"No." "Sofie." "I'm sorry, I thought I saw someone come in here." "No, just you and me." "I wonder, my dear, if you would mind terribly doing me a favor?" "What?" "There's a loose thread on the back of my collar." "It's driving me mad." " Do you see it?" " No." "Careful." "There." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "What would I do without you?" " Sofie?" " Yes?" "You really should have knocked." "I had him dead to rights!" "There was half a dozen goons who would have caught him on the porch." "I had him!" "Listen, kid, it ain't just the preacher." "It's a whole bunch of them." "And not just the ones toting shotguns." "You kill him, they're likely to go ape." " That ain't my problem." " It is if they set on you." "And they will, like a pack of hungry dogs." "I don't care!" "As long as he's dead." " What the hell is it with you people?" " What do you mean?" "You know what I mean." "Management, you, Jesus, John the Baptist, the whole bunch of you!" "All fired up to throw your lives away." " They did what they had to do." " Hogwash." "You think the Lord had to die to make his point?" "What if when they said, "Come on down from that cross"... old Jesus just come on down and spit right in their eye?" "What harm would that have done?" "That's about the dumbest thing I ever heard." "No, it ain't!" "The dumbest thing is dying when you ain't got to." "Dying, just 'cause you're piss-poor at living." " That ain't true!" " It is true and you know it." "And I'll tell you something else that's true." "When it comes to livin', dying is the easy part." "What about Sofie?" "What about her?" "Even if you did manage to kill him what do you suppose would happen then?" "They'd set on you, and she'd be in the thick of it trying to stop them." "You ain't seen her." "She's all full up and goo-goo eyed with the Lord." " She's still one of us." " No, she ain't!" "Now she's living at his house." "She was baptized by the son of a bitch." "He called her his treasure!" "His goddamn treasure!" "I don't care what he called her." "I know that girl since she was knee-high, and I know what she'd do." "And it ain't standing by watching while one of her own gets killed." "Not without dying herself to stop it." "He's right, kid." "Come on." "What about his brace?" "No need for that." "They already know." "A lot of us... we was wrong about you." "After what you did for Jones..." "You're a good boy, Ben Hawkins." "Does that look like justice to you?" "Why don't you dry up?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "He's out there with them, isn't he?" "With the carnival." "He's one of them." " Who?" " The boy, Ben, your friend." "I didn't say he was my friend." "Something more, perhaps?" "I said I knew him." "That's all." "You were with them, too, weren't you?" "You're one of them." "Not anymore." "Why do you continue to deceive yourself?" "Can you not see that you are a prisoner of your past?" "Only I can set you free from this bondage." "It is time to choose, Sofie." "You must choose... them or me." "Tell me!" "Go to hell." "Go?" "Why?" "I plan on bringing it here." "Think about it, kid." "A million rubes following that clown, on what?" "A bunch of pretty words." "Meanwhile, you're the real deal." "They get a gander at what you can do, they'll flock to you, just like in Tipton." " A healing tent." " Damn right!" "Benjamin St. John!" "Beat that black-hearted bastard at his own game." "Show them rollers what's what." "And you want to do that with a bunch of fake healings?" "Who said anything about fake?" " I can't do that." " Yes, you can." "I've seen what you done." "Not just with Jonesy, with that kid after the Ferris wheel collapsed." "You seen how it worked?" "I seen he was deader than Dillinger, his mama begging for his life." "And you just looked at him... and he come back." " That ain't what you saw." " The hell it ain't." "I took that woman's life." "I gave it to her son." " What difference does that make?" " It makes all the difference in the world." "I can't conjure up a healing from scratch." "It don't work that way." "All I do is move life." "Move it from one body to another." "So... you heal someone..." "I got to hurt someone else." "Welcome aboard, Brother Justin." "Jonesy locks him in, fires her up, and spins him around." "Meanwhile, you commence to healing." "You do to that preacher just what you done to that woman." "Tap him dry." "He's trapped in there." "Got no place to go." "Poor Brother Justin." "Must have had a bad ticker or something." "Not a mark on him." "Natural causes." "They'll be weeping and wailing, pounding their chests and whatnot." "One thing they won't be doing is blaming us." "We pack it up, shake dust, pretty as you please." "That might work." "Kid, it's perfection." "There's still Sofie." "We'll find