who knows? That might be a witch hunt. Most folks around here donât like him much. The Covenanters are all Iâve heard about since they moved in, and none of itâs been good.â
âMaybe they are having orgies,â Nate said.
âIf so, he certainly didnât talk about it at the Introduction Meeting. And he denied it when I told him that was why I couldnât leave Abby. According to him, itâs just superstitious folks beinâ scared and talkinâ about things they know nothing of. He said that sex and drugs arenât part of the religion, freedom and acceptance are. Butââ she sighed ââmy husband is one of those superstitious people.â
Nate saw Abby going between the restaurant and the store. âDid Abby know he wanted her to stay?â
Thelma straightened her apron. âOh, yes. Sheâs very smart. But she wouldnât have any of it. She clung to me and kept signing that she was fine and wanted to go home to Grandpa.â
Hoping to add a little support to what her husband believed, Nate spoke up again. âSomeone else told us about a woman who left the commune. Sounds as if she had it pretty rough when she was with them. Have you heard about her?â
The dishes clinked as she stacked them. âOh, yes. Her nameâs Martha Wilson. Sheâs not from around here. She came with Ethan from back east somewhereâlike most of the Covenanters. Chaskeâs mentioned her several times. So has everyone else whohates the church. I think sheâs the source of most of the rumors. But who knows if sheâs being truthful?â
Nate turned his water glass around and around. âHas she been seen in Portal lately?â
âNo. I guess Martha went straight to the police. Sheâs staying in Willcox now. From what I hear, sheâs getting a lawyer so she can fight for custody of her son.â
Nate considered that good information. Maybe they could have a talk with Marthaâ¦.
âYou think sheâs lying?â Rachel asked.
Thelma pulled their dirty plates toward her. âI canât say one way or another. I only know that everyone I saw in the commune looked busy and peaceful. There was no hint of violence or sexual impropriety. Ethan preaches Christian values. He told me so.â
Rachel shoved the salt and pepper and sugar packets against the wall. âHard to imagine a Christian preacher, at least in this day and age, ordering a person stoned.â
âChaske doesnât think itâs so hard to imagine. He keeps saying that what Ethan shows the world and what he does behind those closed gates could be two different things.â
âThatâs true,â Nate agreed. But she didnât seem to be convinced. The dream of fixing her granddaughter held too much allure.
âBut heâs never been up there,â she argued, ânever seen it for himself. And the police looked into the matter. If Martha was telling the truth, they wouldâve done something about it, wouldnât they? The sheriff and his deputies came in here for lunch not long ago. I asked them about Marthaâs accusations and they said they couldnât prove a darn thing.â
Nate knew police work from the other side. âInvestigations rarely occur overnight. Thereâs the truth. And then thereâs proof of the truth. Truth without proof wonât build a case.â
âI guess.â She jingled the change in her pocket. âChaske keeps talking about Jim Jones and David Koresh and what they got away with. He thinks Ethanâs no better.â
Abby approached with a pitcher of water, distracting Thelma. She touched the childâs face with such love, Nate worried that Thelmaâs desire to see Abby healed would eventually overtake her good sense.
âYouâre a wonderful child. Arenât you, Abby?â she said.
The girl smiled up at her grandmother, then refilled their water
C. J. Cherryh
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