My hand went to my hair, made wild by the humidity and Pams convertible. No, Maam, I guess Im not. I usually just open the windows in my Jeep and hang my head out to let it dry. It saves a lot of time.

Betty looked horrified.

Well, guess Id better let you ladies get to your womanly ways. Pastor Bob patted his wifes shoulders as he spoke.

He seemed oddly comfortable in the salon. I couldnt imagine Carlos Martinez or Jeb Ennis hanging around a beauty parlor. But Pastor Bob, with his bleached teeth and buffed fingernails, seemed to feel right at home.

Every time I bring Delilah in, I think she cant get any more beautiful than she already is. He beamed a whitening-strip smile to the mirror. But then I come back to pick her up, and darned if Im not wrong.

He leaned toward Delilah, who offered up her plump cheek for a kiss. Ill be back for you in a couple of hours, Mother.

Ill be right here, Father. Bettys going to make me into a new woman, so I do hope you recognize me.

He put his hand on her face and gazed into her eyes. Mother, Id know you in a crowd of thousands. Thats how it is with soul mates, isnt that right, ladies?

He glanced at us for approval. Mama smiled reflexively, but I was busy choking back vomit. I hate when married couples call each other Mother and Father. Its creepy.

Through the front window, I saw DVora hurrying along the sidewalk, breasts jiggling in her tight smock. Pastor Bob saw her, too. He dropped his hand from his wifes cheek like it was a burning coal, and rushed to open the shops door. He stepped aside just enough so DVora would have to rub up against him as she brushed past. His eyes got a familiar gleam.

Its DVora, isnt it?

She raised the bank deposit bag in her hand to cover her chest, and gave him a My, what big teeth you have look.

I dont believe youve taken us up on our invitation to come worship at Abundant Hope and Charity Chapel. Mother, have you seen this pretty young lady at church? His eyes never left DVoras cleavage.

I glanced at Delilah. Her own eyes were full of hurt and resignation.

No, Father, I havent. Her lips barely moved as she studied her hands, folded on top of the drape. If she hadnt been so mean to Mama at church, I might have felt sorry for her.

Thank you anyway, sir. Maam. Dvora nodded at Delilah as she sidestepped around the minister. But Im happy at my own church. Ive been going ever since I was baptized. Thanks for thinking of me, though.

Everyone in the shop knew exactly what the minister had been thinking about DVora.

Well, maybe youd like one of my DVDs, then. Half-price, for you.

Delilah didnt give her time to answer. Hadnt you better get to your errands, Father?

Pastor Bob put a hand to his chin, thoughtful like. He was probably just wiping off drool. You betcha, he finally said, as DVora disappeared into the back room. Ive got a long list to tackle. See you soon, Mother.

Delilah followed her husband with her eyes until he was out the door, down the sidewalk, and out of sight of the window. She continued staring until, finally, she let out a little sigh and a tiny shake of her head. What would run through your mind if you had a husband who would come on to another woman like that, right in front of you? Delilah looked like she was trying to convince herself of something. I wondered what it was.

Okay, let the girl talk begin. Betty shook her magenta comb like a conductors baton. It broke the shameful feeling wed shared at seeing Delilah humiliated. Whos got news about Emma Jean Valentine?

We spent the next fifteen minutes dissecting Emma Jeans disappearance. I filled them in on finding the abandoned car and visiting her house. Mama revealed the fact that she might have been cheating on Jim Albert. Delilah perked up at that gossipy morsel.

Maybe I shouldnt tell tales, she said, waiting for the go-ahead to do just that.

Mace and her mama are trying to find out who really killed Emma Jeans boyfriend. Whoever did it may have kidnapped her, too. Bettys eyes bored into Delilahs in the mirror. Youd only be helping Emma Jean to tell what you know.

Delilah paused just long enough to take a deep breath before beginning. Well, I will say I couldnt believe that scene she pulled the other night at Abundant Hope. All of that about how the wicked woman whod been cheating with her boyfriend attends our little church? And the way she tried to stare down the evildoer? Talk about a sinner casting stones!

Mama wrinkled her brow. What are you saying?

Im saying I know for a fact Emma Jean had a secret lover. And Im saying the mans a member of our church.

Are you sure? Betty asked, whipping some of Delilahs wet hair around a pink roller.

Absolutely. Every couple of months, I collect all the hymnals and give them a good dusting.

I wasnt at all surprised Delilah was a fastidious housekeeper.

The last time I did it, I found a love note tucked into one of the books. It wasnt addressed by name; Emma Jean had written My Dearest Darling Man at the top. She talked about how she could barely stand to see him in church with his wife, knowing she couldnt have him. She angled her head toward Betty, who was wedging the last roller into an even row. And then she said things were heating up. You know who was going to ask her to marry him, she wrote.

She looked at each of us to make sure we were listening. We were.

What should I do about it? Thats what she asked her darling man.

How do you know Emma Jean wrote it? I cant believe anyone would sign their name to a note like that, I said.

