like Faith. You with your sneaking around at night and your lies, just like your whoring mother, Genevra. Faith was taken too soon, against God’s will, but she is with me every day. She tells me what is true and she gives me directions. She keeps me safe from you and all the others who meant her and me harm!”
Mary clutched at his arm. “Papa, please, you’re not well. Let me take you home.”
Zeke slowly placed his strong, sinewy hands on Mary’s shoulders and shoved her into a set of glass shelves. They crashed deafeningly against the wall. Mary sank to the floor and the broken shelves fell on top of her motionless body.
The Lewis sisters shrieked. The child wailed, clinging to his mother’s coat. Laurel took a step backward, not daring to go near Zeke in order to help Mary.
He fastened his wild eyes on her. “Laurel Damron, you purveyor of sin, ’In the morning you shall say, “Oh, that it were evening!” And at evening you shall say, “Oh, that it were morning!” because of the fear that terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see—’”
The front door burst open again and Kurt along with another deputy surged into the store. Kurt glanced at Mary, then grabbed Zeke. The old man fought wildly, roaring threats of what the Lord would do to Kurt. Even at six two, nearly two hundred pounds, Kurt was having trouble restraining him. Finally he wrestled him into position and the other deputy cuffed him.
Kurt looked at Laurel. “You okay?”
“Yes, but Mary…”
“Call an ambulance.” Zeke Howard continued thrashing, although Laurel could see his energy was flagging. “Now, Laurel!”
She suddenly came alive again as she watched Kurt drag Zeke out the door toward the patrol car. She was barely aware of the customers flying from the store as soon as the car pulled away from the curb.
Before she could reach the phone, Norma ran from the workroom. “I’ve already called for an ambulance. I phoned the police as soon as he came in here ranting. Maybe I should have called the city police, but I immediately thought of Kurt…”
“Norma, you did exactly the right thing,” Laurel assured her. “I don’t know what might have happened if you hadn’t called Kurt.”
She, Penny, and Norma gathered around Mary. Penny wanted to lay Mary flat on the floor, but Laurel said she should not be moved. Blood poured from the back of Mary’s head and oozed from a dozen small cuts on her face and arms. She was alive, but Laurel had no idea how badly she was hurt. Mary’s head rested at an angle that made Laurel fear she had a broken neck.
Ten minutes later he paramedics arrived and did a quick examination. Mary’s blood pressure and heart rate were low. She was cold, in shock, her pupils dilated. Laurel couldn’t concentrate on what they were saying about vital signs. All she saw were Mary’s deadly white face and her limp body. The paramedics stabilized Mary’s neck, placed her on a stretcher, and rolled her out to the ambulance.
Her heart racing, Laurel told Norma and Penny to close the store for her and ran to her car, following the ambulance to the hospital.
Five
1
All the way to the hospital Laurel kept replaying the scene at the store, wondering what she could have done differently to prevent Zeke from injuring Mary. She couldn’t think of anything. Even Kurt had trouble physically subduing the old man, who’d come there in a firry, determined to tell her of God’s wrath that awaited her. No one, not even Mary, could calm him.
But what had so enraged him? She’d only seen Zeke Howard a handful of times in her life, and then mostly around town. Faith had never wanted any of her friends to come to her house. Laurel had been there only once. Faith’s father embarrassed her and Laurel knew how desperately she’d longed to be free of his tyrannical control. Perhaps that’s why she’d been wild, why she’d jumped at the opportunity of doing every imprudent thing Monica
Mary clutched at his arm. “Papa, please, you’re not well. Let me take you home.”
Zeke slowly placed his strong, sinewy hands on Mary’s shoulders and shoved her into a set of glass shelves. They crashed deafeningly against the wall. Mary sank to the floor and the broken shelves fell on top of her motionless body.
The Lewis sisters shrieked. The child wailed, clinging to his mother’s coat. Laurel took a step backward, not daring to go near Zeke in order to help Mary.
He fastened his wild eyes on her. “Laurel Damron, you purveyor of sin, ’In the morning you shall say, “Oh, that it were evening!” And at evening you shall say, “Oh, that it were morning!” because of the fear that terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see—’”
The front door burst open again and Kurt along with another deputy surged into the store. Kurt glanced at Mary, then grabbed Zeke. The old man fought wildly, roaring threats of what the Lord would do to Kurt. Even at six two, nearly two hundred pounds, Kurt was having trouble restraining him. Finally he wrestled him into position and the other deputy cuffed him.
Kurt looked at Laurel. “You okay?”
“Yes, but Mary…”
“Call an ambulance.” Zeke Howard continued thrashing, although Laurel could see his energy was flagging. “Now, Laurel!”
She suddenly came alive again as she watched Kurt drag Zeke out the door toward the patrol car. She was barely aware of the customers flying from the store as soon as the car pulled away from the curb.
Before she could reach the phone, Norma ran from the workroom. “I’ve already called for an ambulance. I phoned the police as soon as he came in here ranting. Maybe I should have called the city police, but I immediately thought of Kurt…”
“Norma, you did exactly the right thing,” Laurel assured her. “I don’t know what might have happened if you hadn’t called Kurt.”
She, Penny, and Norma gathered around Mary. Penny wanted to lay Mary flat on the floor, but Laurel said she should not be moved. Blood poured from the back of Mary’s head and oozed from a dozen small cuts on her face and arms. She was alive, but Laurel had no idea how badly she was hurt. Mary’s head rested at an angle that made Laurel fear she had a broken neck.
Ten minutes later he paramedics arrived and did a quick examination. Mary’s blood pressure and heart rate were low. She was cold, in shock, her pupils dilated. Laurel couldn’t concentrate on what they were saying about vital signs. All she saw were Mary’s deadly white face and her limp body. The paramedics stabilized Mary’s neck, placed her on a stretcher, and rolled her out to the ambulance.
Her heart racing, Laurel told Norma and Penny to close the store for her and ran to her car, following the ambulance to the hospital.
Five
1
All the way to the hospital Laurel kept replaying the scene at the store, wondering what she could have done differently to prevent Zeke from injuring Mary. She couldn’t think of anything. Even Kurt had trouble physically subduing the old man, who’d come there in a firry, determined to tell her of God’s wrath that awaited her. No one, not even Mary, could calm him.
But what had so enraged him? She’d only seen Zeke Howard a handful of times in her life, and then mostly around town. Faith had never wanted any of her friends to come to her house. Laurel had been there only once. Faith’s father embarrassed her and Laurel knew how desperately she’d longed to be free of his tyrannical control. Perhaps that’s why she’d been wild, why she’d jumped at the opportunity of doing every imprudent thing Monica
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