A Religious Experience

Hank immediately went to work after the Becks left the office since Karin was busy finishing up on a prior commitment.

A call to a friend at the FBI yielded an interesting lead. The Reverend Holland was part of a national network of churches; there were six throughout the U.S.; Holland's church in Texas was one, there were churches in Idaho, Arizona, Georgia, Alaska and New Jersey. The New Jersey church, The Lord is My Shepherd Church led by a Reverend McMasters, was located in a rural area of Hunterdon County. Hank was able to locate the ninety-acre farm on Google Maps. At least half the property was tilled, but the other half was forested, six buildings sat in the center of the woods. The church itself, with a small parking lot, was just off the road on the edge of the property.

When Karin showed up in the office the next day, Hank could tell something was wrong. Karin told Hank about the double murder and suicide of a recent client. The husband murdered his wife and her lover, then killed himself with an overdose of pills. Karin was shaken up by it; she had collected the evidence of the affair and didn't consider the husband a risk. Hank tried to convince her that it wasn't her fault. (For more of this tale, see "Karin and Katiana", published 01/23/2019.)

"How about we take your mind off this by helping John Beck recover his son?"

"It would be nice to do something positive for a change. I told Bill I'm sick of following cheating spouses. This Toni Beck sounds like she's into this cult for more than the religion; but if we can find the boy, maybe that will help John get past losing his wife. God, I hope so. What have you learned?"

Hank filled Karin in on what he'd learned so far. When Hank mentioned Frenchtown, New Jersey, Karin sat up.

"Do you remember John Stuart, my training officer? Everyone called him 'Jeb'; you met him when I was on Anti-Terror. I introduced you to him; he was a desk sergeant at that time."

"Yea, I remember. Good guy - you said. Treated you right when he was your training officer. Why?"

"Jeb retired ten years ago and moved to Frenchtown. We still exchange Christmas cards. He has an agency in town there. Let's take a ride out and talk to him. I could use a road trip to clear my head."

Karin made a call to Stuart, made certain he'd be in that afternoon, but didn't give him a reason for the visit. John Stuart sounded happy to hear from Karin and said he would look forward to the visit. They walked across the street to the parking garage where they kept the company cars; choosing the non-descript white Ford Escape. Only a car-nut could tell the difference between the Escape and any number of small SUVs made by Subaru, Honda, etc.

Hank drove; they left Manhattan via the Holland tunnel and drove southwest on the New Jersey Turnpike. The first words spoken were from Hank.

"Look at that; across the water."

Karin looked past Hank and saw the Statue of Liberty.

"I guess the boy knew what he was looking at after all. Maybe we're on the right track."

The thought that this might end up with the boy and father reunited put Karin in a better mood. She told Hank the good news; Bill's job search was over; he had a nice offer from a small start-up.

Karin and Hank walked into the wood frame building at the end of town; 'John Stuart - Stuart Investigations' the sign read in front. Inside, they found a rotund man reading a paper, his feet up on the desk. The man now wore his hair long and had an unusual facial hairstyle; the moustache waxed with an upward curl, the goatee coming to a point on his chin. It didn't fit; it looked like something a Confederate Calvary captain would wear, not the two-hundred-fifty-pound man sitting in front of them.

Seeing them walk in, he jumped up with a spring inconsistent with the man's size.

"Karin, so good to see you. What brings you to these boonies?"

Karin walked around the desk and gave her old police training officer a big hug. "Jeb, do you remember Hank Price?"

"Of course." Jeb shook Hank's hand. "Mr. Alphabet." Hank was used to the ribbing; having worked with a few police departments during his time with the NSA and CIA.

Karin couldn't help herself, she rubbed Jeb's belly. "What you got hidden in there? What happened to the six-pack abs?"

"That was over fifteen years ago, sweetheart. Six pack? Shit! I've got a whole keg now!" Jeb placed his own hand over Karin's hand rubbing his substantial gut, laughing at his own joke. Karin and Hank just groaned.

"Now really; what brings you two city people out to my neck of the woods?"

Karin filled Jeb in on why they were interested in Reverend McMasters.

