“What’s wrong?” Jobynski asked Paul Smith.
The man sobbed uncontrollably. The cuffs of his shirt were stained with tears. He hid his face in his hands. Jobynski pried the hands apart, “Speak to me,” he demanded “I’ve turned off the cameras and sound (he lied). What happened?”
“You may be right.” Smith said. “I could be responsible for all their deaths.”
Jobynski poured a glass of water, handed it to Smith and asked, “How so?”
The big man drank the water and gasped, “In my sermons I preached sacrifice of the good for the evils of humanity. I never intended they kill themselves.”
For the first time Vinegar Joe smiled. He pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped Paul Smith’s tears. He handed him the handkerchief saying, “Reverend, you are a lying son-of-a-bitch!”
Behind the two way glass Captain Jim Moran clapped his hands and shouted, “That’s Vinegar Joe at his best. Look at the shock on the big bastard’s face.”
Vinegar Joe sat back in his chair stroking his chin chewing the ragged stub of tobacco and smiled at Paul Smith who stammered, “What are you doing to me. I didn’t order their deaths. I never told them to kill themselves.”
“Oh yes you did,” Jobynski said. He pointed at the two way window. “Captain Moran has surveillance audio tapes of you doing just that. We even have you ordering your henchmen to take sledge hammers from the utility room to bash their heads if they refused to take the poison.”
Paul Smith roared and came out of his chair only to be knocked back by a swift straight-arm to the chest. Jobynski clenched his fist in front of the furious face of Reverend Paul Smith and in a voice too low to be picked up by the sound monitors whispered, “Give me a chance and I’ll beat you bloody. Go ahead try to get up again.”
Paul Smith shrunk back into his wheelchair. His face went grim, his massive shoulders hunched and his cannonball head sunk between them. He glared until Vinegar Joe asked. “May I now speak to God?”
Paul Smith’s eyes widened, his fists unclenched and he turned to the two way window shouting, “What kind of freak did you put in here with me. You don’t have a single witness. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights." His face turned a flaming red with anger as he shouted, "The American Civil Liberties Union will justify my privilege to preach as I see fit.” He pointed at Vinegar Joe shouting, “This dumb bastard keeps asking me if he can speak to God? What the hell is going on?”
The door to the interrogation room opened. The sergeant entered handed Jobynski a fax and left. Jobynski read it and asked, “Reverend Smith, “Are you familiar with the names, Charles Radke, Rosemary Millwood and Raymond McDonnell?”
Paul Smith snorted; he wiped the dribble from his nose with the handkerchief and avoided Jobynski’s eyes.
“These three children escaped through the basement of 72 Linden Street,” Jobynski said. "They ran to the Rectory of St. Barbara’s Church on Bleeker Street. Father Adolph Klein took them to Wyckoff Heights Hospital. Officers from this Precinct questioned them. Do you know what they said?”
“I don’t give a shit.” Paul Smith shouted. “Because you’re mad. Totally crazy. They’ll throw this out of court.”
“You have the right to remain silent,” Agent Jobynski intoned. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?
“Go to hell!” Paul Smith said.
“Having these rights in mind, do you wish to talk to me now?”
“Why don’t you ask God?” Smith shouted.
“Sir,” Jobynski said. “Do you wish to have a lawyer before I hang your fat ass for murder?”
“Screw you!”
“Is that a yes or a no?”
“Yes.”
“Can you afford a lawyer?”
“You’d better believe I’ll get the best.”
“You’ll need it.”
“Paul Smith pulled out his cell phone and dialed, “Charlene,” He said. “I need the best lawyer money can buy.”
“Paul,” the Congresswoman answered, “you know I’m Bar certified in New York State. But I’m not a criminal defense lawyer. I’ll send someone who is. Until your lawyer arrives do not say a word. Don’t hum, fart or utter a sound. Understood?”
“Thank you Charlene.” Smith said. “Money is no object.”
“What did she say?” Jobynski asked.
Paul Smith closed is lips, used his thumb and forefinger of his right hand in a motion zipping his lips closed.
“That’s good advice,” Jobynski said. He came out of his chair and put his face next to Smith’s whispering, “You're afraid. I can smell it. Your fat ass is going to rot in prison.”
Paul Smith shoved the electronic handle on the arm of his wheelchair and spun away with his back to Jobynski.
Vinegar Joe stood and gave a thumbs' up sign toward the two-way window. He started to leave when a familiar voice asked. “Where are you going?”
Jobynski spun around. The back of the large wheelchair was toward him. All he could see was Paul Smith's balding head. He watched the right hand move the control stick and the wheelchair turned in place then rolled forward. He was facing the same Paul Smith but it was a different man. His gentle smile and blue eyes gave Jobynski a feeling of complete ease. Vinegar Joe didn't trust himself to speak.
“You asked to talk with me?” the man in the wheelchair said.
“I can't. You claimed protection under the Miranda Law.”
“That was Paul Smith. You are now speaking to God.”
“And you wish to speak with me?” Jobynski asked.
“Yes.”
“You do understand that I'll use all my skill and power to convict you.”
“You mean Reverend Smith.”
“You and he are one and the same.”
“You will be thrown out of court.”
“Even if you really were God I’d send you to hell.”
“I want to speak to you about your family.”
“Are you going to try and justify their deaths?"
