Copyright 2016. Torch Legacy Publications.

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 OSCAR
Son of a Preacher
Man

Girls of Virtue Series: MILA

The Stories Behind the Stories

SERIAL NOVEL

by Danita Evangeline Whyte

 chapter one:
i want to be rich

Habakkuk Hoope was a poor, pious preacher who ministered

faithfully to his small congregation in Indiana. Habakkuks
father had also been a poor preacher and before him,
Habakkuks grandfather had been a poor circuit rider
preacher. Habakkuk suspected that unless God dropped
some vast fortune on him, he would die poor, for he had few
connections and was only supported by his church members
who were also poor. But Habakkuk didnt mind. He knew he
had treasures stored up in the heavens and a mansion built
by God waiting on him. It was for this reason that Habakkuk
prayed each morning and each night. He taught weekly from
the Book he believed in the Bible. He told his four children
about the Ten Commandments, the Cross, the first murder,
and the Fall, of the giant Goliath killed by the boy wonder
David, of the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ, and the miracles
performed by the Son of God.

The three sisters: Faith, Hope, and Charity, eagerly heard the
words of their father. Their angelic faces radiated with belief
as they listened. But their brother was another matter, for
Oscar was a troubled boy with an unexplainable wicked
streak in him. His mother, Isabel Claire Hoope, had died
while giving birth to him. She had been a saintly woman,
always imparting words of wisdom and encouragement. Her
death had left a deep hole in Habakkuks soul, but it had not
caused his faith in God to diminish. Habakkuk had kept on
preaching. Habakkuk had kept on praying. He remembered
often the prayer he had prayed after picking up the living
soul of his newborn son from beside her dead one.

O benevolent God, he said. You give and You take away.

Still, I bless Your Name. Thank You now for this joy birthed in
the midst of sorrow. Be near my little son Oscar Hoope all
the days of his life. May he be as good as his Godly mother.
For the most part, Oscar was quite the opposite of Isabel. He
was sullen and silent. He liked to sit alone with his thoughts.
It pleased him to see other people hurt. Oscar was not
entirely bad. Sometimes, Oscar tried to be good; but he was
shadowy. It was this shadowy-ness that bothered his father.
It caused Habakkuk to worry about his son. It made him say
an extra prayer for his boy at night.

When Oscar was six he had a hard time keeping up with

other boys his age. Charity discovered that his left leg was
one half-inch shorter than his right leg. Despite being slower,
Oscar got around just fine, but he had a slight limp that was
never fixed. The older boys at the schoolhouse pointed it out
and laughed at him, calling him Limpo. Oscar didnt mind
at first, but soon their jokes made him angry. He was careful
to keep the anger inside, however, because Habakkuk had
admonished him repeatedly: Be slow to anger. The anger of
man does not produce the righteousness of God. Be angry
and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath.

Hardly a day passed in Oscars childhood when Habakkuk did

not observe him and wonder what was going on in that silent
mind of his. Once, he got up the nerve to try to find out.
Their conversation went something like this. Im a
preacher, Habakkuk told Oscar. Before me, your
grandfather was a preacher and before him, your great-
grandfather was a preacher. I suppose youre planning to be
the same?

No, Oscar answered, head shaking. This was how he

always responded with the smallest words possible,
shortening his sentences to phrases. Eyes shifting. Terse.
Uninterested.

What are you planning to be then? Habakkuk asked.

Dunno, Oscar answered, shoulders shrugging.

Habakkuk eyed his son curiously. It was in these moments

that he wished Isabel were still alive. She would have known
what to say. Well, you best start thinking about it,
Habakkuk said. Whatever you decide, make sure it is all
done for the good Lord.

Is the Lord good? Oscar asked.

Be serious! Habakkuk replied. Of course the Lord is good.

All the time.

Why did He give me a limp then? Did you know they call me
limpo at school?

There was a brief moment of silence, then Habakkuk said, It

is not our place to question Gods doings. He alone knows
what is best for us.

Oscar thought about that for a while. He didnt much like his
fathers answer. It was his leg and he had a right to question
why God had made it uneven. Oscar asked another question,
Why does God make some men rich and some men poor?
Why isnt he fair?

A longer silence this time, then Habakkuk said, The good

Lord is fair, Oscar. He gives to all men what He knows they
can handle. Again, it is not our place to question. We must
only believe.

I want to be rich, Oscar said matter-of-factly. Whether

God thinks I can handle it or not, I will be rich one day.

Habakkuk did not quite know how to respond to this so he

turned back to what he did best. Habakkuk kept on
preaching. Habakkuk kept on praying. Each day, without fail,
he pleaded with God to keep the soul of Oscar out of hell. He
implored the good Lord to make his son into an honest man.

Oscar heard plenty of his fathers prayers, but they didnt

change him at all. He wasnt interested in being an honest
man. He wanted to be a rich man and he had no intention of
working for his riches.
 chapter two:
everything but a child of
God

At fourteen, Oscar joined AJs gang. Alton AJ Jackson was

two years older than Oscar. He had moved with his family
from Oklahoma to Indiana and had already served five
months for stealing $2.50 in a highway robbery. Whenever
he saw Oscar sitting alone, AJ made it a point to go over to
him. He would stick both his hands deep into his pockets
until the knuckles showed through the cloth, and they would
talk. Actually, it was AJ who did most of the talking. Oscar did
most of the listening.

