Angels Undercover

by Diane Noble

  Several members of their congregation were already seated and called out to them as they climbed up the center aisle to the top row.

  LuAnne Matthews stood up, called out and waved from a few rows over. Eli Weston and Carl Wilson were seated behind LuAnne. Kate made her way to the middle of the row and sat down, with Paul beside her. Sam Gorman was in the row just below them, sitting by Danny and Livvy Jenner. In the center of the same row were Renee Lambert and her mother, Caroline, who faced forward, looking tense.

  Deputy Skip Spencer was there too, standing next to the bleachers. He was in his official khakis, a two-way radio on one hip and a holstered pistol on the other. He was doing his best to look stern as he eyed the crowd.

  Kate figured that because Sheriff Roberts was in the reenactment, he let Skip attend the festivities to keep an eye on things. With five hundred participants and an equal number of observers, crowd control probably wouldn’t be as easy as one might think, especially considering the North–South passions of recent days. She hoped that Skip had backup waiting, should he need it.

  Kate had just pulled out her binoculars to scan the battlefield when Renee turned around and motioned to Kate to lean closer.

  “Did you hear about the exhibit?” Renee whispered loudly.

  “What about it?” Kate acted clueless.

  Renee’s smile widened. “Great-granddaddy’s effects were returned.”

  Beside her, Caroline faced forward, her gaze fixed on the battlefield. Her expression didn’t change.

  “That’s wonderful,” Kate said. “Such good news, especially today.”

  “Mama’s thrilled,” Renee said, glancing at Caroline, who in Kate’s opinion didn’t look thrilled at all. “It’s the best gift we could have received. Livvy told us just moments ago. Apparently they were just discovered this morning. Now we can enjoy the battle.”

  Kate nodded, lifted her binoculars, and started to look through them again when Renee turned around once more. “I have other news,” she said, lifting a brow.

  Kate sighed and handed the binoculars to Paul, who was chuckling softly beside her.

  “News?”

  She nodded. “Guess who’s playing the role of Great-granddaddy Beauregard?”

  “Who?”

  “Everyone thought Willy was going to. But apparently he’s been working with Caleb King to take over the role this year.”

  “Caleb King? Really?”

  Renee nodded. “The buzz among the reenactors earlier was that he’s turned out to be quite the star performer.” She paused, looking sheepish. “Willy told me that the uniform I thought was Great-granddaddy’s was a brand-new one he bought for Caleb. An exact replica. I guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion.” She sighed and turned back around. Kisses jumped from Caroline’s lap to Renee’s and then to the ground. He sniffed around, then bounded back onto the bench between them.

  Paul handed Kate the binoculars. She lifted them once more and squinted at the rows of soldiers taking their places on the field—Confederates on one side, the Union on the other. Officers on horseback seemed to be getting the groups ready to disperse to their positions for the start of the battle.

  “Kate!” came another loud whisper.

  Kate sighed and lowered her binoculars...again.

  “I asked Willy about that meeting the other day,” Renee said. “Remember how they all disappeared in front of our noses?”

  Kate nodded.

  “You’ll never believe what I found out. You were right about the idea of tunnels and caves leading from Willy’s Bait and Tackle. Apparently, there are underground tunnels that lead to the original battleground. It’s been talked about for years, but no one knew where the entrance was—until Willy discovered it quite by accident.

  “He said he was digging around in the basement, looking to put in some new wiring for one of those fancy cappuccino makers, and lo and behold, there it was, the entrance to a tunnel. It had been hidden under a pile of bricks and stone and dirt. He’d been waiting to show the reenactors, because...”—she paused, waving one hand dramatically—“they now think that’s how my great-granddaddy saved his men. It’s going to be part of the reenactment today, for the first time.”

