AUSTIN, TEXAS Reverend Craig Davenport sat in his home office. The wood- paneled study was his inner sanctum, the one place where he could come and shut out the constant demands of running such a large church. But this afternoon his retreat had been invaded. In more ways than one. And on the very day the entire church knew he kept for himself. No phone calls. No interruptions. Nothing save a funeral or a wedding would draw him out. Yet this was one request he could not refuse. Jason Swain was a vital member of his team. Young and super- intelligent and a rock. His mother was from Bulgaria and his father from Canada. He had inherited his mother’s dark features and his father’s quiet demeanor. He oversaw the sanctuary electronics, but on a voluntary basis. The church had a paid staff that ran the electronic board and the recording studio and the television cameras. Jason was a full-time employee of one of Austin’s electronic gaming companies. The church had repeatedly tried to hire him away.
