“Maybe a hole-in-the-wall town like this needs someone like me to boost its image. You certainly don’t help.”
Harley’s friends whistled. Maybe he was getting the hang of this trash talk.
“Now, now. Cut the crap. Take it outside if you can’t settle down.” Selma, a rumpled-looking woman wearing a spattered apron, came around the counter, hands on her hips. Eyes burning fire.
Seth glanced away. No use antagonizing Selma—he’d never get his story.
Harley must have not wanted to upset her either because he plunked down in his chair with a groan. Relief surged through Seth. The threat of a black eye dissolving.
He gulped down the last of his pizza and drained his can of soda. Selma was nowhere in sight by the time he crushed his paper plate. When he went to the counter to pay, he gave Harley and his men a wide berth. “Does Selma got a minute? I need to talk to her.” He leaned close to the cashier. Smiled. “Apologize for my behavior.”
She rolled her eyes and gestured toward the office behind her. “In there.”
Seth tipped his head and ambled to the open doorway. He found Selma working at her computer. She glanced up and grimaced. “What are you doing back here? Don’t have a home to go to? I saved your butt once. Don’t make me sorry I did.”
Taking her good-natured comment as an invitation, he perched on the edge of her desk. “Selma, sweetheart. Mind answering a few questions?”
Her fingers left the keyboard. “Depends. Going to push me about Earl? That man is going to ruin me yet.”
“He’s out to ruin the whole town. How will it feel when he closes you down because of your games?” Might as well put it all out there. He’d either get her to talk of she’d call the cops to get him to leave.
“Think you’re pretty smart, do you?” Selma shoved back her chair, anchored her arms on her ample chest. “You don’t know what smart is. The person you need to be talking to is Earl’s brother. That character is the one who runs the whole show. Earl’s nothing but a puppet. A mean puppet but he don’t have the guts to do what he says. That’s why he keeps that weasel brother of his around.”
“What are you saying? David threatened you?” He should have brought his recorder. Or maybe Kate to take a picture. Yet he doubted Selma would have approved of either.
She frowned as she spoke. “You really are dumb. He didn’t threaten me like you think. No, they’ve got other ways to get what they want. And without a good police department, businesses like me have to fight our own battles. I’m sick of it.”
“What’s your plan, Selma? You can’t let him shut you down. He’ll put another church in here where he can spout off his own form of religion.” Was she crazy?
She laughed. Short and hard. “Maybe that’s what I should do. Sell out and join his cult. What do you think I’d look like with a bun?” She patted the back of her head but Seth recognized the sarcasm in her words. “Go home, Seth. You aren’t getting your story tonight.” She rolled from her desk and patted his knee. “If I get chased out of here, you’ll be the first I call.”
Disappointed, but he didn’t dare push harder, Seth shuffled to his feet, reluctant to end their conversation.
At the same time he stood, the cashier stuck her head inside the doorway, eyes wide. “Better get out here, Selma. Brother Earl’s got a sledgehammer and is threatening to smash your machines if you don’t unplug them.”
Seth met Selma’s thunderstruck look before he rushed out of the office. Selma followed, cursing as she did.
The scene at the back of the restaurant resembled a standoff from an old western. Earl and two of his men welded sledgehammers as they stood in front of the four machines against the back wall. The gamers had dispersed; probably wet their pants as they did. Seth scanned the front where the patrons that hadn’t run were huddled in a group near the door. Even bad boy Harley.
So much for help.
He glanced at Selma. The fire in her eyes burned. “What do you think you’re doing, Earl? You don’t own this place. I do, in case you’ve forgotten.” She gripped her hips and marched up to him. Not a smart move but then no one told that woman what to do.
Selma growled at Earl’s sidekicks who had the decency to shuffle away. Earl didn’t. He glared down at her, puffing like a snake poised to strike. “You know the rules. Break them, you pay. God didn’t intend for our people to spend their money and time on mindless machines.”
“God didn’t tell you nothing. You better get your butt out of here or—”
“—What? You’ll call the mayor? Your broken-down son-in-law? Guess you aren’t up on things. His wife joined our cause. Lock, stock and barrel.”
