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.“The bar doesn’t get much business at this time, and the front street is deserted.”The two then explained to Wilma why they had come there in the first place.She listened attentively but skeptically, perhaps wondering why these two white men wanted to help her and her son.She kept staring at Father Poole’s white collar, and after it sank in that this was indeed a man of God and that he meant it when he said he wanted to help, her skepticism was allayed.However, she was still not ready to give her son up to strangers.“I do wants my boy safe, but my husband gonna be powerful angry wit’ me when he fin’ out I gave our son to y’all.”Arthur Nichols was about to respond, but Father Poole spoke first.“Mrs.Hodges, it will be fine so long as you tell your husband that you know nothing of Jonas’s whereabouts.He’ll assume that the boy ran away.You convince him not to go to the authorities.Tell him that if he does they will ask many questions, such as why he thinks Jonas would want to run away.Remind your husband that, if the police get involved and do find Jonas, they’ll see the scars and his ear.”Wilma Hodges reflected on all that she heard.“It true.My man gonna kill both me and Jonas, he ever find this out.” A tear dropped down her right cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut.“You a holy man.You swear to God you keep my boy safe? That you look afta him?”“I swear.”“You swear to God?”“Yes, I swear to God.” Father Poole took her hands in his, squeezed them tightly, and added, “I give you my word.Your boy will be safe.I’ll care for him as I would any child of the Lord.”With a heavy heart Wilma consented to the plan and slowly kissed the priest on the cheek, leaving her lips pressed against his face for several seconds as if she wanted him to know how much he meant to her at that moment.Because it was dark outside, and the streets were clear of people and traffic, it was easy for them to get away unnoticed.Jonas ran to his mother and hugged her.She held him tight, her face contorted as if in agony.“You gots to be strong, son,” she said.“These be good men you goin’ wit’.They gonna take good care o’ you.”She then kissed him on the mouth and hugged him around his neck tightly.When he jerked in pain, she remembered Ezra’s assault on the boy.The two men took Jonas and left quickly.Wilma stayed behind in the alley, collapsed on her knees in despair and realizing that things were never going to be the same again.She knew that she was going to have a lot to explain, and she didn’t know whether she’d be able to pull it off.She knew that Ezra would never rest until he found his boy, found out who took him, and when he did there’d be hell to pay.She went back inside the bar, where Ezra and Heathcliff were still unconscious.Standing next to Heathcliff, Wilma noticed something sticking out of his coat pocket.She bent down to get a better look.It was a gun.The petty thief had never had the money before Mr.Chandler’s largesse to buy himself a real weapon.Wilma took the gun from Heathcliff’s pocket and walked over to her husband.She pointed it at Ezra’s forehead and wrapped her finger around the trigger, squeezing slowly.“As you was gettin’ ready to hurt our boy wit’ dat poker,” she said, “I saw right den an’ dere da devil hisself in yo’ eyes.You ain’t never gonna hurt my baby again.”Just then Jacob Pease returned with a policeman.“FREEZE!” the officer shouted to Wilma.“DROP YOUR WEAPON, MA’M, AND STEP THIS WAY, SLOWLY AND WITH YOUR HANDS UP!”But Wilma Hodges didn’t flinch.Not when Pease and the policeman stormed into the bar, not when the cop screamed at her to put down the weapon, and not when Heathcliff’s gun went off, sending a bullet into Ezra Hodges’s brain.In fact, the only time Wilma Hodges did move came when the policeman fired his own gun, killing her instantly.Jonas seemed well enough to walk as the three of them reached the bottom of Holly Hill.The boy had a worried look on his face.They had heard two gunshots in the distance.Although none dared speculate who was doing the shooting, they all were thinking the same thing.It had to have come from the bar.They made it up the hill in six minutes.Jonas was more confused than ever.Was he going to stay here for the rest of his life? What were those gunshots? Where were his parents now? Were they safe? Would he be safe on this hill? Would his father be furious with him for leaving the family? All these questions haunted Jonas while trudging up “The Path to Salvation.”The three arrived at the rectory’s steps and were about to go up when suddenly Father Poole stopped.“Why are we stopping, Father?” asked Arthur Nichols.“I need to prepare Sister Ignatius for this.”“What shall we do with the boy?” asked Mr.Nichols.“I don’t think we should leave him out here in the cold.He needs to lie down.”“I know,” replied Father Poole.“Here, take this key in case Sister’s closed the house up for the night.”“What’s this for?”“It’s the key to the Benson house.Take Jonas up there and let him warm up on the living-room couch.It’ll buy me some time with Sister.”Arthur Nichols was worried now.“What if she makes a big fuss? I mean, do you know her to be prejudiced against Negroes?”Father Poole chuckled.“I don’t think his color will be as much of a problem as his sex.She, uhm, has a thing about the male sex.And the fact that I’m dumping two teenage boys on her in one day will be a shock.”As Arthur Nichols and Jonas Hodges headed toward the Benson house, the priest entered the rectory.He could hear laughter coming from the common room.From its threshold Father Poole watched Sister Ignatius lift Jessica up, almost turn her upside down, and then lift the child over her own head again.Watching the scene, Father Poole thought that he had made the right decision in letting the little girl stay there.The priest walked into the room with his hands dancing wildly in the air.“And how are the two of you doing this fine evening?” he asked.Sister Ignatius smiled at Jessica and spoke for her in a playful voice.“We’ve had our dinner, which you’ve missed, bad, bad Father Poole.”“Oh no!” he exclaimed with equal lightheartedness in his voice.“I guess I’ll have to wait till tomorrow morning’s breakfast, won’t I?”The nun gave Jessica to Father Poole, who hugged her tightly and kissed her on the forehead.He then sat her on his lap and frowned at Sister Ignatius.Her smile faded as soon as she noticed Phineas’s expression.“What is it?” she asked.“I need to ask for your indulgence once again, Sister.”“What’s wrong? Have you reconsidered our compromise?”“Well, no, not exactly.”“What do you mean? That’s no answer.”The priest got up and placed Jessica on the cushion of the couch where he had been sitting.He then paced the room, trying to think of a way to break the news [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]