Dead in the Family

Ke

“Where’s Da

“He had to work at his other job today,” Ke

The bar door slammed. “I’m here to protest!” yelled a woman who looked like anyone’s grandmother. She had a sign, and she hoisted it up. NO COHABITATION WITH ANIMALS, it read, and you could see that she’d written “cohabitation” while she looked at a dictionary; each letter was written with such care.

“Call the police first,” I told Ke

Our protester was wearing a blue and white blouse and red pants she’d probably gotten at Bealls or Stage. She had short permed hair dyed a reasonable brown and wore wire-rimmed glasses and a modest wedding ring on her arthritic fingers. Despite this completely average exterior, I could feel her thoughts burning with the fire of a zealot.

“Ma’am, you need to take yourself outside. This building is privately owned,” I said, having no idea if this was a good line to take or not. We’d never had anyone protesting before.

“But it’s a public business. Anyone can come inside,” she said, as if she were the authority.

Not any more than I was. “No, not if Sam doesn’t want them in here, and as his representative, I’m telling you to leave.”

“You’re not Sam Merlotte, or his wife. You’re that girl who dates a vampire,” she said venomously.

“I am Sam’s right-hand person at this bar,” I lied, “and I’m telling you to get out, or I’ll put you out.”

“You lay one finger on me, and I’ll call the law on you,” she said, jerking her head.

Rage flared up in me. I really, really don’t like threats.

“Ke

“I’m all for it.” Ke

“I am. I was really mad at him, and at the moment I’m pretty pissed off at you,” Ke

The older woman’s courage broke, and she scuttled out, remembering at the last moment to keep her head up and her back straight since she was one of God’s soldiers. I got that direct from her head.

Catfish clapped for Ke

“Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea,” I breathed. There were at least thirty protesters in the parking lot. Most of them were middle-aged, but I spotted a few teenagers who should have been in school, and I recognized a couple of guys who I knew to be in their early twenties. I sort of recognized most of the crowd. They attended a “charismatic” church in Clarice, a church that was growing by leaps and bounds (if construction was any indicator). The last time I’d driven by when I was going to have physical therapy with JB, a new activities building had been going up.

I wished they were being active there, where they belonged, rather than here. Just as I was about to do something idiotic (like going out in the parking lot), two Bon Temps police cars pulled up, lights flashing. Kevin and Kenya got out. Kevin was ski

Kevin approached the chanting group with apparent confidence. I couldn’t hear what he said, but they all turned to face him and began talking all at once. He held up his hands to pat the air in a “back off and get quiet” gesture, and Kenya circled around to come up behind the group.

“Maybe we should go out there?” Ke

Ke

Antoine came out of the kitchen and stood by me. He looked at the scene for a long moment. “I didn’t have nothing to do with it,” he said.

“I never thought you did,” I said, surprised. Antoine relaxed, even inside his head. “This is some crazy church action,” I said. “They’re picketing Merlotte’s because Sam is two-natured. But the woman who came in here, she was pretty aware of me and she knew Ke

“Sam’ll go broke if this keeps up,” Ke

“Ke

She looked at me sharply to make sure I was sincere. She gave me a quick nod. Then she looked out the window again and said, “Uh-oh.” Da

Da

As he strode toward the door, I said, “I think my mouth is watering.” Ke

“Yeah, he looks pretty good,” she said, trying to sound offhand. We both laughed.

But then disaster struck. One of the protesters, angry at being shooed away from Merlotte’s, brought his sign down on the hood of the LeBaron. At the sound Da