Page 87 of Hidden Chance

“You remember Peter’s mother-in-law?”

“Wouldn’t that be your mother?”

“Peter from the Bible. After Jesus healed her, she got up and started serving them.”

“That’s true. Well, if everyone else is interested, I’ll go along.”

When they pulled up to the school after a long, bumpy ride, Robby jumped from the van before it had stopped.

He didn’t make it to the steps of the school before hepressed the back of his hand against his mouth and nose. The dead body must have been there for over a week. It lay sprawled across the threshold.

“Do you know who it is?” Peter asked, approaching slowly.

“It’s hard to tell, but I can guess.” He turned and looked back at Hannah, who was clinging to Jemi, her eyes wide as she stared at the corpse. “Stay there. I’ll check inside.”

He stepped over the body and entered the school, following bloody drag marks that led to a pool of blood toward the back of the main room. The walls were covered in more graffiti, and torn books were strewn everywhere.

“This was retribution for what my team and I uncovered. They would have wanted to make sure the surrounding towns and villages didn’t get too excited about their small victory. We should have been here to protect them.”

“Did you expect this kind of response?”

“No. We expected them to pull back. And they did at the start, but it looks like as soon as we were out of the way, they made sure to instill fear back into the people.”

“That’s always a risk on these missions. Especially if you don’t have the manpower to remain behind. Who do you think the dead man is?”

“From what I could see of him, he looks like a teacher from a nearby village. He was one of the people we liaised with to get information. He has a wife and a kid. I wish I had been here to stop them.”

“Well, you’re here now. We should get back to the hotel.”

“Yeah.”

Robby’s cheek twitched as he fought to control his anger when he returned to the van.

“Do you know who he was?” Hannah said after they left, and Robby didn’t say a word. He formed the answer in his mind, but found he didn’t want to talk about it.

“A teacher from the village,” Peter offered. He rested a hand on Hannah’s arm and shook his head to warn her against more questions. It was good to have Peter on the team. He understood what the others couldn’t. Once Robby processed the death, he’d put it out of his mind. Dwelling on something like that was dangerous. It could make you sloppy and distracted, and he wouldn’t risk messing up this mission. Especially now that he saw the rebels were resisting with the help of TreadCraft employees.

The street was busy when they pulled up beside a row of buildings, their roofs coated in rust.

“This isn’t a hotel,” Robby said. “You said I’d be impressed. I’m pretty sure this is a downgrade from our last stay.”

“You know what they say.”

“No, what do they say?”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover. It belongs to a friend of mine. Trust me. You’ll be impressed.”

They entered a high-ceilinged room full of wooden wardrobes and smaller cabinets. Along one side of the building, sawdust was pushed up in small piles near the woodworking machines.

“You’re late,” a woman in a pink tracksuit said when she appeared from a low loft along another wall. Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail that bounced as she descended the stairs.

“Su Su. It’s been a long time. Sorry for the delay. We made a stop.” Peter embraced his friend, but she pushed him aside when she spotted Jemi. “Please tell me you are not a ghost.” She embraced her friend, then held her at arm’s length.

“I was close. God healed me.”

Su Su lit up. “I have been praying and praying for you. Peter didn’t tell me you were coming. This is an amazing surprise.” They hugged again.

“I’m very pleased I could come too. It’s been a lifetime.”

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