Vicki Stewart

There are millions of unsolved murders in the United States, many of which are ‘cold cases’ law enforcement agencies are unable to solve. Unfortunately, without new evidence or witnesses to keep the cases active, the families and friends of the victims are often left in the dark without any closure.

When Tori met Goliath, she learned his former owners were victims of a horrible house fire, thought by many to have been accidental. Then one night, Goliath reveals to Tori that it wasn’t an accident, it was murder, and he saw the man who did it.

Along with Ben’s help, he and Tori made a promise to Goliath that they would discover what happened to his former family, and put the man responsible for their deaths behind bars.

Thankfully, after months of relentless searching, Ben’s investigative skills have finally paid off.

Children from the Light, Chapter 7 “…Just shy of a half hour later, Ben was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast, staring intently at the screen on his laptop when Tori emerged from the bedroom.

“What are you working on over there so quietly?” she teased as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Ooh! Is that some of the stuffed French toast that you made the other day? How did I forget that was in the fridge?”

“You got me started with that ice cream earlier, and it made me crave something sweet. Then I remembered we had a piece leftover! Do you want a bite before it’s gone?”

“Umm, as tempted as I am by the smell of the cinnamon and maple syrup, no thanks,” Tori replied. “I’m still full from the ice cream. I really liked it, though. Maybe we can make it again this weekend. Did it take long to make?”

Ben shook his head and replied, “Honestly no. All you do is cube some bread, layer it in the bottom of a pan, cut two rectangles of cream cheese into cubes and layer that on top, and then add another layer of bread. Then you mix a dozen eggs with cinnamon, maple syrup, and milk; pour it over the bread and the cheese and let it soak in the fridge overnight. Then you bake it the next day for about an hour, and it’s done.”

“Wow! That is a pretty easy recipe! Let’s plan that for Saturday morning,” Tori suggested.

“Can we have bacon too?” Ben pleaded with a hopeful smile.

Tori laughed and agreed, “Fine. You can have bacon too!”

“It’s a deal!” Ben cheered.

“Seriously what are you working on?” Tori asked, looking over at the monitor screen.

Glancing quickly around them he whispered, “Where’s ‘you know who’?”

“G?” she quietly asked, using hers and Ben’s code name for Goliath, so he didn’t know they were talking about him.

Ben nodded, looking towards the bedroom.

“He’s out cold on the floor by the bed,” she whispered. “Why, what’s going on?”

“I found them,” Ben said in a low voice, giving her an intense look.

Tori drew in a surprised breath and whispered, “Are you serious – them as in G’s former family?”

Angling the laptop screen for her to see, Ben nodded and quietly replied, “Here they are; the Cutler family.”

“Cutler,” she murmured, reviewing the page he had pulled up on his screen. “Nice job! And you’re one hundred percent sure it’s them?”

Ben nodded and affirmed, “It’s definitely them. A family of three; husband, wife, and daughter, killed in a house fire a little over a year and a half ago in Pikeville, Kentucky. Investigators concluded the fire was accidental and due to a faulty gas line.”

“Yeah, well we know better than that thanks to Goliath,” Tori argued as she read.…”

Baked Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients:

2 – 8oz. packages of reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
1 round of Kings Hawaiian bread, cubed
1 dozen eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 cups milk

Directions:

1) Spray an 8 x 12 baking dish with cooking spray and arrange half of the cubed bread in the bottom of the pan.

2) Next, arrange the cubed cream cheese on top of the bread.

3) Layer the remaining half of the bread on top of the cheese.

4) Combine the eggs, cinnamon, syrup and milk in a mixing bowl and pour evenly over the bread and cheese.

5) Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

6) The next morning, remove the pan from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

7) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and place the pan in the oven, still covered. Bake for 45 minutes.

8) Remove the foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the top is browned and bubbly.

9) Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting. Serve hot with extra syrup.

There’s something about the word ‘never’ that always causes me to hesitate before using it.  I think it’s because by definition never is considered to be improbable and not likely to be true or to happen so by saying the word; it’s like I’m tempting fate.  I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying ‘never say never.’  In my past experiences, as soon as I’ve said, I’ll never do something it’s like a challenge to prove myself wrong.  Then there’s the saying ‘it will never happen.’ Equally frustrating to hear when it’s something you very much want to happen.

For Tori and Ben, having children was always something they both wanted.  When Ben learned about Tori’s legacy and the children of Remiel were always girls, he had to come to terms with the fact that he would never have a son.