her." "You can mark it." "This setup is neat as a bandbox." " Agreed?" " What if the preacher don't want a ride?" "You leave that one to me, kid." "Would you stop squirming, woman?" "Shut up!" "Mama?" "Get to work, you vagrant." " There you are." " Here I am." "Been looking all over for you." "What's wrong?" " Nothing." " Lib." " Nothing." " Lib." " I can't." " Can't what?" "I can't do this." "I can't keep being this way." " What way?" " No, I'm not gonna talk about it." "It's just going to go bad and that's at best." "So just quit picking at me." " This is about Sofie, ain't it?" " God damn it!" " What the hell is so funny?" " Nothing." "It's just... that's the first time I ever guessed what's on a woman's mind and got it right." " I'm glad you got me all figured out." " I do!" "I do, and that's a great thing!" " That I'm boring?" " No, that..." "I always know where I stand with you." "And you..." "You ain't boring." "You're a lot of things but boring ain't one of them." " Are you still sweet on her?" " No." " You love me?" " Yes, I do." "You better." "Norman." "What if you hadn't found us that night out on the road?" "Do you think things would be different now?" "I thought I was in service to God." "I thought we were children of God." "I wish I had made better decisions." "But they're all mine." "The children and Eleanor." "Sins like that." "Black sins." "Those are beyond redemption, you know?" "When I die, I'm going to hell." "And if I'm very fortunate... my brother will be waiting for me with an embrace." "I'll be right back." "Good day, Miss Iris." "We come about the honorarium." "Of course." "Won't you come in?" " Nice to meet you." " Howdy, ma'am." "Hello." "Poor bastard." "Here we are." "$250, the amount we agreed upon." " Thank you, ma'am." " No, thank you." "You have no idea how excited everyone..." " Iris?" " Justin." " You didn't tell me that we had guests." " I didn't know you were home." "These are the people from the carnival." "Are they?" "We was just thanking your sister for her generosity." " Yes, indeed." " It's for the children." "Of course." "I must say, it is an honor to finally meet you, Reverend." "Thank you." "We've been listening to you on the radio." "I don't mind saying, you've been an inspiration to the lot of us." "You know, in a way, you and me in the same business." "Is that a fact, Mister..." "Samson's the name." "Yes, sir, it is." "Brother Varlyn." "We have visitors." "Well, I'll be damned." "I believe we've met on the road." "You remember Sabina from the Daily Brothers' Circus?" "Recently defunct." "Really?" "That's too bad." "I rather enjoyed them." "My goodness." "You know each other." "What an amazing coincidence." " Small world." " Yes." "Getting smaller all the time." "In fact, we have a maid that you might be acquainted with." "A lovely girl named Sofie." "Doesn't ring a bell." "I hate to run, but we've got a show to put on." "Much obliged, ma'am." "Goodbye." "I almost forgot." "Rollo?" "Two free tickets to ride Colossus... the biggest and best traveling Ferris wheel on any circuit west of the Pecos." "Reverend, we'd be honored if you and Miss Iris would give it a whirl." "Reverend, we'd be honored if you and Miss Iris would give it a whirl." " I couldn't possibly." " Now, come now, Iris." "It's just a child's ride." "My sister has a dread fear of heights." " Of course, I would..." " Rollo." "My apologies, Miss Iris." "I did not mean to upset you." "Good day, Reverend." "Samson, what the hell are you doing?" "He was about to take them tickets." " I just made sure he insists on them." " And how is that?" "Snips and snails, my dear." "He knows that she's one of us?" "He pretty much hung a banner on it." "Shit." "And you didn't see her at the house?" "Maybe she was running errands, come back after you all left." "I put Osgood up to watch the road." "She ain't been up there." "If she's in that damn Hooverville, she's a needle in a haystack, you do know that?" " Jeez, Jones." "It ain't my fault!" " I ain't saying it was!" "Shut up, the both of you." "I'm trying to think." "He's probably got her stashed away someplace, playing her like a hole card." "It won't work, though." "Son of a bitch will be dead before he gets to play it." "So what do we do?" " Forget about her." " What?" " The hell!" " For now!" "We just follow through with the plan." "Once the shouting's over, then we track her down, bring her back in... scrape gravel." " I don't like it." " You think I do?" "What if she's dead?" "If she's dead... then God help them all in this valley." "Every single last one of them." "Let me out of here!" "Somebody help me!" "Somebody help me!" "Somebody let me out of here!" "Open the door, Apollonia." "What are you doing here?" "I told you to leave me alone." "Let me in!" "Justin, stop!" "No!" "Tell