Read Online The Bastard Hand by Heath Lowrance - Free Book Online Page B

taillight.”
    “You need to get that fixed soon as possible. I’m going to ticket you for this, but—”
    “I wonder if you might tell me where I can get that taillight taken care of, officer. I can’t see driving any farther without it, ’specially considering how close to dark it’s getting.”
    “Well . . . everything’s already closed up here today, but—”
    “Well, shoot,” the Reverend cut him off. “Don’t that just beat all?” He laughed easily, nudged me in the arm. “Good thing we ain’t going any further, eh, Charlie?” Then, to the cop, “I guess I’ll just have to take care of it first thing the mornin’. Is that all right with you, officer?”
    The cop stammered, “Well, yeah, sure—”
    “Thankee. I appreciate your understanding.”
    “Don’t think nothin’—”
    “I wonder if you might tell me where the Freewill Baptist Church is? Like I say, we been driving for a spell and we’re anxious to get settled.”
    The cop frowned. “The Freewill . . .” Then understanding dawned on him and he laughed out loud. “Childe! Of course! You’re Reverend Childe, come about the church!”
    It was the Reverend’s turn to look surprised. “Well, yeah.”
    “Well, I’ll be,” the cop said. “This whole town’s been waiting on you, did you know that? Welcome to Cuba Landing, Reverend!”
    He stuck his hand into the car. The Reverend shook it, said, “It’s good to be here, Officer . . . ?”
    “Oldfield. Ernie Oldfield. Pleasure to meet you.” He squinted into the car, trying to get a better look at me.
    The Reverend said, “This here’s my good friend-in-the-Lord, Charlie Wesley.”
    I nodded at the cop, who said, “Good to meet you, Mr. Wesley. Boy, folks are sure gonna be happy to see you, Reverend. We weren’t really expecting you ’til tomorrow, but we got a whole big shindig planned.”
    “Do you now?” the Reverend said, obviously pleased to be the focus of so much hubbub.
    “Yes sir, the Ladies Church Club are gonna do you up proud, Reverend. We’ve been without a regular minister for almost a year now.”
    “Now that’s just a shame. A fine town like this is entitled to hear the Word of God every chance it gets, and I just can’t abide otherwise.”
    Officer Oldfield laughed. “Well, that’s a thing of the past, now that you’re here, ain’t it?”
    “God willing, brother. God willing.”
    We followed Officer Oldfield’s cruiser up Main, around the far end of the park, onto a side street called High Park Lane. The Cuba Landing Freewill Baptist Church—the only church in the whole town I’d seen so far—stood on the corner, across from the park and within sight of a bookshop, a bakery and a small bar with a crowded parking lot. The bar was where all the people were.
    We parked on the street, right behind Oldfield’s cruiser, and looked the place over. The church wasn’t very different from the one up in Memphis. Cleaner, maybe, but the red brick and the small yard with the inauspicious bulletin board were the same. The steps leading up to the front doors were broad and low, shaded by several large shrubs and a low-hung awning. The Reverend and I saw the notice on the bulletin board at the same time: Mon. eve . . . plEase Come Out to meet our New Pastor Rev. P. Childe supper in the basement after please meet New pastor.
    I said, “You didn’t tell me they were expecting you. I thought you were just coming down to check out a possible position.”
    The Reverend shook his head, laughing. “Well, that’s what I thought. I talked to someone on the phone ’bout a week ago and she told me that their old pastor had sort of skipped out and they needed someone to fill in.”
    “He skipped out?”
    “Yeah. It happens sometimes, y’know. He prob’ly got some young girl in trouble and didn’t have the balls to own up to it or something. Anyhow, it sounded promising on the phone, but I had no idea they’d made up their minds ’bout me.”
    “What if you