Dread Nation (Dread Nation #1)(81)
“That bastard deserves to die.”
I shrug. “No doubt. The question is: How?”
Red Jack shrugs. “Not sure. My plan after finding Lily was to make a run for the Mississippi River before it freezes, head south to New Orleans. Ain’t no way I’m going back east, and I’ve heard rumors that city has been fortified. Strong walls, with its back against the water. But there’s no way we can get there without supplies, and those Nicodemus folks ration everything carefully.”
“Same here,” Katherine says.
He nods, opening his mouth to answer when the sound of footsteps outside interrupt him.
“Look, I’ll talk to Daniel and Amelia and get back to you two,” Jackson says.
“Amelia? You mean Miss Duncan is here?”
“Yes, she and a bunch of the girls from your school. They came to Nicodemus when Baltimore County was overrun.”
His words send a cold shock through me, and I tense. “Overrun? By shamblers? When did that happen? Did everyone get out? How come you’re just now mentioning this?” I think of little Ruthie and Big Sue, and dread is a cold hard lump in my middle.
“Not now, Jane!” Katherine admonishes. “We need to get out and waylay whoever is heading this way so Jackson can get what he needs.”
Jackson gives Katherine a smile of thanks and an ugly feeling rises up in me, part jealousy and part shame and part anger at myself for getting just a tad bit hysterical. But what do they expect? I swallow my aggravation and open the door for Katherine while Jackson ducks into the small room.
Katherine sweeps out of the office like a queen leaving court. I follow behind her, carefully closing the door as she exclaims, “Oh, my apologies! Pastor, I did not see you!”
The preacher stands there, his rheumy brown eyes locked on Katherine’s bosom and a smile that borders on indecent on his thin, pink lips.
“Oh, Miss Deveraux, what a pleasant surprise.”
Katherine gives the man a small smile and takes a mincing step back, putting a few additional inches between her and the holy man. “It is lovely to see you as well. Why, I was just telling my girl that she missed a very moving discussion on moral responsibility at our last Bible study.”
The man gives me a condescending look, the smile on his lips not reflected in his eyes.
“Yes, she could use the message of the Lord more than most here. Well, I won’t hold you up, I just came by to drop off some information for Sheriff Snyder.”
“Oh, he isn’t there. He was called off on some urgent business.”
“Well, if the sheriff isn’t there, then what exactly were you doing in the office?” The preacher gives Katherine a long look, and for a moment I think that she’s done it, going and running her mouth when she should’ve just bid the man good day and carried on about her business.
“Oh, I had sent my girl in to find my pearl hairpin, and was just fetching her. I’m afraid sometimes even the smallest task is beyond poor Jane.” She lowers her voice conspiratorially. “You know how easily they’re distracted.”
The suspicious look disappears from the man’s eyes and he gives Katherine a warm smile. “My dear, the penitent show understanding to all those beneath them, no matter their flaws. Was she able to find your hairpin?”
From inside of the office comes the faint sound of footsteps, and Katherine tenses. But the preacher doesn’t hear them, most likely thanks to his advanced age and his single-minded focus on the stretch of material covering her bosoms.
She flashes the man a brilliant smile. “Yes, thank goodness. I have so few nice things, and if it wasn’t for the message of the Lord I’m certain my strength would have fled me long ago. Just to keep living every day . . .” Katherine closes her eyes for a moment, as though the struggle causes her physical pain. When she opens her eyes they shine with emotion. “I know this is just the Lord testing me, and I know that I will survive it with his grace and love. But, Pastor, it has been a very difficult journey, and I am afraid that I have doubted my place in the Lord’s heart at times.” She sniffs, not too much, just like she’s fighting back tears. “I was beginning to lose my faith, but your words last Sunday and the charity of this magnificent town have restored my belief that the Lord has a plan for me, and it is majestic.”
I fight to keep my mouth from falling open. She’s good. Katherine’s ability to play the farce rivals my own. The preacher is rapt with attention as Katherine begins spinning out a tale of woe and misery so pitiful that it belongs in a weekly serial.
By the time Katherine finishes detailing the viciousness of her nonexistent stepmother and the death of her father, the preacher is near to tears himself. It sickens me to think that such an evil man can feel pity.
“Oh, you poor child. The Lord has blessed you with so many charms that you must believe that He loves you, and has a plan, and a fine husband, in store for you.”
“Oh, I do, Pastor, I do.” Katherine shakes herself, and she forces a polite smile. “Well, I’m afraid I must be going. Now that I have my Negro back, she needs to get everything put to rights.” We’ve been stalling on the boardwalk for nearly a quarter of an hour. If Jackson is still poking around for whatever he needs from the sheriff’s office, he’s on his own.
“Indeed, Miss Deveraux. Enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”