"Well, if McMasters has the woman and the boy in the inner compound, it will be tough getting any warrant just based on what you have now. McMasters has been part of the county for almost fifty years now. I found out when I first moved here that he has a lot of influence with local law enforcement and the courts. McMasters came here in the sixties, he was a rich, trust fund kid and started a commune where his church and the farm are now. Most folks figure the good Reverend has a lot of the local movers and shakers on film from those hippy-commune days; men and women who went out there in their youth for the sex and dope.

"You're not the first trying to locate someone at the farm; usually it's a wayward daughter the family is tracing. Just last year some hotshot from Eastern Washington tried to get inside. His daughter got messed up with some preacher out in Idaho and the family traced the girl here, or so they thought. When the local judge refused to sign a warrant for the family to search the compound, the father took matters into his own hands. Hired a couple freelancers, went out there with guns to force their way in; instead they were met by the Reverend's armed guards. No shots were fired, nobody got hurt, but the father backed off. By the time he got someone higher up in the foodchain to sign a search warrant, the girl wasn't there. Rumor has it she got sent out to the Southwest; Texas or Arizona. Don't know if the father ever caught up with her."

Hank thought about this for a half-minute.

"So, warrants won't work; and it sounds like going in with guns blazing will probably get a lot of people hurt and us in jail. But; we still need to get inside to find out if the mom and boy are there. Do you have any other ideas?"

"Well if it were me; I'd set out a decoy. One of two ways. The church is for real; it may be different with its unorthodox teachings; but it does have its parishioners. A couple could join the church and eventually get invited into the compound."

Karin interrupted, "What do you mean by 'unorthodox teachings?"

Jeb smiled as if he was about to tell a joke. "Unorthodox describes Reverend McMasters' interpretation of the bible, including the 'missing Gospel'. McMasters hasn't fallen far from his commune/free love days. He preaches open marriages and wife swapping."

Hank had to ask, "And that plays out here in Hunterdon County?"

"You'd be surprised. People even come from a few counties over. Saturday nights twenty or more cars head up the drive to the compound and I'm certain every car has anywhere between two and four people in it. The Sunday late morning service, that's when the kids are invited because there's no sex, only fifteen or so cars are in the church parking lot."

"Could we sneak in on a Saturday night with the other cars?"

"No, the armed guards meet every car going into the drive to the compound. It's strictly invitation only."

Karin and Hank were still shaking their heads when Jeb continued. "The other option is finding some young woman willing to go inside and have a look around. The Reverend may be sixty-something; but he still likes them young and he still has to feed his two bodyguards fresh meat from time to time. Women have gone into the compound and a few come out weeks or months later. It's rare, but it's happened. Since the girls went in voluntarily and they've all been of legal age, nothing is said or done. Most of them leave town soon after, it's common knowledge the girls are passed around inside; few local men are going to marry a woman that's been used like that when everybody knows it."

The three of them chatted about other topics before Jeb brought up the one thing he was reluctant to ask. "Karin; how's Bill doing?"

Karin's eyes brightened, thinking about her husband, before answering Jeb, "Bill's in remission. He's almost back to his old self after the chemo and radiation. Thanks for asking."

"That's great Karin; tell him I said hello. And if you and Hank need anything, let me know. The Reverend McMasters is always a topic of gossip around here, so it won't seem out of ordinary if I discreetly ask a couple questions. Don't worry; I'll keep it low-key."

"I know you will, Jeb. Thanks. We'll probably get in touch with you in a couple days. How would we introduce a mole if we go with option two?"

"When you head out of town, a half mile before you come to the Reverend's church, you'll pass a diner. They're always looking for a waitress. The guy who owns the joint is a real asshole, waitresses usually last only a few months before quitting – and that's the desperate ones."

Hank and Karin drove east out of town, first passing the diner, then the church. As they drove past the church, they couldn't help but start laughing.

"So, Karin; I'm guessing option one, joining the good Reverend's Saturday night orgies, is out."

Karin laughed harder now. "Yea, I'm afraid Bill is still dead set against me participating in an orgy."

"Shame – think of all the fun you'd have with all those sixty-year-old hippies. I bet it's a real floor show."

"Stop it, Hank. That's an image I can do without."

