Chapter 3

7:00 PM Wednesday: Right on time I stop in the road in front of Cheri’s house and beeped the horn like she asked. I noticed there was another car in her driveway, an old Chevy. A minute later she came running out. "You may regret doing this," she said, gasping for air as she climbed in.

"It was your idea," I replied, and put the car in motion.

She laughed. "I don’t mean going to the prayer meeting. I mean giving me the ride." She took a deep breath, straightened around in her seat, and tried to look stern. "It’s my duty to get you to church."

"Why should I regret the ride?"

"Well, I sort of tend to gossip a bit, or so my husband says." She laughed again. "So unless you mean to leave me, I’ll be awhile."

"I waved it off. "You might not believe it, but I like a juicy bit of gossip myself," I reassured her. "Do you think your friends would mind if I sat in?"

She hesitated. "Well, I don’t see why they should," she admitted reluctantly, then smiled. "After all, you won’t even know who we’re talking about!"

I matched her smile. "If the gossip is good, that hardly matters, does it?"