Chapter 324: Young Sheldon's Future, A Lost Lamb!
That night.
Nothing more was said.
The next day.
Chuck, with Lisa in his car, arrived at a compound built in the mountains, guided by Susan.
"Hi, I'm Jamie Cowley."
"I'm Susan Green, special agent for the IRS. This is Dr. Chuck Wolf, a senior consultant to the IRS, and his assistant, Lisa Sawyer."
Susan introduced Jamie Cowley, the cult founder. "This is a copy of the court order allowing us to visit this religious compound and conduct our investigation.
It grants us three days to observe and interview members of your organization. We'll try to operate discreetly."
"Welcome!"
Jamie Cowley, the cult founder, was a middle-aged man with a thick beard. Facing this IRS investigation, he appeared confident and composed, smiling as he took the court order and examined it before turning to Chuck.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Wolf. I've heard quite a bit about you."
"How many members does your organization have?"
Susan took over when Chuck merely nodded without speaking.
"The IRS should already know this, shouldn't they?"
Jamie Cowley smiled knowingly. "I told Jason everything."
"..."
Susan's face darkened.
The Jason Jamie Cowley referenced was the IRS agent sent undercover—the one who'd almost been brainwashed.
"This place is jointly owned by me and my 150 disciples."
Jamie Cowley said, glancing at Chuck.
"Including the children in your organization who don't have Social Security numbers?"
Susan pressed.
"No."
Jamie Cowley smiled. "Children born here belong to God and don't need Social Security numbers."
"You mean the children outside don't belong to God?"
Lisa couldn't help but ask.
"Everyone belongs to God."
Jamie Cowley smiled at Lisa. "Including you."
"We'd like to look around."
Susan said, seeing that Chuck remained silent and that their conversation with this manipulative leader was getting nowhere.
"Of course."
Jamie Cowley smiled. "Walk around, soak up the atmosphere. You'll love it here. If you want to stay, you're very welcome."
He then led the three into the compound.
After walking for a while, Susan couldn't help but observe, "Besides you, I only see two other men your age."
"Yes, that's Ken and Chris, who helped me establish this community."
Jamie Cowley smiled. "When the boys turn 16, we encourage them to go out and explore the world. Of course, we always welcome them back. The women stay and take care of us, and we take care of them."
"Three grown men and how many adult women?"
Lisa challenged. "Can you actually manage that?"
"Of course we can."
Jamie Cowley smiled. "We have God's blessing here! We can take care of as many as needed!"
"How many of the children here are yours?"
Susan asked the crucial question.
"Spiritually, they all are."
Jamie Cowley said without any shame. "Biologically, of course, twelve! Isn't that remarkable?"
"So this is your harem."
Lisa blurted out. "You've driven away all the adult men who could compete with you and taken all the women for yourself."
"That's free choice!"
Jamie Cowley smiled without blushing. "I said we'd welcome them back anytime."
"But not a single one has come back."
Lisa sneered. "Is it because you only say you'll welcome them back but don't actually mean it?
Or is it because they all hate this compound you call a model community? You can only control vulnerable children and women?"
"The world is big, and kids grow up wanting to fly and explore on their own."
Jamie Cowley said without anger. "Even if home is the best place, it's the same, isn't it? They instinctively want to experience new things. How many of you still live with your parents?"
Lisa and Susan were momentarily speechless.
"So American!"
Lisa couldn't help but retort.
This cult leader not only understands the law well enough to run for office, but he's also mastered the tricks corporations use to regularly 'contribute talent' to society—he's thoroughly Americanized!
"This is America, the city upon a hill, God's chosen land!"
Jamie Cowley smiled, looking meaningfully at Lisa and Susan. "I thought you'd understand this better than most, and appreciate it more here~"
"What do you mean?"
Lisa was taken aback.
"You really don't get it?"
Jamie Cowley laughed. "I can see you both admire Dr. Wolf and voluntarily follow him. That's free choice, not much different from here, is it?"
"..."
While Lisa was speechless, Jamie Cowley smiled, got into his golf cart, and drove off to inspect his territory.
"That's infuriating!"
Lisa watched him leave, embarrassed and annoyed. "Boss, why didn't you confront him?"
"There's nothing to confront."
Chuck said bluntly. "This is just America being America!"
If he had to confront this, he'd be confronting everything and everyone.
Because this is a composite world of American TV shows—even the air smells of American exceptionalism.
Chuck couldn't be bothered with such a pointless effort.
"Alright, let's look around."
Susan smiled wryly. "Our most important task now is to find fake believers among these followers. Then we can nail him for tax evasion. I don't believe he'll still be laughing then!"
She looked at Chuck. "Chuck? Who should we talk to?"
"Her!"
Chuck looked around and pointed to a woman carrying a child toward a building.
"Got it!"
Susan immediately followed. Entering the building, she realized she was wrong—this wasn't a family home at all, but one woman with a group of children.
Daycare provider and cook combined!
"Our life is very simple."
After listening to Susan's questions, the woman named Catherine said while making sandwiches for a dozen children. "Jamie's missionary work is straightforward."
"Simple?"
Susan stared into her eyes. "Jamie claims to be a prophet, and you followers can live happy lives by following him. Do you actually believe that, Catherine?"
"Of course!"
Catherine smiled.
"No, you don't!"
Chuck said bluntly after Susan looked at him. "He doesn't believe it either!"
He pointed to a little boy who'd been staring at them.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Catherine's smile faltered. She glanced at the little boy, who immediately lowered his head to eat his sandwich, ignoring Chuck and the others.
