"You don't? The rest of the town seem quite taken with him. Is there any reason you don't believe it, or are you simply not a man of God?"
Fandyke grimaces. "I won't deny it's been good for business. The hotel and shops are a bit busier than usual. But if you dig around you'll find plenty of people who're suspicious of the good Reverend's holy word. I'd say the town's fairly evenly divided between believers, the traditionalists and those who are taking a wait-and-see attitude. You go on down to the barbershop or the feed store and you'll find several different opinions."
"Scientifically it just doesn't make sense, but these are God-fearing people, Mr. Peña. God-fearing people in a tough time. Many of them want to believe. Uh, you said 'my staff.' What is it you do, exactly?"
Elliot will check out a few books about religion in general (Christian faith) and try to chat up the librarian a bit. He'll tell her that though he'd never been a religious man, he'd heard the teachings of Reverend Kornfield and decided to visit to learn more. Though he was hoping to get something of a foundation before taking that step. He professes some embarrassment at the idea of showing up at the church with no idea of what it's about. If the librarian seems willing to talk, he'll ask about when the good Reverend arrived, about his teachings, etc. If she doesn't know, he'll ask if there is anyone else he might talk to before approaching the reverend himself.
The librarian, Augusta Willis, is a stern-looking woman in wire-rimmed glasses. She whispers when she speaks and frowns when anyone speaks above a whisper.
"We have a section on Christianity, of course. I recommend Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible, as a solid source for understanding modern Biblical scholarship."
"As for the Reverend, I'm no authority. There are many in town who could tell you more than I. I do know that the supposedly remarkable healing events began roughly three months ago when George Hensen suffered an accident at the lumber mill. Supposedly he was paralyzed but was able to walk again when touched by Reverend Kornfield. Perhaps George could help you sort out the truth."
Elliot raises an eyebrow, a small smile on his lips as he whispers back. "Thank you for the suggestion, Mrs. Willis, I will begin my journey with that book. If I might be so bold, you sound as though you doubt the Reverend's power? I must admit it all sounds a bit like a fairy tale to me as well. I had thought that only the Son of God possessed the power to heal and perform miracles." He suggests, prompting Augusta for a bit more about her own thoughts.
"If only such things were true," she says. "Good day to you, sir." And she leaves, heading into her office.
"Scientifically it just doesn't make sense, but these are God-fearing people, Mr. Peña. God-fearing people in a tough time. Many of them want to believe. Uh, you said 'my staff.' What is it you do, exactly?"
Antonio smiles. "Ah, yes. Faith of the willing. It can be an easy thing when it is untested." He nods at Fandyke knowingly.
"As for what I do it isn't important for now. What is important is why I'm here. Mr. Fandyke, I am here to uncover the truth of the Reverend. I would like to know more about his Church, its teachings and the miracles. And I want to know what others say about him." He smiles and looks around the room, then back to the newspaper editor. "You seem like a man who can help me."
Elliot gives the stern-faced woman a nod, but she's already turning away and bustling back to her office. He wonders at her words as he catches Chakos' eyes and motions to the door. Doesn't seem like there's much more to be found here. He wonders if the good father is having better luck.
Fandyke eyes Antonio for a while, then shrugs. "You could go down to the First Church of Christ the Redeemer and see for yourselves," he says. "Or you could talk to Gregory Shaw about his wife, Peggy. If you can find him. He's been absent from the Shaw house for some time."
"There is also the blacksmith, Bill Schoenbaum. Bill's been quietly holding Christian services at his home since this business began. He may know more than I."
"Mr Shaw has been missing? Have the police been looking? And what is this about his wife? I would think she would be looking for him."
"Mmmm," says Fandyke, evidently having said all that he sees fit to say. He regards you once, then picks up the phone and goes back to work.
Antonio shakes his head and motions to Edward that they leave. "We'll, we could try asking around for the Shaws. But it seems as if the wife could be a devotee. Perhaps we visit the blacksmith first."
Antonio walks into the lunch counter, waving to Chakos and Elliot. He sits down with them and motions to the waitress. He orders a coffee and a ham and cheese sandwich. "So what did you two find?"
Elliot pauses while eating his hamburger, giving the good father a nod as he sits down opposite in the booth. "Not much, I'm afraid. The library didn't have anything about the new church, though the librarian told us about George Hensen, who was paralyzed a few months back in an accident at the lumber mill. Apparently Reverend Kornfield cured him."
He shrugs and mops one of his fries in some ketchup and pops it in his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. "George might be able to tell us a thing or two, though I'm thinking he might well be a bit biased. How about you, Father?"
Antonio takes a sip of the coffee and grimaces. Even compared to the coffee in New York this was bad. And it was pitiful compared to what was available in most of South America.
"Two possible leads. Mr. Fandyke, the newspaper man, is a skeptic of the Reverend and his Church. He says there are others with similar viewpoints. One of them maybe Gregory Shaw. Mr. Fandyke indicated that he might share his views about his wife Peggy, but that he's also been missing in the past few days. When I asked if anyone was looking for him, he got coy and seemed to imply that no one was."
