The following morning, nothing felt different, other than waiting for Mr. Hayes to call. I didn't open the blinds to see if the media was still there. They had to be.
There was no rush to leave my house. We had no plans to meet anywhere until lunch. It was nice to have a mostly free morning dedicated to study and prayer after I ate and took a shower.
I sat on the couch in the silence of my house with my Bible in my hands. My fingers started to turn to a random page. It was my way of pondering on things without focusing on any one thing from the Bible until after it was opened to a page.
I closed my eyes while praying. The Bible opened and finger rested blindly on whatever verse I was going to focus on.
Opening my eyes, I found Judges 6 with finger pointing to verse 15.
"Pardon me, my Lord," Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."
It was strange to find myself reading over Gideon's reluctance to accept his calling. Or was it something about not having faith? What was God telling me?
Considering my own weakened standing with God, it was most likely a comparison of our weak faith.
The problem with reading it that way was me not being called by God to do anything close to what Gideon did. I was a failed minister. There had to be something I was missing.
It was an easy feather to miss. God didn't reveal everything with that passage. He couldn't. I had to be ready for when more was revealed.
Just as I was on the verge of praying, the doorbell chimed. I set my Bible down with pages facing up. If some pages moved, I knew right where I was.
I got up and walked to the door to look through the peephole. I could've used the monitor. But wanted to walk and think over God's message. What was He telling me?
Looking through the peephole, I saw Agent Haskins' unsmiling face. Since he's out there, Agent Cornwallis should be as well.
I was tempted to go back to my prayers, but they knew I was home due to my car in the driveway. All they'd do was knock again and keep knocking until I answered.
It was better to get whatever they wanted to say out of the way as quickly as possible. There was no way to know how long it would be before the call came about the next site.
I stepped back and opened the door to a strange silence. The sound of the press couldn't be heard. There was no sign they remained. It had to be the work of the two agents standing before me.
Agent Haskins had a briefcase in his left hand, while Agent Cornwallis stood almost directly behind him. Neither showed anything on their faces to show what their intentions were.
"We have some questions for you, Mr. Collins," Agent Haskins said in his intimidating voice that I didn't find intimidating. "Best to answer them inside, or we can take you in."
I was a bit confused. I already answered their questions. They would've been done with the search and knew I had nothing to do with the aliens.
"Just like the last time, I have plans with God and Jesus. If you want to talk about God, come in. Otherwise, I can answer whatever questions you have about the aliens, right where we are. Nothing's changed about that."
Agent Haskins placed his hand on the edge of my door and pressed his foot in to keep me from closing it. "This has nothing to do with them. This is about the Secretary of State calling you?"
They must be there to ensure I kept my mouth shut. There has to be some document that I need to sign to guarantee my silence. Secretary Woodall did tell me it was classified.
It wasn't Secretary Woodall who told anyone, anything. The FBI had been monitoring my calls and realized who it was. Had it not been for the wrong number dialed, they never would've come back.
If I must let them in, the least I can do is let them know I'll be talking about God.
I look at both agents before answering. "Alright, Agent Haskins. You and Agent Cornwallis can come in. I'll answer your questions, then I'm going to tell you about God and Jesus. Otherwise, I'm not going anywhere, and you won't be coming in."
Agent Haskins scowled, while Agent Cornwallis smirked. It wasn't going the way they were planning.
"Just because I'm no longer a minister, doesn't mean I stopped working for God and Jesus."
Agent Haskins glared at me. It was a continued attempt at intimidation. He clearly didn't want to hear about God, unlike Agent Cornwallis who seemed at least receptive to the idea.
"Fine, Mr. Collins. You answer all our questions to my satisfaction, and you can tell us one thing about God and Jesus."
I shook my head at the deal Agent Haskins was trying to make. "Not your satisfaction, Agent Haskins," my eyes moved to the other agent, "or yours, Agent Woodall." I returned to looking at the first. "I'll answer your questions and get to speak about two things without interruption."
Agent Haskins' body relaxed a bit. I had him and he knew it. God willing, He'd guide me to find the right two things to reach at least one of them.
I stood back to let them in and close the door behind them. Both have black briefcases that look alike. The waited for me to guide them to wherever I was going to answer their questions, which is where my Bible remained open.
They took chairs on the other side of the coffee table, while I sat on the couch across from them. Agent Haskin's was to my left and set his briefcase close to where my Bible was. Agent Cornwallis sat to my right and set his briefcase on the floor next to him.
