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It is 5:59. She is standing outside the door of the conference room at the church, leaning against the wall. Inside, she can hear low talking. She counts four distinct voices among the chatter. She wonders how many of them there are. Her internal monologue is filled with phrases like get it together, just go, you can do this, but she still struggles to peel her back from the wall. She takes a short shallow breath, and blows it away, long and slow. She closes her eyes for a moment and takes a step forward.

               “Rebecca! Come in!” Harry calls as she comes through the doorway. There are three men and a woman in the room. She recognizes all of them. In addition to Harry, Cecelia Murphey, William Gould and Stewart Sheffield sit in a row on the other side of the conference table. She takes a seat across from them, feeling awkward and exposed as she slides the chair out further to account for her belly. She sits slowly. Their eyes watch her. She tries to smile, but she is sure it looks more like a grimace.

“First of all, thank you for agreeing to come talk with all of us. It’s a lot easier to hash these things out in person all together, as I’m sure you can imagine,” Harry begins. He pauses and clears his throat. “Rebecca, I think you know that this committee acts as a go between for the church and the staff. We handle issues of personnel. From time to time, that includes investigating complaints or allegations.”

She can feel her blood pressure climbing as he talks. She rubs her finger over her thumbnail, ragged from chewing. She would rather just get on with the interview.

“We received a somewhat serious allegation against the pastor over the weekend,” Harry pauses. “I told you what it was when we spoke on the phone earlier this week. That’s why we’ve asked you to come tonight. Hopefully you can clear this up for us.” Harry smiles at her, but he looks like a shark. “Now, first of all, can you describe the nature of your relationship with pastor Jesse?”

Something inside her comes to life at this question. It is a burning defiance. She is filled to the brim with fury at Harry and his questions. “I’ve known Jesse Pearson since we were in undergrad,” she says stiffly.

The panel before her waits for more. When it becomes clear that this one sentence is all she is going to say, they look at each other, confusion passes among them. “Would you care to elaborate?” Harry finally asks.

“No, thank you,” Rebecca replies.

Harry does not like this answer. His smile morphs into a sneer. “Are you taking this seriously, Ms. Laudner?”

She smiles. “It’s Ms. Pearson, actually.”

Harry’s eyes go wide. Stewart whispers something to Cecelia and William crosses his arms. “So, you and Jesse did get married, then?”

“Yes, that’s right,” she says. That is all she says.

“Are you aware that this church has a rule against staff dating members?” Stewart asks.

“We’re not dating. We’re married,” Rebecca answers smoothly.

“I presume that you were dating for a time before you got married, though,” Stewart assesses.

“I decline to answer that,” Rebecca answers.

“Ms. Laud—er, Pearson,” Harry presses. “I’m going to ask you again. Are you prepared to take this conversation seriously?”

“I’m taking it very seriously, I assure you,” she says. It is like she has transformed. The anxiety she felt just a few minutes ago is gone now, replaced with a fierce resolve to protect Jesse from this ridiculous prying into his life.

“Okay,” Harry drawls. “I think we’ve determined the validity of some of the allegations already.” She gets the feeling that he wants his hard stare to be intimidating, but she does not feel intimidated. She feels powerful. She feels completely calm.

“Rebecca,” Cecelia says. Her tone is smooth, but it reminds her of glass. “Just to be clear, you are saying that you and Jesse Pearson were in a romantic relationship prior to your marriage?”

“I decline to answer that,” Rebecca replies.

“How long were you in a relationship with Jesse Pearson prior to your marriage?” Cecelia asks.

“I decline to answer that,” Rebecca replies.

“When did your marriage to Jesse occur?” she asks.

“I decline to answer that,” Rebecca replies.

Cecelia scoffs in frustration. “Rebecca, you must know that we will ask Jesse all these same questions. Why are you refusing to cooperate?”

Rebecca smiles warmly at Cecelia. “I am cooperating. You asked for me to come talk to you. Here I am,” she says, smiling sweetly, the way she would at her grandmother.

Harry clears his throat. “Rebecca, I know you are not trying to waste our time here, but we really must try to understand the extent of what has happened so we can make an informed decision about what to do with these complaints.”

“With all due respect, Harry,” Rebecca begins, “I am not accountable to you.”

The room is still. Again, she does not explain, and Harry has to prompt her. “Can you please elaborate for us?”

“No, I’ll decline. Thank you.”

William sighs, and Stewart begins rubbing his eyes.

Cecelia leans forward, places her elbows on the table and intertwines her fingers. “I couldn’t help notice that you are pregnant?” she says slowly.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Rebecca asks.

“I’m just curious about the parentage,” Cecelia explains.

She raises an eyebrow. Cecelia casts her eyes downward. “What are you accusing me of, Cecelia?”

The other woman backtracks. “I just mean, if there was another father, other than Jesse…did Jesse agree to marry you so you would not be a single mother?”

“I have been a single mother for two years, Cecelia. You know that,” Rebecca states flatly.

“Were you in a sexual relationship with Jesse Pearson before your marriage?” Harry asks, refusing to dance around the question anymore.

“I decline to answer that,” Rebecca says.

“Ms. Lau—Pearson,” he stumbles again. “This committee is going to assume that the information we received from Martha Grenlow is the truth unless you can illuminate this situation for us.”

“Would you please tell me what Martha told you, Harry?” she challenges.

He looks shocked. He looks from side to side at the other members of his committee. “Okay,” he agrees slowly. “She says you invited her to a barbecue, but when she arrived, your mother informed the guests that they were there for a wedding, and that you and Jesse were expecting a baby.”

“I have no comment,” Rebecca says.

“Do you deny that Jesse is the father of the baby you’re carrying?” Harry asks again.

“I have no comment,” Rebecca says.

“How many weeks along are you, Rebecca?” Cecelia asks.

“I decline to answer that,” Rebecca says.

William’s face is now a deep red. Stewart eyes have rolled towards the ceiling. Harry is scribbling something on his legal pad. Cecelia simply stares at her, aghast.

“This is a waste of time, Harry,” Stewart mutters.

Rebecca sits tall, waiting. They stare at her. They squirm under her determined silence.

Harry frowns at her, then sighs loudly. “Okay, Rebecca. If you’re not going to give us any useful information, then I guess we can adjourn this meeting.”

“If you have no further questions of me, then I’d like to agree,” Rebecca says.

“I think you should know that we will be discussing this matter with your husband tomorrow at 1 pm,” Harry adds. She does not reply. Harry scowls at her but she is not afraid of him. The committee members shift in their seats. She has made all of them uncomfortable. “That will be all, Ms. Pearson,” Harry says.

She rises from the chair. She leaves the conference room without a goodbye.