Ridge
After four days of no solid leads, we suddenly had the break that we needed. Blake left to help Ollie track down the plate number. I was relieved that it didn’t look like I was going to have to send Ollie undercover. I have always hated putting others in danger, I certainly didn’t want to risk anything happening to anyone on my team.
Matt Harper was looking around the room wide-eyed, still not sure what was going on. I gave him a few more details on how close he was to being abducted.
He asked, “Who would want to kidnap me?”
I sighed, “I’m not sure. Has anything out of the ordinary happened to you recently?”
He shrugged, “Not really. I’m in my second year at the U of M; I have just been busy with classes. The only thing different is that I told… No, that wouldn’t be anything.”
I asked, “What is it? I don’t care how insignificant you may think it is, please tell me everything.”
Matt thought for a second and then said, “When I was home two weeks ago, I told my parents that I am gay. I don’t think mom and dad were overjoyed, but we had a long talk, and they told me that they still loved me.”
I did a quick scan of my notes and for the first time, realized that the only thing our victims had in common, besides being college students, was the fact that they were all gay. I mean, I knew DJ and Wyatt were gay, but up to this point I hadn’t thought of it as being the reason for their disappearance. Was someone targeting gay college students? And if so, why?
Matt asked, “Am I still in danger, Detective?”
I said, “You are safe as long you’re here, and I promise, I will not let you leave until I know you are out of danger.”
I’m not sure if I put his mind at ease, but I was going to do my best to keep my promise. I wanted to go see what Ollie and Blake found out. I called in another officer to take Matt to a waiting room and get him something to drink. I remembered that Hank Gorman was still waiting in the interview room, I sent someone to offer him a drink as well.
I heard Ollie say to Blake, “It’s registered to Save Our Souls Ministry.”
Blake was typing away on his keyboard, he said, “Oh hell, I didn’t see that coming.”
I asked, “What is it Blake?”
Blake started reading his screen, “Save Our Souls Ministry is dedicated to getting wayward souls back on the right path. All souls are worth saving, and with the help of our Lord and Savior, we will lead you or your loved one down the path of righteousness that our Lord envisioned for all of us.”
Ollie scoffed, “Holy shit, it’s a gay conversion camp.”
I nodded, “Sure sounds that way, but do those places usually go out and pull people off the streets? How do they know who is gay? They also had DJ, Wyatt and Matt’s name.”
Blake said, “I think I might know how they know who is gay. There is a form on their site to request an ‘intervention’.”
Ollie said, “Are you kidding me? So, if some parent doesn’t want to their kid to be gay, they can just fill out a form and have them grabbed off the street?”
I said, “If that is happening, it is illegal. The only way those conversion camps are supposed to be legal is if the person being treated has consented.”
Blake said, “It doesn’t have to be a parent. There is a place on the form that asked for the relationship. A friend or anyone could request an intervention.”
I asked, “Does it say anything about how the intervention will happen? Does the person requesting the intervention have to drop the other person off at the ministry?”
Blake was still reading the website, “It doesn’t say, oh wait, it does say that transportation can be provided if needed.”
I said, “The plate on the van is SOS3, are there any other vehicles registered to the ministry?”
Ollie was typing away on his computer, a few seconds later he said, “So, SOS3 is for a 2021 White van. There are two more plates registered to SOS. SOS1 is for a 2024 Lincoln, and SOS2 is for a 2022 Cadilac Escalade.”
I asked Blake, “So is this Ministry affiliated with any church or any other organization?”
Blake shook his head, “Nope, but here is button that says, meet our staff.” He continued, “Here it is, our leader and founder.”
I quickly walked behind Blake as he clicked on the link, Ollie joined us.
Blake said, “The Reverend Lyle Anderson.” He scrolled down to display a picture.
My stomach dropped, “Damn it.”
Ollie said, “What’s the matter Ridge? Do you know him?”
I sighed as I nodded, “Yep, I interviewed him during an old case.”
Blake asked, “What case?”
I swallowed hard, “The disappearance of Joann Chandler.”
Ollie asked, “Was he a person of interest?”