Selma’s expression faltered then her jaw hardened again. “Get out. I’ll take care of it.” Her voice raked Seth’s nape like fingernails. But Earl had her. Like he did everyone else in the Bend.
And he had stood by and watched it happen.
His cell rang. Earl’s gaze sliced into him.
“Sorry.” Seth pointed to his hip. “Work.” He ripped his phone from his hip and bolted out to the street where everyone now congregated.
“I’m on a big story here, Boss.” He glanced over his shoulder, hoping to see Earl exit.
“Forget your big story. I’m tired of hearing about Earl.”
“I didn’t say it was about him.” The crowd thinned but no Earl.
“It’s always about him. When you can give me something concrete, I’ll run it. For now, it’s a waste of paper.”
“Tim, I’m at Selma’s pizzeria. Earl is threatening to shut down her games. That’s news.”
He could hear Tim shuffling papers. Couldn’t an editor recognize a hot story?
“She didn’t pay her taxes last year. He’s got every right as the deputy collector. Go home and work on something else. In the meantime, I won’t be around for a few days. Run the place for me. You know how to put the paper to press. Go with what I’ve laid out. If you hit a brick wall, call me. Otherwise, I’ll be back on Wednesday.”
Seth gripped the phone tighter. Taxes? Deputy collector? He yanked open his car door. “What about the photographer? Want me to send her out on stories?”
“That’s what she’s paid for!” Tim’s irritation with his question ripped through the phone lines.
“Got you.” He should have stayed home and eaten cat food. So Kate was a keeper and he was being shut out. Seth would have to live with it but he’d be more careful in the future with any attempts to shed light on what he found in the Bend. An inexperienced girl was not going to scoop him.
CHAPTER 11
After lunch on Saturday, Kate sorted through her meager wardrobe for something appropriate to wear to Brother Earl’s that night. Tossing clothing after clothing onto her bed, she finally settled on a denim jumper bought at a thrift store in Michigan. She’d never worn the bland thing once she got it home but hadn’t the heart to throw it away. She slipped it over her head, tugged it down over her hips.
She checked her image in the wall mirror. Turned and twisted. Would she fit in? Would Brother Earl point out her differences and ruin her chances for an interview? The soft folds fell well below her knees, hiding the hideous scar. Another reason she preferred pants. But not tonight.
When the time arrived to leave, her confidence soared. She’d convince Brother Earl to share his plans for the Bend. Why he didn’t like progress. Why he thought the Bend was filled with depravity. And most of all, what he believed about women and their roles. She’d get that front page story.
She pulled out onto the road. Already she noticed her house received little drive-by traffic. She preferred it that way. Fewer people. Less to find her. With a hard press of her foot to the gas, she gunned her car, following the directions she’d memorized. Six miles, Google said. Part of her wondered why someone would build a funeral home so far outside of town, but the other part figured maybe Brother Earl preferred the quiet too.
As Kate rounded a curve, a loud pop sounded from the right rear a
rea on her car. She gripped the wheel and steered to the side of the road. Not a flat. She didn’t want to change a tire in her jumper. Or in anything else. Besides, she was already later than she preferred.
Her mood plummeted as she left the car and strode around to the other side. “Great,” she said as she glared down at a flat. Where was AAA when she needed them? She pushed up her sleeves and popped her trunk. She could change the tire but it wouldn’t be pretty.
As she bent over, a honk startled her. She looked to her left. A pickup truck had stopped across the road. A white-haired man climbed out of the cab and crossed the road grinning from ear-to-ear. “Got yourself some trouble, do you?”
“A flat tire. You didn’t need to stop. I’ve changed them before.”
“Doesn’t mean you have to this time.” He struck out his hand. “Doc Brown, they call me.”
“Kate. I live a few miles down the road. And you?” A strong grip.
He nodded toward the white farmhouse she passed minutes ago. “Been practicing medicine in the Bend going on forty years. I know about everyone.” He squinted, making his bushy eyebrows more prominent than they already were. “What brings you here?”
