True Believer Part 16

As they walked, people quieted and moved off to the side, like the Red Sea parting for Moses. Others stared with wide eyes or craned their necks to get a better view. People oohed and aahed, whispering aloud that it must be him. him.

"I can't tell you how glad we are that you finally made it," Mayor Gherkin said, speaking from the corner of his mouth and continuing to smile to the crowd. "For a minute there, I was beginning to worry."

"Maybe we should wait for Lexie," Jeremy answered, trying to keep his cheeks from turning red. This whole thing, especially being escorted by the mayor like a prom queen, was just a little bit too too small-town America, not to mention a little on the weird side. small-town America, not to mention a little on the weird side.

"I've already spoken to her, and she'll meet us there."

"And where's that?"

"Why, you're going to meet the rest of the town council, of course. You've already met Jed and Tully and the folks I introduced you to this morning, but there are a few others. And the county commissioners, too. Like me, they're mighty impressed with your visit here. Mighty impressed. And don't worry-they've got all their ghost stories ready. You brought your tape recorder, right?"

"It's in my pocket."

"Good, good. Glad to hear it. And . . ." For the first time, he turned from the crowd to look at Jeremy. "I take it you are heading out to the cemetery tonight . . ."

"I was, and speaking of that, I wanted to make sure-"

The mayor kept on going as if he hadn't heard him, while nodding and waving to the crowd. "Well, as the mayor, I feel it's my obligation to tell you not to worry none about meeting those ghosts. Oh, they're a sight, of course. Enough to startle an elephant into fainting. But so far, no one's ever been hurt, except for Bobby Lee Howard, and ramming into that road sign afterward had less to do with what he saw than the fact that he'd finished a twelve-pack of Pabst before he got behind the wheel."

"Ah," Jeremy said, beginning to mimic the mayor by nodding and waving. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

Lexie was waiting for him when he met the town council, and he breathed a sigh of relief when she moved to his side as he was introduced to the town's power elite. Most were friendly enough-although Jed stood frowning with his arms crossed-but he couldn't help watching Lexie from the corner of his eye. She seemed distracted, and he wondered what had happened between her and Rodney.

Jeremy didn't have a chance to find out, or even relax, for the next three hours, as the rest of the evening was akin to an old-fas.h.i.+oned political convention. After his meeting with the council-each and every one of them, Jed excluded, seemed to have been prepped by the mayor and promised "it could be the biggest story ever" and reminded him that "tourism is important to the town"-Jeremy was brought to the stage, which had been festooned with a banner proclaiming, WELCOME JEREMY MARSH WELCOME JEREMY MARs.h.!.+

Technically, it wasn't a stage, but a long wooden table topped with a s.h.i.+ny purple tablecloth. Jeremy had to use a chair to step up onto it, as did Gherkin, only to confront a sea of strange faces gazing up at him. Once the crowd quieted, the mayor made a long-winded speech praising Jeremy for his professionalism and honesty as if they'd known each other for years. Additionally, Gherkin not only mentioned the Primetime Live Primetime Live appearance-which elicited the familiar smiles and nods, as well as a few more oohs and aahs-but a number of well-received articles he'd written, including a piece he'd done for the appearance-which elicited the familiar smiles and nods, as well as a few more oohs and aahs-but a number of well-received articles he'd written, including a piece he'd done for the Atlantic Monthly Atlantic Monthly concerning biological weapons research at Fort Detrick. As much as he sometimes came off as a goofball, Jeremy thought, the man had done his homework and definitely knew how to flatter. At the end of the speech, Jeremy was presented with a key to the city, and the Mahi-Mahis-who were standing on another table along an adjacent wall-broke in and sang three songs: "Carolina in My Mind," "New York, New York," and, perhaps most appropriate, the theme from concerning biological weapons research at Fort Detrick. As much as he sometimes came off as a goofball, Jeremy thought, the man had done his homework and definitely knew how to flatter. At the end of the speech, Jeremy was presented with a key to the city, and the Mahi-Mahis-who were standing on another table along an adjacent wall-broke in and sang three songs: "Carolina in My Mind," "New York, New York," and, perhaps most appropriate, the theme from Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters.

Surprisingly, the Mahi-Mahis weren't half-bad, even though he had no idea how they managed to get up on the table. The crowd loved them, and for an instant, Jeremy found himself smiling and actually enjoying himself. As he stood onstage, Lexie winked at him, which only made the whole thing seem more surreal.

From there, the mayor led him off to the corner, where he was seated in a comfortable antique chair set in front of an antique table. With his tape recorder running, Jeremy spent the rest of the evening listening to one story after another about encounters with the ghosts. The mayor had people line up, and they chatted excitedly while waiting their turn to meet him, as if he were giving autographs.

