"However-" the judge shot a gaze at Jordan- "I've made another decision as well. Fm not sure that the statue requires a ten-foot high wall. That, Mr. Riley I will leave up to you."

The man beside Jordan pointed to something in a file on their desk, and Jordan nodded. He stood and faced the judge." Your Honor, it is the opinion of the HOUR organization that nothing short of a ten-foot high fence will successfully hide the statue in Jericho Park." He glanced at his a.s.sociate, then back at the judge. "We don't feel we need thirty days to make that decision."

Joshua felt more like a silent bystander than a part of the pro-ceedings, but he knew if he didn't say something now he might not have another chance. "Your Honor, may I interject?"

Judge Webster shot him a surprised look and seemed to con-sider Joshua's request for several seconds. "Very well, go ahead."

"Since the property now involves a private party, I believe another hearing-between that person, myself, and Mr. Riley-is essential. Certainly we cannot come up with a final decision without consulting the person who now owns that property" Joshua stepped back and resisted a smile. He hadn't planned on making that argument; the words could only have come from G.o.d. Thank You, Lord... He blinked and waited for the judge to respond.

The muscles in Judge Webster's jaw tightened and relaxed three times before he spoke. "We do have an unusual situation here, I'm afraid. Mr. Nunn is correct-we must involve the pri-vate citizen before I make a permanent ruling." He checked his notes. "At the same time, I have already stated that the people must no longer be subject to a statue of Jesus Christ in the center of a public park." He leaned his forearms on the bench and frowned. "For that reason I am ordering that a temporary ten-foot-high plywood wall be erected around the statue for thirty days, until our next hearing. At that time I will hear from Ms.-" he looked at his notes again- "Ms. Faith Evans, along with the plaintiff and defendant in the case. Only then will I make a per-manent ruling." He leveled his gaze at Joshua. "You will inform the Bethany city council that they have seventy-two hours to build the wall around the statue, and that the city is to incur the cost of building it."

"Yes, Your Honor." Joshua did his best to hide his disappoint-ment. At least the ruling was only temporary Still... he was heart-sick at the ground they'd lost. He'd come to court that morning certain the judge would throw out his earlier ruling, sure that Faith's decision to purchase the park land had been G.o.d's way of handing them a victory Instead the city was now party to yet another lawsuit and in three short days the Jesus statue would be surrounded by a ten-foot wall.

The hearing was over and the reporters moved in with their questions, most of them directed toward Jordan Riley "Are you happy with the judge's ruling?"

"Do you think the wall will become permanent?"

"Is it right for a newscaster to get involved in something this political?"

The air of tension in the courtroom lifted as Jordan smiled at the cameras. "We won't be completely happy until the ruling is permanent, but it's the best we could hope for at this point."

"What type of wall are you going to request at the next hear-mg?"

He glanced at his friend and flashed another smile for the reporters. "Brick."

"Do you feel justice was served today?"

Jordan hesitated, and from where Joshua was gathering his legal files several feet away, he could see the air of professionalism in the way Jordan angled his head, his eyes suddenly serious again. "Justice will be served when we don t have to go to court to see that the Const.i.tution is honored. There are still hundreds of thousands of citizens across America who hold to a dangerous belief that the government should advocate a state religion- Christianity, to be specific." He shifted his attention to another camera. "We attorneys at HOUR refuse to rest until that belief has been eradicated from the public conscience of these great United States."

Across the room, Joshua resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Jordan couldn't have sounded more polished if he'd been run-ning for office. The reporters seemed to be finished with the plaintiff's point of view and the group of them migrated across the courtroom and fell in around Joshua. But whereas they'd smiled and bantered easily with Jordan, they seemed to have just one question for Joshua Nunn and the Religious Freedom Inst.i.tute: "How can we get in touch with Faith Evans?"

Sixteen.

Jordan hadn't expected to be back in Bethany so soon, but now that he was there he planned to spend the night and return to New York in the morning. When the press had fin-ished with him, he dismissed X J., explaining he had to take care of paperwork at the local courthouse.

"I'll take a room next to yours," T. J. said as they made their way to the parking lot. The men had driven to Bethany in sepa-rate cars since T. J. needed to finish a case he was working on before driving up. "You never know, you might need help. Besides, that way we can find some all-night Italian diner and catch up on the other half of life-you know, the hours we actu-ally spend at home."