"Seriously; how do we get inside the compound?"

"What about April Coons? Last I heard, she was still free-lancing. She's pricey; but she'd be our ticket in. Did Thomas Beck give you an idea how high he was willing to go, expense-wise?"

"Let's call April and find out if she's available and what she's charging now a-days. Then I'll call Tom for the OK."

*******************************

April Coons was a thirty-five-year-old trained for counter-intelligence by the FBI. She was undercover when things got dicey and she ended up killing two men with her bare hands. Some big-shot asshole who never spent a day of his FBI career in the field decided to make an example of her; she received a reprimand in her file. She'd probably never get another promotion with it in her file – April told them all to go fuck themselves and went to the private sector. Spent two years in the Middle East and was now back on the East Coast doing contract work for various private contractors.

April may be the type of woman who could kill a man with her bare hands; but she was good looking and could pass for twenty-five. Her youthful, pretty face helped get her through more than a few locked doors.

*****************************

The next morning, even before they had a chance to call April, Karin and Hank received a visitor at their office. They met in the conference room – FBI Special Agent Stanley Nolan got right down to business after showing them his badge.

"Ms. Roland, Mr. Price; yesterday I received word from our New York field office that you've made an inquiry concerning a Reverend Holland of Texas and that one of our agents gave you information regarding a Reverend McMasters of New Jersey. Is that correct?"

"That depends; how much trouble is any one in if it's true?"

"None, Agent Davis vouched for both of you and after I looked at your backgrounds, I have to agree with him. He didn't share anything of significance if what he said is true, and I believe him. I'm here to go beyond that, if you agree to keep what we discuss confidential and if you agree to work with me."

Hank smiled as he thought it over, this was a case of 'I'll show you mine, if you show me yours'; but like all such verbal contracts, it might matter who showed theirs first. Oh well, he thought, let's see how serious this guy is. "Tell us more."

Now it was Agent Nolan's turn to smile; nothing is ever easy with these ex-CIA/NSA guys.

"As Agent Davis already told you, both Holland and McMasters are part of a loose confederation of churches; without pulling punches, 'churches' is a poor way to define what goes on at these houses of worship. Every one of them is just an excuse for a bunch of people to screw each other. And every one of them is led by a charismatic minister. Some are young like Holland and some are old goats like McMasters.

"Currently, we have no proof any of these churches are breaking the law, but there have been strong rumors of possible sex slavery and the disappearance of a half-dozen men and women and that's why the Bureau has been investigating."

Agent Nolan paused, "OK – I shared. Now it's your turn."

Karin replied, "John Beck hired us to locate his wife Toni and son Jason. They were last seen in Texas when they were dropped off at DFW by Mr. Beck. They were supposedly going to see Mrs. Beck's sister, but they never got on that plane or any other. We have reason to believe they were in New York and that led us to McMasters' compound. But; we don't have any evidence of them at the compound, just conjecture at this point. We're trying to come up with a plan to get inside."

Agent Nolan took out a notepad and read for a minute. "They're inside."

"How do you know?"

"Because we have someone inside."

"Then we should be able to get a warrant for at least the boy."

"Except that could blow the cover of our person inside. These people aren't stupid. It may take them a while, but they'll figure out who it is and we'll have blown months of investigation or worse, we may end up with a dead mole."

Karin interrupted, "What if we get someone inside to help get them out?"

Agent Nolan liked the idea. "That would be great. If your mole gets Mrs. Beck out, we can use any intel she gives us to keep our person from being discovered. Do you have someone in mind?"

"We were about to call April Coons this morning."

Nolan whistled out loud. "Coons? Is she in the country? Last I heard, she was in Syria."

"She's back."

"Getting Coons inside is the best of all worlds. How do you plan to do it?"

"There's a small café right near the church in need of a waitress. With Coons' looks, she's bound to be noticed and from what we know, she'll be invited in."

Nolan handed both Karin and Hank each a card. "I'd appreciate it if you let me know your progress. If Coons is with the program, I'd like to talk to her first. There are some things I can share, including the identity of our person. It may help her to know who it is; no accidents that way."

All three agreed, Nolan left, and Hank got on the phone to find Coons.

