The Relic

By Michael Masters

The fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral was no accident. French officials know the truth: the fire started when terrorists were trying to steal The Crown of Thorns. For hundreds of years, the remnants of the Crown of Thorns were hiding in plain sight at Notre Dame. The Kings of France broke the Crown into pieces and handed thorns out as gifts to the wealthy and powerful families of Europe. Now a terror group seeks to gather the thorns scattered across the continent, and rebuild the crown. Like the Lost Ark or the Holy Grail, some believe the Crown of Thorns would have unimaginable power if the thorns were reunited.
To gather the thorns, the terror group will need to break into the most heavily guarded universities, museums, and palaces across Europe. The only thing stopping them is Dr. Neil Copeland, a grieving optometrist from Oceanside, California traveling the world to forget the loss of his beloved wife. He absent-mindedly stumbles into the biggest terror investigation since 9/11 and takes possession of the most important section of the missing thorns. He will risk everything to protect the thorns, but are they even real? Danger follows Dr. Copeland across three continents and six countries before he returns home to California believing he will be safe. When miracles begin happening all around him, he is labeled a fake and a fraud. After confronting terror in his hometown, Dr. Copeland learns that even heroes struggle with faith and doubt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Michael Masters
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005846121

Book preview

The Relic

Michael Masters

A Novel

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2021

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover Art by Elise Milburn

elisemarieart.com

Prologue

URGENT BULLETIN

Associated Press

Dateline: Paris, France

April 15th, 2019

The Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, a French national treasure, suffered a devastating structure fire this afternoon. The 850-year-old cathedral is revered as an icon of both the Christian Church and the French people. Fire officials claim the fire broke out in the attic, causing the spire and roof to collapse. The interior of the cathedral was protected by a vaulted stone ceiling, preventing further damage. Many priceless works of art and religious artifacts were saved by the heroic actions of the Paris Fire Department.

The chaplain of the Paris Fire Department entered the burning cathedral with firefighters to rescue the relics. The most important relic saved from the fire was The Crown of Thorns. Many Christians believe that this artifact is the actual crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head during the crucifixion.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1163. It has hosted the funerals of many French Presidents. In 1804, Notre Dame hosted the coronation ceremony for Napoleon. The cathedral is the number one most visited tourist site in Paris, drawing more people than even the Eiffel Tower.

French President Emanuel Macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral within five years. Fire officials believe the fire was started by a careless construction crew renovating the attic space. The mayor of France has promised a thorough investigation as to the cause of the fire, but French authorities were quick to rule out any form of foul play, including terrorism. Numerous far right websites have spread rumors and conspiracy theories alleging the fire was an act of terror. French officials stress there is no evidence the fire was anything more than a terrible accident.

Chapter One

‘In regard to the Crown of Thorns, it would seem that its twigs had been planted that they might grow again. Otherwise, I know not how it could have attained to such a size.’

- John Calvin, from Treatise on Relics, 1543.

April 18th, 2019

Crystal’s mom gave her an ultimatum. Get a job or get out. Getting a job was never the problem. For Crystal, keeping a job was another matter. She had plenty of experience with getting fired. There was the pizzeria where she had dumped a pitcher of beer over a mouthy customer. The guy deserved it. There was the short stint working as a grocery store cashier. She only took ten dollars from the drawer – three nights in a row. There was the job at Target were she got frisky with her boyfriend in the breakroom. She was on a break and he was the assistant manager, after all. Why wasn’t he fired, too? Then there was the job at Applebees where she snuck beer from the keg during lunch. Everyone else was doing it, so why did they only fire Crystal?

With her mom’s threat fresh in her mind, Crystal took a job at the Oceanside Optical in Oceanside, California. The optical was a red brick building on the corner of Oceanside Boulevard and Cleveland Street, owned by Dr. Neil Copeland. Crystal applied there because it was only five blocks from the beach, and she loved to surf. Fortunately, the fence across the street blocked the view of the water, or Crystal couldn’t have worked there. Watching the surf all day would drive her crazy. The fence guarded the tracks of the Amtrak Surfliner. Four times each day, the Surfliner zipped down the coast from Anaheim, cutting through the heart of the beach town.