Jordan looked at his friend, convinced again that something wasn't right. Without a doubt Jordan and his a.s.sistants could have handled today's hearing on their own. Dozens of times he'd handled more demanding hearings without the help of an a.s.soci-ate. And now-instead of heading back to New York to be with his wife and baby daughter-T. J. wanted to spend the night in Bethany?

They walked in silence and arrived at their cars, parked side by side at the back of the lot. Jordan leaned back on his and faced his friend. "What's up, T J.?"

Jordan had known T. J. for years. They were hired at the same time and had spent at least one Sat.u.r.day a month fishing the rivers and lakes outside the city They'd double-dated on occasion. In all of New York, T J. was Jordan's best friend.

So why wouldn't his best friend make eye contact?

"Nothing's up. I mean, why hurry back to the office?"

T. J.'s voice lacked conviction, and Jordan felt a fluttering in his gut. What was this?

Jordan slid his hands in his pocket, leaned harder against his car, and crossed his ankles. "Level with me, buddy. I'm serious." He positioned his head so he could see T. J.'s eyes.

Even above the occasional gusts of wind in the maple trees that lined the parking lot, Jordan could hear the heaviness in T. J.'s sigh. "Hawkins asked me to stay"

Jordan felt the ground beneath him give way. "What do you mean? Why would he do that?"

T. J. shrugged. "I'm not sure anymore, Jordan." He looked up, his gaze level. "Maybe you should ask him." T. J. turned his head and stared across the parking lot, as though watching invisible monsters closing in. "Sometimes...I think we're losing our focus."

"What d'ya mean, buddy?" Jordan's voice was softer than before, and he searched his friend's face. What wasn't T. J. telling him?

T. J. gave a few quick shakes of his head and looked at Jordan again. "Nothing." He forced a laugh. "It's been a long couple days." He glanced at his watch. "Tell you what, you stay here and take care of business and I'll head home." The corners of his mouth lifted and he winked once at Jordan. "She misses me when I'm gone more than one night."

Without saying another word, T. J. fished his keys from his pocket and climbed into his car. Jordan was torn between relief that he had some time to himself and concern about whatever it was T. J. wasn't saying. "Wait a minute-" he grabbed hold of his friend's open car door and stooped down- "what aren't you telling me?"

T. J. looked at him, then pursed his lips and angled his head. "It's all for a good cause, isn't it, Riley? Isn't that what they tell us?"

A ripple of panic shot through Jordan. "What's for a good cause? You're losing me here, Teej."

"The whole thing." He motioned toward the courtroom. "The fight for human rights. Battling the little guys. It's all for a good cause." He put his hand on the steering wheel. "Look, I gotta get going or 111 never make it home for dinner."

Jordan got the message. He let his hand fall from T. J.'s car door and stepped back. He nodded at his friend as he turned the key and backed out of the spot. Maybe Jordan had been looking too deeply into things. Maybe Hawkins merely wanted to make sure they won the case. But something about that thought felt as comfortable as bad seafood in his gut. Jordan blinked, trying to see the bigger picture. Whatever it was, he knew he could count on T. J. If something was eating at him, Jordan would find out sooner or later. "Drive safe."

Not until T. J.'s car turned out of the parking lot and disap-peared down a narrow side street toward the freeway did Jordan release the air that had been building up in him since the old lawyer's revelation. Faith Evans had purchased the park prop-erty? How was that possible?

He stared at the scant leaves still clinging to the branches above him. Why would Faith make so bold a move now, when she held a prestigious position with WKZN and sat poised on what could be a move to national television? He remembered something Faith had said back when they were kids, back when Jordan had spent every evening praying at Jericho Park: "That statue isn't Jesus, you know that, nght? It's just a picture of Him... "

Surely she felt the same way today. So why the fight? What did it matter if the statue came down? He thought about all she could lose, the way she would likely be mocked and held up for ridicule before the public eye after today's hearing.

"Ah, Faith..." Her whispered name took to the wind like one more dead leaf. He'd spent sixteen years searching for some sign of his past, some remnant that would help him connect those early days with the life he was living now His mother was gone; Heidi too. And until that fall, Faith had been little more than a distant memory, a symbol from a time when everything was as it should have been.

Before G.o.d had pulled the rug out from underneath him.

And now that he'd found Faith, there was more distance between them than ever before.

