WE SAT WITH PERCIVAL IN A PEW near the back of the church.
“I’ve not seen Allie lately,” Percival said. “Is she well?”
“She’s busy with Laurel Ostermueller,” Virgil said.
“Ah, yes, how tragic, the abduction, then her mother killing herself.”
“You fucking them,” Virgil said.
“If you came to be abusive,” Percival said, “then this conversation is over.”
“Believe you fucked Allie some, too.”
Percival rose to his feet.
“You’re appalling,” he said to Virgil.
“I am, for a fact,” Virgil said. “You got any plans to close Pike down?”
It was moving a little fast for Brother Percival. He shook his head slightly as if to clear it.
“Pike?” he said.
“Yeah. You planning on running him out like you done all the other saloon owners?” Virgil said.
“ ‘ Saloon owners,’ ” Percival said. “You say it as if it were ordinary. Every one of the sins that accumulated in those hell-holes that I closed has re-formed and erupted in Pike’s Palace. It is the ultimate cesspool of corruption, and it is poisoning the town.”
“That sound like yes to you, Everett?” Virgil said.
“Seems so to me,” I said.
“You think Pike gonna let you close him down?” Virgil said.
“An armed and muscular Christianity cannot be defeated,” Percival answered.
He always sounded to me like he was recycling his own sermons, which he probably was.
“I wouldn’t count too much on Choctaw,” Virgil said.
“I rely on my Father in heaven,” Percival said.
“Probably better than Choctaw,” Virgil said.
Percival looked down at us with contempt, dirtied as we were with mortality.
“Is there a purpose to this visit?” Percival said.
“Ain’t planning to prevent you doing what you going to do,” Virgil said. “Nor Pike from answering you back. You both got the right. But these things have a way of spillin’ over, and I don’t want that to happen.”
“What you want, Deputy,” Percival said, “what either of you wants, doesn’t matter, I am not governed by you and your laws. My allegiance is to a far greater power, and what He and I will do is not open to debate.”
“Well, Brother P.,” Virgil said. “What me and Everett want matters to us, and when it matters enough, we are pretty good at making it matter to other people. I want you to keep this thing between you and Pike between you and Pike.”
Percival stared down at Virgil without speaking.
“And,” Virgil said, “if things get outta hand, I’m gonna shoot you. Everett might shoot you, too.”
Percival continued to stare down at us. Then without a word he turned and stormed away down the center aisle of the church. Virgil and I watched him go.
“Think we scared him?” I said.
“ ’Fraid not,” Virgil said.
“Him or the Heavenly Father,” I said.
“Neither,” Virgil said.