Hey, pretty lady, you going to crumble or fight?
Lora looked up at Billy Hatcher. He didnt seem nearly as threatening with a bandage across his forehead. Leave me alone. Im busy having a nervous breakdown.
Thought you had more grit, Whitman. Wheres that Fight! Fight! Fight! cheerleader spirit? He leaned closer and whispered, You mad at me for slamming you to the floor?
What do you want? If its a thanks, you got it. Much as she hated admitting it, she might very well owe this thug her life.
He shook his head and winked. Wish Id had time to enjoy climbing on top of you, but in truth, Ill settle for one thing.
Whats that?
He offered his hand. Friendship. Looks as if all the committee members may need someone to cover our backs. When my probation officer told me to do some community service, I had no idea it would be so exciting.
Hesitantly, Lora took his hand, convinced that the kid bordered on insane. Thanks, she answered honestly. For what you did.
He pulled her away from the wall. Friends?
One condition. She smiled. Drop the cracks about having the hots for me.
Mind if I still think them?
Not as long as you keep them to yourself.
Fair enough, Whitman. He lifted his bandaged hand. How about giving me a ride to Wichita Falls? Id like to check on the professor. He picked up Sidney Dickersons glasses. And take her these.
The hospitals an hour away. Itll be afternoon before we can get back.
I know. I figured Id offer to buy you lunch on the way back. Just lunch, no date or anything like that.
I dont have a car. Lora watched the preacher fold up the contents of the professors case, carefully shaking glass from each piece.
Billy dug into his right pocket. Then you can drive my car, but that means you buy lunch.
Lora thought about what it would mean to go home and listen to her mother, or go back to work and have to recount what happened to every customer who walked in the door. Going to Wichita Falls with Billy Hatcher suddenly seemed like a good idea. Want to come along, Reverend Parker? she asked over Billys shoulder.
No, thanks. Ill see that the sisters get home. Tell Dr. Dickerson Ill be there this evening.
Lora lifted her purse and glanced outside. Her mother poked a manicured finger into the chest of a campus cop blocking anyone from entering the house. Lora couldnt hear what Isadore said but guessed the cop wouldnt hold the line for long under such an assault.
Turning back to Billy, Lora raised her eyebrow in question.
My cars out back, he said, taking the cue. Give me a minute to talk to the sheriff and Ill be right there.
Lora nodded and slipped out of the room. The house grew cooler as she walked into the shadows but, as shed guessed, a hallway to the back porch lay just behind the stairs.
When she stepped outside, the wind greeted her. Leaning over the railing, Lora let her hair shake free. Tiny bits of glass hit the broken brick walk below. She straightened, quickly wiggled out of her torn panty hose and tossed them atop a pile of windblown trash at the edge of the porch.
As she slipped back into her shoes, Lora noticed Billy standing in the shadows behind her.
When she turned on him, he raised both hands. I didnt see a thing.
And?
And Im not saying a word, Whitman.
Dont call me that.
You got it, only slow down on the rules, I can only remember so many.
Six
Micah Parker quickly found that seeing the Rogers sisters home was not an easy assignment. The pair decided they had to stop several times and let friends know they were all right. With each stop, the story, with all its frightening details, had to be told. And somehow, each time the telling took longer. Micah finally got them home long after noon. He wrote his cell-phone number on the back of an old card he found on the cluttered kitchen table and left them arguing over what to have for lunch.
He dropped by his office, but felt restless. The shock of the morning lingered with him. A renewed reminder of how one moment could shatter all calm. The possibility that someone had meant them harm haunted the back of his mind. He didnt buy the theory that the perpetrators were youths looking for something to break.
The note in the drill bit made it obvious that someone wanted the house destroyed, but who? The oil company that turned in an offer, of course, but they didnt need to frighten the committee into seeing things their way. Near as Micah could tell, everyone but Sidney thought getting money for the land was a great idea. All the company would have to do was wait a day or two to get what they wanted. Only, maybe they didnt think they had the time to wait. But, why?
Micah had a feeling that whoever wanted the house to fall had another reason.