me!" "Every prophet in her house." "Every prophet in her house." "It can't be her." "What are you doing?" "Stop!" "Mama." "No!" "Please." "This is your house." "Evening." "Sorry about this." "We gotta take care of our own." "Can't very well leave the boy high and dry, after what he done for Jones." "Still..." "Felix wanted us to put on long johns under our costumes." "Call it "The Dance of Salome," or some such Biblical horseshit." "He's just scared." "I am, too." " What's this?" " That's the nut." "$250." "I can't take it." "We've got to take care of our own." " I don't like it." " What's not to like?" "An evening of games and frivolity will do us all a world of good." "You know what I'm saying." "It's a goddamn setup." "Of course it is." "Stay here." "Let me and the boys go down there after they go dark..." " burn those fuckers to the ground." " No." " Iris and I must ride the Ferris wheel." " But it's a trap!" "It's the only way to flush him out!" "Please." "Don't do this." "Varlyn." "My brother." "You who have suffered so much for my sake." "You are my rod and my staff." "You must have faith." "Pain is an unavoidable side effect." "Now, the people in these towns, they're asleep." "All day, at work, at home, they're sleepwalkers." "We wake them up." "We wake them up." "Reverend, I'm so pleased that you could come down this evening." "We are so glad that you and your troupe... have brought such joy to the faithful brethren." "Being that there's so many women and children present..." "I was wondering if your men would mind leaving the weapons in the vehicles." "Sorry, microbe, no can do." "We've already had one attempt on the Reverend's life." "I read in the papers, it was this codger in the wheelchair took a shot at him." "You ain't packing iron there, are you, fellow?" "No, of course not." "Justin, he's right." " Guns should not be among the children." " Forget it." "No." "My sister is quite right, Varlyn." "Please ask your men to leave their weapons in the trucks." "You heard the Reverend." "Good?" "Now that that's settled, I think my sister and I... would like to take a turn in your Ferris wheel." "I don't..." "Yes, Sister Iris has always been quite frightened of heights." "But tonight, she insists on overcoming that fear... inspired by the courageous brethren... and the many fears that they have faced and overcome in these desperate times." "What a prick." "Welcome aboard, Brother Justin." "Thank you." "Okay, boys." "Step right up, brothers and sisters!" "Step right up and witness the amazing Benjamin St. John!" "Open your eyes." "It's glorious!" "Don't do that." "Benjamin St. John!" "Thou shalt be strong." "Welcome, brothers and sisters... to the Benjamin St. John Traveling Crusade and Revival!" "My name is Brother Lazarus Dubois..." " and I stand before you, living testimony..." " That's enough." "My Lord, brothers and sisters!" "Here he is." " The Right Reverend..." " Enough." "Benjamin St. John." "Turn that music off." "Okay, which ones of you all need a healing?" "What's wrong with you?" "He's deaf." "He's been stone-deaf since he were born." "Justin, what is it?" "What?" "Please!" "Thank you." " What's wrong with you?" " She got the TB in her lungs." "Alexi." "Help!" "Alexi!" "Stop!" "Someone, please!" "Please stop!" "Go on." "You can breathe now." "It's gone!" "It's all gone!" " Stop the damn wheel!" " Easy there, pal." "Please, somebody, please!" "Be still!" "See to the girl." "Hawkins!" "The whole thing's gone in the crapper, kid!" "Run!" " What?" " Run!" "There you are!" "I have come to judge thee and thine abomination." "Run." "They know that I am the Lord's left hand... and have come to reap what thine enemy has sown!" "For I shall not spare thee, neither shall I have pity on thee!" "And thy abomination will be in thy midst!" "The power of Christ compels you!" "Behold, the holy evil is come." "Look at you, boy." "Such a sad mess." "So young." "Sofie." "She's waiting for you." "A dark heart dwells where branches meet." "I'll be quick." "You will not suffer." "My kingdom come!" "Plunge thee... deep!" "Sofie?" "Sofie, it's me, Jonesy." "Are you okay?" "Hold on." "Don't move." "Let's get you out of here." "Come on." "Watch your step." "Shit." "The keys." "Sofie?" "Don't!" "He's alive!" "We've got to go." "Not without him." "Honey." "See, all those people out there, there's thousands of them." "They all followed that preacher." "By God, when they find out what Ben Hawkins done..." "We can't stay." "You know what I bet?" "By God, you know what?" "I bet old Jonesy already headed out." "He's probably waiting for us up on down the road." " You think?" " Hell, yeah." "Hell, he's a resourceful fellow." "Jonesy smells trouble a mile away." "Come on, kiddo." "Any luck?" "Drive." "We can't just..." "I said drive."