Page 94 of Gideon

“Helping people in practical ways is the easy part, but I have no idea how to stop that man from hurting this town more. We’re on our own.”

“I’m afraid to say I haven’t come with a plan, but I do have a first step.”

“You do?”

“It’s been on my mind since I said I didn’t know what to do.”

“You mean when you said you were leaving?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t listening very well, but now that I’m hanging around to do what I can, I decided I’d better start paying attention.”

“That’s great. Do I get to know?”

“I’m going back to Fairfax’s place.”

“And doing what?”

“I don’t know. I told you I only have the first step.”

“Wow. When you said first, you really meant first.” They both laughed, but it was full of tension. “Okay, Fairfax’s place it is. But I’m coming too.”

“I know.”

“That’s it? You’re not going to argue?”

“Would it make any difference?”

“No.”

“I may not have known you for a lot of years, but I’ve known you long enough. It will be easier to keep an eye on you if I know where you are at all times.”

“I’m glad you finally realized there is no point arguing with me. When do you want to go?”

“Tonight. But I need your advice.”

“Sure.”

“Do think I should let the people here know what’s happening?”

“You’re afraid you can’t trust some of them?”

“Partly that and partly I don’t expect everyone to take my limited plan as well as you have.”

“You should tell them. They’ll want to know. They’re ready for anything.”

“Should I go up to the front now, or…”

“Yeah. Get up on the stage and shout. They’ll pay attention.”

The smile he gave her had a touch of a troublemaking smirk that made her face heat. With all the stress of the last twenty-four hours, the sense of fun was a strange elixir of relief.

“Can I have your attention?” Gideon boomed from the stage. The sounds in the room died into a low murmur. “Tonight, I’m going to Fairfax’s farm to have a look around. I’m not sure what to expect, but I’d like a few of you to come along if you can. This is your town more than it is mine, and I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea what I’m doing.” He cleared his throat and looked at Nikki, who nodded reassurance. “I realize that probably doesn’t instill a lot of confidence, but I want to be honest with all of you. I’m relying on God as much as anyone. He’s the one in charge here, not me. If you aren’t confident in me or if you believe I’m way off track, then please don’t come along. It’s not required, and each of us has to do what we feel is right. So, whatever you think God is saying to you, I have to trust you as much as I’m trusting Him with what He’s given me.But if you believe this is a way you’d like to help, you’re invited to be a part of it. Whatever ‘it’ is.”

A young man nearby put his hand up. “Are you going there to fight?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to damage any more property, but I know for a fact that there are innocent people being held basically captive on his farm.” He found Isabel in the crowd and nodded to her. “I want to help them if I can. But I want to be straight with all of you. We will be breaking some laws, and if I felt that contacting law enforcement to have them do this would fix the problem, that is what I would do. But we’re on our own out here. Sheriff Peters has ordered me to leave town, and the mayor has made threats against my life. If I’m caught, I don’t know what will happen, and I can’t promise you will be safe if you’re found with me. If you want to come, but you’re not comfortable being a part of whatever’s next, that’s good as well. We could use some of you on the outskirts praying for the rest of us. And of course, those of you who don’t come at all can be praying. Either way, I’ll meet here after dark, and we’ll head out. Any questions, feel free to ask.”

The room erupted in response.

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