"I don't have to justify anything."
"Why should God be concerned about my children? You allowed your only son to be crucified.”
“Do you believe Almighty God has children?” Paul Smith asked.
“That's another reason I left the priesthood. It's unnatural to take the finest and most dedicated young men and forbid them to reproduce. ”
“Do you believe God wants human sacrifice?”
“Not the God I once believed in. But then you ordered Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.” Jobynski thought if he pandered to Paul Smith's mental delusions he'd get a confession. He wanted God/Smith talking.”
“And how old was Isaac at the time of the sacrifice?” Smith asked.
“In his mid-thirties. The same age as Christ.”
“It was Isaac who was the hero of that episode," Smith said. "The son could have overcome the father. I was testing both Abraham and Isaac. The father failed.”
“Everything written about the attempted sacrifice credits Abraham with total devotion to you.”
“Changing that concept will be part of your credentials to the world. You will revise Biblical history.”
Jobynski realized his interest in Paul Smith’s answers weakened his interrogation technique. “He snapped, “Where's the proof?”
“The proof and truth are in the five Books of Moses.”
“Enlighten me.” Jobynski said.
“Use that phenomenal memory I gave you. Did I ever speak to Abraham again after he attempted to slay Isaac? Did Isaac ever speak to his father or see him again after Abraham tried to kill him? No! And have you forgotten Sarah?”
"Abraham's wife died shortly after the attempted sacrifice?" Jobynski said.
"Sarah died of a broken heart because her husband was willing to take her only son's life."
“But he had another son, Ishmael.”
“Abraham did, not Sarah.” Paul Smith said. “Ishmael was born to Hagar a servant girl. Abraham tried to kill him too.”
"You mean when he sent Ishmael and Hagar into the desert with only a flask of water."
"I saved them. But did you notice neither brother attended Sarah's funeral? Both were at Abraham's burial in Hevron."
"Why?"
"To receive their birthrights."
"I never understood why God promised to make Ishmael a great nation and Abraham a small one?" Jobynski said. "God gave Ishmael the vast fertile lands of Egypt's Nile Valley and Israel got a thin rocky strip along the Mediterranean coast"
"Israel was never destined to dominate other peoples.
"C'mon Paul, You or God was supposed to have chosen them?"
"Abraham chose Me. Isaac and Jacob continued the covenant in the flesh."
"You mean circumcision?"
"Yes, I use Israel as a living example for the nations of the world."
"You're joking. Everybody hates them."
"That's changing."
"Where?"
"Statistically, Jews are over represented in the leadership of all Western societies. They excel in political, economic, communications and various fields of science. Wiki Leaks exposed the Arab countries' grudging respect for Israel. One of the best selling subjects in mainland China and India is the study of Five Books of Moses as a way to financial success."
“I didn't think God is concerned with Wiki Leaks?"
"You're being factitious. I'm involved in everything."
"Let's get back to the sacrifice of Isaac," Jobynski said, "You or God gave the order for the father to kill his son" What did you want Abraham to do?”
“You changed the subject."
"I'm the boss here." Jobynski said.
"Not really."
"Now you changed the subject."
"I wanted Abraham to argue with me against the concept of human sacrifice prevalent at the time.”
“Ha!” Jobynski said. “But if your God how could he argue with you?”
"Abraham argued with Me at Sodom and Gomorrah. He contended forcefully for those despicable people. Yet, he never said a word to save his son.”
“Your right.”
“Of course. I told the story to Moses.”
“Is that the entire Bible, just a story?”
""It is a rule and guide for your faith and practice throughout life."
"Genesis tells of the creation of the world," Jobynski said. "Exodus explains the formation of Israel as a nation. Combined with the other three books they are history, geology, astronomy etc., etc."
"The Bible is that and more. I told Moses to write this shir for me. In Hebrew it means a poem. “
“Or song.” Jobynski said.
“A song is a poem with music. Most of Genesis is poetry and not to be
understood literally."
"I didn't know God was a poet?"
"Jobynski, you're too cynical for your own good. Poetry has two qualities not found in descriptive prose. Poetry is allusive rather than specific. It suggests profound meaning with unusual words, sound sequences or sentence structure. Prose carries its meaning on the surface. The Bible, like poetry, gives up its treasures with study. That will be your first task."
(Kidmat Davar, preface to Ha'amek Davar, 3 R. Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin).
"You're assigning tasks?" Jobynski pointed at Paul..
"Yes."
"Let's get back to sacrificing ones own children. Were you following Abraham's example by having your people kill themselves? Or were they copying Jesus Christ on your orders?"
The big man in the wheelchair rolled his blue eyes, placed his fingertips to his temples and shook his head, "You'll have to ask Paul Smith."
"Goddamn it!"Jobynski exploded. "Bring the bastard on."
The man in the wheelchair pressed the stick control and the wheelchair spun away.
Captain Moran's voice came over speaker, "Agent Jobynski, "Mr. Smith's lawyer requests we stop communicating with her client."
"Where is this lawyer?" Jobynski asked.
"Waiting at the courthouse in New York for the arraignment. A car will take you there. Smith needs a vehicle with a lift for his wheelchair. We'll meet you at Centre Street."
Jobynski walked to the back of the wheelchair, leaned over and whispered in Paul Smith's ear, "I'm going to nail your ass."