves all his children’ yes and he also hates them at the same time. He hates you for all that sin tucked away in your hearts, and I know you’ll be saying ‘well I haven’t sinned’. Yes you have! Ain’t no one here who isn’t a sinner, every breath you take is an offence to God!” The reverend starts to walk around the stage and using his arms, his voice getting malignant. 

“And you go about you daily lives thinking that you’re free of sin just because you go to church every Sunday, just because you read the Bible. And you! Mr. Freeman!”  He spots Jeremiah Freeman sitting awkwardly in the corner.

“Why I had’nt seen you in months! Where’ve you been? You think eternal salvation is at that good for nothing queer enabling school? No sir, you won’t anywhere in life by putting in front of prayer, in front of church, in front of Jesus Christ your savior! No sir!” Jeremiah’s eyes were covered by his transitional lenses. They were beams aimed directly at Reverend James. 

In the back Ronnie clenched his fists and bit his tongue. 

“That school ain’t nothing but a bunch of fags and enablers all working together. The Lord is thy shepherd… that means we’re the sheep people! If you deviate from the path aint no one gonna bring you back, and God will surely strike thee down with furious anger!” Ronnie could take no more, he opened the exit and fled from his poisonous words, Kessler followed him.

The GSA was gathered in the student activities room. They were all present but they seemed disconnected, in some way or another even Jane. There was Teddy who was busy playing his handheld game. Gemma who was busy trying to get her bangs to fall in place perfectly, Albert and Melvin who sitting apart from each other. 

“Where’s Ronnie?” asked Jane. No one responded for a while.

“He’s probably still out with that detective” Said Albert. Melvin looked at him then back at Jane.

“He’s taking it too hard that Ronnie” Said Gemma

“Will was everyone’s friend, we’re all grieving his death, why is he the only one who gets all the attention?” said Melvin.

“Ronnie was closest to Will out of all of us. He’s a real good friend too” defended Teddy.

“Well we still need to do something in regards to Will, like a fundraiser for his funeral”

“I heard from Ronnie that his parents had already arranged a funeral” remarked Teddy.

“His parents are giving him a Jewish funeral?” asked Gemma which coincidently was also Jewish.

“I think we should still hold some sort of event in his honor” said Jane

“What another drag show?” asked Albert. Jane glared at him. 

“We should make him a memorial in the quad, that’s be real nice with flowers and stuff, Will would’ve liked that” Said Gemma. Jane finally noticed the distance between Albert and Melvin. She automatically knew something was off, they were mad at each other, She started thinking of the worst possible scenario and she prayed that it wasn’t that.

Ronnie and Kessler waited outside the crowded church as the horde of pasty individuals with their suits and their rosy pant-suits came cascading out of the church like a heard of cockroaches under fire.  They waited tentatively as the crusaders marched out of the church and stared at them in despise. Ronnie glared as much as he could, he could control himself better now. 

Finally after a while reverend James trotted out of the church accompanied by several people encircling him. 

“Stay here” Kessler ordered Ronnie. 

“Why?”

“Just do as I say” 

Kessler walked over to reverend James out on the concrete path. He was certain that he wouldn’t cooperate, if anything he was analyzing him.

“Reverend James Patterson” Kessler flashed his badge. “I have some questions for-“

“Just who do you think you are? Or rather who do you think I am? How dare you come into my church and demand and accuse, no sir I will not answer any questions! And I appreciate if you’d leave” 

Kessler was furious, he did not analyze him at all, all his rage was clouding the process. The reverend brushed him by. He was definitely a suspect now, who knows what kinds of atrocities this man is capable of. As Kessler saw him walk out onto the street with his congregation he could see the devil inside him. Suddenly he was tapped on the shoulder.

It was a woman with a cheeky complexion, and blonde hair. she looked to be about forty.

“Officer, if you wish to interrogate my husband, im afraid you have to be a bit more intimidating” She said so warmly and kind. Kessler was thrown off by her presence. 

“Oh I’m sorry, I’m Linda Patterson, James’s wife” They shook hands.

“Mrs. Patterson, I’m guessing you know why I’m here” 

“Sadly yes, let me tell you, my husband’s no perfect saint, he’s just like the rest of us. But he would never be capable of killing someone. I know his preaching may be a bit unorthodox, but that’s because he really cares… say why don’t you come back to the house with me- I was just about to go there to pick up a salad, you should come along.” Kessler looked at her funny. He didn’t know whether to trust her or not. He looked back at Ronnie, and then nodded his head.