Sometimes the staff would complain about the terrible view of the railroad tracks. Neil Copeland would smile and laugh and remind his staff that the windows in the front of the optical were so customers could see in, not so they could see out. That didn’t stop Crystal from gazing at the trains passing by and wondering about the people on board.

Gazing idly out the windows didn’t help her stock with her new boss. Crystal quickly get off on the wrong foot with Angela, the manager, who immediately regretted hiring her. The day before Dr. Copeland came home, Angela gave Crystal a written warning for cursing at a sales rep in the waiting room. If Neil Copeland hadn’t come home and rescued her, Crystal certainly would have been looking for work again.

Still, Crystal tried his patience. On her second day working with Dr. Copeland, she completely crossed the line. Crystal lost her cool and cursed out Angela, right in front of a patient. Anglea had to intervene when Crystal completely botched the patient’s fees. How was Crystal supposed to know that a patient with two different types of insurance could use both at the same time? In Crystal’s world, if someone blamed her for something that wasn’t her fault, a few loud curse words always got them to back off. Plus, it made her feel better, too. She expected to be fired, but she wasn’t. She thought Dr. Copeland would escort her to the door, but he didn’t. She couldn’t explain it, but what happened over the next two months changed her life forever.

After her outburst, Crystal was told to go wait in doctor Copeland’s private office. She sat there, by herself, anxiously bouncing her leg. Crystal was wearing pink scrubs and twirling the ends of her pink dyed hair. With all the pink, she looked like a strawberry. The whole situation was odd. She had worked with Angela at the optical for six weeks, but she just met the doctor the day before. Angela said he had been traveling around the world. Now, the doctor was back and if he fired her, Crystal’s mom was going to kick her out of the house.

Dr. Copeland walked in and took a seat at his desk. He paused to study her while playing with the rims of his tiny glasses. He looked like one of those syndicated TV judges about to deliver the verdict. He only needed the black robe. Despite his balding head and grey hair, he looked rather good for an old guy, she thought. He took off his glasses and laid them on his desk.

Crystal, he said softly. I heard we had some trouble up front.

As he spoke, Angela slipped into the back of the room, and stood against the wall. Angela had been promoted to office manager when Michelle Copeland died the year before. She looked frazzled and angry. She had run the optical for the last two months all by herself while Neil Copeland jetted around the globe. Dr. Neil’s long absence had been too much for her. She had gained weight since he left town in February. Her blonde hair had dark grey roots and her signature hair bun was coming undone – just like Angela herself. Crystal glared at her, but Angela had no expression.

This isn’t fair! Crystal blurted out, she figured her only chance to save her job was to fight back. Angela sighed and sat down in a chair next to Crystal, across the desk from Dr. Copeland.

Crystal, why don’t you tell us your side of what happened, said the doctor.

Crystal launched into a lengthy explanation filled with melodrama about how she was the victim. No one trained her properly. How was she supposed to know these things? She had been thrown to the wolves her first month and no one taught her what she needed to know. Where was the written training packet she was promised?

Angela was quiet and did not interrupt. She smiled smugly and looked at Dr. Copeland. The doctor leaned back in his chair. He waited until Crystal completed her defensive rant. When she finally ran out of gas and stopped to take a breath, he held up a hand. Here it comes, she thought. I’m going to get fired again! All the doubts came racing in: What is wrong with me?

Dr. Neil sat forward in his chair. Crystal, you’re right, he said.

Crystal did a double take at the doctor then looked at Angela. The office manager was shocked and stunned. Her pretty blue eyes and those pudgy cheeks were not smiling now. Crystal just wanted to punch her lights out.

What did you say? Crystal blurted out.

Angela looked confused.

Dr. Neil, Angela gasped. Are you serious? I trained her myself and you weren’t even here!