The bankers son, Redd, had also joined AJs gang. He knew
all about code combinations and vaults and locks. The oldest
boy, Shady Sayer, was eighteen. He had accidentally shot
a man a year earlier, went to prison, and got out to brag
about it. There was no one he hated more now than police
officers and law enforcers. The fifth boy to join AJs gang was
Pistol Pete. By means only known to him, he had secured a
large stash of machine pistols and handguns. He had them
buried in his neighbors abandoned farmhouse. Pistols
father was Habakkuks only deacon. Pistol and Oscar had
known each other for years. They were almost as close as
brothers and spent many long nights talking about running
away to big cities and how they would spend their riches.

Oscars first serious offense was an act to help avenge AJ.

The schoolmasters son had caught him stealing cigars and
promptly told. AJ had lied, but he was still fined $50.00.

Shady paid Oscar ten dollars to lure the schoolmasters son

to the place in between the woods where he was waiting
with AJ for him. As soon as they caught sight of them, AJ and
Shady grabbed the schoolmasters son and pummeled him
with their fists. They beat him until his cries stopped and his
thin body lay limp in the dust. When they realized they had
killed him, AJ opened the white trunk of Shadys car and
threw the body inside. Oscar had not participated in the fist
beating. He had stood under the shades of the trees and
watched. A sick feeling of pity for the schoolmasters son
began rising in his heart, but Oscar quickly squelched it.

He didnt ride with AJ and Shady to the lake. When they

returned to the place in between the woods, Oscar knew the
body of the schoolmasters son wasnt with them. AJ thanked
Oscar for his help. Shady drove them home.

The very next day, AJ and Oscar were paid visits by portly
police officers and taken down to the station. Speak the
truth, a startled Habakkuk Hoope admonished his son as he
was taken away.

Oscar only partly obeyed his father. He told the police he had
gone to the woods with the schoolmasters son. There had
been an accident and the boy had drowned in the lake. A
sense of loyalty kept Oscar from mentioning AJ or Shady. In
another room, AJ told the police that he had been out of
town. He didnt know what had happened to the
schoolmasters son. His lie seemed honest and was easily
believed. AJ was released.

The police went to the lake to recover the body of the

schoolmasters son. They found Oscars jacket under the tree
where he had been standing. Oscar, they said, was a dirty
bastard. Oscar, they said, had beaten the schoolmasters
son. Oscar, they said, had killed him.

Habakkuk Hoope sat through the entire short trial, muttering

prayers without ceasing. He refused to believe that his son,
not yet a man, was a murderer. When the jury announced
their verdict and the resulting punishment, Oscar was found
guilty. They sentenced him to jail for ten years. Oscar heard
the sobs of the schoolmaster and his wife as he was roughly
led away in handcuffs. He also heard the shouts of his father,
protesting the sentencing. Oscar would never do such an
ungodly deed, Habakkuk cried. Never!

The judge was quick to reply, You dont know your son,
Reverend. Oscar is everything but a child of God.
Oscar put on a brave face as he walked by locked cell door
after locked cell door, but a river of fear was rising inside of
him. To be imprisoned. For ten years. He could hardly stand
being told what to do. He could barely imagine the thought
of being controlled and watched, every single second of
every minute of every hour of every day. That river of fear
morphed into a torrent of anger when he found out about
AJs lies. Oscar wanted to beat and kill AJ now just like AJ had
beaten and killed the schoolmasters son.

Oscar had to get out. He needed to get out. And once he got
out, he vowed he would never see the inside of a cell again.
 chapter three:
hostility, distrust, and fear

Unless one finds religion while behind bars, rarely does

prison reform someone. To lock up a soul that was born free,
raised free, and freely committed his crime, is no just
punishment; but a slow death. Like a caged lion, prison
nurtures the wounded pride that comes with being captured,
removes from the heart all lingering bits of remorse for its
wrongdoing, and breeds in its place seeds of hostility,
distrust, and fear.

Hostility toward the prison guards who watched them and

escorted them and fed them. The prison guards who
degraded them as they carried out their menial tasks. The
prison guards who thought they were without sin and threw
the first, second, and third stones.

Distrust toward their fellow prison mates who, despite being

sentenced to the same fates, were too leery of one another
to form a sincere brotherhood. Their fellow prison mates who
cried themselves to sleep and cursed the day they were
born. Their fellow prison mates who forgot and were
forgotten. Their fellow prison mates who sharpened crude
weapons in secret places and formed plans in hopes of
breaking out.

Fear of themselves, for some were shocked their hands had

been capable of carrying out their crime. They were afraid of
what they would do when (and if) they ever got freedom.
They were afraid of how much the world would change while
they were locked away. The amount of good inside of a
person is astounding. Equally astounding is the amount of
evil that causes one to take the life of his fellow man, steal
from his neighbor, and ignite fear in the heart of a stranger.

Oscar was the youngest mate in his ward. The remaining

days of his fourteenth year of life dragged by. Then he was
fifteen. Then sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. His heart grew
bitter and hostile toward those who had imprisoned him. His
mind became mad with wicked inventions. He was restless;
and fearless, too.

