Hance couldn\u2019t use his real name or Social Security number to find a legitimate job and began to manufacture methamphetamine in a backyard shed. A friend had taught him the process, and now Hance believed it was God\u2019s will, giving him the knowledge and means he needed to support McCool and the children. He installed a large beaker and enlisted Timothy to help line the walls with plastic sheets. With Timothy as his assistant, Hance made two pounds at a time and gave it to a dealer friend, earning $2,000 for every ounce sold.<\/p>\n
People started gathering regularly at the house. \u201cWe were almost never alone,\u201d Timothy says now. \u201cPassing a mirror covered in meth was ordinary.\u201d Unlike Hance, McCool didn\u2019t snort meth, but she sprinkled some in a glass of cola and sipped it, making it last all day long. She called it her \u201cperky Pepsi.\u201d She knew their visitors came for Hance\u2019s drugs. He believed they were \u201clost\u201d and that God had led them to their door.<\/p>\n
One night Hance related an incident that occurred when McCool happened to be out. Two friends stopped by the house on their way to dinner, and Hance offered to lend one his gold crucifix to complement her dress. As soon as she lowered it around her neck, her skin raised up and twisted into dark knots that sizzled under the heat of the metal.<\/p>\n
Hance raised a hand and said, \u201cIn the name of Jesus Christ, I cast you out of her!\u201d<\/p>\n
She thrashed and spat and screamed, \u201cI fucked Jesus up the ass!\u201d<\/p>\n
Hance and the other friend struggled to restrain her. When she finally settled, she blinked her eyes and asked, \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
When these \u201chealings\u201d became more frequent, Hance grew suspicious of McCool; why was she missing every time the devil appeared? Was she somehow behind these demonic possessions?<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think it\u2019s possible,\u201d McCool asked him, \u201cthat they\u2019re just putting on a show for you? So that you\u2019ll believe in your own power and give them more drugs?\u201d<\/p>\n
All Spreads: Hance and the couple\u2019s friends demonstrated techniques for its illustrations.Courtesy of Gayle McCool.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Gayle McCool.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Gayle McCool.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Gayle McCool.<\/p>\n