Dr. Copeland smiled and nodded. He held up his hands, palms facing the two women, silencing them. Then he placed both palms on his chest.

You’re both right, he said. This one’s on me. Angela, you are correct, I was not here.

Crystal, the kind doctor repeated. We didn’t do a good job training you. We will do better. I will do better. We won’t put you in such a difficult situation again for a few weeks. It’s my fault. We need to give you some more formal training. Angela, it’s not your fault either. I was gone for 58-days, some things were going to slide. I’m sure you did the best you could.

Crystal’s jaw dropped. Angela frowned and shook her head. The manager took it as a personal attack. Crystal was thrilled. Never in her life had an authority figure been on her side, especially when she was certainly in the wrong!

Crystal, Dr. Copeland said as he rose from his leather chair. I like you. I think that you are going to do a great job here. Angela will go over some tips that should help you. But I just have one favor to ask?

Sure… okay… Crystal stammered.

Be careful with your language where patients can hear you. We’re also going to need to expand your vocabulary. He smiled in such a kind way that she couldn’t feel insulted. With that, Dr. Copeland put on his lab coat and left the room.

Crystal was a slow learner. Since that first chat with the boss, she should have been fired eight more times. She was late for work three times, she called off sick twice, she clashed head on with two patients, and there was the small matter of the missing $350 Tiffany eyeglass frame.

Each incident ended in Dr. Copeland’s office with the same warm, kind, understanding talk. Crystal, I like you…, he would begin. Was this his tactic? A technique? Maybe he had gone to some weird seminar, or maybe he read a management self-help book. No one handles verbal warnings this way, Crystal thought.

Each time, she always had excuses. According to Crystal, it was never her fault. She denied taking the $350 Tiffany frame, but she quietly returned it to the frame board. Dr. Copeland observed the strange scene on the security cameras. Crystal’s deception was covered in crisp, clear, high definition on Neil’s desk computer. He watched as she discreetly moved among the frame boards. She sprayed the lenses with cleaner, wiping them clean with a microfiber cloth. In between cleanings, she pulled the Tiffany frame out of her pocket and pretended to clean it with her cloth. Then she placed it back in the empty spot on the board. Didn’t she realize it was all on camera? Did she really think she had fooled him? Dr. Neil smiled and chuckled to himself, then went to see his next patient.

Later in the day, the doctor showed the video of Crystal to Angela. She asked if it was time to pull the plug on Crystal? Neil just smiled and said, That’s not how we do things here.

Angela shook her head and asked, Since when?

The office manager was so frustrated. Dr. Neil was forgiving staff with sticky fingers? That was asking for trouble. Then again, if Dr. Neil wanted to take on a project, and rehab a young staffer, who was Angela to judge? Afterall, his wife, Michelle Copeland, had certainly turned things around for her. When Angela was a new employee, just out of junior college, her first year at the office wasn’t easy, either. Michelle Copeland could have fired her, too. Instead, Michelle gave Angela the time and space that she needed to mature in her new career. So, Angela bit her lip and kept quiet.

That’s how things went the first ten days between Crystal and Dr. Copeland. After that, she seemed to settle down into a nice groove. Crystal began to trust her new boss, and they developed a close rapport. She was learning more from Dr. Copeland than she had ever learned in high school. He taught her basic optics, basic anatomy, and even a little ocular disease. Next, they discussed business and how to run the optical. Once Crystal understood how everything was supposed to run, she realized just how badly Angela had struggled while Dr. Copeland was gone.

The next week, Crystal noticed Doctor Copeland would take time to visit with his staff and listen. Really listen. How are your kids? How are your parents? Where did you grow up? He even laughed at their jokes. All of this made her feel more comfortable and she began to open up. Crystal hated to talk about herself, but when she did, Dr. Copeland accepted her. He didn’t judge her or criticize her. He didn’t have any petty putdowns or smart remarks.

After two weeks working for Neil Copeland, Crystal told her mom that he really cared about her. He was the most gentle person she knew, except for her mom, of course. She felt different around the doctor. He was more than just kind. He was like the father figure she never had. She shuddered at the thought of her own dad and the old doubts came flooding back. What’s wrong with me? Skip that thought, she decided. She didn’t need or want another father. She was not going down that dead end road again.