"The other name was Bill Schoenbaum, the blacksmith. He may be holding services in his home, I assume in opposition to the Church of the Redeemer."
Chakos spends a few moments adulterating his coffee with copious amounts of sugar and heavy cream before tasting it and smiling approvingly at his creation.
"It is certainly an odd town. No one seeking a missing man might seem normal in the big city, but not in a small town like this."
Elliot frowns at the Father's words. "I agree, it would seem to me that a small community like this would make efforts to find someone who went missing. We could visit Mrs. Shaw, but we'd better have a good story in place for why we are interested. Any suggestions?"
Antonio shrugs as he eats a bite of his sandwich. "I'm concerned that Mrs. Shaw is under the Reverend's influence. If we do asking around, we might tip him off. Perhaps it would be better to find the blacksmith and hope to earn his trust. Surly he could tell us what is going on. Or we find George Hensen and see how his injury has healed."
"Every village in Africa has tales of hedge witches healing someone of grievous wounds. A year ago, I would have called all of that malarkey, but now... I am not so skeptical. I say the blacksmith."
Elliot agrees that visiting the blacksmith might be a good idea. "He might be able to give us an idea of what's really going on here, if those under the Reverend's influence are truly brainwashed."
On the north side of town, at the intersection of Brown and Liberty, stands the Schoenbaum home. Alongside that is a large barn that houses a forge, fuel, various tools, and metals. The sound of hammering on an anvil is clearly audible from the street.
As you walk up from the street you are met by a dark-haired girl in her late teens. She's dressed in overalls, work boots and a plaid shirt several sizes too large for her. Her hair is cut short and she looks like quite the tomboy.
"Hello," she says. "You here to see my dad?"
Elliot gives what he hopes is a good-natured smile to the girl. "Hi there. Well, that depends I suppose. Is your dad Mr. Schoenbaum? If that's the case, then yes, we'd like to see him for a bit, if he has the time?"
Chakos makes sure to not get caught gazing at the blacksmith's daughter.
Antonio smiles at her, glancing over to the sounds coming from the barn. "Is that him working now? Should we just go over and visit with him, or would he rather come out to speak to us?" The man catches himself as if he forgot something. "Oh, my name is Antonio. And you are?"
She looks you up and down. [b]"I'm Susie. Susie Schoenbaum. Why're you here? I mean, what's this about? You don't look like tax collectors to me. Are you tax collectors? Or are you here about...something else?"
Elliot grins at the girl. Susie? That's a pretty name. No, we aren't tax collectors. We've come by to talk to your father about the church services he's offering. We've heard a bit about this Reverend Kornfield, but... well, he doesn't seem to be the kind of man we'd put our faith in. Do you know what I mean?"
He is curious to see if Susie has any thoughts about this herself, or maybe if she's overheard her parents talking...
She turns her head and spits in the dust, a most un-ladylike action.
"There ain't nothing reverend about that man. He's got the devil in him! My pa ain't no preacher, but at least he's trying to keep to the Good Book."
"Why, that Reverend Kornfield, he's done plenty that folks just don't want to talk about. Everybody knows he's got the devil in him. Anyway, those that haven't been fooled by his 'miracles'. If the paper'd only print the truth! And if the Sheriff weren't on his side..."
"Somebody ought to do something."
Antonio nods. "And a good man, keeping to the scriptures is worth far more than anyone formally trained, yet with malice in their heart. Lay ministers are true strength of the faith. Although, it does seem that the Reverend Kornfield has captured the attention of much of the town."
"May we speak to your father, Susie? We would like to find a way to help him and the town."
Elliot's smile widens in appreciation of the girl's reaction. "I think we find ourselves in agreement, Susie. As the padre says, your father seems a good man. We'd like to meet him, if he's interested in talking with us. We're here to help."
Susie eyes you once more, but her suspicion fades in the face of her fervor. "Yeah, come on back."
She leads you to the barn and yells "Pa! Visitors! Pa!" The hammer stops ringing and a burly, sweaty man in overalls appears from the back.
"Hello," he says, sizing you up.
"Pa, they're here about Reverend Kornfield. They ain't tax men, pa. They're, um," Susie falters, realizing she has no idea who you are.
"We're men who want to help you expose the Reverend and his Church. I'm Antonio." He reaches out to shake the man's hand. "Is there somewhere more private and comfortable that we can talk? We are interested in what's been happening here with the Reverend and your struggle to keep the faith."
"Bill Schoenbaum," says the smith, looking around as if concerned to be overheard.
Sure enough, another voice calls out from the house. From the roof of the house. It is a woman's voice. "Bill, who's that? Who are those men?"
"Good lord, Pearl, get dressed!" shouts Bill.
You can't help but notice that Mrs. Schoenbaum, who is standing on the roof of her house about forty feet awy, is completely naked. She's holding a towel over her body that doesn't really conceal her pleasing form.
"Just some travelers looking for direction, that's all," he adds.
Pearl adjusts her towel slightly and dismisses her husband's concerns with an airy wave of a hand. She lies down, evidently sunning herself. She's clearly waiting for you to depart before she exposes herself again.
