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never stood a chance. The reverend had already made up his mind. “I’m placing you on the board with Bea and Sasha.”
    He saw the look of civil disobedience flash upon Sister Betty’s face but he would not budge. “I need you to keep them in line. You did such a great job in Las Vegas. . . .”
    Sister Betty’s heart raced, and if she hadn’t been strapped in that car seat, she’d have fallen over. Oh Lord, my sins have found me out. Why didn’t I just tell him everything that happened in Las Vegas? I almost backslid when Bea and Sasha dragged me into the casino in Las Vegas. I gambled . . . I won money and I liked it for a moment.
    She hadn’t told anyone about what really happened once she’d returned from the Annual Mothers Board meeting. She’d done a miserable job of babysitting Bea and Sasha. Plus, she didn’t want the teasing that would come from the members. Sister Betty returned from Vegas feeling they stood a better chance of forgiveness from him if he thought they’d done a little prostituting instead of casino worshipping.
    â€œThat’s a load off my mind.” The reverend continued smiling. If he’d sensed a change other than her usual rebellion, he didn’t respond.
    Just as Sister Betty’s tongue was about to launch into her many excuses, the reverend’s cell phone rang.
    â€œHello.” He clutched the phone to his ear as his head shook from side to side as though that action alone would negate what he heard. “What are they doing at the bank? You tell them I’m coming down there!” The reverend seemed not to care that he was screaming into his phone. “You tell them that for me!” He slammed down the cover on his phone, disconnecting the call.
    â€œSometimes they make you want to snatch off your collar and grab a pistol!”
    The reference to a pistol caused Sister Betty to flinch. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
    The reverend’s hands were almost bluish from clamping down on the steering wheel, but his face was turning red from the anger. “The Devil is at the bank with demons in abundance.” He drove off with the wheels of the car screaming through the rain.

Chapter 6
    H ow Reverend Tom managed to get him and Sister Betty to the Piece of Savings bank in less than twenty minutes was anyone’s guess. His car looked as if it had had a mud bath when he careened into the parking lot. He and Sister Betty didn’t look much better.
    â€œMy Lord Jesus, I didn’t think we’d make it without the police chasing us here.” Sister Betty stood shaking like a wind-up toy and she kept tossing her Bible from one hand to her other. “Next time, I believe I’ll walk the ten miles.”
    Once they entered the bank, neither Reverend Tom nor Sister Betty was surprised to see a few members of Crossing Over Sanctuary. The dismal economy played the great equalizer in the lives of many of the church members. They were in dire need of financial assistance. He’d done as much as the church’s budget allowed for several families and it still wasn’t nearly enough.
    Reverend Tom and Sister Betty made their way into the bank’s outer lobby where they ran across more of their congregation, who’d ventured out in the storm seeking assistance. When he saw their defeated looks, it reminded the reverend of his purpose and the vision God gave him.
    He felt his muscles and his jaw tighten. His mission was indeed critical and he quickly returned to the problem at hand. Lucifer had thrown a monkey wrench into the plan. However, Reverend Tom believed that between their prayers, he and Sister Betty were enough to turn that monkey wrench into a boomerang.
    â€œYou wait for me out here in the reception area,” the reverend told Sister Betty. “It shouldn’t take too long to see if they’ve changed their minds.”
    â€œI still