Jordan squinted and tried to see through the barren branches to the sky beyond. Was He there, that mighty G.o.d, the one Faith clung to so blindly? Did He know that the lovely Faith Moses was about to take a fall, about to be the sacrificial lamb in a media event that was far from played out?

Another breath eased its way through Jordan's clenched teeth, and he slid into his car. He was an attorney at the top of his game, a man who after tonight's news would be credited with single-handedly foiling the plans of an entire city. A human rights advocate to be reckoned with and admired in legal circles around the country But for all that, as Jordan drove out of the parking lot he had to fight an urge that made no sense whatsoever. An urge he could barely acknowledge and would certainly never voice. The urge to call the judge and drop the case. Then to find Faith, gather her in his arms, and love her the way he'd wanted to do since that magi-cal, long-ago fall. Back when his mother was well, and Heidi was there, and everything good in life seemed to center around one very special girl.

Faith was at the station all of two minutes when she realized there was a problem. Cameramen and stage hands omitted their usual greeting and scurried out of the way when she entered the building. Before she even had time to hang her coat in the dressing room, there was a knock at the door.

"Yes..." She had no reason to be fearful. After all, she'd sur-vived two newscasts since buying the property and still no one had said a word about it at the station. By now she'd decided that maybe they wouldn't find out; maybe she had the right to buy property like any other citizen. So what if she was an anchor for the nightly news?.

Her certainty fell away like a poorly built house of cards when she saw d.i.c.k Baker's secretary at the door. "Mr. Baker wants a word with you." Normally the older woman was friendly but this time her tone was curt and after delivering the message, she left quickly Faith made her way down the hallway and found the door marked Station Manager. The moment she knocked, Mr. Baker's voice boomed from behind the door. "Come in!"

Faith's stomach felt like it was being trampled by a herd of cattle. She crossed her arms tightly, gripping her sides with the tips of her fingers. "You wanted to see me?"

She expected him to be mad, but his face lacked any expression whatsoever. Someone's told him. Dear G.o.d, give me strength. You promised You'd get me through this... Faith froze, unblinking, waiting for her boss to speak.

Mr. Baker leveled his gaze at her, and Faith saw that his features were hard and cold as steel in wintertime. "It came to my attention a few days ago that you'd done something incredibly stupid, something I hoped wasn't true." He paused, and she saw another emotion filter across his eyes. Disgust... even disdain. "As I told you before, the network has talked of bringing you up, giving you a reporter position on a national level. A move like that would have looked good for us, given the network moguls a rea-son to keep their eyes on the Philadelphia station."

Faith's knees felt weak and she shifted her weight. Help me be calm, Lord...I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength... I can do all things through Christ who- 'Today, however, I learned from several reporters-including ours-that the information I'd heard the other day was true." The man made true sound like profanity Faith could see he was working to remain calm and though she was tempted to join the conversation to defend herself, she kept silent. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd found out about the Jesus statue. She kept her chin up, her eyes on his, and waited for him to con-tinue. I can do all things through- Mr. Baker suddenly stood and began pacing near his desk, rubbing the back of his head as he spoke. "When I hired you, Faith, I warned you that being an anchor would require your unbiased attention. That there was no room here for your reli-gious views. You signed the contract promising as much." He stopped and pointed at her. "You're a public figure as long as your face is on television every night. I made that clear to you from the beginning."

He resumed his pacing, staring at his feet as he walked. "Our reporters must be intelligent, law-abiding citizens who, though they cover the news, must steer clear of ever being the news." He glanced up at her. "You understood that when I hired you, am I right?"

"Yes." Faith could feel G.o.d's peace working its way through her being, could feel G.o.d's promise for strength being fulfilled.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength...

The verse she'd relied on since her breakup with Mike had never felt more real than at this moment. Certainly this was not the worst situation a believer ever faced... How had John the Baptist felt when he was called in and asked to lay his neck across King Herod's dinner plate? And how about the martyr, Stephen, who refused to answer even one complaint lodged against him, not even when the rocks started to fly?

Of course, the greatest example of all was Jesus...called in and questioned about His ident.i.ty, knowing full well the deadly fate that awaited Him before the weekend was through.

No, whatever d.i.c.k Baker might say or do, it couldn't compare to any of that. Faith steadied herself and waited for what was coming.