Maybe Dr. Copeland was a little too nice, Crystal worried. Could he be a creep or a stalker? In her experience, whenever a man had been this nice to her, it spelled trouble. Then again, why would a 55-year-old eye doctor be interested in a 24-year-old with pink hair? There was nothing romantic about their relationship. He was a good-looking old guy, but it just wasn’t like that. Instead, he was mentoring her. Every day he had plenty of opportunities to tear her down, but he always chose to build her up.

Crystal started to take pride in her work, and her appearance. She began styling her pink hair each morning. One morning, she shocked her mom at breakfast by wearing makeup. She even stopped wearing wrinkled scrubs to work. How could she enjoy a job so much? She never knew it was even possible. It wasn’t supposed to be this fun. That’s why they called it ‘work’. Yet when she worked, with Dr. Copeland, she felt safe. Calm. Accepted. She had never felt this way in her life. It was an amazing sensation and difficult to explain.

At work, Dr. Copeland told her she was important. He also said her job was important. Every day, she was making a difference in patients’ lives. Doctor Copeland told her so all the time. No one had ever valued what she had to offer. For the first time in her life, she liked who she was at work and the good feelings were starting to boost her confidence. She had plenty of friends, but they frustrated her. She had surfing buddies, drinking buddies and she had her mom’s cousins at the holidays. They were all good for killing time, but none of them made her feel special like Neil Copeland.

Crystal’s job title was optometric technician. Her task was to get each patient ready to see the doctor. She greeted them in the waiting room and walked each patient back to the pre-test room. She ran a series of computerized tests with them before moving them to an exam room. In the exam room she performed a complete medical history, then had them read the eye chart. Oh, and she had to read the prescription off their glasses. She always forgot that part! Finally, she would give Dr. Copeland a brief case report, before he entered the room.

Once you knew the routine, the job was easy, but Crystal screwed up all the time. She’d miss an important question in the history, she’d forget to record test results, and sometimes she’d confuse the right eye and left eye. Frequently, she would mix up her signs and record a +1.00 prescription as –1.00 instead. It was just too easy to make mistakes in this job. She was always messing it up. Yet, despite all her errors, Dr. Copeland always had a kind word and encouraged her to do better.

Even though her confidence was improving, Crystal still beat herself up. What’s wrong with me? The doubt had plagued her for years, ever since her father left. Her self-worth had never recovered. Life had been rough; never fair. It’s hard to feel good about yourself, when nothing ever goes your way. Of course, much of her trouble was self-inflicted. Crystal’s past was littered with wreckage like lost friends, a broken engagement, flunking out of Mira Costa Community college, an estranged father, and the abortion last year.

Crystal tried not to be down on herself, but it was hard. She believed she was average, not defective. Nothing special; neither good nor bad. She was average height, average weight, average looks, but being average wasn’t working for her. She needed something to make herself different – something to make her stand out. So last year, she dyed her hair pink. There was nothing average about pink hair and it worked! Pink hair always got a reaction from people. Pink hair was Crystal’s private Rorschach test for the new people in her life. (She learned about Rorschach when she got a D- in Psych 101 at Mira Costa Community College.) Each new person that she met reacted differently to her pink hair. Some people were judgmental. Some pretended not to see it. Some people asked her questions about it, and for some, it broke the ice.

She was no longer invisible and she was no longer average. Crystal discovered after a few months with pink hair, that peoples’ reaction to it said more about them than about her. Afterall, she and her pink hair were always the same, it was the other person, the new person, who was different each time. She became so interested in the reactions from people that it became a secret game that she played with herself. How would each person respond to her and the pink hair? If anyone thought she cared about their opinion, they were wrong. Her pink hair was here to stay. The ‘I don’t care what you think’ attitude was working far better for Crystal than her previous desperate efforts to fit in during high school.

