“Not yet. Me and Yvonne need him around long enough to get what we can from him so we can pay your uncle back on time,” I reminded.

“Yeah, that’s right. But it’ll be hard to keep my hands off him! Just look at the way he’s sizing up Sweet Sue!” Willie Frank blasted. “I’m glad I don’t have to worry about him visiting her at Aunt Mattie’s house. He is so dazzled by Joyce, he wouldn’t look sideways at another woman.” Willie Frank’s last sentence made me choke on some air. He had to slap me on the back to help me catch my breath. “You all right, buddy?”

“Yeah. I’m good.” I wanted to laugh my head off. I didn’t know if me and Yvonne would ever tell Willie Frank about Betty Jean. If we did, he’d laugh his head off, too. “Um, I’d better do some more mingling.” I said a few words to a couple of other folks until Yvonne ushered me into the kitchen. When we got to the corner in the back of the room next to the pantry, she whirled around and narrowed her eyes. “Why you looking so distressed?” I asked.

“Because I’m fit to be tied.”

“What’s wrong, baby? Did one of them jokers out there disrespect you, or try to get in your bloomers?”

“It wasn’t nothing like that. It’s worse.” Yvonne paused and let out a loud breath. “Milton, listen to me, sugar. I know for sure now that it was Odell who made that call to Sheriff Potts,” she said with her lips quivering.

“I know that, too. We done already discussed it. Is that what’s got you so riled up?”

“Until a few minutes ago, I still had just a little bit of doubt about Odell calling the sheriff. I don’t have no doubt no more.”

“Why? Did you hear something else?”

“I overheard Odell conversating with Dr. Patterson. He didn’t know I was less than a foot behind him. He said something to the doctor about ‘that troublemaker’ calling the sheriff at his house. So, his own words confirmed what Joyce said.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Guess what else he said that he shouldn’t have known?” Yvonne didn’t let me answer, which I couldn’t have done nohow. “He said the sheriff arrived eight minutes after he got the call. How would he know that?”

Her words made my ears ache. I massaged them and shook my head. “That no-good sucker. Yvonne, don’t you move.” I rushed back to the living room and brung Willie Frank into the kitchen.

“What’s up?” he asked, looking confused.

“Yvonne, tell him what you just told me,” I ordered. She repeated it almost word for word.