Having faith

Phil Armstrong winced.

"The whole church thing - well, that was kind of ... part of the package. Didn't seem right to me at first. I mean, I'm not into that sort of thing at all, never have been. But it sort of seemed like taking the piss out of those that are, if you know what I mean."

"Your mum and dad wouldn't have been impressed, would they," Molly couldn't resist adding, knowing his parents - now both dead - had been regular churchgoers.

He said nothing, but for a moment he could only look down at his hands, clasped on the table. After a pause he looked up.

"Yes. Well. It was too good an opportunity to miss. Way I see it, if you call yourself a church, you can do just about anything you want. Set yourself up as a charity, for a start - and you'd be surprised how few questions people ask. As cover stories go, it hides a multitude of sins, you might say."

He chuckled, alone and without much humour, at his own wit.

"And of course," added Molly, "it's a handy way to get people together without anyone raising an eyebrow I suppose. And if those people start acting a but different, well that's just to be expected. That pretty much the idea, is it?"

"Pretty much, yes," he replied, nodding.

"And," continued Molly, "it must be the perfect way to cover up the brainwashing."



Part Three begins here.