Eleven Churches Received The Same Threat Before Sunday Service

"Please leave the blower alone until we talk," I told her.

"They think they're breaking the law by playing."

"Send me the committee chair's number. I'll call with Nora."

I put the reed tongue down. My thumb had been holding it so hard that its edge left a white line in my skin.

Nora read Declan's message and sent it to his lawyer. She also asked the court for an early hearing about his collection threats under the disputed assignment.

"Can we tell the churches plainly where I stand?" I asked.

"We can put your promise in writing. We can also explain what is before the court. They may want their own advice."

We made a list of all eleven congregations and their service records. None had agreed to a yearly use fee. Each had bought parts or repairs for a stated price.

With Nora's help, I signed a promise that I would make no claim against those churches for using their installed valves. We sent it with copies of their paid invoices and a letter disputing Bellwether's demand.

I called every committee chair. Nora joined the calls where people wanted legal questions answered.

One man asked, "Will I need to take up a special collection?"

"I won't be asking you for one," I said.

Another asked why my wife had done this.

"I can't answer for her. I can account for the work I did in your building."

We spent Friday doing that.

Saturday morning, Hester drove me to Mercy Street. My truck was at another church with Luis, who was finishing a scheduled repair.

Rain had left water in the broken edges of the parking lot. The committee waited beside the choir loft with a folder thick enough for a roof claim.

"I'm sorry your Saturday went like this," I said.

The chair opened the folder.

"We have everything back to the first estimate."

Hester smiled. "Then we're among friends."

We matched each installed part to its invoice. The committee voted to keep the organ in service after speaking with its own lawyer. I stayed to tune it for Sunday.

While the choir director held a chord, I heard a small rattle behind the upper chest.

The chair looked at my face.

"Now what?"

"A washer," I said. "This one I can fix right now."

The whole committee laughed, mostly from relief.

I tightened the fitting and played the chord again. Hester stood near the stairs, holding the folder shut with both hands.

On Monday, the judge ordered Adrienne, Declan, and Bellwether to stop seeking fees from those churches under the disputed assignment while the case continued. Their lawyers received copies. So did the churches.

Declan's lawyer confirmed that the demands had been withdrawn.

Bluff Reed agreed to keep future royalties in a separate holding account until the court gave payment instructions. Its factory kept making the approved valves, so our supply of parts continued.

Graybank and Laurel Span also stopped acting on their conflicting licenses. Neither had started making the valves. Both wanted refunds and a chance to discuss fair licenses later.

Each company joined the case through its own lawyer to seek repayment.

"They trusted the papers, too," Hester said.

"I know."

That mattered when Nora asked how I wanted to settle. I wanted the companies repaid. I wanted them to have a clear answer about what they could sell. Keeping their fees would have made their losses part of my gain.

We also made a parts list for the churches. It showed which springs and leather seats belonged in each valve, with the shop number below it. I had always kept those notes in my head or tucked beside the bench.

"Give them a copy," Hester said.

I did. If I got sick, or climbed one ladder too many, someone else could follow the work. I wanted the people I served to have more than my promise to come back.

Adrienne called that evening from a number I did not know.

"I hear you've been making promises to churches."

"They needed an answer."

"Those promises have value. You gave it away."

I looked at the service book open on my bench. One page held a note about a funeral. Another listed a choir child's first solo.

"They already paid for their parts."

"You always were easy to move."

"Please send any proposal through the lawyers."

"I am still your wife."

For a moment, I heard the cooler lid closing all those years ago, when she had brought supper to my first valve test.

"I know what you were to me," I said.

Then I ended the call and wrote down its time and what we had said.

On Thursday, Nora called with a date for the final business hearing. The court had also approved moving the two returned deposits into the holding account.

"One more thing," she said. "Adrienne's lawyer delivered a settlement offer. She wants you to withdraw Hester's statement and call the assignment a clerical error."