Then again, maybe her ‘I don’t care what you think’ attitude needed a slight tweak. After being fired from three jobs in one year, maybe it wasn’t working as well as she thought. Even the possibility of getting a raise would have been unthinkable just two weeks ago, but everything changed when Neil Copeland returned to Oceanside. This was the strangest place she had ever worked. She was not hired by the owner and she never even met the man for almost two months. Angela had come close to firing her before the boss came home but technically, she never even had permission to hire Crystal in the first place. Crystal was an emergency replacement for another staff who had walked off the job.

The first month working with Angela had been miserable, but everything had changed since the doctor came home. Why Angela hired her was a mystery. The two simply couldn’t get along. Tired and frustrated, Angela was critical of even the slightest mistake – and Crystal made plenty of those. It was lucky Angela hadn’t fired her before she had a chance to even meet doctor Copeland.

The previous technician who had Crystal’s job stormed out the back door on her lunch break. Until Neil Copeland came home, that was starting to look like a really good plan to Crystal. She certainly understood how that lady must have felt. The day before Dr. Copeland returned home, Crystal was sitting alone in the break room grinding her teeth debating her options. Why did anyone want to work at this optical? The pay wasn’t that great and Angela made it a hellish place to work.

To make matters worse, Angela warned Crystal that the angry, grieving boss would be back soon. Crystal heard rumors that the doctor was arrogant. They said he treated staff and patients with contempt. He threw temper tantrums and was quick to kick patients out of the office. Patients who even politely questioned their bill, were told to find a new doctor. He fired a staffer last year for accidentally ordering the wrong lens for a patient. It was an innocent clerical error, but that staff member was gone.

The stories about the boss all turned out to be false, but how was she to know? At one point, Angela warned her that the doctor would not tolerate all of her mistakes when he came home. Crystal was dreading his return. If this job stinks now, it’s going to get much worse when the mean old man gets back from his trip around the world! Of course, there was a more pressing matter. Would the optical even survive until Dr. Copeland returned home? The business was sinking fast.

A substitute optometrist was filling in for Dr. Copeland and he rarely showed up for work. His name was Dr. Wray, an odd, peculiar young man in his late 20s. Dr. Wray barely spoke to the staff at all, when he bothered to show up. Three times this month, Dr. Wray had no-showed, leaving patients stranded in the exam room without a doctor. When he did show up he was at least an hour late. Patients didn’t like him, and they made that very clear. All of the chaos was killing sales in the optical, making Angela even more anxious and tense. The only thing that made the place bearable for Crystal, was hiding out in the lab where they made the glasses. If Crystal pretended to be busy sorting lenses, no one would bother her.

It wasn’t easy to find a place to hide. The Oceanside Optical, was small – about 2,500 square feet, just squeezing onto the corner lot. The inside had been beautifully decorated by Dr. Neil’s wife, Michelle, before her passing. Michelle had designed the waiting area to have the warmth of a home living room and her husband had updated the clinic with the latest medical technology. Neil Copeland ran the clinic as the eye doctor and Michelle Copeland had been the optician and office manager. Together, they built a highly successful business over the past two decades. That is, until Michelle’s car accident. She hung on for several weeks in the hospital before she died. Eighteen months after her passing, Neil was still grieving and the business was suffering.

That had been the reason for Neil’s trip. He needed something to ease grief, something to distract him. His pastor had suggested the extended vacation. Neil knew he had to try something. He hated his job, he was fighting with his staff, and he was losing patients. He needed a break. No one could have known that he would return to Oceanside a completely changed man.

Thursday, April 18th, 2019

When Dr. Copeland came home, Crystal was expecting him to be rude or dismissive. She was expecting a monster. Instead of ignoring her like most employers, he took a solid interest in her training. Instead, of being cool and aloof, he was the kindest man she had ever met.

Angela had just reminded the staff that Dr. Copeland would be home in three weeks, when he pulled into the parking lot driving his red Corvette. It was a good thing, because Dr. Wray was missing again. Before Dr Copeland arrived, the staff was about to call and cancel all of the day’s appointments.

