“Yes. From the looks of her and your kids, I thought she could put it to good use.”
“We don’t need your money.”
Nora Gail sat forward and, with a lazy smile, spoke softly to Fergus. “You haven’t thrown it back in my face, either, have you?”
His mouth puckered like a drawstring purse. “I never reject a gift that God so generously bestows.”
“No, I’m sure you don’t.” Nora Gail complacently dropped two cubes of sugar into her coffee. “That’s why I wanted to make a deal with you, Reverend Plummet.”
“I don’t deal with the ungodly. I came here as a messenger of God, to warn you of His wrath, to hear your confession of—”
“How would you like a new church?”
The flow of evangelism ceased abruptly. “Huh?”
Idly, Nora Gail stirred her coffee. “How would you like a new church? A big, grand church that would put all the others in town to shame, even the new First Baptist.” She paused to sip her coffee. “I can see I’ve left you speechless, which in itself is a blessing.”
Again, she smiled like a cat that had just licked clean a saucer of cream. “As soon as Purcell Downs is completed, I’m going to be very rich and very respectable. It would be to your benefit, preacher, to accept my generous donations, which would be sizable and given on a regular basis. Then, when Texas Monthly or ‘60 Minutes’ comes out here to interview me as one of the state’s richest businesswomen, they can also report what a generous and benevolent person I am.
“And in return for this fancy church I’ll build you,” she said, leaning forward again, “I would expect you to keep your loud mouth shut about racetrack gambling. There are plenty other sins to keep you occupied. If you run out of sermon material, I’ll be more than glad to provide you a list of sins, because I’ve committed them all, sugar.”
He was gaping like a fish washed ashore. The madam definitely had his attention.
“And, you wouldn’t be pulling any more stunts like you did at the Minton ranch a week or so back. Yes,” she said, holding up her heavily jeweled hand to stem his denials, “I know you did it. You caused a valuable horse to get put down, and that really chaps my ass.”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “If you do anything that stupid again, I’ll pull the pulpit right out from under you, preacher man. I make plans, see, and I knock down anybody who stands in the way of them. If you have a problem you want solved, come to me. Leave the revenge-getting to somebody who knows how to get it and not get caught.” She leaned back in her chair. “Well?”
“You’ve… you’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“Not good enough. I want your answer today. Right now. Do you want to become a religious big shot with a shiny new church, or do you want to go to jail? Because, you see, if you don’t say yes to my offer, I’ll call my good buddy Reede Lambert and tell him I’ve got an eyewitness to that vigilante raid out at the ranch. What’s it gonna be, sugar—a pulpit or prison?”
Fergus swallowed visibly. He struggled with himself, with his conscience, but not for long. His head gave one swift nod of agreement.
“Good. Oh, one other thing,” Nora Gail continued in the same lilting voice. “Stop treating my sister like a doormat. You were overheard dressing her down in public at the sheriff’s office the other night. If I ever get wind of it happening again, I’ll personally cut off your pitiful pecker and feed it to the next dog I see. Okay?”
He swallowed hard.
“I’m sending Wanda Gail up to a spa up in Dallas, where she’ll stay and be pampered for two weeks, which is little enough vacation from you. How do you expect to attract folks to your new church if your own wife looks like a downtrodden toad? This summer your kids’ll go to camp. They’re gonna have new bicycles and baseball gloves, because I’m overturning your rule about no games of any kind and signing them up for Little League next spring.” She winked. “Their Aunt Nora Gail is gonna be the best goddamn thing that ever happened to those kids. Are you getting all this, preacher?”
Again, Plummet gave a brusque nod.
“Good.” She sat back in her chair, calmly swinging a shapely leg back and forth through the slit of her robe. “Now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s talk terms. You’ll receive the first donation the day after the licensing is finalized, and one on the first of each month after that. The checks will be drawn on the NGB, Incorporated account. I’m going to need the tax deduction,” she said with a throaty laugh.
Then, dismissing Fergus, she looked at her sister. “Wanda Gail, don’t wait till I send you to Dallas. Use the money I sent you the other day to buy you and your kids new clothes. And for crissake, do something with your hair. It looks like shit.”
Wanda’s eyes misted. “Thank you, thank you.”
Nora Gail reached out to touch her sister’s hand, but thought better of it and lit one of her black cigarettes instead. Through a dense cloud of acrid smoke, she replied, “You’re welcome, sugar.”
Chapter 44
“Junior?”
He turned away from the bar, where he’d been mixing his second drink in ten minutes. “Good morning, Mother. Would you like a Bloody Mary?”
Sarah Jo crossed the room and yanked the bottle of vodka from his hand. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked, speaking in a much harsher tone than she usually used with him. “Why are you drinking this early?”
“It’s not that early, considering what time I got up.”