But as ironic as God’s lessons often are, the word never, never applies to Him.  Here’s an excerpt from book four showing us that very example.

Children from the Light, Chapter 10 “…“Both your daughter and your son appear to be in perfect health,” Dr. Matthews smiled.

“What did you just say?” Ben argued.

“I said both your daughter and your son appear to be in perfect health,” Dr. Matthews repeated.

“D-did you say, son?” Tori whispered, her eyes widening in surprise.

“I did!” Dr. Matthews exclaimed.  “Congratulations!  I’m printing off copies of the images now so you can take them with you to show your family and your friends.  The printer is in the room next door.  I’ll be right back.”

As Dr. Matthews left the room, Tori turned to Ben, whose eyes were equally as wide as hers.  “We’re having a son, Ben,” she whispered.

“How is that possible?” he whispered back.

“Mystical powers, maybe?” Tori raised her eyebrows, questioningly.

“Heck if I know!” Ben replied.  “The lineage of the Remiel has always been daughters. There’s never been a recorded birth of a boy before.”

“That we know of,” Tori pointed out.

“That we know of,” he repeated.  “What does this mean?” he asked, searching her eyes.

“I don’t know,” she admitted.  “I need to talk to Remy.”

Unseen by either of them, Remy stood silently in the corner of the room, equally shocked by what he had just heard.  Looking upward towards heaven with troubled eyes, he quietly asked, “Father, what have You done?”….”

The poem I dreamt on March 9, 2015, inspiring book four.

Here we are at the beginning of May when kids are counting down the final days of school, and parents are trying to figure out how to budget the money needed for the family summer vacation.

But there’s one being who never takes a vacation. He has many names; the devil, Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer (or Luc, as Tori likes to call him), and he’s always watching and waiting for an opportunity to catch someone off guard or in a moment of spiritual weakness.

That’s not to say Lucifer only focuses on the weak in spirit. Some of his greatest joy is in bringing the strongest believers to their knees, even Tori. Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 3 of Children from the Light of one of those moments.

Children from the Light, Chapter 3 “…And you’re all making it quite obvious that someone has been assigned to be with me at all times when Ben’s not with me, which I would assume is his idea!” Tori exclaimed. “Look, I appreciate what everyone’s doing, but I am capable of being alone without fear of Luc trying one of his death games. Besides, Goliath can sense him when he’s near so everyone needs to relax!”

Agent Hughes gave a heavy sigh and admitted, “Okay. I’ll come clean. Ben did ask that we all keep an eye on you. And before you say anything,” he added when she opened her mouth to speak, “for me personally, I’m actually enjoying this chance to spend more time with you. It’s given me an opportunity to learn more about your abilities and how effective they are in honing your skills as a profiler.”

Tori grinned and readily admitted, “Thank you for saying that! I really am enjoying it and was hoping you didn’t feel like you had to work with me due to the new arrangements.”

“Not at all!” he assured her.

“Then would you mind if we referenced each other on a first-name basis when it’s just us? I know Agent Hunter likes us to be formal outside of the team, but you can call me Tori, you know,” she offered.

“Fair enough,” he agreed, inclining his head. “From now on we’re Tori and Riley.”

“Perfect!” Tori replied.

As Tori approached the wall where a large whiteboard was attached, Goliath’s head whipped up towards her, and he began to whine, nervously.

“What’s wrong, Goliath,” she paused, looking at him curiously.

Suddenly she heard a cracking sound on the wall behind her. As she turned, she saw the whiteboard falling towards her. “Oh!” she exclaimed in surprise.

“Tori look out!” Riley yelled, quickly rushing forward to grab the edge of the frame.

Jumping backward, she barely cleared the board’s path as one corner crashed to the floor. “Whew, that was close,” she breathed heavily.

Lowering the board to the floor against the wall, Riley came to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Tori replied. “Just give me a minute to catch my breath.”

Glancing back at the whiteboard, Riley looked up at the mounting brackets and shook his head slowly. “That was too close,” he decided angrily. “Those brackets should have held better than they did.”

“It’s not the brackets fault, and you know it,” Tori replied with a scowl. “I was wondering why Luc has been so quiet lately.”

Pausing briefly, Riley took one last look at the board and then turned to Tori. “Still feel like you don’t need someone with you at all times?”

Chuckling quietly, she replied, “Okay, so maybe Ben did have the right idea.”

“Odd timing that you mention Lucifer and then this happened,” Riley thought out loud.

“That was his way of reminding me that he’s always paying attention,” Tori advised. “Evil never takes a break…”.