He’s back! Sherrie, the receptionist, squealed from her perch at the huge oak reception desk. Her perky personality was well suited to running the front desk. She was the third receptionist at the optical this year. The last one had walked off the job in a huff when Dr. Copeland yelled at her over a minor offense. She had cried all the way out the back door. They got lucky when Sherrie joined the team. Her personality was mild, and she didn’t seem to mind the doctor’s criticism.

Who’s back? Angela growled from back in the lab.

Dr. Copeland’s back! Sherrie squealed again.

What is she talking about? Angela grumbled as she walked to the front desk. Oh, no! she gasped, as she saw her boss in the parking lot, climbing out of the red Corvette.

The office was a mess and she knew it. Eyeglass frames were lying across the optical, price tags missing, lenses dirty. The carpet looked like it hadn’t been vacuumed in weeks. No one had cleaned the windows since the boss had left. The insurance claims had not been filed, and no one was doing patient recall. Dr. Copeland wasn’t due back for another 22 days. Angela figured they would get everything organized before he returned. Why was he back early? Who purchases a package for an 80 day tour around the world and then comes back to work on day 58?

Angela knew he would be furious. He would never tolerate coming back to an office in this kind of shape. It wasn’t fair, of course. She had been holding this office together for 58 days all by herself. She dealt with a sub doctor who rarely showed up, angry patients, and staff problems galore. Dr. Copeland was blissfully unaware of her struggles. She decided not to bother him on his trip unless the building was on fire. He had never met Crystal. Would he be okay with the new hire?

The front doorbell chirped, announcing the doctor’s return. Doctor Neil looked fresh and tan. He seemed genuinely happy to be home.

Hello! Hello! the doctor announced as he casually strode into the front waiting room. He carried a brown leather computer bag, looped over his right shoulder. He wore a turquoise polo shirt with tan pleated slacks. How is everyone?

The staff was speechless. There were no patients in the waiting room. However, two patients were waiting for Dr. Wary in the exam rooms. Angela was annoyed. She had two choices. Apologize for the state the office was in, or just own it. She was not about to apologize. She still recalled the tongue lashing she received the last time she saw Dr. Copeland. She decided to own it, no apology. Sherrie, the perky receptionist spoke for everyone.

Dr. Copeland, we are so glad to see you! We’ve got trouble! Sherrie jumped up from the reception desk. Dr. Wray is not here. He’s never here. We’ve got so many angry patients, and Cynthia quit, and there’s two people in the back waiting right now.

Neil Copeland took a deep breath before he answered. Angela was waiting for him to blow his stack, just like he did a few months ago. Suddenly a smile crossed his face. He paused at the front desk.

It’s good to be back! he declared. I’ll tell you all about my travels, but first, I’ll go see those patients. Then we’ll get things back on track.

Dr. Copeland disappeared into the back of the clinic and Angela raised an eyebrow at Sherrie. The look said, what’s going on?

He’s in such a good mood, Sherrie giggled. See, he just needed a vacation!

We’ll see how long it lasts… Angela grumbled.

About twenty minutes later, Dr. Neil Copeland returned to the front office with his two patients in tow. Both patients, a husband and wife, were laughing and smiling. The husband was a 48-year-old businessman and a new patient to the practice. Dr. Neil had his hand on the man’s shoulder like they were old friends. He escorted his patients over to the dispensing table in the optical.

Angela, the doctor called. Would you assist Mr. Sims? He is going to do new prescription sunglasses, a pair of computer glasses, and a pair of dress glasses. Be sure to take good care of him.

Angela’s mouth fell open. If this new patient, Mr. Sims bought all three pairs of glasses that the doctor had just described, it would be the biggest sale the optical had seen in three years. Angela narrowed her eyebrows and frowned.

Oh, and Angela, Mrs. Sims is going to do a one-year supply of that new daily multifocal contact lens. Angela’s eyes widened, that’s another $1,000 sale, she thought. Dr. Copeland turned and shook hands with his new patients and headed back to the rear of the clinic.