In prison, Oscar befriended veteran robbers and murderers

and liars. They told Oscar their stories and shared their
secrets with him. He learned that a successful bank robbery
had to be carried out with the speed and surprise of a
German blitzkrieg. He memorized old war tactics to solve
lock combinations and break into vaults and safety deposit
boxes. He learned how different tools could aid him in taking
money drills and thermal lances, plasma cutters and
explosives. Prison taught Oscar about underground
tunneling, scouting out a banks alarm system, shutting off
security detectors, creating distractions, and setting up
lookouts. Prison gave Oscar friends who hatched a way for
him to escape by being wheeled out with the dirty laundry.
Prison stripped Oscar of the little innocence he had left and
gave him a mind to commit the rest of his life to crime.
Prison gave Oscar no regard for life or love or the law.

Shady, Redd, and Pistol Pete were waiting to pick up Oscar

when he escaped from prison at nineteen. Shady wanted
them to leave town immediately. But what had happened to
AJ?

AJs become an honest man, Redd said. Married a girl and

studying books to be a lawyer. Oscar thought about the five
years he had spent in prison for a crime he had not
physically committed. He determined that AJ didnt deserve
to be a lawyer. He gave Shady and Redd some brief
instructions.

One night, AJ left the law office where he was an intern. He

was met with a bullet that lodged in his heart. The very next
morning, police found his dead body dumped in front of his
mothers house.

Meanwhile, Oscar and Pistol Pete went to settle things with

the judge. The one who had called him everything but a child
of God. They drove by the small, prone-to-leak house of
Habakkuk Hoope on their way to the big, polished mansion
of the judge. Since Oscar had been imprisoned, Faith, Hope,
and Charity had all married and Habakkuk was living alone.
Oscar had a mind to drop in but decided not to. Habakkuk
was much too holy and righteous to be bothered with a
wretch like him.

When the judges wife returned home from shopping, she

found their house ransacked. Most of their valuables were
missing. She found her husband, who had been sleeping, still
lying in bed. But he was dead with a bullet in his head and a
bullet in his heart. Warm blood soaked the pillows, sheets,
and mattress.

By the time the police had investigated both murders and

sent out alerts, Oscar was long gone from his Indiana
childhood home. He was headed to Chicago. Only trouble-
making and villainy were ahead of him now. Oscar had never
felt so free, yet so locked up.
 chapter four:
a wanted man

They robbed banks in small towns on their way from Indiana

to Illinois. Oscar and his gang planned their method of
operation down to the last detail. Picking banks that had an
easy escape route, they would scout out the area that
surrounded it. They would wait until closing hours when
fewer people would be around. Then one of them would rush
inside, jump the counter with a crash, and swipe as much
cash from the tills as they could. The tellers would always be
caught off guard and terrified. At the sight of a weapon they
cowered on the floor, fearfully agreeing not to move or tell.
Oscar received just as much joy from seeing the fear on his
victims face as he received from taking their money.

Sometimes they would leave immediately with the cash. At

other times, if the police had been notified and were on their
trail, they would hide their stolen riches in some inaccessible
place to outsiders. After the heat died down, they would
come back around and pick it up before heading to their next
town. Jefferson. Madison. Terre Haute. Brazil. In Indianapolis,
Oscar and his gang bought new clothes. They got rid of
Pistols handguns and purchased new weapons from an
underworld gunsmith.

Then it was on to Crawfordsville. Lafayette. Logansport. Go

across the state border and head to Chicago. In Chicago,
they rented rooms and hid their cash in inconspicuous
locations. Their stolen car was thrown to a junkyard and they
bought a brand new getaway. Orders were made for cigars
and liquor and girls. For a brief time, they settled down, but
they never settled in.

Oscar began planning his next heist. It would be his biggest

yet at the Federal Reserve Bank. The vaults were housed in
three highly secured levels underground. At nearly twenty
stories high with a complex security system throughout the
entire building, it was a huge task; but Oscar was
undaunted. He recruited a circle of professional mobsters to
help him dig the break-in tunnel. They worked in shifts
during early mornings and late evenings from a nearby
sewer system.

When they werent tunneling, Oscar and his gang took in the
big city sights. They toured the art museums and
observatories and explored Navy Pier. They saw the Cubs
play at Wrigley Field. At the smoky bars, Redd and Shady
played cards and drank and danced to Jailhouse Rock late
into the morning. Pistol visited the zoo twice because he
wanted to see a living lion. He got thrown out twice for trying
to feed them and agitating the grizzlies. Oscar went with the
mobsters to the Chicago Theatre and discovered the
fascinating world of black-and-white cinema. A jazzy girl,
who wore diamond bracelets up to her wrists and referred to
Oscar as mildly fascinating, dragged him to the Harris
Theatre where they saw Suite en Blanc. It was Oscars first
ballet and he found it enchanting. Even though they made
many friends, they never let themselves become too
acquainted.

After three months, the tunnel was finished. On the morning

of the robbery, Oscar and Pistol donned dark suits and top
hats. They walked into the bank with a jaunty air and talked
confidently with the young, unassuming tellers about
overseas investing and stocks and bonds and Wall Street.
They joined a know-it-all guide on a tour of the banks Money
Museum. They were shown a presentation highlighting the
importance of the Federal Reserve System in a healthy
economy. They were given a rich history lesson on the
humble beginnings of the bank. Oscar and Pistol had their
picture taken at the museums kiosk in front of a million
dollars in hundred dollar bills. Then they left and waited
restlessly for nightfall.

