The Gift
by Charlie Kondek Detroit Police Officer Tim Miner had two women on his mind. One was Mother Grace, his mentor in the gift of prophecy, whom the church folk called Mother because of how much she did with foster kids. She’d always told him never to adulterate the gift. “You got to take what the Holy Spirit gives you and nothing more,” she said. “Look what happened to King Solomon. He thought he could mix in all them other gods, and his kingdom got took as a result. Sometimes the Holy Spirit’s gonna give you what you want. Sometimes not. You just have to accept it.” The other was Madame Luster, the medium, who sometimes consulted with police. She said, “I can see the power on you, Tim. Real power. But you’re a fool not to let others help you. Like a man that wants to build without tools. I know they’re strict in your denomination, but we could work together if you’d let me. Don’t be so afraid of my methods.” Hillbilly is a white ethnic group in metro Detroit. Like Germans, Irish, It...
