“I don’t know, Eli. He has a serious alcohol problem. That’s not easy to overcome. His road to recovery, provided it’s what he truly wants, will be difficult and painful. But… after seeing you again, after unloading such a heavy burden, maybe the road will be a little easier.”
“The suffering that child experienced all these years,” Eli said, shaking his head. “Only Job suffered more.”
“Were you aware that Tommy took the gun from the safe?”
“Not at first. But it didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Not after Tommy fell like beautiful Lucifer from heaven. It could only have been Tommy.”
“What did Colt Rogers say when he came to visit you the first time?”
“He said if I chose to fight the charges against me every member of my family would be murdered. So you see, Detective. Like Tommy, I had no choice but to remain silent and endure as best I could.”
“Why did you wait all these years before revealing the truth? You could have done it ten, twenty years ago. Why didn’t you?”
“I was a coward. And I feared for my family.”
“That’s a terrible punishment you put on yourself. On your family. Was it worth the price you paid?”
Eli shrugged.
“Why now, Eli?” Dantzler asked. “You could have let this thing play out and no one would be the wiser.”
“I figured I would be dead by the time you uncovered the truth. Coward or not, I wasn’t about to go to my grave without freeing Thomas from the terrible hell he was living in. He had suffered enough for the sins of others.”
“Johnny Richards is dead.”
“Forgive me if I refrain from saying a prayer on his behalf.”
“Jesus’s empty tomb, Mary Magdalene-excellent clues,” Dantzler said. “But why so cryptic? So evasive? You could have made it a lot easier by simply giving me a name.”
“I had faith you would figure it out.”
“Why were you so certain I would take the case?”
“Because you’re a Gnostic.”
“What does being a Gnostic have to do with anything?”
“Gnosis, as we both know, means knowledge. And knowledge leads to the truth.”
“I still don’t follow.”
“What was your answer when I asked if you possess gnosis?”
“I chase it but I don’t always catch up to it.”
“You’re a seeker, Detective Dantzler. You seek knowledge, truth… God. I knew the truth-that I was innocent-and I had confidence you would uncover it.”
“Your faith is admirable, Eli. Misplaced, perhaps, but admirable.”
“Is my faith in Tommy’s recovery misplaced?”
“Only time will tell. But I’ll keep my fingers crossed that your faith will be rewarded.”
“Are you familiar with the concept of tikkun?”
Dantzler was startled by the old man’s question. “I’m surprised you know Kabbalah.”
“Many paths lead to God, Detective. I try to travel as many as I can.”
“During the process of Creation, the vessels containing the strict light of God’s judgment were not able to contain the light. Therefore, the vessels broke, shattered. Tikkun means restoration or redemption. The mending of those shattered vessels.”
“Very good, Detective Dantzler. My son, Thomas, is broken and shattered, but he will be restored. My faith in that is absolute.”
“Like I said, Eli. I hope you are right.”
“You’re a good man, Detective,” Eli said. “And not nearly so far removed from the Almighty as you would like us to believe. I suspect you’ll keep running away from God until you eventually bump into him.”
As Dantzler was preparing to leave the house, Rachel met him at the door. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thank you, Detective Dantzler,” she said. “Thank you for proving my father’s innocence, and for freeing Tommy from his terrible burden. Thank you for giving my family back to me.”
Dantzler stepped outside, opened his cell phone, and called Laurie. He told her to meet him at Malone’s Steak House in an hour. Then he closed the phone, put it in his coat pocket, and walked toward his car. A huge smile crossed his face.
Never had he been happier than he was at this moment.
Acknowledgment
Much of the inspiration for certain aspects of this story came from Harold Bloom’s great book, Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine . I highly recommend Professor Bloom’s book to anyone willing to be enlightened and challenged. It is terrific. Thanks to Clay Stafford and Beth Terrell at the Killer Nashville Writers Conference. It was there that Gnosis was given its first breath of life. And as always, I want to thank my small band of family and friends who have always believed in me, and have been loyal from the beginning: Julie Watson, Sarah Small, Ed Watson, Wanda Underwood, Christina Young, Suzanne Slinker, Denny Slinker, Jimmie Nell Jenkins, Grant Sparks and, most especially, my aunt Bobbie Watkins. Lastly, I want to thank my good friend Theresa Little for helping me out with the landscaping, and with a thousand other things. Theresa was beyond wonderful, and she was taken from us far too soon.
Author’s Bio
Tom Wallace is the author of two previous mysteries featuring Detective Jack Dantzler-What Matters Blood (2004) and The Devil’s Racket (2007), both set in Lexington, Kentucky, where Tom lives. He also wrote the thriller, Heirs of Cain (2010).
Tom spent many years as a successful, award-winning sportswriter in his native Kentucky. He authored five sports-related books, including the highly popular Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia, an in-depth history of the University of Kentucky’s legendary hoops program.
Tom, a Vietnam vet, is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and the Author’s Guild. His Web site is http://www.tomwallacenovels.com.