Chapter Eight – April Coons Meets Reverend McMasters

They tracked April down in Miami, spending a month soaking up the sun and the Mojitos. April Coons was more than happy to postpone the latter half of her R&R after she heard what Hank and Karin had in mind; she was especially pleased to work with her old buddy, Karin, again. They were both successful females in the male-dominated, testosterone-filled world of anti-terror. It would be good to catch up after so many years. Still April wasn't cheap; but Thomas Beck OK'd the expenditure.

Things progressed quickly. Coons showed up on Wednesday, met with Karin, Hank and Agent Nolan that afternoon. Getting a job at the diner was a snap, especially when April accepted the evening and weekend shifts. She started Friday evening and her first contact with the Reverend's followers was Saturday evening when two couples on the way to the Saturday orgy stopped in the diner before heading up to the compound. All four were taken in by April's appearance and her sad story of getting dumped by her fiancé the previous month. Both couples related the news to the Reverend that night - there was a new woman in town who might be someone in need of spiritual guidance.

Sunday, after services, McMaster and one of his bodyguards went to the diner. Between ordering their meals and getting the check, they took the opportunity to chat up the new waitress. April told these two that she'd be happy to stop by on Monday, her next day off. McMasters left a generous tip and laughed to the bodyguard as they left the diner, "These cunts are so damn easy."

Hank was staying at the Bridgeton Inn on the Pennsylvania side of the river, Karin was back in New York; no need for her to be nearby until April made contact. Everyone was surprised it took so little time for McMaster to invite April to the compound. Karin rushed out Monday morning to meet with April and Hank to coordinate their next steps before April drove out to the compound early Monday afternoon.

April was confident nothing would happen during her first visit; she made certain of it by letting McMasters know how she bragged to everyone at the diner that she was invited and where she would be Monday.

April, McMasters and a guard named Nate Sheffield spent a few hours Monday walking around the grounds and discussing 'spiritual' issues. April never saw Toni during the tour; she thought she saw a small boy out by the barn at one point; but he was too far away to know if it was Jason. After a couple hours with McMasters, April excused herself and asked if she could come back the next morning before her shift at the diner. McMasters offered to put her in one of the spare bedrooms, April declined and left before sundown.

The first thing April demanded when she entered Hank's motel room was a stiff drink to get the taste of sleaze out of her mouth. "Damn, Hank; I spent two years fighting ISIS - they use religion to keep women suppressed; I come back to the States and find these sleaze-balls perverting religion just to get laid. I can't decide which is worse."

April was on her second Vodka and tonic when Karin walked in the room. Everyone was disappointed that April hadn't seen Toni or Jason; but held out hope for Tuesday. Karin returned to her own room, but noticed April was in no hurry to leave Hank's room.

It was Tuesday morning, April's second visit to the compound, when she saw Toni. Toni and a young boy, April recognized Jason from the photos, were in the garden pulling weeds. April didn't hesitate, surprising the man accompanying her through the grounds, by quickly running over to the young boy and kneeling next to him.

"What a beautiful boy! What's his name?"

Toni looked up at the woman; not knowing who this stranger was, she thought it best to answer her question politely. "His name is Jason; he's my son."

April addressed Jason; noticing the entire time that her escort was looking nervous; trying to decide if he should remove April from Jason and Toni. Which reaction would cause the lesser scene; allowing the three of them a quick chat or pulling the new recruit away from the woman and her child? April took advantage of the man's confusion to press forward.

"My name is April." Holding her hand out to Toni.

"I'm Toni."

"Mr. Sheffield has been showing me around the grounds; it's my second visit. I just love gardening; what are you growing here?" April took the boy's hand and walked into the center of the garden. She turned to her escort. "Mr.

Sheffield; you don't mind if I get a woman's perspective on your church? I've only been able to talk to men so far. I'd like to talk to this lady."

Now Sheffield was really flummoxed. What to do? He wasn't used to such a head-strong woman; he only dealt with the little shrinking wallflowers that he usually escorted and occasionally fucked. This woman had a mind of her own. Sheffield decided the best course of action was to get McMasters ASAP. He turned and started to jog toward the house.