Willie Mitchell slammed the conference table and jumped to his feet. “Everyone, please, please be quiet. If this room does not come to order, I’m going to end the meeting right now.”
It was the Thursday after Hezekiah’s funeral. The five members of the board of trustees exhibited their frustrations by throwing pens onto the table, slamming notebooks, and rolling eyes in disgust. They had gathered to decide who would replace Hezekiah. Reverend Davis, Scarlet Shackelford, and Hattie Williams each spoke adamantly in favor of appointing Reverend Pryce. Reverend Mitchell and Rev. Larry Sullivan supported the appointment of Samantha Cleaveland as pastor.
Percy Pryce and Samantha did not attend the meeting. Samantha had already given Willie instructions not to adjourn the meeting until they appointed her as pastor. “Do whatever it takes, Willie. I’m counting on you.”
Willie wiped the sweat from his lip and went on. “Now, I’ll be the first one to agree that Percy has served this church well over the years, but, no disrespect to Reverend Percy, he is no leader. He never did anything around here without asking permission first. We need someone who can inspire us through this difficult time. We need someone who can take charge and show the world that New Testament Cathedral is here to stay. We need Reverend Samantha Cleaveland to stand in the pulpit as pastor and tell the world that New Testament is going to be all right.”
Scarlet Shackelford responded, “Samantha Cleaveland is in mourning. We need someone right now. There’s already talk of some people leaving. We can’t wait for Samantha to pull herself together. It takes time for a woman to get over the loss of a husband—”
“I spoke to Samantha before this meeting,” Willie interrupted, “and she said, if appointed, she would be prepared to assume the position immediately. You know she’s a strong woman.”
Reverend Davis jumped in. “Yes, but how will members react when they hear we’ve appointed a woman as pastor? Sorry, Sisters, but you know it’s the truth.”
“Come on, Reverend Davis,” said Larry Sullivan. “There are women pastors all over the country. And remember this isn’t just any woman. Samantha Cleaveland helped Hezekiah build this ministry. I think we owe it to Pastor’s memory to at least appoint her as interim pastor, and give her a chance.”
“Reverend Sullivan makes a good point.” The room fell silent as Hattie Williams spoke. “I admit I have concerns about Samantha Cleaveland, but this isn’t about her. It’s about the survival of New Testament. It’s about keeping people coming in those doors every Sunday. The church needs to regain some stability. And if that means putting another Cleaveland in the pulpit, then, I guess, I’m in favor of it.”
There was silence. Willie’s stomach muscles relaxed. He knew no one could resist the wisdom of Hattie Williams. Now that she was on his side, his battle was almost won.
Scarlet felt betrayed. She never imagined that Hattie would side with Samantha Cleaveland. She had seen the way the old woman looked at Samantha every time she saw her.
Willie broke the silence. “Scarlet, are you at least willing to support Samantha as interim pastor? We’ll all keep a close eye on her, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll find someone else.”
Scarlet did not speak.
Willie went on, “How about you, Reverend Davis? Are you willing to give her a chance? Remember, it’s for the church.”
Reverend Davis avoided looking into the red eyes of Reverend Mitchell. They had been there for almost four hours, and he was exhausted. He closed his folder and said, “I’ll agree only as interim pastor, and only if we review her performance every month.”
Willie slammed the table and said, “Good. I knew you’d do the right thing. Come on, Scarlet. You’re the last vote. This has to be unanimous.”
Scarlet searched the eyes of her fellow trustees. They all avoided her glance, except for Hattie.
Scarlet finally spoke. “All right. I’ll agree on one condition—that you appoint me as head of the committee in charge of her monthly evaluation, and finding her replacement.”
“Wait a minute, Scarlet. You’re getting ahead of the process. Let’s take this one step at a time—”
“No, she isn’t, Willie,” Hattie broke in. “Somebody has to do it, and I trust Scarlet. Appoint her the chair of the Evaluation and Search Committee and you have my vote.”
Signs of agreement were seen around the table. Relieved heads nodded yes and eye contact was made, again. Willie had no choice. “All right, then. It’s unanimous. Reverend Samantha Cleaveland is now interim pastor, and Scarlet Shackelford will head the Evaluation and Search Committee to find a permanent pastor if we, as a board, determine that Samantha is not suited to serve as permanent pastor. Meeting adjourned.”
He hit the table with his fist. Samantha would not be pleased, but he had done his best.
Samantha received the call just after nine o’clock that night. She’d been clutching her phone and chain-smoking cigarettes in her study.
“Samantha, you’re in, baby. It was unanimous. You’re the new interim pastor of New Testament Cathedral.”
After the word “interim” registered, Samantha spoke. “What do you mean, interim?”
Willie’s stomach churned. “It was the only way I could get Scarlet Shackelford and Hattie Williams to agree. They almost ruined it.”
“I knew you would screw it up.” Blood began rushing to her head. “Why did you let them get away with that?”
Willie’s voice began to shake. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. We can drag this out for years. Pretty soon they’ll forget it’s a temporary position.”
It was now time for Samantha to perform her final chore. Willie had been a bundle of nerves since the murder. She hoped now to give him the final push over the edge. She steadied herself and said, “Willie, I’ve been thinking. You’re the only person who can connect me to Hezekiah’s death, and that makes me nervous.”
“What are you talking about? I’m in this shit as deep as you are. Who the hell am I going to tell?”
“No, Willie, you don’t understand. I’m not involved in this ‘shit’ at all. As a matter of fact, I might make a call tomorrow to my friend Jack, the chief of police. I’m thinking of telling him I remembered an argument between you and Hezekiah in which you threatened to have him killed. After they start snooping around, it won’t take the police long to figure out that you murdered Virgil Jackson too.”
“Why are you saying this? You know I love you. I’ll never say anything to anyone.” Pain in his gut caused beads of sweat to form on his brow. The walls in his living room began to move closer around him. He gasped for breath, and managed to choke out, “You fucking bitch, I’ll kill you if…”
Samantha laughed. “Thank you, Willie. Now I can honestly tell Jack you threatened me too.”
“I’ll tell them everything,” Willie sputtered. “I’ll tell them you paid Virgil to kill him…that the whole thing was your idea.”
“You are as dumb as I thought. You forget, I never paid anyone anything. Besides, who would believe a fat, sweaty, good old country boy like you over me?”
Willie dropped the telephone and jolted to his feet. He kicked over the coffee table in a rage and began ransacking his living room. He then retrieved the phone from the floor and cursed aloud. “You fucking whore, how could you? I did all this for you and you threaten to fuck me over like this.”
Samantha listened calmly for a moment and said, “Willie, you sound upset. It’s late and I just lost my husband, so I’m going to bed. Good luck with your trial.”
Willie heard the dial tone and threw the phone across the room. His stomach convulsed as he continued the rampage. Pictures were knocked off walls, the television was tipped over, and lamps pulled from sockets and thrown to the floor. He violently lifted the sofa from the floor and saw the gun he had hidden there. He grabbed it and randomly fired a bullet into a mirror. The sound of the gun caused the room to spin around him. The pain in his gut made him drop to his knees. He tried to focus, but the walls only twirled faster.
The pain felt as though he had been kicked by a wild horse. He placed the gun between his sweating lips. The last bullet in the chamber went through the roof of his mouth and out the top of his head. It lodged in a wall, and the room suddenly stopped spinning.