Winter's Reckoning: A Novel

Chapter One

MADDIE

Her ancestors were healers. Mysterious, wise, noble. They championed their ideals and frequently stood accused for them. Some were legends.

She doubted such people still existed in 1917.

Madeline Fairbanks wished for a smidgen of her forbearers’ grit as she filled her medical bag. A man had been dispatched to retrieve her. His report was harrowing, an incident unheard of in their sleepy rural community.

They need you right now, Maddie. The bald man pranced in place as though he stood on hot coals. Gunshot injuries in town. I don’t know who done it.

Gunshot? How many are injured? Anyone dead?

Bloody mess for sure. Can’t say if anybody’s dead. He rubbed the peach fuzz on his shiny scalp. Minute I pulled up, everybody yelled to go get you.

Her mind spun as she prepared herself for the task ahead. The bumpy wagon ride seemed interminable. But when she was delivered to the scene, the butterflies in her stomach flew away, and she fought to suppress her giggles.

The deputy sheriff had shot himself in the foot in the general store of Jamesville, a town with one foot in the grave itself. Maddie lamented the state of the latter much more than the event of the former.

Deputy Henry perched on a bench in a back room, waving his bloody-footed appendage in the air like a flag on the Fourth of July.

Looks like the bullet went straight through, Maddie said. To hide her grin, she held her face close to the wound she inspected. Now how in the world did this happen? Bank robber shoot you?

She enjoyed antagonizing the young officer—there was no bank left in Jamesville.

Maddie doused the lesion with moonshine, and he cursed under his breath. She straightened, tugged at her wire-rimmed spectacles, and leaned back against the rough wooden wall of the dusty Southern Appalachian mercantile.

The tip of his holster was blown open, and gunpowder streaked down the right side of his jeans.

Did you shoot yourself in the foot with your own gun? She spoke loud enough to ensure the crowd gathering in the store heard.

He flared his nostrils and bunched up his mouth as though he might spit at her. A tan campaign hat propped on his belly rose, trembled, and fell with each ragged breath. She challenged him in silence with a gaze over her glasses as she shoved cotton batting into both sides of the wound and squeezed his forefoot tight between her hands.

In response, he placed his hat onto his head and pulled the strap taut. His eyes bulged when Maddie released the pressure to reveal the damage. Hemostasis was achieved, but the top of his foot gaped a thumb’s width. She could have stuck her pinky finger straight through—back to front—but didn’t want the large man to pass out onto the floor.

You’re lucky the bullet went in and out without breaking any bones or tearing any major vessels. Bullet’s gotta be lodged in the floor out there. She pointed toward the doorway, along a path of bloody footsteps.

He nodded and glanced sideways at his foot. His gaze ricocheted to the ceiling, and his face became as pale as the pile of faded newspapers stacked on the floor beside him.

Deputy, when I came through the store, I saw Renetta Morgan out there. She’s been my apprentice for a while now and is pretty good at tending wounds. Maddie clipped a string and re-threaded her needle. You lost a lot of blood waiting for me, when Miss Morgan was right here and could’ve done the job.

Ain’t no colored woman gonna tend my injury. He spoke through clenched teeth. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

Maddie’s toes curled in her boots, and she bit her tongue to keep a nasty retort from sliding off the tip of it.

She tied the last knot and opened a jar she pulled from her black leather bag. A spicy, warm aroma filled the room, covering the metallic odor of the blood. But not, Maddie noted, the rancid smell of his foot. She leaned to rifle through the stack of newspapers, flicking hair—prematurely gray at only forty-six—out of her eyes with a free hand.

Here it is. She extracted a page from the bottom of the pile and poured a whitish powder out of the jar into the paper. She twisted and wrapped it just so.

Deputy Henry leaned in.

A mixture of willow bark and ginger root for the pain. She ran her index finger along the words she had arranged to be seen on top of the packet. And this article is about the importance of education. After you take all the medication, you might read about the benefits a secondary school could provide the youngsters in our town.

He shut his eyes and wagged his head once.

You can read, can’t you, Deputy Henry? A bit of Boston Brahmin accent clung to her southern drawl.

’Course I can.

Of course you can. She smiled at him, batting wide eyes.

On her way out, she nodded a closed-lipped good day toward the general direction of the gawkers, most of whom jockeyed for position to get a peek at their sole law officer, disabled in the storeroom.

