Chapter 323

Her name was Sergeant Carrie Thomason. She asked me to call her Carrie, so I thought of her as Carrie. "So Maxine, You don't mind if I call you Maxine?" she asked.

"Not at all Carrie, so do you want to know why I had Blevins arrange this meeting on Christmas Eve? Or would you rather not take on anything new?" I knew that it was Christmas and in the back of my mind I thought I might need to just handle this alone.

"Sure, I want to know what got Blevins to call me. He is about to retire, so I want to know what got his blood up on a vice case? Then I find out you are in the middle of it. Now I am dying to know what the hell is going on." Carrie said.

"Are you from here Carrie?" I asked. I guessed her age at about thirty. I was trying to figure out how much background I needed to give her.

"Yes, I was born here, I'm also married and have a kid," she informed me. I got that a lot. The people I met tended to treat me like a man for some reason. The women wanted to be sure I knew they were not interested, long before I ever thought to ask.

"Well if you are from here you know who Reverend Adkins and 'His Laboring Few' are." I suggested.

"Do you mean Reverend Archer and that ministry for the poor, druggies, alcoholics and the homeless?" she said.

"Yes, did I call him Adkins?" I asked.

"Yes you did," Carrie replied.

"I must be slipping into senility early," I suggested, "Anyway, they do damn good work. I support that ministry as much as a heathen like me can. Whenever I hear of trouble in the ministry, I try to fix it. I figure it's something I can do, so I do it."

"I have kind of heard things like that now and then," she said vaguely.

"So, I was picking up some turkeys for the mission's Christmas feeding program last night. I heard a rumor that one of the Deacon's might be involved in prostitution using some of the women from in the mission's programs." I checked to be sure she was till listening. When I assured myself that she was, I went on. "So I set up a little sting of my own to be sure that it wasn't just a rumor. You know how those church politics are not to mention the rumors." I said.

"I sure do," she agreed.

I handed her the smarter than smart phone and let it play the tape. She heard it all then ask. "So the woman and her husband are your people?" she asked.

"They are friends, who didn't mind helping the ministry out. They aren't really associated with me in any formal way." I replied not sure where she was headed.

"If they are willing to testify, we can change those two guys with procurement." she said.

"Oh so you don't need to be involved in the operation yourself?" I asked.

"Actually, it's probably better if we aren't in this case." she said.

"Good enough, let me take this to my lawyer and have her show it to Reverend Archer. If he wants to prosecute his man, I will arrange for the operatives to testify." I said.

"So is that all there is?" Carrie asked.

"Yes, turns out I just needed the advice after all. I thought we might have to arrange an elaborate sting." I said. "I guess I have been watching too much TV."

"This is a pretty low priority crime. Most of our resources go into the war on drugs. Even that has taken a holiday this last year. I am told you had something to do with that. You are something of a folk hero around the station."

"It's all TV hype Carrie. I am just one person trying to survive in this world just like you. Well not exactly like you, since you are a lot more attractive." I smiled just to be pleasant.

"Oh, from the people I hear talk, the guys seem to find you very desirable," she said.

"Oh I doubt that, but thanks for the kind words," I said. I let Carrie out the front door since she had parked her plain car there.

The fact that I had forgotten Archer's name was only a vague nagging in the back of my mind. I could image that it was going to be a major concern to the controllers. the case officer, not to mention the creator. Were my circuits breaking down. I'm sure they would be wondering that and probably running simulations all through Christmas night. Somehow it seemed fitting that it be on Christmas night.

"Hello my Christmas Slut," I said when Jen answered the phone at home. It was well after office hours.

"Well if it isn't Santa's youngest Elf, Harlot. How goes it? Which toys are you making? the vibrators or the Dildos."

"Jennifer, I need some help," I said.

"Is this for money or fun," she asked.

"It's to save the preacher from himself of course, so I'm not sure which." I said. I went on to explain it all to her.

"Send me the file. I will see that he gets it before we go all judicial on him. Maybe we can just throw the Deacon out of the flock." She suggested.

"If he stays, he will be right back in it just without the title," I suggested right back at her.

"So what do you want to do banish him from the realm?" she asked.

"Too bad we can't do that. I don't want to jail him, because it will make the ministry look bad right here at Christmas. I also do not want him coercing those women into turning tricks."

"I'll talk to the Reverend and see what we can work out. It's a lot more complicated than it seems isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah I know, Why do people do shit like this? Is it just to upset the balance of life?" I asked.

"How the fuck would I know. That's a question for God, not the likes of us. Speaking of which are you going to one the midnight services?" Jen asked.

"I hadn't planned on it," I admitted.

"I heard you killed a man today. Maybe you should go to a service, it might help make Christmas easier," she suggested. "Besides you like the music."