Her boss spun around and faced her. "The story I hear is that you bought the land where that Jesus statue stands. You con-tacted Bethany officials and paid ten thousand dollars for it so the city could avoid following the judge's order." His chuckle was bit-ter and filled with sarcasm. "Believe me, I'd like to look each of those reporters in the face and tell them they were wrong. Tell them there's no way any anchor of mine would do a foolhardy thing like that. Especially when I'd already told her not to do anything of the sort." He raised his voice. "But in this case, I had nothing to tell them."

The man walked four slow steps toward her, his eyes never leaving hers. "Did you do it, Faith? Is it true?" He stopped in front of her and crossed his arms, his glare boring into her like a drill bit.

"Yes...it's true." Her voice was kind but firm as she felt the Scripture continue to work its way through her heart and soul. "I am an anchorwoman, and yes, I promised to be unbiased. But I'm a Christian first, and a citizen second. I have a right to pur-chase property like anyone else."

Anger burned in Baker's eyes, but he neither shouted nor stormed about the office as Faith had seen him do on other occasions. Instead he jerked his head up, sucked in a deep breath through his nose, and studied the ceiling. When he looked back at her, his words were matter-of-fact. "Very well. And now I have the right to fire you."

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength... I can do all things through... She forced herself to exhale so she wouldn't pa.s.s out. Help me, G.o.d. See me through. Faith knew there was no debating him on the issue. Instead, she endured the five minutes of paperwork in silence. d.i.c.k Baker gave her a final paycheck, then shook his head. "You could have been something special, Faith. The stars were all lined up in your favor."

She could feel tears in her eyes, but it didn't matter. Because in a part of her mind so close she could almost touch it, she could see her father's face, hear him telling her, "Well done, honey. Well done."

She gathered her dismissaL doc.u.ments and shook Mr. Baker's hand. Meeting his gaze, she let a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. "My life isn't guided by the stars, sir. It's guided by the One who made them. And whatever happens from here, He's got it perfectly in control." She hesitated for a moment. "I'm sorry about all this."

Her boss didn't seem to know how to take that, and Faith wondered what he'd expected. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "I have someone else filling in for you tonight. We'll hire a new anchor within the week." He seemed to be searching for the right words. "Good luck, Faith."

Fifteen minutes later she was on the doorstep of Joshua Nunn's office, the same office he had shared with her father. Joshua appeared in his suit jacket, and Faith guessed he'd been on his way home. It was after six, after all, so she was surprised to catch him there at all.

"Faith, what is it?" There was a pained look in his eyes, and almost immediately realization settled over his face. "The station found out?"

It was a moment her father would have understood perfectly, but in his absence, Faith felt as though she had nowhere else to turn. Joshua held out his arms, and she took a single step for-ward, collapsing against him and giving way to the sobs that had been building since she'd first gotten to work.

"There, there, honey, it's okay..." Joshua stroked her hair as he pulled her into the office and closed the door. "Did they fire you?"

Faith took three quick breaths and tried to control her tears. "Y-yes. I want so badly to be strong, Joshua. But it's too hard. I'm not as g-good at it as Dad and you."

The feel of Joshua's strong arms around her reminded her of her father, and Faith felt her tears start to subside.

"Sweetheart, there are times when I don't feel good enough, either." He smoothed her hair off her face. "But the truth is nei-ther of us has to be like your dad. We can just be us, the way G.o.d made us to be. That's enough, understand?"

Faith swallowed hard. "I hated being pa.s.sive, sitting by while bad things happened around me." She drew a steadying breath and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "That's why I bought the land. It was something I could do, something I believed in." She eased herself into a nearby chair, and Joshua took the one opposite her. "You know why I did it, right? It isn't that the Jesus statue has some kind of magic powers or anything. It's just a piece of rock, really But it stands for something, for the freedom of the people of Bethany Freedom to have a statue of Jesus Christ in our public park, freedom to worship Jesus and talk about Him and not have to live in fear that the government will one day take away our right to do so." She lifted her chin and felt her strength returning. "Know what I mean?"

Joshua leaned forward and planted his elbows on his knees, his eyes filled with compa.s.sion. "I know exactly what you mean." He uttered a quiet laugh. "Faith, my dear, you're more like your father than you think."

She sniffed again and smiled. "My father was never unem-ployed."

"No, but he would gladly have given up a job if it meant standing up for what was right."

