“At first, maybe. Some for good. But we put on a good show, better than most, and give good value for the money. Most will come back. And remember, we’re not just exploiting people. Every member of the company is a Christian. What we’re doing is as good as putting Bibles in hotel rooms, and maybe more useful.”
“Maybe,” Dave muttered bitterly. “Maybe not.”
They left the rear of the building and walked around the block back to their car in the bright sunshine. Neither of them spoke. Kathy shifted her Bible under one arm so she could wipe tears from her eyes.
When they reached the car, they stood next to it indecisively. Dave didn’t know what he wanted to do. Kathy fumbled a tissue out of her purse.
As she moved, her Bible jumped to the sidewalk, falling open. When Dave bent down and picked it up, his eye fell on the passage right over his thumb, Matthew twenty-four, verse five; on impulse, he read it out loud. “ ‘For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.’ ”
Kathy looked at him in surprise. “You mean it just happened to fall open to that?”
Dave ignored the wonder in her voice; he was in no mood to interpret religion at the moment. “We got suck-ered, all right. We came here to see an Unholy Ghost.” He gently closed the Bible and handed it back to her.
“Davey? What are you going to do about Trippy?”
Dave looked at his sister, feeling a grim new independence.
“We’ll decide what’s best for Trippy. Laura and me. We’ll decide.”