Willie Frank gasped. “Do you mean to tell me y’all left her in Hartville?”

“We didn’t have no choice.” I put my arm around Willie Frank’s shoulder and led him into the kitchen, and Yvonne was right beside me. We didn’t stop walking until we got to the back of the room.

“Did what you say that upset her have anything to do with Odell making the call to Sheriff Potts?” Willie Frank wanted to know.

I had a lie already formed in my head. Yvonne answered before I could get it out. “Yup. She almost fainted.”

“Hell’s bells. Did she admit he was the one that done it?”

I still didn’t think it would benefit us if we came clean and told Willie Frank everything yet. He’d feel slighted if he knew we’d been keeping Odell’s other woman and them kids a secret from him, and that that was the reason we’d cooked up a phony supper invitation for Joyce. Telling him the whole story eventually depended on how this mess played out in the end. If Joyce broadcasted the news about Betty Jean, then me and Yvonne would come clean with Willie Frank. We’d tell him we hadn’t wanted to drag a God-fearing man like him into such a unholy mess unless we had to.

I didn’t waste no time replying. “Uh-huh. When we laid out the facts, she didn’t have no choice. She swore to God she didn’t realize what he’d done until we brung it to her attention.”

Willie Frank blew out some air and raked his fingers through his hair. He was red with anger, and there was a scrunched-up look on his face. “I hope this don’t get too out of hand.” He shook his head and continued. “I advised y’all not to waste too much time before confronting Odell.”

I glanced around the kitchen. “Let’s discuss this later. I want to get back out there and entertain our guests.”

“All right then. I got a lot more to say about it,” Willie Frank said, sounding dog tired. This mess had drained him and he didn’t even know the half of it.

I hadn’t told Yvonne that me and him had “finalized” Odell’s punishment. The main reason was because I had to wait and see what happened with him and Joyce.

Ten more guests had come since we got home, and we got really busy. But every few minutes I peeped out the front window at the house next door. Just before nine p.m., I seen a light come on. Less than a minute later, Joyce started closing all her living room curtains. “Joyce made it back home,” I whispered to Yvonne when she walked up behind me.

“Good. At least we know she ain’t dead, or in the crazy house,” she replied.