She didnt sign her full name. The whole thing was printed, on a typewriter or a computer. There were just the initials at the end, EJ. Beside them, there was a red stick-on heart, like the ones little girls put on their notebooks. Get it? The initials stand for Emma Jean, and the heart for Valentine.

We were all quiet for a few moments, digesting Delilahs theory. Betty combed and rolled; rolled and combed.

Who do you think it was, yall? DVora peeked from the back room, where shed fled to escape Pastor Bob. Who was doin the dirty thang with Emma Jean?

Thats what we need to find out, honey, Mama said. Maybe whoever it was loved the dirty thang so much he killed poor Jim Albert so he could keep doing it with Emma Jean.

With a mountain of meat loaf and mashed potatoes in front of him, my cousin Henry was holding court from a corner table at Gladys Restaurant. Making a point, he waved his fork in the air like he was a judge and the fork was his gavel.

I stopped for a minute just inside the front door, feeling the sweat on my neck drying in a blast of cold air. The air conditioner felt so good, I lifted the hair from my collar and let the chill wind blow away the heat that had accumulated from outside.

Charlene, the waitress, ran an obstacle course between chairs and tables. Plates were stacked in a line along her left arm like planes waiting to take off in Atlanta. There was a blizzard of white order slips in the kitchen window, waiting for the cook.

Just about every seat was taken. The courthouse crowd was there, the men in neckties; the women in pantsuits or dresses. Three ranchers in blue jeans tipped back in their chairs, toothpicks in their mouths and pie plates scraped clean on their table. A couple of retirees from the RV park sipped coffee at the counter, their faces sunburned under bass-fishing hats with bands of breathable mesh.

I dropped my hair back onto my neck and started toward Henrys table. Marty leaned forward, smiling as she listened to whatever our cousin was saying. Maddies arms were crossed against her chest, her face scrunched into a disapproving glare. She looked up as I approached.

Youre just in time, Mace. Henry is entertaining usand all three adjoining tables, Im surewith a story about his neighbors pot-bellied pig. Apparently, the poor creature suffers from severe flatulence.

Pfffbt. Henry forced air through his lips. Pfffbt, pfffbbbttt.

Complete with sound effects. Maddie shook her head in disgust. Henry, Ive got middle -school students with better manners and more maturity than you.

He poked her gently in the arm with his fork. Chill out, Maddie. If you wind yourself up any tighter, only dogs will be able to hear you fart.

Marty burst out laughing.

Mace, please sit down and try to get your cousin under control. Marty only eggs him on.

While Maddie looked at me, Henry palmed a salt shaker from the table.

Byuck, buck, buck, buck. Clucking, he lifted his butt off the seat, reached down, and brought up the white shaker in the center of his hand. He offered it to Marty. I believe this egg is yours, Madam Egger-on.

The harder Marty giggled; the madder Maddie got.

All right, you two. We all know Maddie is fun to tease. I took a seat. But get serious, now. Ive got some news youre not going to believe.

I told them about the note Delilah found tucked into a hymn book.

Maybe Emma Jean was cheating with that choir director, Henry said. He always looks you in the eye a little too hard. I dont trust him. Its like hes trying to sell you on the notion hes a better person than you.

Thats not a hard sell in your case, Maddie sniffed. Henry stuck out his tongue in reply. Besides, I dont think someone who only shows at church for weddings or funerals is qualified to judge others, Henry.

Maddie became a Methodist when she married Kenny. We all agreed it was a better fit for her, as the worship at Mamas church can get pretty emotional and uninhibited. Those characteristics arent in my older sisters repertoire.

Marty spoke before Henry and Maddie had the chance to start another round. What about Al Small, from the insurance agency? Doesnt he go to Mamas church?

Marty dated a vegetarian in college, and both of them embraced Buddhism. The boys long gone, but the diet and religion stuck. At first Mama believed Marty would burn in hell for worshipping a false idol. But even she eventually came around. The Buddhist philosophy of never hurting a living thing is a good match for my gentle sister.

Al and Anna Small do belong to Abundant Hope, I told Marty. Why do you ask?

Annas in the book group I run at the library. Shes been bad-mouthing her husband in between discussion questions. She says she wants a divorce. Als been cheating.

I couldnt imagine anyone writing dearest darling man to portly, balding Alvin Small.

What about Pastor Bob? I shifted in the chair. Yall heard he hit on me. Then, he just about devoured poor DVora, even with Delilah sitting right there in the beauty shop chair.

Henry shoveled some green beans onto his fork. He stopped it midway to his mouth. Naw. It doesnt fit, Mace. He gave his head a firm shake, as confident as a defense attorney who just caught the prosecutors key witness in a lie. First of all, if the pastor went after you and DVora, then Emma Jeans too old for him. He likes em younger. Second, shes not hot enough.

Maddie looked like she accidentally ate the lemon slice out of her iced tea. Eww, Henry. I hope youre not implying you think Mace is hot. First-cousin hanky panky is almost incest.

Henry swallowed the fork load of beans. Calm down, Maddie. Im not saying I want to jump Maces bones. Though any red-blooded male who isnt her cousin might. He swiped a biscuit through a pool of gravy on his plate. Im just speaking objectively, as a man. Mace is a fine-looking woman with a beautiful build.

