Page 24 of The Girl and the Lies

“Absolutely. I started listening to her presentations the night I was hired. I was really impressed by how devoted and driven she is. She knows exactly what she believes and doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks. She’s going to talk about it, spread the truth, and do what she can to make the world better, no matter what it takes. It made me really proud to be in the position to protect her,” he says.

“So you believe in what she teaches?” I ask. “This isn’t just about having a job anymore?”

“Definitely not. I think that she is a true revolutionary and will make more happen than anyone can even start to imagine. That’s what got me rising through the ranks until I became her personal bodyguard,” he says. “Tracy said she could see the commitment in me and knew she could place her trust in my hands.”

He looks at his wife, and they exchange a smile. I can see the pride in Sabrina Ward’s eyes, but it’s tempered by worry.

“How do you feel about the people who have so much negativity about Tracy Ellis?” I ask.

“I think they just don’t understand. They aren’t ready to hear the truth and be courageous enough to live it. What she teaches, what she asks of people, isn’t easy. It’s not something that just happens for a lot of people. It takes dedication and true willingness to shed the self and take up a life of sacrifice and adherence to what is right and real rather than what might seem easy or desirable. She tells us that the world around us will make things look natural and easy so that we’ll fall victim to those temptations when what we need to be doing is reminding ourselves of the truth, true nature and reality, and the teachings that show us the way we are meant to live. Those will keep us strong even in the face of temptation.

Ander leans forward and steeples his fingers. “The thing is, Agent Griffin, I get why people might not be receptive to her. She can be difficult to take. Anytime you are faced with something that challenges you and pushes you to grow and change, it can be painful and uncomfortable. People don’t like that. People want to be comfortable and have things the way that comes easy to them. They don’t want to hold a mirror up to themselves and recognize all the faults and flaws that exist, and that’s exactly what Tracy does. She forces people to see these things in themselves so they can take the steps and do the work to make themselves right again. She isn’t delicate about it. She isn’t warm and fuzzy about it. She can’t be. This is far too important for her to be anything but forceful. And that rubs people the wrong way.”

I can certainly hear the influence of Tracy Ellis on the way Ander speaks, and I can’t help but wonder how much of what he just said came directly from her mouth.

“When did you start thinking the threats might be something more serious than just a frustrated person who Tracy rubbed the wrong way?” I ask.

“When the first one came to my home,” he says. “I had been getting them on my car at work and at events, and a couple were mailed to my name at the office. But then one showed up at my house, and that really made me feel like something could be more serious.”

“When did you tell Tracy about them?” I ask.

“She knew I was getting them from the beginning because like I said, some came to the office. She basically told me that I would get used to it like she had and that I didn’t need to be afraid. When I told her that one had come to my home and it frightened my wife, she said that I was being tested and I really needed to think hard about what I was going to do in response. I could let the words of this anonymous person bend me, or I could stand firm and show the world what I was really made of. I made the decision that I wasn’t going to let these things scare me away from something I really believe in,” Ander tells me.

“How did you feel about the threats?” I ask Sabrina.

“They really scare me,” she says. “My husband has tried to reassure me and tell me that there’s nothing to be afraid of, that I can’t show fear or the person has won, but I can’t help it. Getting something to our house was really unnerving. And some of the threats talked about destroying his family. It wasn’t just about him, they were starting to include me too. It hasn’t just been the threats though. There have been a few times when I felt like someone was following me when I was driving, or when I was home alone, I thought someone was trying to get in. It’s never turned out to be anything, or at least anything that we could find, but it’s really hard. But at the same time, I don’t work. Ander is our only income. And I also know how much his job means to him. He loves what he does and feels very strongly about not backing down. I’ve accepted that he can’t just quit because of words on a piece of paper.” Her message is determined, but she doesn’t sound as convinced as the words convey.

“Have you ever had to defend Tracy from someone who was actively trying to hurt her?” I ask.

“There have been a couple times where people have tried to get to her, but they were always easy to defuse,” Ander says. “One time someone showed up at one of her appearances with a gun, but he insisted that he had it because he always carried it and didn’t have any intention of using it against her. One other time, there was a person with a gun at a rally where she was speaking, but again, we were able to bring it to a peaceful close without incident.”

“I want to talk to you about Gideon Bell,” I say.

Sabrina gives a sharp intake of breath, like just the name is difficult for her to hear. Ander takes her hand in his and squeezes it comfortingly.

“He was a good guy,” Ander says. “We didn’t know each other really well, but we were starting to get to know each other better because he was moving up through the ranks in the security team. Over the last few months, he’d started working closer with me at events and appearances. He was a dedicated worker, never complained about anything, and seemed to fit in with the company really well.”

“Did he ever talk to you about getting any of the threats?” I ask.

“No. I know that he did, but only because Tracy mentioned it. He didn’t say anything to me about them,” he says. “I know he got one of them after a talk Tracy did at the local college. A huge protest broke out, and it got a little hairy between the protestors and the people who came to listen to Tracy speak. Gideon and I worked together for that event and ended up having to subdue several people. The police got involved and everything. Usually, events are a lot more closed off and protected than that, so it was one of the more eventful experiences I’ve had working for her.”

“You said there was police involvement, so the protestors would have been able to find out your names,” I say.

“Yes,” he says.

I look over the notes I’ve taken about our conversation and then take out the list of names Tracy gave me.

“Do you know anything about the threatening messages any of these people have gotten?” I ask.

Ander takes the paper from my hand and looks over the list. He points to a name.

“Cameron Sawyer. He came to me after one of the notes showed up on his car. He was really worked up about it. He got really angry when he found out that the only cameras on the building cover the entrances, not the parking lot. I know he went to Tracy about the threats, and she told him the same thing she was telling everybody else. He ended up quitting not too long after he got it. He was the first person to quit because of them,” Ander says.

“So he took them seriously right from the beginning,” I say.

“Definitely. When he left, he told me he thought it was stupid for anyone who was getting threatened to stay with the company, that it wasn’t worth it and he wasn’t going to feel bad about anything that happened if people put themselves in that position,” he says. “I’m sure he’s regretting those words now.”

He looks at the list again. “Grant Pruden, Hilary Watts, and Mila Taylor all spoke about the notes they got at one of the company meetings. Grant’s threats specifically mentioned his parents, whom he takes care of. The other two, I think, just got the same kind of general notes, asking how they could be willing to be a part of her ministry, demanding they quit or speak out against Tracy. That kind of thing. These two,” he says, pointing at the paper, “Marshall and Carla. They’re married. Carla actually just put in her notice. Marshall has been saying that he’s thinking about quitting, but he hasn’t yet. I’ve known Marshall since I started working at the company. He works on the outreach team.”

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