They sat around the chapel library under the watchful eye of the officer temporarily assigned to watch them until my new assistant, a Jewish chaplain, was hired next month. Mr. Smith and three other inmates were reading Decision magazine, the monthly magazine that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association faithfully sent us free of charge. Mr. Smith and one of the other inmates were wearing headphones—listening to gospel music or a recorded sermon.

On my way to meet with the warden and the IG, I decided to stop by the chapel to check in on things.

When Mr. Smith saw me, he jumped up and walked out into the hallway where I was unlocking my office door. “They’s two what want to see you, Chaplain.”

“Okay,” I said, “but it will have to be when I get back. I’ve got a meeting with the warden in about ten minutes.”

“I tell ’em to wait. So hot out there, they won’t mind. ’Sides they gots nothin’ else to do.”

“Thank you,” I said, and walked into my office.

As I closed the door, the phone began to ring.

“Chaplain Jordan,” I said into the receiver.

“This the chaplain?” a distressed female voice asked.

“It is,” I said. “How can I help you?”

“This is Veronica Simpson. My husband Charles Simpson is an inmate there. I need to talk to him. I haven’t heard from him in four months, and I need to talk to him right now. I’m not playing with you, and I’m not crazy, but I’ve got a gun to my head, and I’m going to use it on myself and his two-year-old son if I can’t talk to him right now.”

“Okay,” I said, “now listen to me. I will let you talk to your husband, so just put the gun down and relax.”

“I’m not crazy. I swear,” she added quickly, her voice seeming to gain strength. “If I can just talk to him, I won’t kill myself.”

“The thing is, he is not here right now,” I said, talking very slowly. “It will take a few minutes, but I will have him called up right away. So, why don’t we talk until he gets here? Would that be okay?”

“That would be okay,” she said softly. She was beginning to sound calmer.

“I have to ask you to hold on a minute while I call down to his dorm and have him sent up here. Is that okay?”

“That’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I’m all right, Preacher. I just want to talk to my husband. I won’t do anything foolish. Promise. Just as long as I can talk to him.”