Read Online Sins of the Fathers by Patricia Sprinkle - Free Book Online

that old man who was in here just now?” She scarcely waited for their nods. “That’s Cooter Biggins. He lives with the Bayards and works for Dalt. He comes in here sometimes while Granny’s down at the dock, wanting me to sell him beer. He knows I cain’t do that.”
    “Of course not. You’re too young.” Katharine hoped that was the reason, and not, as she had feared earlier, an aversion to selling to local blacks.
    Miranda’s eyes narrowed and took on a wary look. “You from the police?”
    “Heavens, no.”
    “Well, I sell a little beer sometimes if Granny’s not here, but the only reason Cooter wants it is for Dalt. That man would drink twenty-four-seven if Burch and Mona would let him. But they’ve told Granny if we sell him any, they’ll take her seafood-business license. They would, too. The whole family is spiteful that way—excepting Chase.” She picked up the raccoon and stroked it gently.
    Dr. Flo finished her drink. “Well, we’ve got an errand to run. It’s been nice talking to you.”
    “Nice talking to you, too. Y’all come back now. And watch out for Miss Agnes, y’hear? You don’t want to get on the wrong side her. She’d as soon shoot you as spit.”

Chapter 7

    After they left Stampers, the roads got progressively smaller and whiter with age, until they were down to a shimmering lane barely wide enough for two cars. It had no line down the center and was bordered by knee-high grass to the edge of the forest on both sides.
    Dr. Flo peered down the side of the car. “Don’t drive off the edge. I’d guess there are snakes in that grass, and I don’t care to make their acquaintance.” She peered at the encroaching forest. “It’s funny to think Daddy’s folks may have once lived here. I’d guess this used to be a rice plantation, wouldn’t you?”
    “Looks like a barren wilderness to me. It would be brave people who made anything out of this.”
    “Or slaves. They’d have had a ghastly existence in this heat with all these bugs. But Daddy always insisted his people were never slaves. I can’t imagine why they’d have been here. Of course, he also claimed we once had a pirate in the family. Anytime I had a tantrum as a child, he’d roll his eyes and say, ‘There’s that pirate temper again. Came down in her genes.’”
    Katharine had a hard time picturing Dr. Flo as a little girl, much less one with a temper. “Maybe you had a relative in Blackbeard’s crew. They sailed up and down this coast.”
    “I doubt we’ll ever know.” Dr. Flo rolled down her window to let out a fly that had bummed a ride back at Stampers. “The only problem with getting bit by the genealogy bug is that you wind up with irritating loose ends and have to face the fact that some of them will never get tied up neatly. How are you coming with research on your family?”
    Katharine rubbed her eyes, which again were as gritty as the side of the road. “Not at all, so far. My house got trashed last month, remember? And my computer was stolen. I finally got a new computer last week, but I haven’t gotten it hooked up yet. I hope by fall things will have calmed down enough for me to get on to genealogy.”
    “When you do, you are going to wish you had asked your folks a lot more questions before they died. Look! That must be the church the lawyer mentioned, just before the bridge.”
    Katharine read the sign in disbelief. “The Church of God Reappearing?”
    “That’s the one. Where do they get these names?”
    Katharine was too busy avoiding a snake slithering across the road to hazard a guess.
    Dr. Flo shuddered. “I knew there’d be snakes. This place isn’t civilized. But we’re close. After the bridge, we go half a mile, then turn right at the twenty-miles-an-hour sign.”
    They crossed a bridge so short it scarcely deserved the name. A faded sign announced BAYARD ISLAND . “We found it,” Dr. Flo said with satisfaction.
    Immediately over the bridge was a sign much larger than