Faith studied Joshua for a moment and decided it was time he knew. "You know the attorney for HOUR, Jordan Riley?"

Joshua worked the muscles in his jaw. "I know him."

Faith sighed and shook her head, running her fingers up through her bangs. "We were friends as kids." She looked up again. "I thought you might want to know"

Understanding pa.s.sed over Joshua's features. "Very interesting. I had a dream before I got this case..." He pointed to the photos on the wall, one of himself and one of Faith's father. "In the dream my picture was still on the wall, but your father's was missing. In its place was a picture of an angry young man-a man who looked exactly like Jordan Riley." Joshua eased back into his chair and stroked his day-old beard. "I've been praying for the young man, Faith. Why don't you tell me about him? Maybe this is the answer I've been waiting for."

Her eyes closed as she allowed herself to drift, allowed the hands of time to unwind, to take her back to the days when she and Jordan were barely teenagers, to the winter his mother got sick. As the images took shape, she told the story for the first time in more than a decade.

"Jordan was the kindest boy I'd ever known." She smiled. "A grown-up in a thirteen-year-old's body He never knew his father, but he had the instincts of a dad, especially after his mother became ill. He made sure his sister, Heidi, was in before dark, helped her with her homework, and cooked dinner for their fam-ily"

She opened her eyes and blinked back fresh tears. "He was a wonderful boy, really."

He smiled. "It sounds like it."

Emotion filled her throat. "We were best friends, and when his mother got sick we spent hours talking on the porch, sitting side by side, sharing our feelings. That was when I told him about Jesus. Before long, Jordan and Heidi and their mom began attending church with us. They read the Bibles Mom and Dad gave them." She swallowed, letting her head fall back against the chair. "Oh, Joshua, in those early days-before we knew Jordan's mother was dying-it seemed like new life had been breathed into him... into his home."

Faith wiped at a trail of tears on her right cheek. "I always knew he wanted a father. But until Jesus became part of his life, Jordan's world revolved around his mother and Heidi and me. After finding that faith in G.o.d, it was almost like his life was complete. He had the three women he loved and a Father who would never leave him, never give up on him. A Father who would love him into eternity"

Faith hesitated. Should she tell Joshua about Jordan wanting to marry her? Immediately, she knew the answer. Telling Joshua would be like telling her own father. Besides, she needed to talk. She'd talked with her mother on the phone, of course, and Mom had been very supportive when Faith explained that she'd been fired from the station. They'd prayed and even cried together, and her mother told her how proud her father would be of the stand she was taking. And yet...for all that the call had helped, she needed to talk to someone face to face.

"Jordan wanted to marry me." She smiled through her tears and made a sound that was part sob, part laugh.

Joshua's eyebrows raised. "Jordan Riley?"

"We were so young back then. I think we both thought we'd live next door to each other and go to church together and grow up that way forever. It seemed only natural that at some point we'd get married. We-" she swallowed back another sob- "we had very strong feelings for each other."

She shared in detail the terrifying day she'd found out Jordan's mother was dying. How she'd overheard her parents talking and crept closer to the wall, still out of sight, so she could pick up every word.

"She isn't going to make it, Bob. The doctors told her this morning." It was Faith's mother's voice-and she was crying.

Faith's father had taken a long time to respond. "We need to pray for a miracle. That's all we can do."

Her mother wept then, her voice strained with sadness. "But... if she doesn't make it... what'll happen to those kids, Bob? It isn't right."

Most of the time Faith's father was upbeat, full of life and enthusiasm and had an answer for every dilemma. But that after-noon he released a heavy sigh, one Faith could still hear to this day. "We can't let them be separated, even if it means we take them in to live with us."

The whole conversation had scared Faith to death. Why Jordan and Heidi? Why their mother, when she was all those kids had? And what if she did die? Did that mean G.o.d wasn't lis-tening to them? That He hadn't heard their prayers? Would Jordan and Heidi really come and live with Faith and her family? How would that make Jordan feel? He loved his mother with all his heart...

Faith sat back in her chair, the memory of those feelings making her uncomfortable and more than a little confused. As strong as her beliefs were, as devoted as she was to Scripture, as strongly as she loved her G.o.d, a G.o.d she related with personally, the questions remained. There were no more answers today than there had been back when she'd first felt them rise up in her heart.