Of more interest to Maddie was the snaggletoothed old woman creaking back and forth on the rocker outside, muttering to herself.

No forks … all spoons and knives. All spoons and knives in the persimmons this year.

Maddie wrapped her woolen cardigan tightly across her chest. Gonna be a cold winter, you say?

It’ll cut like a knife. The old woman squinted toward the sky. Like that bone-chilling wind that ushered in the darkness last night.

CARL

Carl Howard rode into the lackluster town at dusk. The stores along Main Street were uniformly empty, and as he was losing hope for dinner, a flicker ahead caught his eye. The Jamesville Mercantile—as the sign proclaimed—leaked light from its windows and, as he realized upon pushing the swinging door, an enticing aroma of split pea soup wafted from a kettle on its potbellied stove.

Good evening. A middle-aged man in red suspenders greeted him from a table in the corner.

Carl nodded in the man’s direction. There was no one else, except a lone clerk behind the counter in the store.

Can I help you? the clerk called out.

Bowl of that soup will do it.

As Carl spoke with the clerk, another man entered the store, took one look at the suspendered one, and retraced his steps back to the door.

Tom Price, Red Suspenders called out. You’re the man I was looking for.

Yep? The man swiveled back around.

I hear the deacons are looking for a new pastor at Trinity?

Yes. He softened his stance. I’d hoped the tristate conference would send us a replacement, but it looks like they’ve abandoned us.

Too bad about Reverend Lawrence skipping town. That have anything to do with your Tuesday night boys’ club? Red Suspenders stood to face the man he called Tom, and Tom—taller by a head—spread himself wide.

Don’t know what you’re talking about, Evans.

Right. Evans scraped his chair back and stood to leave. An empty bowl on the table rattled as he rose. And how’s that wife of yours doing?

Too fat and sassy for my liking. Tom stepped to the counter to spit tobacco into a jaded copper spittoon. But I don’t guess there’s much I can do about that, is there?

Evans emitted a laugh that shook his belly and slapped Tom on the back as he walked out the door.

Tom still scowled after the man when Carl approached.

Tom Price? Carl held his hand out. Deacon at Trinity Church of Jamesville?

Yes, and you are …

Reverend Carl Howard. The tristate conference sent me to be your new pastor.

Carl strutted through the parsonage wearing nothing but a black clerical robe he found in the wardrobe. It was too long, and somewhat snug at the waist.

The previous pastor must have been tall and thin.

Through the kitchen window, he spied his stallion poking his huge head through the top of the stable gate. Carl opened the back door and leaned out.

Good morning, Zephyr! Looks like we were both lucky in the housing department this go-around, he shouted. Let me get settled in, then I’ll tend to you.

Shoulders shook in silent glee as he inspected the kitchen, the hearth room. He stopped to sit on each piece of furniture, peer into every ceramic crock, and open and shut all the doors.

Wagon wheels crunched in the distance, and he ran to the bedroom, shucking the robe onto the floor. He returned clothed, marched to the front door, and—after straightening his collar—stepped onto the porch as a wagon loaded with hay passed by. The driver, a thin man with a black handlebar mustache, never looked Carl’s way. Carl’s shoulders slumped.

Zephyr neighed, and Carl sprinted for the stable. Though barely forty, Carl sprinted for only a few things. His horse was one of them.

Well, look over here, you’ve a good supply of hay—some of it alfalfa. Carl found a pitchfork and served breakfast to his best friend.

While the horse munched, Carl cleaned and oiled the bridle and saddle. He curried the animal and brushed its mane and tail. After Zephyr had eaten all he wanted, Carl watered him and tacked him up for a ride to town.

The mercantile looked like a different place in the daylight. People swarmed like bees. Carl lined up at the counter reserved for the white folks and inventoried the crowd. A clerk was on hands and knees scrubbing at red streaks on the floor. Over in the colored line, a pretty young woman stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot. Her gaze met his, but when Carl nodded and smiled at her, she straightened up and looked away.

Second in line ahead of him, now at the counter, was Evans in his red suspenders and rolled up sleeves. He plopped his order over his shoulder like a tow sack. Carl smelled coffee beans when the man stopped to introduce himself.

I’m Randall Evans, the newspaper editor. The man stuck out a beefy hand. We’ve not properly met.

Reverend Carl Howard. He squeezed Randall’s hand harder than necessary. Will I be seeing you at church?

