Then she studied me as if realizing what she was saying.

That isn't you, is it? If you're lying I'll get on the phone right now. I'll call the police.

We're not from the credit.

Then why do you want Jonna? She isn't in trouble, is she?

Yes, I think she is.

Sara clumped to the couch and eased herself down.

Lord, please don't tell me that. She told me she had the credit problems, but now something like this.

I picked up the picture of Yvonne. Yvonne would have been five or six years older than Jonna, and though I could see a resemblance, they didn't look much alike. Even in high school, the woman I knew as Ivy Casik looked humorless and dark. Even then, Yvonne's mouth had already curled into a knowing grin absent of innocence.

Is this Jonna's sister?

I don't talk about that one. That's the bad one. She was always bad, and her bad ways caught up. I wouldn't even keep it up there if it wasn't for Jonna. She gets mad when I put it away.

Her name was Yvonne.

Sara Hill was surprised.

You knew her?

I worked on the case.

She was a tramp. Wasn't no better than a cat in heat from when she was little.

My right eye ticked and I fought to control it. I put the picture back in its place.

They had different fathers to go with the different last names?

The good one and the bad one, just like the girls, and the good one wasn't worth too damn much, either. He left like they all left, off to take up with tramps. Vonnie drove half of'm away, acting the tramp.

Pike reappeared. He shook his head, telling me he hadn't found anything. I sat beside Mrs. Hill.

We need to find Jonna. She's got worse trouble than bad credit.

Don't tell me she's turned into a whore. Jonna was always the good one, not like Yvonne. Just please don't tell me that.

Remember Lionel Byrd?

I never heard of him.

Lionel Byrd was charged with Yvonne's murder. You didn't know that?

She twitched her cane as if she didn't give a damn either way.

I washed my hands of all that. She was always bad, and her bad ways caught up to her. We parted company long before she was punished.

I wasn't quite sure what to say.

You washed your hands.

When the police called I told'm I wanted nothing to do with it. It liked to kill Jonna, though. My God, she carried on, going on and on about how this man got away with it, but I just wouldn't hear of it, all that sordid mess, and I said this must stop, Jonna, Yvonne isn't worth it. Yvonne has always been like this and she got what she deserved.

Pike said, I'll wait outside.

Mrs. Hill frowned as he left.

I said, Did Jonna want to punish the man who murdered Yvonne?