  By now, Renee was almost leaning over the back of the bleacher bench. “And that’s not all.” Her eyebrows shot up. “The announcement will be made today about the discovery of the letters, including the information about the heroic acts my great-granddaddy did, with full media coverage. Willy said the museum in Chattanooga is sending specialists on the Battle of Lookout Mountain to authenticate the find.”

  Her smile widened. “Reporters have already arranged to interview Mama and me after the battle. We’ll be on TV tonight.”

  Renee glanced at Caroline, who still had her eyes trained on the battlefield, then she sat back with a satisfied sigh. Kisses turned two circles on her lap, then settled down to sleep. She brought her own binoculars to her eyes just as “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” rose from one end of the field, the reenactors lifting their voices in song, and the spectators joining in. As soon as the final notes faded, “Dixie” rose from the other end of the field.

  As the last strains of “Dixie” faded, Caroline turned around in her seat and winked at Kate. Then Kate heard her warbling voice join the soldiers on the field—“Look away, look away, look away, Dixieland.”

  WHEN THE BATTLE WAS OVER, Paul and Kate made their way through the milling crowds to the parking lot. The mood was jovial, and even uniformed soldiers, fresh from battle, stood chatting with each other, Rebs and Yankees alike.

  A light rain was just beginning to fall, and Paul took Kate’s hand to help her across the slippery field.

  She spotted their pickup and headed toward it, Paul right behind her.

  Then she blinked. And stopped, midstep. She looked back at Paul to see if he saw what she saw.

  He was staring in almost equal disbelief.

  There, walking toward them, was the Easterwood family. Stephen had one arm wrapped around Lorna, who looked like she would never stop smiling. In his other arm was Baby John, sound asleep. Lucy was sitting on Stephen’s shoulders, winding a strand of hair around one finger and sucking her binky. The twins skipped along, one by each of their parents. There were no diesel-truck or horse sounds.

  Paul and Kate waved and headed toward the family. As soon as Kate reached her, Lorna leaned forward and whispered, “You remember the invitation I got for dinner at the diner?”

  Kate nodded. “Well, I got there, and guess who was waiting?”

  “Stephen?”

  “Yes. He thought I’d invited him, but he’d gotten one of the same strange typewritten notes, telling him exactly when and where to come for his free dinner.” She laughed lightly. “Another strange thing. Someone broke into his room at the boardinghouse and left him some things to get him started writing his novel. He thought it was me and that I was giving him permission to follow his dream.”

  Lucy patted Kate’s head as Lorna went on. “And then something else strange happened.”

  At this point, Kate knew she wouldn’t be surprised at just about anything.

  “I’m not sure if it’s related, but a couple of days ago, an old man showed up on my doorstep. Said he was a retired plumber, and he’d come to connect the plumbing to my bathtub. I thought Stephen had hired him, but it turns out he didn’t know anything about it.”

  Kate smiled. “Sometimes I think there are angels in our midst.” Her gaze took in the six members of the Easterwood family, looks of hope and love on each of their faces. “Other times I’m sure of it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  The next morning, Kate rose at dawn. She’d had a fitful night of sleep, her heart troubled as she thought about the morning service, Paul’s announcement that Faith Briar would be returning to traditional music, and his disappointment that his outreach to the teens of Copper Mill would have to wait.

  She headed first to the living room to start the fire, th
en padded into the kitchen to put on the coffee. She sat back down in her rocker a few minutes later, her Bible in her lap.

  She turned to Psalm 42 and began to read. Her gaze stopped at verse 8—“The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime. And in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life.”

  She blinked and read it again... “And in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life.”

  “His song shall be with me,” she whispered. “And this song is a prayer.” She had read this psalm through the years more times than she could count, but she realized now that the songs the Lord placed in her heart—and in Paul’s, and in the hearts of the young people of Flame and of everyone in the congregation—were a beautiful form of prayer. It didn’t matter if the words were written a hundred years ago or yesterday, this music was sacred. As sacred as a whispered prayer.

