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After church, the guests gathered in the undercroft for lunch. Daniel was nowhere to be seen, so people weren’t shy about talking about him, not that they necessarily would’ve been had he been there.
“How is he doing it?” Annie asked Fred.
“Dunno,” Fred answered, his mouth full of pudding.
“I don’t think he is doing it. I think it’s God,” Joyce said.
“Yeah, well, someone should figure out how to make some money off the kid. None of us would be homeless anymore,” Annie said.
“How would you make money off him? Harmony maybe. But you?”
Harmony heard her name, and her head snapped around. “What are you saying?”
“Nothing,” Fred answered.
“No. What? Tell me!” she demanded. Their silence and shameful looks answered her question. “Good grief, you creeps. Leave him alone. He’s just a kid.” She turned her back to them.
“He’s a freak,” someone muttered under his breath.
She wheeled back around to face the gossipers. “You’re just jealous,” she spat. “You’re jealous of his faith. The kid believes, OK? He believes God can do this stuff, so God does. It’s that simple.” She slammed her tray down on the table beside them, her food untouched, and stomped out of the room and up the stairs.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Annie asked, “Think I could take her pudding cup?”
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On Wednesday night, Galen, Maggie, and the kids were at home, enjoying a peaceful supper. Galen and Maggie had decided that, since Chris had taken over Wednesday Bible studies, Wednesdays would be reserved for family time. Galen had already promised a game of rummy after the dishes were done.
As Galen was helping himself to another scoop of mashed potatoes, his cell rang. Maggie gave him a dirty look, but he answered it anyway. He listened to the caller for about five seconds and then stood up and turned on the television.
Maggie followed.
Galen turned to Channel 5, and the local news appeared on the screen. And there was Melanie, looking even more disheveled than usual, with a microphone in front of her. “Fraud? No, cuss not. The kid ain’t no fraud. Nobody could fake that.”
A pretty reporter retrieved the microphone. “Thank you,” she said to Melanie, and then to the camera, “This is Lindsey Michaels reporting live from Open Door Church in Mattawooptock.”
“What on earth was that?” Maggie asked.
Galen still had the phone up to his ear. “What came before that?” he asked. He listened, looking sickly as he did, and then he nodded. “OK, then. Thanks for calling ... yep. Bye.”
Maggie’s eyes were wide. “Well?”
“Apparently, that woman, the one who had MS? Well, she isn’t healed. So she’s telling the world that Daniel’s a fraud.”
“What’s going to happen to Daniel, Daddy?” Isaiah asked, with the same wide eyes as his mother.
“Nothing, honey. Absolutely nothing is going to happen to Daniel. I’ll make sure of it. Daniel just tries to help people. And sometimes, well, people aren’t always grateful.”
“But Daniel said to her, ‘Hey, this might not work,’” Maggie said defensively.
“I know, I know,” Galen said, taking Maggie in his arms. He kissed the top of her head. “This is no big deal, really, just annoying.”
“Oh, I’m annoyed all right,” Maggie mumbled into his shoulder. “The kid heals the multitudes, and the news could care less, but let one woman complain, and they’re all over it.”
Galen chuckled. “Yep,” he said, and let go of his wife. “So I say the best thing we can do right now is to finish our supper.”
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Friday afternoon, Pete strolled back into church and into the office as if nothing had happened.
“Can I check in again, ma’am?” he asked Maggie.
Maggie looked up, smiled at her friend, and then got up to give him a hug. “Welcome home, Pete! We’ve missed you.”
“How’d you get out?” Tiny asked, without getting up.
“Nice to see you too,” Pete said to Tiny. Then he gave Maggie a small smile, and she returned it, as if they shared a secret. “Well, Tiny, an anonymous friend posted my bail.”
“Well, good,” Maggie said quickly, and returned to her seat. “Glad to have you back. Did you ever find your glasses?”
“Sure didn’t. Can’t see a thing. So, what have I missed around here?”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “Good grief, a lot.”
Tiny took a deep breath. “The kid keeps healing people, everybody keeps getting drunk, Randy has a whole bunch of weed under his mattress, Annie and Fred hooked up, Ellyn got an apartment, and our new pastor hates homeless people.”
Pete laughed. “Well then, I guess I’m just about caught up. Thanks, Tiny. So whose new truck is in the parking lot?”
Maggie raised an eyebrow. “No idea. I haven’t seen any new faces today.”
“No,” Pete said. “Not a truck that’s new to our parking lot. I mean a brand spankin’ new truck. I’m not that blind. Still has ten-day plates. Must’ve cost forty grand.”
Maggie shook her head. “I can’t imagine,” she said dismissively.
“Well, it says ‘Open Door Homeless Shelter’ on the side of it. Does that give you any clue?” Pete asked.
“What? Isn’t that a little ironic? A new truck with homeless painted on the side? Are you sure?”
Pete looked annoyed. “Yes, I walked right up to it so I could read it!”