An hour before midnight, Oscar, Pistol, Redd, Shady, and the

mobsters made their way through the tunnel and arrived at
the vaults. Their job was made one step easier because the
motion detector wasnt working. Using tape, they quickly
disabled the light detector. Redd had a duplicate of the key
lock made before time. He cracked the combination lock. The
mobsters taped the magnets of the fail-safe alarm to let
themselves inside.

They worked swiftly throughout the early hours of the

morning, opening over five hundred safety deposit boxes
and swiping millions in cash, securities, and other valuables.
They loaded the loot onto trucks painted to look like furniture
delivery. In the late morning, the guards found out about the
break-in and the tunnel was discovered. It was the jazzy girl
who tipped the police onto Oscar. By afternoon, you couldnt
walk a block without running into an officer or government
agent. By evening, Oscars picture was in the paper as
Chicagos most wanted man.

But Oscar had left Chicago. He left the state of Illinois. He

arrived with the gang in West Virginia; they didnt stay there
long. At a bar in Ohio, the owner recognized Pistols face
from a news report and called the police on Oscar and his
gang. They all had a close escape through the back exit,
killing three federal agents and an innocent bystander, as
they fled. They stole an FBI car to get away in before
abandoning it in tribal territory. Going on foot through the
woods, a Kickapoo family gave them shelter in their lodge for
a week until one of the mobsters brought them a car.

Oscar heard what people said about them in the papers.

Mean words. Disparaging comments. Young Dillingers, they
were called. And badder than Bonnie and Clyde.

Every now and then, when they werent hiding or on the run
from their enemies of the law or stealing and taking people
hostage, Oscar thought about leaving his shady job. He
thought about living as an honest man. He often thought
about the jazzy girl he had left behind in Chicago. He had
liked her. He often thought about the ballet. He had really
liked the ballet. Oscar sometimes thought of his poor, old
father, Habakkuk Hoope; and he thought of his three angelic
sisters.

But the thought of becoming righteous always frightened

him. He had been dishonest for so long he was sure he had
forgotten how to be honest. To be a good man every single
day for the rest of his life. Oscar didnt think he could live
like that.

For now, he would remain a wealthy vagrant, a corrupt

wanderer, and a crooked thief.
 chapter five:
close calls

The next few years were spent crisscrossing the states. They
never stayed in one place for too long. Oscar tried to
persuade Pistol, Redd, and Shady to take a trip with him to
England, but none of them were interested. They went to
California instead.

In California, Pistol fell in love with an Italian immigrant. He

married her quickly so she wouldnt be deported. They soon
had two sons, Niccolo and Antonio. Having a family didnt
prevent Pistol from keeping up with the gang and his wife
devotedly supported his illegal activities. She was soon
traveling with them and aided them in making quick
getaways.

Redd made sure they werent stingy with the money they
stole. Whoever helped them was always gifted generously in
return. Redd and Shady made anonymous donations in large
amounts to churches and charities in Chicago and Indiana. In
the Florida Keys, Pistol built his wifes parents and two sisters
a duplicate of the Villa Almerica Capra. But Oscar gave most
of all. He sent thousands of dollars to Habakkuk Hoope and
Faith, Hope, and Charity. He included a note that never told
where his money came from, but always said he was doing
well and hoped they were doing the same. He went back to
Ohio and traveled through the woods until he found the
Kickapoo family again. He gave them six gold bars as thanks
for the shelter they had provided.

The gang had some close calls as well. Once, on their way
from Florida back to Chicago, Shady was left to fill up their
car while the rest went to get lunch. A plainclothes officer
approached Shady, flashed his badge, and proceeded to ask
suspicious questions. Shady promptly shot him and
attempted to escape in the officers car. Five miles down the
road, he was blocked by a squad of law agents who arrested
him. Oscar and the others showed up about then and
launched a bloody shootout which left several officers dead
and several others wounded. The gang shot out the tires on
the car that was carrying Shady. They all made a safe escape
with only Redd suffering from a wound in his arm.

In Texas they raided a state police arsenal and made away

with bulletproof vests, ammunition, and machine guns
because they were running low on weapons. They tied up
the security officer who had been on duty and set fire to the
grounds on their way out. This time they werent so lucky in
their escape. The police chased them to the Texas New
Mexico border where they exchanged gunfire amidst dented
car metal, shattered window glass, and busted tires.

The police had clear aim at Pistol after his gun jammed. No,
Im done for, he told Oscar, who had dragged his bleeding
body behind their car for protection. The back of his head
was draining thick, sticky blood. Pistol turned to his wife
bending over him, Oscar, just get her out of here. I love you.
I love you. Then his mouth grew still and his eyes stopped
seeing. Pistols wife immediately grabbed his gun and turned
it to her head, but Oscar kept her from pulling the trigger.
Think about your boys, woman! he yelled at her.

They had to leave Pistols body. Redd, Shady and the others
caught up with them in Arizona. The death of their partner in
crime hit them all hard. Oscar could feel his cruel heart and
it was hurting. Hurting because he had lost a close friend
and a soul brother.

Pistols wife went back to the Villa Almerica Capra replicate

in Florida. The gang never saw her again.

