CHAPTER 19
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
SCOPES TRIAL – July 1925
Darrow: “Do you claim then that everything in the Bible should be literally interpreted?”
Bryan: “I believe everything in the Bible should be accepted as it is given there ...”
Darrow: “Do you think the earth was made in six days?”
Bryan: “Not six days of 24 hours ... My impression is they were periods ...”
Darrow: “Now, if you call those periods, they may have been a very long time?”
Bryan: “They might have been.”
Darrow: “The creation might have been going on for a very long time?”
Bryan: “It might have continued for millions of years ...”
Toby and Tad met as planned at the new coffee shop in Cleveland Park. After ordering tall cups of a special Guatemalan blend they began their stroll down Connecticut Avenue to the zoo, catching up on their morning’s activities along the way.
“So, you’re not going back to the Cathedral?” Tad asked as she blew gently in the small opening of her coffee cup to cool down the hot liquid.
“Not for now,” Toby replied. “I always felt a little hypocritical anyway, because I really can’t say in good conscience that I am a Christian. I enjoyed going when Rector York was there, because the God he talked about was a big God- one that you found by seeking the truth and treating people well. For some reason, I get the feeling that the God a lot of Christians are looking for these days is a very small God- one that fits their idea of what truth is and one that they can understand without having to ask or answer any difficult questions.
“And, I assume you are also leaving because the organist quit playing your favorite music,” Tad said smiling.
“Yea, that, too,” Toby said with a chuckle. “But the fact is that hearing great classical music played on a magnificent organ is as close to a religious experience as I have ever had in a church. Having some kid play a guitar and people sing words like ‘you are holy; you are mighty; I will love you,’ reminds me too much of a football cheer: “You are holy; you are mighty; go God!”
Tad laughed. “I can’t say I’m disappointed, because I hope you’ll start going with me to help Sister Mary Frances. You might not have a religious experience, but you’ll know you’re doing something worthwhile.”
They reached the entrance to the National Zoo clearly marked with a large sign, causing Toby to remark, “Don’t you think this sign would be more appropriate for the large building with the dome at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue?”
Tad laughed again. “The way some of them are acting these days, the word ‘zoo’ might be too good for them. ‘Insane asylum’ might be more appropriate.”
As they walked past the visitor’s center, Toby picked up a small information booklet and glanced at it.
“As many times as I’ve been here, I never realized this zoo was so big- 163 acres, 2,700 individual animals of 435 different species, and they have more than 3 million visitors a year,” he said. That’s pretty impressive.”
“Looks like a lot of the 3 million are here today,” said Tad. “But it’s understandable with the weather so nice. Where shall we go first? I want to see the Pandas for sure, but I’d just like to take our time and enjoy being together.”
Then Tad put her arm around Toby’s waist and pulled him close. “What’s that old saying about not knowing how much you miss someone until they’re gone?” she said. “Well, in my case, I didn’t realize how much I missed you until I got back. I was so excited about becoming a real spy that I pushed aside the memories of all of the wonderful times we shared. And now that I’m back, all of those memories have come rushing back.”
“Maybe I should take the cue and ask you to marry me right now while you have all those good thoughts,” Toby said. “It would be really hard on me to lose you again.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Tad replied, “because you might just get it. But, let’s wait until this bombing case is over and I can sort out what my options are in terms of a career.”
Before Toby could respond, Tad continued. “Let me rephrase that. Let’s wait until the case is solved so that WE can look at the options available. Is that better?”
“Much better,” Toby replied as they strolled past two cheetahs in an open conservation area. “I think we will be able to find some mutually acceptable options that will allow us to be together much of the time.”
“I hope so,” Tad said as they stopped in front of two zebras that appeared to be flirting with one another.
After watching the flirtatious black and white striped African mammals for a few moments, Toby remarked, “If our future together depends on solving the case, we need to get busy. Tell me about your visit with Hakim.”
“There’s not much to tell,” Tad answered as she glanced back at the zebras. “He doubts that he’ll be able to find out anything, because, as he pointed out, he doesn’t know any terrorists or anyone who does know any.”
“Maybe somebody someplace knows something that they will share with him, but wouldn’t share with us if we asked,” Toby suggested. “After all, the police and the FBI are not exactly on the top of the favorite people list for most Muslims.”
“You’re right,” Tad agreed. “Can’t say that I blame them for not trusting the authorities when so many public officials- and some law enforcement big wigs- use the Muslims as scapegoats for everything that goes wrong in this country and in other parts of the world.”
“Well, you have to admit that Muslims have caused their share of problems, don’t you?” Sullivan asked.
“Yes, but Americans also have to recognize that most American Muslims are not radical and they are doing everything they can to try to reform Islam in foreign countries,” Tad explained. “They believe just as strongly as any other Americans that the terrorists and religious zealots have hijacked what is basically a very decent and peaceful religion. American values are, by and large, very consistent with Islamic values, with a focus on family, faith, hard work and an obligation to better self and society.”