Just then, Elder Phil walked in. Another man they didn’t know trailed behind him. “Did you get a new truck?” Tiny asked Phil.
Maggie stifled a giggle.
“No,” Phil said, obviously irked. “That’s Pastor Chris’s truck. We had to get him something reliable to take to Massachusetts.” Phil turned his attention to Maggie. “Maggie, this gentleman will be installing an air conditioner in Chris’s office. Can you please help him if he needs anything?”
“Sure,” Maggie forced.
Phil strode across the office and opened the door to Pastor’s inner sanctum. The air conditioner man stepped inside.
Phil turned back to Maggie. “Can you tell me how to find Harmony?”
“Uh ...” Maggie seemed unsure how to answer.
So Pete did. “If she’s here, she’s probably in the hens’ wing, but I wouldn’t go down there if I were you.”
Maggie looked at Tiny. “Would you mind?”
Tiny jumped up. “I’ll go get her.”
Maggie looked at Phil. “If she’s here, he’ll find her. Would you like to have a seat?”
Phil looked at Pete and then back at Maggie. He looked incredibly uncomfortable. “No, thanks. I’ll wait in Chris’s office,” he said, and walked by them both.
The air conditioner man stepped out for a minute and returned with a dolly pushing a large unmarked cardboard box.
“Who installs an air conditioner in the fall in Maine?” Pete asked, incredulous.
Maggie just shrugged.
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By the time Tiny brought Harmony back to the office, Maggie was off trying to find some laundry soap. So she missed the fireworks. When she returned, Harmony was sitting in Maggie’s chair crying, and Tiny was standing over her looking awkward and helpless.
“What happened?” Maggie asked.
“They kicked us out!” Harmony said through clenched teeth. She looked equally heartbroken and furious.
Maggie knelt in front of her longtime friend and looked her in the eye. “Who kicked who out?”
“They,” Harmony repeated as if that said it all. “The pastor, the elders, they have decided that me and Daniel have to leave.”
“What? Why?”
“They said Daniel isn’t good for the church, isn’t good for the image of the church or something. They said he’s not really a healer, and they can’t be liable for the claims he’s made to be one.”
Maggie scrunched up her face. “But I don’t think he has made any claims, has he?”
“Of course not. It’s all a bunch of bull. Phil just used a bunch of big words to try to confuse me. He said it all with a smile on his face, like that was going to fool me or something. I hate them.” Harmony reached past Maggie’s arm to grab a tissue. Then she wiped her eyes, smearing mascara and black eyeliner in every direction. She blew her nose into the blackened tissue. “I’m going to kill them,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Shh, don’t say that, honey,” Maggie said, standing up. “Go get your things. I’ll take you to my place. We’ll figure this out. They can’t just kick you out.”
“They can do whatever they want to, and if you take me to your house, your husband is going to freak.”
“No he won’t. He’ll understand.”
Harmony looked doubtful.
“Just go get your things. Get Daniel.”
Harmony went.
“Should I go with her?” Tiny asked.
“Yeah, that might be a good idea,” Maggie said, “though I’m not sure who you’d be protecting, her, or the elders.”
“The elder left,” he said.
“OK then. Sure, go give her a hand. She might need help lugging her stuff.”
Tiny disappeared. Maggie dialed Chris’s cell number. It went straight to voicemail. “Hi, Chris,” Maggie said with ample snark. “This is Maggie calling from the church. There seems to be some confusion. Can you please call me back and help me clear it up?” She recited her cell number and the church phone too, though he should have long known both those numbers.
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Maggie went in first.
Galen had his head under a hood. He looked up when he heard the door shut behind her. “Oh, hey,” he said, coming around the Dodge Dart and walking toward her. “You’re home early.” He gave her a peck on the lips. “Everything OK?”
“Sort of. The good news is Pete’s back, but he seems to know exactly who his anonymous friend is. The bad news is, he still doesn’t have any glasses.”
“Oh shoot, I kind of forgot about that.”
“Yeah, me too,” Maggie admitted.
“I suppose we could get him some new ones.”
“Good grief, Pete’s expensive,” Maggie said, half-joking.
“It’s OK. This car here,” he nodded at the car beside him, “needs a lot of work, so that will bring in some cash, and we can put the electric bill off another week.”
“OK, but it’s going to be hard to fix cars without electricity.”
“Oh bosh,” Galen said and started to get back to work. Then he paused and looked at his wife, who was still standing there awkwardly. “There’s more bad news, isn’t there?”
She stood there staring at him as if she was trying to decide what to say. “So Harmony and Daniel are out in the car.”
Galen glanced through the window, even though he couldn’t see the car from where they were standing. “They are, huh? Why?”
“Well, they just sorta got kicked out of the shelter.”
Galen looked at her, his mouth open and eyes wide.
“But it’s only temporary. We’ll figure it out. I’ve already called Chris, and—”
“What’s only temporary? Maggie, what did you tell them?”