  Caleb, Ashley, and Denver were just beginning to open their hearts, just beginning to understand that this music was different than any other they played. Even perhaps that it was a form of prayer. She’d seen it in their faces.

  She leaned back in the rocking chair, feeling sad that their time at Faith Briar was probably coming to a close. She knew Paul and Samuel would try to work them into the youth program, but it wouldn’t be the same. The older congregation at Faith Briar needed the young people—to stir things up a bit, to bring in fresh ideas—just as the young people needed the older folks—to learn their traditions, to see firsthand the seasoning that came from years of walking with the Lord. No doubt about it; they needed each other.

  Kate bowed her head, feeling the sting of tears. It was hard to let go of something that felt so right. But Paul was making the decision based on what he felt was best for the church as a whole. She prayed that God would be with him—with them all—throughout this difficult day.

  PAUL LEFT EARLY for a time of prayer in his office at church before the service.

  Clementine Jones called Kate as she was getting ready and asked if she could have a ride to church. So Kate left a few minutes earlier than usual to swing by and pick her up.

  Clementine was waiting on the front porch when Kate drove up. Even before she got out of the car Kate noticed that the porch looked swept and cleaned. The old flower pots with dying flowers had been moved or thrown away, and the windows were gleaming in the early morning sun.

  Kate was halfway up the walkway when Clementine came bounding down, her smile wide. “Thank you for picking me up,” she said. “I got a special little invitation yesterday.”

  Kate laughed lightly. “I think quite a number of us got one.”

  “What do you suppose it’s all about?”

  Kate opened the passenger side door for her, and she slipped in and clicked her seat belt into place.

  “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I really don’t.”

  Clementine sighed as she settled back against the seat. “If you ask me, it’s the work of the secret angel again.” She surprised Kate by giving her a wink. “I think we’re in for something big. This is no common angel.”

  Kate suspected Clementine knew more than she was saying, but she couldn’t imagine what. “I think you’re right.”

  As Kate fastened her seat belt, Clementine raised a brow, casting a pleased glance at Kate. “Now, for my big news. It’s done! I planted the last bulb yesterday.” She looked out the window at something in the distance. “Can you imagine? There were so many bulbs, it took me nearly a month to plant them all. Come spring, it will be like having my own little patch of heaven right in my own backyard. I intend to celebrate—and you will be invited.”

  TEN MINUTES LATER, Kate led Clementine through the doors of the sanctuary. Then they stopped in surprise. She was early, and already it was getting close to standing room only.

  She spotted half a dozen Baptists, a handful of Presbyterians, and even two Episcopalians. And at least two dozen teens from the local high school were lined up against the back wall. The invitation must have gone to everyone in town, not just the Faith Briar directory as Paul had thought. She had expected Flame to be practicing, but, though their instruments were set up, the young people weren’t in sight.

  Kate and Clementine found a seat near Renee. Next to Renee sat her mother, Earl Pennyweather, and Daisy, Pansy, and Hyacinth Barker. They smiled sweetly at Kate, hands in their laps. Kisses sat to one side of Caroline, tail wagging.

  “Did you get one?” Renee whispered to Kate.

  “An invitation?”

  “That someone would take it upon themselves to do such a thing as if he or she were some sort of official spokesperson for the church is just wrong...” Renee set her mouth in a straight line. “As a member of the church board, I intend to get to the bottom of this, find out who did it, and see that—”

  Kate touched Renee’s arm. “Let’s wait until we see what happens during the service.”

  “Hmmph,” Renee sniffed.

  At ten minutes to ten, Samuel began playing the opening anthem, and just before ten Paul took his place behind the pulpit. Kate swallowed a smile when she saw his jaw drop at the full sanctuary.

  Every available space in the sanctuary was filled. Livvy and her brood were toward the back, and Patricia and Marissa Harris were behind them. People were standing in the aisles and along the back wall. An air of expectancy filled the room.

  He hesitated briefly, then looking out at the congregation, said, “I’d planned to make an announcement this morning about the music program, but before I do, Caleb King has asked me if he could say a few words.”