Agent Haskins' fingers moved to the top of the briefcase that faced him. Two clicks were heard from the latches opening almost at the same time. He withdrew a white paper that was turned face down and a recording device and let the briefcase close. Both were placed on the briefcase, with paper turned over to reveal a document dealing with national security.
He turned on the recorder. "This is FBI Agent Kevin Haskins interviewing Mr. Ryan Collins. FBI Agent Ari Cornwallis is observing. This recording is to ensure we don't later claim we did or said something that didn't happen."
It wasn't quite what I was expecting. Considering their posture outside, and the first-time questions were asked, I was expecting something accusatory, right from the start.
"Have you had any contact with either of the aliens, Mr. Collins?"
I shake my head. So much for not bringing them up.
"No, I, haven't."
"Do you know anyone who has, Mr. Collins?"
Another shake of my head. "No."
"How do you know Secretary of State Woodall, Mr. Collins?"
I almost role my eyes. "I don't know him."
"Yet, he called you, Mr. Collins?"
"He dialed my number by mistake," I responded with the truth, just like all my answers.
"Who do you work for, Mr. Collins?" he asked in a challenging tone.
And there it is. Exactly what I was expecting. He isn't wondering about my job in construction.
"I work for John Hayes. He's my foreman."
"Who does he work for, Mr. Collins?"
It's a trick question. He's trying to implicate everyone by claiming Mr. Hayes is something he isn't.
"He works for himself in construction. People hire him to build houses and we build them."
Agent Haskins was expecting me to slip up.
"What did Secretary Woodall say to you, Mr. Collins?"
I almost answered. But know what he's trying to do. Catch me in a breech.
"He told me it's classified and can't tell anyone, including the two of you. I'm sorry, I can't answer your question."
Do they know? If they were listening in to just my side, they wouldn't.
"Who is Secretary Woodall to you, Mr. Collins?" he asks in a demanding tone.
"Up until I got the call, never even heard of him. Your background checks show I'm not political."
The look on his face tells me he doesn't believe me. I don't care if he believes me or not. It's the truth.
He turns off the recording device and places it back in his briefcase, along with the document. I was right. He has no idea what he said to me, just that Secretary Woodall called.
"This interview is finished. Next time, it won't be here, Mr. Collins. You're lying to me. You've been in contact with high-ranking people and the aliens. I'm going to prove it. Lying to a federal agent is a crime, unless you want to amend your statement."
I shake my head. "There's nothing to amend. Now, my two points about God and Jesus."
He gets up and Agent Cornwallis follows. I don't have time for two.
I rise while praying for the right words. "Treat others as you want them to treat you, Agent Haskins," I say with no idea why those words flowed from me.
"What?" he asked proving he has no familiarity with Christians, or the Bible.
"Part of being a Christian is to treat others like you want to be treated."
He heads to the door, while Agent Cornwallis delays with a smile. His head gets close to my ear to keep from being overheard. "I've heard of that. I'd like to take some time to talk to you. Can we meet on another day? I'd like to talk to you about that," he whispers.
It could be a trick to get my guard down, which is fine. I've nothing to hide and have a duty to God to do what I can.
My suspicions about them were right. They only heard one side of the call and he was using what I said as an opportunity that God used.
I nod. "How about tomorrow. Mr. Hayes should be calling with our next job. But won't be for at least a week. How about tomorrow, Agent Cornwallis?" I whisper back.
"I do have the day off. How about this time tomorrow. I don't have a Bible. Is that going to be a problem, Mr. Collins?"
I shake my head. "No problem. I've got a few. I can give one to you, right now, if you want."
He took his time to think things over. "Better wait. I don't want my partner to know."
"Tomorrow it is, Agent Cornwallis."
He walks to the door, while I follow. Agent Haskins glares at me. Even now, he's trying to intimidate me. He opens the door and storms out, leaving the two of us a brief moment.
"Until tomorrow, Agent Cornwallis."
He nods, before walking out. I close the door behind him looking forward to getting back to what I was going to study and pray on.
I pray and contemplate Gideon for several hours with no interruptions. Other than not having an answer, it makes for a peaceful time.
Me cell rings and look to see Mr. Hayes calling in the early afternoon.
I set my Bible down and answer it. "Hello, Mr. Hayes."
"There's a job starting one week from Monday. I'll send the details later. Don't be late, or you're fired," he said in the same unpleasant tone he always used.
"I'll be there on time, Mr. Hayes."
He ended the call without another word and I went back to praying right through dinner with no clear answer from God.