Hailstone by Nina Smith Read Free Book Online

above the pulpit and lit up the synthetic red hair of Kat Catrall while she interviewed Preacher.
    Magda stayed in her pew, out of Kat’s sight, and watched. She listened carefully to the questions Kat posed, and to Preacher spouting his usual answers. She watched the way Kat listened, nodded every so often, and looked incredibly serious whenever Preacher spoke. She wore a full business suit today; Preacher normally didn’t like women who wore trousers, but he said nothing to this woman. Of course not. He wanted to be in the paper.
    After a while she slipped out of her pew and went very softly outside, so as not to distract them. She leaned against the wall of the church and breathed in the cold late afternoon air. The sinking sun turned the colours around her into deeper shades of themselves; redder rooves, greener leaves in the trees that lined the road, longer, blacker shadows. Magda lit a cigarette and held it cupped and hidden in her hand in case anyone drove past. She waited.
    Kat appeared after about ten minutes. “Hey,” Magda said when she walked past.
    Kat jumped. “Hi! I didn’t see you there!” She paused. “Magda? Is that you? Why are you dressed like–er–” she gestured at the church. “One of them?”
    Magda shrugged. “I get in trouble with Preacher if I don’t.”
    Kat took a step closer. She studied her face. “Why should you care?”
    “He’s my Daddy. Is that your car?”
    Kat nodded at the blue station wagon parked by the curb. “You want to go somewhere?”
    “Yeah. Take me out for coffee. Quick, before Preacher comes looking for me.”
    “Are you going to get dragged off by your husband again?”
    “P robably. Are you scared of him?”
    Kat chuckled. “Not if you aren’t. Get in.”
    Magda slid into the passenger seat. She watched Kat’s skirt slide up a little while she got in, started the car and pulled out into the road. She ducked her head until they were well away from the church.
    “Preacher’s daughter, huh?” Kat asked, once they were on the highway. “That explains a lot.”
    Magda shrugged. “I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean for you to get caught in the middle of that. Preacher messes up everything.”
    Kat took an exit off the highway and coasted into the inner city. “I thought you’d been kidnapped by the mob or something. I very nearly ran you on the front page, but Adam practically begged me to leave it alone.” She pulled over in front of a corner coffee shop that had tables outside covered by big white umbrellas. “Will this do?”
    “Sure.” Magda got out and sat with Kat at the table furthest away from other patrons. A girl came out and took their order, then disappeared.
    Magda watched Kat curiously. She was all business today. “What’s your article really about? The one with Preacher and Adam?”
    Kat grinned. “Leading lights of the city? It’s an in-depth look at both sides of the alcohol debate. But I’m framing it as profiles of the faces of the debate, because I figured I’d get more out of Preacher that way.”
    Magda giggled. “Will they be on the same page?”
    “Opposing pages. Big pictures.”
    “Gosh, you won’t be popular with Preacher next week. Not if you put him beside Adam.”
    Kat shrugged. “It’s not my job to be popular. It’s my job to give the city a balanced view of the issue.”
    “What did Preacher tell you?”
    “Same thing he says on TV every other week. Disintegrating moral fabric, young people on the streets, alcohol is a scourge. He said the church was building a special program to help people overcome their addictions. Apparently he’s opening up a bunch of outreach centres.”
    “Really?” Magda frowned. “He hasn’t said anything about it to me.”
    “Would he normally?”
    She shrugged. “Perhaps not. Most times he’s more interested in curing my supposed delinquency. He got awful mad when I got home drunk last night.”
    Kat chuckled. “Anti-alcohol Preacher’s alcoholic