Mary Beth shopped instead. She blew a hundred dollars on things she didn’t need and would return within a week, still in the shopping bags with labels attached, just to have something to do.

Bobby Joe would be expecting her soon. Mary Beth, teeth gritted, would be there. His previous visitor ought to be long gone—Luellen was no ministering angel of mercy. To be on the safe side, however, Mary Beth would circle to make sure the white Mercedes wasn’t hidden somewhere. Grady could help her with that.

Her phone rang. Mary Beth pulled over to the side of the parking lot for the shops and picked it up. “Hi, Dad.”

“There you are. I called a few times.”

“I was inside a store. I guess I didn’t hear it ring.”

“Did you forget about meeting me?”

She winced. “Yes. I did. Totally. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, honey. I know how much you have on your mind. I was thinking I’d head home, though. Alma practically kicked me out of her room.”

“You know she loves you.”

“Keep saying that. She hasn’t.”

She smiled at her dad’s rueful comment. “Give it time, Daddy.”

He laughed a little. “All right. But I’m not used to this. Women played the game differently back in my day.”

“Alma does things in her own unique way. She’s one of a kind.”

“Don’t remind me,” he chided his daughter. “I might start missing her too much before I can get back to Iminga and see what needs doing around the house.”

Mary Beth felt compelled to make up for her forgetfulness. “All right. But are you sure you don’t want to have dinner? I’m not really hungry but I feel bad about standing you up.”

“Some other time, honey. Believe me, I’m not mad at you one bit. So don’t you worry.”

“Okay. I won’t.”

They exchanged affectionate farewells and Mary Beth drove out of the lot. The looming bulk of Delta General Hospital glowed white on the horizon ahead. She’d be there in ten minutes or less.

On the dot, her car rolled over the spikes as they flattened into the asphalt.

Grady was in the attendant’s booth with several other guys, a paper cup of coffee in his meaty hand. He nearly dropped the cup when he saw her car go by.

She saw him again in her rearview mirror, standing there and waving, and she slowed to let him catch up.

Grady huffed and puffed to the side of her car. She rolled down the window.

“She didn’t stay too long, miss. But she was ticked off when she saw me checking out her tires, like I was gonna steal them or something. I started to explain but she just got in and drove off.”

“When was that?”

“About half an hour after you left.”