At the door Willie tried again to ask. “Am I a suspect?”
“Everyone is either a suspect, co-conspirator or witness. Have a good day, Reverend,” Chief Rich said before leaving.
Willie Green is my franchise character. In my debut novel, Soon and Very Soon he recounted coming to the Harvest Baptist Church as a 40-year old, unmarried minister, basically straight out of college. After celebrating his ten year pastoral anniversary God blessed him at 50 with a wife and a vision to combine churches with hers down the road at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.
Not everyone was happy with the merger. A significant rift occured as a result of the Unification, leaving some of the the Harvest members, lead by WIllie's own trusted Deacon, Charley Thompson. A not so friendly church meeting occured in Soon and Very Soon where Charley's group of dissenters presented Willie with a petition to remain at Harvest Baptist church which should have been alright except Willie had plans for a Community Outreach center at that location. Let's just say things weren't handled Christian-like as Willie lowered himself as a man of God and retaliated for scathing accusations made toward his new wife. "The slap heard around the world" gave cause for another 1/3 of his congregation to seek another church. Needless to say things were not going to be worked out peaceably. Another scene in the first installment shows the disillusioned pastor in mediation with his former deacon and his nephew-the Pastor S"elect". It came down to Willie's willingness or un willingness to turn over the keys, deed and church funds to those that chose to stay.
Is Willie the resident good guy that everyone knows him to be in and out of church.
Will the ministry he birthed be expoited by another? Will he stand idly by and let that happen?
What do you think about him as a suspect? What would be his motive for arson?
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