Having just rescued an innocent lady, Sam discovers Miss DeMurr is not who she seems.
“Let me take you to your door, Miss DeMurre. This is a bad neighborhood and you should not walk home alone.”
In spite of her harrowing experience she appeared calmer than I expected from a person who had just been rescued from a fate worse than death.
“Oh, it’s not such a bad neighborhood, officer. It’s just that you have to watch out for gangs now and then. I was careless. I should have seen those slugs sooner and taken another street. I don’t usually come this way to the store. The shortcut did not take me as long and I did not want to be late for church.”
Her mention of church piqued my interest. I already knew this was a religious society. That wasn’t enough information for me to act. Candel’s memories had not given me all the data I needed. In my apartment that morning I recalled seeing the date. It was Tuesday, a weekday. Nobody but a fanatic attended church services on a weekday. Was the young woman another extremely religious person like Candel appeared to be? I asked her point blank.
“Why do you go to church on a weekday?”
Now she seemed surprised.
“Sergeant Candel, don’t you attend services every day like everyone else?”
Her question was ridiculous. Maybe Sam Candel would not have thought so. He most likely would have never have asked her that question. It was starting to appear that everybody went to church several times a week.
Candel’s memories surfaced.
Attendance was always taken and the slackers were singled out for ridicule and for punishment if they were absent too often.
What a world.
I said, “No, I don’t go to church every day.”
New surprise was evident.
“Don’t they arrest you for that?” she said.
Her face reflected a range of emotions from cynical doubt to outright astonishment.
“Everybody has to report to church services every day. It’s the law. Even for Secmen. How do you avoid it?”
I recovered quickly enough from my surprise to manufacture a quick explanation.
“I’m excused sometimes; because of my work.”
I hoped that would be enough. She was silent while she digested this fact.
I took mental inventory of Candel’s thoughts. Candel was not the usual Secman. He was no more religious than I was. Inside his mind I could tell that he was disdainful of the religion he was forced to practice. He was a rebel at heart. I came to this world and entered his mind and became the Candel he had not allowed himself to be. He was an apostate.
“Good for you, Sam Candel,” I thought.
When I left this reality and Candel was himself again would my different attitude have its effect? I hoped it would. It was people like Sam Candel who would bring down this preposterous government if anyone could.
Mirabelle looked at me with a new appreciation of my importance (or so I thought).
“I understand, sergeant. I had no idea you were so valuable to the state. Please forgive me for asking. I would not break a security law for anything.”
We walked toward her apartment. She had recovered, both from the ugly incident and from her natural fear of my official status. I nodded from time to time and listened as she chattered. I hung on her words and asked careful questions while trying not to be out of character as a Secman. There was so much I had to learn.
I wanted to know more about this church business.
Next episode: Sam meets Father Bocus … and gives him a shot of paralysis.
Gene Paleno is an author and illustrator living in Witter Springs.