Jane catches up with her brother, Albert, after the meeting. 

“Albert, what’s going on why were you sitting apart from Melvin? Are you two fighting?” 

“You’re always so perceptive, or so you think, maybe he thought I just smell bad how the Hell should I know?” 

“Albert, what’s going on with you? Please don’t make me ask Melvin cause I wanna hear it from you-“

“Hear what? That he’s being completely incompetent in bed-“

“Albert! You better not be-“ Albert starts to walk away, he was not in his right mind, she could sense it. Her first impulse was to go after him but she realized it was no use, as much as she wants to shield him from danger, she knew it was he who had to eventually learn to take care of himself. 

Jane walked in the other direction towards the parking lot. She walked to the curb before a car pulled up in front of her. She was startled. It was Bradley in his red Mustang, it almost matched Jane’s hair.

“The Hell do you think you’re doing?!” Jane yelled t him.

“Hey watch your mouth… and get in” He said with a devious smile.

“No, that’s not how it works Bradley, I’m not your sex toy”

“Come on, I thought we were friends with benefits-“

“We are not friends!” She starts walking towards her car. Bradley gets off his and starts following her. 

“So what are we then?”

“were just people who occasionally have sweaty, raunchy, sex”

“How about now?”

“No. I have things to do. Why don’t you go ask your little girlfriend?” Jane gets in her car and turns on the engine.

“Are you jealous?”  Jane cackles.

“No, you’re not even my type” Jane pressed on the gas and sped out of there before he squeezed any more words out of her. She looked at him through her rear view mirrors. He stood there calm, and collected with his shades. 

Ronnie and Kessler wondered hopelessly through the reverend’s house, they followed Linda into a room with beautiful baroque wood decorations and ornaments with owls. There were framed photos everywhere. Ronnie caught a glimpse of one of them. It was the reverend and his wife  and a child in her lap. They looked real happy. 

“James was a good father… at least that what I keep telling myself, he’s not a very good husband I’ll admit that, but I’d like to think he was a good father to Elliot” Linda sat down in one of the cushioned vanilla baroque chairs. 

“Where is your son now?” asked Kessler as he knew the answer.

“Elliot died 2 years ago…” Linda started to brew tears. “He… he was always so fun and perky, God how he had energy, ever since he was a little boy he could draw so curiously, he was really talented by the time he was in high school. He always got picked on too, it wasn’t Eliot’s fault, he was just being himself-“

“How did Elliot die?” Asked Ronnie curiously.

“I was just getting to that, one day Elliot came home, he sat us down, and he told us that he was gay. I didn’t know what to do or say, I didn’t know how to deal with it. And neither did James, he was aggressive towards Elliot. He hit him so many times, I kept telling myself that he did it for his own good but eventually he left home, he ran away.” The tears started rolling, she pulled out a cloth from her purse.

“We never saw him again, well alive that is. He was gay bashed, taken out to the river and beaten to death with baseball bats… I remember the day when James found out, he came home cryin’ like a baby… and he said ‘God why?! Why did my son turn out the way he did?!’ James was never alright ever since, he’s been hating the homosexual ever since, thinking that was the cause of his death. James never really understood that, but what you have to understand is that James’s caprice with the gays is that he thinks they took away his son… He didn’t kill that boy, I know that, I’d put it on my dead mother’s grave” She dried away her tears. Kessler had heard enough, there was nothing discernible from her exposition, if anything she was covering for him, although the framed pictures seemed convincing.

“Well, I guess I’d better get that salad”

“Thank you for your time Mrs. Patterson, we’ll let ourselves out” Ronnie and Kessler leave the room while Linda remains there, motionless.

Reverend James sat in his desk inside his gaudy office. His chair was turned around, his coat was off and his tie loosened. He held a framed picture in his hand. It was of him and a small boy, they were wearing fishing hats and were holding up tuna fish. He stared at it, then swiftly tossed it to the side. On his lap was a baseball bat, wooden with several scratches. He touched his lips to it. 

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, he quickly stashed the bat under his desk. The door swung open and in came Regina Webber. She was wearing laced underwear and a pretty hot pink bra with a ribbon in the middle. James turned his chair around. 

“It was about time”.