“Go get a Coke out of the refrigerator if you want one,” she called. “Or put on some coffee, if you’d rather.” He was out of his apartment. He’d come to her house. She tried not to feel an ignoble blast of jubilation.

Bobo went inside and returned with a cold drink. He didn’t speak, so neither did Fiji, and it seemed oddly companionable, her working while he watched. The sun on her back made her feel relaxed and a little drowsy. The pile of deadheads in the bucket mounded up in a satisfying way. She kept at her task until she could not find another single one to lop off.

“I’m scared to ask how you’re doing,” she said, heaving herself to her feet and stripping off the thick gloves. It was time for her to open her shop, but this was more important.

“I loved her, so I miss her. She died, and I’m sad. She lied to me, so I’m hurt. I have enemies, so I’m worried.”

Fiji couldn’t think of anything to say in the face of such honesty. She dusted off her hands before placing her clippers in the bucket along with her gloves. Setting the bucket aside to deal with later, she went in to pour some iced tea and came out to sit beside Bobo. She felt ridiculous, suddenly, that when she’d seen the gun, she’d had a split second where she’d believed it was possible Bobo had killed Aubrey.

But he had not told her everything. She wasn’t in doubt about that.

“You better tell me about the enemies part,” she said. She’d brought some Keebler chocolate chip cookies, and she put them on the little table between their chairs. She didn’t care if it was nine in the morning, they were Bobo’s favorites. Absently, Bobo took one and ate it in two bites. Then another. She wondered how long it had been since he had something to eat.

“My grandfather owned a lot of businesses,” he said. He stared across Fiji’s well-planted backyard. Mr. Snuggly stared back, but Bobo’s gaze didn’t see anything closer than a thousand yards away. “Best of all, when I was a kid, was the sporting goods store. Before the big box stores opened in Little Rock, people would drive for miles to see it. It was really big.” A ghost of a smile passed across Bobo’s face. “He also had a lumberyard and a construction company. He was silent partner in some other stuff. I was in and out of his and Gram’s house my whole life. My dad worked for him. This was in Shakespeare, Arkansas.” He smiled at her. “Big fish, small pond.”

Fiji’s family had never been big in any size pond.