Sixty-Five Roses by R. A. Williams

Author:R. A. Williams [Williams, R. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Two days later, Amari and Kevin had driven down to Reedley, a small town just over twenty miles southeast of Fresno. The farming community had proclaimed itself The World’s Fruit Basket. A family-owned pizza shop name Big Joe’s was in a strip mall alongside the main road into town. Amari and Kevin sat in a booth at the restaurant, sharing a double-cheese pizza with Mrs. Rutherford, who sat directly across from them. She had kindly agreed to meet with Amari and Kevin after church.

“At first, when Dr. Fisher asked if I would speak to you,” Mrs. Rutherford said, “I wanted nothing to do with it.” The pleasantly plump woman was pushing fifty, and with her red hair, she reminded Amari of Ms. Garret, the housemother on The Facts of Life television show.

“I know,” Amari said. “And I really appreciate this. We both do.”

“You were very persistent.”

“Tell me about it,” Kevin said. “She kept hounding me until I finally caved and agreed to marry her.”

Amari rolled her eyes. “Trust me, that’s not how it happened.” She squeezed Kevin’s knee just hard enough to get his attention. “Mrs. Rutherford doesn’t want to hear about our engagement. We’re here to ask about the faith healer, remember?” She turned her attention to Mrs. Rutherford. “Why don’t you tell me about Hannah? Is she still doing better?”

“Physically, better than ever,” Mrs. Rutherford replied. “She’s even gone back to playing tennis.”

“Wow, that is so amazing,” Amari said.

“God is good,” Mrs. Rutherford said. “That’s for sure.”

“He most certainly is,” Amari said. “So how is she . . . you know, mentally? Is she freaked out by the whole thing? I know I would be.”

“Of course, she is. Who wouldn’t be? She says she still can’t believe it really happened. And then there’s all the attention. You know, all this talk of the miracle child. Reedley is a small town, and news travels fast. Too fast, if you ask me. The worst thing that happened was while we were grocery shopping. Some old lady grabbed onto her arm and wouldn’t let go until my husband pried her fingers away. We called the police and everything. She acted like Hannah was Jesus or something—like touching her would heal her the same way Hannah was healed.”

“That’s terrible,” Amari said. “How desperate she must feel to do such a thing.”

“Kind of creepy if you think about it,” Kevin said.

“You’re right about that,” Mrs. Rutherford said. “Poor Hannah was terrified. The woman’s daughter was in the produce section when it happened. She was very sorry. She said her mom had dementia and had just seen Hannah on the news.”

“I can see why you kept Hannah at home today,” Amari said.

“And why I didn’t want to give out my home address to strangers,” Mrs. Rutherford replied. “But Dr. Fisher assured me you were a legitimate investigator. He said you work for The Rossi Foundation. You never charge anybody a dime.”

“That’s right,” Kevin said. “Our boss is actually a rich dude named Ernesto Galliano.

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