I’m not one of your followers. Catholic by raising. Thick brown locks of hair tumbled across his forehead. But I wish you the best, nonetheless. Many good people that I care an awful lot about worship there.

So, your newspaper leans away from the Protestants? The hair on Carl’s arms bristled.

He and Randall stood eye-to-eye. Carl gave the man’s hand another tug.

No, sir. Randall pulled back on the hand Carl had captured. It leans toward the truth. He freed his hand with a twist and said over his shoulder as he walked away, Whether it’s popular or not.

The store was quiet. Customers peered at Carl.

Good day, Mr. Evans. He strived for singsong nonchalance.

Carl brushed off his sleeves and perused the offerings in the store. The chatter in the room returned to its previous level of buzz.

Chalk on a blackboard proclaimed black-eyed peas and cornbread to be the offering of the day, and his stomach rumbled.

He figured after the coming Sunday, the church ladies would keep him fed. For now, the diner would suffice.

I’ll have one of those work coats and a pair of Levi Strauss’s denims, Carl said, when it was his turn at the counter. He stood back, arms and legs held out for inspection. Whatever size you think I need.

Medium … The clerk stroked his whiskers, looking from Carl’s head to his feet. Maybe large. Short in the length, for sure.

Carl rose onto his tiptoes.

New pastor, eh? The clerk wrapped Carl’s purchase in brown paper and tied it with string. Be with us long?

That’s up to the deacons, Carl said. But I’m certain they’ll be delighted with me. Many folks say I’m the best preacher they’ve ever seen.

Carl arrived at the church building at noon on time. Tom unlocked the door, and Carl marched up the stairs to the pulpit.

This’ll do mighty fine. He patted an old wooden lectern that hit him mid-chest. Now, Tom, what do these people need to be quaking in their boots about?

Excuse me? Tom’s face was blank as he tugged at his ear.

You’re the head deacon, no? Carl bent his elbows, palms open to the ceiling. Surely there are some issues that need to be tamed?

Hadn’t thought of it that way. Tom gave the first smile Carl had seen from him.

It was brief.

We’re a pretty low-key bunch of people. Most of us get along fine.

Surely somebody’s messing around with somebody else’s wife?

Nope. Tom cracked his knuckles and stared out a window.

Anyone thieving? Carl ran the edges of a red and gold parament through his fingertips. His eyes drooped as he drew air and touched the silken cloth to his cheek.

Tom shook his head and gazed at the tombstones outside.

Incest? Carl dropped the ornate fabric he caressed and twirled on his heels, inspecting his new domain.

Lord, who knows? Tom extended his long, thin fingers. I reckon this congregation’s not got any real big problems.

The sanctuary smelled of beeswax, old books, and decaying lilies that sagged in a glass vase full of murky water. Carl plodded down from his pulpit and settled into a pew, shielding his eyes from a ray of sunshine stippled with floating detritus. He pointed for Tom to sit.

You see, for us to be effective leaders, we need something to lead the people either toward or away from. What do they truly love; what are they most afraid of?

Tom did not sit.

I guess we like to keep it peaceful; every once in a while, the coloreds might get too uppity or the women a little bossy. He scratched his head. I’d say that’s mostly egged on by either Randall Evans or Maddie Fairbanks. But there ain’t ever any violence or anything like that.

Hmmm. Carl tapped his fingertips together. I’d like to meet with the deacons once a week.

Sure. Tom flipped the church key into Carl’s lap and strode toward the door. Wednesdays are best.

He’d forgotten all about Wednesday night services. Does Trinity have a midweek meeting? Carl straightened his spine, and his words became louder with each step Tom took away from him.

Not anymore. Deacons can meet Wednesday mornings. The door slammed behind him.

Whew. Carl wiped his forehead and slumped into a pew. He hadn’t preached a sermon in ten years.

MADDIE

After sewing up the deputy’s bullet-riddled foot, Maddie half-walked, half-sprinted the two miles back to her home in the valley. She shivered from a cold premonition in the September air while she mulled over the words of the old woman in the rocker.

A week before, everyone had been wiping summer sweat and fanning themselves. The day before, a bizarre wind blew in from the north, winter-like. Giddiness at the break in the heat gave way to haste to prepare when it became clear the meteorological turn of events was there to stay.