A few months after Pistols death, Oscar was back in Texas

with several of his Chicago mobsters. Using license plate
numbers, they tracked down eight of the officers who had
been on hand when Pistol died and killed them all. Oscars
heart hurt less after this.
 chapter six:
night the stars stopped
shining

Years passed before Oscar returned home to Indiana. He was

thirty years young and finally beginning to grow facial hair
something which made him very proud. The small town he
had grown up in was now a large town. There were more
stores and fewer churches. The one-room schoolhouse now
had over ten rooms with a full cafeteria and a government-
funded playground. The jail that had once held Oscar captive
now had a high, heavy barbed wire fence around it. The lake
where the schoolmasters son had drowned was still there,
but the trees had all been cut down and a public park now
surrounded it.
Oscar surprised Charity at the post office where she had a
job as a clerk. My! she exclaimed when she saw her little
brother. My! Youve grown so much. And she hugged him
with tears in her eyes despite all the filthy things she had
heard about him in the papers. Charity invited Oscar to
dinner where he inquired about his other two sisters and his
father and Pistols parents.
Even though his small congregation had shrunk to a tiny
congregation, Habakkuk Hoope was still preaching faithfully.
Pistols parents had heard about his unfortunate death
through the news. They were saddened, but not shocked. His
father had asked the police to let them have the body and
Pistol was now buried in the local cemetery under the name
his mama had given him Clayton E. Luttrell III.
The dinner would have been a pleasant one if it hadnt been
for Charitys husband. Charity was married to AJs brother
and all throughout the dinner, he kept shooting looks of
vendetta at Oscar. He barely said a word on his own and the
answers that Charity pinched him to give were curt and
mean. Early the next morning, AJs brother went to the police
and told them that Oscar, Shady, and Redd were back in
town.
The police called in the FBI. They immediately put together a
plan.
Two nights after Oscars dinner with Charity, the gang was
ambushed as they left the theatre. Redd was grabbed first.
He promptly punched the two agents that were holding him
and a brawl ensued. Sensing a trap, Oscar turned around to
go back inside the theatre but the departing crowd blocked
his way. Then the police fired on them. In turn, Shady shot
into the crowd, which sent everyone into a stampede.
Women screamed and men shouted. Police elbowed and
shoved to avoid losing sight of their criminals. In the middle
of the chaos, Oscar, Shady, and Redd separated and made a
run for it.
An officer caught sight of Oscar escaping down the alley
beside the theatre and went after him. The pair dodged
between cars with Oscar always many steps ahead. A dark
building loomed in front of him at the end of the alley. He
dashed around to the back, took the shivering steps two at a
time, twisted the handle, found the door unlocked, and
slipped inside. After his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Oscar
immediately recognized his surroundings. He was standing in
the middle of an aisle with a row of pews to his left and a row
of pews to his right. A table of flickering candles in front of
the altar outlined a wooden cross. He was in a church and
now glanced around anxiously for a place to hide. But it was
too late. He heard his pursuers footsteps on the stairs. The
handle turned. The door opened.
Oscar turned and fired once. The figure, made dark by the
light of the moon, clutched his chest with a cry and crumpled
to the floor. Oscar bent down to take the officers weapon,
but there was none to take. The dying mans fingers circled
loosely around a worn Bible. Oscar looked down at the face
and recoiled in shock. This was no police officer. The face
was very old and very wrinkled and held a familiar
saintliness. O benevolent God, the strained voice struggled
to say; but eager Death could not wait for the prayer to be
finished. The faithful soul of Habakkuk Hoope departed to
meet his Maker.
Oscars conscience, which had lain dormant for so long,
finally awoke as he bent over his dead father. He had killed
people before. Yes, of course. Numerous times, in fact. He
had done it so much that ending someones life had stopped
bothering him. It had started to thrill him. It always made
him feel powerful. But now he felt remorse for his crime. He
felt grief. He felt regret. For the first time, he saw himself as
most others saw him cruel and cold, hateful and dishonest,
ugly and sinful; a thief and a murderer. His heart was hurting
again. His heart was hurting so badly.
The moon disappeared behind a cloud as Oscar staggered
out of the church. The stars had stopped shining and all the
world grew dark. Storm clouds rolled across the Indiana sky,
then the clouds opened and rain fell hard. The drops hit
Oscar with a vengeance. Murderer, they seemed to call. The
faster the raindrops fell, the louder their calls
became. Murderer, murderer, murderer, they yelled. Thunder
was the next to accuse. MURDERER, it boomed. MURDERER.
MURDERER. MURDERER! Oscar clutched his head and
groaned in agony. He stumbled as he ran, glancing wildly
around; for he was sure the violent storm was out to kill him.
Lightning flashed. Somewhere in hell, the devil danced over
the wretch Oscar had become. Blind and lost.
 chapter seven:
second chances

