The town was also big on bragging about its active church community. With a church on every corner, it’s no wonder there was always a lot to crow about. There was the First Baptist of Magnolia, the First Presbyterian, First Methodist . . . a lot of Firsts.

And just like the botched murder trial, Magnolia didn’t like to talk about Dave Foster and his congregation out on Nolia Farms. Even though it wasn’t the official name of my father’s small country church, folks referred to it as the First Riffraff of Magnolia. Pa said they could call it whatever they wanted. People running their mouths was never something to bother him. No, he had much bigger issues than small-town gossip.

The one-room chapel could only hold thirty or so people. It was established back in the late 1800s by my great-grandfather, who was also a farmer with a passion to minister. Farm life didn’t always allow much free time, so he built the chapel as a place of worship for any of the farm help and his family. My father was the third generation to pastor this church. Phoenix said it reminded him of the schoolhouse on Little House on the Prairie and was all about convincing Mama to teach us there instead of sending us to public school, but she wanted us to have time off the farm, so that never happened.

As the piano came to life, I sat a little straighter and scanned the small pews and felt certain the ragtag congregation near about represented any walk of life you could think of.

A fortune-teller accused of being a witch doctor. Check.

An ex-con with a glass eye. Check.

An atheist believer with a Polish accent. Check.

The town’s undertaker whose sexual orientation was questionable. Check.

The town floozy with a penchant for neon-blue eye shadow. Check.

A poor farming family with way too many kids. Check.

A madman leading them. Check.

At the moment, said madman was going to town on the untuned piano like he was Jerry Lee Lewis. Shoulders shaking, long legs bouncing to the beat, singing an up-tempo version of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” he had the rapt attention of the entire congregation.

Except me.