Chapter 86

“It is Joseph. He’s dying. He needs me.”

Micah frowned, even though he recognized the veracity of Jefferson’s assertion. There was nobody else this could be. But it was the latter profession that made him pause. “What do you mean, he needs you? He can’t be dying. He’s already passed on.”

“He hasn’t passed on. He’s trapped here. Look, there’s blood on his shirt. He’s always stuck in this moment.”

“But the church is gone,” Micah argued. “What possible ties could he have here yet?” A disturbing suggestion proposed itself, and his cheeks blanched as he looked to Jefferson. “You. He’s tied to you.”

“Me? What do you mean? I know he responds to me, but he’s not bound to me.”

“He comes when you call. He acts upon your will. The church is gone, yet he remains. What other possibility could it be?”

“Then what can I do?”