New York! A big city full of dreams and the dreamers of

dreams. Brimming with new beginnings, alive with
possibilities, and full of second chances. Adventure waiting
on every street corner. Hustle in the air and bustle on the
sidewalks. People everywhere. Walking, walking. Barely
stopping. And the cars always moving, beeping, honking,
swerving. Fast food vendors behind their carts. Pretzels, hot
dogs, and kebabs were being sold. Ice cream and pizza slices
too. Theres Radio City Music Hall. Walk a little further and
theres Times Square.
New York. Home to the world Chinatown and Little India,
Koreatown and Little Germany. Home to the doctors and
attorneys, the intellectuals and the actors, the Wall Street
wolves and rip-off bankers. Home to the rats and
cockroaches and grime and city sweat. Home to the filthy
rich and the dirty poor; sinners, transgressors, and saints.
New York. The new home of Oscar Hoope who was intent on
leaving his shady life behind. And the unexpected home of a
young Canadian woman trying to get a job.
Please, maam, dark-haired Fionn Alesandra Larochelle
pleaded. Im willing to do any job you have available.
The theatre only needs a janitor at the moment, the lady
behind the counter replied curtly. She clacked away at her
typewriter without bothering to look up. You dont look like
janitor material, miss.
Fionn sighed. Of course, she had never cleaned anything
before; but that was before she had left her comfortable life
in Ontario, Canada. Her parents had been official
government spies. When she was nineteen-years-old, both of
them had died in a questionable, tragic house fire. Her
malicious uncle had seized all of their financial accounts and
sent her off to live with a distant cousin in New York City.
Much to her dismay, when Fionn arrived in the city, this
distant cousin had long since moved and could not be found
anywhere. Fionn had been on her own for a year now, living
in a womens shelter and working random jobs where she
was only needed for a short time. Life was very difficult. She
only had a few sets of clothes and two pairs of shoes to her
name. Worse than everything was the fact that she felt like a
lonely worm in the big apple.
Now here she was at the recently renovated Ballet Theatre,
hoping to get a permanent place to work. The lady behind
the counter stopped clacking on the typewriter. She opened
a file drawer, yanked out a single sheet of paper, and
handed it to Fionn. If you insist, miss, she told her. You
can begin tomorrow. Come in at five. The public toilets and
waiting hall need a good cleaning. The stage floor has to be
mopped after each performance. The costumes have to be
washed for the next day.
Fionn threw herself into her work. The hours were long and
the pay was only twenty-three dollars a day, but she didnt
mind because the theatre was a fascinating place to be. She
observed while she swept up and wiped away. The more she
observed the more she desired to learn to dance. She heard
the directors set forth wondrous stories to be told without
words. There was the rags-to-riches tale ofCinderella and
another romantic story of young lovers, Franz and Swanilda.
Another told of an Indian temple dancer caught in a triangle
of eternal love and mystery and truth. Then there was The
Nutcrackerand Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. But Fionns
favorite ballet was the enchanting tale of Swan Lake a
story of spells and magic, good and evil, betrayal and
undying love.
The dancers were all French (save two) and they told Fionn
of how thrilling it was to be on stage and enrapture the
audience with a good performance. They also told her about
the theatres owner, Oscar Hoope, who had saved the place
from bankruptcy. He had bought it for one hundred thousand
dollars from the previous owners, torn down all the old
stages, and had a first class lighting system installed. He
hired some of the finest teachers and dancers and soon
people were coming by the hundreds to see them. Business
was good, but there were also rumors about Oscar. Rumors
that he had killed seventy-five men. Rumors that his money
came through unseemly means. Rumors that he was a
wanted man.
Oscar heard some of the whispers but ignored them. His past
was in the past and he wanted it to stay there. But that
didnt mean he couldnt help falling back into his old ways
sometimes, for it was odd that whoever asked one question
too many or stuck their nosey noses too far in his business
always turned up dead a week or so later. He bought three
cars, a magnificent mansion in New Jersey, and ordered a
tailor-made collection of tweed suits from London all under
the alias of Walter Katz. He settled down and settled in.
Fionn caught glimpses of him sometimes as she went about
her work in the theatre. And it wasnt long before Oscar took
notice of her too.
 chapter eight:
friendship

It was a wet night. The rain poured down in torrents much

like it had poured down that fateful night when Habakkuk
Hoope had died. Oscar hated rain. He hurried back into the
theatre where he had left his jacket. Once inside, strains of
music coming from the auditorium reached his ears and he
went to investigate. Fionn was alone, but she had traded her
brown boots for a pair of blue pointe shoes and was dancing
quite smoothly on stage. Oscar walked slowly down the aisle
between the rows of empty seats. He stopped midway and
watched her dance.
Fionn was graceful and light. She made her footwork look
effortless. Even though she had never danced before, Fionn
knew that ballet was what she wanted to do what she was
born to do. The stage felt like home. Thrills rippled through
her slender frame as she spun in circles round and round
and round stretching one leg first and then the other,
arching her back and neck perfectly, and reaching both arms
far above her head. Ballet was magic.
Fionn imagined that she was in the role of Odette in Swan
Lake on a spectacular stage at the French Ballet Theatre.
She wasnt in her pale green janitorial suit anymore, but a
glittering white tutu with dazzling feathers. Shining pearls
were threaded through her hair. All around her moved the
talented cast. The bright lights flashed on overhead. The
heavy curtains opened. The expectant audience waited in
anticipation for an excellent show. Fionn was not nervous.
She danced as if she had been dancing all her life. When she
was done, she took a bow. The loud cheers of her imaginary
audience quieted into the solitary clapping of one man.
Very good, very good, Oscar applauded Fionn. He walked
down the rest of the aisle and onto the stage until they were
standing face to face. I dont think Ive ever seen you dance
here before. How come?
Fionn was slightly embarrassed she had been caught on
stage, but she answered confidently. I work off stage as the
janitor, Fionn told him. But I do love ballet so very much.
Pity! With such natural talent you deserve to be on stage,
Oscar replied. He took her delicate hands between his rough
ones. And you will be, he added. You will. He smiled at
her radiant face, but his eyes were shady.
The very next day, Fionn was no longer cleaning, but training
backstage with the other ballerinas. As the days passed,
Oscars friendship with Fionn deepened. He liked her
sylphlike figure and her smile and her curious enthusiasm.
He liked the fact that she did not ask too many questions. He
liked her most for her innocence, which made the guilt he
carried less heavy to bear. In return, Fionn liked Oscar since
he had introduced her to a whole new life. He had given her
something to do which she loved. She liked him most for his
mystique because it tainted her chasteness.
The two read books on the history of ballet. They watched
their favorite dancers on black-and-white film. They made
frequent trips to Broadway and the movies. They took long
walks on the Jersey shore at midnight when the moon was
highest and the stars were brightest. It was in Manhattan
while on a visit to that imperial lady called Liberty that Oscar
asked Fionn to marry him. She said yes.
Their wedding was a small one at the courthouse. Fionn
moved in with Oscar in his magnificent New Jersey mansion.
A year later, they welcomed a daughter Aly Scarlett
Larochelle-Hoope; and for the first time in either one of their
lives, they were both satisfied and completely happy.
 chapter nine:
theyre holding us hostage