That was the scene the rest of the day. Eight more patients came in for care. They often started with an attitude, or a chip on their shoulder. Some were worried about the cost, some were worried about their insurance, others had anxiety about being at a doctor’s office in general. But thirty minutes later, they were all back up front, their exam completed, laughing and smiling with Dr. Copeland. They all bought glasses – lots of glasses.

By the time the office closed, the practice had finished its biggest day in the last four years. Certainly, it was the biggest day since Michelle Copeland had died. All day, the doctor was charming, witty, caring and showed great compassion and understanding for each patient. Angela had seen this side of him before, but it had been many years. Many years.

Crystal was working as the tech, pretesting the patients all afternoon for the doctor. She was still new at the job and she made plenty of errors. She had never met Dr. Copeland before, but given what she had heard, she was very nervous. Her hands were trembling as she guided the instruments toward the patients’ eyes. If she even made a single mistake she just knew he would start yelling at her. And since she hated being yelled at, she knew they would fight. And if they fought, she knew she would be looking for a new job.

Yet, it didn’t happen that way. Crystal made mistakes and Dr. Copeland just smiled and gently pointed out the correct way to solve the problem. Maybe, he’s not so bad, Crystal thought. The first few days, Crystal was totally confused. Then her mother told her to always make up her own mind about everyone she met. So, Crystal decided to give him a chance.

Angela wasn’t buying it. She had known Dr. Copeland for many years and this was not going to last. It was just some euphoria left over from the end of his vacation. Give it a few days, she thought, and the grouchy old eye doctor would return. Angela was not discreet and she shared her concerns with the rest of the staff.

Friday, April 19th, 2019

On the second day with Dr. Copeland, Crystal came back to work skeptical, but the good vibes continued. There was something different about this place with the doctor back in town. Around Neil Copeland, Crystal felt at ease. She had a sense that she was not being judged. There was so much pressure in her job, but none of it came from her new boss.

For the most part, Crystal hung out in the back clinic with the doctor and just ignored what Angela and the ladies in the optical were doing. It was like she had a new boss. Her boss was THE BOSS and she enjoyed working with him. Most days, she could avoid Angela and block out whatever negative vibe the office manager was spreading through the office. That seemed to work. Over the last few weeks, her relationship with Angela was improving by simply avoiding her. Everything was getting better.

Thursday, May 2nd, 2019

That’s how her first sixty days went at the optical. Crystal had survived 45 days with Angela, and then was rescued by Dr. Neil over the last 15 days. Now, Crystal was waiting in Dr. Copeland’s office for her sixty-day performance review. She took a deep breath and wrinkled her nose. Crystal could smell Angela’s perfume coming down the hall and smiled. Angela was still difficult, but she no longer mattered. There was no reason to fear this 60-day job review. So, she waited calmly with confidence. Dr. Copeland looked for opportunities to build her up. He wasn’t going to tear her down now.

Angela entered the office with Dr. Copeland right behind her. He took his seat behind the big cherry desk. Angela leaned against the wall to his right like she always did.

Dr. Neil smiled and said, So, what’s up?

Crystal didn’t know what to say and stammered… Uh, well….

Dr. Neil Copeland grinned, I’m just kidding. I hate these 60-day reviews. I’ve only known you for 15 days. Can we call it a 15-day review?

Dr. Copeland glanced over at Angela. She wasn’t laughing.

I think she’s doing great, don’t you? he asked.

Well… Angela began. We have had a few issues…

Crystal began to grind her teeth and her face turned bright red.

Water under the bridge right, Crystal? Dr. Neil seemed buoyant, bubbly.

Crystal nodded slowly, trying not to explode. But Angela did not give up that easy.

There was the patient she yelled at, she cursed me, and the frame that went missing.

Neil Copeland gently held up his right hand to silence Angela.

I think we all know the history, the doctor said. But I think we have turned the corner. Right, Crystal? Haven’t you learned from those things? I think it will be different moving forward, don’t you?