“I’m the new photographer at the paper.” She glanced at her watch. Doc wanted to chat. She didn’t. He leaned against her trunk.
“In a hurry?”
“I’m having dinner at Brother Earl’s tonight. I’m sure you know him.”
Doc’s eyes darkened. He pushed off from the bumper and reached for the jack in her hand. “Then you don’t want to be late.” He bent on one knee and in a few minutes had the damaged tire off and the spare one on.
“Thank you. You saved me from showing up filthy.” She gave him a grateful smile as he wiped his hands on a white handkerchief pulled from his shirt pocket.
“Wouldn’t want that. Not with Brother Earl.” He glanced downward. “Where did you get that limp?”
She hadn’t realized her limp showed. She usually tried to cover it up but sometimes it wasn’t possible. “An old injury,” she said.
“Too bad for someone as young as you.” He stretched, arching his back. “I best be on my way but now that I know we’re neighbors, I want you to feel free and call on me whenever you need something again. It isn’t good for a young girl to travel around this area by herself. Even if it is the Bend.” He spoke with a gentle tone.
“Thank you. Maybe I can stop by some day and interview you for the paper. You must have seen and heard a lot over the years.”
Again his eyes darkened. “Sometimes more than I wanted. But yes, you do that. I’m fairly retired now. Only go out to see patients who refuse to move on.” He chuckled.
After Kate returned to her car, she watched Doc pull out first, his truck rumbling with effort. Maybe she’d ask Tim about that interview. It might be newsworthy to take pictures of the doctor and share some of his stories from the past. A real human interest story.
With her mind filled with possible leads, she missed the turn to Brother Earl’s but backtracked after she turned around. A packed dirt road appeared. It narrowed sharply as she drove deeper into the flickering sunlight. She double-checked the address. A sign announcing the funeral home appeared. She rounded a blind corner and swerved to a stop in front of a dark metal gate. A buzzer with a sound system waited to her left.
Kate unrolled her window, pressed the buzzer. “This is Kate from the paper,” she spoke into the speaker. The gate swung open before she could roll her window. Kate shifted into gear and drove forward toward a yellow and green Victorian. She eyed the dense woods that surrounded the two-story house, complete with stained glass windows. The front yard looked cleared and meticulously mowed.
A matching sign swung from a pole near the parking area. Visitors. Upon closer inspection, Kate discovered two sets of steps climbing to the porch. One set led to the office and the other set led to a door marked private.
She grabbed her purse. A smoky haze clung to the tree tops behind the house but otherwise nothing around her moved. Her nose crinkled. What was that smell? Hopefully, Brother Earl wasn’t serving venison as the main course. She’d politely decline.
“Come this way, please.”
Startled, Kate turned in the direction of the voice. The woman she’d seen at the library stood near the door marked Private. She hooked the air with her delicate hand. Twice.
Kate checked her watch as she made her way up the walkway and across the worn porch floor boards. Ten minutes late. She swallowed hard. Composed herself.
“Come this way.” The young woman frowned. She didn’t stop to greet Kate. Like the day in the library, head-to-toe dark blue garbs covered her petite figure. Kate glanced see what kind of shoes she wore. Work boots.
She motioned Kate to follow her through a maze of dimly lit hallways. One room looked like a parlor complete with wall-to-wall bookshelves.
Finally, they arrived in a brightly lit dining room.
Brother Earl waited at the head of the table for her.
A butcher knife in his hand.
CHAPTER 12
The selection process could be time consuming. He couldn’t choose just anyone. She must fit in. And she must be like her. The wrong person messed with his head. He’d learned that early on. It got too messy.
And he never liked messy. His father hadn’t either. Especially on that day with his mother.
His mother loved her soaps. Where the World Turns. The Young and Restless. Every single day. Gagging on her foul cigarettes. Ordering him to bring her another cold beer. He remembered how she looked dressed in her red silk nightie. The one his father gave her for Christmas. The same one she threw against the tree when she opened it. “I told you blue. I wanted the blue one, you idiot. Not red. Can’t you do anything right?”