Meanwhile, Shady and Redd refused to believe the police

reports that Oscar was dead. A story had been published in
the Indiana paper detailing how the police had cornered
Oscar inside a church before lightning hit the building and
set it ablaze. Oscar had burned to death and his body be
unrecoverable. The minister of the church, the paper had
reported, had also died in the blaze.
Shady and Redd contacted their mobster friends in Chicago.
It took them nearly six months to track down Oscars
whereabouts and his New Jersey mansion. Oscar didnt
suspect anything was amiss until Fionn called him one
afternoon.
Oscar! she said frantically into the phone. Please come
home now. Theyre holding us hostage.
When Oscar arrived back home, he was outraged to find
Shady, Redd, and two mobsters had forced their way inside
his mansion and had guns pointed on his wife and daughter.
Shady and Redd were equally outraged at the way Oscar had
bolted on their gang and taken nearly all the money with
him. They wanted him to return to the gang with them or
they would have him killed. They would kill Fionn. They
would kill Aly also.
Oscar had once found it amusing to be the one terrorizing
people, to be the one making demands and giving threats, to
be the one having others at his mercy. How unamusing it
now was to be the one terrorized. Oscar had thought he was
a changed man; but the unexpected situation made him
revert back to his old, murderous ways.
Whipping out the pistol he always carried in his coat, Oscar
flatly told them he wasnt returning to the gang and fired
into Shadys chest. Redd fired at Oscar. Fionn screamed.
Grabbing Aly, she dashed out the room and barricaded
herself in a spare bedroom. Jumping over Shadys fallen
body, Oscar ignored the bullet wound in his shoulder, and
chased the mobsters upstairs. When it was over, both of
them were dead. Returning downstairs to finish with Redd,
Oscar found he had escaped through a back window. At the
bottom of the staircase, Shady was still squirming. Oscar
walked closer and shot him once in the head. Then he sat
down on the stairs and watched him die. Watched until his
chest stopped heaving and his eyes stopped seeing.
Oscars hands were bloody now. His heart was thumping
loudly. His head felt heavy. He couldnt stop shaking. He sat
on the stairs for what seemed like hours, then he got up and
dragged Shadys body into a barely used room. He hid
Shadys body under a pile of sheets in the closet. He shut
the door and locked it.
Oscar went back upstairs. He grabbed the body of the first
mobster and hid it inside the case of the concert grand
piano. He shut the door to the piano room and locked it.
Oscar dragged the body of the second mobster behind a
mirror in a dusty hall. He placed a large painting of the Little
General crossing the Alps in front of the entrance to the hall.
He came back downstairs. He dried up the blood off the
shiny, marble floors. Oscar threw away his ruined clothes. He
changed into a clean suit. He went to find Fionn and Aly.
Redd, the only one to have escaped alive from the New
Jersey mansion, reached New York City in short order. He
went to the authorities and turned himself in. Then he told
them everything he knew about the wanted man they
believed was dead. Redd told the police that Oscar was still
very much alive.
 chapter ten:
trust me

When Fionn questioned Oscar about the men who had tried
to take her and Aly hostage, he would only tell her that they
were troublemakers. Oscar promised Fionn that he would
always take care of her. He would never let anyone hurt her
or Aly. He would always be there for them. I just need you to
trust me, Oscar told Fionn.
I do, Fionn replied.
Fionn wanted to trust her husband; but is it possible to trust
someone you barely know anything about? How can you
believe in a stranger? Trust is such a risky thing because the
truster must always be making oneself vulnerable to the
trustee. Vulnerable to betrayal, to hurt, to dishonesty, to
disappointment. Trust me! Oscar told Fionn and she would
always reply that she already did. In her heart, however,
Fionn wondered if she should trust him. How could she trust
him when she did not have a reason to trust him? She finally
told herself that she trusted him because she loved him even
though she did not believe in his trustworthiness.
It was not even a month before the police swarmed their
New Jersey mansion a magnificent house that now held far
too many secrets. It was a dark and rainy night when Oscar
was taken away. He didnt pull out his guns. He didnt try
resisting arrest. He heard Fionns protests as he was
handcuffed. Nothing she said could make them release him.
Nothing she did would make him come back to her.
The police had found their wanted man. It had taken years
much longer than expected but he was in their possession
at last. If injustice was the hare, then justice was the tortoise
slow and steady but always winning in the end. Oscars
trial was short. He was given life in prison and locked away
in solitary confinement forever.
 chapter eleven:
shattered heart

