Dustin pulled a chair out from under the table. “I blow-dried my hair. I need to be spiffy for church.”
“You’re going to church?”
“Don’t look so surprised. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve gone.”
“You go two times a year—Christmas and Easter.”
“I went last Sunday,” he reminded her.
“I’ll chalk that up for you so you don’t forget. You’re going to need all the help you can get to explain to God why you’ve missed so many other Sundays.”
“It won’t be the first time I’ve had to plead to God for mercy.”
At him wiggling his eyebrows, she threw a piece of toast that was hard enough to knock him out if he hadn’t caught it.
Giving her a wink, he buttered the bread as Holly cleared the table and started doing the dishes.
“How you doing this morning?”
His son looked up from the picture he was concentrating on. “Good. Can I go bowling with BoDean after church?”
“Who’s going to take you?”
“Bubba and Bud.”
“No.”
“Dad! I like them. They’re cool.”
“No.”
“Please? Jessie said she was going, too.”
“When did she tell you that?” he asked, taking the last piece of toast, so Holly could take the empty plate. He grinned when she shook her head at him.
“Last night, when we were dancing.”
“Then I guess we’re going bowling after church.”
“Yay! I need to go get extra clothes so I can get changed after church.” Logan dropped his colored pencil onto the table, leaving so fast he nearly knocked his chair over.
“I better get me a change, too,” Dustin told Holly, popping the last bite of toast into his mouth.
He stood, pushing Logan’s chair back under the table as he walked past, his eyes going to the picture Logan was drawing.
Looking up, he made sure Holly wasn’t watching before he ripped the page off the pad and shoved it into his dress pants pocket.
Going to his bedroom, he closed and locked his door before taking the drawing out. Looking at it grimly, he then crumpled it into a tight ball, went to his closet, and pulled down a shoebox. Taking the lid off, he put the ball into the box where he had hidden two others. Placing the box back on his shelf, he then went to his dresser to take out the extra clothes.
He stood looking at his image in the mirror, debating if he was making the right decision about what he was choosing to do, until he heard a knock on his door.
“Dad? Uncle Tate’s here.”
“I’m coming.”
Going to his door, he saw Logan was running back down the hallway. Dustin followed him more sedately, already knowing what Tate wanted to talk to him about.
“Dustin, something is catching on my motor. You have time before going to church to listen to it?”
“Sure. Holly, I won’t be long. Logan, you can get started on your homework. That way, you won’t have to leave from bowling to get it done.”
Dustin went outside with Tate, not surprised when Tate motioned that he wanted to talk inside the cab.
Inside, he turned to his brother, seeing the flinty look in his eyes.
“Don’t do it, Dustin.”
Dustin turned his head to stare out the windshield. “You heard the death bells.” It wasn’t a question. From Tate’s expression, it was a fact.
“Last night,” he confirmed. “Did you have a dream?”
“Yes.”
“Little brother, please let Holt have him.”
“We both know he’ll get caught. Jessie’s been through enough. She doesn’t deserve to have to spend the rest of her life having to go visit her brother in prison.”
“They didn’t convict him when he took the blame for killing Jared.”
“There’s no way he’ll get away with it twice. The only reason he got away with Jared was because Knox testified that Jared had pointed a gun at him, and Holt shot him to keep him from shooting Knox. I don’t think Knox is going to lie again, do you?”
“No. Then tell me who it is, and I’ll do it. It’s going to be just as hard for Jessie to visit you in prison as it would be her brother.”
“No, it won’t, because I’m not going to put her on the visitors list. I’ve already told you that I’m not going to let you do it.”
Dustin saw Holly come out the door.
“Holly hates being late for church, and I need to pick Jessie up. You’ve only heard the death bells once. We have time to talk about it later. Okay?”
Tate started his truck. “Maybe I’ll be lucky, and you’ll change your mind when you go to church.”
Dustin opened the door. “There isn’t going to be a chance in Hell of that happening.” Getting out, he closed the door before Tate could respond.
No, there isn’t a chance in Hell, Dustin repeated to himself. No way in Hell.
Dustin wrapped his arm around Jessie’s waist, holding her tightly to his side as they got in line to talk to Pastor Dean before leaving. They were behind the man who Shade had stared a hole through during the church service. Dustin was sure that the only reason Shade had made the rare appearance was to keep a watchful eye on Lily, not to praise God.