Dad finally did something right.
But he made him help. A twelve-year old trusts his father. Trusts he’ll do right by him. Trusts what he teaches him will advance him.
That’s when he learned to use his first tool. The whip.
But now he must store away his memories. He had work to finish.
He moved to the shadows, studying Cindy. Her screaming had stopped. Good. His newest place wasn’t sound proof. Not solid and made from block like the one in Michigan. The street where neighbors ignored his comings and goings.
Yes, he was good at what he did. A good trainer. He could flick a whip like the circus man. Like his father.
He stepped closer, grinning with anticipation. He always looked forward to this part in the process. Hopefully Cindy would too.
He reached for the worn leather handle that hung on a hook next to the door.
Crack!
Cindy’s eyes widened. Her chest heaved where her cleavage met her neckline. Sweat gathered on her brow.
He’d show her what it meant to obey. He’d show her because he was the Trainer.
CHAPTER 13
“You’re late. It’s bad manners to keep someone waiting. Where I grew up, parents frowned on bad manners. Adriana, show this woman where to sit.” Brother Earl pointed to the chair directly across the table from him with his knife. Then he positioned it on his empty plate, sighing deeply.
Was she to be treated like a child? She came here for a story at this man’s invitation. But yes, she was late.
“I’m sorry. I had a flat tire.”
Brother Earl remained quiet until Adriana took her place beside him. He cleared his throat. “I see you were able to fix it. Resourcefulness is next to godliness. I like that.” Was that a hint of a smile? Kate nodded her agreement but fixed her eyes back on Adriana who studied her empty plate as though it held the universe’s answers. Only three of them were seated at the massive oak table. Where were the children? Where did they eat?
The door behind Brother Earl opened. A man, who looked near Kate’s age, dressed in a T-shirt and well-fitting jeans, entered the room. He brushed past Brother Earl and flopped into the chair next to her. “Earl said you were coming.” H
e stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you. David Foreman.”
Brother Earl gave a short laugh. “And so now you’ve met my illustrious brother, David. He, like you, lacks the fundamentals in life like showing up to dinner on time. In case you’re wondering, David does our accounting. Among other things.” Brother Earl shot David a frown but Kate noticed the twinkle in his eye as he spoke.
David shrugged off the comment.
“At least I earn my keep. But enough about us. Tell us about you. The newest reporter in town.”
“Actually, I’m the photographer. But I'm allowed to write stories as they come. That’s one of the reasons I accepted this invitation. I attended the rally the other night and found myself intrigued by your concern for the Bend.” She refocused her gaze on Brother Earl who passed steaming dishes of vegetables to his left after shoveling a hefty amount onto his plate. Kate accepted the potato dish from Adriana’s hands when she passed it her way. She placed an appropriate amount of the remaining food on her plate before passing the dishes to David. He emptied the bowls, scraping the sticky potatoes with the spoon.
“So you’re a photographer?” David filled her water glass from a nearby pitcher. “You like working?”
“I enjoy taking photos. And yes I enjoy working.” She took a bite of the mystery casserole, pleased it tasted delicious.
“You mentioned the rally.” Now Brother Earl spoke.
He shoved aside his half-eaten food, nodded toward Adriana to fill his glass. She did as ordered, with her eyes cast downward. She remained quiet taking her cues from Brother Earl, making no movement unless sanctioned by him. Maybe Kate would get a chance to speak with her later.
Brother Earl cleared his throat a second time. “I deal with death every day. It isn’t pretty. I went into the business after my parents gave it up. David didn’t have the heart or stomach for it. Preferred numbers.” Brother Earl belched. “Seeing death each day does something to you. It makes you take a fresh look at life. A hard look, if I can say so. You look at the way people are going about their day-to-day existence and finally decide enough is enough. Someone must take a stand. Someone must do something before evil takes over. Someone must care for the babies coming into the world and provide them with a place they are free to live in. A healthy environment.”
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