Fionn was beyond devastated after Oscars arrest. This is the

problem with trust. When it is betrayed, it never just cracks.
It always shatters into many pieces. So, it didnt just hurt
Fionn. It caused deep pain.
Oscars imprisonment damaged Fionns heart. She didnt go
to the theatre. She stopped doing ballet. She stopped
dancing altogether. In a few days, the theatre was
completely shut down. Fionn lay on the floor in her bedroom
in the New Jersey mansion and cried for a day and a half.
She didnt blame Oscar completely. If his past had stayed in
the past, things might have turned out better for them. It
wasnt his fault that he had been dishonest. Oscar had
wanted Fionn to believe he was a good man. It was her fault
for not asking more questions. It was her fault for believing
every word he said.
Fionn didnt think she could go on. She didnt have anything
else to look forward to. It was little Alys cry that brought
Fionn out of her misery. She stood up from the bedroom floor
and walked down the long hall to the nursery. Alys wailing
grew louder and louder. Fionn picked up her daughter. Aly
stopped crying. They went to the window and looked out.
Through the gray drizzle outside, a rainbow was spreading.
Fionn did have something to look forward to after all.
Aly Scarlett Larochelle-Hoope would become the center of
Fionns life. All the love that was scattered in her shattered
heart, she gathered it up, and poured it out on her little
daughter. Fionn had high hopes that Aly could fulfill her
dream and Oscars dream of becoming a prima ballerina.
In the magnificent New Jersey mansion that had too many
doors and far too many secrets, she began training her to
that end.
 chapter twelve:
the last prayer
The prison doctor gave Oscar a checkup before he was
locked in his 7x10 cell. He would be shut in a box with a steel
bed and a sink which doubled as a toilet for twenty-three
hours of a day, seven days of a week, fifty-two weeks of a
year, every year for the rest of his life. Oscar didn't expect
the rest of his life to be much longer now. The doctor had
said he had ischemic heart disease. Enough blood and
oxygen wasn't reaching his heart. The guard told the doctor
not to worry about treating Oscar. They didn't expect him to
survive much longer. They didn't want him to survive much
longer.
Oscar couldn't stand the confinement. The bitter fourteen-
year-old version of him had once vowed to never see the
insides of a cell again. Yet, here he was; and everything in
him screamed to get out.
Mercifully, Oscar did not have to wait long. Three nights
later, he awoke clutching his chest. His heart was failing. He
was through with life and life was through with him. The end
was near. He could hear the faithful, grave steps of Death
coming down the corridor. An unnatural fear took hold of
Oscar. He wondered if angels would welcome him once he
departed. What brash audacity he had to think a group of
divine beings would be sent to welcome the worst of men. It
would probably be a horde of demons.
He could see their nasty, jeering faces. He could feel the
heat from the flames they were in. Come, Oscar! they
chanted eagerly. Oscar, come! Come! Come! Come! Oscar
tried turning away but found he could not. He collapsed on
the cold, hard prison floor, writhing in horror and pain. The
flames were at his feet now, singeing his toes.
The pale, grim fingers of Death turned the lock and it
entered the cell. The pale, grim fingers reached out to grip
Oscar's hand and take his soul. The flames leaped higher.
The chants grew louder. Oscar, come! the demons yelled.
Come, Oscar! Come! Come! Come! The fire was burning
his legs now. In a moment it was on his knees. Soon it would
reach his heart and then he would be theirs. A darkness,
darker than dark, was blinding him. The smoke was
suffocating. The devil was waiting.
Desperately, Oscar tried to remember the prayer Habakkuk
Hoope had often urged him to repeat when he was just a boy
in Indiana. He couldn't die this way. What was the prayer?
Habakkuk had said that God would hear it, even from the
most wretched sinner; even from the worst of men.
God in heaven hear my prayer, keep me in thy loving care...
No, that wasn't it.
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord, my soul to
keep...
That prayer wouldn't keep him out of hell.
Our Father, who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy Name...
No. No. No!
The devil prepared to claim Oscar's soul from Death. God!
Oscar cried with his last breath. Take my soul! Forgive me of
all my sins! Angels rushed down on wings of glory. Swiftly
they snatched the redeemed soul of Oscar out of the hands
of Death and away from the devil's grasp. Oscar, no! the
horde of demons wailed. No, Oscar! Come back. Come
back. Come back. But they could no longer be heard. The
flames of hell rescinded. The darkness lifted. Fear was no
more.
Bearing Oscar among them, the angels flew. Higher and
higher until they were well beyond all power of hell. Higher
and higher until earth had passed out of sight. Higher and
higher until they reached that eternal, celestial shore where
God Almighty resided and where Habakkuk Hoope was
reunited with his wayward son.
A son plunged beneath the bloody flood of Emmanuel's
veins. All his sins washed away. All his guilty stains, lost.
Oscar, found out by mercy. His imprisoned soul no longer
bound by nature's night. A chain-less spirit standing
righteously before the eternal throne, shamelessly claiming a
crown.
Oscar, once lost, now found. Once blind, now full of sight. A
wretch delivered. A sinner saved. His fears relieved by grace.
Amazing grace that had also brought him safely home.
To be continued...