Crystal’s instinct was to scream at Angela. But she was smart enough to know that an outburst would be the opposite of ‘turning the corner’. Crystal froze. She didn’t know what to say. She quietly nodded her head. Dr. Neil moved on.

Perhaps we do a raise? How’s an extra $2 an hour? I think you have tremendous potential.

Angela rolled her eyes and headed for the door.

Angela, I need to see you before you go home, he said as she left the room.

She doesn’t like me very much, Crystal mumbled.

That’s okay, Neil smiled. It only matters if I like you. Angie will come around. I’ve known her many years and she’ll be fine. Why don’t you head home a little early. We are done with patients for the day. I will see you in the morning.

Crystal bounced out of the office.

Neil smiled. For all the staff difficulties that a business owner suffered, it wasn’t all bad. He used to enjoy staff development. He had learned it from Michelle. Whenever he took someone who was struggling, gave them a job, or taught them a new occupation, he changed their life. It was like the old adage, give a man a fish and he eats for a day, but teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Before Michelle died, Neil used to love teaching his staff to fish. Maybe he could do it again?

He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. It was his first chance to relax all day. He needed a quick breather, but idle time was always the hardest. Since Michelle had died, he had to stay busy. If he allowed himself too much time to think, then all the doubts came flooding in. One thought, I can’t go on without her! was his constant enemy for the last 18 months.

Yet, it hadn’t bothered him since he left Cairo. For the last three weeks he had been feeling so much better. Had he turned the corner? He waited. Nothing happened. The doubts were gone. He took another deep breath. He felt pretty good. Neil scratched his chin and thought of Michelle. He smiled. He had a new thought: he must go on without her. There were so many patients that he could still help. He provided a job for a half dozen people. He could train new people like Crystal. There was so much more to do. A warmth spread over him. The same warmth that he felt for the first time in Cairo.

He sat back at his desk and fired up his laptop computer. It took a few seconds, and then his email dinged and downloaded new messages. He scanned through them quickly until he found the one he was looking for. He knew it would be there. It was from Olivia.

Neil, love, please don’t be mad at me, but you must call me. I just want to help. I have new information and it’s not good. Email is not secure. I’m sorry I missed your meeting in London. I’m sorry we didn’t get to say goodbye. I have been put on suspension because of what happened in Paris. You are in a lot of danger. They will find you, even in Oceanside. If you call me, I can protect you. Olivia.

Neil sighed. He knew she meant well, but contacting her would cause multiple problems. Not the least of which was the aching heart of a widower. Besides, he could take care of himself. Hadn’t he proven that? Something was protecting him, and if it wasn’t his own skill, then maybe it was the relic. She was wrong, he was not mad at her. In fact, he missed her. The problem with Olivia was that she could not pick sides. She needed to choose. It was times like these that he really missed Michelle. What would Michelle say about the beautiful British INTERPOL agent who had tracked him across Africa and Europe? He chuckled to himself, feeling Michelle’s ire, even though she was gone. He smirked; he knew exactly what Michelle would say about the beautiful woman ten years his junior who dined with him in Casablanca.

Instead of writing Olivia back, Neil picked up his phone and sent a text to his best friend, Pastor Tim Anderson. Like the staff, Pastor Tim was not expecting him to be back in town. Neil had looked for his friend at church last Sunday, but the pastor was on a retreat with the church youth group. Of all the people he needed to talk to, Tim was number one on the list. Being a pastor, no one would understand it better than Tim. No one could. Neil was anxious to see his friend.

Neil texted: I’m back in CA. When are you home?

The reply from Pastor Tim was nearly instantaneous.

Tim wrote: Got back last night. Why are you home early?

Neil: Long story. Can’t wait to tell you. Dinner tonight? It’s Thursday.

Tim: Of course. See you then!

The lights went out in the hall and the staff started to file out the back door.

Bye, Dr. Neil! It was Sherrie, the perky receptionist.

Bye, guys, have a nice evening. See you Friday.

You wanted to see me? Angela