He sifted through his mail trying to think. Nothing came to mind. Signing out for the afternoon, he wrote simply hospital visit on the log. He stopped at the grocery store, an independently owned place with the shadows of HEB behind an already-fading new sign that read Clifton Creek Grocery. The produce looked limp and the meat gray, but the people were friendly. He bought milk, sandwich makings and cat food.
Well, Reverend? The checker grinned knowingly as she wiggled the bag of kitten food. You got a cat living with you now?
No, just visiting, Micah answered, hoping he wouldnt have to explain more.
The lady behind him in line, a once-a-month Methodist, chimed in, My cat wont eat that dry food unless I pour bacon grease on it.
Micah couldnt conceive of a lie to thank her for sharing her knowledge, so he just smiled. The two women didnt need him in the conversation; they continued on about their pets. Anyone passing would have thought they were talking about children and not animals. Micah couldnt imagine getting so attached. His parents had moved around when he was growing up. Extra mouths to feed were not allowed.
He paid out and headed for home. After putting up the groceries, he checked on Baptist. The kitten had finished off the last of his saucer of milk.
Youre looking better, little fellow. Micah poured cat food in a corner of the laundry basket. That should keep hunger away for a few hours. The kitten jumped into the middle of the food. Dont waste time blessing it. Micah laughed and wondered if hed soon be telling stories about Baptist.
He stood, in a hurry to leave. The house always seemed too empty, too quiet when Logan wasnt there. He checked on Mrs. Mac. A game show blared as he opened the dividing door. She waved him away when he asked if she needed anything. He knew better than to hang around talking. She liked knowing that he would be near if she needed him, but she wasnt one to waste time talking when her shows were on.
Halfway to his car, his cell rang.
Hello. Micah paused, then smiled. Yes, Logan, I know its you. Whats up, partner?
Listening, he climbed into his car and started the engine. Well, if she says its all right, I guess its okay with me. Be sure and brush your teeth and go to bed when Mrs. Reed says.
He waited while Logan handed the phone to Betty Reed. A minute later, Micah said, Thanks, Betty, for offering. It was nice of you. He drove as he listened, then answered, Yes, Im a little shaken up. Im worried about Professor Dickerson. The ambulance took her to Wichita Falls. Theyre running tests. In fact, Im on my way to the hospital now.
He waited while Logan handed the phone to Betty Reed. A minute later, Micah said, Thanks, Betty, for offering. It was nice of you. He drove as he listened, then answered, Yes, Im a little shaken up. Im worried about Professor Dickerson. The ambulance took her to Wichita Falls. Theyre running tests. In fact, Im on my way to the hospital now.
Micah paused, trying not to put too much emotion in his voice. Is it all right if I check in at eight to say good-night to Logan? He frowned, thinking of how few times hed been alone since Amy had died. He knew this would happen, first nights at friends, then summer camps and overnight school trips, then college, until finally hed be fully and truly alone.
Thanks again, Betty, he managed to say as if she were doing him some kind of favor.
Turning onto the interstate heading toward Wichita Falls, he shoved his phone back into his pocket. The hour passed, as time often did, with Micah lost in memories. Sometimes, when he could stand the pain, he pictured what his life would be like if Amy hadnt died. They would have that second child theyd planned. She would probably be staying home like she always said she would, taking care of babies and working on her masters degree. The house would be cluttered with her projects. She loved to grow things and always had some kind of craft going. She could knit, quilt and upholster furniture better than most of those experts on TV. Once, when they were first married, shed painted stripes on one wall while trying to pick a color of paint and liked the job so much she painted the other three walls the same way.
Micah blinked away tears. Gentle, loving, soft-spoken Amy. How could God let her die when he and Logan needed her so much? He knew the answer. Hed said the words often enough to grieving families. But, his heart wouldnt listen.
Maybe that explained why the note written in Rosa Lees book touched him. They were the same hed said to Amy. Ill love no other in this lifetime but you. If Fuller felt them as Micah had, how could the man have stood her up that midnight? Or, had Rosa Lee been the one to turn away? Had she left him waiting?
He forced his mind to think of other things. The sheriff had said someone might have been trying to harm a member of the committee. Who? Not him. He went over the members one at a time, but he drew a blank. Not one seemed the kind of person who made enemies angry enough to endanger someones life.