"You know."
Chuck stated bluntly. "What appears to be faith in your eyes is actually fear deep down."
Just then, Lisa exclaimed in shock, "What? You can't read?"
Seeing everyone looking over, Lisa explained.
Turns out a little boy, seeing Lisa standing beside him, had reached out and tugged at her arm, showing her his drawing.
After all, children instinctively gravitate toward beauty, and it was natural for them to want to be close to Lisa.
Lisa had quietly praised him a few times, then asked what the drawing depicted. The little boy shook his head, saying he didn't know, and didn't even recognize letters.
This had shocked her.
"Jamie's family education emphasizes character development."
Catherine explained.
"They can't read, and they spend all day making handicrafts so Jamie can sell them?"
Lisa held what she'd initially thought were drawings, but now looked more like handicrafts for sale, and questioned, "You think this is normal?"
"We raise our children the way we want, and you raise yours the way you want."
Catherine spotted a figure and her attitude hardened considerably. "That is, if you have children. Do you?"
"..."
Lisa and Susan were speechless.
"What will children raised like this do when they turn sixteen and get kicked out?"
Chuck looked at her. "Work minimum wage jobs, or turn to crime? Seven years from now, do you want your own son to end up like this?"
Catherine glanced at her own son, who was looking up at her, her eyes filled with pain and conflict.
"What's the problem?"
The other woman, who'd been standing in the corner, walked over and said calmly, "No job is inherently superior or inferior, and being illiterate isn't necessarily bad.
Regardless of the future, they're all under God's watchful eye. And even if they become PhDs, what then?
In the end, aren't they still just lost lambs?
Catherine, have you forgotten David Henry?"
"That's right!"
Catherine's conflicted expression quickly dissipated, and she spoke to Chuck and the others. "Dr. David Henry was a genius scientist, but now he's one of us!
He said it himself: knowledge only brings pain, and this simple happiness is life's true meaning!"
"He's definitely not here right now!"
Chuck said.
"David was sent out on an errand by Jamie... How do you know?"
Catherine was taken aback.
"Because your Jamie is smart. He knows he can't let Dr. David Henry see me, or he'll lose another lost lamb."
Chuck said bluntly.
"If Jamie is your God, then Dr. Wolf is the God of science."
Susan looked at Catherine and the other female follower with a half-smile. "The fact that your God doesn't dare let this Dr. David Henry meet the God of science speaks volumes."
"That's just coincidence!"
the female follower retorted angrily. "You're blaspheming! Jamie is a prophet, not God! You're not welcome here!"
"Even prophets respect the law."
Susan produced the court order. "We have the right to observe here for three days and speak to anyone!"
"We have nothing to say."
The female follower glared at Susan.
Catherine lowered her head, refusing to look at Chuck and the others, remaining silent.
Susan and the others had no choice but to leave.
"She must be a true believer!"
Susan said helplessly. "Faith really does blind people."
"Catherine is definitely not a true believer."
Lisa asserted. "She's just scared! We just need to get her to testify."
"What do you think, Chuck?"
Susan asked.
"We can try."
Chuck nodded. "But your IRS needs to be prepared to fight for custody, because what she's afraid of is losing her child. Once she testifies or leaves, Jamie Cowley won't let her take her child or see him again."
"Maternal instinct!"
Susan exclaimed, suddenly understanding.
"Don't worry."
Lisa said confidently. "Even without Catherine, I bet there are plenty of people who can help us."
"Why?"
Susan looked at her in surprise.
"It's simple."
Lisa laughed. "This compound only has a few adult men and hundreds of adult women. The hormones of these women can't be completely satisfied by faith in God, and not everyone's built like the boss!"
"..."
Susan was speechless, but she felt even more confident about the case.
Lisa was right. Legal monogamy doesn't just protect women—sometimes it protects men too!
After all, the differences in male and female physiology mean that oxen can be worked to death, but fields can't be over-plowed.
If hormonal needs aren't met long-term, even God couldn't satisfy a hundred-plus women in this compound. Resentment would inevitably build.
Now they just needed to find a breakthrough, to let them boldly vent their frustrations.
"Susan, can we sue him for illegal child labor?"
Lisa felt increasingly insightful after becoming Chuck's assistant, her ideas flowing freely.
"You saw it—these kids aren't studying, they're all making handicrafts for him to sell. That's definitely illegal child labor!"
"This..."
Susan hesitated.
"Is there a problem?"
Lisa was surprised, then looked at Chuck. "Boss?"
"It's useless."
Chuck shook his head.
"Why?"
Lisa asked, puzzled.
"Because it's America!"
Chuck stated bluntly. "It's the only country in the world that hasn't ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child."
"Impossible!"
Lisa exclaimed incredulously. "How could that be!"
Seeing that Susan showed no surprise and clearly knew this already, Lisa murmured, speechless, "But America is clearly the country that most values children's rights and justice..."
"That's just because it's loud!"
Chuck said calmly. "The more something is lacking, the more it's promoted. As long as the voice is loud enough, that's sufficient. Anyway, America has the biggest megaphone globally, so it doesn't need to actually do anything—just talk the talk."
"..."
Lisa was completely stunned.
In her mind, her country was the freest and most human rights-conscious, especially in its treatment of children, where it was a world model—always bearing the international responsibility of criticizing other countries for lagging human rights and child protection, urging them to improve.
But who knew that the global children's rights protection treaty, which nearly every country had ratified, was the only one America hadn't... What the hell?
A joke from hell?
Hell and joke were both her own!
(End of Chapter)
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