Beneath the Tombstone (The Tombstone Series) (33 page)

“Um,
so I guess what I’m trying to say is that over the course of the last few
weeks, with the help of a very special man and a very special lady, I have come
to realize that it is okay to need God, as well.” Tyler smiled as he added, “I
take that back. It’s not just ‘okay’ to need God but, rather, it is the driving
force behind true and eternal happiness. Anyways,” he said, tossing both hands
in the air, “I didn’t mean to get up here and give another sermon. The preacher
did a good job, and I want to thank him for his good words.”

Tyler
stepped down and headed towards his seat as the preacher stood up before the
crowd and said, “Thank you too, Tyler, for such a moving testimony. Seeing
lives affected by God’s Word is much more of a sermon than words can give.”

Jason
had to agree to that. Seeing Tyler’s honesty and the relief that seemed to have
come over him was having quite an effect on his heart. As the service concluded
and during the mingling that followed thereafter, Jason reviewed the past years
of his life. He’d made more bad decisions than good. He had worn out his soul
trying to please his self. Maybe a complete and total change of life was
exactly what he needed.

“Did
you enjoy it?” Susan asked him hopefully after prying herself away from the
group that thronged Tyler offering the tall cowboy words of encouragement.

“Um,
yeah,” Jason replied. “I guess so.”

“What’s
wrong?” she asked in a voice filled with concern.

“Nothing
really,” he responded. “I was just thinking about some stuff.”

“Yeah?”
Susan prompted.

“You
know, my life,” he said quietly.

“Without
Jesus?”

Jason
cast his gaze down towards the floor. “Yeah,” he admitted.

“Would
you like to change that?” she asked gently.

After
staring down at the floor for a few seconds longer, he looked up at her.
“Yeah,” he admitted again as a glimmer of new hope began to shine in his eyes.
“I think I do.”

“Come
with me,” Susan instructed with a gentle smile.

“Mr.
Devins
,” she spoke to the preacher as they approached him.

The
preacher turned around from the two ladies who were walking away, having
complemented him on such a fine sermon. “Susan!” he greeted happily. “Who’s
your friend?” he asked, turning his attention to Jason.

“This
is Jason, my brother-in-law,” she said. “Jason, this is Mr.
Devins
.”

“Good
to meet ‘cha son,” the preacher said, giving Jason’s hand a hearty shake.

“Likewise
sir,” Jason responded.

“So Jason
here tells me he wants to know more about Jesus,” Susan told the preacher after
the two had shaken hands. “Know of anyone who could help him with that?”

“I
most certainly do,” the preacher said with a smile. “Follow me.”

Jason
and Susan followed the preacher outside and around the side of the building
where a picnic table sat. “Have a seat,” the preacher invited. They obeyed, and
he sat down across from them.

After
getting settled, the preacher folded his arms on the table and directed his
attention to Jason as he asked, “So what exactly is it you want to know about
Jesus?”

“How
do I get him in my life?” Jason asked rather bluntly.

The
preacher’s face brightened. “Now that is my favorite question for people to ask
when asking questions about Jesus,” he said with a smile. “Gets straight to the
point.” He sighed, thinking for a moment, before going on. “Well, first you
have to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that God sent him to
save us from our sins by dying on the cross, being placed in the tomb before
rising from it, defeating death. Do you believe that?”

“Did
he?” Jason inquired.

“Yes,”
the preacher assured him. “There’s no doubt.”

“Then
I believe,” he stated confidently. “What’s next?”

“I
like this guy,” the preacher said, giving Susan a smile. “Second,” he said,
turning his attention back to Jason, “you have to truly want to be made new…
because you will be,” he said in a convicted tone. “You have to understand that
with Jesus, the old you will be buried and you will become new.”

“I want
to become new,” Jason confirmed.

“Then
there is only one thing left to do,” the preacher said as he stood and smiled
down at Jason. “Let the blood of Jesus wash your sins away.”

“How
do I do that?”

“You
must be born again.”

“Is
that what I need to do to earn salvation and, you know, make Jesus want to be a
part of my life?” Jason asked.

The
preacher smiled again. “First of all, we would all be hopelessly lost if we had
to earn our salivation. It’s a free gift to us because the only thing that
could earn it was the blood of Jesus. And second, Jesus has wanted to be a part
of your life for a long, long time now. He’s just not rude, so he doesn’t come
in unless you invite him.”

“Well,
you tell ‘
em
I said he’s welcome anytime,” Jason
said, giving an affirmative nod.

And
so a short time later, they drove down to the ice cold Arkansas River where he
laid his old ways to rest. The sun shone gently on his face as he stood on the
shore with the small group gathered around him.

“Uncle
Jason,” a small and happy voice spoke, grabbing his hand. Jason turned and
looked down at his nephew. “You and Jesus are my best friends, and now
y’all
both know each other. I’m a lucky boy,” he added with
a shake of his head.

Jason
laughed and gave Ken’s head a rub. “And I’m a lucky man,” he said.

He
gave Tyler directions to his house to grab some extra clothes. Susan and Rye
rode in the back seat on each side with Ken in between them. At his house, with
fresh clothes on, Jason walked around inside, drying his hair. This didn’t even
feel like home anymore. The life he’d had here was gone – almost like it had
been someone else’s that he somehow had memories of. He looked out the back
window and, for a short time, his gaze was lost as he stared into what had been
Dixie’s pen.

After
several minutes of memories that he had shared with his dog, Jason’s phone
began to vibrate and ring, jarring him from the trance he was in. He glanced at
the caller I.D. before answering.

“Hey
Tomas,” he greeted, placing the phone to his ear.

“Hello
Jason,” the doctor returned the greeting in a somber tone.