Ewwww, Marty and Maddie said in chorus, as I blushed.

Henry polished off the biscuit, then eyed the final meat loaf morsel. My sisters had waited on me to order lunch. But Henry claims his blood sugar gets screwy if he doesnt stick to a strict meal schedule. Charlene was so busy she could barely breathe, let alone get back to take our order. So, as we waited with empty stomachs, we were treated to the spectacle of Henry plowing through lunch.

He speared the meat loaf sliver and pointed his fork at us. And how do you know the note is from Emma Jean, anyway?

He didnt wait for an answer.

Find another woman with the initials E.J. at that church hell, in the whole town, or just about anywhere, really. Thatd be enough for a good attorney to establish reasonable doubt. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, that note could have been in that hymnal for years. Maybe a church-going woman named Elaine Johnson worked at the music-book company and slipped it in there for safekeeping. Maybe one of the teenagers at Abundant Hope did it as a prank. Anyone with a computer could have produced that note, ladies and gentlemen.

Henry looked at us, pleased with his performance.

Youve got a point, Henry. Maddie handed him a napkin. But you might want to check your chin first for a glop of gravy if you ever do that bit for a real jury.

___.

Charlene finally delivered the orders we gave her: A cheeseburger and extra-crispy fries for me. Chicken-fried steak for Maddie. A vegetable plate with biscuits for Marty. Henry couldnt decide between the cherry and coconut cream pie, so he got a slice of both. I pitied the unfortunate client whose Friday afternoon appointment coincided with Henrys crash from his sugar high.

He waited until I had a mouthful of burger to say, Maddie told us you have some suspicions about Jeb Ennis, is that right, Mace?

Wuuuhh, I said.

Why am I asking, or why were you suspicious?

Maddie slapped his shoulder hard, nearly knocking a clot of coconut pie off his fork. Hells bells, Henry. Cant you see Maces mouth is full of food? Just tell us what you know about that devil, Jeb. She shot a look full of meaning at me. I can already predict, its gonna be something bad.

Marty glanced at me with a guilty look on her face. We hadnt told Maddie about our trip to the livestock market, or about what Old Jake had said about Jeb.

One of my clients did a little work for Jim Albert, Henry began. Lets say his line of work is enforcement, and just leave it at that. He spiked a quarter of the cherry pie slice with his fork and gobbled it down. Anyway, this man says Jeb was into Jim Albert for quite a bit of dough.

The hamburger turned to dust in my mouth. Thats old news, Henry. Jeb himself told me hed borrowed from Jim Albert.

I still felt protective, even as the evidence mounted against Jeb. For some stupid reason, I didnt want my family, and especially Maddie, thinking badly of him. Did I harbor some fantasy that wed end up together, riding off into the sunset?

So he talked about the loan, huh? Henry said. Did he tell you he owed more than $250,000?

Martys eyes went wide. Maddie let out a low whistle. I tried to conceal my shock.

That gives Jeb two powerful reasons for whacking Jim Albert, Henry lectured. Number one: money. He couldnt possibly pay that much back, not and keep his ranch. Number two: self-preservation. Its as strong a drive for us as it is in the animal world. Jim Albert was a dangerous man. Kill or be killed.

I stirred my coffee, which had gone cold. I still hadnt said a word.

I know you loved the guy, Mace.

I started to protest, but Henry held up his fork. Dont deny it. I kid around, but youre like a sister to me. It broke my heart to see how bad Jeb hurt you. You loved him, young or not.

Thats what I told her, Henry. Any man that could do Mace like that might be capable of much worse. Maddie leaned over and patted my arm. It was such a rare gesture, it almost made me cry.

You want Jeb to be innocent. Henrys voice was soft, his eyes kind. But you have to face the facts, Mace. This sordid romance or affair or whatever it is that might have been going on at Abundant Hope? Thats just a distraction. Your ex-boyfriend takes the prize as the likeliest killer in Himmarshee, Florida.

Each of my sisters grabbed one of my hands and held on.

Henry pushed his pie plate away, even though there was almost a half a piece left. He looked into my eyes: Lets put it this way, cousin. Im a damned good lawyer. But I wouldnt want to walk into court right now with Jeb Ennis as my client.

Warm you up again, hon?

I put a hand over my ceramic coffee mug. No thanks, Charlene. Ive already had enough to be peeing like a racehorse all afternoon.

My sisters had to return to work. Henry was back at his law office, probably terrorizing his teen secretary with bad jokes and the sounds of bodily functions. I was alone with the afternoon Himmarshee Times on the table and a third cup of coffee sloshing around in my gut.

Mama called much earlier to ask us to hold off on dessert. But shed been delayed. It was almost two-thirty now. I stuck around to wait for her, since my new schedule has Fridays off. Rhonda, my supervisor, decided I needed a day before the weekends to recharge my friendliness.

You need to work on your attitude, Mace, shed told me.

Rhonda was referring to the credo I have for park visitors: There are no stupid questions; only stupid people.