Mountain Top(35)
“How did you know that?”
“Because they were meeting at night, handing him some worthless beads. And it fit with the verses about the deeds of darkness. Do you understand?”
“Land deeds.”
Sam smiled in satisfaction. “Yep. You’re going to do just fine. And I told Mr. Hatcher that the Lord saw what he was doing and would bring it into the light.”
“It’s a far-fetched theory. Did you mention other people being involved?”
“Not by name, since it wasn’t clear, but I told him I saw a group of people. It’s not as important that I understand what I see as the person receiving it. They’re the ones who have to ignore it or act on it. Since they were all together, I figured he could tell them himself.”
“What about Larry Pasley? Did you contact him?”
“Yep. I went by his place. He lives in an old shack that his grandpa built, and his family has owned property up that valley for a long time. Larry dropped out of school when he was a boy and can’t read and write very well. He said he’d been paid enough money to buy a new hot water heater and a color TV and in a few months might get enough to buy a trailer for his son and daughter-in-law. I told him it might not be a good deal, but he told me I didn’t know what I was talking about. He’d had a lawyer check everything out for him.”
“Who was the lawyer?”
“I didn’t ask, and he didn’t say.”
“Was he selling his home place?”
“I doubt it, because he bought a new hot water heater.”
“Is that all?”
“No, there was something else. I remember ending the letter with a little poem. I’ve never done that before.”
Sam turned the page in his notebook. “Here it is. I put it on the next page.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Don’t laugh at me. I barely graduated from high school, and I’m not much of a poet.”
“Go ahead.”
Sam cleared his throat like a schoolboy about to recite before the class.
Deeds of darkness produce only tares.
Those who sow for gold will reap despair.
He looked up at Mike. “It’s not much, but at least it rhymes.”
Nine
MIKE AND SAM WENT OUTSIDE TO JUMP-START SAM’S TRUCK.
“I had a troubling dream last night about you and Danny Brewster,” Mike said as they walked across the yard. “I didn’t want to bring it up in front of Muriel.”
“I’m listening.”
Mike told him the dream about the interview room at the jail and dark figures who carried Danny and Sam from the room. Sam leaned against the side of the truck and listened.
“I woke up in a sweat,” Mike concluded. “What do you think?”
“We’re in a fight, and it’s not just against flesh and blood. You helped Danny in his case and now you’re helping me. Some of our enemies have faces; others are in the spiritual world. I’ve seen the faceless ones myself. They are pure evil.”
Mike shuddered slightly. “Why didn’t you get out of the chair?”
“Because I was at rest in the battle.”
“You were in danger.”
“I know. And with your help, I won’t mess up.”
“I was paralyzed and couldn’t think of anything to say.”
“Words with power come from your spirit, not your mind,” Sam replied with a smile. “Keep loving Papa, walking with the Master, leaning on the Helper, and eating the Word. After a while, you’ll learn how to fight the Enemy in the right way.”
Sam attached the cables to the dead battery. Mike raised the hood of his car.
“Hook up your end of the cables,” Sam said. “Make sure the ground is on black.”
Mike attached the cables to the battery of his car and turned on the engine. He joined Sam while they waited for the dead battery to build up a charge. Sam got in the truck and turned the key. The truck engine sputtered to life. Mike unhooked the jumper cables from both batteries and coiled them up.
“I’ll let it run awhile,” Sam said. “It’d better start tomorrow because I need to be out of here at the crack of dawn. There’s no telling how much business I’ve lost.”
“Was there anything in the paper about your arrest?”
“Just one line, but you know how people are. That could really hurt me.”
Mike thought a moment. “Would you be willing to put in a bid to cut the grass at Little Creek Church? It’s a long way across the county, but it might be worth the drive. The cemetery alone would take a full day.”
“That’s mighty nice of you,” Sam said appreciatively. “I’ll try to get over there and take a look at it.”