Who was borrowing? I asked.
Jake opened his lips just enough to spit. Not a word escaped.
Clarke Simmons? I named one of Floridas best-known cattle men. Jakes thin shoulders shook with laughter. When he started wheezing, Marty patted his back until he quit.
Simmons has got more gold than Midas, he said with a final cough. That fellow from the drive-thru could have borrowed money from him.
Jeb Ennis and I go way back, I said. I know hes been having some cash-flow problems.
Jake narrowed his eyes at me. Yep.
Its a shame. Jeb sure did work hard to build that ranch, I said.
Now, that might be true. But Jebd do better to keep his mind on his bidness. You cant serve two masters.
I waited for the wizened old man to go on
.
He straightened the hat on his head.
He borrowed money from just about everbody here, even a few bucks from me. But he always had one excuse or tother about why he couldnt repay. Dont piss on my back and tell me its rainin, thats what I always say.
Marty leaned down so she could look under the hat brim, directly into Jakes rheumy green eyes. What do you mean? Was Jeb in trouble? Who were his masters?
The cattle, thats one. Theyll keep a man up nights, always needing something. You feed, you breed, you sell for what you can, and then you start all over again. Year in, year out. Raising cattle is gamble enough for most men. But not for Jeb.
Jake, honey, just tell us what you got to tell us, Mama said. Who was Jebs other master?
More like what was, Maam. He spit. Gambling got thold of Jeb Ennis. Hes lost near all that he owned. That boy never took to heart that old advice about not betting the ranch.
I dont believe my eyes, Mace. Mama gripped my arm so tight I was afraid the skin was going to pop like an overcooked sausage. Its that awful man.
I followed Mamas gaze through the front window of Hair Today, Dyed Tomorrow, where Id brought her after the livestock market. Pastor Bob Dixon stood in the salon behind his wife, hands resting on Delilahs shoulders. Seated in a mauve chair, she was covered from the neck down with a drape in deep purple. She looked like a large grape with a stem of wet hair.
I wont blame you if you dont come in, Mace. Mama turned her back to the window, just in case the minister and his wife could read lips. You do not need to subject yourself to that man-wolf for another minute.
She clearly thought I was unpracticed at fending off unwanted advances from men.
Dont worry about it, Mama. Im an adult. Besides, I dont think hes going to attack with his wife sitting right there. She looks big enough to take him if he got her mad.
Mamas gaze returned with mine to the scene on the other side of the window. Pastor Bob smiled into the mirror at Delilah, the morning sun glinting off his teeth. It lit a silver cross on the lapel of his brown-checkered sport coat. His small hands looked as fragile as baby birds against his wifes sturdy shoulders. Seeing the two of them together, I realized Delilah wasnt just bigger; she was a good fifteen years older than her husband.
He is a puny one, Mama finally agreed. Even so, I can give DVora your money.
With everything Id had on my mind, I left the shop without tipping DVora for cutting my hair. Id wanted to get back to apologize ever since.
Im used to tusslin with gators and snakes, Mama. How bad could one pint-sized pastor be? I pushed open the door to a jingle of bells. Hang onto my arm a little looser, please. Well present a united front, I whispered as we stepped inside.
Good morning, Rosalee. The minister and Delilah spoke in unison.
Yall remember my middle girl, Mace. Mamas tone was cool. Not as icy as Maddies, but heading for winter. The two of them nodded politely. I gave them a tight smile back.
Betty, the shops owner, bustled out of the back, greeting us as she wiped her hands on a lilac-colored towel. Id never realized purple came in so many shades.
I smelled the usual mix of shampoos, conditioners and permanent solution. Another scent fought for dominancefruity, like overripe watermelon and bananas that have started to blacken. As we got closer, I realized it was Delilahs perfume. I backed away, putting my hand over my face as if I was scratching my nose.
Betty stopped at the counter in front of Delilahs chair and rustled through the drawer for a comb and a handful of hair rollers. She looked up at me in the mirror. Mace, youre not blowing out that haircut like DVora told you to, are you? Shes going to get on you when she gets back from the bank, which should be any minute now.
My hand went to my hair, made wild by the humidity and Pams convertible. No, Maam, I guess Im not. I usually just open the windows in my Jeep and hang my head out to let it dry. It saves a lot of time.
Betty looked horrified.
Well, guess Id better let you ladies get to your womanly ways. Pastor Bob patted his wifes shoulders as he spoke.
He seemed oddly comfortable in the salon. I couldnt imagine Carlos Martinez or Jeb Ennis hanging around a beauty parlor. But Pastor Bob, with his bleached teeth and buffed fingernails, seemed to feel right at home.
Every time I bring Delilah in, I think she cant get any more beautiful than she already is. He beamed a whitening-strip smile to the mirror. But then I come back to pick her up, and darned if Im not wrong.
He leaned toward Delilah, who offered up her plump cheek for a kiss. Ill be back for you in a couple of hours, Mother.
Ill be right here, Father. Bettys going to make me into a new woman, so I do hope you recognize me.
He put his hand on her face and gazed into her eyes. Mother, Id know you in a crowd of thousands. Thats how it is with soul mates, isnt that right, ladies?