I shook my head, “I didn’t think so at the time.”
Blake said, “These two cases can’t be related, can they?”
I shrugged, “Let me go grab my file and we’ll see if we can figure that out.”
I returned and we started looking through my notes. Nothing was sticking out; Lyle Anderson was Joann Chandler’s pastor but claimed he didn’t know her beyond all the time she spent at the church. He seemed clearly concerned that she was missing but couldn’t offer any help as to where she was or why she was missing. I didn’t get any bad vibes from him and quickly moved on to other leads.
Blake was still digging through any info we had on Anderson while Ollie and I were reviewing my interview notes. I was kicking myself for not digging deeper into Lyle Anderson’s background.
Blake said, “So the ministry is located in Doral. Oh wait, this is interesting.”
I asked, “What did you find?”
He asked, “When did Joann go missing?”
I read my notes to him and gave him the timeline of my investigation.
He said, “Well, Anderson resigned as Pastor of her church six weeks later. But, the best part is, six months after that, his wife filed for divorce. Three months after the divorce is when the SOS Ministry bought the property in Doral.”
I sighed, “We definitely need to go have a talk with the good Reverend.”
I quickly updated the Captain and he immediately called Bill Tayor, the District Attorney. Bill told us we could go talk to Anderson but not to start any search of the property. He would meet us at the ministry with a search warrant. We formed our game plan and started out on the 30-minute drive to the Ministry. I also had the Captain tend to Hank Gorman and Matt Harper, they were still waiting.
The address we had was in a residential area. When we arrived, we found two matching condos side by side, they completely blended into the neighborhood. The only way you could tell it wasn’t a residence was a small sign above the door of the condo on the right. The sign was fairly small and had the SOS logo, it didn’t really stand out unless you were looking for it. We also saw the van and the other two vehicles registered to the ministry, in the two driveways.
We parked and walked inside. The condo appeared to have been remodeled with most of the walls being removed to form a large room with several rows of chairs all facing a podium. It resembled a makeshift church or even a classroom. A young man was seated behind a table that was near the front door. Off to his left was a hall that looked as if it led to a couple of offices, that were probably previously bedrooms.
He smiled and asked, “Can I help you?”
I said, “I would like to talk to Lyle Anderson please.”
He asked, "Is the Reverend expecting you?”
I said, “No, he isn’t.”
The young man said, “The Reverend is a very busy man, it is usually best to make an appointment.”
I held out my badge, “I’m Detective Ridgeway with the Miami Police Department. I usually don’t have time to make an appointment.”
The color drained from the man’s face as another man walked into the room. The first man asked, “Can I tell the Reverend what this is about?”
I put my badge away as I shook my head, “No, I think I would rather tell him myself, please.”
The first man turned to the second man and said, “Max, will you go get the Reverend please.”
As Max left the room, I asked, “What is your name?”
He turned back to me, “I’m Sam. Max and I are Reverend Anderson’s assistants.”
After Max left to go get Anderson, Sam was looking very nervous, I decided to play a hunch and push him a bit.
I asked, “Were you once a client here, Sam?”
His face turned red, “Um, well… Yes, two years ago.”
I continued, “And what about Max?”
Sam sighed, “Yes, he came here about the same time I did.”
I asked, “Was it your choice to come here?”
He paused for a moment, “It was strongly suggested by my father.”
I nodded, “After you told him you were gay?”
He looked at the floor, “Yes.”
Ollie asked, “So, are you ‘cured’?” He had a bit of distain in his voice.
Sam looked at Ollie without saying a word. He suddenly looked lost in thought.
Sam Flashback
Am I cured? Ha, what a joke. Being gay isn’t a disease, it isn’t a choice, it’s just the way I am. No amount bible verses being drilled into my head are going to change anything. Reverend Anderson is so full of himself he still has no idea that Max and I have just been telling him what he wants to hear for the last two years, so that he thinks we are cured.
