Chapter 24
24
Dinah tried to stay where she could see Reverend Hiller at first. He wasn’t hard to find. He was usually near the center of every crowd, especially when his parents were around. He helped his mother do things, carry things, quite frequently. He also kept a close eye on his sisters, the way a good brother should. She tended to stay close to him and other members of the church, so that her father would stay away from her at church events. He and Hezekiah tried to avoid the Hiller family as much as they could.
Sometimes she wondered why her father attended the Value Hope Life Church at all. All he ever did was say things about the people that went there. About how unholy they truly were and if it was his church, things would be done differently.
She checked for her own brothers quickly, in case they needed her to fetch them something again. Hezekiah was standing with a few of his friends from town. They called him Zeke, and he got to go hang out with them on the weekends, and play video games and act like he was a part of the normal world, or something. While she and Judah stayed home and did the chores.
Because Hezekiah was the eldest boy, and he brought in the most money, and because their father had always thought Hezekiah was special or something. She had always tried to take care of Judah when she could. To make things easier for him. He was only twenty-three now, and he just… didn’t always understand the world around them. He was na?ve, in a lot of ways. Sheltered, too. Like… he didn’t really understand the way the outside world worked.
It took her a bit longer to find him, but eventually she saw Judah near the edge of the crowd. He was with some of the men they had gone to church with in Della. Who had moved down here after the feds’ attack three years ago.
Judah wasn’t friends with them, but because they had been a part of Father Rei’s True Hope Lifers, they let Judah sit with them sometimes. She would have to make a point of saying hello to them, where her father could see. She was supposed to pick one of them, so he could speak with them. Maybe… they would start dating next. He was determined Dinah would marry… and soon. Whether she liked it or not.
Either she chose a husband, or her father would finally choose one for her. And Jeremiah topped that list. She felt almost sick to think about it.
Hezekiah came over to her a few minutes later. He gave her that look, the one that said she’d made him mad again. “You didn’t even say hello to Jeremiah.”
“I was helping Mrs. Fields carry lemonade. I was busy being helpful and kind.” Sometimes, Hezekiah could be so mean. He hit hard, too, when she displeased him.
His fingers wrapped around her arm and he pulled her close enough to whisper in her ear. “You will talk to him today, understand? He wants to get to know you better, even though you are a little too old to marry. This might be your last chance to find a husband. To stop sponging. Make yourself useful. Fix your hair. Put it all the way up, the way Jeremiah likes it. And stop making eyes at Reverend Hiller. People are staring at you.”
She looked around. She didn’t see anyone watching her at all, but she knew better than to argue. He’d turn mean if she made him angry enough.
She certainly wasn’t making eyes at Reverend Hiller. She would be too embarrassed to ever do that. But Hezekiah was always saying things about Reverend Hiller and his brothers, and about how he didn’t like Gunn or Guthrie at all. She thought it was because Hezekiah didn’t like Gunn’s doctor brother. Hezekiah had said something bad about Genny at work once, she thought. Gunn’s older brother Guthrie had had words with him about it. Had threatened Hezekiah to stay away from Genny or something. It had made Hezekiah and their father angry. They had said so many bad things about Genny then.
Dinah had always thought Genny was very nice. Funny, and kind. But she had kept that thought to herself.
She looked for Reverend Hiller again as Hezekiah went back over to his friends. She would have to make a point of speaking with Jeremiah.
He was not the man she wanted for a husband, no matter what her brother and father said. She just didn’t.
Reverend Hiller was right there, but… there was a woman with him. She was walking with crutches and looked familiar. Dinah had seen her in the diner a few times, she thought. With another woman. That blonde from the hospital her father complained about. Aubrey. Her sister’s name was Aubrey. Dinah didn’t know this girl’s name, though.
Then that other woman was there, the older one. Aubrey. She was with Reverend Hiller’s brother. The doctor. Guthrie Hiller had his hand on her shoulder like she belonged to him, too. Now they were all talking to the people around them.
That’s what they were supposed to do at these kinds of things—talk to people in their community, be together.
A hand wrapped around her elbow. She jerked, then turned. Judah was there. And he had that scared look in his eyes again. “Judah, what’s wrong?”
“It’s him. ” He sounded so afraid. She hated when he sounded like that.
“Who?”
“That FBI guy from before. The one that asked Mama all those questions. They are right there. And… and… ” He sounded like he was about ready to cry. “Just look.”
Judah pointed toward where Reverend Hiller stood. With that blonde girl and her sister and his brother and even Reverend Hiller’s identical twin had joined them. But another man was there, too, with a beautiful dark-haired woman and two young children Dinah thought she had seen around the diner before.
It took Dinah a moment to recognize the man standing there. He was equally as tall as the reverend, equally as strong. As beautiful. It was him, from Nebraska. Reverend Riordan. She had once thought he was a very beautiful man, too.
But it was the blond man who really caught her attention then, when he turned so she could see him more fully.
That man… had been with the FBI that day. She was sure of it.
That agent had been hurt, on crutches that day, and had been interrogating them all one by one. He’d told her personally they’d put him to work to keep him out of trouble, and he had smiled at her. He’d had a beautiful smile, and a little bit of a Texas drawl.
She was sure that was him right there. His name had been Agent Lake and he had been from Texas; she was sure of it. Why was he there? With the Hillers? It didn’t make sense at all.
“That’s Reverend Riordan. Why is he here?” she asked. Why was Agent Lake there? It could be coincidence; he’d been from Texas. He had told her that himself that day. But with Reverend Riordan? Down there?
It didn’t make sense. Not at all.
“What if… what if they’ve finally come for me? I don’t want to go to jail, Di, I don’t. Help me. What am I supposed to do?”
She wrapped her fingers around her brother’s hand. “Come on. We need to stay away from Reverend Riordan and Agent Lake. Just… it’ll be okay, Judah. I promise.”
This wasn’t good. This really wasn’t very good at all. Reverend Riordan could ruin everything. Dinah really didn’t know what to do now. All she wanted was to take care of her brother.