Page 51 of Hidden Chance

“Easier? No way. God is the only way I can make sense of it all.”

“I don’t follow.”

“In your line of work, you’d see a lot of bad stuff.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I need a God who is just in ways I can never be, but I also need a God who understands unfathomable love. I can’t make sense of the world any other way. I loved my dad so much, and it destroyed me to see him die, but I also know that what was done to those kids to make them behave that way was horrible. I need to know that God understands that pain and can unscramble the chaos of it all. I need to know that, in the end, His justice will prevail no matter what. And in a way that I can’t understand because I can’t make sense of it. I need to know He loves those kids even with their heads so messed up that they did unthinkable acts.”

Robby sipped his coffee to distract from the emotion she’d evoked in him. He had to admit that what she said made sense in a way he’d never considered. Believing that there was something higher than himself, someone who could understand what he could never grasp when nothing made sense, gave him a greater sense of purpose. To believe he was part of God’s plan to bring justice into the world and that there was an end to it all. Where right wins. It gave him a strange sense of peace he’d never known.

“So what now?” Hannah asked. “Where do we go from here?”

“That’s up to you. Do you think you can go into work tomorrow and act normal? Because if you can’t, stay home sick so you don’t blow my cover.”

“Oh, I’m definitely going to work tomorrow. If TreadCraft or any of its employees are knowingly a part of this, I’ll do whatever it takes to bring them down. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

“First of all, slow down. I don’t want you to do anything different from what you normally do. Act natural, and let me do all the work.”

“You don’t want my help?”

“It’s not about wanting it. There could be dangerous people involved. You need to stay safe.”

“I’ll be fine. But I have access to offices and the labs. I can have a look around if you tell me what I’m looking for.”

“I don’t need you to do that.”

“I didn’t bare my heart and soul with you so I could sit back and watch. I want in. I want to be a part of this.”

“You are a part of this. You’ve done a lot already. But if you know anyone I should start looking into, I’m all ears.”

“I’ll spot something quicker.”

“Please, Hannah, drop it. There is no way I will let you put yourself in a compromising position. This is my mission.”

“You’re wasting an opportunity.”

“That’s fine by me. Now, do you know anyone who might be involved or not? Even if it’s a long shot.”

“I have to reevaluate everyone in the office. I neverwould have imagined anything like this could happen. I can give you a list of names of those connected to Burma and the fundraising, but some of those guys…I find it hard to believe they’re involved.”

“Who’s the first person that comes to mind that could be guilty?”

“Does it still count if prejudice is involved?”

“Maybe.”

“Pike, my boss, comes to mind, but I think that’s because of how he’s been treating me lately.”

A protective instinct rose up in Robby. Even if Pike wasn’t involved, he still might have to step in. “What’s he done? I know he’s interested in you. Has he acted on it?”

“What? No. He thinks my Christianity is cute. I hate that. It’s condescending.”

“That’s it?”

“It’s enough for me.”

“What I mean is, from where I was sitting, he seemed to think more than your faith was cute.”

---