Body Bags & Blarney (12 page)

Vivienne
reached into the basket and pulled out a warm dinner roll. “I think I could get
used to this, Kathy.”

“When can you
move in?” Joshua teased back.

“There are no
threesomes in Cayuga Cove.” Kathy laughed as she poured them all another glass
of wine. “Besides, I hate to admit this, but I’m the jealous type and I don’t
share well with others.”

Vivienne
raised her glass in the air. “Here’s to no more scandals in our fair little
town.”

“I’ll drink to
that.” Joshua raised his glass.

“Me too.”
Kathy raised hers.

They clinked
them together gently.

“Here’s to
Nathaniel and Tristan, who defied the odds and won the lottery.” Vivienne added.
“Which means they don’t have to close up shop and move away.”

“Did they tell
you that?” Kathy asked.

“Well, no.”
Vivienne clarified. “But, money was the main reason they were leaving. So, I
think the problem is solved and that makes me very happy.”

“I never
thought I’d toast to someone else winning the lottery.” Kathy added. “But in
this case, I agree with Vivienne.”

“Here’s to
problems solved.” Joshua spoke up.

After dinner,
Vivienne and Kathy both insisted that Joshua had earned his television sports
time and insisted he let them clean up. He had been more than happy to finally
get a chance to relax and enjoy his usual evening routine.

Vivienne
washed and rinsed the Dutch oven with a crocheted dish towel that Nana Mary
made for her each holiday season. “That was such a nice dinner, Kathy.”
Vivienne handed the pot over the double sink for Kathy to dry.

“Thanks,
girlie.” Kathy wiped it off with a dishtowel and set it on the dish rack. “It
sure beats eating alone at my place again.”

“You always
told me that you liked having your own place.” Vivienne said as she dunked some
of the dinner plates into the pool of sudsy water. “I’d have invited you over
more often if you had just said something.”

“Oh, I’m just
saying that because of Dean.” Kathy confessed. “I can throw a great party, but
I am a master at throwing pity parties for myself.”

“Me too.”
Vivienne handed the rinsed plates to Kathy.

“Can I ask you
an important question?”

“Sure.”
Vivienne dunked the wine glasses into the dishwater.

“Why are we
washing the dishes by hand when you have a perfectly capable dishwasher right
here?” Kathy carefully ran her towel over the plates and set them in the
plastic rack to finish air drying.

“Because it
would give us a chance to talk in the kitchen.” Vivienne replied.

Kathy set the
towel down on the counter. “Well, I appreciate that as your best friend, but my
freshly manicured nails are not so happy about it.”

“Oh, we can
load the rest of the stuff in the dishwasher.” Vivienne agreed. “So, what are
your plans for tonight?”

“Aren’t you
and Joshua going to have a date night or something like that?” Kathy helped
Vivienne load the lower rack of the dishwasher.

“We didn’t
have any plans like that.” She pulled open a lower cabinet near her knees and
snagged a dishwasher pod from a box that was shoved between several bottles of
dish soap.

 
“Well in that case, what did you want to do?”
Kathy shoved the lower rack back into the dishwasher.

“How about
going to an old-fashioned tent revival?” Vivienne asked as she dropped the pod into
the detergent holder and twisted the lid closed.

“Are you
serious?” Kathy leaned against the counter.

“Yes.”
Vivienne closed the door and started the dishwasher on a light wash setting. “I
think it’s be quite interesting to see who shows up tonight.”

“Couldn’t we
do something more exciting like bingo at the VFW?” Kathy replied with a heavy
dose of sarcasm.

“Pastor Seamus
Kilpatrick is going to be hosting it.” Vivienne twisted the excess water out of
her dishrag and set it on the counter to dry. “I saw the sign the other day
when I was driving.”

“That guy is a
lunatic.” Kathy put her hands up. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, come on.”
Vivienne jabbed her in the side softly. “He’s going to be doing all sorts of
supposed miracles and such.”

“The first
miracle would be having me sitting in the audience watching his performance.”
Kathy shook her head.

“But that’s
just it.” Vivienne pleaded her case. “You see, I’m fairly certain that his
little stunt the other night in the library was just publicity for this
masterpiece. Did you know that he has a pacemaker?”

“So he has a
little heart trouble, big whoop.” Kathy rolled her eyes.

 
“What if he uses that somehow to get sympathy
during his stunts?” Vivienne asked. “I don’t know all the details of how that could
be done, but if he could do something like that on command, can you imagine a
more powerful performance to get people’s attention?”

“So what does
it matter to us?” Kathy asked.

“Well, it
doesn’t really.” Vivienne admitted. “But, I have a feeling that we might see
that handsome stranger again too. Isn’t that worth going for?”

