“And be by myself out in the woods somewhere when he’s gone on a case. I couldn’t stand that, Miss Julia.”
“I know. I couldn’t, either, but I wouldn’t say anything to him right now. Be thinking, though, of all the reasons that moving would be a bad idea—just in case. And remember this, Binkie is still working on it. We’ve not exhausted all the legal aspects yet.”
“That’s about the only thing that keeps me going.”
“Well, let me get up from here,” I said, rising. “Ronnie is about due for another dose of his medicine, so we need to get home.”
We walked out into the side yard where at first I didn’t see Ronnie, although I saw his leash lying on the ground.
“Oh, my,” I said, thinking of having to tell Thurlow that I’d lost his dog. “Help me look for Ronnie, Hazel Marie. I might have to move out of town myself if I’ve let him get away.”
She walked around the stack of lumber, then said, “He’s over here, Miss Julia. Come look.”
I hurried around the pile of lumber to see Ronnie spread out full length on the grass on full alert, his eyes bright and shining as he watched every move that Mr. Pickens made. In fact, even as we watched, Ronnie inched a little closer as Mr. Pickens put another concrete block, heavily mudded, onto the post he was building.
“Hazel Marie,” I said, “I’ve always heard that dogs are attracted to children, but that is obviously a man’s dog. I think Mr. Pickens has just taken Thurlow’s place in Ronnie’s estimation.”
—
“Miss Julia? It’s Binkie.”
The phone had rung just as I’d walked into the kitchen the next morning, stopping me on my way to the coffeepot.
“Oh, good morning, Binkie. You’re at the office awfully early today.”
“Just wanted you to know that the zoning board sent a letter Friday to the board of the Homes for Teens. They should get it in the mail today. They’re being notified that their request for a permit to open a residential group home in that area has been denied. Their stated purpose doesn’t meet the legal requirements for that area.”
“Really? Oh, Binkie, that’s wonderful news! Thank you, thank you.” I was so relieved I had to sit down. “What do you think they’ll do now? I mean, can they ask for a waiver or something?”
“Sure, they can, and if they do, it will go to the county commissioners, who’ll hold a hearing. The neighbors will be notified by letter when the hearing will be held, and they can publicly register their opposition.”
“I want you to speak for me, Binkie, so if we get a letter about a hearing, you be ready. The zoning board’s feet should be held to the fire—I want them to stick to their original ruling.”
“I’ll stay on it,” she promised, and I hung up with joy in my heart—those people would move their homeless home and Hazel Marie and her family would not move anywhere.
—
It was later that same day that the phone rang again. Pastor Rucker wanted to know if I could meet with him and Madge that evening.
“I would be delighted to meet with you both,” I told him. The fact of the matter was that I couldn’t wait to hear Madge admit that the Homes for Teens board of directors had not done their homework. They had spent donated money on a house that did not and would not qualify for their planned use.
Actually, to tell the truth, I wanted to see Madge taken down several pegs, and I wanted an apology for being called immoral in the newspaper simply because I thought the zoning ordinances ought to be upheld. I knew I’d probably get neither, but I wasn’t above wanting a little recognition for being right. The town should thank me—who knew when another residential area would be invaded?
With that perfectly understandable feeling of justification, I set out to walk to the church after supper even though, this late in October, it was already dark. Lloyd had offered to walk over with me, but I knew he’d have to sit around and wait in Norma’s office.
“No, honey,” I’d said, “you have homework, and I’ll be all right. All the streetlights are on, and I’ll leave the porch light on.”
“Then take your cell phone,” he said, “and call me when you leave the church. I’ll wait on the porch and watch out for you.”
So I hurried across the street and into the church, eager to have it out with Madge and her sidekick, the pastor. I knocked lightly on the pastor’s office door, then turned the handle. Madge was already there, and it seemed to me that she had been there for some while. The room had the feel of a lot of talk between the two of them, which wouldn’t have surprised me one bit. That Homes for Teens group had been involved in underhanded activity from the very beginning.
“Ah, come in, Miss Julia.” Pastor Rucker stood and motioned me to the chair in front of his desk. Madge sat in a chair drawn up close to his, so that they were both facing me—like a board of inquisition. “We were just discussing this discouraging letter from the zoning board. Have you heard about it?”
“Yes, my attorney notified me today.”
“Oh, Julia,” Madge said, her voice dripping with false sympathy, “I’m so sorry you felt that you had to pay an attorney. We could’ve worked this out together.”
I put a steady gaze on Madge, letting her know that I was not intimidated by her overbearing reputation. She was a firmly packed woman—slightly pudgy, but not too much so—with a short, easily kept hairdo in need of color and wearing no-nonsense clothes, as if she were too burdened by the needs of others to see to herself.
What ran me up a wall, though, was the air of overweening confidence about her—as who wouldn’t have if
