The Devil in Pew Number Seven by Rebecca Nichols Alonzo; Rebecca Nichols Alonzo

Author:Rebecca Nichols Alonzo; Rebecca Nichols Alonzo
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781414338293
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2010-10-03T14:06:23.101000+00:00

Mr. Watts, Roger Williams, and Charles “Wayne” Tedder were huddled in the house directly across the street from the parsonage. The phone from which the call had been made sat on the table between them. Mr. Watts, the owner of the residence, had asked Roger to make the call and insisted that Roger cover the mouthpiece with a handkerchief as he spoke. Wayne watched as Roger did as he was told.

Wayne, like Roger, was another one of Mr. Watts’s brute squad who took frequent trips on the wrong side of the law. Much of Wayne’s life had been a cocktail of bad judgments and even worse behavior, mixed with a history of pill popping and heavy alcohol consumption. Wayne was willing to do whatever Mr. Watts required, primarily due to his own indebtedness to the man.

Like a wayward fly, Wayne was stuck in Mr. Watts’s web with little chance of escape, and he knew it. At one point Wayne privately confessed to Roger, his cohort in crime, a desire to stop taking orders from Mr. Watts, saying, “I’ve just got to get out47 of it. My nerves won’t take any more.”

After the call was finished, Mr. Watts retrieved the handkerchief, tucked it into his pocket, and then withdrew a twenty-dollar bill. Even though it was payment for services rendered, when Mr. Watts “asked” for something to be done, Roger knew Mr. Watts was not the sort of man to be crossed. The last thing Roger needed was to be in his crosshairs. Handing the cash to Roger, Mr. Watts said, “You’re a good ole boy,48 and we’re going to get along just fine.”

Mr. Watts, like a seasoned military commander in the heat of the battle, was directing a private war against the young Navy veteran turned pastor. This call was just the latest maneuver to provoke and unsettle us. All that was left for Mr. Watts to do was to watch. And wait.

And, if necessary, strike again.

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