Kathy put her
hands on her hips “What makes you think that?”

“It’s just a
feeling I have.”

“Well, I know
that you have an uncanny knack for being right with those feelings.” Kathy
admitted. “Even though it does sort of spook me a little.”

“It does?”

“A little.”
Kathy gave a little shiver. “I mean, you just seem to have strange things
happen around you an awful lot.”

Vivienne
shrugged. “I don’t know how to answer that.”

“Oh, I didn’t
mean anything by it.” Kathy quickly replied. “It’s just a friendly
observation.”

“That’s what
tonight is going to be. Just a friendly observation to see what Pastor
Kilpatrick is up to.” Vivienne looked at the wall clock in her kitchen. “It
starts in a half hour.”

“Well, I’m
only doing this because of the day you had.” Kathy gave in. “But I’m not going
to give that snake oil salesman a dime when the collection plate comes around.”

“Of course
not.” Vivienne smiled. “But if the tall handsome stranger should be around, you
are going to slip him your number.”

“Deal.” Kathy
smiled. “Is Joshua coming along too?”

Vivienne
nodded. “I’m going to need your help to get him away from the television
though.”

Kathy walked
over to her purse that was slung over the back of a kitchen chair and reached
inside. “Hold on a second.”

“What are you
getting?”

Kathy
brandished her cell phone. “I’m going to call Pastor Kilpatrick and ask for the
first miracle of the night on your behalf.”

“You are
twisted.” Vivienne laughed. “Now put that away and help me think of some reason
to convince Joshua to go.”

“Seriously?”

Vivienne
stared back at Kathy in bewilderment. “What, do I have a piece of chicken stuck
between my teeth?”

“You have the
best reason already.”

“Enlighten me,
oh wise oracle of male behavior.” Vivienne spoke with fake reverence.

“Three words.”
Kathy smirked. “Tall mysterious stranger.”

Vivienne’s jaw
dropped. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“That’s
because your mind is all over the place from what happened today.” Kathy
rationalized. “You’re sure you want to go to a church event after this
morning?”

“It’s not the
same church.” Vivienne replied.

“They might be
dunking people into a tank of water.” Kathy cautioned. “You’re not going to
freak out and start speaking in tongues or something are you?”

“I’m only
going to freak out if they bring out snakes or something gross and slimy like
that.”

“Oh, that’s
disgusting.” Kathy stuck out her tongue. “If that happens we are out of there.”

“That’s a promise.”
Vivienne agreed to the terms.

“Well then,
let’s get a move on.” Kathy gestured to the living room. “After you.”

She marched
into the living room. “Honey, about that mysterious stranger…”

CHAPTER
TEN

Despite the
thirty-two degree weather outside, Vivienne was pleasantly surprised to find
the temperature inside the tent structure on the property of Shoreline Baptist
to be quite warm and toasty. That was, thankfully, due to several of the
outdoor heating units which were able to keep the chilly winter air outside the
canvas walls. It had been quite easy convincing Joshua to join her and Kathy.
He practically had jumped off the sofa when she mentioned her hunch about the
mysterious stranger showing up.

They had found
seats in row twenty, near the center aisle, which is exactly where they wanted
to sit. Not only was it the very back row, but it also happened to be the only
seating left to choose from due to their last minute arrival before the start
time.

Several
members of the Shoreline Baptist church were dressed up in their Sunday best
suits and dresses, introducing themselves to visitors and making polite small
talk. After a quick glance around the assembled hundred or so people, Vivienne
had noticed quite a few unfamiliar faces in the crowd. She guessed they had
come from neighboring churches in the towns around Cayuga Cove, which explained
the convoy of full-sized vans parked haphazardly wherever they could fit in the
designated lot.

“Do you see
your guy?” Joshua whispered as he surveyed the crowd.

Vivienne shook
her head. “I see lots of new faces, but his isn’t one of them at the moment.”

Kathy scanned
the paper program the ushers had given to each of them as they entered the
tent. “Remind me how this is different from a regular church service again?”

“It’s not as
formal.” Vivienne replied. “It’s supposed to put the spirit into people.”

Kathy folded
her program up into a makeshift fan and waved it in front of her face. “Who’d
have thought it be so warm inside this thing?”

“I know.”
Vivienne hoped that the ushers would turn the heat settings down a notch, as
the nearly full crowd inside the tent was doing a good job of warming the air
on its own.

“I’m not
against people celebrating their religious faith however they please.” Kathy
fanned herself with a bit more vigor. “But, I personally prefer to get the
spirit inside of me through fancy glass barware that has tropical fruit
attached to the side.”

