I shook my head. “Jonah was just too blind to see what was right in front of him.”

“Hey!” he protested. “First Mildred, then you. I might as well head on over to the Baptist church and let both of the other women who signed this petition—” he waved the paper in his hand “—flog me.”

“Save your dramatic flair for the camera, Jonah,” I teased, then headed for the door. “I need to catch up to Neely Kate.”

Jonah’s smile faded. “Keep me updated on how she’s doin’, okay? I’m still worried about her.”

“Me too.” I looked over my shoulder as I walked out the door. “Thanks again, Jessica.”

Neely Kate was in the same folding chair she’d sat in while we were waiting for Miss Mildred. She was quiet for the entire drive to the Henryetta Family Clinic. I turned to look at her when I pulled into the parking lot. “Neely Kate, maybe you should stay home tonight. I think I made you overdo it today.”

“No. I want to go.” She gave me a weak smile. “You should come with us. You owe me a night at the Bingo hall.”

I grimaced. “I have an…appointment, remember?” Then I realized I was in trouble. “And I don’t have an excuse for bein’ gone tonight.”

She studied me for a moment, then took my hand. “You know I don’t want you doin’ this, but seein’ as how you’re good and stuck, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help?”

“Really?” I asked in amazement.

“Yeah. You’re supposed to meet him at eight, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell Mason you’re goin’ to Bingo with Granny and me.”

A sick feeling settled in my stomach. “I hate lyin’ to him, Neely Kate.”

“I know, honey. So you meet us at the Bingo hall for a little bit, then you leave and meet Jed. That way you’re not lyin’.”

I threw my arms around her and pulled her into a sideways hug. “You’re the best, Neely Kate. I only wish I could help you too.”

She pulled back with tears in her eyes. “You have no idea how much today helped. Thanks for puttin’ up with my sulkin’.”

I shook my head. “Enough of that nonsense. Take a nap after you get home, you hear?”

She smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll see you around six-fifty.”

I watched her go into the clinic before driving home. Muffy was overjoyed to see me, so I decided to take her on a long walk to make up for being gone most of the day. After pulling on a pair of work boots, I decided to give in to curiosity and head south, toward Joe’s new rental house.

The last time Muffy and I had been this way, we’d found poor Mr. Sullivan in a ditch. The loan officer at the bank had been part of a robbery scheme to outbid Skeeter in an auction for the previous crime lord’s territory, but after he had a change of heart, one of his partners killed him and dumped his body on the very property Joe was now renting. But if Muffy was traumatized by the experience, she’d overcome it enough to romp around as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

When we made it to the gravel road leading up to the house, I had second thoughts. I wasn’t even sure Joe was home—in fact, I suspected he wasn’t—but I was curious to see what he’d done with his rental. I’d come this far. I might as well keep going.

To my disappointment, the fainting goats that had been kept here were gone. Muffy must have remembered them, though, because she ran up to the fence and peered through the slats, sniffing the ground frantically before releasing a cloud of stench that the breeze blew directly into my face.

I pulled my knit scarf up to cover my face as I gagged. “Muffy! You’ve got to start giving me a warning!”

She looked over her shoulder, giving me a look that said “good luck with that,” then took off running toward the house.

She made the decision for me.

The house wasn’t as large as mine. A one-story bungalow with a front porch that ran the length of the house. It reminded me of the house I’d grown up in, but it was older and in worse shape. The blue paint was peeling and faded and there was obvious wood rot around the windows on the west side. Joe had rented the house with some sort of barter with the owner—renovations for reduced rent. The owner had obviously gotten the better end of the deal. Joe’s car was parked on the side of the house, but he usually drove his sheriff’s car now, so I knew he wasn’t home.

I walked up to the porch and peered into the curtain-less windows. The front room had a brick fireplace flanked with bookcases. Tarps covered the floor and the plaster had been stripped off one of the walls, revealing lath boards instead of studs. I couldn’t help wondering what project he was doing. But more importantly, I hoped it made him happy.

I was so intent on checking the inside of the house, I didn’t hear the car approaching until Muffy began to bark.

Oh great, Joe’s going to catch me snooping. However, as I looked closer, I realized it wasn’t a sheriff’s car. I wasn’t sure getting caught snooping by someone else was much better. But when the car stopped and I saw who was getting out of it, I wanted to run off into the fields and hide.

Hilary didn’t look any happier to see me than I was to see her. She climbed out of the car wearing brown tweed dress pants and brown pumps. A cute ivory wool coat covered her top half and made her striking auburn hair stand out even more than usual. Her makeup looked like it had been done by a professional. When I compared her attire to my work boots, jeans, and work jacket, it was apparent, once again, that she was many leagues above me in terms of class and sophistication.