Part 26 (1/2)

”Well, you just watch out, and whatever you do, don't take Hazel Marie and the babies to any church he recommends. Mr. Pickens,” I went on urgently, ”he goes to snake-handling services or, if he doesn't, he sends people to them.”

Mr. Pickens started laughing, but stopped short when he saw my face. ”Sorry, Miss Julia. I did hear something about that. The story I got was that you and Etta Mae went to the wrong church. He feels bad about it, but he didn't do it on purpose. He's planning to leave for home this afternoon-if he can tear himself away from Etta Mae-and when he gets there, he's gonna make you an honorary resident of Mill Run to make up for the mistake.”

My back got as stiff as a board at the thought. That was another honor I could do without.

”But what I want to know,” Mr. Pickens went on, as he motioned to me to come close, ”when you went to that church, were you moved to pick up a rattlesnake or a cottonmouth?”

I jumped back like I'd been bitten. ”Neither one! How could you ask such a thing?” Of course, I soon realized he was teasing me, but I planned to check under the bed before crawling into it every night until Sam got back. Then he could do the checking.

”Julia,” Mildred said when I answered the phone, ”you know what a time I have getting a member to lead the discussions at the book club? Well, I just had someone volunteer, and she volunteered not only to lead the discussion, but to select the book, too.”

”That must be a relief for you,” I said. Mildred was president of our book club for the year, and it'd been like pulling teeth to get a discussion leader for each month. Everybody loved the club, but n.o.body wanted to lead it. ”Who's the brave soul?”

”Well,” Mildred said after a slight hesitation. ”It's not a member, but she wants to be. How would you feel about Agnes Whitman joining us? She's offered to take the next couple of months because she wants to do that bestselling book everybody talked about, but none of us wanted to read. You know, the one about a dragon tattoo? Agnes says she has a unique perspective that she'd like to share with us.”

I'll just bet she would, I thought but remained speechless for so long that Mildred asked, ”Julia? You still there?”

”Just considering the ramifications, Mildred,” I finally managed to say. ”And I've just finished considering them. All I can say is that I've never said a word against anyone who wanted to join us, and I'm not going to now. But if you let that woman in, I'm resigning. And if you want to know why, I'll tell you whenever you have time to listen.”

”Come on over,” she said, with a low chuckle. ”I can't wait to hear.”

Monday morning, and the hordes descended before Lillian and I had finished breakfast. The brickmasons arrived first, immediately putting up scaffolding to continue, brick by brick, building my big fat Williamsburg chimney. Next came the paperhanger, who had to maneuver his cutting table up the stairs to Hazel Marie's old bedroom. I followed him up to make sure he had the slightly blush linen paper I'd selected, and not some garish stripe or floral that belonged on someone else's wall.

”You'll have this finished today, won't you?” I asked, after rea.s.suring myself that the rolls of paper were the correct ones.

He adjusted a strap on his white overalls and shook his head. ”Maybe tomorrow.”

”No, Mr. Bailey. That won't do at all. My husband returns tomorrow from a trip abroad and this room has to be finished. Now look,” I went on as he began shaking his head again, ”there's no design on this paper, so you don't have to match anything. Just cut it to the right length and put it up. Surely you can do that in a day.”

”Have to work overtime.”

”Yes, I'm familiar with time and a half. It'll start at five o'clock if you'll stay until it's finished.”

”Four's my usual quittin' time.”

”Four, then.”

For the first time he nodded. I nodded back and left him to it.

By that time, the carpenters had arrived and were beginning to put the finis.h.i.+ng touches on the beautiful paneling in the new library downstairs. As I walked down the hall to speak to them, I could hear country music from the radio that seemed to be one of the essential tools of their trade.

Before I got there, Tucker Caldwell came flouncing through the front door in all his summer glory: a blue seersucker suit, yellow bow tie and a third gold stud, but this one was on the side of his nose. It was all I could do to keep from rolling my eyes, but I pretended not to notice. Why else do people do such things but to draw attention to themselves? So if he expected me to express shock, he was going to be disappointed. I'd seen worse over the weekend.

I followed him and stood by the door of the new library, observing as Tucker went over some of the finer points of installing the Adam mantel that had come with the paneling. I hoped they'd do it right, for the paneling had come from a very old house that had to give way for a Walmart Supercenter in an Alabama town, and it had cost me an arm and a leg.

Tucker had done no more than nod in my direction when he first came in, but soon he walked over and edged me toward the living room, both of us stumbling over the rolled-up rug in the hall.

”Uh, Mrs. Murdoch,” he began, his eyes flitting around, ”I have bad news for you.” Then he rushed on before I could respond. ”You'll have to do without Adam Waites from now on. He, ah, well, apparently, he's been through some sort of crisis as a result of working for Agnes-she can be quite demanding, you know. Anyway, I didn't get all the particulars, but his father called me last night to say that Adam would not be working for some time to come.” Tucker took out a handkerchief and rubbed his nose, then winced as if he'd forgotten the new stud.

”I'm sorry to hear that,” I said, although I wasn't surprised that Adam was in no shape to work. ”Of course, he'd about completed my project, but I expect he's left Agnes high and dry.” I smiled as sympathetically as I could manage.

”Actually, she's not taking it well, especially because she thought Adam was making great strides toward a new spiritual breakthrough. She hates to lose a true seeker.”