“I know that,” Toby agreed. “If we could just keep religious fanatics of all types out of the political sphere we would all be better off.”
“Tell me about it,” Tad sighed. “What was it Oscar Wilde said? ‘I sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated His abilities.’”
Toby laughed and then said, “We’re here. There’s the Panda Cafe on the other side of the walkway.”
Tad and Toby strolled across Olmsted Walk, by the Panda Cafe and down a slopped walkway to the giant panda habitat, where the latest two giant pandas on loan from China hung out, ate bamboo and entertained most of the 3 million people who visited the park annually.
“Aren’t they cute?” Tad asked as she spotted the two giant pandas munching on some bamboo shoots.
“Yea, they are cute,” Toby replied. “You can see why they are so popular. Unfortunately, they are also one of the most endangered species in the world. It is estimated that as few as 2,000 pandas remain in the wild today.”
“Every time I see them, they are eating,” Tad observed. “they must eat an incredible amount.”
“That’s what it says right here,” Toby replied as he read information printed on a wall plaque. “It says that they eat almost nothing but bamboo shoots and leaves, with bamboo accounting for 99 percent of their diets. It also says that they eat fast and eat a lot, and spend about 12 hours a day doing it.”
“Why do they eat that much?” Tad asked.
“Because they digest only about a fifth of what they eat,” Sullivan continued reading. “Apparently, bamboo is not very nutritious. The shoots and leaves are the most valuable parts of the plants, so that’s what a well-fed panda concentrates on eating. To stay healthy, they have to eat a lot- up to 15 percent of their body weight in 12 hours- so that’s why they have to eat fast.”
“Amazing,” Davenport said as she watched the giant pandas continue to munch away.
After a few minutes, Tad interrupted the silence. “So, you and Trey haven’t turned up any clues in Savannah, yet?”
“Not a thing,” he replied. “I’m hoping that we’ll get some kind of report from what’s-his-name in the lab by tomorrow.”
“You mean Henry Nelson?” Tad answered with a question.
“Yea, Nelson.” Toby replied. “He came down and supervised the evidence gathering and removal of the vehicle. He’s going to compare what he found in Savannah with what he found in the house outside of Leesburg and at the first three bombing sites. Hopefully there will be some human fingerprints, some bomb fingerprints or something useful. As I see it, what we are doing now is a gigantic waste of time until we have something concrete to go on, but obviously Drake thinks otherwise. Shall we move on to another exhibit?”
“Sure, though I hate to leave the pandas,” Tad answered. “As far as feeling like what you’re doing is a waste of time, we’re in the same boat. I know that Drake has a great reputation for fighting terrorism, but I don’t understand his plan in this case.”
Sullivan and Davenport walked out of the panda habitat, around the cafe and back across Olmsted Walk, which put them in front of the Kangaroo habitat.
“These are such interesting animals,” Tad said when they spotted several of the large marsupials.
“They sure are,” Sullivan agreed. “What an interesting way to transport their young. I wonder why God didn’t give people those little pouches.”
“You mean female people, don’t you?” asked Tad. “Why would men have them, since they aren’t likely to spend much time toting the little rug rats around? And by the way, would men think that pouches are sexy? I can hear it now. Look at that babe over there. She’s got incredible breasts and would you just look at that pouch on her.”
Toby started laughing and couldn’t stop. “You’re too much. Are you sure you don’t want to marry me, today?”
“Well, this would be a good place for it,” Tad replied as she took a final look at the roos. “Let’s move on.”
“Lead the way,” Toby said.
While walking past the bison, the two agents started talking again about the investigation.
“Something else that bothers me about this case is the fact that we seem to have information about where the terrorists are and where they are going, but we know nothing about their identities,” Tad said.
“What do you mean?” asked Toby. “I’m not sure I follow you.”
“Well think about it,” Tad responded. “Remember during the days after 9/11/01 and then during the Iraq War back in the early years of this century, we knew who the terrorist leaders were – Al Zaquari and bin Laden- but we didn’t know where they were. Now, we seem to be getting information about where the bombers have been and where they are going, but we have no idea who they are.”
“Now I understand what you’re saying,” Toby said as they arrived in front of the giraffe exhibit, “but is that so unusual? Don’t law enforcement personnel often have an idea about the location of a criminal without knowing his or her identity?”
“I’m sure it happens,” Tad responded, “but we ought to have some idea who these people are by now.”
“Remember the Unibomber,” Toby said. “If it hadn’t been for his brother turning him in, we may never have known who he was.”
“That’s my point,” said Tad. “We didn’t know where he was either. How can we know where people are until we know who they are?”