Bill Schoenbaum growls. "Come into the barn. We'll talk there."
"Mama's needs the sun more these days," says Susie.
"Young lady, you have chores to do," growls the smith and leads you back into his barn which is now a forge.
"You're gonna have to excuse my wife's behavior. She ain't well. Now, what's this about?"
Antonio can't help but give a small gasp at the sight of the wife sunning herself on the roof. He turns away to avoid any impropriety, though he notes that Bill was a lucky man.
Following him into the barn, Antonio looks around at the place, trying to judge the blacksmith's character by the state of his workspace.
"Mr. Schoenbaum, I'm Antonio. We were speaking with your daughter about the activities of the Reverend Kornfield. I understand that you hold your own services. We are similarly skeptical of his Church and it's teaching, and we would like to know more about what's been happening in town. Hopefully we can help expose him if there are falsehoods in his ministry."
Chakos considers the reasons why the woman might need more sun these days, from a medical perspective?
Chakos considers the reasons why the woman might need more sun these days, from a medical perspective?
Antonio can't help but give a small gasp at the sight of the wife sunning herself on the roof. He turns away to avoid any impropriety, though he notes that Bill was a lucky man.
Following him into the barn, Antonio looks around at the place, trying to judge the blacksmith's character by the state of his workspace.
"Mr. Schoenbaum, I'm Antonio. We were speaking with your daughter about the activities of the Reverend Kornfield. I understand that you hold your own services. We are similarly skeptical of his Church and it's teaching, and we would like to know more about what's been happening in town. Hopefully we can help expose him if there are falsehoods in his ministry."
Bill Schoenbaum is a huge man with rippling muscles. His forge is shabby but well kept. His tools have little rust and show signs of frequent use. Fence rails, horseshoes and iron nails lay waiting to be mended.
He takes a long breath while considering his visitors. "Look, I don't believe in any man telling another how he should worship his Maker. That ain't right. But... but I don't believe these things Reverend Kornfield does are from God. Not... not my God, anyway."
"I ain't much for book learning and I ain't no minister. But I read the Good Book, and there's stories like this in there. False prophets and whatnot. Baal. Dagon. Amun. They're all in there and I think maybe this is from something like that."
"My Pearl... she had this condition. This thing with her skin. The doctors called it psoriasis and said it wasn't curable. It plagued her something awful but she was beautiful to me, you know? She hated it and hid herself away from the sight of others. But she went to Reverend Kornfield and he healed her. Her skin was like new. Better, even. She was so happy. She talked about nothing but getting a new sleeveless dress and about that Reverend. We went to his church a few times, but then it happened."
Bill grimaces, almost snarling. "She sheds her skin! Like a snake. There's a whole molting left behind every month! And she's taken to sunning herself on that damned roof almost every day. She's... well I don't like to talk about it but let's just say she's... more... energetic than a she used to be. It ain't right. I don't know what happened to her but I don't think Jesus has anything to do with it. Or with that Reverend Kornfield!"
Chakos considers the reasons why the woman might need more sun these days, from a medical perspective?
Antonio blinks. "Her...her skin? Bill, when you say she sheds, do you mean pieces flake off? Or do you really mean like a snake like it all comes off?"
"How exactly did The Reverend heal her?" He pauses and steps closer to the blacksmith. "Are you sure she's really herself?"
Many cold-blooded creatures sun themselves to warm up their bodies. Like snakes. Chakos has a vivid memory of the serpent-person he saw break free from Caduceus headquarters, and of the man-eating serpent-person in Borneo.
"What do you mean, like she's not Pearl?" The smith really does seem to consider that idea.
"Nah, it's her. But she's gone a bit..." he points to his head. "A bit funny. She ain't completely right. An' I don't know what sort of deviltry he's got up to. Pearl says he just prayed over her and put his hands on her face and hands."
Chakos does NOT blurt out his thoughts on this. Time enough to inform the part once we're away from here.
Elliot stays quiet for now, content to let the others do the speaking. He wonders if perhaps Pearl truly isn't herself, based on what they've seen. But could a serpent person in disguise fool a husband of many years? Or did she just... change somehow?
Antonio reaches out to pat Bill on the shoulder. "Bill, have you heard of any others like this after the Reverend healed them? I heard he has healed others. And something tells me this isn't the only reason you distrust him, though it would be a lot for anyone. What else?"
"Harry Mathewson, he works at Kunkel's barbershop. He was almost blind with cataracts. He says Reverend Kornfield cured him and he can see real good now. But he ain't right neither. He's always sleepy now. There's others, I'm sure of it."
"And no, I ain't got no other reason to dislike the Reverend. I'm a God-fearing man and this ain't the work of God. False Prophets. The Bible warns us against false prophets and miracle workers. The Lord's miracles don't leave people shedding skins. It's a sign of the End Times. That's enough for me."
"You should know that the Sheriff, Sheriff Benson, he's a believer. He and Reverend Kornfield're close. Look, I ain't looking to make waves. I just want me and mine left alone to worship as we see fit. We ain't joining no false church."