  Caleb got up from his seat, a few pews back from the front, where he’d been sitting by his mother.

  “I’m not very good at making speeches, but I just wanted to tell you all how much this church has come to mean to me. I feel at home here, something I never expected when Mr. Jenner first asked us to play for y’all.

  “My mom’s here this morning, and she doesn’t even know what I’m about to say, but I feel I have to say it anyway.” He paused and looked down where Ashley and Denver were sitting.

  He let out a nervous sigh. “Even my buddies don’t know. But, well, what I’ve got to say is this...

  “You’d have to be blind to see the trouble we’ve caused in this church since we started playing for you. Some people like our music; others, well”—he grinned—“can’t stand it. What I’m trying to say is, I agree that it would be best for everyone if today was our last time playing for your congregation. So, I won’t say anymore, but please enjoy our mus–”

  “Wait a minute, Caleb.” Sam Gorman stood up. “Before you say anything more, we need to talk.”

  Sam glanced at Paul as he hurried by, clutching some sheet music. Paul started to get up, then seemed to think better of it, and sat down again, giving Sam a nod.

  Sam walked across the platform to stand by Caleb, then he looked out at the congregation. “If you’ll excuse us for just a moment.”

  In the congregation were a few titters and a lot of exchanged looks and shrugs.

  Kate strained to hear the conversation between Sam and Caleb. “Did you get one of these?” Sam held up the sheet music.

  Kate could only see Caleb’s profile, but she saw his eyes widen. “You got one too?”

  “How about if you and I try this one together?”

  A slow grin crossed Caleb’s face. “Actually, Flame’s been practicing it all week.”

  He looked out at the congregation and nodded to Ashley and Denver, who stood to join him.

  Sam sat down at the piano, his big frame leaning intently over the keyboard as his fingers danced up and down the keys.

  The song he began to play was “Amazing Grace.” After his intro, Caleb joined in with the guitar. The music blended, rising and falling with a sound so sweet Kate thought it would surely pierce even the hardest heart.

  Denver joined in on the third verse, his touch light and barely audible, as if the music was so sacred, he didn’t wa
nt to take away from the sound. On verse four, Ashley, Denver, and Sam dropped out to let Caleb continue with a solo.

  Kate saw Carmella King reach for a tissue and dab at her eyes.

  Ashley stepped to the mike to sing the final verse, lifting her voice and her heart, looking heavenward as she sang, “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.”

  The piano, the guitar, the drums, and Ashley’s voice were a perfect blend of contemporary and traditional music.

  Just as someone, an angel, knew they would be.

  At the end of the verse, Ashley lifted her hand, almost as if in supplication, and said to the congregation. “Sing with me now...”

  Kate sat back, blinking to keep her own tears from flowing.

  As they started to sing, everyone in the sanctuary, young and old, stood and lifted their voices in song, nearly raising the rafters, Kate thought, with the joyous sound.

  Her morning psalm came back to her as she looked out over the congregation. “His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”

  His song was with them all. Tangible. Living. Vibrant.

  The Green Acres Gang must have figured their work was done at Faith Briar, because they moved out to the aisle in single file, Caroline bringing up the rear. Before heading for the exit, she turned back, caught Kate’s eye, and winked.

  Epilogue

  Kate followed Clementine through the kitchen, out the back door, and into the garden at the back of her apple green bungalow. There, in the center of a vibrant carpet of daffodils and tulips, was a large clearing with stepping-stones leading to it. In the clearing was a rectangular table covered with a pale pink linen cloth, and a vase of flowers decorated the center. A floral teapot graced the top of a tea cart standing nearby, and plates of dainty sandwiches and crystal salad bowls had been placed on either side of the vase of flowers. On the middle shelf of the tea cart was another platter of petits fours decorated with frosting squiggles of two-toned chocolate and pink rosebuds.