Unfortunately, most of the stories he heard began to run together. Everyone in line claimed to have seen the lights, but each one of them had a different description. Some swore they looked like people, others like strobe lights. One man said they looked exactly like a Halloween costume, right down to the sheet. The most original was from a guy named Joe, who said he'd seen the lights more than half a dozen times, and he spoke with authority when he said they looked exactly like the glowing Piggly Wiggly sign on Route 54 near Vanceboro.

At the same time, Lexie was always in the area talking to various people, and every now and then, their eyes would meet while both she and he were engaged in conversation with others. As if they were sharing a private joke, she would smile with raised eyebrows, her expression seeming to ask him, See what you've gotten yourself into? See what you've gotten yourself into?

Lexie, Jeremy reflected, wasn't like any of the women he'd recently dated. She didn't hide what she was thinking, she didn't try to impress him, nor was she swayed by anything he'd accomplished in the past. Instead, she seemed to evaluate him as he was today, right now, without holding either the past or the future against him.

It was, he realized, one of the reasons he'd married Maria. It wasn't simply the heady flush of emotions he'd felt when they first made love that had enthralled him-rather, it was the simple things that convinced him that she was the one. Her lack of pretense around others, the steely way she confronted him when he did something wrong, the patience with which she would listen to him as he paced around, struggling with a vexing problem. And though he and Lexie hadn't shared any of the daily nitty-gritty of life, he couldn't shake the thought that she'd be good at dealing with it, if that was what she wanted.

Jeremy realized she had a genuine affection for the people here, and she seemed to be truly interested in whatever it was they were saying. Her behavior suggested that she had no reason to rush or cut someone's conversation short, and she had no inhibitions about laughing aloud when something amused her. Every now and then, she'd lean in to hug someone, and pulling back, she'd reach for the person's hands and murmur something along the lines of "I'm so glad to see you again." That she didn't seem to think of herself as different, or even notice the fact that others obviously did, reminded Jeremy of an aunt who had always been the most popular person at holiday dinners, simply because she focused her attention so completely on others.

A few minutes later when he rose from the table to stretch his legs, Jeremy saw Lexie moving toward him, with just a trace of seduction in the gentle sway of her hips. And as he watched her, there was a moment, just a moment, when the scene seemed as if it weren't happening now, but taking place in the future, just another little get-together in a long procession of get-togethers in a tiny southern town in the middle of nowhere.

Ten.

As the evening drew to a close, Jeremy stood with Mayor Gherkin on the porch while Lexie and Doris stood off to the side.

"I sure do hope this evening met with your approval," Mayor Gherkin said, "and that you were able to see for yourself what a wonderful opportunity you have when it comes to this story."

"I did, thank you. But you didn't have to go to all this trouble," Jeremy protested.

"Nonsense," Gherkin replied. "Why, it's the least we can do. And besides, I wanted you to see what this town is capable of when it sets its mind to something. You can only imagine what we'd do for those television folks. Of course, you'll get a little bit more of the town's flavor this weekend, too. The small-town atmosphere, the feeling of traveling back in time as you walk through the homes. It's like nothing you can imagine."

"I have no doubt about that," Jeremy said.

Gherkin smiled. "Well, listen, I have a few things to take care of inside. A mayor's duty never ends, you know."

"I understand," he said. "And thanks for this, by the way," Jeremy said, raising the key to the city.

"Oh, you're very welcome. You deserve it." He reached for Jeremy's hand. "But don't get any funny ideas. It's not like you can open the bank vault with it. It's more of a symbolic gesture."

Jeremy smiled as Gherkin pumped his hand. After Gherkin vanished inside, Doris and Lexie approached Jeremy, smirks on their faces. Despite that, Jeremy couldn't help but notice that Doris looked exhausted.

"L-I-B," Doris said.

"What?" Jeremy asked.

"You and your city slicker ways."

"Excuse me?"

"It's just that you should have heard the way some of these folks were talking about you," Doris teased. "I just feel lucky that I can say I knew you way back when."

Jeremy smiled, looking sheepish. "It was a little crazy, wasn't it?"

"I'll say," Doris said. "My Bible study group talked all night about how handsome you are. A couple of them wanted to bring you home, but fortunately, I was able to talk them out of it. And besides, I don't think their husbands would have been too thrilled."

"I appreciate that."

"Did you get enough to eat? I think I can rustle up some food if you're hungry."

"No, I'm fine. Thanks."

"You sure? Your night's really just beginning, isn't it?"

"I'll be okay," he a.s.sured her. In the silence, he looked around, noting that the fog had become even thicker. "But on that note, I suppose I should probably be going. I'd hate to miss my big chance at getting a whiff of the supernatural."

