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The Influence(102)

By:Bentley Little


She nodded, smiling tiredly.

“Did you have any trouble?”

“Not getting out. It took me awhile to pack everything I needed, but that was no big deal. Last night, though…” She exhaled deeply.

“What happened?” Ross heard his nozzle click as the gas tank filled up, but he made no effort to take it out.

“There was that storm?”

“Yeah, it woke me up.”

“Well, I was already up, and I was baking cookies. I thought I’d make angel cookies.” She smiled wryly. “It seemed appropriate. Anyway, my cookies…came alive. I don’t know any other way to describe it. They were in the oven, and they were trying to get out, and I had to burn them up.”

“Jesus.”

“I stayed awake all night after that. So I’m really tired. But after that, and once I saw those red flowers—” She shivered at the recollection. “—I knew it was time to get out.”

The hose was between them, but he stepped over it and gave her a hug.

“What do you think’s going to happen back there?” Jill asked.

“Dave had a good idea. We’re going to call the county sheriff, maybe the national guard, tell them there’s civil unrest in Magdalena. Riots. They’ll go out to investigate. And Father Ramos is going straight to the leaders of the diocese…”

“What do you think is going to happen?” she repeated.

He met her gaze. “I don’t know.”

Jill’s pump clicked off, and while she attended to that, he returned to his own car, withdrawing the nozzle and placing it back on the hook. Father Ramos had walked over to visit with some of his parishioners in other cars, and he returned to inform Ross that one of the families had offered to take him to Tucson, where he intended to inform officials of the church about what was going on. “I should have done this immediately, on New Year’s Day,” he said. “It’s my fault that I did not.”

“You’re doing it now,” Ross told him. “That counts for something.”

“Thank you for the ride.” The priest took Ross’ right hand in both of his, clasping it with genuine warmth. “Bless you.”

Lita and Dave returned. “I talked to Armando Rascon,” Dave said. “He was already planning to go to the sheriff and tell him what’s going on in Magdalena. I convinced Jed and Marla Weaver to go there, too. We can’t afford to get bogged down, so instead of going with them, I’ll just call 911 on the way. I don’t know why I didn’t do it already. Stupid!” Lita put a hand on his shoulder. He patted it. “Anyway, the law should be heading over there pretty soon. I’m going to tell them about New Year’s Eve. They won’t believe me, but when I tell them there’s a dead body in Cameron Holt’s smokehouse, they’ll have to check it out.”

“What do you think will happen?” Ross asked. In his mind, he saw a group of sheriff’s deputies kneeling before the smokehouse in prayer or eaten by pig people or overwhelmed by a mob of villagers.

Dave shrugged. “All we can do is hope for the best.”

“Father!” a man’s voice shouted from two islands over. “Are you ready?”

“I’m coming!” Father Ramos called out.

Lita turned to face him. “Are you leaving us?”

“I must. I am going to Tucson.”

Bursting into tears, Lita threw her arms around the priest, giving him a big hug.

“I will pray for your mother,” he said gently. “And for all of you.”

Lita would not let him go, but sobbed into his shoulder. Dave had to pull her away, and he nodded at Father Ramos. “If I ever did go to church,” he said, “I’d go to yours.”

The priest smiled wryly. “You might be the only one there now.”

“What did happen back in Magdalena?” Ross asked.

Father Ramos shook his head, a dark look passing over his face. It was clear that he still wasn’t ready to talk about it, and Ross backed off.

“Goodbye,” the priest said. “And God bless you. I pray that we will meet again under happier circumstances.” Waving, he headed between cars toward a white SUV.

Ross felt a hand on his.

“So where are you going from here?” Jill asked.

“Albuquerque. Lita has to make the arrangements.”

“I’m thinking I’ll go back to Mesa, to my mom’s.”

Ross nodded. “I think that’s a good idea.”

“Meet me when you’re done in Albuquerque?”

“I plan to.”

They worked out the arrangements while Lita and Dave got back in the car, and he agreed to call her tonight, from wherever he ended up.