He glanced at us for approval. Mama smiled reflexively, but I was busy choking back vomit. I hate when married couples call each other Mother and Father. Its creepy.
Through the front window, I saw DVora hurrying along the sidewalk, breasts jiggling in her tight smock. Pastor Bob saw her, too. He dropped his hand from his wifes cheek like it was a burning coal, and rushed to open the shops door. He stepped aside just enough so DVora would have to rub up against him as she brushed past. His eyes got a familiar gleam.
Its DVora, isnt it?
She raised the bank deposit bag in her hand to cover her chest, and gave him a My, what big teeth you have look.
I dont believe youve taken us up on our invitation to come worship at Abundant Hope and Charity Chapel. Mother, have you seen this pretty young lady at church? His eyes never left DVoras cleavage.
I glanced at Delilah. Her own eyes were full of hurt and resignation.
No, Father, I havent. Her lips barely moved as she studied her hands, folded on top of the drape. If she hadnt been so mean to Mama at church, I might have felt sorry for her.
Thank you anyway, sir. Maam. Dvora nodded at Delilah as she sidestepped around the minister. But Im happy at my own church. Ive been going ever since I was baptized. Thanks for thinking of me, though.
Everyone in the shop knew exactly what the minister had been thinking about DVora.
Well, maybe youd like one of my DVDs, then. Half-price, for you.
Delilah didnt give her time to answer. Hadnt you better get to your errands, Father?
Pastor Bob put a hand to his chin, thoughtful like. He was probably just wiping off drool. You betcha, he finally said, as DVora disappeared into the back room. Ive got a long list to tackle. See you soon, Mother.
Delilah followed her husband with her eyes until he was out the door, down the sidewalk, and out of sight of the window. She continued staring until, finally, she let out a little sigh and a tiny shake of her head. What would run through your mind if you had a husband who would come on to another woman like that, right in front of you? Delilah looked like she was trying to convince herself of something. I wondered what it was.
Okay, let the girl talk begin. Betty shook her magenta comb like a conductors baton. It broke the shameful feeling wed shared at seeing Delilah humiliated. Whos got news about Emma Jean Valentine?
We spent the next fifteen minutes dissecting Emma Jeans disappearance. I filled them in on finding the abandoned car and visiting her house. Mama revealed the fact that she might have been cheating on Jim Albert. Delilah perked up at that gossipy morsel.
Maybe I shouldnt tell tales, she said, waiting for the go-ahead to do just that.
Mace and her mama are trying to find out who really killed Emma Jeans boyfriend. Whoever did it may have kidnapped her, too. Bettys eyes bored into Delilahs in the mirror. Youd only be helping Emma Jean to tell what you know.
Delilah paused just long enough to take a deep breath before beginning. Well, I will say I couldnt believe that scene she pulled the other night at Abundant Hope. All of that about how the wicked woman whod been cheating with her boyfriend attends our little church? And the way she tried to stare down the evildoer? Talk about a sinner casting stones!
Mama wrinkled her brow. What are you saying?
Im saying I know for a fact Emma Jean had a secret lover. And Im saying the mans a member of our church.
Are you sure? Betty asked, whipping some of Delilahs wet hair around a pink roller.
Absolutely. Every couple of months, I collect all the hymnals and give them a good dusting.
I wasnt at all surprised Delilah was a fastidious housekeeper.
The last time I did it, I found a love note tucked into one of the books. It wasnt addressed by name; Emma Jean had written
My Dearest Darling Man
at the top. She talked about how she could barely stand to see him in church with his wife, knowing she couldnt have him. She angled her head toward Betty, who was wedging the last roller into an even row. And then she said things were heating up.
You know who
was going to ask her to marry him, she wrote.
She looked at each of us to make sure we were listening. We were.
What should I do about it?
Thats what she asked her darling man.
How do you know Emma Jean wrote it? I cant believe anyone would sign their name to a note like that, I said.
She didnt sign her full name. The whole thing was printed, on a typewriter or a computer. There were just the initials at the end,
EJ
. Beside them, there was a red stick-on heart, like the ones little girls put on their notebooks. Get it? The initials stand for Emma Jean, and the heart for Valentine.
We were all quiet for a few moments, digesting Delilahs theory. Betty combed and rolled; rolled and combed.
Who do you think it was, yall? DVora peeked from the back room, where shed fled to escape Pastor Bob. Who was doin the dirty thang with Emma Jean?
Thats what we need to find out, honey, Mama said. Maybe whoever it was loved the dirty thang so much he killed poor Jim Albert so he could keep doing it with Emma Jean.
With a mountain of meat loaf and mashed potatoes in front of him, my cousin Henry was holding court from a corner table at Gladys Restaurant. Making a point, he waved his fork in the air like he was a judge and the fork was his gavel.
I stopped for a minute just inside the front door, feeling the sweat on my neck drying in a blast of cold air. The air conditioner felt so good, I lifted the hair from my collar and let the chill wind blow away the heat that had accumulated from outside.
Charlene, the waitress, ran an obstacle course between chairs and tables. Plates were stacked in a line along her left arm like planes waiting to take off in Atlanta. There was a blizzard of white order slips in the kitchen window, waiting for the cook.