CHAPTER NINETEEN

Ruby could feel the evil seeping from the church as she approached the door. She’d felt it the moment she left a few days ago. Seeing Barry was her excuse to get one step closer to the reverend. She reached for the door, and her hand felt as though it were being burned. Having touched nothing, she knew this was her sign that true evil was inside.

“May I help you, Miss Ruby?” asked the reverend.

“Oh, I was hoping to catch Barry. Is he here?” she asked, taking another step backward.

“No, but it’s cold out here. Why don’t we go inside,” he grinned. He just needed to get her inside, and everything else would work itself out.

“I’m good,” she said. “In fact, I was just thinkin’ I’m feelin’ warm. It was all of a sudden like. The heat of hell coming at me.” She eyed the man suspiciously, and it was as if he knew.

He took a step toward her, and she took another back. The reverend wasn’t a big man, and Ruby was a stout woman. She knew a few tricks, and if he thought she would give up, he was sadly mistaken.

Behind the reverend, the door opened, and Isaih stepped outside, staring from Ruby to him and back again.

“Everything okay out here?” he asked calmly.

“Go inside, Isaih,” said the reverend.

“No offense, reverend, I appreciate your help and all, but I ain’t no slave. Don’t order me to do things when it’s clear there’s somethin’ wrong here. Miss Ruby? You okay?”

“She’s a disgusting woman,” muttered the reverend.

“Well, I wondered how long it would take for your true colors to come out,” she said, staring at him. “I smelled your evil when I got close, and I damn sure didn’t like it.”

“You’re a witch!” he yelled.

“A witch,” she scoffed. “Baby, I’m a helluva lot worse than a witch, so don’t you dare think of comin’ at me or one of mine.”

Ruby could see that he was thinking of attacking, but Isaih slowly moved to her side. She reached inside her oversized handbag and pulled out a small weapon.

“I knew it. I knew you were trash when Barry told me about you. A whore! A Jezebel!”

“So much for forgiveness, right, reverend? I wasn’t a whore. A whore gives it for free, honey. I charged for it, all in order to feed my children, and I don’t regret one sweaty, disgusting body that touched my flesh. I’ve been able to give my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren a good life. What have you done?”

“I help people,” he scowled.

“You don’t help people. You manipulate them. What did that poor woman do to you? What did Imelda do to you?”

“She was always arguing with me. Always arguing with Shirley.”

“And them poor little girls you drowned? Cheerleaders, cheerin’ on their high school team. What did they do?”

“They were headed down the same path as you. They were going to turn into whores. The earth didn’t need them.”

“I don’t know about the earth,” said Ruby, shakin’ her head, “but their parents needed them.” She felt her phone vibrate and casually hit the button.

“ Ruby, don’t move from where you are. We have you on the trackers and are coming,” said Zeke. She raised the phone and turned on talk to text.

“I’m standin’ in front of the church with my gun pointed at the reverend. I do believe he means to do me harm.”

“You bitch! I’ll kill you for this. You might be my last, but I’ll kill you!” He turned and ran back inside the church, and Isaih gripped her arm.

“Miss Ruby, we should leave,” he said.

“We’re not leavin’, honey. My boys are on their way. Whatever he’s gonna do, we’ll handle it.”

They both stood behind her car for cover, watching the front doors to see when he would appear. When the clock ticked by, five minutes, ten minutes, they started to become worried.

“I smell smoke,” said Isaih. “No. No, he’s set the church on fire!”

“Nothin’ can be done now, Isaih. He’s made his bed.”

When the cars pulled up with the boys in them, Sven was the first to Ruby, hugging her close, kissing her face. Then Barry.

“Grandma, I’m so sorry,” he said, crying.

“For what? For believin’ in someone who helped you? Ain’t nothin’ to be sorry for, Barry. I’m proud of you. But that one, he’s got his comin’, and it’s gonna be a doozy.”

“What did he say, Ruby?” asked Zeke.

“He admitted to killin’ the girls and Imelda. Said evil had to be wiped off the face of the earth, and that included me, from what I gathered.”

“The church is going to be a total loss,” said Wilson.

“What am I gonna do?” asked Isaih. “I didn’t have much, but all I had was in that little room up there.”

“You’re comin’ home with us,” said Ruby. “We can give you a place to stay and get you back on your feet. What about the man from Arkansas? Is he up there?”

“No, ma’am. He left yesterday. Got a bus ticket back home.” Ruby was grateful to hear that bit of news, nodding at Isaih.

Sven took Ruby and Isaih back to Belle Fleur while the men waited for the fire to be contained. They knew that the reverend lived in the little sanctuary house in the back, but when they broke down the door, it was completely empty. There was nothing inside. No furniture, no clothing, nothing.

“It was all for show,” frowned Trak. “He wanted people to believe he lived in squalor, here near the church. He has another home.”

“We have to find it before he claims more victims,” said Wilson. He looked at his old friend, Trak, and nodded. “Do what you do, brother.” Trak gave a look of understanding, then turned to Zeke.

“Zeke? Let’s go. We have game to hunt.”