She snatched an abandoned pair of shears from the kitchen shelf and hurried out back to resume her race to harvest the fragile herbs before a frost beat her to it. She relied on the plants to make medicinal concoctions and couldn’t afford to lose any of them.

She carried a pile of parsley to the screened porch, returned, and started on a row of basil. A citrusy-sweet crispness tickled at her nose as she clipped stalks of the shoulder-high herb. Her green-stained fingers clutched at her floppy hat when the cold breeze picked up in spurts to race through the yellow hayfields of the valley.

The sun had long breached the peak of the sky before her rumbling tummy—and the scent of the basil—drew her back inside for a mid-afternoon meal. She sliced cucumbers, red onion, and tomatoes onto a plate, adding vinegar, oil, and a sprinkling of torn basil leaves.

The smile that appeared as she stuffed her mouth full disintegrated when a knock sounded at the front.

What now? Her jaw set, she stomped through the hearth room.

A man with a wide-based stance and arms crossed over his chest occupied the front porch. He cleared his throat like a traveling salesman expecting a commission.

Maddie looked by his feet—there were no brushes, household supplies, or a case full of samples. She tilted her head; his eyes shone with such confidence she thought to ask him in for tea.

Carl Howard. He thrust forth a ruddy hand. I’m the new pastor at Trinity Church, and, seeing as how I’ll be your neighbor, I thought we should meet.

Maddie Fairbanks.

She eyed a huge chestnut stallion tied to her porch post. A rush of cold wind pushed at the door, but Maddie resisted until it subsided. She clasped the proffered hand. He released it, stepped over the threshold, and squeezed himself past her.

I didn’t know we’d hired a new—

Is there a Mr. Fairbanks? He craned his thick neck, his ginger hair waving a salutation of sorts.

Flabbergasted, she opened and closed her mouth in silence, her eyebrows high on her forehead. By all means, do come inside. She spoke to his back as he roamed the room.

I see there’s a third house in Fairbanks Valley? He pointed through a window toward the large homeplace two miles north.

My daughter and her family live there. She changed her mind about offering him tea. The parsonage belongs to us, too. It’s loaned to the church.

So, Jamesville’s led by the Fairbanks family, eh?

Jamesville’s not much led by anyone these days. Maddie looked through the window toward the mountains in the distance and cautioned herself against telling the newcomer too much. My late husband was the last of his line.

Sounds like the area’s ripe for some fresh leadership.

Maddie’s face hardened. The corners of his lips reached toward his ears in a what looked like a faux smile until a whinny pierced the air. Carl Howard turned his head to the sound of the horse, and Maddie watched in amazement as his demeanor melted into one of kindness and happiness—a twinkle appeared in his eyes and he almost glowed.

I’m sorry I must so soon be on my way, Mrs. Fairbanks. He strode out and across the porch, never taking his eyes off his horse. I hope to see you Sunday. I’m planning a great sermon.

Maddie struggled against the ominous north wind to close the door behind him.

By the time Sunday arrived, Maddie had harvested a large portion of her herbs. Just in time because Jamesville awoke to a heavy frost blanketing the ground. Despite frigid gusts of air, a packed congregation filled Trinity Church. Only Deputy Henry was missing from his usual post by the door. Maddie never knew why he stood guard each Sunday—she guessed he liked to look important.

Morning, Florence, Maddie sang out as the deputy’s pregnant wife passed by without a glance. The woman had delivered all but her first without a midwife, and it was public knowledge she found no use for Maddie.

Gramma! Maddie’s granddaughter Hannah bounded into the pew and wrapped her arms around Maddie’s sturdy middle. You weren’t home when we came to get you. Were you someplace fun? A new baby, perhaps?

No place fun. Maddie’s voice was soft. Old Mr. Chalmers took his leave of this earth in the wee morning hours. I sat with him through the night.

Hannah nodded with a look of understanding beyond her ten years. They settled into the pine bench, itself worn smooth by decades of use. The rest of Hannah’s family filled out the row.

I can’t wait to get back to your house, Hannah said. We got the hog butchered and hung. Daddy says I can come back tomorrow. Or at least by Tuesday.

Good, I’ve been missing your help. Maddie smiled at her sidekick, then shushed her as the service began.

Repent, and you will be washed as white as snow. Reverend Howard boomed from the pulpit.

He mopped his pale, freckled forehead with a pale, freckled hand and waved a crumpled kerchief in the air like a banner when he spoke. His perch in the pulpit made him appear taller than Maddie remembered. He wasn’t what she would consider an attractive man, but he exuded a certain charisma.