I really thought that I could handle anything my father had in store for me when I told him I was gay. He completely fooled me when he found SOS Ministries. I guess I had heard there were places that tried to convert gays, but I never thought there was one so close to Miami. I had waited until a week before I was to leave for college to come out. I thought that would give him time to process the information while I was gone. Instead, he told me that he would not pay for my college and if I didn’t go to SOS, he was kicking me out on the street. As an 18-year-old kid with no money, I really didn’t have a choice.
Max arrived here a week after I did. His story was basically the same as mine, he was given the same option and decided that at SOS he would at least have a roof over his head. We both learned that if we just said what Reverend Anderson wanted us to say, we got more freedom. We were soon quoting bible verses by heart on the outside but were rolling our eyes in disgust on the inside. After a month, we were no longer locked in our rooms and were allowed to eat meals with each other. I was instantly attracted to Max the first time I saw him. I thought I was getting the same signals from him.
On the second night after we were no longer locked in, I was lying in bed thinking of Max. I closed my eyes trying to sleep, but the vision of Max was running through my mind. His perfect brown eyes sparkling with every smile he gave me. His white teeth are in contrast to his olive toned skin and his dark brown hair. His 5’10” muscular frame, at least it was muscular in my imagination. I had noticed he had bulges in all the right places, even though I had never seen him without clothes.
I sighed as I slid my hand under the covers and then under the elastic of my underwear. My cock was already hard as stone. I rubbed the precum that was leaking from the swollen head with my thumb and used it to slicken my pole. I let out a breath as I began to stroke, whispering Max’s name with every movement of my hand.
I jumped when I heard a whisper, “Do you need help with that?”
I had been so lost in my fantasy that I hadn’t heard the door open or notice Max move next to me. Before I could answer, Max’s hand replaced mine. I had never been touched by anything other than my own hand; it was much better than I had ever imagined.
Max picked up the speed of his strokes as he leaned down until our lips met. He let go of my cock as he crawled on top of me and we began a proper make out session. I kissed a little when I was in high school but really didn’t know what I was doing. Max showed me how awesome it should be. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him in tight so that our bare chests were stuck together. Our hard cocks, clad only in our underwear, were also rubbing against each other.
I was disappointed when Max broke our kiss. That was very short lived however, when he started to kiss his way down my chest and stomach. He kissed my belly button and in one smooth motion pulled my underwear off. My hard dick fell to my stomach with a loud thump. Before it could bounce back up, Max had inhaled it to the root, and my hands were on the back of his head. All my limited experience up to this point were with other inexperienced partners, Max certainly was not inexperienced.
I pushed him off my cock, not because I didn’t like it, but I didn’t want to cum too soon, and I wanted a chance to taste Max. We quickly traded places, and I now had my mouth full of the most delicious cock I had ever tasted, although I had nothing to compare it to . I did my best to mimic what Max had done to me, from the moans Max was letting escape his lips, I think I was doing okay.
I knew we needed to be quiet, Max needed something in his mouth, his moans were becoming louder. I pivoted around and he took the hint, each of us sucking the other’s cock was keeping us both quiet.
While Max’s mouth was working it’s magic, his finger joined in on the action. He rubbed it across my hole once or twice and then pushed it in. My legs instinctively spread; he had me right where he wanted me now. I was putty in his hands, or should I say in his mouth. A minute later, I was begging him to fuck me.
Max rolled me onto my back and pushed my legs into the air. I closed my eyes and braced myself for his cock to enter my hole. My eyes flew open when I felt his tongue instead. I had seen a guy lick another guy’s ass in a video, but I had never done it before. It was incredible and I would have been happy to let Max do that to me all night long.
Max stopped licking and came up for another kiss as he aimed his pole at my pucker and started to apply pressure. I grabbed his ass, and he was soon buried to the hilt and starting to piston in and out. God, he was hitting my sweet spot with every stroke. Our lips remained locked together as Max continued to rock my world, he really was amazing.
I felt my nuts start to churn; he had me past the point of no return. He broke our kiss and we stared into each other’s eyes. He gave my one more pump and we both exploded at the same time. Max in my love chute, me all over our stomachs.
Max collapsed on top of me and we resumed kissing.
Once we caught our breath, Max chuckled, “I’m not so sure the good reverend would approve if he walked in and found us like this.”
