Free Hidden Thrones by Russ Scalzo

from you as well.”
    “It
would be my pleasure. Anything I can do to help,” Jack reassured her.
    Conni
thanked Jack and said goodbye. She felt so much better after talking to him.
Jack had a way of encouraging people, a gift Conni was very thankful for.  She
was well aware of what was at stake. The spiritual world was very real to her.
She had prayed over many disturbed and spiritually harassed people in her life
and knew what prayer could do. For years, most of her family saw her as some
kind of religious freak, especially when she tried to share her experiences
with God with them.
    Although
she never married, Conni had many children. It was because of her love for kids
that she decided to volunteer as a helper with the local children’s hospital
bringing toys and treats to many of the sick children. When the opportunity
presented itself, she would pray with them and their parents. She had touched
many lives over the years and she planned on continuing as long as the Lord
allowed.
    Jack
laid his phone down on the table next to his chair and said some prayers of his
own.
    He
just got started when the phone rang again. It was Frank.
    “Hey
buddy, what’s happening?” Jack answered.
    “We
won’t be able to get together tomorrow. I’ve been assigned a new case. Seems
like I might need you on this one too, but I won’t know for sure until I get
there. You’re not going to believe where this one is. High Point. I think it’s
the same old church that your prayer meeting was in.”
    Jack
sat up straight. “What? No way! What’s going on there?”
    “They
say the lights are going on and off at night, chairs are flying around, and
strange sounds are coming from the steeple. It’s scaring the hell out of the
neighborhood.” Frank caught himself and quickly apologized for his phrasing. “Oh,
sorry. You know what I mean.”
    Jack
half smiled. “You don’t have to apologize. Unfortunately, Hell is a very real
place and it wouldn’t be a bad thing if it was scared out of everybody. I need
to be in on this one.”
    “I had
a feeling you might say that. I’ll meet you there tonight at, say, 7:00 p.m. I
have some things I need to clear up here in D.C. first. Plus I know you - you’ll
want to see if things go bump in the night.”
    Jack
hung up, leaned back in his chair and stared straight ahead. He couldn’t
remember a time when things were this crazy. What in the world is going on? He thought to himself, The spirit world is beginning to manifest itself and
the fight is moving into the open.
    He
bowed his head and prayed, “Father, strengthen your people for the battle
ahead.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
     
    A heavy
mist was falling as Jack pulled up in front of the old church. He parked right
next to Frank’s car and saw that Frank was still sitting inside talking on the
phone. Jack waited until he was done talking, got out of his car and jumped in
with Frank.
    “Well,
here we are again. Have you seen anything unusual since you’ve been here?” Jack
asked.
    “No,
but then again it’s just now getting dark and nothing happens until it’s dark,
right?” Frank said half joking. “Of course, this fog doesn’t help any either. I
hate this kind of weather. I brought two big flashlights and it looks like
we’re gonna need them.”
    Jack
looked puzzled. “What for? The lights were working when I was here.”
    “Yeah,
about that - the historical society had the power shut off earlier today. The
local cops came by earlier figuring there must be a short somewhere which would
explain why the lights were going in and out,” Frank explained.
    “Great.
They couldn’t wait one more day? Didn’t they know you were coming?”
    Frank
gave Jack a sarcastic look. “What do you expect? The federal and local agencies
to actually communicate?”
    “Unbelievable.
Well, let’s get going.”
    They
got out of the car and walked up the long, gray slate sidewalk that led to a
small front porch. Frank moved his hand over his gun.