faith.â
âHeâs going to do what?â Hail Mary demanded.
âHeâs going to sell Clem some faith. He said we need to have faith in him, too.â
âFaith in him â because heâs asking for rain or Clement Tuckerâs life at the end of the week? Thatâs the strangest thing I ever heard.â
I opened my mouth to differ but Loretta was faster on the draw. âYouâre right, Mary. When it comes to Vernon Moore, the word âstrangerâ takes on an entirely new aspect. Nevertheless, we all believe that he might be able to make it rain, donât we?â
Under her breath, Lily muttered, âBullshit.â I interpreted that as a dissenting vote.
Dot grumbled, âWe all believe itâs a possibility, Lo, or we wouldnât be here. But if we donât quit beating around the damned bush, itâlldie of thirst. Why donât I invite Vernon over to the courthouse for an interview? He wonât have any trouble finding the way.â
âThatâs a good idea,â Loretta said. âWhile youâre at it, throw him in jail. That should get him to open up.â
âI was thinkinâ about a little chat in my office, thatâs all. Do you have a better idea?â
âI do. Heâs always been willing to talk to Wilma and me. Instead of beating on him with a rubber hose, I propose that we invite him to dinner.â
âHeâs not your beau any more, Loretta.â
âYouâre uncommonly observant today, Lily, but Vern and I are still friends and Iâm still the mother of his child. Heâs sitting for Laverne as we speak.â
The realization that Mr. Moore and Loretta were still close seemed to take the wind out of Lilyâs sails. I said, âWould it be possible to put an official Buzzword out to the membership? My phone wonât stop ringing, Iâm getting a thousand e-mails an hour, and Mr. Moore canât go anywhere without being accosted by the membership. Beryl Williams came by my house this morning, for heavenâs sake, and I hadnât seen her since the Christmas fete. If we donât do something, half of Ebb will be lined up outside my door by tomorrow morning.â
âWilmaâs not the only one. I had to turn my phone off last night because Laverne couldnât get to sleep. Thatâs not right.â
âWhy isnât it?â Lily protested. âAll they want is what you got.â
Loretta and Lily had a little frowning contest. Hail Mary said, âIâve had a few calls myself. It seems like half the families in the county have a problem requiring Vernonâs special talents. What can we do?â
âWhy not have an old-fashioned revival right here in the AbatÂtoir?â Lily quipped. âIf we do it tomorrow, Vernon can cure thesick and the stricken in one fell swoop and we can be back to complaining about the drought by sundown.â
âHe wonât even admit he saved Loretta,â I replied. âHe would never agree to such a thing.â
âPut a cork in it, you two,â Mary commanded, using her district attorneyâs voice. âWe need to get this situation under control. The question is how.â
âI have an idea,â Bebe announced. âLetâs send a message to the membership and Mr. Moore at the same time.â In case you havenât noticed, Bebe is the least talkative woman on the board. Given the company, that is not a media-worthy achievement.
âWhat?â I asked.
âMr. Moore wants us to have faith. Okay; letâs show him we have faith â in his ability to call in the rain. Letâs send an umbrella to every member in the Circle.â
âYouâre talking two-hundred-plus umbrellas, Bebe. Do you have that many in the store?â
âNo, but hereâs a surprise: thereâs a surplus in this part of the country. I canât be sure, but I believe itâs related
Morag Joss
Sally O'Brien
Jessica Fletcher
Stephanie Rowe
James Hadley Chase
Humans (v1.1)
Lola Carson
Sherry Gammon
Sam Crescent
Kit Tunstall, R.E. Saxton