THUS SPAKE THE LORD

Chapter 2 Meditation

Joan wasn't the only one to hear the girl's revelation. The store manager had too, and it hit a nerve.

"If you'd just returned the network card and expressed some remorse, I'd be willing to let this slide. But if you're going to claim you're justified in robbing me – good luck, telling the juvenile court judge that God sent you directions. Who do you think you are, Joan of Arc? Or should I say Joan of Arcadia?"

Joan started.

"Sorry, Miss Girardi, I forgot that was your first name."

"It's all right." What the manager said did not upset her. She was still trying to absorb the girl's claim.

Joan knew that God talked to another people without telling her about it. She had met one such girl earlier this fall. But would God tell her to commit an actual crime?

Uncomfortably, Joan recalled the most bewildering of God's missions, which had happened very early in the career. God had told her to smash one of Adam's works of art, and after considerable stalling, Joan had done it. It was not only a nasty thing to do to a boyfriend, but it was destruction of property, and conceivably Adam could have demanded Joan's arrest. Indeed, that artwork probably cost more money than this stolen electronics gizmo.

The reason for that mission, Joan recalled, was that the success of the artwork had gone to Adam's head and he was considering dropping out of school. Thus the destructive act had had good ripples. But what good ripples would come from asking a girl to shoplift an electronics component? Electronics might have all sorts of uses nowadays, of course, but why didn't God just give the girl money and tell her to buy the thing? God had sent Adam and Joan on an expensive mission a month ago, but made sure that their expenses were paid. Joan never found out how God managed it - conjuring up the money out of nowhere, or transferring it from somewhere else - but He could have done the same for the girl.

But the big question – had Joan screwed up? Was she supposed to help the girl somehow? Instead she had ensured that the girl would be arrested for shoplifting and put through the juvenile court system. She had often complained that God did not make his instructions clear, but in this case a girl's life might be blighted as a result.

Joan was so pre-occupied with her worries that she was surprised when the bell tinkled at the door and two policemen walked in. One was a patrolman in uniform, and the other was her Dad.

"OK," said the patrolman brightly, looking Joan and her prisoner. "Which girl is the suspect?"

They deployed themselves so that the patrolman could interview the shop manager while keeping an eye on the girl, who still seemed blasé about the whole thing. Joan remembered hearing about a Biblical story, in which two saints were falsely arrested, and God arranged for an earthquake to bring about their release. Did she think some similar miracle would get her out of jail? Joan didn't want to be responsible for an earthquake hitting Arcadia…

Will Girardi took his daughter further back in the store so that they could talk in privacy.

"Dad, what are you doing here? I thought this was your day off."

"It's not my day off if my daughter is in trouble. They called me from the station, saying that they recognized your name in a 911 call."

"I'm all right, Dad," Joan lied.

"It could have been much worse. That girl could have fought back, and hurt you. Or if anything had gone wrong with the arrest, the girl could sue you for depriving her of her freedom. You wouldn't have the legal protections that a policeman has in the performance of his duty." Will hesitated. "Did he put you up to this? Or was a she this time?"

Joan knew exactly Whom her father meant by "he' or "she". He was unhappy about the fact that some deity had been circumventing his parental authority for years, particularly since Joan herself could not explain what His plan was.

"He didn't tell me to arrest the girl," Joan hedged. The last thing she needed at the moment was to revive THAT argument.

The patrolman took Joan's statement, and warned her that she might be called to testify in juvenile court. After that she was free to go, but she had another worry – having to be available for a hearing might delay her return to college.

Joan had her own car parked outside, so she and her Dad drove home separately. When she got there, Dad was upstairs with Mom, presumably reassuring her that Joan was OK. Joan drew Adam and Luke into her room, and told them the whole story.

"I don't think you should get upset, Jane," said her husband. "You obeyed the law and you obeyed God, so there's no reason to feel guilty."

That didn't quite soothe Joan's feelings. It was neat, but it was a mechanical I-was-just-following-orders. It didn't touch Joan's personal conscience. "What do you think, Luke?"

Characteristically, Luke pondered for a much longer period before giving an answer. "I think you're reading too much into this, Joan."

"What do you mean?"

"You hear a girl say 'God told me to do so-and-so', and you immediately identify it as what YOU do. Suppose she didn't mean that at all? What if she was just panicking at being caught, and giving a wild excuse?"

"She didn't seem panicky. And 'God told me to do it' isn't going to get her out of juvie. If anything, it may land her in Crazy Camp."

"She may not have thought of that. Again, you're projecting your experience on her. I think you'd be better off accepting things at face value. Make your testimony, and otherwise forget about it."

But Joan wasn't quite satisfied by that point of view, either. If there was anything that she had learnt over the past few years, it was that 'face value' could be deceiving.

TO BE CONTINUED