This goes to explain why I was delighted to see Bill at my back door when the sun had set on the third day after I’d sent him Halleigh’s e-mail. He was not looking appreciably better than he had the last time I’d seen him, but he was dressed in a suit and tie and his hair was carefully combed. The Bible was under his arm.

I understood why he was groomed, what he meant to do. “Good,” I said.

“Come with me,” he said. “It will help if you’re there.”

“But they’ll think . . .” And then I made my mouth shut. It was unworthy to be worrying about the Bellefleurs’ assuming Bill and I were a couple again when Caroline Bellefleur was about to meet her maker.

“Would that be so terrible?” he asked with simple dignity.

“No, of course not. I was proud to be your girlfriend,” I said, and turned to go back to my room. “Please come in while I change clothes.” I’d finished the lunch-and-afternoon shift, and I’d changed to shorts and a T-shirt.

Since I was in a hurry, I changed to an above-the-knee black skirt and a white cap-sleeve fitted blouse I’d gotten on sale at Stage. I slid a red leather belt through the belt loops and got some red sandals from the back of my closet. I fluffed my hair, and I was ready.

I drove us over in my car, which was beginning to need an alignment.

It wasn’t a long ride to the Bellefleur mansion; it didn’t take long to get anywhere in Bon Temps. We parked in the driveway at the front door, but as we’d driven up I’d glimpsed several cars in the back parking area. I’d seen Andy’s car there, and Portia’s, too. There was an ancient gray Chevy Chevette parked sort of unobtrusively at the rear, and I wondered if Miss Caroline had a round-the-clock caregiver.

We walked up to the double front doors. Bill didn’t think it was appropriate (“seemly” was the word he used) to go to the back, and under the circumstances, I had to agree. Bill walked slowly and with effort. More than once I wanted to offer to carry the heavy Bible but I knew he wouldn’t let me, so I saved my breath.

Halleigh answered the door, thank God. She was startled when she saw Bill, but she recovered her poise very quickly and greeted us.