She moved Hannah away to reposition herself for a better view. Most of the congregants sat with blank faces, but it did not escape her that a few were rapt with anticipation, their eyes fixed like buzzards awaiting the kill.

I’ve been called here to bring you back to the path of righteousness. He reared back his head. I understand that my predecessor was somewhat misguided as to the proper place of the women and our colored friends.

The hair on Maddie’s neck rose. Her cheeks warmed.

Lord, put the words of truth in his mouth. Forgive me for the hate in my heart. And Lord, forgive those ignorant deacons for they know not what …

She couldn’t find the grace within herself to finish the prayer. Maddie let her repentant eyes traipse over the parishioners as she tried to tune out the pastor.

His voice softened. She shifted her attention to him as he went in for the kill. … it is God’s will for the races to be separated.

The buzzards circled. Cold perspiration sprang up under Maddie’s arms. The congregants appeared like lambs being led to the slaughter.

She looked out at the cemetery, which stretched almost five acres beyond the little whitewashed church.

Her son lay rotting in that soil. Her husband as well.

Hundreds of white granite tombstones beckoned to her through the wavy glass windows, as though writhing for voice.

God, help us not to repeat the sins of our past.

How Reverend Howard ended the service, Maddie could not say.

His intent was clear: revive the fear of racial equality. Other fears would soon be stoked with the same vigor, placing a permanent dead-end sign in the already deteriorating road to progress.

She surveyed her three grandchildren, despairing her inability to safeguard their future.

What kind of life can they have, growing up with such ignorance, narrow-mindedness, and bigotry?

The congregation sang the hymn White as Snow as requested by the new pastor. His eyes flitted from face to singing face, settling on Maddie’s immobile one. She held his gaze, neither batting an eye nor moving her lips. After the last chorus, Maddie sent Hannah home with her family.

She clung to her woolen coat against the wind to visit her husband’s grave, away from the exiting congregation. She knelt on the cold ground, strong hands gripping the headstone, and grappled with the realization that unease had tiptoed into the community since her husband’s death.

Insidious.

A tiny crack in a big dam.

Looks like segregation is touted as the will of God now. She spoke to her dead husband as though they were carrying on a conversation. Who knows what’ll be next. Witch hunts?

She laughed aloud before widening her eyes and drawing a sharp breath. What do you suppose the church demagogues would do if they knew about the old box in my closet? She shuddered.

At that moment, a dark cloud appeared and hovered over her, startling her out of her reverie. She gazed upward and clenched the tombstone tighter. The pastor peered down at her, steepled fingertips in front of his rotund waist. Black clerical robes flapped and fluttered in the wind like a vulture taking flight.

Your loved one is eager for you to join him, Mrs. Fairbanks.

Maddie’s jaw slackened. Join him?

He clapped her on the back and grasped her elbow. Well … yes … yes, he …

He bent forward and nodded toward Maddie’s son-in-law, Tex, who peered at the two of them from the front of a wagon. The young man smiled and beckoned her with a wave. She blushed at her gaffe.

Oh—why, yes, he is, she sputtered. Thank you, Reverend Howard. I’d best be on my way. Maddie tucked her chin to her chest, leaving the speechless minister in her wake.

Huddled close to her daughter, Jane, for warmth, Maddie began a tirade once the wagon wheels turned.

Those narrow-minded, egotistical deacons are scared blind of anything the least bit out of the ordinary, or that they don’t understand, or that—God forbid—is different. They fired a jewel of a preacher who spoke the truth for years to replace him with a spineless puppet they deign to control.

Mother. Jane placed her hand over her chest. Whatever gave you such an absurd idea? I found Reverend Howard to be delightful. It seemed like everyone else did, too.

Most of the worshippers were earnest, I know, seeking a blessing on our poverty-stricken community. But a few were there on a mission to make sure the status quo was not shaken, racial lines were not crossed, and their perceptions of good and evil were not challenged. Maddie wadded fistfuls of the fabric from their skirts that pooled on the wagon bench between them.

You are such a pot stirrer. Jane reclaimed her skirt tail and whispered, You embarrass me—going to the men’s meetings with your requests for a secondary school, intermingling in public with the coloreds. Now this.

This what?

"Harping on the church. I’m surprised you didn’t take vocal dissent with the