"Don't worry. You won't miss the lights," Doris said. "They don't come out until later, so you've still got a couple of hours." Surprising Jeremy, she leaned in and gave him a tired hug. "I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to meet everyone. It's not every stranger who's as good at listening as you are."

"No problem. I enjoyed it."

After Doris had released him, Jeremy turned his attention to Lexie, thinking that growing up with Doris must have been a lot like growing up with his own mother.

"You ready to go?"

Lexie nodded, but still hadn't said a word to him. Instead, she kissed Doris on the cheek, said she'd see her tomorrow, and a moment later, Jeremy and Lexie were walking to the car, the gravel crunching softly beneath their feet. She seemed to be staring into the distance but seeing nothing at all. After a few steps in silence, Jeremy gently nudged her shoulder with his.

"You okay? You're sort of quiet."

She shook her head, coming back to him. "I'm just thinking about Doris. Tonight really tired her out, and even though I probably shouldn't, I worry about her."

"She seemed fine."

"Yeah, she puts up a good front. But she's got to learn to take it easier. She had a heart attack a couple of years ago, but she likes to pretend it never happened. And after this, she has a big weekend, too."

Jeremy wasn't quite sure what to say; the thought that Doris was anything but healthy had never entered his mind.

Lexie noticed his discomfort and smiled. "But she did enjoy herself, that's for sure. We both had the chance to talk to a lot of people that we haven't seen in a while."

"I thought everyone here saw everyone else all the time."

"We do. But people are busy, and it's not often that you have more than a few minutes to chat between errands. Tonight was nice, though." She glanced toward him. "And Doris was right. People loved loved you." you."

She sounded almost shocked by the admission, and Jeremy pushed his hands into his pockets.

"Well, you shouldn't have been surprised. I am very lovable, you know."

She rolled her eyes, looking more playful than annoyed. Behind them, the house was receding into the distance as they rounded the hedge.

"Hey, I know it's none of my business, but how did it go with Rodney?"

She hesitated before finally shrugging. "You're right. It is none of your business."

He looked for a smile but saw none. "Well, the only reason I asked was because I was wondering whether you think it might be a good idea if I sneak out of town under the cover of darkness so he doesn't have the chance to crush my head with his bare hands."

That brought a smile. "You'll be fine. And besides, you'd break the mayor's heart if you left. Not every visitor gets a party like this or a key to the city."

"It's the first one I've ever received. Usually, I just get hate mail."

She laughed, the sound melodic. In the moonlight, her features were unreadable, and he thought back to how animated she had been among the townspeople.

Reaching the car, he opened the door for her. As she climbed in, she brushed against him slightly, and he wondered if she did so in response to the way he'd nudged her, or if she even noticed. After rounding the car, he slid behind the wheel, slipping the keys into the ignition but hesitating before starting the engine.

"What?" she asked.

"I was just thinking . . . ," he said, trailing off.

The words seemed to hang in the car and she nodded. "I thought I heard some squeaking."

"Funny. I was trying to say, I know it's getting late, but would you like to come with me to the cemetery?"

"In case you get scared?"

"Something like that."

She peeked at her watch, thinking, Oh, boy . . .

She shouldn't go. She really shouldn't. She'd already opened the door by coming with him tonight, and to spend the next couple of hours alone with him would open the door even further. She knew that nothing good could come of that, and there wasn't a single reason to say yes. But before she could stop herself, the words were already coming.

"I'd have to swing by the house first to change into something more comfortable."

"That's fine," he said. "I'm all for you changing into something more comfortable."

"I'll bet you are," she said knowingly.

"Now, don't start getting fresh," he said, feigning offense. "I don't think we know each other well enough for that."

"That's my line," she said.

"I thought I'd heard it somewhere."

"Well, get your own material next time. And just so you know, I don't want you getting any funny ideas about tonight, either."

"I have no funny ideas. I'm completely devoid of humor."

"You know what I meant."

"No," he said, trying to look innocent. "What did you mean?"

"Just drive, will you? Or I'll change my mind."

"Okay, okay," he said, turning the key. "Gee, you can be pushy sometimes."

"Thank you. I've been told it's one of my better qualities."

"By whom?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

The Taurus rolled along the foggy streets, the yellow streetlamps only making the night seem murkier. As soon as they pulled into her drive, she opened her door.

"Wait here," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll only be a few minutes."

He smiled, liking the fact she was nervous.

"Do you need my key to the city to open your door? I'd be happy to lend it to you."

"Now, don't start thinking you're special, Mr. Marsh. My mother got a key to the city, too."

"Are we back to 'Mr. Marsh' again? And here I thought we were getting along just fine."

"And I'm beginning to think this evening has gone to your head."