Pulling into the hospital parking lot, he reached into the back seat for the professors briefcase. Maybe, if she were awake, he could talk to her about the possibilities. If she found the book from Fuller to Rosa Lee, maybe shed found other things. She might not even be aware of the importance of her research. Maybe a deep, dark secret lay hidden in the house, and whoever threw the drill bit was warning them to stay away.
When he climbed from his car, the wind whirled around him, trying to lift the briefcase from his hand. The air smelled of promised rain as he darted toward the visitor doors.
A desk nurse told him Sidney Dickerson wasnt back from X-ray but he could wait in a small room to the left of the elevator on the CCU floor. Micah wasnt surprised to find Lora and Billy there. Lora glanced up from her magazine when Micah walked in. Two chairs down, Billy stretched, looking as though hed been asleep.
Any news? Micah asked.
Billy shook his head. Shes been in there for almost five hours and nothing.
One doctor came out and asked if we were family, Lora added. I said no. When I suggested I could call them, he said no, not until the tests are all in. I phoned the college to get a relatives number just in case. The clerk said Dr. Dickerson had no listing under next of kin.
Billy stood. We figure that makes us her next of kin, so were hanging around. If its bad news, she doesnt need to hear it alone.
Lora nodded her agreement and offered Micah a cup of free coffee that looked strong enough to be motor oil. Are the Rogers sisters all right?
Micah relaxed in the plastic chair between Lora and Billy. I guess, I left them arguing.
Lora laughed. Theyve done that for as long as I can remember. My father mentioned their parents were like that. Never said a word to one another except to yell. He said when they celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary no one in town went because fifty years of fighting didnt seem like something to celebrate.
Strange thing is, Billy added, Ive never known either of them to say a cross word to anyone else. Even when my uncle forgot to put the cap on and oil spilled out all over her engine, Miss Ada May just patted his hand and told him accidents happen. She wouldnt even let him pay for the damage.
Do you know of any reason someone would want to harm them? Micah lowered his voice.
Lora raised an eyebrow. You buying into the sheriffs idea that someone was after one of us?
Not really. Just thinking.
Billy paced the room. Its just hell-raising. Nothing else. Id be the one with enemies if anyone in that room had them, and I cant think of one person who wouldnt face me if he wanted me hurt. He sat down as a family of ten came into the room in one big huddle.
Micahs heart ripped. Part of him didnt want to see their sorrow, part knew offering comfort was his calling.
Before he could stand, the hospital chaplain, Bible in hand, hurried into the waiting room and directed the family to one of the semiprivate areas in the back.
A nurse stepped in to tell them that Sidney Dickerson was back in her room, and they would be limited to a fifteen-minute visit every two hours.
You two go ahead. Micah reached for a magazine. Ill catch the next time.
But dont you Lora began.
Ive nowhere else to be, and its quieter here than back in town answering questions.
Youve got a point. Lora shrugged. Mind if I stay? Im not sure I can deal with my mother.
No way. Youre not staying here, Billy cut in. Were checking on the professor and heading out for food. I havent eaten all day.
Lora shrugged at Micah. I promised the kid a meal if he let me drive his car over here.
They started down the hallway. Micah heard Billy add, Im twenty. Im no longer a kid.
Well, Im twenty-four and divorced. That makes me a hundred years older than you. When he said nothing, she added, Arent you going to say anything?
I promised not to, remember? They turned a corner and disappeared from sight. But, Im thinking it, echoed after them.
Micah tried to get comfortable in chairs that offered little. Why were waiting-room chairs always the worst? Youd think somewhere, someone would invent a chair that offered some degree of comfort for all the people who had to wait.
A tall man about forty wearing a Stetson stepped off the elevator. He seemed lost for a moment, then strolled in and took a seat on the other side of the TV. Micah couldnt see his face, but his expensive ostrich boots were visible.
Fifteen minutes later, Billy and Lora returned with lots of details about Sidney. The doctors thought her chest pains might have been something similar to a panic attack and not related to her heart. They would keep her the night anyway, but they seemed to think shed be fine.
Billy mentioned how the professor had almost cried with joy when hed handed her the glasses. Once shed put them on, shed demanded to see his cuts. Apparently, shed been so blind without them, she hadnt noticed his bandages.