The Last Death of Jack Harbin by Terry Shames Page B

know.” I’m hoping he’ll show up in Jarrett Creek tomorrow, but for my own reasons.

I’m in Waco by ten o’clock and manage to find the Starbucks Taylor suggested we meet at. We don’t have anything like it in Jarrett Creek. But I’ve been to a Starbucks in Houston, and I like it fine, even though I’m the only person in line who orders plain old coffee.
    Taylor rushes in a half hour late. “I’m sorry. The woman who usually stays with my girls was late. Do I have time to get a cappuccino?” She’s dressed conservatively in a dark skirt that covers her knees, low heels, and a white blouse buttoned all the way up. I took care with my own clothes this morning, copying what I’ve seen Curtis wear, although I feel like I’m ready for a game of golf rather than a foray into enemy territory.
    â€œSure, you have time. We need to strategize, so get your coffee.”
    When she comes back with her foamy drink and a muffin, I see that her make-up can’t hide her swollen eyes or the dark circles under them.
    â€œI still can’t wrap my head around Jack being dead,” she says. “I knew him from the time we were babies.” Her eyes well up. “I called Woody after I talked to you. He hadn’t heard about it, and he was all torn up.”
    â€œHe told you about his plans to have Jack come and live with them?”
    â€œI already knew about it from Laurel. She wanted me to talk to Woody. I told her I was the last person he’d listen to.”
    â€œTurns out it wouldn’t have come to anything anyway.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œYou know Lurleen, the waitress down at Town Café?”
    She nods. “Couple of years behind me in school.”
    â€œShe and Jack were going to get married.”
    â€œReally?” She gives me a rueful smile. “Well, that’s good. He had something to look forward to. I’ll go by and see Lurleen. This is going to be hard on her.” Then she frowns. “When did they decide to get married?”
    â€œWalter Dunn told me he found out a couple of days before Jack died. Apparently Lurleen had never gotten a divorce from her first husband, and she liked things the way they were, so she and Jack had no plans to marry. But when Jack’s dad died, she changed her mind.”
    â€œOh.” She nods her head slowly. “That makes sense.”
    â€œWhat does?”
    â€œMmm, something Jack said.” She gets up abruptly and dumps her muffin and empty coffee cup in the wastebasket. When she sits back down, she says, “We should talk about what we’re doing here. Have you found out where this cult is located?”
    â€œNo, I thought we’d drop by the police department. They usually keep tabs on cults, and the Waco police aren’t strangers to that kind of thing.”
    The cop behind the front desk has a long, bony face and steel gray hair. He leans on his forearms and nods when we tell him what we’re looking for. “The True Marcus Ministry,” he says with a sigh. “That’s what they call it, but it’s just an excuse to hide out and collect guns. Ever since that David Koresh firestorm, this town has been a magnet for nutty groups. Gives us a lot of trouble.”
    â€œCan you tell me how to get out to their place?”
    He looks us over. “I wouldn’t waste my time. They’re not going to give you any satisfaction.”
    â€œYou don’t even know what we’re after,” Taylor says.
    His smile is patronizing. “I know they’re going to take one look at you and think you’re not welcome there. Their women wear those long dresses like something out of Little House on the Prairie . Hair long, no make-up. Not to be disrespectful of you, ma’am.”
    Taylor sighs. “I’m trying to see my sister.”
    â€œOh, it’s like that,” he says sympathetically. He stands up