He turned on the television to see if he could find a weather forecast. Ah. An electrical storm. He’d be sure to carry an umbrella. He was about to switch off the TV when a news item came on about the missing American preacher, the Reverend Merle Odom. The man’s tearful wife, flanked by supporters, stood before a bank of microphones and spoke in a strong South Carolina accent. She pleaded with persons unknown to release her husband unharmed. The scene switched to the most famous face in Ulster, the Reverend Ian Paisley, thundering that the visiting evangelist was obviously a victim of the IRA. And if the Royal Ulster Constabulary could not protect the people of Belfast and their guests, others would step in to fill the gap. An RUC spokesman urged calm and stated that there was no evidence that Merle Odom had been captured or harmed by the Provisional IRA or any other group. The police were working around the clock to find the man and restore him to his family. Michael felt helpless watching the crisis unfold; he wondered what his fellow minister was going through, wherever he was.
