“She got that ball just in time,” Tiffany said watching Debbie waddle through the door. Then, “What are y’all going to do? Wait for the sheriff to call or go on up to Oneonta?”

“I think we should go on up there and tell Luke,” Sister said. “I’ll put the phone on call forwarding in case Richard calls. And we can stop by the sheriff’s office and see if he’s heard anything.”

“Wear your purple boots,” I suggested.

Sister giggled.

Luke looked worse than he had the night before. Both eyes were black and he groaned when he saw us.

“I’m seeing two of you.”

“There are two of us,” Mary Alice said.

“No. I mean I’m seeing four of you. Two each.”

“Is that normal when you have a concussion?”

Luke looked at the two Mary Alices and said, “Hell, no, it’s not normal. I think my eyes got jarred out of their sockets.”

Sister sat down in the only chair and examined Luke’s eyes. “They look like they’re fitting okay. Not a good color, but straight.”

“What did the doctor say?” Luke’s appearance was alarming. I wondered if the double vision was a sign of the swelling they had warned us about.

“They’re going to do a CAT scan or an MRI or something in a little while. One of those alphabet things where they stick you in a tube.”

“They’ll just stick your head in,” Mary Alice assured him. “The rest of you is working, isn’t it?”

“I reckon. All I’ve had to eat is a banana popsicle.”

“I love banana popsicles. Don’t you, Mouse?”

I agreed that I did.

“And lime and grape.” Sister leaned forward. “Luke, there’s something we have to tell you.”

Something he was in no condition to hear. But Sister surprised me.

“After they do the CAT scan and let you go, we’re going to take you to my house. In my Jaguar.”

Luke smiled and clasped Mary Alice’s hand. Just at that moment the door opened and two orderlies came in with a gurney.

“Gotta take you down to radiology, Mr. Nelson.”

He was still smiling when he was wheeled out.

“That was nice,” I told Sister.

“Well, did you get a good look at him? There’s no way on God’s earth they’re going to let that man out today. Come on. Let’s go down to Joe’s and get some lunch.”

Which is where both Richard and Virgil Stuckey located us. Virgil first, fortunately. We had just sat down when he came walking into the restaurant. This did not surprise me. Nor Sister. She smiled and waved.

My back was to the door. “Cary Grant?” I ventured.

“You got it.”

“I was hoping I would catch you here,” the sheriff said.

Mary Alice motioned toward a chair. He pulled it out quickly and sat down.

“You ladies okay?”