“Point well taken,” said Sullivan as he pointed toward the giraffes. “These are amazing creatures, too, aren’t they? Just look at those necks. They remind me of this kid I went to grammar school with. We nicknamed him ‘Giraffe’ because he had such a long, skinny neck. We were cruel little buggers.”
“I hope you didn’t nickname any kids after these guys,” Tad said as she pointed to the elephants in the adjacent habitat. No ‘elephant boy’ or ‘elephant girl’, I hope.”
“No, smarty, we weren’t that cruel,” Toby responded. “And we didn’t name anyone after these guys either,” he said while pointing to the hippopotamus.
“Well, I have a question for you,” Tad said. “Does being here at the zoo and seeing all of these strange creatures give you more reason or less reason to believe in the existence of a creator?”
“That’s a good question,” Toby replied, “and it’s actually one I have thought about many times as I have walked or jogged through this park. On the one hand, it definitely makes me believe less in the God that the Bible literalists try to sell. I mean, just look around. How can anyone look at all of these different species of animals and think that God created them all in just a few days and then a few thousand years later, Noah rounded up two of every animal here- and more- and put them on a giant boat that he and his sons built? That defies all logic and common sense.”
Toby stopped for a moment as he collected his thoughts. “On the other hand, when I look at the complexity, beauty and mystery of life in this park, it is difficult for me to believe that it all just happened- poof- out of nothing. That’s when I think that maybe there is a prime mover, creator, or whatever you want to call him, her or it. What about you?”
“I admit that it makes me think more about the possibility that some force put it all in motion,” Tad answered, “but I’m afraid I still come down on the side of the atheists. I know that devout Christians will think my views are as loony as I think theirs are, but I honestly believe that somehow, it all just happened.”
“You know what’s really ironic,” Toby continued, “is that as much as the fundamentalist Christians disdain scientists, it is science that is causing a lot of atheists and doubters such as myself to think that there may actually have been some kind of intelligence involved in the creation. How else does one explain the incredible complexity of the DNA encoded in each cell? And how does one deal with the fact that if the constants of physics were different even to the slightest degree, then no planet capable of permitting the evolution of human life could have evolved? And an even more interesting question is how can there be a godless explanation for the development from nonliving matter of living things that have the ability to reproduce themselves genetically? Biochemists and mathematicians have calculated that the odds are astronomical against life arising from non-life naturally via unintelligent processes.”
“You don’t mean that you buy the Creationist or Intelligent Design argument, do you?” Tad asked.
“Not as it is commonly espoused,” Toby assured her. “No, I don’t buy their definition of intelligence as the well-defined, personal God of the Bible. This intelligence is a much more vague, remote entity that’s uninvolved in everyday life. This intelligence, unlike the God that the evangelicals pray to constantly, doesn’t care who wins football games or even wars.”
“It’s all so fascinating and so mysterious,” Tad said as she squeezed Toby’s hand.
“But don’t worry, Tad,” Toby said as he put his arm around her and pulled her close. “When the Christianization of the government is complete, we both will be sent to a camp where we will undergo reorientation that could include either minor therapy sessions or major brain rewiring. The mystery will be gone and we’ll be singing from the same hymnal as the great Christian majority.”
“Ahh, don’t say that,” Tad said while attempting to smile. “I know you’re joking, but who’s to say that such things won’t happen?”
“What’s a little brain reconfiguration if it’s done for a good cause?” Toby asked. “Shall we go to the great ape house next?”
“Sounds good to me,” Tad said. “At least they won’t try to reprogram me.”
“Now I’ve got a question for you,” Sullivan said as they began walking toward the ape habitat. “It’s not as philosophical as yours. It involves the bombings.”
“What?” Davenport asked.
Toby waited until they arrived at the great ape habitat before responding. “Do your friends at Homeland Security have any information about homegrown terrorists who could be responsible for these attacks?”
“I’m sure Charley would tell me if they had any such information, but I’ll check with her tomorrow to see if there is anything she knows that she hasn’t told me.”
“Let me know what you find out,” Sullivan said while studying the actions of a female ape who seemed to be engaged in a thorough cleaning of her cage.
“Why some people feel so threatened to think that we may have evolved from these creatures is beyond me,” he said. “That ape keeps her place a whole lot neater than some of the guys I knew in college.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Tad answered as they moved near a large group of children who were wearing matching t-shirts with the words “Biblical Zoo Tour” printed on the front.
Toby and Tad stood quietly listening to an adult in a white lab coat who was explaining to the children that all of the descriptions in the zoo that dated the origin of animals in terms of millions of years were simply incorrect. “God has revealed the truth to us in the Holy Bible and it is clear that the earth is approximately 6,000 years old,” he told the children, “Who should we believe, man or God?”
“God,” they all answered in unison.
Tad grabbed Toby’s arm and pulled him away.
“I can’t believe this crap,” she said. “How can they flat-out lie to young children like that?”