Joshua wiped
his brow, where a few beads of sweat had formed. He tugged at the collar of the
black pull-over sweater Vivienne had convinced him to put on so he blended in
more with the crowd. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear that this heat was
turned up on purpose.”

“Why?”
Vivienne asked.

“It sort of
drives homes the point that Cayuga Cove is going to hell in a hand basket,
doesn’t it?” Joshua gave her a little smile.

Looking around
inside the tent, Vivienne was actually quite impressed with how much detail was
put into the event. The front area had a large stage erected, much like the one
used for the Independence Day celebration in town that held the Cayuga Cove
Rag-Time Band. It was elevated about four feet off the ground and provided a
good view from the folding chairs that were setup on area rug-sized mats that
provided a more stable option over the semi-frozen brown grass underfoot.

The first two
rows were cordoned off with signs reminding everyone that the area was reserved
for the mobility-impaired, infirm, and/or special needs patrons. A low-grade
ramp had been installed on the right side of the stage to allow those who could
not use stairs to gain access to the stage so Pastor Kilpatrick could perform
his faith healing.

High above the
stage, Vivienne watch a quartet of workers, dressed all in black, working on
the theatrical lighting rig. They adjusted spotlights, taking care to
illuminate various details that would be used during the program. A large
cross, looking to be made of acrylic, glowed softly from the center rear area.
It changed color about every minute, gradually shifting from one spring-colored
hue to another, thanks to a sophisticated lighting system. It was flanked on
both sides by a set of three-step risers which she assumed would soon display a
choir. The main altar area was decorated with all sorts of spring bulb flowers.
Vivienne inhaled the intoxicating scent of white lilies, yellow daffodils, and
lavender hyacinths, which did the trick of hiding the slightly mildew scent of
the tent from being kept in storage in the church basement.
 
Two large screens were fixed to poles at the
extreme sides of the stage where Vivienne guessed video footage was going to be
displayed.

From behind
their seats, she could hear a woman speaking to the tech crew members from her
post at the main control board. Vivienne turned slightly to get a better look
at her without drawing too much attention. She shifted slightly to the right,
using Joshua’s upper body as cover. The woman was stick thin, dressed in the
same monochrome black attire that the other crew were wearing. Her skin was
pale, and if she wore any makeup at all it was so natural it wasn’t apparent.
She wore a set of headphones over her dark-blond hair, which had been curled
into tight ringlets that dangled from her head like snakes on Medusa. Every now
and then, she would swing the small microphone that was attached to the right
headphone, away from her mouth and take a drink of bottled water between
barking orders. Quite a few times, she heard the woman use Seamus’ name, either
talking directly to him or referring to him. Vivienne found it a bit odd that
she didn’t address him by his title of Pastor. She wondered if this was due to
nerves of running a live program, but this being her first tent revival, she
had no frame of reference to call upon to compare.
 

Vivienne
wanted to tell both Joshua and Kathy the truth of why she was so insistent that
they come to the tent revival this evening. Yet she knew all too well that if
she confessed her plan to either, they would bombard her with questions and she
would miss the window of opportunity before her. Tonight was going to be the
perfect chance to get up close and personal with Pastor Seamus Kilpatrick. When
he opened the part of the program up where faith healings were to begin, she
was going to be in line to receive one. What better way to touch him and use
her special power to sift through his memory? It wasn’t always reliable, but
she seemed to have the best luck whenever strong emotions were involved. Given
the fervor she imagined happened during a tent revival, she didn’t think it
unreasonable to expect anything but stellar results with her magical talent.

Would she
discover that it was he who Mother Superior had briefly seen fleeing Our Lady
of the Lake? If it was, how did she intend to go about proving it to everyone
else? Although her power to see what had transpired through the eyes of others
was convenient for her amateur sleuthing, it wasn’t nearly as easy to use as
evidence to prove guilt or innocence. She had to rely on Joshua for that part,
using his knowledge of police procedure to help her bring the culprit to
justice.
 

“Vivienne?”
Kathy’s voice interrupted her train of thought.

“Sorry?”

Kathy glared
at her. “I said, I don’t see the guy we’re looking for here tonight. Why don’t
we just slip out now before the show starts?”

“No.” Vivienne
protested. “I mean, he could come in after it starts.”

“I’m with
Kathy on this one.” Joshua agreed. “It’s hot and I’m really not interested in
having my soul saved tonight.”

“Please.”
Vivienne reached out and grabbed each of their hands with hers. “Just trust me
on this.”

“What do you
know?” Joshua’s steel-blue eyes narrowed as he asked her the question.

“Nothing you
don’t.” Vivienne smiled back.

“Have you
started sleuthing on your own?” Kathy poked her a few times in the arm.

