Jason Deas - Benny James 02 - Pushed Read Online Free Page B

declared. “I thought you would probably know where he’s run off and gone.”
    “Bendy in bad, bad trouble. Red worried about Bendy.”
    “What did he do?” Ned asked confused.
    “He not doing nothing. What somebody be doing to him be the bad, bad way to treat a peoples.”
    “Oh,” Ned said, utterly confused. Thankfully, from his experiences with Red he knew if he let him keep talking it would all eventually make sense.
    “When me and Bendy throwing strings into water and pulling out fishes, Vernon come on dock looking like he poop he pants and tell Bendy that Reverend Jim need to do some talking with him for money.”
    “Oh, I see,” Ned said, nodding his head up and down with understanding. “Reverend Jim has hired Benny to help with the case of finding his son, Brother Jim.”
    “That be what I just say,” Red shot back, looking at Ned like he was thick.
    “You certainly did,” Ned conceded. “Well, is there anything you need?”
    “Nope,” Red said. “You need something from Red.”
    Ned was not sure if this was a question or a statement.
    Thankfully, Red finished his thought and said, “You need a bag of vegables from Red garden.”
    “I would love a bag of vegetables.”
    As Red walked the garden and filled a brown paper bag with vegetables for Ned, Galaxie followed. Ned watched with wonder. Red talked with her the entire way around the garden and showed her some of the vegetables he picked. At one point, they both stopped simultaneously and looked up. Three crows flew over, and Red dropped the brown bag. Red didn’t move and Galaxie hissed and mewed as if she was injured. Red’s face paled and his hands trembled. After a full minute, Red picked up the bag and walked over to Ned.
    “Did you seeing that?” Red asked Ned.
    “The crows?”
    “Three in crows equal gray news.”
    “Where did you hear that?”
    “I don’t heared it, I knowed it,” Red answered. “Mama always scared of crows and call thems black angels. Daddy say not to be scare until they come in threes. I see three sitting on he tractor the day before he dead. I didn’t believe. Now, Red believe.”
    “So, what do you think it means?” Ned asked.
    “I don’t thinking, I knowing,” Red said seriously. “The black angels be flying south. Bendy south in Florida. Bendy in trouble.”
     

Chapter 5
     
    Reverend Jim’s mega church sat atop the highest point in Coldwater County, Mississippi. The steeple could be seen from miles and the chiming of its bells could be heard from even farther. Reverend Jim’s compound was positioned west of the church, so he could see the sun rise over his church each and every morning.
    His compound consisted of his incredibly large residence, his office, and a multitude of office buildings disguised as barns for his closest and most trusted employees. There was also a studio for taping Hollywood quality productions. It was equipped with the latest and best sound, video, and lighting equipment on the market.
    Reverend Jim had a gentleman on his books who had received a prestigious award for work he did on a film for Hollywood about pirates. His services cost Reverend Jim a fortune, but in his mind they were well worth the price.
    The compound was surrounded by an enormous metal fence, surveillance equipment, and security guards. The office buildings/barns on the compound were mostly painted red, which was not an uncommon sight in the country side. The one that housed the office of Reverend Jim was gold and adorned with a singular silver star that was fashioned as a weathervane but exceedingly oversized. Reverend Jim’s weathervane did not point north, south, east, and west, as most did. It had an arrow pointing upward to heaven and one down toward hell.
    The interior of his office contained one enormous room. In the middle, a rectangular stage rose five feet above the ground floor or about half as high as a loft might. In the center, sat a piece of furniture and a work of fine, high