“What’s
up?” Jason asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

“Not
much,” Tomas replied. “I’ve just got a little hunch I would like to discuss
with you. You got a minute?”

“Yeah,”
Jason responded. “We’re actually in town – fixing to go eat a late lunch. Come
meet and eat a bite with us if you’d like. I’ve got something I’d like to tell
you about, too.”

“I
have already eaten,” the doctor responded, “but I might come by. Where will you
be?”

“I
think we’re going to that little Italian food place down by the river walk,”
Jason replied.

“The
place where we staged your first heroic act?” Tomas asked in an innocent
sounding voice.

“Um,
yeah,” Jason replied, not quiet liking the way the doctor had worded that.

“I’ll
see if I can make it over there before you leave,” Tomas said solemnly. They
said goodbye and hung up, leaving Jason wondering what the hunch was that the
doctor wanted to discuss.

- - - - - -

Jason
and the others were all finishing up their late lunch when the doctor came
strolling across the balcony towards them.

“Who
invited him?” Tyler demanded, eyeing the man approaching with a look of
skepticism.

“I
did,” Jason assured the tall cowboy. “He said he has something to discuss.”

“That
ought’a
be interesting,” Tyler quietly muttered under
his breath.

Before
Jason could question the tall cowboy’s comment, Tomas arrived at the table.
“Hello Jason,” the doctor greeted.

“Tomas,”
Jason responded, getting up and shaking hands. “Good to see you.” He then turned
to the table and began introductions. “Tomas, this is Susan and Ken.”

“So
nice to meet you,” Susan said, rising from her seat for a moment to shake his
hand. Ken sat bashfully in his chair without saying a word.

“This
is Rye,” Jason said indicating towards the younger cowboy. Rye gave a little
nod but didn’t bother getting up or shaking hands.

“And
this is Tyler,” Jason spoke, nodding towards the tall cowboy… who did nothing
but glance up at the doctor with a blank expression on his face.

Tomas,
clearly shaken by the cowboys’ lack of excitement at his presence, turned back
to Jason and, in a low voice, said, “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

“Sure,”
Jason replied before turning to the others. “We’ll be back in a bit,” he said
then led the way from the upper porch down to the river walk.

They
made their way along the concrete banks for a short distance before Jason
stopped and turned to the doctor. “So what’s on your mind?” he asked.

The
doctor walked in silence a few steps further before turning to Jason. “I wanted
to draw a line for you to follow; see if you come to the same conclusion that I
did. I assume the ugly one they captured still is not talking?”

“Not
the last I heard,” Jason replied.

“Then
the one named Isaac is our starting point,” the doctor said. “Who is his
father?”

“Irwin,”
Jason answered cautiously.

“Exactly,”
Dr. Throckmorton responded quickly. “And who did Irwin recommend to you for a
climbing trainer?”

“Tyler,”
Jason acknowledged, seeing where the doctor was headed.

“Aren’t
you at least just a little suspicious of how easy it all was?” Tomas demanded.
“What if you walked straight into a trap? What if Isaac, Irwin and Tyler are
all in this together?”

“That
doesn’t really make sense,” Jason said, starting to walk again. “What would
Tyler possibly have to gain by any of this?”

“Free
help,” Tomas pointed out, taking a few quick steps to catch up with him.

Jason
gave a laugh. He hadn’t meant for it to, but it came out a little disdainful.
“Seems a little extreme, don’t you think? He would’ve just hired someone.”

They
walked along in awkward silence for a moment before the doctor turned back to
Jason. “You had something you wanted to tell me?” he asked.

“Oh
yes,” Jason responded with a happy smile. “I found Jesus!”

Tomas
stopped again and pushed up his glasses before studying Jason for a moment.
“Found Jesus?” he scoffed. “Was he lost?”

“No,”
Jason responded calmly. “I was.”

“Good
for you,” Tomas said. “Now about my hunch…”

“I’m
not buying it,” Jason cut in abruptly. “I do appreciate your concern, but
Tyler’s a good man. He wouldn’t set me up. You don’t think Denton is behind
this anymore?” he asked.

“I
don’t know,” the doctor voiced his doubt. “It takes a lot of brains to pull off
something like this and from what you have told me about Denton, he doesn’t
sound all that bright.”

“That’s
for sure, but you’re wrong about Tyler,” Jason said in a matter of fact way.

“Well,
suit yourself,” Tomas said. “Just remember one thing. Sometimes what we want to
believe blinds us to the obvious truth.”

Jason
turned around. “I’m heading back,” he spoke evenly before changing directions.
The doctor fell in step beside him, and as they neared the porch to the
restaurant, a fairly large group of people with cameras and microphones trotted
towards them.

“Jason!
Jason Hathaway!” the man in the lead called out as he jogged towards Jason.
“You got a moment? I’ve have a few questions.”

After
recovering a bit from the shock of having a mob surround him, Jason spoke.
“First I’ve got a couple questions for
y’all
.” He
looked around and asked, “Why are all of
y’all
looking for me, and how’d
y’all
know where to look?”

“Anonymous
tip on the last question,” the reporter who had been in the lead replied. “On
the first question – a lot, and I mean a
lot
, of people will be watching
you climb the Tombstone on TV, and we’d like to help them get to know you.”

“Alright,”
Jason said with an uneasy chuckle. “What do they want to know about me?”

“First
– how do you feel about next week’s climb?” the reporter asked.

“Good,”
Jason said honestly.

“So
you’re okay with the fact that you could, well frankly, die?”

“No,”
Jason replied flatly. “I don’t want to die.” He looked away from the reporter
towards the back and smiled before pointing to a familiar face. “You’re the
lady from the first interview, right?”