Vivienne was
about to speak when she was saved by the overhead lighting as it dimmed. A
woman’s voice, she assumed it was the tech woman with the tight ringlets behind
them, welcomed everyone and asked that no flash photography be allowed during
the event. Vivienne put her index finger up to her mouth and shushed them both
as the giant cross glowed a heavenly blue and a celestial chorus began to hum
from the speakers hung above the audience’s heads.

“Ladies and
Gentlemen, I would like to welcome you to witness the glory of His miracles and
the power of faith.” Pastor Seamus’ voice was smooth as glass. An upbeat gospel
song began to crescendo as a group of eighteen choir members clapped in tune
with the rhythm and assembled on the risers. Several sets of arms and hands
went into the air as the choir burst into song. The lighting pulsed with the
beat as it picked up in tempo and then Pastor Seamus Kilpatrick strutted out
from behind the giant cross and took his place at the center of the stage.
“Please welcome the Faithful Heart Choir from Syracuse.” He looked so different
from his normal conservative suit and tie. He was wearing a white suit that
practically glowed in the spotlight that was thrust upon him. He had a wireless
microphone in his left hand and a Bible in his right which he held at his side.

There were
shouts of “amen” and “halleluiah” as the choir swayed back and forth on the
risers, bringing the song to its conclusion. The audience rewarded the
theatrical-like opening with hearty applause which Pastor Kilpatrick
encouraged.

“It is so good
to see everyone here tonight in Cayuga Cove.” He addressed the crowd from the
stage. “Do you know what I see when I look out there tonight?” He paused for a
moment and then pointed with his Bible. “I see faithful prayer warriors who
have answered the call of spiritual warfare.”

Joshua folded
his arms across his chest. “Oh, please.” He mumbled.

Vivienne gave
him a poke as the people in front of them shifted uncomfortably in their seats
at his snide comment. “Honey, please. We’re here to blend in.”

Joshua nodded.
“Sorry.”

Seamus glanced
at the first rows of the audience. “Normally, I like to open with some stories
about how the Lord changed my life and saved me from a path of darkness and
depravity.” He paused for a moment and then turned to his immediate right. He
pointed with his Bible again. “Madam, I have heard of your struggles with
rheumatoid arthritis this winter and I’m here to tell you that the Lord can
cure that.” He smiled as he walked down the ramp toward the audience. “Do you
believe in miracles?”

“I do.” A weak
voice shouted out.

“I need you to
say it like you believe it.” He replied. “Can I get a hearty ‘amen’ from the
audience?”

“Amen.” The
crowd shouted back with fervor.

“You’re
right.” Kathy whispered to Vivienne. “This really is like live theater.”

Vivienne
looked up to the screens that had a video feed zooming in on the action taking
place in the front row.

Seamus was
helping an older woman dressed in a threadbare winter coat that looked as if it
would have trouble keeping out a light breeze. She held tight to her walker
with gnarled hands, as he paraded her to the center aisle. “What is your name,
ma’am?” He asked politely.

“Margie.” She
replied meekly as he thrust the microphone close to her face.

Seamus towered
over her in his white suit. “Margie, I had a vision this morning during my
prayers. I saw a set of hands very much like yours that had seen a lifetime of
work and suffering, unable to clasp together to pray.”

“Yes.” She
stammered. “I haven’t been able to do that in a long time.”

Seamus nodded
sympathetically. “And I’ll bet that you have had doctors tell you that there is
no hope. No cure for your ailment, haven’t you?”

“Back when I
could afford to go.” She replied. “I just can’t afford anything on my income
these days.”

Seamus dropped
down to his knees. “Margie, the Lord spoke to me this morning and said that he
would heal you using me as his vessel.” One of the tech crew, dressed all in
black, scurried over and took the microphone from his hand. The crew person
held it close enough to pick up the conversation as Seamus grabbed her hands in
his. “We’re going to change that now with the power of the Lord.”

“I would be so
grateful.” Margie began to sob.

“Pray with me,
brothers and sisters. Faithful prayer warriors, I ask you all to pray with me.”
He lowered his head and began to pray for her healing.

Most of the
audience followed suit, except for a few curious onlookers. Vivienne lowered
her head, but kept an eye on the monitor to see exactly what was going on.

“Do you think it’s
going to work?” Kathy whispered as she lowered her head.

“Keep a close
eye on what he’s doing, like a magician.” Vivienne whispered back.

“Right.” Kathy
returned her gaze to the screen.

“I can’t
believe they’re all falling for this.” Joshua spoke softly.

“Not everyone
is as strong as you when it comes to handling life.” Vivienne whispered back.
“Keep your eyes on him.”

“Oh, I am.”
Joshua replied as one of the people in front of them made a shushing sound.