Maggie took a deep breath. “This isn’t just anyone, Galen. This is Harmony and Daniel we’re talking about. My best friend. Our boys’ best friend. And it might only be for one night. It might not even be overnight. I just needed someplace to bring them, so they would feel safe and loved while we figure this out.”
Galen took a step back from his wife and leaned back on the Dodge. He crossed his arms. “Honey, it’s not like I don’t love them. But we’ve been over this. We have to have boundaries. We do not live at that church. We live here. We have to put our family first.”
“Galen, these people are our family.”
Galen stared out the window again, his arms still crossed. Maggie shifted her weight from side to side, waiting.
“Why’d they get kicked out?” he asked without looking at her.
“Apparently they said Daniel was bad for the church. Something about liability.”
He looked at her. “You’re kidding.”
She shook her head.
Finally, he dropped his arms and walked back toward the front of the car. “Fine. But tell them it’s only for one night. She can take the couch. Daniel can sleep in the boy’s room. We’ll tell the boys it’s a sleepover. Do not drag them into this.”
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That night they made popcorn and watched Facing the Giants. All three boys fell asleep before it was over, and Galen dutifully carried each of them to bed. Maggie tucked Harmony in on the couch and then climbed into bed and waited for Galen. He didn’t take long to join her. When he did, she snuggled up to him and laid her head on his chest.
“They can’t stay here,” he whispered, stroking her hair.
“I know,” she whispered back and closed her eyes. She was almost asleep when she added, “Thank you.”
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Several hours later, Maggie woke up and picked up her phone from its charging pad on the nightstand. It was just after one in the morning. She turned and looked at the other side of the bed. It was empty. She untangled herself from her blankets and got out of bed.
The kitchen light was on, and was spilling a thin shaft of light into the bedroom. She followed the light and found Galen sitting at the table, hunched over an open Bible. When he saw her coming, he closed the Bible with a discouraged sigh and leaned back in his chair, causing his back to pop like bubble wrap.
She walked over to him and stopped behind his chair. She began to massage his shoulders and neck, and asked, “Can’t sleep?”
He sighed again. “I feel like there’s no time to sleep. I need to do something. I need to fix this. I just don’t know how. And God won’t tell me.”
Maggie was silent as she absorbed his words. Then she wordlessly leaned over him and opened his Bible back up. “Just keep listening,” she whispered in his ear.
He smiled. “Sure, sure.” He closed his eyes and rubbed them.
“Maybe you should sleep on it. Come back to bed.”
“I just don’t understand how everything has gone so wrong so fast,” he said, completely ignoring her suggestion. “God has been protecting the place all these years, and then Dan dies and the devil takes over? Does that make sense to you?” he asked without looking at her.
She didn’t answer.
He paused for a beat and then continued. “I get that Dan was special, but he was just a man. I mean, what did he do to keep the house standing?”
Maggie stopped rubbing and perched on the edge of the kitchen table. She looked at her husband’s tired face. “I honestly don’t know. Maybe the shelter has run its course. Maybe God has accomplished what he wanted to accomplish there.”
“And what about Pete? Annie? Tiny? What about Daniel? Look, I can’t have Harmony and Daniel living in my house. I love them, but this is my home. This is not a homeless shelter. I have to put my family first.”
Maggie didn’t respond at first. She just sat there looking at her hands. Galen was quiet too, lost in thought. And Harmony was awake, on the couch, waiting to hear what came next.
“We can’t just throw them out,” Maggie said.
“I know, honey. But they can’t stay here either.”
Suddenly, a faint smile appeared on Maggie’s face.
“Why on earth are you smiling?” Galen asked, sounding more exhausted than critical.
Her smile grew. “Sorry, I was just thinking about Pastor Dan. Gosh, I loved him. Maybe it was easier for him because he didn’t have his own children to worry about, to protect. I can just picture him out there in the morning, his hands up in the air, not caring at all what anyone thought—just him and God.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You know, in the morning, when he would pray. He would always keep his hands in the air.”
Galen was quiet.
She looked up at him.
“Still don’t know what you’re talking about. Praying where?”
“You know, in the morning. First thing, before he even had his coffee, he would go out and walk the perimeter, around the whole property, praying for protection, praying for favor, praying for God’s will, and whatever needs we had at the time. And he always kept his hands pointed toward heaven.”
“I didn’t know that.”
She looked back down at her hands again. Her smile faded. “Yeah, I used to think it so strange when I first got there, but now, I just wish I could see it again. It was ... beautiful.”
Galen stood up suddenly. The sound of the chair scraping across the floor as he pushed it back sounded incredibly loud in the nighttime quiet. He headed toward the door.
“What are you doing?”
He opened the door.
“I’m going to go walk around the church and pray. With my hands in the air.”
“Now?” Maggie asked, incredulous.
“Yep.”
“It’s pitch black out there!”
“I’ll wear a headlamp.”