I nodded, “I think you might be right.”
For the last two years, Max and I have been sneaking into each other’s room whenever we could. When we were pronounced “cured”, neither of us wanted to go back to our families, but didn’t have any place to go. We talked to the Reverend, and he agreed to let us stay and help with any new clients he brings in. I guess it just seemed easier than finding a job and a place to live.
Max and Reverend Anderson walking back into the room broke me out my daydream.
Ridge
Before I could ask Sam any further questions, Lyle Anderson walked in with Max right behind him.
I again pulled out my badge, as did Blake and Ollie; I made the introductions.
Anderson asked, “What can I do for you detective?”
I didn’t want to tip my hand too soon and ask about DJ, Noah and Wyatt. I wanted to wait until Bill Taylor was here with our search warrant.
I asked, “Can you explain the mission of SOS Ministries?”
He seemed to relax a bit, he said, “Of course Detective. We help those who have lost their way find the Lord and get them back on the path to a glorious life.”
I heard Ollie snort. I asked, “And how do you know who has lost their way?”
The reverend tensed up again, “Well, there are several ways. Some come to us seeking help, others are encouraged by their family or friends.”
I could see Ollie getting more agitated out of the corner of my eye. I thought to myself, come on kid, keep your poker face on, we’ll get this guy. I sensed that Sam and Max were also getting a little nervous as they listened to our exchange.
I pushed on, “Do any of your clients come here against their will?”
I saw veins in Anderson’s neck bulge; I might have unnerved him a bit.
He took a deep breath, “Well, some do need a little extra convincing.”
I asked, “How do you convince them?”
He clenched his fist, “They receive extra sessions reading scriptures.”
I pressed on, letting him think that he had succeeded in changing the subject, “What is your success rate?”
He smiled slightly, “Well, I think pretty good. As a matter of fact, Sam and Max are two my two most successful cases. Once their treatment was complete, they chose to stay and help me spread the word.”
I noticed Sam and Max gave each other a quick glance. I was sure that something more was going on between these two, and the good reverend was oblivious.
I asked, “How long are normal treatments with your clients.”
He shrugged, “That depends on the client. Sam and Max only took a little over a month to see the light. Others take a little longer.”
Again, I heard Ollie release a disapproving sigh, Anderson also noticed.
I asked, “How does the ministry raise funds?”
Anderson said, “Mostly through donations, and we do charge a nominal fee to our clients. That is however, based upon the families ability to pay and the length of the treatment.”
I nodded as I made a few notes, the reverend was beginning to look a little more uneasy. I asked, “Do you have any other employees besides Max and Sam.”
He shook his head, “No, but my wife does help with some of the administrative duties. I also have a couple of drivers that help with picking up some of our clients when needed.”
Continuing my questions, “And what are Sam and Max’s duties?”
Anderson said, “They act as mentors to our clients. Having successfully been through the program, they are the best to council our newcomers.”
Sam and Max once again gave each other an uneasy look.
My phone signaled an incoming text. It was Bill Taylor telling me he would arrive in a few minutes with our search warrant.
Glad that I didn’t have to stall much longer, I asked, “Is this the only building that the ministry owns?”
He sighed, “Well no, we also have the condo next door, that is where our clients stay during their treatment.”
That is exactly what I thought. I was starting to think that DJ, Noah and Wyatt were in that condo. I decided I needed to ease up a bit, I still didn’t want to spook Anderson before the DA got here with our warrant.
I asked, “Do you hold weekly services for the public, or are they only for your clients?”
He answered, “We don’t get many visitors from the general public, but our client’s families are welcome to join us. We like to show them the progress their loved one is making.”
Right on cue, I heard the door behind me open.
I looked over my shoulder to see Bill Taylor; he gave me a nod. I asked, “Can we have a look around? Maybe you can show what is down that hall, and then to the condo next door?”
Anderson looked at Bill Taylor and the uniformed officers that now flanked him. He took a deep breath, “I would say not without a search warrant, but I assume that the gentleman that just walked in has that in his pocket.”
I nodded, “You assume correctly.”
To be Continued…
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